Dragoncrest Cliffs the red

Shadess was growing, and quickly at that. She could tell it, whenever she looked into the still waters of the glint water lake or the swamp. The features of her face were becoming sharper. Her stance at her mother's side higher. Her eyes no longer blue, but green, as vibrant as the deep pines! She was becoming woman and wouod be as beautiful as her mother before her. Maybe more! 

With a laughter at these thoughts, she dashed through the abundance of her homelands. From blue meadow to golden beach. From pine forest to sequoia. Not to mention the less beautiful places, like the marshes and tangle. 

Now, she lays atop the cliffs of home that plummet down to the ocean below. Atop the plateau rise, even on this bright summary day, the winds were frequent and misted with sea salt. Shadess found respite in the shade, made of that by the great sequoia trees.

it was hot, and the long shadow of the sequoias fell in thin streams along the cliff. sobeille traced their edges, mindless until the light laughter of her sister trickled through the air.

she took her time finding shadess, but when she did she saw the girl resting along the lip of the cliff. the wind here was refreshing and cool, carrying the crisp scent of salt.

sobeille drifted close, peering over the edge. do you ever 'ear dem call you, when you stand on de edge?

Shadess dark sister drew near on the cliffside, colored in red-brown and black mask. Shadess had been such a vicious little babe to her family and even more haughty teenager. Those very early weeks were barely remembered now. All Shadess saw was sister. 

Dere are whispers on de wind. She tilts up her muzzle, sniffing the air and closing her eyes a moment as she embraces the salty winds. But sister, who is it? She tilts her head with wonder, bright eyes staring.

the good news for Shadess was sobeille approved of viciousness; so long as it came from a woman. she tolerated no such behavior from men.

she threw her gaze to the storm-chewed sea. dat be de lwa. sobeille inferred wisely, ears turned upon her sister. what dey be tellin’ you?

Iwa... Shadess repeated the word slowly. Maman speaks of Iwa. Though, she still had not quite wrapped her head around the meaning. 

I...I dun know. I can't figure it out. Her lips pursed, the frustration of it knitted in her brows. She heard it, the whispers, but they were so low, so fleeting... what did they mean? What is Iwa? Surely their mother knew all the answers but she wanted to know what her sister thought.

dey be like spirits. sobeille explained, motioning to the air around them. she turned an ear towards the wind that whistled between columns of thin trees against the cliff. dey be good or bad, dependin’.

she inches closer to where the cliff dropped off, presenting a vista of endless blue sea as far as one could look. some of dem even eat babbies, if de babbies be real bad…

Spirits... The child repeats back her elder sister's words. So Iwa was not one being, but many. One day she might come to know of Gods, of devils, but it would be the spirits which Shadess would be guided by. 

Hopping up from her placement, she followed her sister to the cliff's edge. If Sobeille had come to dislike her little siblings, one swift push would be the end of Shadess. 

She peered out over the endless waters, same as her sister. Eat de babes!? She yelps, shrinking back. 'Ave dey eatin' Sapphique babbies before??

shadess inched close to the edge. sobeille closed her eyes and imagined what it must feel like to have the thrill of air pressed through your coat, gravity sucking you down to a brutal and splattered death --

but her loyalty to her kin was strong, and the thought nearly untenable. oh yes, sobeille teased gravely. why do you t'ink there is only one of me left? she did not know if shadess knew her siblings were all at eresta, safe -- but she enjoyed the illusion just the same. i ate some myself.

Shadess had heard of this place, Eresta, in passing, but did not know this is where Sobeille's littermates had gone. Didn't even know if she had littermates. Their leave came before her birth. 

Shadess muzzle wrinkled. Gross...! A snarled up lip. Why would she eat her own siblings!? Then again... I dun'no, maybe I eat Lucette. She's annoyin.

it was possible sobeille was telling the truth: that was the problem with the red headed girl of sapphique — you never knew when she was lying.

she set back on her haunches, inspecting the blunt edge of her tidy nails. you could, she suggested airly, dragging her gold gaze towards shadess in contemplation. why not eat them both?

Hmmmm... The little teen pondered, scrunching up her nose as she did so. Nahh. She decided then. Lafayette is alright. Besides, 'e can pretend to be Lucette when needed so no one finds out. I mean, they did look exactly alike... that's all that mattered, right?

sobeille leaned back with a grin. dere’s an idea. she entertained shadess’ statement with a thoughtful expression. but ‘ow you be makin’ sure ‘e don’t rat you out?

the idea came to her in glimmering clarity. you’d ‘ave to take ‘is tongue.

Rip out 'is tongue??! Shadess nose scrunched up at the idea of it. Gross. She finally said. Then, with a cheesy grin, You can do it for me, ah? She didn't imagine her sister would do her dirty work for her, but hey- she came up with the nasty idea! Besides, if Sobeille had eaten some of her siblings, she had more experience.

sobeille, as it turned out, had no qualms with getting her hands dirty. she leveled shadess a look too serious to be ingenuine. deal.

lafayette’s spared further attention from his older sister as a huge winged shape passed its shadow over them. looking up, sobeille saw what she thought was a gull — only its wingspan was threefold a gull’s, and its beak seemed more prominent as it menacingly coasted by.

she looked to shadess. her sister was too large to be plucked from the sky, she assumed — but she’d never seen a bird so large. it put the eagles and falcons of the cliffs in a whole different size bracket, and those had seemed big to sobeille. what kind of bird you t’ink dat be?

can fade with your post or continue!

Shadess grinned, showing her still very white teeth of her youth. It was almost a nervous grin, as her sister agreed with a perfect poker face. Ahhh, the twin might be in trouble after all! Shadess wondered how truthful her sister was. Surely, she hadn't really ate her siblings?? But where we they? She would need to ask her maman. 

Then, both their attention was taken away by the shadow which swept over them. She yipped in surprise. A large pale bird with a big beak. Albatross. Shadess of course didnt know, yet licked her maw all the same. Dun'no, but maybe it taste good! She then began to scamper down the cliffsidez ready to follow the bird and hope she might find its roost.

sobeille laughed as her sister yipped in surprise, taking off after the darting shadow as the great bird above winged across impossibly blue skies.

she followed, marveling the length of its wings as its form plunged down across the broken cliffs, out into the open expanse of the stormy sea beyond. to where it went, sobeille could not fathom — but as she played and laughed alongside her younger sister her mind turned from time to time to that albatross, wondering what secrets he held tight to his beating breast.