When Worlds Collide

[Annel]

“I have never seen something quite like you in all my life…” Annel murmured softly under her breath as she kept her out stretched hand as still as she possibly could, despite the tremors that had begun to run down her spine as she stared deeply into the eyes of the Amazonian woman. Her eyes were completely entrancing, possessing an almost snake-like quality of seduction that Annel was having trouble resisting.

As she continued to look into the eyes of her human, she also found a level of curiosity equal to her own, the eyes glistening like precious topaz under the shimmering moonlight. Annel offered the woman a gentle smile, hoping patiently for her to lower her head. She wanted so much to stroke the gleaming silk of her human’s hair, to run her fingers through the length of it.

The intensity of her feelings was leaving her somewhat dazed. What she was feeling was surely not something one should develop for another within merely an hour’s time. This was simply unreal, perhaps even supernatural. Annel crawled a bit nearer to her human, hoping with all of her soul’s power that the Amazon wouldn’t flee. Much to her joy, she remained there, her snarls becoming fewer and farther between; she was beginning to let her protective guard down.

She watched with amazement as the stunning beauty began to lower her head bit by bit, offering Annel the chance she had been so wishing for. Just as Annel reached to caress her human’s lovely hair, she heard the sound of swift footfalls somewhere nearby, rapidly approaching their location with the dense forestry.

[Thadvalddon]

Thadvalddon was anything but graceful and light-footed. He stumbled through the forest like a drunken blind man. He nearly tripped over tree roots a good half dozen times. His loose-fitting clothing clung to shrubs and thorny bushes. Dried needles found their way inside his sandals. One low hanging limb threatened to take his head off but he was on a mission.

He was bound and determined to help. Whatever that meant! He was unarmed, unprepared and lacked the know-how of what to do in this situation but that wasn't about to stop him. He felt this feeling of youthful vigor as he marched through the woods, one he hadn't felt in many years.

There was a human out here somewhere and by Theogious, he was going to assist in the situation!

"Hello," he called. "Is anyone out there? Can you hear me?"

[Syrinia]

The feeling of anxiety and distress slowly dissipating, Syrinia watched as the young woman edged closer, taking her time as she attempted to dispel the amazon’s uneasiness. Syrinia could tell the elf meant her no harm; she could see it in her sapphire blue eyes which seemed to stare right into her soul, sending an emotion unlike any other she had ever witnessed before. She was entranced by the young elf, unable to look away from her for even a second as she awaited the touch of her hand slowly caressing her head. She actually wanted contact with this woman which was rather unlike Syrinia who, even though she had bedded several women in her past, had never really felt any form of connection towards anyone. She considered herself a solitary creature, seeing anyone else as simply a disturbance to her peace, but this woman was different; for some odd reason she actually wanted her to stay.

All of a sudden, the sound of leaves crackling under heavy footsteps in the distance began to grow louder. Syrinia’s ears twitched once more, finally managing to break eye contact with the woman before her as she turned her head to glance in the direction of the incoming creature. She released a deep growl, unsure who this may be, but the growl quickly transformed into a snarl as she heard a male voice approaching. It was another elf, and even though she did not sense any form of danger from the one kneeling in front of her, she was unsure about this one.

Nonetheless, she could not hold herself up much longer, and with a final snarl, Syrinia’s arms gave out, allowing her weakened body to collapse onto the forest floor beneath her, her eyes shutting as the sounds surrounding her slowly began to fade. She only hoped she was in safe hands.

[Annel]

Everything seemed to be happening at once. Annel instinctively threw herself protectively over her human’s limp body in an attempt to shield her from the approaching elf, whose raspy voice was somewhat familiar. Wait just a…is that…Thadvalddon? At this hour? Annel began to break into a sweat as panic caused her heart to pound fiercely against her ribs. She stood up quickly, assessing her human’s form. How am I supposed to move you, you great big oaf?! Why did you have to pass out now? Oh, damn it all!Annel thought frantically to herself as she attempted to lift her human’s arm and place it around her shoulders. The creature’s muscular arm seemed to surpass the weight of Annel’s entire body, causing her to tip to the side and collapse on top of the incapacitated Amazon.

Annel suddenly found herself on her back, being straddled by the Amazon. She was snarling like a rabid beast, exposing two rows of gleaming, razor sharp teeth. Her eyes, which had only moments ago been soft and trusting, were now filled with bitter rage. Annel began to shake, a few small whimpers escaping through her quivering lips. Her eyes began to water as the creature lowered its face closer to hers, growling as it began to sniff at her neck and hair. A few small tears slipped from her eyes as she began to plead fearfully with the Amazon. “Please...I was only trying to help you...Don’t hurt me, please...I wasn’t going to harm you, I swear it...” It seemed as though the Amazon wasn’t hearing a word she was saying, which frightened her even more. “Let me up, please...You need help, you’re dying...” Annel pleaded once more to the creature as it continued to snarl and gnash it’s teeth in her face.

A thought suddenly occurred to Annel: brute force. She ripped her arm from the Amazon’s tight grip and delivered a powerful slap to her face, causing her to topple to the ground. Annel sat up, finding herself revolted at what she had just done. She crawled over to her human, who was again incapacitated. She laid her head on her lap and gently stroked her face. She watched as her eyelids began to flutter and a soft whimper of pain escaped her beautiful lips.
The sounds of Thadvalddon’s footfalls were drawing nearer and nearer. Without any other option, she found herself calling to him for help.

[Thadvalddon]

He could have been lost for hours if it had not been for the feminine voice calling out for him. The distressed sound of her voice hastened his progress, but it also meant that he was unable to avoid obstacles in his path. When he finally emerged from the brush to find the girl, he had several scrapes along his face and arms.

At first he thought the girl might have been alone, that was until he noticed more arms and legs sprawled out from the pile of flesh before him than a single person would have. It took a moment, for him to do the math and realize that the girl was laying on top of what looked to be another woman.

In what looks to be a rather compromising position.

It was then that he felt embarrassed about intruding upon the girl's late night activities. Had he still been a boy he might have even blushed at such an occasion. As it was he felt awkward as he tried to divert his eyes by turning his head away and blocking his view with his hand.

"I didn't mean to intrude."

He felt very foolish.

"I thought you might have needed help or might have been in trouble. I must have been mistaken."

There was a time, years ago, when walking in on such a thing as this would have been a dream come true, but seeing it before him now only left him with a sense of shamefulness as to feelings it stirred up inside him and any associated reactions.

"I should go."

[Annel]

“Wha…wha...wha...what? N-n-no!” Annel stammered with confusion. She reached a slender hand towards the elder in dismay as he turned to leave. “I wasn’t trying to deceive you, dear; I am in need of help, desperately in fact…” Annel said as she carefully lowered her human’s head to the forest floor and stood up stiffly, rubbing the small of her back as she walked towards Thadvalddon. She looked into the curious eyes of the elder with concern. “By the Gods, you’re injured as well, what is with this night…” She said with slight shake of her head. “Dear Thadvalddon, I’m unsure of your thoughts regarding humans, but I must ask this of you…” She shifted her weight nervously from foot to foot before continuing. “I must ask you to help me move this human. She’s gravely wounded and very, very sick. I would be forever indebted to you if you could help me bring her back to my grandmother’s home. Please, have some mercy.” Annel pleaded softly and turned to look at the unconscious woman as tears welled in her eyes and dripped down her ivory cheeks. “I can’t leave her here…” She walked over to the Amazon and knelt down to stroke her cheek. A moan of pain escaped her human's pale lips. "I'm here, my sweet human..." The creature's eyelids fluttered open and she leaned her face into the elf's hand and tried to speak, but Annel couldn't dechipher her words.

[Syrinia]

“H-help… me…” were the only words that managed to escape the amazon’s pale lips, but unfortunately they were a mere whisper, leaving the weakened pleas for help unheard by the two beings surrounding her. Syrinia was not one to normally request assistance even when she knew she needed it, but for some reason she felt she could trust this elf that now rested her hand softly against her cheek. A gesture of kindness? Sympathy? This was much more than Syrinia had ever received from anyone after the death of her tribe. She was thankful for this woman’s caring nature, but she knew it would not last long, especially when she found out who she really was; that she was not this ‘human’ she so admired.

Finding her thoughts slowly begin to fade, Syrinia noticed she was falling back into unconsciousness, but she fought as hard as possible to stay awake; she concentrated on the sweet voice of the young woman caressing her cheek and found the pain was beginning to dwindle away bit by bit. It was as if this elf possessed some form of magick that distracted her from the large infection on her side, sending her into a kind of trance which left her actually… content. What was going on?

[Annel]

The elf would be of no assistance to Annel. She watched him back away into the dark abyss of forestry, all the while she could feel her stomach sinking to her feet. She shook her head forlornly and wiped a stray tear from her cheek as she gazed down at her human, who was now writhing in pain. She brushed a few dampened strands of hair from the creature’s forehead as she wracked her brain. “I have to get you to my home…but how?” Tears of frustration sprang to Annel’s eyes as she fully grasped the bind she was in. Seeking assistance was completely out of the question. If word got out that a human was present…she cri nged at the thought of what would happen to the woman. Time was also against them. Every moment wasted sitting there doing nothing was costing the woman her life. Annel began to cry uncontrollably, bringing her free hand to her mouth to stifle her sobs. The gentle touch of a hand against her’s startled Annel into silence and for a second she couldn’t even move. She looked down to see the fierce eyes of the Amazon staring up at her, the grip of her rough hand tightening slightly as she stared down at the beautiful creature, her eyes widening in amazement at the strength this woman possessed. "You never give up, do you?

[Syrinia]

Fighting to crack her eyes open just a tad bit, the first sight Syrinia witnessed was nothing more than the beautiful, elven woman’s tear-streaked face. For some reason that even she could not understand, seeing this brought her immense anger and sadness. This was definitely a new experience for the usually-cold amazon who learned to live only thinking about herself and forgetting about others’ emotions. Nevertheless, this young woman really got to her, causing her to want to find a way to comfort her and cease these dreadful tears that now painted her face with a light glow as the moon glistened softly off of them, giving them the appearance of shining crystals; even when she was crying she was still mesmerizing.

Concentrating on transferring all of her strength into moving her hand to rest over the young woman’s, Syrinia watched as the elf’s expression slowly shifted from one of despair to one of sheer amazement. The amazon’s attempt at calming the young woman had apparently worked as the tears gradually began to die away, her spellbinding voice now making its way towards Syrinia’s ears as she was asked a question by the celestial-like being. She could not leave her without a response, even though at this point it was almost impossible for the weakened amazon to form any audible words, but she had to at least try.

Mustering up the little strength she had left, Syrinia managed to whisper, “It is not in my nature to give up,” before gasping for air as the short sentence drained even more of her remaining energy. She could feel her life slowly slipping away, but she held onto the entrancing face that belonged to this magnificent being before her, this, now, the only thing keeping her tied to this world.

[Thadvalddon]

His stomach was bubbling in a very uncomfortable manner, sending little rickety bits of electricity spiring through his old bones and male parts. The feeling left him with a strange, sticky sensation that he hadn't felt in years, and a wave of shame swept over him. When the woman pleaded to help her with her cause, he only bothered to look when she accused him of being wounded. To this he stood firm, or as firm as an arched over old fart could, and said, "No, dear, I'm not harmed." She was probably talking about the little bump on his forehead due to the run in with an oak branch.

The way the woman spoke to the girl made it feel all the more awkward for him, and he didn't realize he'd been frowning deeply on the whole scenario for a full minute. He cleared his throat. "Sweet.. human?" he wondered aloud, finding it very odd indeed to attach such a pet word to the species. These two apparently knew each other, as they stared at one another like beasts at a fresh carcass. It was all very odd indeed.

"Oh girl, stop the waterworks would you?" he shook his head. "Grab her arms. It's only a human after all, not a troll. We can carry the thing."

Honestly, such fuss over an injured human. It was ridiculous. "And you, rest, and stop trying to talk sweet nothings to your savior here, eh?" He wiggled his old body into position and grabbed the human's thick legs. That she wasn't dead already was a miracle in itself, as it seemed she'd been running with a deep wound in her gut. She seemed to be bad at the whole self-preservation thing. The old man began to walk backwards with the human's legs in his arms, an impossible and uncomfortable heat in his thighs.

[Annel]

A small smile tugged at the corners of Annel’s mouth. Such proper diction…she thought to herself as she stared down at the creature, running her thumb along the roughly calloused fingers of the Amazon’s hand. Annel’s hand was lost beneath the human’s rough palm. In all her years she had never seen or felt a hand like her human’s. She was used to the soft, pale and slender hands of her people, but these hands seemed to tell a story. "I can see that, sweet human. That’s quite an admirable trait to possess.” A shadow of what appeared to be a smirk played across the Amazon’s lips despite the obvious amount of pain she was in. A thin voice snaked its way into her swoon and knocked her back into reality, which quickly came down around her like a thick and urgent rain.
“Ohhh, thank you a thousand times over, dearest Thadvalddon!” Annel cried out in relief as she watched the elder bend down and take hold of the woman’s thick, muscular legs. The creature omitted a small snarl as her eyes snapped open and fixed on Annel’s. “Relax, dear. He means you no harm…” The Amazon continued to growl as Annel stood to grab her under her arms.
Somehow, by the grace of the Gods, they were able to lift Annel’s human. As they walked, the woman uttered a seemingly endless string of curse words as the moved, causing Annel to giggle in spite of her heart being squeezed by the concern she felt for this creature. “Thad, are you fairing quite well up there?”

[Syrinia]

Suddenly finding her legs being raised into the air by a slender being unlike any creature she had ever seen before, Syrinia began to panic as she wondered if they would actually manage to hold her up or if this was too much for the fair-looking elves. She found herself unable to hold back a slight growl when the male clutched her legs in his thin hands and lifted them up as she had been raised to despise males all her life. She quickly reminded herself that he offered her assistance, though, and heeded the young woman’s comment, attempting to relax herself.

She then felt two small, gentle hands slide under her back, slowly lifting her upper body into the air to assist the man at her feet. Syrinia froze at this light touch, the aggressive sounds escaping her throat no longer audible as she found herself completely paralyzed. What in the gods’ names was going on? Why was she feeling this way especially when she did not even know this woman? This made no sense to her whatsoever, and she was beginning to get rather irritated with herself.

Ignoring this peculiar feeling, Syrinia closed her eyes and concentrated on keeping herself alive. Every step the two beings took sent a painful jolt running throughout her body, causing her to cringe and wince but she refused to simply give in to the shadows surrounding her who wished to shroud her in darkness for the rest of eternity.

[Annel]

Annel’s straining arms ached from the weight she was bearing, but she cared not. All she could hear were the pain-filled whimpers of her human, each step causing the cries to rise on octave. The cries drove Annel on, pushing her to move, to quicken her steps. The slight change in pace was just enough to send the Amazon over the edge. She let forth a piercing whine; the gnawing pain at her side had gotten the best of her.

The sounds made Annel sick inside, but she could not stop, for time was of the essence. The clearing which lead them out of forest was visible, so close that she could see the faint outline of the small wooden fence of her garden. Annel focused her eyes completely on that clearing, trying with all of her mite to keep her arms steady. Her elder companion was silent. His eyes were focused on something which Annel knew not of.

She tried desperately to soothe the creature. “Just a few moments more, dear, don’t worry…” The creature continued to howl mournfully. “Almost there, love, almost there, now…” She whispered softly as they passed through the small clearing, a vine catching Annel’s cheek, a thin red like appearing as a small ruby gem of blood sprang from the cut. Annel felt nothing, her mind so focused on her human that nothing else mattered. “It’s over, my dear, really…”

[Syrinia]

The searing pain at her side now transforming into an intense burning feeling, Syrinia released an agonizing groan as the many trees and plants that surrounded her slowly began to fade away. The thought of her nearing death instantly entered her mind as the world began to shift to a shadowy environment she feared greatly, but she refused to simply give in. She was an amazon, and she was going to fight like one for her life! But even as she forced herself to ignore the excruciating pain emitting from her side, the darkness slowly began to shroud her, pushing her further and further into a state which she knew she would never be able to escape if she allowed it to take over.

Suddenly, the young amazon found herself unable to fight any longer. She could hear the harmonious voice of the female elf doing her best to settle the pain, but it was useless as Syrinia grew weaker and weaker by the second. She could feel the cold taking over her body and the darkness growing stronger as her own strength began to dwindle.

Finally, with her last bit of strength gone, Syrinia gave in to the darkness, allowing it to take her body as her eyelids slowly began to close, her breathing much more shallow now as she slowly fell into unconsciousness. She was almost certain this would mark the end of her life, but little did she know this was actually the beginning of an extremely eventful future.

[Annel]

“How could…one woman…weigh as much…as three? By the Gods!”Sweat was beading on Annel’s brow and the muscles of her arms and shoulders felt as if they would rip in two, but her determination to save the life of this beautiful creature lit a fire like nothing else she had ever experienced to burn inside her chest and push her forward. She could not afford to stall, every second that ticked by was moment lost. She glanced quickly at the woman’s face, which was taking on a pallor she did not like. Her mouth had also fallen open and her eyes were pasted shut. A strange panic seized her heart. “Stay with me, dear, we’re almost there, fight!” Annel barked in an uncharacteristically forceful tone.

They were so close that Annel could see the small candle Astra would always leave on the sill of the front window. Astra! She needed to somehow get the attention of her grandmother…but how? Noise needed to be avoided at all costs…and noise was the only means available to contact Astra, who was more than just a bit hard of hearing.

“Thad, turn so that I am leading you.” Annel commanded sternly. He nodded, keeping the odd silence he had been favouring. Annel walked until she felt her back press up against the door to her home. She lifted her long, slender leg and tapped her foot against the door in a rhythmic fashion, all the while hoping and praying to which ever God cared to listen that her grandmother would hear.

After a few fruitless rounds of tapping, Annel became frustrated. “I haven’t the time for this nonsense...” She flared hotly as she braced her herself against the door and brought her foot back as hard as she could. All attempts at discretion were tossed to the side momentarily as Annel panicked. After what may have been the fifth slam of her foot, she heard Astra shuffling towards the door. Annel heard the keys jingling madly in her hands as she fumbled in the darkness to find the right one, cursing under her breath all the while.

After what seemed to be an eternity, Annel heard her grunt her approval as she turned slowly began to turn the lock just above the latch. “Well, back up so you don’t come tumbling into the house...” Annel leaned forward slightly, obeying the command of the elder and stumbling forward. “By the Gods, Grandmother, hurry!” Annel pleaded with Astra as her arms began to shake. “Quiet, child!” Astra whispered harshly as she held the door open for the elves to pass. “Thad, please move your arse, I can’t hold her for much longer...”

Thad hoisted the Amazon’s legs and trudged forward, sweat pouring down his temples, his breath coming in small hoarse puffs as he moved. He looked to Astra for direction, their eyes meeting briefly before she quickly scanned what they had just brought into her home before pointing down the hallway. “To your room, child, put her there and wait for me.” Annel nodded wearily as the made the trek down the narrow hallway which led to her small room. She was in no better condition than Thad, who was near collapse as well. “We’re nearly there, dear, nearly there...” She panted breathlessly to her human as they made the sharp turn into her bedroom.

“Mind the wound, do not bend her at the waist, damn it!” Astra snapped as she scuttled down the hallway to monitor the two elves, both of which were nearing collapse. “Yes, Grandmother, we know, we know!” Annel said with a groan as the eased her human gently onto her bed. Annel sighed and dropped to her knees next to the bed, it was if all of her strength and had completely left her body, she could scarcely even breath; her lungs lacked the forced to pump the oxygen. Astra turned to Thad, who was equally exhausted, but hiding it in a way that Annel never could. She placed a gnarled hand upon his shoulder and smiled. “I thank you, Thad, for all of your help...But we must undress and tend to the wounds. Surely you understand?” She asked kindly. He simply nodded and shuffled towards the front of the house and out the entrance of their home. After she was sure he had left, she turned to Annel. “Now, we have much to do. You can pass out later, my dear.” She stooped down and too hold of Annel’s hands and brought her to as much of a standing position as she could manage.