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Zithara

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Description

I don't know exactly how old I am. The years have melted together, and become insignificant. I used to live with others of my kind, when I was very young... I grew up in a little herd, in a forest far away. I had only lived for perhaps twenty years, when the day came where my life would simultaneously end and then begin anew.

The forest was burning. We ran, but the smoke clouded our eyes and invaded our lungs, and with the fire coming from all sides, we had no place we could flee to. My father, kind heart that he was, paused to try to save a family of squirrels he had befriended earlier in the spring. I never saw him again after that, and my mother urged me to run onwards. She was crushed beneath a falling tree, only minutes later. I lost the others in the smoke and the panic, and found myself alone. My tail had caught fire, and the flames which snapped at me like a starving beast nearly drove me mad with pain and fear. When I finally reached the river, it took all my strength to ford the waters, before I collapsed on the opposite bank.

For three days I waited, calling out and desperately hoping one of my herdmates would appear from the smoldering ashes of the forest. Eventually I was forced to continue onwards, alone. I came across a village of humans, near the edge of the trees. I didn't understand... why did they not try to nurture the trees back to health? Instead they cut down their charred trunks, churned up the earth, and planted seeds of foreign plants. I was young then, and not so wise to the ways of humans. It was some time before I realized that the fire had not been the product of a lightning strike, or drought, or a rogue Harno. This genocide of trees, of birds and beasts, and of my family, had been intentional. We were in their way.

I began to travel. My burns stung in the sunlight, so I moved only in nighttime. During the day, I would rest. But it was not long before other humans discovered me, and though I tried to flee, I was weak, and they captured me. I was exotic to them; they locked me in a barn, tied me down with ropes, and sawed off my fledgling antlers. I don't know what their plans for me were after that... they left me for the night, and the rats took pity on me and gnawed off my bonds. And so, I fled once again. Anger burned in me now; had I been a Ryvo, I would have killed the villagers. But I am destined to nurture life, not destroy it; and with no other life to care for, I focused my will inwards. It was at that moment when my healing powers blossomed, and I erased my scars so that the past would not plague me quite so much. I traveled north, determined to find a sanctuary far from the humans which were so destructive. It took months, but soon I was able to move for several days at a time without encountering mankind. This land was quiet. Reindeer wandered the hills, and foxes hunted for lemmings in the heather. In time, my antlers grew back, mimicking the form that adorned the heads of my new herd. I was different from them, but they accepted me, and kept me company, while I healed their sick and wounded. But reindeer have such pitifully short lives, and I cannot cure death. Many generations passed, and it felt like a lonely existence, watching my friends leave this world while I continued on endlessly.

But one day, I heard a whisper in the heather, of others... others like me. Down south, but not too far. I did not want to travel back to the lands of humans, but the rumor was too tempting to resist. So, once again, I began to travel.






Stats

Name: Zithara
Nickname: --
Gender: Mare
Breed: Foundation pureline Junither spirit horse (shire build)
Age: ~275 years
Height: 17.2 hh
Color: Black
Markings: n/a
Disciplines: --
Genotype: Ee/aa/JuJu
Temperament: She is quite wary of company, after having spent so many years alone. Currently, she will only associate with her preferred animals of the wild, and occasionally another spirit horse if she deems it worthy. However, she's torn between her caution and her hope for a good and happy future, so despite her dislike, she is also very curious of humans. She is a masterful healer but can be almost judgmental in her choice of whether to intervene or to simply let nature take its course. The creatures she cares for, she cares for very deeply; she is ambivalent towards everything else. Zithara also has an intense fear of fire, though few other things will faze her steely attitude.
Other: Design: fav.me/d58uaox


Breeding

Bloodlines: Starter
Breeding status: Closed. See breeding rules
Offspring: n/a

Images




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Birthday gift by *FlameCurry



Registration Info



Art and Zithara © =Helsinge
No refs used
Image size
5100x3930px 7.31 MB
© 2013 - 2024 Helsinge
Comments15
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Tjihopp's avatar
Åh så snygg! *-* Först och främst tycker jag du än en gång fått till färgerna/skuggningen på hästen jättebra, särskilt med blänket på det gröna. Sen så gillar jag också den lite "svala" (kommer inte på ordet jag söker) färgpaletten som du knåpat ihop i bakgrunden. Det känns lite dammigt/varmt och på något sätt välbekant som skogsvy.^^