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Author	Topic: "Serpent-Spawn", an attept to tell early Tusken history updated 7th May 2008
AzureAngel2 Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 2/1 1:17am Subject: RE: "Serpent-Spawn", an attept to tell early Tusken history updated 25th January 2008 - Date Edited: 4/18 8:17am (2 edits total) Edited By: AzureAngel2
	Here is my promised up-date actually! hugs Ty for hanging around! **************************************************************************************************************************** “Mo náire!” Those two words vibrated in my head even more than those the other creature had exchanged with Luçien. They felt like being part of a different language. I could not explain why, but they stirred strange pictures in me. In front of my inner eye I could suddenly see endless mountain peaks covered with a strange white blanket. There was also a lot of wind that howled around the towers and walls of an ancient castle ground like a tortured animal. Masses of creatures with a skin that was even paler than the face of the moon goddess swung their swords in sheer desperation. Their hair was long, black and unbound, flowing in the eerie wind while they fought in vain against an enemy I could not see. I cramped my hands around Crépuscule’s reigns, not knowing where those pictures came from. It seemed like they had always been nestled in my head and meeting those two creatures tonight had set them free. I wondered if this night had any more strange surprises for me, because I was starting to be fed up with it. Perhaps I should return to the open desert with my beloved eopie mare. There was peace and tranquillity. No further annoyance would bother me there. The city was an overcrowded place, harbouring vermin from other planets of the Draconian Empire. „Cén fhad atá tú anseo anois?“ the newcomer was asked by the other creature rather surprised and excited. Nervously it moved its eight ugly fingers through its blond hair that was tight up to an oily braid. „O mo chreach!“ sighed the hooded figure that stood gloomily in the middle of the street. It dramatically swung his hood back and did reveal a bold head full of ugly scars. It seemed like somebody had taken its scalp on solemn purpose a long time ago. But most appealing was the colour of his skin: it was white. As white as the skin of the warrior clad creatures that I had seen in my vision. And I knew with a grim certainty that my teeth should be inside this milky white throat and tearing the breath of life out of it. Before I could jump of my eopie’s back, in order to attack the hooded creature in black, a well-known scent tickled in my nose. Argent and Luçien were back and their earlier disappearance was no mystery any longer. My step-mother Marquise Fleur Ankou was with them. She had the soft step of an experienced huntress: an honoured chasseuse. Her face shone with the inner fire of a satisfying hunt. A discrete odour of blood was surrounding her. It made my heart sing with thirst. “Good evening!” Fleur said in Basic with a gracious nod to the two creatures. She was wearing her camouflage suit and high leather boots. Her hair was unveiled and piled up to a complicated hairstyle. Two dead baby womp-rats hung over her shoulders. The big hole in their skulls proved that the slingshot was her favourite hunting weapon. To see greyish brain tissue shine through the open bone surface made me quit dizzy with hunger. „Maman.“ I said as politely as possible. After all this time, which I spent with her, this word still did not come very easily over my lips. If she was disappointed or angry about it, I do not know. She gave me a broad smile that showed that there were bloody pieces of meat between her teeth. “Isabeau, my dear, how kind of you to keep our guests busy with a decent conversation. I am so sorry that I am delayed, messieurs, but my hunt in the canyon took more time as I suspected in the first place.” The two creatures were as shocked about the Marquise’s invitation as I was, but she went on speaking with a disarming friendliness. “My dear son here informed me at my very arrival that you, my dear Viscount O´Maoilrian, and you, Monsieur Ahearne, were in town. My dear husband would never forgive me if I would not insist that you stay in our humble home until the heat of day has passed again.” What was Fleur talking about? Papa would never ever let these filthy creatures inside the walls of our home stead. Their stench would wear off only after many weeks. Not even all the drops of perfume that the women in the serail used would drive it away easily. And how could she know their names and titles? I was sure that I would have noticed their Elfin stench if they ever had been with my father before. The very moment I opened my mouth in protest Luçien shook his head very stern, moving a gloved pointer finger to his hidden mouth. When I gave him a dark look his eyes showed even more disapproval. “Er, that is very kind of you, Milady”, the blond creature spoke with panic in its slanted eyes, “but… see we are not fit to dine among such fine and er,… outstanding cats as you and your family are.” Instead of tearing his silly head off my step-mother laughed very pleased. “Do not worry about that, Monsieur Ahearne! I must insist that you and His Lordship experience all the comfort that my husband’s bathes and quarters can offer.” The other creature gave Fleur a look that was mixed with anger and embarrassment. Its voice had a funny accent when it spoke basic. It rolled the letter r in a funny way. “I chose not to use my father’s name any longer, Milady, for I was cast off his household 750 sun years ago. There was a little… disagreement about religious matters between the two of us. Let us say, I left in a hurry.” “Oh forgive me my unspeakable mistake!” my step-mother blurred out and clapped her hands together in a sophisticated gesture. “Shall I call you by your birth name Ciall then or rather by your soul name, Milord?” Both creatures began to shiver in an uncontrolled way, as if their limbs had been hacked off by papa’s guard. “Oh I forgot… it was Taragan, the nail, wasn’t it?” Fleur purred sweetly. “And you, Monsieur Ahearne, were called Fáelán, the howler, I presume. However, day light approaches soon and I had a long night hunting. Let us find refuge in my husband’s home before dusk.” Fleur made an inviting gesture and the two man followed her very slowly, still shaken and under shock. “What the hell is going on!” I roared as Luçien tried to pass me by on Argent. “First you tell me none-sense stories about the beginning of our people and now this.” I shook my clenched fist at him in uncontrollable anger. “What is all this about? Who are those creatures and why do we have to take them home? They are both full of lice and smell unpleasant. Well, actually the blond beast more than his bald headed companion. I also have no clue what a soul name is. Why are they as jumpy as wild eopies about it? What’s the big deal?” “Lower your voice, now!” Luçien’s voice hit me like a lash. He never, ever had spoken like this to me before. I could not stop my eyes from filling with tears, but he chose to ignore that. “Ruadhan Ahearne and his soul brother Ciall O´Maoilrian are guests under our roof now. I will not hear any moans from you about it. Behave yourself, young lady! For that is what you are: a daughter of my father. Adopted or not! You will also honour your belated mother Marquise Chaleur Riwalan by accepting the rights of a guest. Guests are not to be harmed or insulted at any way.” With a bold movement he took hold of Crépuscule’s reigns. “Come now! Once your mother will wash herself and retire after her successful hunt you will take her place at father’s side and entertain our guests.” My next words broke out of me with blind anger. “I will do nothing of that sort. Send somebody else to do a slave’s job! One of our lazy, cookie devouring mothers, for example: Zizanie, Migonne, Étolie or Solitaire. Pick one! Perhaps they do not mind the company of those creatures.” He closed his lids that much that his deep blue cat eyes shone as two crescent moons. I never knew that he could look so threatening and dangerous. “Mother is right; you are indeed a spoiled little thing, unable to take over the household responsibilities yet or to fully understand politics. See, it is essential for our survival to befriend our former victims, the Daoine Sidhe and the Sleah Maith alike. The Asrai are already on our side, I took care of that. But I fear the Korriganes have mixed too much with the snake-spawn. They will remain loyal to the god queen and her people.” I blinked confused. What was he talking about? I never heard of those races in my entire life. Somehow I was missing a lot here. “I am sorry for overtaxing you, Isabeau.” Now he looked grief stricken and worried. “It was a mistake to keep you away from such worries and concerns. If anybody is to blame for your lack of education it is me. I will take the full responsibility for this affront. Mother will be present in papa’s quarters tonight. She carries less love for the elfin race than you do, but she is a lady after all. If I teach you properly you might be able to get a grip of yourself, too. You are full of anger and passion. It blinds your justice. You are a bohémienne, an independent nomad girl. I fouled myself when I took you away from the dunes of Erg into the stone city here in the Hamada. It appears to me that I must control my own feelings at times, too.” With a little growl he let go of Crépuscule and rode on. I was left behind speechless and crying. ****************************************************************** I vaguely remember how I got to the homestead for I felt so sore inside and my eyes burned from my shed tears. Pedestrians seemed to avoid me and sneaked away in a hurry. The winding street seemed endless. Even my sweet eopie mare became unreal. Why was Luçien suddenly so strict to me? What had I done to deserve this? If he was true and the Elves – or whatever those creatures were calling themselves – had once be hunted down by us like womp-rats, why inviting them to dinner? This Ciall O´Maoilrian and his companion Ruadhan Ahearne were weird and queer beings. One had no hair and the other one was too hairy for the standards of their own kind. I had seen pictures of Elves in books and also in my own unexplainable visions. Why were the two men not with their own people? Where they cast-outs? With a shriek Crépuscule stopped in front of the homestead, because two lances were pointed at her. “That is not funny!” I yelled at Zouave and Papillion, two true-blooded cousins of mine. They both were guarding the entrance door. “Oh, it is you, Isabeau!” Papillion mused. “Sorry we did not recognize your smell straight away. We thought a water monster from the salt lake had hijacked poor Crépuscule here.” I put my hands into my hips. “There are no such things like water monsters! The lake does not even contain any fish. It is a salt lake, boys. Hardly any creature can live in that.” Zouave purred loudly. “Awww, isn’t she a cutie, brother? I wish I could be such a young and naïve kitten again.” “Look close! She is more human than Lidérc. Look at her hairless skin. She does not even have a tail or…!” Before I could give those two clowns the sharp answer they deserved, a dark female voice roared over the yard. “Leave the girl alone, now!” My heart began to pound very fast. Only one person in the homestead had the strange accent of an Ophidiae, trying to speak Ronronner. Solitaire, papa’s fifth and youngest wife, stood in the entrance way. She wore a very tight and pink tunic that had thin straps instead of long sleeves. Her clothing was a lovely contrast to her dark taint. Two kittens rested peacefully in her arms, clinging to her neck. As far as I could see it were Somnambule and Aurore, true-blooded daughters of my step- mother Migonne. The two moon year old twin girls loved the étrange from Draconis very much. All the young ones loved the warm-hearted Solitaire and her fizzy black hair. This could not be said from the other grown-up women in the Harem, but they ignored her most of the time in a good mannered way since they did not mind that somebody took care of the children for them. Normally Solitaire looked happy, especially when she was playing endless games with the kittens and sung children-songs to them. But at present she looked as cold and distant as a barren rock of the Hamada. Her unusual green eyes shone in a very frightening way. Even my own throat felt tight with fear. “Shame on you, Zouave and Papillion! Isabeau is a member of this household and an honoured huntress soon. For useless scum like you she will risk her life in the canyons of the Hamada over and over again. You owe her respect and an excuse!” spoke Solitaire with her strong, deep voice that made her seem so much older than fourteen years. “If I would be in her place, I would starve you out! You do not deserve to be fed by her hand at all. Be always aware of that! Especially when you make unfitting jokes about her roots.” Her bold speech made me gasp, but the two guards remained cool and just grinded their teeth. “We bid you pardon, honoured sister!” they said in unison. “And we also beg your mercy, honoured step-mother.” “Tough, I won’t give it. You disturbed the sleep of the two sweet darlings here”, Solitaire hissed almost snake like, “and you made me come out in my leisure wear. You put shame on me as well tonight. If our two guests see me this way, you also put shame on your father.” A spark of hate shone in Zouave’s yellow eyes. “Then you should have not come out of the harem in the first place, woman, when you feel exposed. Or you should have taken the time to put on something decent,” he commented dryly. Her anger made Solitaire even more beautiful when she marched towards the twin brothers. She moved with unspeakable grace and certainty. “Please hold the girls for me, Isabeau! Now, Cherida!” she demanded and before I knew what I was doing, I had dismounted Crépuscule and held the sisters gingerly in my arms. Despite all the aggressiveness in the air they slept on. Their tiny tails stirred up and down, proving that they dreamt peacefully. “How dare you! You have forgotten your place, gardien!” In the blink of an eye Solitaire tore away the veil from and exposed Zouave’s furry face to us. “You should be forbidden to wear this sign of manhood for you are nothing like a silly little kitten.” “Thank you, honoured mother. It is unspeakably kind of you to remind my cousin of his place and defend my sister’s honour!” Luçien had appeared suddenly next to my elbow. I had not heard him coming at all. He reached out with great gentleness and put Zouave’s veil back in place. Solitaire gave Luçien a piercing look and vanished without a comment. “Please give me the twins! Their mother asked for them. She was not aware that Solitaire would wander around with them.” Luçien said very tender, stroking my face gently. “You must be tired after all this excitement tonight. I better bring you to bed. We can talk tomorrow, when I am much calmer and you are also less annoyed with me.” The softness of his touch made me melt like a piece of bantha butter in the sun. Suddenly my bones felt very heavy and I very, very tired. “Yes, perhaps I should…” I started, but then my voice trailed off for I was smelling blood. “Oh, no!” Luçien gave me a weird look, which I could not figure out at all. “It finally happened. Call mama! She is with papa talking to our guests of honour.” I saw Zouave and Papillion stiffening in a very formal way. “Yes, sire!” And then the unthinkable happened: they left their guard post and hastened into the heart of the homestead. While I was still starring after them, Luçien gave me a deep sigh. “That was it then, sweet sister. Now is here. After tonight things will never be the same again. Take good care of yourself out there! And never forget that I love you, Isabeau. Perhaps papa might have raided your clan so many moons ago, but it was my heart that was at stake the first moment that I saw you.” His arms reached out for me, but before he could embrace me Fleur’s commanding voice cut through the entrance hall. “Do not make yourself unhappy, my son! From now on she is untouchable for you and any other man in this house hold.” I wanted to yell out in protest, when Luçien gravely turned away from me, but it was Solitaire’s hands that shushed me up in an unexpected way. Her fingers felt as hot as fire on my shoulder bones. “Let him go and mourn for the little girl that he will lose tonight!” “What?” I spoke with a shaky voice. I felt something warm and liquid running down my tights. And then I was surrounded by a sea of female hands and laughing voices. ****************************************************************** Hours later the laughing had died and I found myself leaning against a spiky stone of the Hamada, holding a real lance in my hand. “We should hunt down the two creatures that nourish from our food and water supplies. That would teach Isabeau a real lesson about the hardships of life and not slaughtering womp-rats!” hissed Solitaire next to me, wearing a camouflage suit like anybody else. It was an unusual sight for me. I just knew her in leisure wear that revealed much of her womanhood. Fleur appeared next to us. “One more word and I throw you down into the rat pit.” Solitaire raised an eye brow. “As if that would be a real threat to me. My ancestors would have swallowed them in one bite.” “Thanks for reminding me of your reptile nature, my dear Solitaire. I sometimes forget who your mother was.” I turned my attention away from the two quarrelling women and focused on the womp-rat colony. There were at least fifty of them. It was madness to attack them all. We could never eat so much meat. That was a waste of food and life. I starred at the ghastly beats. The biggest of them were two meters wide with sharp teeth and claws that made me swallow hard. Most of them were sleeping, because they were nocturnal animals. But some of them had their eyes wide open and their bewildering iris shone with a strange light in the semi-darkness of the cave. “Enough of this,” Fleur snapped. “Tonight we test of Isabeau has the ability to be a good huntress.” “What, you let her go down there all by herself?” Solitaire exploded. “What sort of ritual is this?” Fleur’s slanted eyes, filled with reproach and disgust, reminded me painfully of my beloved step-brother whom I did miss very much. “You are an étrange. I do not expect you to understand the ways of our people, but I hoped at least you were from a race of strong warrior women that would at least respect the ways of the desert.” “Draconis happens to have desert regions, too, and I am from such a desert region. Not all Ophidiae are born in the mother jungle…” I grew tired of this pointless discussion and robbed away, closer to the rat pit or nest or whatever this place was called. But I could still hear Fleur and Solitaire going on about cultural differences that I couldn’t care less. There was only one way to end this conflict. I jumped on my feet and held my spear up high. If the womp-rats had not heard us by now they surely were aware of my presence. I held my head up high, being strangely calm. And then I started walking. I was aware that my other mothers held their breath. Even Solitaire and Fleur had dropped their voices. The entire nest stirred and the animals gave me aggressive hisses, but they did not attack for some strange reason. They sniffed curiously and I hope they did not hope what I had to smell since last night. It made me sick to think that I would be forced to have that unpleasant smell in my nose each moon month for a minimum of seven days. That was no fun. Frustrated I drilled my lance into the ground. This very movement made a huge male womp-rat jump straight into my way. He was an ugly thing. His hair had turned grey at some spots and there were scars all over his body. He had parts of his ear lobes missing. They were not more than shreds of skin. One of his eyes was also missing and a front tooth was splintered. Some instinct told me that this was the boss of the entire colony and the old battle veteran had come out to answer to my challenge. I pulled my lance out of the ground again and while I did so, he attacked with full force. And I had to admit that he was damn fast and flexible. His claws hit me more than once, cutting through the fabric of my camouflage suits and leaving ugly marks on my skin, but I was able to pay him back with my lance. That made him more and more furious. Due to a stupid stone lying around I stumbled and lost my balance. He was over me in no time, piercing his healthy front teeth straight through my left arm. I howled in pain, but had enough sense to drill my fist into one of his immense nostrils. He did not like that at all. Driven by reflex he let me go. Once I was free I reached out for the very stone, that had caused me to fall, with my still functional arm. It was heavier than I thought, but my anger and pain gave me credit. With a furious roar I picked it up and threw it straight into his healthy eye. The old rat let out a screech that made the entire colony tremble. My hands both reached for my ears, but my hurt arm stopped me. “Finish him off, now! Do it, cherida!” shouted Solitaire from above. Her voice filled me with confidence and stirred my emotions. I ignored the pain in my arm and the nagging headache that must be a side effect of my fall earlier on. There was also blood running from my nose. “Stop him screaming, or our ears will get damaged permanently!” Fleur commanded. I blended everything out, the ear-ringing sounds the old bull made, the other rats, the commands of my mothers. Even fully blinded he was a danger for his nostrils could still smell me and the rest of his body was a lethal weapon. Then, without warning, his elastic tail swung round my neck, tightening around my air pipe. I did drill my claws did into the flesh of his leathery tail, but this time the pain did not cause him to realize me. It caused the opposite. I gurgled, seeing black spots dancing in the air. The strength of his tail was an unexpected surprise and not a nice one. How could I have been so stupid to ignore this very weapon? Even if a true-blooded Lidérc had a tail, it was useless in a combat. It was more help when sneaking around in dark places. Being at the brink of losing my conscience, I felt how the old rat dragged me closer towards his snout and his teeth. His jaw stood wide open. With a last afford I rammed my spear into his throat. Then all lights went out. ******************************************************************************************************************** That´s it for now! And thanks to DG once more for helping me with the corrections. -----signature----- "There is good in him. I felt it." my fanart: http://boards.theforce.net/fan_art/b10020/25754494/p1 My be darlings DU & Chilla: http://img428.imageshack.us/img428/1433/theemperorlivescopy0pv.jpg e-mom of DG, master of a
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LadyWhilla Registered: May '02	Date Posted: 2/1 7:28am Subject: RE: "Serpent-Spawn", an attept to tell early Tusken history updated 1st February 2008
	Fabulous once again, Nicole! I really enjoy your descriptive writing. Keep me on your update list please. -----signature----- Lady "I followed the yellowbrick road to hell" of the 3SA Sarcasm Knights. Clear skies, Snowball. http://www.phatooine.net/forums/index.php
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AzureAngel2 Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 2/1 8:24am Subject: RE: "Serpent-Spawn", an attept to tell early Tusken history updated 1st February 2008
	Thanks for the compliment, dear Whilla. Blessed be! -----signature----- "There is good in him. I felt it." my fanart: http://boards.theforce.net/fan_art/b10020/25754494/p1 My be darlings DU & Chilla: http://img428.imageshack.us/img428/1433/theemperorlivescopy0pv.jpg e-mom of DG, master of a
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earlybird-obi-wan Registered: Aug '06	Date Posted: 2/1 9:00am Subject: RE: "Serpent-Spawn", an attept to tell early Tusken history updated 1st February 2008
	great writing and that description of the family and the womprat fight. She is a warrior. -----signature----- writer and Star Wars fan FANART [link=http://boards.theforce.net/fan_art/b10020/25793899]fanart[/link] stories in my bio
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DarthUncle Registered: Mar '05	Date Posted: 2/2 5:18am Subject: RE: "Serpent-Spawn", an attept to tell early Tusken history updated 1st February 2008
	I really like the way your story is shaping up! As earlybird says, she is a warrior indeed. I think the interesting relation with her half brother is a very star wars like thing too Seriously, I find myself very eager to keep reading (or to keep listening to you read it to me when I'm pretty tired after work, as you did with the 1st part of that update) -----signature----- Adopter of DarkChaos20x Once adopter of Chilla. She is now a free spirit Lt. of EUC Senate Guard (sleeper cell Prior-art-O-Matic Design #447058440: It's a pillow that plays a mean game of Go and runs on methane. C W member; Ward #120
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AzureAngel2 Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 2/2 6:15am Subject: RE: "Serpent-Spawn", an attept to tell early Tusken history updated 1st February 2008
	You are wonderful, my sweet darling! goes over and kisses DU a lot in RL, thinking it is indeed time to do the Saturday shopping! For I do not feel like killing a womp-rat today! -----signature----- "There is good in him. I felt it." my fanart: http://boards.theforce.net/fan_art/b10020/25754494/p1 My be darlings DU & Chilla: http://img428.imageshack.us/img428/1433/theemperorlivescopy0pv.jpg e-mom of DG, master of a
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AnakinsFavorite Registered: Apr '06	Date Posted: 2/14 12:59pm Subject: RE: "Serpent-Spawn", an attept to tell early Tusken history updated 1st February 2008
	Wow! That is amazing! You have a unique style of writing... I don't know how to explain it (my head is all a muddle right now). It's very... poetic. Although these are all OC's, I immediatly felt comfortable with them as if I'd been reading this story for quite some time! They're very well developed! I'm going to sit right here and anxiously await the next post! AnakinsFavorite -----signature----- Supreme Mugwump of ACWDBTTCAOT Now Accepting Members Bring Your Own Drama
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AzureAngel2 Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 4/2 6:24am Subject: RE: "Serpent-Spawn", an attept to tell early Tusken history updated 1st February 2008
	After my big exam (= NT2 exam of the Dutch language) I intend to write a lot, dear AF. Thanks for reading! -----signature----- "There is good in him. I felt it." my fanart: http://boards.theforce.net/fan_art/b10020/25754494/p1 My be darlings DU & Chilla: http://img428.imageshack.us/img428/1433/theemperorlivescopy0pv.jpg e-mom of DG, master of a
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AzureAngel2 Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 4/18 10:50am Subject: RE: "Serpent-Spawn", an attept to tell early Tusken history updated 18th April 2008 - Date Edited: 4/18 11:03am (3 edits total) Edited By: AzureAngel2
	Now is the time to go boldly on is the SW universe: Chapter 2: I abruptly woke to the cracking sound of a close-by campfire. Above me the goddess and her sweet daughter stood high in the nightly sky. They bathed me in cold and serene light which gave the dune landscape around me an unreal touch. Had I died without notice? But if I had, why was my body wrapped nicely in a womp-rat fur. I sniffed carefully, almost shy. Somebody had gently tended my battle wounds. They had been washed out with salt water, smeared over with a honey paste that contained several herbs and had been covered with layers of cotton cloth. “Welcome back, She-Moon!” said a deep female voice next to me with pleasure and suppressed laughter. “We’re glad to see you again.” My head jerked into Solitaire’s direction. She was about three feet away from me, still wearing her hunting garments. Her hair was a little mess, but she moved with grace and efficiency. She was leaning over the campfire, brewing a strange substance in the cooker. “Another cycle has passed Another month gone bye And our lives have moved forward. Today is a new day…” I tried to wiggle myself out of the blankets as fast as I could, ignoring the pain in my hurt arm. “You know the prayer.” Solitaire did not turn around. “Have you never asked yourself where this prayer and many others come from? Did you ever consider that the Ophidiae and the Lidérc have more in common than a master and servant relationship, cherida?” “To be honest: no!” Intrigued I tried to get up, trying to be as close as possible to Solitaire and the exciting smell that rose from the copper cooker. “Take it slow, your powers have still not returned fully” my honored step-mother mused and shook her head slightly, her eyes still being fixed on the fire. “Where are the others? What about the old rat? Why are we here in the dune sea?” Now Solitaire turned around, slow and graceful. Her strange reptile eyes got hold of me, not willing to let go again. “One question after the other, cherida! Have a drink first.” “A drink? Is it that what it is?” My head was swimming with fatigue and pain, but also with a strange excitement. Whatever Solitaire was brewing was almost calling out to me. The substance had a strange and rich flavor, dark and full of secrets. It stirred memories inside me that were older than me. While I slowly sank down, next to me Solitaire turned away again and produced a porcelain mugs. She pressed it into my shaking hands and gave me a mysterious smile. “Once upon the time, in a galaxy far, far away from here my human ancestors lived in jungle not unlike the mother jungle of Draconis. They had found a delicious bean that they sacrificed to their gods. But it could also be made it into a beverage known as xocolatl, a word meaning bitter water in their language. This beverage can clean the mind and open new horizons to you.” While saying so Solitaire let her right hand slip into a leather glove took the cattle from the fire and pulled a generous amount of the substance into the mug. As far as I could judge from the fire light and the moonshine that drink was almost as dark as the night sky. It was thick and creamy. “Be careful, it’s hot, cherida.” Listening to her kind warning I drank as careful as possible. With every sip my thoughts drifted further and further away. It was like falling into a spiral and traveling through eternity. “Mother Nature is indeed the most clever and talented architect of all. In the run of evolution she has created countless spirals, cherida: galactic mists, the destructive powers of a tornado, whirlpools, resting snake bodies in the undergrowth of the jungle, fern leaves, and glittering spider webs between the branches of the trees. Even the DNA molecules have their chair in the dance of creation. She is a living force that binds the universe together in its very essence. ” Solitaire’s voice trailed off and I felt like falling, falling, falling. I closed my eyes for a while and when I opened them, I saw my hand resting on my belly. But something was wrong. My hand was white and it had six fingers instead of five. A strange triple-spiral was painted on my skin. The pain that I felt was real nevertheless. It was so strong that I suddenly understood why the ovaries of a woman where formed like tears. I heard the monotone voices of many women that were accompanied by drums, rattles and flutes. There was a strong smoke around me that I could not describe. I seemed to be in a cave, deep in the womb of the earth. Despite the fires that were all around me, darkness sneaked around. This darkness was thousand of years old and turned the cave into a never-ending night that was without life and stars. From the corner of my eyes, aching from the poor light and sharp smoke, I sensed a slow movement. I had to put much effort into seeing anything. A woman came towards me, bent by the burden of her age. Seen against the strange stone formations around us she was nothing more than a dwarf. But when she stood directly in front of me, she was tall and proud. She wore a yellow sari with the sophisticated elegance of a high priestess. „Ave, reginae devinae!“ she bellowed in the ancient language of the jungle Orphidea and I could understand her word for word in my mind. Greetings to You divine queen! I felt not like answering the hag, silently suffering from my pain. I did not want her to know how much I suffered. Not even with my thoughts. But I doubted that I even had enough strength left to utter a single syllable. They would need to cut me open to get my snake spawn out of me, I knew with grim captaincy. There was no other possibility left. „Videsne anguis anguem parvae?“ the hag asked me. Can you see the little snakes? I lifted my chin a tiny bit. „Video“, I answered slowly. I see. Then, seven freshly born snakes were in the ancient hands of the hag, which she had formed like a bowl. None of the snakes looked like each other. Each had a different shade and colour than his siblings. When the hag let the snakes down on my chest, I shivered with anticipation. The tender bodies carried the smell of the world above with them. I could almost feel the soft rain in my face that sprayed over the river delta of Cunabula like a curtain. Decay and the smell of flowers surrounded me. Fresh earth was under my feet and throbbed, full of life. A sunbeam lost itself in the semi-dark of the lower leaf region. The trees talked to me, birds were singing and apes were teasing one another. With a soft groan I split my legs apart and all gates opened. „Pange, lingua,gloriosi corporis mysterium, sanguinisque pretiosi, quem in mundi pretium fructus ventris generosi, the hag called with unimaginable joy. Praise, oh tongue, the secret of this body full of splendour and the priceless blood that, for the betterment of the world the queen of all beings was spilled. A penetrating baby scream did sound through the cave labyrinth that we were in and echoed over the mighty underground lair. “Puella est”, somebody did whisper into my ringing ears. It is a girl. „Magnificat anima mea deam“, I whispered softly to my baby daughter. My heart thanks the goddess. I stared into a intriguing pair of brown eyes that reminded me of wet tree trunks which fought with one another for the best place in the jungle. My strange vision was abruptly over when my mug fell into the sand. Solitaire towered over me, concerned and confused. “What is it, what did you see?” she asked as she lifted me with her strong arms. My nose tip touched hers and I felt more dizzy than ever before. “It is a girl.” I managed to babble before I passed out again. ********************************************************************** Argh, I hate WORDS! My beautiful Latin letters do NOT work in the JC. This is all Bill Gates doing. I bet he never ever had Latin at school and does not bother about long vocals at all. Gr! -----signature----- "There is good in him. I felt it." my fanart: http://boards.theforce.net/fan_art/b10020/25754494/p1 My be darlings DU & Chilla: http://img428.imageshack.us/img428/1433/theemperorlivescopy0pv.jpg e-mom of DG, master of a
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earlybird-obi-wan Registered: Aug '06	Date Posted: 4/18 12:12pm Subject: RE: "Serpent-Spawn", an attept to tell early Tusken history updated 18th April 2008
	yippee continuing the Tusken history with a great update. Loved it. Giving those warriors a noble history. -----signature----- writer and Star Wars fan FANART [link=http://boards.theforce.net/fan_art/b10020/25793899]fanart[/link] stories in my bio
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AzureAngel2 Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 4/18 12:19pm Subject: RE: "Serpent-Spawn", an attept to tell early Tusken history updated 18th April 2008
	sings a song from the Dutch artist Rudi Carell that he did for a German TV show in which he was the host in the 80ies: "Lass dich überraschen!" You will be surprised, dear bird. -----signature----- "There is good in him. I felt it." my fanart: http://boards.theforce.net/fan_art/b10020/25754494/p1 My be darlings DU & Chilla: http://img428.imageshack.us/img428/1433/theemperorlivescopy0pv.jpg e-mom of DG, master of a
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Darth_Gangrenous Title: •Teh-Mole's Game Grinch •Retired StLFF CR Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 4/18 12:34pm Subject: RE: "Serpent-Spawn", an attept to tell early Tusken history updated 18th April 2008
	What happens next? -----signature----- I Cinnamon Windu e-dad of s65horsey e-sonofAzureAngle2\|e-twinofEirate_rules e-bro of VaderD,Lissa,JE,Thrawn1786,Chilla,Blueeyes,SWF,TEE,Rilwen,Swan,Rabe,morri,Shaelyn,Allegra&Zap Made an honorary Southerner by Thrawn sis
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AzureAngel2 Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 4/18 1:14pm Subject: RE: "Serpent-Spawn", an attept to tell early Tusken history updated 19th April 2008 - Date Edited: 5/7 5:11am (2 edits total) Edited By: AzureAngel2
	Some questions will get answered and some new ones will arise. “Don’t let this turn into a habit!” Even though Solitaire said these words with a soft chuckle I was annoyed by all means. “I do not like falling unconscious non-stop either!” I snapped sharply at her and threw the womp-rat fur in front of her. “You sound as if I would enjoy that very much. But I actually don’t. And I am so, so fed up!” I shook violently, hardly able to control my anger. My voice broke, my fingernails had turned into claws and my teeth were dangerous daggers now, ready to drill themselves into any possible flesh. But did it really matter that I could not control my own body anymore? I had somehow lost the grip on my entire life within a few moon hours. My religious beliefs where shaken from some ridiculous stories that Luçien had told me under the strict seal of confidence. In addition, ancient rules first had forbidden me to see his beautiful face and now made it impossible for me to be physically close to him for ever more. Dirty street rats from alien origin were allowed to dine with papa in our homestead while I had to kill a poor old womp-bull with very poor reason. There was one thing yet, that startled me more than it made me angry: I started seeing, feeling, tasting and hearing sensations that were not my own. Was I possessed by a demon? Did my short encounter with the Others in the streets of Fort Cite infect me with any dark magic spells? Or was it the living force that lived inside the strange drink Solitaire had given me? “Hush now!” my step-mother said straight into my heated face. “Enough! Pick up the fur, come back to the fireplace and have a cup of coffee. Perhaps giving you hot xocolatl wasn’t a very good idea after all.” “So why did you?” I blurted out, suddenly crying. All the strange sensations of the strange woman in whose body I had switched into without any warning flushed through me, embarrassing me to the very core of my being. Solitaire’s hands on my shoulders were surprisingly gentle. She showed me the same tenderness that she only reserved for the young ones of the homestead and for the eopies. “On Draconis drinking xocolatl with red chilly pepper is part of the initiation ritual. This was not always so, of course. Long before the Ophidiae mixed with the human refugees from a far away star system, their daughters drank the blood of their slaughtered enemies. It was the first god Queen that changed this rite once and for all. We still drink the blood of our enemies though, but only in the heat of battle.” She made me more curious about her mother’s race than I wanted to be. My anger vanished quicker than it had risen. “Your people were human once, like the inhabitants from Amnion?” I asked politely, even though Luçien already had given me a glimpse into that very matter. The night in which he did that seemed an entire life time away. “My people…” Solitaire led to me the camp fire and made me sit down next to her on a thick pillow woven out of bantha hair. “Well, my people as you call them are the perfect mix of two races that became one. It was a long and hard process. If there wouldn’t have been shape shifters among us…” “What?” I had the very impression that one question rose to another. Draconis seemed to hold many mysteries and its various inhabitants as well. Solitaire sighed, an unusual sound for her. It made her seem so young suddenly, so vulnerable under the starlit desert sky. “Perhaps I start from the beginning, even though it isn’t the very beginning of the human race in the universe. Humanity already had developed pretty well in its cradle when an unseen danger came towards them from the very depths of space. Like a predator it came soundless and unseen.” That was a story that was more to my liking than the blasphemous suggestions of Luçien. I was sure that Solitaire would tell me her version in a way that did not insult the moon goddess and her beloved daughter Calme after all. “Only when the giant meteorite did pass the asteroid belt, which lay between the little star system and the unknown space, was he noticed. The sudden outbreak of brightness brought him in range of the space telescopes. His original whereabouts did not matter to the scientists any longer. He was in direct collision course with the little blue planet they called home for millennia. A worldwide emergency plan, originally made for the arrival of an asteroid with the strange name 1950DA, was called into life.” “1950DA?” I giggled girlishly. “This is indeed a silly name. Are scientists that dull? “ “In those days they were and, if I think about it, some of them still are” Solitaire replied dryly and moved on with her story. “The Draconis was the last refugee ship that left the dying planet. Due to a defective rocket engine, she was only ready to departure when the meteoroid had already entered the atmosphere as a big ball of flames.” While my step-mother went on talking, I saw masses of running and screaming humans roaming through a strange looking city. They had no real plan of what to do. Some of them fell down and were trampled by other humans that tried somehow to survive the chaos around them. But all of them were doomed to die. There was no escape. “Because the Draconis never showed up at the rendezvous point her crew and passengers were officially announced as dead by the rest of the Starfleet. The sixteen ships went on with their journey into the new home for mankind. The animals and humans on board were put into an artificial coma in cybernetic chambers and the on-board computers took over.” I had no idea what an artificial coma or cybernetic chambers were, but it sounded great and intriguing. With my imagination I painted some weird picture of human bodies in silly looking suits. Their faces were covered with layers of a white, crystal like stuff. It was similar to the ice that I had seen during a journey to the north pole of my home planet ages ago. “When the starship Hydri arrived at the target coordinates, they fond out that the rest of the Starfleet was gone.” “Wait! What happened to the Draconis? And where did you get the Hydri from suddenly? Where does she fit into the picture now? You did not mention her before.” I may have been only be a simple nomad child from the heart of desert, that ended up as an adopted daughter to a mighty city ruler, but I was an attentive listener. In the desert the cold and long evenings were warmed up by the stories and fairytales that were told among the campfires. Solitaire raised one of her eyebrows. “Oh, the Hydri is more important than you think, cherida. She only arrived a hundred standard years ago in this very star system.” “Hold on!” I exclaimed very anxious. "When they arrived just hundred years ago then… of course, they are the humans from Amnion. They got delayed somehow, didn’t they? And they found your people on Draconis, which was a very bad surprise for them. Humans that got themselves mixed up with a reptile race. I heard rumours of the existance of a human league, which is against mixed marriages between humans and other races. Luçien told me about them. They are dangerous fanatics. “ Solitaire looked at me with a mixture of pride and regret. “You are indeed a very bright girl, cherida. But fortunately not all humans are this way. This is why our beloved god Queen Arcana has married a human from their water world.” I remembered the six fingered hand on a swollen belly, ready to give birth. “That was her, right? For some reason I was inside her. Inside Arcana I mean. I was with her when she gave birth to her baby girl, the new crowned Princess of Cunabula.“ The laughter of my step-mother was pleasing and soothing at the same time. “And Luçien tries to convince his father that you are not interested in interplanetary politics and society matters at all.” I did bite my lip very softly, for one question was nagging at me still. “But why did we forge a bond tonight, the god Queen and I?” “Did you?“ Solitaire’s words sounded more like a comment than a real question. “I may not be a mind reader like you, maman, but I know what a soul relationship is.” The desert nomads forged a very strong bond to their flock of banthas and eopies. This was the real ritual of womanhood. To have a very private ritual with your mount that would be a dear friend and family member ever after. The House Ankou had me deprived of that very chance when they took me into their midst. And for some strange reason destiny had forged another bond for me. With a person that was not even on this planet. “The goddess works in mysterious ways!” Solitaire said very thoughtful. “I do not understand your vision either. But I must accept it as much as you must.“ -----signature----- "There is good in him. I felt it." my fanart: http://boards.theforce.net/fan_art/b10020/25754494/p1 My be darlings DU & Chilla: http://img428.imageshack.us/img428/1433/theemperorlivescopy0pv.jpg e-mom of DG, master of a
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earlybird-obi-wan Registered: Aug '06	Date Posted: 4/19 7:53am Subject: RE: "Serpent-Spawn", an attept to tell early Tusken history updated 19th April 2008
	another great update and eager to see where this is going. -----signature----- writer and Star Wars fan FANART [link=http://boards.theforce.net/fan_art/b10020/25793899]fanart[/link] stories in my bio
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AzureAngel2 Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 4/20 2:26am Subject: RE: "Serpent-Spawn", an attept to tell early Tusken history updated 19th April 2008 - Date Edited: 5/11 9:18am (2 edits total) Edited By: AzureAngel2
	You will be surprised! Okay here we go again: ************************************************************************* For the rest of the night my young step-mother remained silent, just staring into the dancing flames of our campfire. Her bewildering green eyes were empty, bare of any emotion. She seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, in a place where I was not able to reach out to her at all. So I swallowed down all the nagging questions that I still had left in me. When the morning rose quietly in the East, Solitaire started to build up a humble hunting tent, that would shelter us in the heat of the day until the cooling shadows of the evening hours would claim their reign back. I would have loved to help her, but she insisted that I should rest my hurt arm. “I did my best to disinfect the wound and to bandage it nicely, so you are not to move it at all”, she said very sternly, pressing me back on the ground again. “Don´t be that fussy! Better concentrate on healing, cerida. I know what I must do. You have your tasks and I have mine. Teamwork is the best way of survival in the dune sea.” For the following hours I fell into an uneasy sleep. The pain in my arm gave me weird dreams. I saw ancient battlefields splattered with blood and tears. Pure Lidérc who wore spiked collars round their necks tore Elfin warriors into pieces. I also found myself wandering around in a frightfully green landscape with plants that were higher than any palm tree could ever be. There was also a lot of water. It was part of that endless forest. I was glad when I woke up and found the soft shapes of the Erg in front of me: star dunes, crescentic dunes, linear dunes, parabolic dunes. A deep sigh of relief left my throat. Sand was to be seen everywhere. I was home and save. In the meantime Solitaire had cooked some coffee water for us. I was amazed to see that we also had a samovar with us. We were surprisingly well equipped, but I told myself that a hunting party of the House Ankou never would leave the homestead without certain gadgets and luxery goods. The majority of my step-mothers were spoiled brats. Shading my eyes slightly from the bright sunlight, I watched Solitaire drinking her coffee in slow and delighted sips. I wondered why she remained in the open desert with me, instead of doing her duties as the current lady of the homestead. This moon month she had been chosen to share papa’s chambers with him. That also included bringing refreshments to his guests and giving the orders to the household staff. Officially she was not to go on a hunting party at all. “I told your father that your rite of womanhood was by far too important to leave me behind in Fort Cité.” Solitaire said out of the blue, while pulling me a cup of coffee. “With your mother Chaleur the heritage of the House Riwalan died… officially. But I reminded your father about the old link between the snake thrown of Cunabula and the daughters of the moon. He had to let me go then. Fleur took over for me.” I felt silly to ask, but I took all of my courage together: “What link?” “You are such a cute thing.” Solitaire’s booming laughter filled the hot air around us. “Do you think my marriage to your father was a matter of love? I was sent here by my beloved good queen herself. She is very interested to unite the loyal nomad clans again. The reign of the sons of the sun will be broken. It is only a question of time. And your mother will be revenged.” I took my coffee from her rather nervously. This was an outrageous confession for me. “You don’t love papa?” “As if I could love this old, flea-bitten coward”, she shook her head violently. “But my domina asked me to go on this mission personally. How could I refuse her plea to me? It had taken a decade to breed me. Snake-spawn and cubs can not have children together. Their genetics are not convertible. In creating me they did something unique.” The more Solitaire talked, the more I was taken aback. “I thought your father was a merchant who visited your home world. This is what the servants tell one another. They also claim that your mother did abandon you shortly after your birth. Your father found you on time and raised you.” Solitaire put her cup down and crawled over to me. Her right hand began stroking my cheek in a very intimate and loving way. I felt like melting away by her touch. “I chose to tell you a lot of strange things since last night, cherida. What you heard from me in so far is neither easy to believe nor to accept for anybody. You have done a great job in so far.” I felt like bursting with pride. None of my other step-mothers had ever touched me or spoken such kind words to me. “The thing is I can not claim real parents like you can. I was born without them. Some of my people are very good cloners.” I blinked. “They are what?” “I know that I use words and terms that you never heard before.” Solitaire was very smiley now. “Let me put it this way, there are many ways to give life to a child. Ways that may seem unnatural to you.” I nodded very slowly remembering what Luçien had said to me not long ago: “Our ancestors lived happily as wild beasts of the jungle before Draconian scientists put them into cages and dared to make genetically experiments with them.” My heart became very heavy. All that I ever believed in had finally turned into dust. There was no Sodalith. There was also no Calme. The legends of my people, all was untrue. I felt like a freak now. Like something unholy. Solitaire locked crossed. “Don’t you dare to think that! Every form of life is holy. My people did all their best to survive since they arrived on Draconis. There were immense sacrifices. A lot of things went utterly wrong. Some harm can not be undone fully. But life went on. There is a force greater than us, a force that is inside us and around us. It binds the universe together. Like your clan and the royal house of Tjehenet.” There was a sweet comfort in her words. “You may call that force whatever you like. Sodalith. Calme. Magna mater. It does not matter. But it creates life and makes it thrive.” I took a strong gulp from my coffee that had gotten stale and cold in the meantime. But I needed it badly to get a clear head again. “Well, at least I know now why you felt responsible staying with me”, I said. “My first guess was that you did not wish to stay under the same roof with papa’s guests of honour, considering the ancient feud between your people and them.” Solitaire looked surprised. “What guests of honour?” “Two of the Others.” I tried to remember their names. “I think it was Viscount O´Maoilrian and a man named Ahearne.” I jerked back when Solitaire’s iris changed from emerald green to a yellowish fire. “How dare he!” she yelled. “How dare he!” ************************************************************************* In her anger Solitaire was as beautiful and as frightening as a sandstorm. I stared at her with open mouth, prepared of getting my flesh torn from my bones. She jumped on her feet, raising her arms high above her head. I felt my throat getting tighter. Breathing became hard. “The bastard! Now his real loyalties show. I knew it, I knew it. Only he could be so bold.” Stars danced in front of my eyes. “He will pay for this. I will make this known to the queen!” My upper body became very heavy and suddenly my face lay in the sand. “She will demand blood for it!” Sand corns flooded my nostrils and made me choke even more. “The House Ankou is damned.” At present I was dammed, too. Solitaire’s invisible hands were wringing my life out of me. But I did not wish to die yet and certainly not that way. I gathered all my strength together and pressed a last desperate roar out of my throbbing throat. Solitaire’s bloodshot eyes widened. “Isabeau!” Air streamed back into my lungs. I felt dizzy. My step-mother reached out for me, her face terror stricken. Her arms closed around me. “I am so sorry, cherida. So sorry! I lost my self-control.” I coughed very hard and finally said with great difficulty. “And I almost lost my life.” “This should not happen. I am supposed to have my powers under control. All my years of training…” I did not want to know what sort of training this was supposed to be. -----signature----- "There is good in him. I felt it." my fanart: http://boards.theforce.net/fan_art/b10020/25754494/p1 My be darlings DU & Chilla: http://img428.imageshack.us/img428/1433/theemperorlivescopy0pv.jpg e-mom of DG, master of a
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