OOC: Warning: Vasilis is dealing with severe night terrors / dreams / reliving deaths/attacks of his homeland and having panic attack episodes in this thread! Proceed with caution.

The fog released the location, which caused him to stammer in reaction. Tall trees, a thick grove of bushes, thickets old as time itself could be seen for miles. The more he pushed the more his mind seeped the bad into his core. He was no longer in Amaryllis, but at home. How did he get back? How did the trees and bush grow back to how it was? His eyes scanned for remains of bones and old burned markings in the ground - but nothing. The sound of creaking trees combining their weight against one another in the dark only created more displeasure for the Lagoon king.

It was like a horror film, he felt as if he was zapped backward in time..or perhaps this place was like a black void where it took you to where you wanted to be the most, home, beside someone you missed. Etc. But tonight - tonight would be a night full of screams, burned flesh, and complete horror. The moon was rose high now in the sky, stars barely visible from where he was. He had to find a place to rest, he knew if he continued he would start to see faces amongst the trees.

The first place that came to him was a small toppled connection of large tree trunks, on either side, thick boulders created a nook for anyone to seek shelter from the weather between. He turned around - panic bubbling in his chest. 'I'll have to go back to the lagoon in the morning..' he tried to tell himself. "AHHH! PLEASE! HELP ME!" a woman voice echoed behind him. He twisted his face, grim and sorrow etched across it. Breathing heavily he grabbed a few broken tree limbs full of greener patches as he threw them over the fallen logs to create a better ceiling in case it rained.

"It's not real.....It's not... it's in your head ...." he whispered. His voice is full of agony, exhaustion, and pain. He had to close off the world and rest. So he slumped himself down under the collapsed trunks toppled over the boulders. His back was slumped against one of the rounder rock slabs that sat under the logs. His body shivered as he tried to zone out to sleep. It only took a few minutes for him to get a momentary time to close his eyes and 'sleep' But that didn't last long before he heard more cries of the phantoms from his past. "No!... Please w-we beg you! Leave him alone! N,No not that child!!" they sounded so real to him, that each time his mind released their screams, he flinched. Covering his head with labored breathing. "Stop it.......please...." he nearly wept in his sleep.



The night was cold. He had slept away from the Lagoon today, which he had found himself in a place that brought back too many memories he would rather keep locked away. The smell of something burning, the sight of trees toppling over and ending in ash as they plummet to the earth. The dull sounds of someone screaming echoed through the trees that remained standing ablaze.

The screams echoed his own - his body jerked under the shelter provided in this new land. His mind confusing reality and the past. Each scream he heard in his memory, He too would call out. "I'm here! Don't go that way! No stop!" his body was running a slight sweat, his face scrunched as he felt the horrors revive themselves in his sleep. A cycle of sleep that he thought for once in the recent two years, that he would be able to obtain peace due to this new place.

But this location gave too much heartache for the golden emperor. His mind seeped out the past - and the smells of the Grove only provided him more confusion and fear to eclipse into his chest and soul. The visions of the tree's burning sent him flying awake, jerking his eyes wide with gasping sounds echoing the inlet. "No....NO!" his body started to hike around the invisible tree's that were struck with fire and charcoaled bark.

She’d been enjoying the scenery, really. Unable to sleep, the fog having lifted and her mind curious, she wandered into the Grove. It reminded her of a much warmer version of her home. If there were pine and evergreen then perhaps she wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference. But this place wasn’t cold enough, no... not even close. She’d been wandering around. Sniffing at plants to see if they were herbal. But nothing too useful yet. Her eyes turned upward to look at the moon. Hm, it was a beautiful night. One which she was unaware of the horrors of others. That’s when she heard it, a familiar voice calling out. ‘No... NO!’ Dirius? She found herself walking quite quickly towards where she heard the voice from. Not quite running, her increasing weight made it hard to sustain that for long. A part of her thought she shouldn’t be running towards possible danger but... it was a friend! She couldn’t ignore his cries! As she approached towards him, she saw his wild, wide eyes, and his jerky movements. Pistis walked towards him, calling out in a calm voice, “Dirius? Are you alright, friend?” Worry seeped into her heart. Was he sleep walking, perhaps? It looked as if he’d slept under that fallen log... but he was alone, who was he yelling at? She came a bit closer, trying her best to get in his line of sight, trying to be a comforting presence, whatever was happening. If he needed someone to speak to... well, she was a damn good listener. Hopefully she was good at calming him down, too. She prayed quickly to the Gods, eyes closing before opening again. She was just glad he was alone and not in immediate danger. That was the only thing she could be thankful for, in this situation. @Vasilis

Code by CloudyNight

The pain filtered his entire body. The smell of burning skin, the sounds of animals crying out against the flaming forest. The loud sounds of crackling wood off the tree's as they broke under the weight. It echoed into his reality, though it was his past, he couldn't connect the differences. He continued to pace forward - mumbling as he moved. "No...No!" he shook his head. Turning to his left as he heard another cry. "Don't hurt them! Stay away from us!" it called out. "No...Leave them be!" he moved to go afraid of the voice. As he moved Pistis had come to his cries, unknowingly so by the golden king. Vasilis paced right and then left with a wobble of his front legs. Deciding for himself should he stay OR go to the sounds.

'Diuris?'...Are you alright? ....Diru-Vasilis...VASILIS! HELP US! NO RUN, R,RUN, HIDE, NOW!'

Pistis's words started off as her own but echoed into someone else's calling out to him. To someone who was near, to anyone. What was Pistis's voice, being one entity turned into three different voices? Fear wrecked him, he jerked his head back, tears now broke down over his cheeks. "Noo! I said to leave them be! I am here! Take me! Leave the children alone!!" he could hear their screams echoing through the invisible forest fire. Panic rose inside his chest, not 'seeing' Pistis as he moved around the location. Walking to various trees and shouting at them. The horror would only continue as more echoes from the phantoms took over his vision, his ears, his wellbeing. " Noo..please...please... , just leave them be! Take me instead! Just kill me!" he cried out. The sounds of someone from his past burning alive within his memory echoed louder taking over any sounds he may have heard in his present reality meshed into nothingness.

He rounded a tree as if it was the one doing the bad deeds to those of his past, He started to attack the tree relentlessly until he was out of breath. The tree would shake, whine and wane at the battering of Vasilis paws. Finally a snap of the tree and it had bent in half, the rest remaining to stand up with the broken part flopped over on the side. Vasilis moved over it like it was a body, his feet took him to the other side of it - to a patch of nothing but grass and weeds. "Nooo..Noo! No! NO! NO!!!" he cried out. His paws reached out for something that was not there, that would never be there. His memory played out before him like a sick joke, his mother lay dead in front of him, clutching the body of a tiny teen less than a year old, they held no relation to Vasilis or his mother but they were someone dear to the two of them. He wept and wept hard as his body shook. He leaned his head down into the earth - sobbing at first loudly as if in agony before trailing off into silent choking cries. They were all gone...all of them..

The man didn’t seem to see her. Too caught up in memories. Pistis’ chest swelled with anxiety. She’d had experiences like this. Yes, they were awful, and still plagued her intermittently. He kept repeating ‘no’ and she followed after him as he moved. Staying near him, not sure if she should make physical contact. That’d always helped her but... everyone was different. His memories... Gods just from his words and his hurried appearance... she knew death must be involved. She continued to hurry after Diuris, her steps becoming heavier and more panicked. Gods, this needed to stop, she was terrified her own mental state would be affected. He attacked a tree, and eventually it snapped. He had followed after the tree, weeping on the ground now. Slowly, Pistis lightly let their fur brush, “Dirius, it’s Pistis, dear, I’m right here.... shhh....” She gently cooed, trying her best to comfort him, curling her fluffy, warm body around him, or at least trying to. “You’re alright... whatever you’re seeing isn’t here.” Her eyes held concern, attempting to get into his view, trying to help. She knew it was dangerous but... Gods she couldn’t think of another solution. Hoping the difference in temperature would help, at least. There was so little she could do without possibly causing him harm... she just hoped it worked. Please Gods, help Dirius. @Vasilis

Code by CloudyNight

Quiet, peace, the sort of night where she could find herself wandering with little on her mind. The fog had lifted more, revealed more, and as she travels into the newly uncovered landscape her steps pick up. Trotting forward with a soft smile on her lips. A verdant wonderland spreading before her, the herbs perfuming the air lightly. Both healing and harmful, she has a bounce in her step minding her own business. Sniffing a flower(or rather a bush) here and there, all but dancing through the moonlight.

Except discordant fear, a cacophony in the quiet night. It sent a chill down her spine, the words nonsensical with the peace here. It wasn't particularly helpful with the cold also beginning to cause her to shake; for a moment she wavered like a leaf in the wind.

Then she inhales deeply, exhales and gains control of herself. Steadies her beating heart, then sets out to find the source of the panic. To stop it if possible because she knew it wasn't fun and she knew how it could feed into her own fears, her own stress and others. Mostly the former, as selfish as it seemed, because she was safe. She was much better than she had been in years and did not need someone else to send her spiraling. Thus she bounds through rocks and forest towards the sound, lip held beneath teeth. Worry marking her features as she focuses on her stride, her breathing to keep control of herself.

She finds him attacking a tree, another pale woman nearby, concerned. Mismatched eyes seek the other woman's own jarring gaze, hoping to make contact. To signal she knew, that she was here to help as well. Then as the man golden in hue sunk weeping to the the earth did both women move. The former curling up beside him, pressing close. Pandorra was both more brave and a little more foolish. Coming towards his front half, his business half, her steps soft, measured. Loud enough to be heard, but not so loud to startle, she swings towards his bowed head, humming a little. An old lullaby she couldn't quite remember where she learned falling from her lips. Gently, carefully reaching with her muzzle, her body stopping on his left front side. Simply aiming to press it into the left side of his head, still humming the half forgotten soothing melody.

@Pistis @Vasilis

To find Vasilis in such distress was disheartening, to say the least.

At most, it felt as if Fíonn been sucker punched in the gut.

What began as a small lope away from his Oasis turned into a troubled outing as he came upon the three - the golden King, Pandorra and another, paler woman already tending him. In another situation, he might’ve cared about Pandorra’s prescience - but this wasn’t another situation. It was a small mercy to see that the Scilla King was already being cared for, but still the pink titan surged forward, chest tight, finding it hard to find his words. Fíonn wasn’t good with emotion, but even a stone cold heart would break, seeing such a bright soul shattered into pieces.

He cleared his throat to announce his presence, bobbed his head in greeting to Pandorra and the other woman, before stepping forwards to comfort one of the few friends he’d made in this place.

“Cara...” he croaked, the timber of his voice replaced with creaking, aching concern, stepping close and resting on his haunches. Genuine and soft, he lifted a gentle spade like pink paw, reaching to gently brush it against the other King’s forelimb, should the women allow him to do so. He cast a glance at the two lionesses, a silent question deep in his green eyes. What happened?

@Vasilis @Pandorra @Pistis

'“You’re alright... whatever you’re seeing isn’t here.”' words echoing into the past memories like a broken mirror eclipsing the waves of the ocean. No, no - they were here. They were right here in his arms. He scooped up the 'invisible bodies, his own shuttering and withering down as he sobbed. "Mitéra...Mitéra.." his words shuttered from his lips. He pulled his golden head up and looked into what was not there to Pistis but was there for him. "ánoixe ta mátia sou.." he cried out.


Pistis brushed his body, his he didn't feel it. Not really. Suddenly the sounds of cracks and burning trees echoed away to something else. a song? no, a tune? No ...some sort of lullaby. His sobs becoming louder and louder as his ears swallowed the easing lullaby. His eyes opened and all he could see was a haze, the pain in his heart clouded his eyes.


The phantoms screaming came back - his eyes widen again with fear. "Stop it....STOP IT!...make it stop...please......oh please..." his lips trembled as he kept his head down against his chest. His body wobbled as he tried to rise from the ground. Then the words that echoed next were '“Cara...”' and his head snapped to the right. The man touched his open area and soon he released a wail. "They are......all dead....all...dead..." he clutched his head into the man's pink mane. "And I ....couldn't do a damn fucking thing!" he cried out again and again. There was nothing he could do, he watched his mother, his father, his cousins, all burn to death or be pushed to a corner to allow the fires to consume them. And there was nothing he could do but watch...listen...and be there to witness what had happened.

@Pandorra @Pistis @Fíonn

Another woman came, and a bit of protectiveness filled Pistis. She didn’t know who she was, and didn’t exactly appreciate the other invading his space, but whatever, she couldn’t say anything lest she distress her friend. He began to speak to her in Greek, and she gently shushed him, letting the other sing her lullaby, “ eísai asfalís, eímai edó, Dirius.”(You’re safe, I am here, Dirius) She assured him, keeping pressed close to him. He began to rise, and Pistis followed, supporting him with pressure on his side, trying to keep him present, with them. Another joined them, a huge, pink lion. She looked at him, but this one was the Sovereign’s friend, it seemed. So she didn’t react as she had to the pale, freckled female. As the other began to cry, her own chest seized up, and silent tears spilled down her face. She understood, perhaps only at a microscopic level, his pain. What it was like for your family to be taken away from you. She knew great emotional pain, but not like he did, even imagining it brought her great sadness. But she made sure to keep herself quiet, not wanting to make his experience worse. So she just silently pressed into him, trying to show him support. @Pandorra @Fíonn @Vasilis

Code by CloudyNight