Fri Aug 03, 2012 9:16 pm
On the Other Side of Reality
This started as an assignment to create an alien and ended up as a character sketch for a world I'm continuing to explore in my writing. I'd actually like to explore it in RP once I get more world building done. xD
A terrified shriek split the nocturnal silence, followed by much hubbub as the whole household was roused. Imer stretched his lips in what humans might call a “wide grin”, showing jagged teeth, and made as if to lunge at the screaming girl-child only preventing it by a dimensional slip. I clicked my teeth in annoyance and initiated my own dimensional slip, leaving behind the hysterical humans. In spite of my youth, I never understood the cheap thrills my peers pursued by frightening humans. Personally, I found them more interesting to observe when they weren’t scared half out of their wits by “demonic apparitions”. Then again, I had an unusual interest in alien cultures and societies for my age.
Back in our rightful dimension I yanked the stupid costume from Imer’s frame and snapped my teeth in his face. “If this is supposed to entice me you’re sorely mistaken,” I hissed. I liked Imer, I truly did. Unfortunately, sometimes he behaved more like an irritating younger sibling than a potential suitor. And I wanted him to be a suitor. His face might terrify human children but I thought he was a picture of loveliness. Deep-set, sand-white eyes in a fine-boned face that made most females jealous; his snout was short and narrow; dusted with pale, bioluminescent specks that brought out his eyes. Those translucent teeth he had bared at the little human to frighten her were appealingly smoky with a sheen that suggested a silky smooth texture. I wanted to run my tongue over them—
“Lijas, you do a terrible job at scolding me.” Imer’s dry voice interrupted my musings. I blinked. His face was almost too close for my eyes to focus on him. “Especially when you clearly have other activities on your mind.” He smiled; his eyes catching the starlight in a way that made them seem to glow. I clicked my teeth at him but it was a half-hearted gesture at best. Imer only laughed. He took the ridiculous cowl and eye mask from my hands and butted his head against my jaw. I inhaled the dark, spicy smell of him and had to fight to keep my eyes open.
A loud snarl made us both jump, Imer darting a few arms lengths away from me. I turned to snarl right back only to be faced with my formidable mother. The snarl died in my throat and my ears went flat to my head. I kept my eyes focused on her rather impressively clawed feet, recalling the ease with which she had once gutted an overzealous would-be suitor of her own.
“By Rhijer and Rhivas I ought to skin you both!” Her voice was thick with snarl and it made the strip of fur running down my spine stand on end. “Have you no propriety?” She rounded on Imer, sending him staggering back with a cuff that made my teeth ache in sympathy. “You have not offered yourself at the temple of Rhijer. You have no right to act as a suitor until you have done so! And you!” I found myself on the receiving end of one of those blows. It toppled me to the ground but I rolled into a crouch and regained my footing with ease, albeit covered in sand that glistened against my dark hide and aching a bit. At least she fisted her claws. It would have been horribly embarrassing to add scars to my hide over something like this. “You have not presented yourself at the temple of Rhivas to be courted,” my mother roared, looming over me and blocking Imer from my line of sight.
Suppressing the instinct to grovel, I straightened affected a relaxed pose; on the balls of my feet placed far enough apart for easy balance with one hand toying with the strip of decorated kri-hide around my hips, the other relaxed at my side. “Nobody is courting anybody,” I told her, feigning a nonchalance I in no way felt. “Imer was playing ‘whoughieman’,” I muddled the human word, “for the little humans again and I was making sure he didn’t do anything stupid. He was just teasing when we got back.” I shrugged and raised a hand to shake sand from my crest, hoping my mother was in a believing, forgiving mood.
“I—” Before Imer could say any of the typically stupid things that a cornered-male was wont to do, I silenced him with a snarl worthy of my mother’s daughter. My mother eyed Imer reprovingly for several long moments. I was impressed that he managed not to cower at her feet.
Mother snorted, her anger seeming to have settled. “Go on. Away with you.” She tilted her head at Imer, as if offering him the option to protest or disobey. We knew both knew better than that, however, and sketched a rough goodbye at each other. I watched him trot off before looking back to my mother, opening my mouth to say… something. “Come with me,” she murmured before I had even figured out what I might have said. She lifted her hand and trailed her claws gently through my crest before letting her palm rest on my bare shoulder. I followed her lead, feeling somewhat apprehensive as we walked back the way she had come from; toward home. I knew that she knew there was more than just innocent play between me and Imer—she could smell it. But I also knew that she knew that nothing sacrilegious had happened. Still, I wasn’t sure how much of a scolding I was in for.
“Mother,” I began, cautiously. She silenced me with a gentle growl.
“Lijas, I am not going to scold you. I don’t think it would solve anything; you’re not the careless sort.” She stopped walking and turned me to face her. “What I’m going to do is advise you. You, I think, are old enough and mature enough—and if tonight was any indication, well ready—to present yourself at Rhivas’s temple to receive her blessings.” She looked up at the sky, her gaze likely resting on the nearly full larger moon, Rhivas’s moon. I swallowed and took a deep breath, gazing up into the night sky along with my mother.
After one of those lengths of time that seems both eternal and fleeting, I broke the easy silence. “I’ll go to the temple tomorrow,” I said. “Would you assist me in preparing an appropriate offering?” My mother smiled down at me and nodded. Then she growled slightly and gave me a push toward home. Laughing, I obeyed the unspoken command, returning home. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.
__________________________________________________________________________________
A terrified shriek split the nocturnal silence, followed by much hubbub as the whole household was roused. Imer stretched his lips in what humans might call a “wide grin”, showing jagged teeth, and made as if to lunge at the screaming girl-child only preventing it by a dimensional slip. I clicked my teeth in annoyance and initiated my own dimensional slip, leaving behind the hysterical humans. In spite of my youth, I never understood the cheap thrills my peers pursued by frightening humans. Personally, I found them more interesting to observe when they weren’t scared half out of their wits by “demonic apparitions”. Then again, I had an unusual interest in alien cultures and societies for my age.
Back in our rightful dimension I yanked the stupid costume from Imer’s frame and snapped my teeth in his face. “If this is supposed to entice me you’re sorely mistaken,” I hissed. I liked Imer, I truly did. Unfortunately, sometimes he behaved more like an irritating younger sibling than a potential suitor. And I wanted him to be a suitor. His face might terrify human children but I thought he was a picture of loveliness. Deep-set, sand-white eyes in a fine-boned face that made most females jealous; his snout was short and narrow; dusted with pale, bioluminescent specks that brought out his eyes. Those translucent teeth he had bared at the little human to frighten her were appealingly smoky with a sheen that suggested a silky smooth texture. I wanted to run my tongue over them—
“Lijas, you do a terrible job at scolding me.” Imer’s dry voice interrupted my musings. I blinked. His face was almost too close for my eyes to focus on him. “Especially when you clearly have other activities on your mind.” He smiled; his eyes catching the starlight in a way that made them seem to glow. I clicked my teeth at him but it was a half-hearted gesture at best. Imer only laughed. He took the ridiculous cowl and eye mask from my hands and butted his head against my jaw. I inhaled the dark, spicy smell of him and had to fight to keep my eyes open.
A loud snarl made us both jump, Imer darting a few arms lengths away from me. I turned to snarl right back only to be faced with my formidable mother. The snarl died in my throat and my ears went flat to my head. I kept my eyes focused on her rather impressively clawed feet, recalling the ease with which she had once gutted an overzealous would-be suitor of her own.
“By Rhijer and Rhivas I ought to skin you both!” Her voice was thick with snarl and it made the strip of fur running down my spine stand on end. “Have you no propriety?” She rounded on Imer, sending him staggering back with a cuff that made my teeth ache in sympathy. “You have not offered yourself at the temple of Rhijer. You have no right to act as a suitor until you have done so! And you!” I found myself on the receiving end of one of those blows. It toppled me to the ground but I rolled into a crouch and regained my footing with ease, albeit covered in sand that glistened against my dark hide and aching a bit. At least she fisted her claws. It would have been horribly embarrassing to add scars to my hide over something like this. “You have not presented yourself at the temple of Rhivas to be courted,” my mother roared, looming over me and blocking Imer from my line of sight.
Suppressing the instinct to grovel, I straightened affected a relaxed pose; on the balls of my feet placed far enough apart for easy balance with one hand toying with the strip of decorated kri-hide around my hips, the other relaxed at my side. “Nobody is courting anybody,” I told her, feigning a nonchalance I in no way felt. “Imer was playing ‘whoughieman’,” I muddled the human word, “for the little humans again and I was making sure he didn’t do anything stupid. He was just teasing when we got back.” I shrugged and raised a hand to shake sand from my crest, hoping my mother was in a believing, forgiving mood.
“I—” Before Imer could say any of the typically stupid things that a cornered-male was wont to do, I silenced him with a snarl worthy of my mother’s daughter. My mother eyed Imer reprovingly for several long moments. I was impressed that he managed not to cower at her feet.
Mother snorted, her anger seeming to have settled. “Go on. Away with you.” She tilted her head at Imer, as if offering him the option to protest or disobey. We knew both knew better than that, however, and sketched a rough goodbye at each other. I watched him trot off before looking back to my mother, opening my mouth to say… something. “Come with me,” she murmured before I had even figured out what I might have said. She lifted her hand and trailed her claws gently through my crest before letting her palm rest on my bare shoulder. I followed her lead, feeling somewhat apprehensive as we walked back the way she had come from; toward home. I knew that she knew there was more than just innocent play between me and Imer—she could smell it. But I also knew that she knew that nothing sacrilegious had happened. Still, I wasn’t sure how much of a scolding I was in for.
“Mother,” I began, cautiously. She silenced me with a gentle growl.
“Lijas, I am not going to scold you. I don’t think it would solve anything; you’re not the careless sort.” She stopped walking and turned me to face her. “What I’m going to do is advise you. You, I think, are old enough and mature enough—and if tonight was any indication, well ready—to present yourself at Rhivas’s temple to receive her blessings.” She looked up at the sky, her gaze likely resting on the nearly full larger moon, Rhivas’s moon. I swallowed and took a deep breath, gazing up into the night sky along with my mother.
After one of those lengths of time that seems both eternal and fleeting, I broke the easy silence. “I’ll go to the temple tomorrow,” I said. “Would you assist me in preparing an appropriate offering?” My mother smiled down at me and nodded. Then she growled slightly and gave me a push toward home. Laughing, I obeyed the unspoken command, returning home. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.