Arken~

Ayova and I wait anxiously by the door. Eratrea was supposed to have been be back by now. Time passes. Thirty minutes. Then forty five. An hour. Still no signs of her. I begin to worry. Ayova and I are silent. And hour and a half.

"Do you think we should go after her?" I say finally. Just then I hear footsteps outside the door. We both tense at the sound. The door swings open. I sigh in relief as Eratrea enters. As soon as she does, we both spring to our feet. 

"Eratrea!" Ayova cries. "Where have you been?"

"We were worried sick!" I add in a chiding tone. Eratrea' face is grave. I can tell something is out of place. Just as I'm about to ask what the matter is, she opens her mouth to speak. 

"There's--there's something I need to tell you." She breathes.

-----

Sorry for the short post, I don't know what Eratrea was going to tell them.  

Eretrea grabbed her friends hands, and bit her lip, trying desperately to stop the tears from running down her face. Ayova gave Eratrea what might have been a reassuring squeeze, and she said in almost a whisper "you can tell us anything." Arken nodded in agreement. 

Eretrea gave a nervous smile and reached inside her shirt, where she pulled out a locket. "I couldn't keep it to myself anymore," she began, "and I knew you were the two people I trust more than anything in the world. The thing is..." The girl paused, as if finding the right words, "The thing is, Ma and I have a secret. A secret that will cost us everything if anyone finds out the truth apart from you, so don't tell a soul, okay?" Eratrea knew from the look on her friends faces that it would be a secret.

"You know about the hunt, right?" The others nodded, nervously."Well...they...they're looking for the Jewel...the Jewel that..." Eratrea struggled to find the right words. She fumbled around with the locket and clicked it open. The Jewel. Her friends looked shocked. Breaking the awful silence, Arken put his fm around his friend's shoulders. "Eratrea-" he began, but was cut of by Ayova's shriek. They whirled around to where Ayova was looking, and turned pale. Somebody was watching them through the window...

--------------------

Who is it???? 

Aurelia~

"We're going on another Hunt. You want to come, Relia?" Jax asks.

"No," I respond with a fake smile. "Well...depends. Who are you hunting?"

"The one we've been trying to get for the past three months," he responds, sharpening his sword. "The shapeshifter."

I push a strand of my hair away. "Virin," I mutter. 

"What was that?" he asks, putting down his sword.  

"Nothing," I reply. I look at him. "You all better get going."

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" he asks. 

I bite my lip. "I don't know...." 

"We could use your skill. Besides, the Council is keeping an eye out for those to promote."

I hesitate but nod. "Fine. I'm in."

The closer I get to the Council, the closer I get to the Gem. And the sweeter it'll feel before I kill all of them.  

~~~~

I strap the bow and arrow over my back as we get off of our horses and start on foot through the woods.

Virin takes out his throwing knives. When I ask why he's using the knives, because he has a sword, he replies by saying that he'll have an advantage if he needs to neutralise the target from a distance. I shrug and we continue.

Suddenly we see a figure shift in the trees. Virin. We duck down behind a bush while I ready my bow. But it's too late. Jax has already thrown his knife.

Virin leaps from the trees as Jax readies his knife.

"Wait," I hiss. "Let's play this out his way."

Jax looks at me and nods, but is caught off guard when Virin the hawk pulls back his hood. He reaches for mine and pulls it back quickly, squawking when he sees its me. 

I run. I run fast, as fast as I can, away from an unconscious Jax. Someone seemed to have knocked him out. It could have been Virin, or a sudden group of bandits. I would usually stick around and fight, but I'm outnumbered, and they put a heavy price for Council member heads. I have too much work to do to die now. I'm brave, not stupid.

I feel someone running beside me. I turn and see a panther. I slow and finally stop, turning to face Virin.

"Virin," I gasp, catching my breath. "What are you doing here?" 

Aine could be the person, because I've been planning to have her run away anyway.

Aine~

Father has left on one of his little "visits". Visits to whom and why, I don't know, but I have a couple good guesses. The day after one of his past visits, I heard that a couple of people openly opposed to the Council were found injured in a field. And I'm not even sure that I should call the monster Father.

But now is the best chance I may ever have, so I put my plan into action. I grab my satchel from under my bed, and pack it with some cheese, dried meat, apples, a favorite book of mine that Arielle gave me, money that I have been saving for what feels like forever, and a dagger of my mother's that I found while looking through her old trunk. Of course, I still have the sword that I stole from my father a couple years ago hidden under my skirts.

I scrawl a note about going to the market to get some food for dinner. Then I leave, heading for the biggest protection of all; Midnight City. So many people come and go that with luck, I'll be untraceable. I run through alleyways and am passing by a small cottage when something catches my eye through the window, sparkling and gleaming-

The jewel. Not just any jewel. I put my face right next to the window and watch. It can't be anything else; it's too magical and beautiful and yet somehow radiates a power dark as midnight. Then a girl shrieks, and they've all spotted me. Every instinct tells me to run, but I know that these people will need help, lots of help, and that maybe, just maybe, I can strike one more blow against my father by helping them.

I go to the door and politely knock, hoping maybe, just maybe, that they'll open it...

@Pepper Star, Sorry for not responding sooner. I like your idea that Aine and Arielle met at school. More about that in my post.

~Arielle

I ran and ran. The hunters had stopped looking but I couldn't take any chances. I ran deeper into the woods and then followed the dried up stream bed to the cave. I dashed in and sat down on a crate, exhausted. Aine and I had found this cave when we were little. It had become our play fort, hiding place, and later a secret meeting spot. I looked wearisomly around at the crates and bottles we stored in the cave. I just then saw a scrap of paper. On it it said:

Dear Arielle, I'm running away to Midnight city. Father is up to no good and I can't live with him anymore. Don't follow me and break your parents' hearts. Please don't be angry and I wish you all luck.

Love, Aine

The note looked like it was from a few days ago. Aine must have come here before she left for good. A resolution strutted in my mind. Aine didn't know that our house was destroyed. Tears came to my eyes as I remembered my parents and their worried looks as they shoved me with the leather pouch containing the book out the window before the house was razed. I couldn't break their hearts by leaving because they were captured by the hunters- or worse. I pulled the ancient book out of the pouch. Why was it so important, important enough to break peaceful lives short? I decided right then and there that I would follow in Aine's footsteps to Midnight City to get answers.

~Xylia

Xylia saw the Lyanthrope tense.

He's too young to be this anxious. 

She frowned. Had that thought come from her? She was even younger than him! But she had no time to think about that because suddenly she was overcome with a feeling of nausea. 

There's too much conflict!

Ok, at least that thought was normal, she had know the city was in tangle with the council for a long, long time. Yet somehow...

CONFLICT!!!

She cried out in surprise and pain as the voice reverberated in her ears and forced her to her knees. Could no one else hear the attention demanding voice? The Lyanthrope was looking at her in annoyance. "Quiet!" He hissed.

Yes, quiet child.

The thoughts were now calm and soothing.

She will not harm. I will not harm. The she that is I will not harm.

What? Who was this person inside her head?

The Lyanthrope now growled. A female person had rounded the corner. Xylia's eye caught the book she was holding. 

The book!

Ugh! Why wouldn't the voice stop?! And it did, just after whispering the names of the Lyanthrope and girl.

Greet Malik and Arielle, Xylia.

She stood up shakily. "Hello Arielle," she said, deciding to take a chance. "This is Malik."

I'm sorry, but I don't have time to participate in this RP. I'm going to drop out

Ok, new rule, if nobody posts after 2 weeks, their Charrie will have to be....eaten. Or something.

That's a shame, bookworm, but that's ok! :) 

Ok, I get what you're saying, but I feel like I shouldn't post more than once in a row. It makes me feel like I'm taking over the story. Can someone post so that I can... post?

Everyone, sorry for not posting much. A post is forthcoming.

@Unsuspectingstlly, Arielle is not at Midnight City yet. So the girl with a book in your post is probably Aine because she's at the city.

I'm still a little confused about where everybody's characters are in the city but since my character  isn't at the city yet it doesn't really matter.