Animalistic (Open)

[nixnight]

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[atrb=style, background-color: #1A1A1A; border-radius: 35px;] [STYLE=height: 250px; width: 460px; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.7; border-radius: 30px; background-image: url(http://i49.tinypic.com/2rpxs8p.png);][/style][STYLE=font-family: times new roman; font-style: italic; font-size: 45px; color: #E7E1CD; text-transform: lowercase; margin-top: -30px; letter-spacing: -3px; opacity: 0.99; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px #000000;]DAUGHTER OF A SHADOW[/style][STYLE=font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-top: -10px; color: #CEC6AA; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;]FLOWER OF THE NIGHT[/style] [STYLE=font-size: 11px; font-family: arial; margin-right: 13px; margin-left: 13px; text-align: justify; background-color: #696969; padding: 13px; color: #000000; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.95; margin-bottom: 1px; border-bottom-right-radius: 30px; border-bottom-left-radius: 30px;] Lily sat quietly in the back of one of the fields behind the Care of Magical Creatures Class and watched the creature before her move into the darker trees and into the forest, she leant back against the fence post behind her and sighed softly. She lifted a hand and rubbed at her eyes and whiped away the two small tears that had filled there and she shook her head before standing up and walking away from the fence and into the trees. She walked after the shadow of a beast before the trees began to spread out around her and form a clearing and she sighed again before sitting down on the damp ground and whistling softly, the Thestral she had followed appeared from behind a tree and walked over to the girl before nudging her head gently and lily smiled and rubbed his nose. She grinned at this and lifted her head a little to rub her forehead against the bony skull of the black horse-like beast and she felt her eyes warm a little again. "hey sinister, nice to see you too my old freind" she said as the beast nibbled softly on her hair and she chuckled softly and she then dipped a hand into her bag and held up a slice of meat. The thestral lowered its head to take the meat as something behind her made a sound and lily twisted her head [/style][STYLE=width: 400px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; color: #565656; text-transform: uppercase; margin-top: 0px; font-family: arial; letter-spacing: 3px; opacity: 0.9;]made by kiwii at btn & ote![/style]

[grace]

Grace had only just been released from the hospital wing that morning, she was still tired, still a little sore, but she couldn't stand spending another moment indoors. So in spite of her physical weakness, she had walked all the way down to the forest, intent on seeing the thestrals. For whatever reason, the sinister-looking winged horses comforted her, and that was what she needed most. Grace felt lower than rock bottom- Caleb had killed their baby, almost killed her in the process, and she hadn't done anything about it rather than retreat further into her shell, allow herself to be broken. She felt like such a horrid person, how could she ever forgive herself?

Exhaling heavily, Grace slipped into the trees, already exhausted and fighting tears. Perhaps it hadn't been the best idea to come down here, especially when her bed had been so comfortable... Partially stumbling into the clearing, she was surprised to see a head of vivid red hair, Lily. She approached her niece, though never really thought of her that way since they were so close in age, they could be sisters. Grace tried to smile, but it didn't really work, her heart was still in too much pain. "Hi," Grace said very softly, it could have been a whisper. She then reached out to pat a young thestral that had approached, obviously trying to get her attention.

[nixnight]

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[atrb=style, background-color: #1A1A1A; border-radius: 35px;] [STYLE=height: 250px; width: 460px; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.7; border-radius: 30px; background-image: url(http://i49.tinypic.com/2rpxs8p.png);][/style][STYLE=font-family: times new roman; font-style: italic; font-size: 45px; color: #E7E1CD; text-transform: lowercase; margin-top: -30px; letter-spacing: -3px; opacity: 0.99; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px #000000;]DAUGHTER OF A SHADOW[/style][STYLE=font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-top: -10px; color: #CEC6AA; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;]FLOWER OF THE NIGHT[/style] [STYLE=font-size: 11px; font-family: arial; margin-right: 13px; margin-left: 13px; text-align: justify; background-color: #696969; padding: 13px; color: #000000; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.95; margin-bottom: 1px; border-bottom-right-radius: 30px; border-bottom-left-radius: 30px;] Lily lowered her head as she heard steps behind her and she then sighed and lifted her hand to the beast before her, he looked into the trees behind her before snorting hot air out from his bony nostrils and then lowering his head to nudged lilys hand again. A small voice behind her made lily turn her head again as she realised she knew the voice and she knew it for good reasons, her gaze ran across her aunt and she smiled softly and then nodded. "Hey grace" she said with a nod of her head before she turned back to her freind in front of her and stroke his bony head again, "what you doing down here in this kind of weather?" she asked before turning her head a little to look at her aunt. Of course it felt weird to think of her like that as they were so similar in age and they had grown up together, they were more like sisters but she also felt she couldn't actually say they were sister the same way she said her and James were blood related [/style][STYLE=width: 400px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; color: #565656; text-transform: uppercase; margin-top: 0px; font-family: arial; letter-spacing: 3px; opacity: 0.9;]made by kiwii at btn & ote![/style]

[grace]

Grace stroked the muzzle of thestral, a young male named Dante. She didn't doubt a few others would turn up soon, she hadn't been to visit the herd in a long while, having been in the hospital for a solid week after what Caleb had done. It had been a horrible beating, worse than the ones that her father had given her. Magic had taken care of the cracked or broken bones and the bruising, but nothing could be done about the child that had been lost. And that was the worst feeling of all... "I needed the air," Grace said softly in response to Lily's question. Yes, she was tired, and most definitely sore. Her bones may have been healed, but they would be tender a while, particularly her hip and her ribs. Dante stepped closer, resting his head on her shoulder. Her hands instinctively went to pat his bony, leathery neck. Grace sighed lightly, again finding that odd sort of comfort from the misunderstood beasts. Though even this sort of cuddling gesture, however, failed to alleviate the pain in her heart, only numbed it slightly.

[nixnight]

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[atrb=style, background-color: #1A1A1A; border-radius: 35px;] [STYLE=height: 250px; width: 460px; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.7; border-radius: 30px; background-image: url(http://i49.tinypic.com/2rpxs8p.png);][/style][STYLE=font-family: times new roman; font-style: italic; font-size: 45px; color: #E7E1CD; text-transform: lowercase; margin-top: -30px; letter-spacing: -3px; opacity: 0.99; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px #000000;]DAUGHTER OF A SHADOW[/style][STYLE=font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-top: -10px; color: #CEC6AA; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;]FLOWER OF THE NIGHT[/style] [STYLE=font-size: 11px; font-family: arial; margin-right: 13px; margin-left: 13px; text-align: justify; background-color: #696969; padding: 13px; color: #000000; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.95; margin-bottom: 1px; border-bottom-right-radius: 30px; border-bottom-left-radius: 30px;] Lily watched her aunt carefully as she replied to her words, Grace had never talked loads or even as much as a normal person but lately she had been even more quiet. And of course lily had noticed small things about her, her sleeves always being worn down down and the odd bruise over her face as the girl walked and her blonde hair swayed away from her eyes. But lily never said anything, if people wanted to see only a little and remain happy then who was she to break that. She turned back to Sinister in front of her and sighed softly, "It's mums birthday in a few days" she said softly before she lifted a single finger to her eyes again. She always missed her mother around April and her own birthday, because she always would have spoilt the family as her gift to herself. "she would have taken up away by now, we would have gone somewhere warm for her birthday" she said as she lowered her head a little and her head fell down around her face [/style][STYLE=width: 400px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; color: #565656; text-transform: uppercase; margin-top: 0px; font-family: arial; letter-spacing: 3px; opacity: 0.9;]made by kiwii at btn & ote![/style]

[grace]

Grace allowed the silence to settle over them, simply allowing Dante to lean on her, and was inwardly thankful that he had selected the shoulder opposite her bruised collarbone. His warm breath tickled the back of her neck, though she didn't even cringe at the feel of it. Grace's mind wandered during the quiet, to where it often went these days, on to what might have been had she stood up to Caleb and protected herself. There would still be a baby, she would probably have the morning sickness, she still wouldn't be showing... But a few months later... Grace snapped out of her wishful, mournful thinking when Lily spoke. She nodded along to show that she was listening, she wondered what Lily's mother might have been like, having not been adopted by the Forests until she was nine, three years after the accident. Though she could still be sympathetic, she had had her own fair share of troubles, she knew how to be a shoulder to lean on. She gently pushed Dante away, going to tuck her arm around Lily's shoulders, forcing her own troubles to the back of her mind.

[nixnight]

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[atrb=style, background-color: #1A1A1A; border-radius: 35px;] [STYLE=height: 250px; width: 460px; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.7; border-radius: 30px; background-image: url(http://i49.tinypic.com/2rpxs8p.png);][/style][STYLE=font-family: times new roman; font-style: italic; font-size: 45px; color: #E7E1CD; text-transform: lowercase; margin-top: -30px; letter-spacing: -3px; opacity: 0.99; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px #000000;]DAUGHTER OF A SHADOW[/style][STYLE=font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-top: -10px; color: #CEC6AA; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;]FLOWER OF THE NIGHT[/style] [STYLE=font-size: 11px; font-family: arial; margin-right: 13px; margin-left: 13px; text-align: justify; background-color: #696969; padding: 13px; color: #000000; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.95; margin-bottom: 1px; border-bottom-right-radius: 30px; border-bottom-left-radius: 30px;] Lily lifted a hand to her eyes and rubbed them as she heard movement behind her and the next thing she knew, grave was sitting down beside her and had her arm around her sholders. Lily couldnt help but lean into her aunt and sighed deeply, "i miss her" she said in a soft voice as she rested her head on her aunt sholder. She always felt comforted being around her aunt for some reason but she put it down to the fact that she had been round her mother linger and she had known her and like tain, grace always told her stories of her mother and things she had done and plans she had and it always made lily feel better. "she never even saw me get sorted" she said as the beasts before her seemed to sense her discomfort and wander away to feed alone again, Sinister never liked to be around her when she was sad or crying. That was her reasoning for saying he was a male, emotion seemed to scare him. [/style][STYLE=width: 400px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; color: #565656; text-transform: uppercase; margin-top: 0px; font-family: arial; letter-spacing: 3px; opacity: 0.9;]made by kiwii at btn & ote![/style]

[grace]

Grace allowed Lily to lean against her, and in turn rested her head atop her niece's. It felt good to have this kind of contact, really, she had been craving it more than she could say, but what with her need to be so secretive lately, not a whole lot of it had been happening. Lord knew she couldn't get this sort of thing from Caleb anymore. Nothing about him was gentle, he was always so rough, even in things that were supposed to be tender. He wasn't anything like Marvel, everything he did was so soft... "I know," Grace said quietly when Lily said she missed her mother. That, she could understand. She hadn't even known her baby and she already missed his presence. She blinked back tears of her own, she could cry later, silently in her bed with the sunshiny yellow curtains drawn. Honestly, she hated her house colour at this point in her life, it was far too cheerful when she felt so miserable... "I think she knows," said Grace, "and I'll bet she's proud."

[nixnight]

*due to computer glitch, this post got lost*

[grace]

Grace didn't mind the silence between them, just being able to sit there and hold Lily whilst they watched the thestrals forage around in the nearby clearing for something to eat. Though the comfortable quiet did not last long, Lily finally inquiring about what was going on with her. Grace felt her throat tighten, she knew it wouldn't be able to stay secret for long, especially from her family, but she hadn't wanted to bring up the topic, not right now. Of course, it probably wasn't something she could continue to avoid after her week-long infirmary stay... She pondered how best to respond, she really didn't want to talk about it. "I just need to sort things out," said Grace vaguely, liking that best out of the replies she had thought of, as it wasn't technically lying. It just wasn't revealing the whole truth.

[nixnight]

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[atrb=style, background-color: #1A1A1A; border-radius: 35px;] [STYLE=height: 250px; width: 460px; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.7; border-radius: 30px; background-image: url(http://i49.tinypic.com/2rpxs8p.png);][/style][STYLE=font-family: times new roman; font-style: italic; font-size: 45px; color: #E7E1CD; text-transform: lowercase; margin-top: -30px; letter-spacing: -3px; opacity: 0.99; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px #000000;]DAUGHTER OF A SHADOW[/style][STYLE=font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-top: -10px; color: #CEC6AA; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;]FLOWER OF THE NIGHT[/style] [STYLE=font-size: 11px; font-family: arial; margin-right: 13px; margin-left: 13px; text-align: justify; background-color: #696969; padding: 13px; color: #000000; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.95; margin-bottom: 1px; border-bottom-right-radius: 30px; border-bottom-left-radius: 30px;] Lily watched her aunt carefully as she spoke and something told her that her aunt was hiding things from her but she knew that feeling very well. Lily had to hide one of the biggest things about herself from nearly everyone she met so she could understand her aunt wanting to hide things away. If they were bad enough then she would tell someone and it would all be ok but if it wasn't that bad then why should she have to tell. "have you got them sorted? or am i being distracting?" she asked as she shifted a little when a cold breeze shot up her back and made her shiver, "it was april and it was warmed but lily still found herself with cold shiver every now and then which were most annoying. Thought having a coat of fur and being most warm before changing backwards and finding yourself alone and cold was one good way to make any weather seem a little too cold for someones liking [/style][STYLE=width: 400px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; color: #565656; text-transform: uppercase; margin-top: 0px; font-family: arial; letter-spacing: 3px; opacity: 0.9;]made by kiwii at btn & ote![/style]

[grace]

Grace felt unbelievably tense, she didn't know why she was so intent on keeping everything so secret, why she still wanted to protect Caleb after all he had done to her... She still kept quiet like the good little girl that she was. It was killing her, not telling anyone. She simply hadn't been able to tell the nurse what had happened, she didn't know to woman, no matter how nice she seemed, there wasn't that trust there. And her family... They had enough to worry about. Grace was quite alone indeed. She had thought Lily might press for more information, though thankfully she didn't. She wasn't ready to talk about it, she might not ever be. "No, it's okay," said Grace, honestly, she had gotten dreadfully lonely after pushing everyone away. But nobody could know what had happened, Caleb would never forgive her, would likely take the abuse even further...

((OOC: Bleh, short post, sorry))

[nixnight]

]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,480,bTable]

[atrb=style, background-color: #1A1A1A; border-radius: 35px;] [STYLE=height: 250px; width: 460px; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.7; border-radius: 30px; background-image: url(http://i49.tinypic.com/2rpxs8p.png);][/style][STYLE=font-family: times new roman; font-style: italic; font-size: 45px; color: #E7E1CD; text-transform: lowercase; margin-top: -30px; letter-spacing: -3px; opacity: 0.99; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px #000000;]DAUGHTER OF A SHADOW[/style][STYLE=font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-top: -10px; color: #CEC6AA; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;]FLOWER OF THE NIGHT[/style] [STYLE=font-size: 11px; font-family: arial; margin-right: 13px; margin-left: 13px; text-align: justify; background-color: #696969; padding: 13px; color: #000000; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.95; margin-bottom: 1px; border-bottom-right-radius: 30px; border-bottom-left-radius: 30px;] Lily watched her aunt as she remained quiet and she then turned her head a little, as much as she didn't want to admit it right now, she was getting a little cold. She looked down to her feet and then smiled softly as she noted her untied converse and she rolled her eyes at her own habit and them she leaned forwards out from under her aunt and then tugged on her laces and knotted them. She could feel the tongue of the shoes warming her foot and she then smiled at herself and leaned against her aunts arm again. "seems life doesn't want any forest to be happy" she said in a small voice *don't worry about it* [/style][STYLE=width: 400px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; color: #565656; text-transform: uppercase; margin-top: 0px; font-family: arial; letter-spacing: 3px; opacity: 0.9;]made by kiwii at btn & ote![/style]

[grace]

Grace watched the thestrals in the distance pawing around for food, finding it unusual for the carnivorous horses to be scavenging, she had thought that they might hunt. Though this herd was tamed, perhaps their wild cousins might, yet they remained contented to be fed by either the groundskeeper or the Care of Magical Creatures professor. Grace thought that she perhaps might have the beginnings of a friendship with that teacher, he seemed to understand her. He was already her favourite- he was gentle, and had a passion for animals that rivaled her own. Grace only lightly sighed as Lily bent to lace up her shoes, though she welcomed the redhead back, putting her arm loosely around her shoulders. It was good to know that she was at least of some comfort to somebody else, even when she couldn't comfort herself. The simple phrase Lily said hit home for Grace, it seemingly connected on all points. Things had been on a constant downward spiral with Caleb, and when she had thought things couldn't get any worse, she had hit rock bottom. Inwardly, she was desperate, clawing to go on, but outwardly she remained as poised as ever, if only a little quieter. "At least not at the moment," sighed Grace, lightly closing her eyes.

[nixnight]

]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,480,bTable]

[atrb=style, background-color: #1A1A1A; border-radius: 35px;] [STYLE=height: 250px; width: 460px; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.7; border-radius: 30px; background-image: url(http://i49.tinypic.com/2rpxs8p.png);][/style][STYLE=font-family: times new roman; font-style: italic; font-size: 45px; color: #E7E1CD; text-transform: lowercase; margin-top: -30px; letter-spacing: -3px; opacity: 0.99; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px #000000;]DAUGHTER OF A SHADOW[/style][STYLE=font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-top: -10px; color: #CEC6AA; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;]FLOWER OF THE NIGHT[/style] [STYLE=font-size: 11px; font-family: arial; margin-right: 13px; margin-left: 13px; text-align: justify; background-color: #696969; padding: 13px; color: #000000; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.95; margin-bottom: 1px; border-bottom-right-radius: 30px; border-bottom-left-radius: 30px;] Lily paused for a moment in her day dreaming and thought about her words as grace replied to her, Kevin was always so busy these days that he hardly spoke to the family. Tain had been depressed since nix's death and found it hard to keep a smile on but James seemed to give him strength, lily doubted the family would survive at all if it wasn't for their fatherly brother, or plain father to lily. Martin didn't talk to anyone since he had lost someone in the battle, lily hadn't been around at the time so she didn't even know who her uncle had lost. Grace hardly spoke and lily knew something was wrong with her but she cared too much for her aunt to ask her more and press for answers on a topic she clearly didn't want touched and Maya was so busy trying to keep every happy that she seemed to drain herself. Only James seemed to be doing well at all with becoming a prefect recently which suited him well and favoured lily as she could use the prefect bathroom and she got a little rule lose. Not much as James did like to keep her safe and in line but some. This thought made her smile and laugh softly and she found herself looking at her aunt, "if only one good thing could happen for us all, just to make us like we where" she said with a little smile as a photo sprang to her mind. One showed her whole family with all her cousins and her brother and both her fathers in it, she knew her own had left after he had found out about her condition and lily knew it stemmed from guilt on his part from an argument he and her mother had leading to her mother to change and lily fate to be changed [/style][STYLE=width: 400px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; color: #565656; text-transform: uppercase; margin-top: 0px; font-family: arial; letter-spacing: 3px; opacity: 0.9;]made by kiwii at btn & ote![/style]