Rykka (Beastborne: Book 1)

Part 2: Magkin

Song- Torn To Pieces, Pop Evil

Her lavender hair was falling from its tight braids but Lithias couldn't be bothered to fix it. Instead she allowed it to brush across her sharp cheek bones as she stared blankly at the water in front of her. Her own reflection looking back was an unwelcome sight at the moment. Her features were sharp, too sharp, thanks to their angular structure and the lean winter this had turned out to be she was thin and lacked her normal muscle tone. That wasn't what bothered her though, not even the near black bruises under her eyes or the dried blood trailing down her face and chin where she had smeared it wiping her tears.

What bothered her was the look in her multicolored eyes that made her breath catch in her chest. Her body ached but her soul ached more. She wasn't usually this weak, or at least she told herself she wasn't, but today she had lost everything. There had been a time where she'd given into the darkness in her mind, almost let it consume her entirely but she was better than that now. She forced herself to feel it as she accepted what had happened to the best of her ability. Instead she tried to focus on her eyes again, the colors that reflected multiple shades of purple and even hints of a rosy pink. She wondered what others saw when they looked at her, her fathers bind pulsed in the back of her mind, concealing the most unique of her features. Her hair, while strange, she knew was left uncovered. Her father had told her before that he didn't possess the type of magic to completely conceal her long term. 

The distraction only lasted momentarily before she felt the weight of the world fall upon her again. She had no destination, limited supplies, two large beast to care for, and an entire army after her. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the rocks behind her. It would be nearly impossible to see her unless you walked up from the stream itself, not only would that make a lot of noise but her companions would surely let her know before it could happen. Likely by bringing her the head of anyone who dared. As she reclined she couldn't help but feel guilty she'd dragged the two into this. She was dangerous, not just because of the threat of her enemies but the threat that lied in her blood as well. The two innocent brothers didn't deserve the madness that might come with being permanently bonded to her.

She heard a grunt further down stream and looked to see one of her companions sitting on his back legs and eating a rather large fish. Aakine was the smaller of the two brothers but not by much. Kilthra were often compared to a bear crossed with a wolf and that wasn't necessarily wrong. His front legs were larger than his back and his paws were more that of a bear but his form and general features were more canine. Still you couldn't call anything canine that was sitting like he was, eating his fish with his two massive paws holding it. There were some traits that further separated them from any other species. One of the most notable was their senses that are much more powerful than any normal forest dwelling creature. Another would be their markings.

Aakine and his twin brother were beautiful and in Lithias opinion they only got more so with age. Her boys were hardly considered adults, more like adolescents, not nearly a pup either, but their coloration already had her longing to see what they would end up with in a few more years. Aaakine was snow white from the tips of his ears and nose fading into a pale blue grey at his chest. There a thick ring of bushy cobalt fur formed a ring around the base of his neck, this quickly darkened to black over his shoulders and most of his body. His legs however were what she thought was most beautiful fading from black to grey with speckles of a darker blue color mixed in. Aaakine was beautiful and the more elegant of the two boys.

Kilthra were prideful creatures and his brother was more obvious about it. In fact, all Magkin were prideful. Magkin were creatures descended directly from the beast of Magic that once ruled the world. Before the rise of the Three Species, that now rule the planet. These mountains are one of the only remnants of the old world, holding the living descendants of those that came before. That's why her father had settled here with her mother when she was born. Her mother was half human and despite her features, though distinct, were something that she could conceal on most days with some minor magic, even if it was a constant drain on her essence. Lithias... she could be concealed but never hidden, the type of essence that flowed through her, the mark symbolized by her eyes, would never hide for long.