Chase Willoughby (unremembering) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2014-03-01 19:50:00 |
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Entry tags: | #solo, 2009-10-04, chase |
There is a light that shines
WHO: Chase (and NPC Somchai & Virote)
WHEN: Full moon rising
WHERE: Chase's property by the Packlands
A filled syringe lay on the red mahogany coffee table. Chase stared at it, waiting for the sun to set. He didn’t want to start too early, because that meant he might wake up before the transformation was over. He didn’t want to start too late, because that meant it might not kick in before the transformations began. It had taken several months of study and research to find the correct formula and dosage. Several months where Somchai had patiently watched over him and made sure he wasn’t a danger to anyone. Chase looked at his watch and then took it off.
“/It’s time, son./”
For being a were-elephant, Somchai had exceedingly soft footfalls. Chase barely heard him coming, even with his heightened senses. Chase hated this part. He didn’t like the drowsy, out-of-control feeling that the tranquilizer gave him. But moonrise was going to start in a few minutes. And so he picked the syringe up and stuck it in his arm. The tranquilizer burned going in and Chase winced at the soreness it left in his arm. One would think he’d get used to it, but he still hadn’t. Nodding to his valet, Chase and Somchai headed outside. They’d found a nice spot on Chase’s property clear of trees but still behind sufficient cover where they could both transform and not be noticed.
Sitting down on the ground, Chase watched as his valet transformed into an elephant first. Just in case something happened, Somchai preferred to be in his animal form well before Chase’s transformations even began. Slowly, Chase started to feel the effects of the drug. His head felt lighter as he took his blue bathrobe off. The moon was up and he could start to feel the animal inside claw its way out. Somchai trumpeted to announce the full moon as Chase stumbled towards him. The transformations were always brutal. Getting from human-shaped and human-sized to elephantine was a feat that could never be considered even remotely comfortable. And just as Chase began to feel his bones crack from the transformation, he slid down to the ground from the sedative. And, as on all full moons, he remembered.
“Mali,” was the last thing Chase could say before he lost ability to speak human language. A flash of a memory from a time long forgotten slipped into Chase’s consciousness. It didn’t come back all at once, but rather like a small trickle of water that would inevitably lead him to an ocean. He’d been so young when he’d met her. He’d been bleeding out, worried that his life was going to end that day. And she’d been so kind to him. Kind enough to care for him and, later on, marry him. Give him a son. Their son. Chase cried out, a loud trumpet to any and all gods listening to him that night. It was unfair. He hadn’t wanted anyone to strip him of his memories. It was unfair that he could only have a small window of time with his family every full moon, even if it was only in his mind. The moments they had shared, the love between them, and the despair of losing them. The tumult of feelings threatened to make his chest shatter. But the animal was stronger and Chase forgot everything but the anger and the pain. And, then, the darkness enveloped him and he slept.
As hard as the night was for Chase, it was even harder for Somchai. As the old elephant watched his son-in-law remember, there was conflict in his heart. On one hand, his gentle spirit could not stand to see anyone get hurt, least of all a man he had come to respect and love as his own child. On the other, he wanted someone else to remember his beautiful daughter and the life she had led. She had been his beloved, his youngest. The one he had rocked to sleep until she was twelve years old. As Chase finally fell asleep, his hybrid form useless on the ground, Somchai breathed a sigh of relief and laid down close to him. When the sun rose, Chase would be stiff but he would remember nothing of tonight. Somchai, on the other hand, would remember it all.
“/Rest, Somchai. I’ll wake you up if anything happens./”
The lizard came crawling up to them. Virote had been Suchin’s, Somchai would never forget that. Somchai would never forget her. Nodding, Somchai laid his head down and closed his eyes, losing himself to his own memories.