Kei'Uni

It was a clear night.
The richest of cities, The Capitol, bathed in the bleakish fury of stars, cast down upon the kingdom of Saronna. In his weekly frenzied mood, the king stormed through his halls. Golden torches shone down on Achilles, whom's cape was all left, billowing behind in the gasping faces of generals. Important men, but to him merely mice, who need to be squashed and out of his way, to full rulership. The crimson carpet rippled under his strong boots, but was swiftly adjusted by servants. With grand glory he sat, offering his younger brother, at his side, an anxious look. "What do the heavens tell?" he questioned, as his sweaty hands glided down silvered wolves' heads, decorating the throne. "Nothing important my king," even those within his bloodline, had to speak 'properly'. Donald, his magician brother narrowed his look, "Except that the Mondiull's reach closer everyday. May I advise the king to-"

The king, had more important matters, such as to attend to his eighth wife. As she galantly dipped onto Achilles's lap, the wizard mumbled mischievously. As the king's crackling lips reached hers, they found slime. He darted up, and wept like a girl while pointing at Donald furiously. "The dungeons!" he cried out, as the pinkish frog got swept with his fist, smooshing against the hard and rough marble. A wizard of his stance, and then dragged away, shameful, but with a smile. Dogs barked, children laughed, and women clapped, as the wizard was dragged over the dusty floor, his long black robes covering with it. Achilles opened his arms, to welcome the comfort given, as his former wife got broomed off the polished stone. He wouldn't know the joyful tears created, were for Donald instead.

The downward tunnel rumbled and squeaked, as the nude man descended his downfall. Bats of sorts clawed as they fluttered higher, Don, on the other hand, landed in a pile of holed clothing, oil, and rotting vomnit. He too, couldn't hold his last meals from boiling up, and coughed them out over the remaining of bats. They didn't know how fast to get away, as bumped into eachother with wildly flapping extends. The solid landing, unfortunately, hadn't killed him, as it did with most prisoners. With a teared skull and broken bones all over, he wouldn't even bleed to death. He was to live.

Months, years passed.

A silver beard lay nestled in his lap, as his eyes ran over foreign scribbles in the almond walls; he might have read them millions of times, but couldn't get bored of it. The crimson flames licked up the dusky bricks, as they came forth from small, greasy puddles, the fire didn't affect the magic-user. Thunder rolled over the wasteland, known as Saronna. Fire had caught the entire castle in it's death grasp, save for it's lower half, where the dungeons were. The rich kingdom, ruled by tyranny and foolishness, was no more. "Ka da, bella, tor'na ti!" would be his last attempt in creating the perfect of beings. Chain lightning drew to the earth in the small of moments, lighting up the circular row of symbols in the dark. In the midst of the small room, glowed a freshly painted Jue-symbol, then the light extinguished. His pale creation, floated before his eyes, it's power unmatched and fluidlike skin unstopped in movement. As his eyes widened and wettened, by standing open too long, 'she' touched him.

His now useless limbs trashed about, as the both ugly, and beautiful creature fled in anxiety. "Carma, W-wait!" he tried, but it was already too late. Panting to get his breath, the grand of forces, pure electricity, tumbled through his body until death. Like a virus, it spread around him, living on the life-energy he stored fewer and fewer as years passed. When the energy was gone, the virus faded out of existance, and the wizard left dead. Carma, unfamiliar with everything but shadow, which is from what she came, darted around the ruins. In the air flew a scavenger bird and her gobbling self started forming, into the second living creature she saw that day. Kei'Uni could change into any of creatures they liked, once touched, and use their resources up to death, except into their creator's shell. Feathers started growing as she shrinked, claws digging into the earth. As a flag of wind arose her, balancing with a wingspan of 3 feet, Carma roamed the skies. With such reach and sight, she was content, at least, until her flight brought her over the border of Saronna. Here was where she would encounter, her first human.

Back in the pit, things weren't over yet. The darkness faded a second time, drained by the familiar circles of light. Like a black hole, only reversed, matter started growing out of simple air. A sibling to the first, Leia had been born into this world. It's mother the shadow realm, it's father a mistake; the gateway hadn't been sealed, as the wizard left the living, and now, after she had passed through, it finally closed and blue swept away the somber clouds. When the sun finally allowed it's rays into the pit, Leia had gone.

Azure eyes flittered open for the first time. To touch and feel, hurt her every inch, as her gello-like mass flowed it's first feet in distance. The grandest of trees bid her unusual comfort and a place to rest, but her eyes wouldn't. Her baby-blue gaze swept over the grassy plains and left-overs of a castle. Tears trickled down her noseless face, nor of joy or sadness; she hadn't known to blink before. So still she sat, no drawing of unneeded breaths made animals at ease; some even started nibbling on her,to taste, but would leave her bitter-tongued. A huge gap, almond like the pit's walls, created out of no where, to exactly fit the mole busy tickling her. Her pearls through which she saw, sank down her form like hot knives through butter, until they reached the unsuspecting animal. It's big chestnut eyes stared up at her suddenly, and before it could even do so much as draw a breath, she had downed the hairy roadent. Transparant became she, invisible for a moment, and the annoyed Kei'Uni shrank to a perfect match with the mole.

Through kind, hazelnut eyes she envisioned the world differently. The pitter-patter of little feet brought her, after an exhaustable two days-run, to a small cabin hidden within the dark forest of Turnile. The mole peeped for it's life, and squirmed, trying to get out of the trap endlessly. Young paws quickly whelmed of the scent of blood, and she felt her first 'shell' dying. Her mind broke down little, but no heart was hers. Out from the coverings of leaves came a tall man clad entirely in brown. He stretched down, opened the hunter's trap, and swung the lifeless animal over his shoulder. His hawkish features allowed a smirk. The butcher's knife slid easily through the fur, and unnoticed, a colourless fluid flowed outwards to reform in the comfort of darkness. when her eyes grew back, Leia scanned the room. An oval-shaped hut, here and there a dead animal's had on the dusty wooden boards. It made her abhor, as the dim light showed the hunter undoing the helpless mole from intestins. She couldn't understand him, and he looked awful much like that creature down in the pit. Without a sound, her young embodiment stretched to a hight of 6'3 tall, and hunger for him swelled. An unkown experience which made adrenaline course free in her, while she took him under her 'protection'. That means, she drained him into death, simply verbed. Before Leia sneaked into the hunter's frame, the newly taken energy satisfied a deep need inside of her, but made it grow too, as she did. Like cavage she'd grow, if given the proper amount.

Together with his features, she had received human knowledge and speach. Broad hands worked on, with the dead animal, making it seem as if the hunter had never diseased. She let him do so, out of curiosity. The longer she stayed in this shell, the more she could control her new powers and knew how to use the dead hunter. His soul, though, would sometimes visit her dreams, and tangle her in emotions unknown. She had decided then, to never sleep, it wasn't like she acquired it to live. Still, sleep felt rapture, a luxury. The hunter was handsome, and well-known under the prettiest of ladies. In Turnile-city, she met the first. "Her Amanda," at least her new lips worked. "Ohh.." the girl restrained herself from swooning infront of the hunter, unaware of it being someone, else. "Goodday Monsieur Handlan."

This woman, looked so ugly in her eyes. Curly golden hair, sparkling blue eyes, rounded forms and upheld breast. She too, could feel the lust this shell had towards such a being, and it made her vomnit. The woman's sweet smell wouldn't leave her nostrils soon, she knew it. As Handlan stood bowed toward a bush, a hand on the oak tree to steady himself, his former dishes gorled outwards. The snake, Amanda, took this oppurtunity with both hands, literally. Her right slipped into the hunter's bulging undergarments, her other arm hooked around the muscled waistline. Her quick gaze flashed over the outskirts of town, and seeing no one there, she begged. She begged almost if he would rip her heart out, so it seemed to the Kei'Uni, and she was delighted to. "Take me, Nicholai, I've waited so long.." She grinned, as her most downward hand squeezed erotically. "Please..?" The hunter knew well what Amanda was talking about, Leia didn't. His back crooked and he stood upright at the sudden pinch of exiety to his tool. Once kind, brown eyes, flashed blue with raging lust, as hunger overtook the Kei'Uni. She nodded her agreement to the unsuspecting maiden. The young Amanda lead Leia toward a shadowed, round room, wherein a huge bed arose.

As the maiden squatted infront of her shell, Leia grinned from ear to ear. Another's hands worked on her, opening the hunter's pants, making him erect, and she gasped accordingly. Such pleasure she wouldn't ban from her grasp, she decided, while throwing the maiden roughly onto the bed, after her job finished. These weren't her doings, it was the hunter busy, she simple watched, felt, and enjoyed. The endless moans and screams the girl could make, rose affectionate to her ears. The weary girl had, after having spent hours of continuous hammering in her own maiden blood, the hunter continuously busy, uncaring, unstopped, never tiring without a soul, begged her to stop. And so Leia did, she didn't want the woman fainted, as her little surprise would overcome her. A painful sigh came from Amanda's dry mouth, she hadn't expected him to be so rough on her, and now, as blood from her open exit flowed over the white covers, she huddled herself into a ball. Strong, man's arms drew around the woman, and Leia kissed the top of her head, luckily for her, Amanda turned onto her back, looking through her mildly fearing eyes up at the man she adored. This panic look the girl gave her, had more effect on her than any of what she had been doing all day, into the evening. Slowly, lovingly, the two met eachother's lips, yet that joy soon faded, as a horrid scream taunted through the small room. As Leia shoved the woman off the bed before she stood, laughing mockingly, and stretching her slowly aching limbs. "I -have- to do this more.." she whispered to the 16-year old, while dragging herself to the girl's father's closet. The Kei'Uni had decided to keep this precious shell, and surpressed her changing into the dead Amanda. As she felt tired no longer, and sought for the father's room, she groped for some suitable clothing. Pure energy flowed rythmatically through her; she was in ecstacy as this girl had much more of the needed ambrosia than the aging hunter.

The decision on proceeding into town came quick, and she left for the dark and cosey streets of small Turnile. Full strength would come, she knew of it.

A waterfall of whispers clattered upon Turnile, everywhere she turned, people gave Leia's shell anxious looks. Four, unexplainable deaths had been in the small city. The prettiest of females, to her the ugliest, had forced themselves under her protection. Leia found herself not guilty, without a second doubt; they had brought death upon themselves, together with the sweet aroma of satisfaction. Her host's char,s were needed now, though, as everyone became suspicious of eachother. With a flick of her hand, the Kei'Uni had the entire town out of suspecting her. Unstopped, Leia continued on the lot of young women, they were the tastiest. After they had all fallen under her proctection, she knew everything there was to know, and could control her endless switching of shells. The young lads followed right behind the girls. She were in nymph-form now, seducive and irresistable; a dream come true under the young folk. After a year, every inch of homes lay spread with dead bodies. Babies in cribs lay sucked out like eggs. Elders held their wooden staffs clenched tight within death's grasp. Her torn of protection had fallen like a blanket upon those foolish unsuspecting, and she felt superior about it.

There was a change, she could feel something new surging through her. The heatening of her skin she had come to reason with, but it felt as if she got seperated; slashed in two with a giant sword. This blade was her dead creator's. Carma had joined their master in the underworld, and her sister's soul mixed with Leia's. After the orange glowing had settled down, the young Kei'Uni sank to her knees, crying endlessly over victims she had made, but it was too late to do anything. Suicide, wasn't an option either; she had reached perfection and found out her indestructable side. With an occasional glowing, and switching of minds, (from Flammable's to Carma's) she had to go on. Leia had been called Flammable, by her last of victims. The old woman had held a torch by her, in an attempt to scare the Kei'Uni off. The grandma, griefing over the loss of her children, had whitnessed the changing, thus meeting Leia's bleakish true self. Her skin proved inpenetrable by any normal blade, but it could catch flame. And as the hungry Kei'Uni bent over the woman, the invincible fire destructing her flesh right off the bone. "FLAMMABLE!!!" was the last of screams, she ever made, as she got drained of her needed life-energy, while too being scorched in, to her, hell's flame.

In remource, and red of tears, Leia sought forgiveness. These searches brought her to Salamander, where she, under the spell of her sister, would overcome her dreading, and start feeding again. After all, on life-energy, she trived.

Through clouds she zoomed, in sunrise she bathed, by nightfall she hunted. Carma, on a bed of feathers, searched both sky and ground below. She knew she lived, but not to what purpose, she had forgotten her creator, and animal instinct moved her. The wizard, most powerful of his kindred, wanted his prosecutor killed. The former king, Achilles, who loved storming Saronna with his threats and wishes, had long passed into death. Carma was there, to make sure his offspring wouldn't make it. Lower and lower her gliding brought her. The warm southern wind felt good on her beak. Summer approached, and she were to find a mate, her Kei'Uni self, had been underpressed, and with the thoughts of a bird, Carma gracefully landed near a den.

A male hawk, a giant, fought a losing battle to resist the other's charms. Wild bird dancing and fluttering created a field of rich silken feathers in which the two of them would settle. Partners for life. when the moment arrived, and the broader bird nestled onto Carma, ready to mate, the male froze in shock. The moment he touched her, he got electrocuted. Carma, after a while, got fed up with waiting and flew off. She noticed the loss of energy, and Kei'Uni thoughts roamed free through her. The lust for energy, the need for it, brought her back down to earth. on the angle of a roof she landed, rustling her hazel feathers. sharp vision showed her the image of a being she recognized. Yet, the middle-aged woman she saw looked nowhere near Donald. Carma took off. the majesty of such a rare bird shocked Nira visably. Sharp claws dug into her shoulder with a wince and her knees shivered together rythmatically, with the extra weight. Carma gawked her pleasdom to her new master, and Nira, the most normal of women, thought about keeping her.

On a Sunday, Carma sat alone, nipping lightly to her water. Several children gathered around the fence, staring at the unguarded bird with awe. The Kei'Uni had survived on the energy of live rats, as they came onto the crumbs of bread left behind. The small hands one of the children stuck in, in hope to get a stroke, looked much like those rats. Only tastier. With swift speed she took off, and before the small girl had retracted them both, Carma's claws dug into one of the bald fists. The girl squeeled horrifying screams as the juggular got teared out of her wrist, her friends scmapering away to hide. Carma, as she tore pieces of flesh and skin from the messy hand, felt something inside her grow. "eat....Eat, Carma... EAT!" those strange thoughts were there again. Carma ate alright, fingers got swallowed down in whole, this bird was hungry. Her victim had gone unconscious and would soon die to a loss of blood. The main bone was all left behind, and something inside her told her to break free, to eat, to fly away. Nervously, she started flying circles around her caged home, faster and faster, until you could only see flashes of chestnut spinning. The bravest of the group children came running back with Nira and a few men. Soldiers. She had indeed noticed the dead youth, but had more concern for her precious bird. Her loved one. When Nira opened the birdcage, as she'd do on rare occasions, Carma took off, back into wilderness. Two of the soldiers picked up nira and dragged her to the Court of Turnile. This event, indeed, happened before Flammable roamed Turnile's streets. Nira was found guilty, since the bird was hers.

Alone in the cel, she stared up at the moon through barns. Even if it were her imagination or not, Nira smiled, upon seeing Carma fly free. At least she were still in the neighbourhood, guarding over the woman. The day before she had to be hanged, Nira committed suicide. In her own blood was written, as soldiers found out the next day, 'Beware of the Kei'Uni, stay alarmed always' The message was forgotten, and swept into oblivion by a cleaning towel. Soon, Nira's little vision, would have come reality as Flammable spilled her reign unto the first city next to Saronna.

Carma, as she landed in a nearby tree, felt her entire body itching, it went further than just her feathery layer. The bird starting losing her coat, and the Kei'Uni broke free once more. The now useless shell draped off her, and under the 500 pound mass broke the fragile branch on which she sat. Her landing was remarkably soft. Now back in her pearl and nude form, she bobbled like prodded gello. Azure eyes, as vile as they came, flashed violently as she flowed her way from the bushes. Wherever the Kei'Uni gobbled, people scattered in fear. Helpless and frightened, she came toward a woman busy feeding her cattle. A single moment of looking up, would have saved her life most likely. The woman looked too much like Nira. When Carma stretched two arms from her glowing mass, and used them to secure around her new mommy's waist, the woman screamed herself into death. Electrocuted. Carma hugged the female to her chest, and dragged the stiff body back with her into the forest. First words spoken, and then to a humanic carcass. With this woman, the adult stage had forced itself open her. Knowledge, lust, love, hate. Carma, too, could feel the agony this woman went through before she diseased.
It felt, great.

As Carma tried feeding her adopted mother, she discovered her, being dead. A flashback leaked into her mind, and she saw the dead girl, with the same look in her eyes. The Kei'Uni felt something in her die, and in sorrow she abandoned the minuscule camp. a narrow path stretched out before her and, unaware, she went to seek the ending. in a matter of seconds, seven heavily armed soldiers gathered around her. "Stop, you...you-

"Beast!" screamed the first's bud. He nodded his agreement to the friend. Carma's graceful flowing came to a halt and she looked around. The thin black line crooked up into a smile. Several of the soldiers took a cautious step back, but the leader intruded. "Keep where you're at, my men! Cha-arge!" First, there came spears. The air sang and spearpoints dug into her flesh- or that was supposed to. Thin wooden sticks clattered on one another, having lost their usefullness. all men frowned, and two of them ran awau even. "W-what are you?" A malefic laugh, came from Carma. She leaped forth, right into the leader of the troup. The rest had fled by now. Entirely in iron, Carma's electricity worked even better, first, the tall man were electrocuted. Then, as his limbs and eyes had gone black, the Kei'Uni strode over him, both armor and body crumbling to ashes. Her pale mass broadened with renewed strength as she continued onward her way. Gasping faces in the bushes saw her go and all agreed to forget about her. the leader had had, an accident. From now on, Carma owned the ability to control her electric shots, so she wouldn't charge any whom touched her.

Creatures of the wood, she found. In the moonshine, glittering in the lake's surface, sat a mermaid. Mystical beings around the fishy woman, known as nymphs, danced along the scubby female. As Carma looked closer and paid more attention to the dull sight, the air around her filled with swaying tunes. In a quick glance around, she found herself locked in the butterflies' presence. They swirled nd fluttered joyously about her fearful embodiment. Their verbal was warm and sweet, yet she could understand it, "Come Carma, dance, be with us, be free!" Lead by her young mind, the Kei'Uni slipped in her new sisters' dance. Unnoticed, even by herself, she switched to the dead girl's frame. Laughter echoed throughout the night, and she even got a fish-back-ride on the mermaid.

The sun sneaked several of it's violet rays to the skies, and together with her new-found friends, Carma travelled to a dreamy castle underground. The popsical cave, rich with silver cribs and a snow-white palace, were a nightmare come true for her. Still, she didn't seem to mind, feelings betrayed her, she even felt happy sometimes, when she was actually not. On the mythical queen's lap she sat as if she were her mother. "Mommy, why is the sky so bleak?" For Carma, it was like going back to her youth, which were a lonely one. Here, she could fill those lost and empty days. Kei'Uni lived in the shadow realm, not until they were 208 years old, they'd meet others who lived in their obscure homes as well. The wizard had a little control over the gateway, but didn't realize he couldn't close it. Carma and Flammable, both just reaching adultery, 150 of years, were less the vicios creatures their makers were. They could still learn humanic emotions, the longer they stayed in a shell. "That pale roof is ice, my darlin' Myra." The girl, now known as Myra, gasped at her mother. Carma had become popular in the fairies' cave. She were something different than the endless rows of mysty wings.

Myra had begged to get a crow everyday of her fifty years in the bright city. Crows, on the other hand, wear black feathers and bring death. Nymps feared those birds, because they could outlive anyone, under good conditions; they believed such a bird would destroy their eternity. Myra, still the same human girl as on her arrival, would get madly cross with them, and the nymphs in charge would leave the subject alone. Then, as Carma turned twohundred years old, she received a crow from her most-loved nymph. No rules said, that queens could not get banned. Thus, Myra and the former queen were put out of paradise. Carma did her best to please the spoiled woman with her bellying laughter and joyous hopping, but still she died, of being cast away from her family. Homesickness. Five days it had cost Myra to dig a matching hole with her small hands, two more to fill the fitting grave up. As the child kneeled before the hump of cley, she took out a golden-flavoured rose. It's needles razorsharp, and given to her for protection while both were out. Carma figured the other would more need it. The childish shell got swept away by an endless stream of tears. When she was whole again, Carma started, hardened by experience, on the way to a new town.

Back in the mystic land, the nymphs had senced their queen's death, and few came out to get Myra back in their presence. the three men frowned, as they stood in a triangle around a transparant Myra. Skin, was all left shedded, and as one of the men tried sweeping the girl up in his arms, she fell to ashes and combined in the free wind. Weeping, they dug up the queen and gave her a worthy funeral back in the nest. The rose tumbled forgotten under an unsuspecting bush.
The road ahead seemed long and hard, even as Carma had walked only few hours. Everyone around her died, if not by her touch, then by her wishes. She could see any of her victims as clear as glass, in her troubled mind. Carma had been walking for days, on and on, 'till humanic characteristics took abuse of her. They made her feel tired. As she drope to a pool of milky fluid, Carma could detecta familiar gawk. The almond bird skipped over on it's short claws, it's beak starting to bounce down, pecking. It annoyed her but the crow more, most likely; with mere squawks it rose back to the comfort of clouds, where it froze to death. Wearyness was no more and Carma rose to continue her solemn quest. She didn't know, the dead wizard smiled down upon her.

Salamander town gre eeryday in population, but not before carma had died. By magic's hand, came her death, just as her birth had been. The Kei'Uni were a violation in this world, they had to be destroyed to bring harmony back. Still, only few knew of the sisters' existance, and they had most of all, joined the spiritworld. As rumors of one of the sisters flooded the city, together with several unexplained deaths, Carma could soon feel the hot coles under her; she was dancing with fire. But her need for energy grew ever stronger, her essence existed from it. More vile she became every passing day and a stranger mage had joined Salamander's company. Caught, and destroyed by him, was her death sentence that bright day, and when she stepped into darkness, she felt relieved of knowing there was no coming back. Soon, that thought got exiled, body and soul had managed to sneak back into the shadow realm, the obscure home where she belonged, but rest was not yet to arrive.

Rumors of drained dead still swept over town, just in smaller quantity.
Her soul, her thinking, her neverending need and lust for warm, honeyed energy doubled, as Carma's soul stepped into her embodiment. Leia narrowed her eyes, and when she opened them back wide, her vision had sharpened together with her hearing. A snale on twenty feet distance nibbled on a leaf, and she felt as if being in the simple action, so close. Luckily, control came with those remarkable sences, so she would not overwhelm herself. The large, solid rock under her broke in the doubling weight, a cloud of dust filling her unused airways. The widest of smiles caught ahold of Flammable's features, and she grinned moments long. She knew, that finally, perfection had arrived.

My body is merely the shell of my soul - John Denver.

~Ilse Vlamings,
Writer, drawer, poet, amongst other things.