Oh, wow, those prizes are... :O Wow, very generous. I just wish I could participate in all three stories. XD

So with the one about the escaped Ny'vene, can we write it in an angel's perspective? Cause that's how I've started it xD Is there any specific storyline with that one? It's the only one I can write about xD

~TheNightFury

Confirming:
We can only write one story, for only one of the pets?
We have to write a full story, no just a prologue or conflict, right?

Could I write it as they all exist in the same world? Or hit at the other's existance? Like if I were to write about the bard and mistral, could I hint at rumors of an escaped criminal (the 3rd Sylesti)?
Also could we write any of the others as Humans, Humanoids or Gijinkas?

@Thenightfury,
You're free to write it however you'd like. That little information though that's given doesn't have to be used, it's more or less just an inspiration point if one needs it.

@JustTopaz,
Only one short story, minimum of 5 paragraphs. You can write it however you'd like. (For example, you could write the short story out in poem or song form.)

I'd prefer that the story stick solely to one of them as each will be getting their own for the compendium.
You may write the others as gijinka if you'd like. :)

Can I be added to the ping list?

Just a few notes:
I'm not religious so I have used words such as Hell and God
It does contain a little bit of gore
I submitted the story before the storyline/description was given

FLORIAN

I wandered through the snow, my silver hair being blown by the cold harsh wind; shrouding
my face. Where was she? I paused for a short breath, sweat coating my face, despite the
relentless snowstorm pouring down from the heavens. It made spotting her difficult, which
was some protection at least from anyone who may want to kill her. Why was I so stupid
enough to let her leave camp alone to explore the raging blizzard? Whatever happened to
her, was my responsibility, God knows what the King would do to me if he found out I let
the princess out of my peripheral vision, let alone explore enemy soil alone. But now, after
half a day of searching for her, I was starting to panic. I had searched everywhere within five
miles of the camp, yet there was not even a whisper of where she could've gone - any tracks
would have been long covered up by the small, frail structured snowflakes. I looked towards
the setting sun, which determined the way back to camp and ran towards
the horizon, hoping I could make it in time before all the broth was gone.

After running for a while, I stopped. I was sure I would've reached the camp by now; I had
only gone a mile or so away from the camp. I looked around, squinting my eyes through the
snow, trying to spot the tents. They had been coated thickly with snowflakes, making the
task far more difficult. I saw an ambiguous shape in the distance; I had found the camp. I
sighed in relief and jogged towards the tents. However, when I got there, it was not how I
left it. The tents, and possessions inside the tents were completely untouched, save for the
bodies that had inhibited them. The Ghost Wraiths had found our camp, and left no
survivors. The chances They had found the princess were now growing - now I knew the
Wraiths were around. I surveyed the camp for any clues left behind. I tried to ignore the
disemboweled corpses of my friends, the people I got to know during the months we had
been together, escorting the princess to her cousin, who was to look after her in the
mountains away from the threat of people trying to snatch her power. After a quick survey,
I realized they left nothing in their wake apart from blood. I was dumbstruck. What was I to
do? I had no choice but to return to the King and tell him the truth.

I journeyed for three days, back to the city, and my impending punishment, awaiting me.
The whole way back, reoccurring images of my friends in pools of crimson blood, soaking
into the snow flashed through my mind; burning into my soul. I wasn't even there, yet I still
felt it so vividly, taking control over my mentality. The princess could still be out there, I
hadn't even bothered looking for her after I saw the devastated camp, but for some reason, I
knew she wasn't alive. Two posted guards saluted me as I entered the iron wrought gate
which split the city from the outside. They looked at me in a strange way, but didn't
comment as I went through alone. The city was crowded with its usual bustle, so no-one
noticed me slipping past the crowd. I made it to the Kings Palace without too many people turning heads. I waltzed into the

Throne Room and dropped on one knee in front of the king.
"I am deeply sorry, Your Majesty, The Princess wandered unaccopanied through enemy terriotory, and my team are all dead. Presumed cause of death by Ghost Wraiths. I beg for your forgiveness." Every word made his face paler and paler. By the words Ghost Wraiths, he had already fainted; fortunately in his throne, as the guards that flanked him rushed to his aid. A few moments after he recovered, he ordered the guards to haul me to the dungeons, just as I suspected. For a couple of weeks, I stayed there.

"The King requires your presence, Captain Florian." A voice informed me from the shadows. The cell door squealed open, as another guard quickly clamped a pair of handcuffs around my wrists. He released my ankles from the wall so I could walk. I stumbled up the stairs, unused to the movement after weeks of being in a cramped cell. As soon as I made it to the ground level of the Palace, the brilliant lights blinded me, disorientating me for a few seconds. The guard harshly tugged me along, whilst another was prodding me in the back with his sword to keep me moving, treating me like a common criminal. We entered the Throne Room, and I was kicked in the back of the knee to force me to kneel. I stared into the King's eyes. He stared at me back. He then proceeded to recite the paragraph that he always did at the beginning of the trial; I had heard it too many times to bother listening to it, whilst my mind took me back to the camp.

I was suddenly aware that everyone was looking at me. I snapped out of my trance, and the first thing I noticed was blood. Through training my instincts, I jumped up and withdrew my sword, when my hand dropped as my sword was removed as soon as I was flung into prison. Everyone stepped back a good metre when I sprang up, when I realised my hands were covered in blood. Strewn bodies of guards lay around me, as the guards who had escorted me from the cell to the Throne Room now lay dead. The King looked as if he were about to faint again, but it seemed he didn't want to be unconscious at this point.
"You. You killed my daughter. You killed the men in the camp. It was all you. You were captured by the Ghost Wraiths and they turned you into their killing machine. You were the enemy all along; Your subconscious state made you under control of the Ghost Wraiths. You have been corrupted, and therefore not fit to live. You will be executed at first light tomorrow. No one go to close to him, unless you want your fate to be similar to that of Sir Gareth and Sir Kai. Dismissed." He motioned towards the two clawed corpses beside me. Another pair of guards warily eyed me and snapped shut another pair of handcuffs, this time made of obsidian and steel. They walked behind me at arm's length, careful not to come too close to me.

A couple of hours later, I was sitting in my cell, lonely. I was a monster. A killer. A traitor. I betrayed my kingdom and people, and my treason would be paid for with my life. What could I do with so little time left? I looked around the cell, but the walls and ceiling were a dull, misty grey and completely bare, apart from the heavy black chains secured into them. I looked out the small, barred window. It was the only source of light I had. I breathed in the musky scent of the evening air. The ground was just centimetres below the lower edge of the window. Nothing grew there, just infertile soil, embellished with fairly large sharp rocks. I sighed and wondered how I could even begin to redeem myself in the afterlife. But there was one thing, which I could do now, which may take a fraction of the burden off my back.

THE KING

"Cause of death?" I inquired the guard.
"He cut himself with a sharp rock, Your Majesty. He must have reached through the bars in the window to obtain it." He replied smartly. He must have bled to death slowly, thinking this could repay part of his debt in the afterlife, I thought to myself.
"Everyone kneel, in honour of Florian. He shall be remembered for his honourable deeds. He may have taken my daughters life, but through no direct action of himself. We shall think of him when we drive back the forces of the Ghost Wraiths that have roamed and haunted the outskirts of our land for centuries." All the soldiers humbly knelt down, remembering their friend, one of my best guards, and of course the Princess, whom we shall both miss.
"Rise men. In the following months, we shall avenge the death of my daughter and their fiendish control of humans. Death to the Enemy!" I bellowed.
"Death to the Enemy!" The soldiers replied.

May I be added to the pinglist as well? (I'd love to write something if time permits!)
Also, I love the starting descriptions that your pets have. ^^

Could i be on the ping list please? :)

Hopefully i'll be able to find some time, your prizes are awesome >o<
Florian is amazing btw, i noticed he's tamed and you didn't even dye him! o.o

The Gladiator

He ran, ran far, far away from the arena that enslaved him. He laughed wheezily as he thought about his escape. It had been hard, for the guards of the arena kept a vigilant watch over their slaves- gladiators, they called them- and were extra cautious around the champion, him. No sheer amount of brute force could ever set him free. But patience was the key, and wits, and eventually he found an opening among the guards. Poor guard was just a boy, a caring one, that wanted to free the gladiators from their prison. So he befriended that boy, and over time the boy created a diversion for him to escape. He felt sorry for that boy, for surely he was being punished right now, but he had to leave.

They were chasing him, chasing him and getting closer and closer. He thought about his life before it all, free in the skies, away from civilization. He thought of his mate, probably no longer faithful to him after being gone for so long. He thought of the egg he will never see hatch, how the child must have grown by now! He thought as he hid in a den, away from the prying eyes of the people.

He waited, waited as they came closer and closer. His breath hitched when he noticed they were coming towards him. Another Sylesti trotted near the cave and froze in fear and horror. But the emotions became understanding when he locked eyes. Eyes said everything. Help me. The Sylesti looked over his shoulder and noticed the guards coming. Taking a breath, he ran in front of them and led them on a merry chase, away from the den. He breathed a sigh of relief and nestled down to sleep.

He was dreaming, dreaming of bygone days of so called glory when he fought to the death or to exhaustion in bloody battles. He came with many scars, he left most barely breathing, unsure of their fate. The champion was tired, so, so tired of the battles. He will not let them take him.

He woke up, woke up to the guards surrounding him. Not now...not now! Roaring,he bashed through the stunned guards and immediately made flight. They threw nets that missed- silly humans, these nets wouldn't capture him!- and he hissed as he spat fire at the trees. So many lives lost already, but he needed to escape. Hopefully the forest fire would distract them. He flew, unable to fly high because of the trees, and flew onwards away from the guards trying to recapture him. And so the chase continued, him forever fleeing, a fugitive.

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up, this contest ends in one week~ (I can't believe it's the 17th already. @.@ )


Edit:
@Rabbi, Florian is dyed actually~ he was dyed before the dye icon was added. He used to be quite hideous. And all of the pets featured will be tamed pets, usually Legendary + with the exception of Lute (reather difficult to find a legendary/mystical fabled pet and he happened to have traits that matched her). All pets will have their names colored to show which kind they are. Purple for epic, orange/yellow for Legendary and Red for Mystical.

Thank you though~ Florian's certainly one of my favorites. :D

Do you have a preference for your other pets being portrayed as pets or gijinkas? o:

Edit: never mind, I saw the other answer you had on this page! QuQ