I Don't Think Pouting Will Work Anymore

[Dorian Lee]

As soon as Dorian walked back out of the odd cave, he knew, he just knew he'd be in trouble. It was difficult. He'd walked in, and then walked back out somewhere else, and it had been the longest and hardest years of his life. He'd had to fend for himself. He'd started off as a forest dweller, like an animal. That was until he had been enslaved by some very powerful family. He had been taught several things and was sold to another family, a cheaper, and meaner family. To say they abused him would be an understatement, they treated him worse than the animals. He slept outside, cold, hot, no matter what the weather was, he was forced outside. Without the use of a crude calendar, he would have never even known when it was his birthday, but from about the age of eight to seventeen, he spent his life surviving through his own will and by himself. When he felt he was of age, he left the family to live on his own. Once again, he took a liking to the forest, and really, only acted upon what he knew was natural for him. Disobey, and be beaten. Survival was the only thing important to him, but he never forgot his mother, who seemed a distant memory. Years went by, events rolled past, he experienced many things with no one to share them with. Eventually, he had found another cave, and walked out here, and he knew he was back home. His shoes were there, he'd left them behind to explore the very cave that had sent him spiralling to some new place. He couldn't have been gone long, his shoes still held the faint aura of the small child he used to be, picking them up, he hung them around his neck and pulled his thick, coarse jacket. He was barefooted, dirty, and he smelled terrible. He was a wildman in senses of the word. His hair was all over the place, his clothes were randomly sewn together pieces of cloth and one pant leg was longer than the other. The leg which showed more beared only a portion of the scars of stories his body could tell. He wasn't very muscular either, he was toned, and sort of lanky. His face was darkenened, and his skin was tough around the edges. It'd have to be, with the labor he had endured. One ear, looked rather normal, but his left, was an entirely different story. It was slightly further out and pointed. He'd found out eventually that it was a sign that he was part elf. Letting a slightly crooked smile escape from himself, he bent down and patted the earth, felt the dirt beneath his feet. This was his mother, had provided him everything he needed. He was eternally thankful to nature for allowing him to live. More observation, and one would see a bright phoenix, Halil, perched on his shoulder. The bird let out a soft cooing noise and flew off. Dorian watched it go and then decided on where he should walk first. He had a problem, he didn't remember where he lived.

[Zora Lee]

It was starting to worry her. Dorian had never went out of her sight. And this day he had. She had searched everywhere for him. The places he liked to hide and still nothing. She was beginning to freak out literally. never had she felt the lost this distraught over anything. The one person she needed was no where near. She needed Alder or her father or even her grandfathers. But she couldnt bring herself to stop searching just yet. She made her way to the one place she hadn't looked. The Time lost Shaft. She had always been told to stay away from this place and had even told Dorian too as well. But she had the sinking feeling that he had came here anyway. She hated herself for straying inside for just a moment to find something. It was a breif moment and in that Moment her son disappeared. She still remembered the stories of how her mother and Uncle were taken from the Tower of how still to this day children disappeared from there own yards. She called out to him hoping her little boy would come out and just smile up at her. She wanted to hold him and tell him to never do that again. But he wasn't answering. She was thinking of giving up of going to find Alder and tell him what happened. She didn't want him to be angry at her though. Angry that she hadn't kept an eye on her son. But she also knew Alder would help her. And would comfort her as well. She felt a tear fall down her cheek as she came across the reminants of her sons aura. She followed it tripping over things slightly as she went. She needed to find her son, needed to make sure he was ok.

[Dorian Lee]

As he walked, Dorian felt a slight worry and then an oddly familiar aura. Frowning, he stopped, tried to place his finger on what it was. Looking up from his thoughts, any movement he was doing or would have done, ceased. She was a woman who plagued his dreams, who had simply vanished upon his entering the Shaft, but she was there now, walking towards him. It was his mother, and she looked exactly as he had remembered. He must not have been gone that long then. That was good in a way, at least only he would know and carry the pain of those lonely years, and not her. It was the least he could do for the most important person in his life.

[Zora Lee]

"Dorian, please come out of hiding. Mommy is worried." She called to him still hoping she'd see him. But still there was nothing. She kept moving through the tress till the feint aura hit her once more. Only this time it had changed. She followed it through the trees more carefully now. What had happened to her son? She kept her steps careful and measured trying not to freak out more. And then there was someone there. Standing in front of her. She looked at the young man. Studied him slightly. She bit her lip, "Have you seen a little boy around here? He has run off from me and I must find him. He is my world, and if anything happened to him I'd be terribly heartbroken." There was something familiar about this young man. And she thought she might know what it was, but she hoped that it had not happened to him as well.

[Dorian Lee]

"I think so." He pulled the shoes off his neck and dropped them into her hands. "He disappeared into the Shaft there. I couldn't stop him though. Wish I had." he frowned and just looked down at his mother. Which was odd. He was so used to looking up. "Because, you see, I WAS the boy, and I still am I suppose." He tried to give her the best smile he could, and just knelt down, turned, and pulled his shirt up, revealing his patched up back full of scars. "If I may request, I just request you make it as quick as you can. Painful, but quick." He was actually trying to negotiate his beating.

[Zora Lee]

She looked at the shoes as tears poured out of her eyes, "Dorian no." She started to speak when he spoke again. She knew it was her son. Her little boy was no longer little anymore. She looked up at her son, at the beautiful young man he had turned into and just choked slightly on her tears. She watched as he knelt and then spoke. Her eyes widened at what he was asking and she just stared at his full back of scars. She moved to him and placed a hand on his back and knelt beside him, "No, Dorian. I could never hit you." She touched the scars on his back as tears filled her eyes once more, "I wasn't there to protect you. I should have been here to stop you."

[Dorian Lee]

"I should have just listened to you. Don't worry about it." He tilted his head. "So...you're not going to punish me for what I did?" He warily put his shirt back on and turned, looked at his mother and then back to the floor. He didn't really know what to say after that. It was odd, the fact that he wasn't going to be punished, but he knew his mother was nice. The rest of them, he didn't know how they'd treat him. Now, he felt a little fear in having to meet his family all over again.

[Zora Lee]

She moved back slightly and studied him. She just stood and then grabbed him pulling him up into a hug. She pulled away and smiled, "No Dorian. I am not going to punish you. You ran off and I should have watched you closer." She sighed, "How can I punish you for what I have done myself? When I was your age. Well your age hours ago, I did the same thing. So did Alder and Your Uncle Rionos and Aunt Niessa. We went and hid in this closet in your Aunt Yarizel's house and came out all grown up. I can't punish you for curiosity." She looked at him, "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from your atrocities you suffered."

[Dorian Lee]

"It's alright. I don't see why you have to punish yourself for my mistake. You are one person, you can't possibly have kept an eye on me all day. It's okay. Don't worry." he scratched his neck and just felt her wrap her arms around him and then pull away. He hadn't hugged for what felt like ages. It didn't feel so bad. A bit constraining, but in a good way. "I suffered what I was meant to suffer." That was a lie. He didn't think he deserved the cruel punishment sometimes.

[Zora Lee]

"I am your mother Dorian. I should have taken care of you." She sighed and smiled, "I have to worry. It's my nature. I have done it since the day you were born and I will do it until the day I die." She bit her lip and studied him. He was older now, old enough to know the truth. But was he ready for her to lay that weight upon him just yet. Was she ready to do that just yet? She shook her head, "No one deserves the punishment that I can see was inflicted upon you. If there was some garuntee that I could go back to where you jsut came from I would go back and inflict pain on everyone who has hurt you. No one deserves it, least of all you."

[Dorian Lee]

"I rather not talk about it anymore." he nodded, with a serious look on his face. "I think, maybe, I want to just eat something that is worth eating, but I will eat something small just the same. Whatever you hand to me, that's what I'll eat." Dorian ran a hand through his hair and winced. "And some plants, for the wound on my head please. If you could just direct me to a better part of the forest, I'm sure I could find some."

[Zora Lee]

She looked at him and nodded, "Very well then." She thought for a moment, "There is food at home. I am sure your grandfather has some Chicken on A stick in the fridge. You can have it." Whatever happened to her son had made him into someone who took what he could get. He'd have to learn all over again that he could get anything he needed with no reprimand or punishment. She saw him wince and stepped over to him, "Lean down Dorian, I can heal it for you. You don't have to search for the plants."

[Dorian Lee]

"Alright. Maybe some chicken, or whatever will do just fine." He pulled away and shook his head. "No, no magic!" He frowned. "I'll do it myself, I need the plants. Just get me the plants, it's all I asked for, nothing more. I'm sorry, but I just, don't." He frowned and took a deep breath, looking around. "Which way is home?"

[Zora Lee]

She nodded then eyed him slightly, "Alright no magic. But we have herbs and stuff for healing at home. We have a whole store since Malachi insists on keeping them." This was begginning to worry her. What had those people done to him? She sighed and pointed towards the Tower. It could just be made out through the trees and was easy to find if you knew to look for it, "We live there. I always told you you could find it by looking for the tallest building in Shadowed redemption Hollow." She looked back at him, "Dorian I have a question a very important one for you."

[Dorian Lee]

"Alright." He started to walk, but didn't ignore her. "What kind of question is it? You can ask, but I won't promise that I will answer it for you. It depends on what you ask me." He nodded and followed the Tower in the sky.