For those new to the world of Ydarkra you can read the following entries, though not posted to the site in chronological order I’ve listed them as so here:

Watering Hole: Miranjii
Watering Hole: Mevralaud
Waidelm – Part 1
Waildem – Part 2 (This Story)
Untitled (excerpt – Assassin)
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          Mevralaud knew calling after his brother would not be of use. Waidelm, ever the First Born, stayed his emotions very close, rarely allowing any to see in to him. Even in the private rooms among family, he was a hard read. The look that crossed Waidelm’s face was the closest Mevralaud had come to seeing his brother explode in a long while. When he was this furious, riding was the only thing that calmed him. He had to run this anger out. Still, Mevralaud would not let him run it alone in the forest, even if he himself is the cause of the anger.

          Realizing Mevralaud followed, Waidelm goaded Charekk faster. The mare was built for speed and easily complied. Luckily, so was Finiadd as Mevralaud pushed his own horse in pursuit. The others, on mounts not quite as swift, were left behind.

          Both horses and riders went at full tilt for a while before Mevralaud attempted to try to yell at Waidelm to slow down. The rains had made the terrain muddy and both horses had come near to loosing their footing. As they cleared the woods, Mevralaud realized they were near Etenbayl Ledge. The ledge named after an Ydarkran story when the brother godlings Giarad and Ydarkra challenged each other to an axe-tossing contest.

          Giarad’s battle-axe, named L’Drrek cleaved the cliffs, a two-day’s ride from where they were, that bares its name. Giarad’s throw was weak. The landing of L’Drrek caused a small (by deity standards), split in the land. One can carefully tread to its base, even during the rainy season.

          The brother’s rode where Ydarkra’s battle-axe, Etenbayl, landed. Unlike the mar left by L’Drrek, these cliffs were wide a jagged scar that split the woods. There was no easy way down except at the farthermost ends of the cliffs. Entenbayl Ledge was a treacherous overhang, where pieces of land were known to break and fall off and yet the overhang remained as massive as ever when looking up at it from the grounds below.

          They were close to the edge; Mevralaud could just make out the outer edges of the river below. He yelled for Waidelm to come inland where it was safer.

          “Ydarkra! Waidelm you must slow before you kill yourself!” Mevralaud yelled, “Brother please! STOP!”

          Waidelm, his face a rare mask of solid rage, yanked fiercely on the reins spinning Charekk around. There was a thunderous sound as both horses suddenly reared. Finniadd ran spooked. It took everything Mevralaud had to hold on until he could wretch control and spin him back around towards Waidelm.

          Waidelm was not so lucky.

          Waidelm dangled precariously off to the side of his spooked horse, his foot entangled in the saddle straps. That and his death grip on the reins were all that kept him on the horse. Before Mevralaud could get to them, the mare’s footing fully gave way, falling on her rider. Charekk whinnied loudly, trying to get up but could not seem to get her footing as all round them the odd cracking roared loudly. Finiadd reared again and Mevralaud hit the ground hard as the beast took off for the forest.

          Yelling voices were heard closing in; Mevralaud glanced over his shoulder. Amrieux, Seddiov VrasGengarri, Hentlan VrasKenura, T’Cerriag VrasKenura and Gebbriz VrasHongrin were in the distance just breaking the clearing of the woods. Gebbriz went after Finniadd.

          He could hear the others yelling, as they closed the distance between them, but could not yet understand what they were saying over the cacophony of birds that had suddenly taken flight. He had to get to his Waidelm who was desperately fighting to cut himself from the saddle reins. Mevralaud was feet from his brother when the cause of the roar became clear.

          There was a moment of the most eerie unnatural silence.

          Then the ground cracked under Charekk and Waidelm, starting to give away.

          Waidelm froze in terror before he began desperately clawing at his foot, as the horse, frantically kicking, started to fall.

          Dragging the still entwined Waidelm with her.
          Mevralaud leapt grabbing his brother’s mud-covered hands, desperately trying to pull back, while digging his heels in to find purchase in the muddy ground as they were both pulled by the horse’s weight.

          Waidelm screamed as weight of the horse turned the reins wrapped around his ankle into a type of garrote effectively breaking the bones that dangled over the newly creating precipice.

          Waidelm’s eyes went wide as his grip started to loosen.

          Mevralaud felt a sudden weight fall on him and then another and another as Amrieux, T’Cerriag and Hentlan grabbed him as desperately as he desperately hung on to his brother.

          The slide slowed.
          But it did not stop.

          “DarkraSeco, let him go!”
          “You are going to go over!”

          As the five men slid, Mevralaud only heard one voice.

          Waidelm.

          “Mevralaud, save yourself!”
          “No! Pull us back Hentlan! Pull us back!!”
          “Father cannot lose us both!”
          “He will not! Pull us!!”
          “You will be a fine Darkran, brother mine. Let me go.”
          “NO!”

          Mevralaud felt himself yanked backwards as his Waidelm’s handslipped fully from his grasp. He scrambled for the edge desperately reaching out. Only Amrieux’ grabbing him by his collar and then flinging him to the ground, with Amrieux, Hentlan and T’Cerriag immediately falling on top of him – pinning him down, kept Mevralaud from going over the edge after his brother.

          “WAIDELM!”