Pierette Lurenz

History

• Mailewhui and Nemarie

  Mailewhui was a noble and massive creature, an ancient giant of times long ago when beasts were the sizes of houses, left to be the last of his kind when he searched the ends of the earth for another like himself. In the end, he turned to the trees as old as him to make his home, and collected books of romance and all forms of knowledge to occupy the empty seat of his heart with knowledge and false love. In the most vast of treacherous forests did he create a haven of this knowledge, magical, demoniacal, lore, of any nature one sought, a guardian to all the secrets of the world. Over time, he came to be known as the wise hermit to whom those who sought answers could come if they could climb the towering redwoods that were the base of his tree top sanctuary. His only wish in return was that those who visited would bring a book to add and provide their history of loves lost and won.
  
  All manner of beast came to his roost, but humans were of the most fascinating to the owl, for they with delicate skin, poor sight, less than extraordinary strength and speed were a bafflement to the great beast. How did they thrive so when others who walked upon two legs were far more powerful. He saw very few humans capable of climbing the giant trees, but with his great onyx eyes he would watch them struggle below when their furred cousins would triumph. When such a question was posed, he knew it had to be their minds.
  
  Many who came were great warriors and tacticians seeking to discover the secret to immortality or greater power. Kings came to discover how to make their kingdoms more prosperous and thrive. Village leaders sought the Great One to learn how to better feed their families or survive a harsh ruler or high taxes. Even some came to be apprenticed under him and learn all he knew of magic and the ethereal worlds. There were even a rare few that merely wished to use his library, bibliophiles and seekers of knowledge who wanted only to revel in the beauty of the known world scrawled upon parchment and vellum. An order of wizards far across the world even devoted Mailewhui's home as a pilgrimage that needed to be taken by young acolytes before they could be received by the order.
  
  One evening, he saw a young fair haired woman struggling at the base with a look of determination upon her crystal hued eyes, in a skirt no less! For hours she scrambled to get a hold upon the smooth trunk, and when at last she was exhausted, she made camp. Amused by this strange little human, Mailewhui awoke early to watch her toil. But in the morning, she was gone. Just when he was about to be disappointed, the pale curly haired head bobbed out as she jogged from the brushes. Wearing long hand scythes wrapped to her wrists with the blades jutting out, and kitchen knives tied to the base of her feet, she stabbed the makeshift implements into the trunk, and began to scale the tree with brows knotted in determination. When finally, she made it to his doorstep, the girl shook with exhaustion whilst her body was covered in sweat.
  
  In the dark of the evening, the massive fireplace burned brilliantly to warm the base room that Mailewhui used as his roost. His molted down made for a fine pillow for the tired girl to lay upon, and hot tea was shared between the two of him, he with a cup bigger than her head, and she with a mug gifted to him by grateful questioners.
  
  Her gift was an elaborate book of songs, a heavy tome that must have been a great burden to bear on her climb. Each page was illuminated with gold leaf and the most well scrawled of handwriting that described the origins of each song before the music was recorded down. He was greatly pleased by the treasure, but contained himself from beginning to leaf through it immediately. Instead, the calm emotionless pools laid upon the small human, "You know the other part of the deal, my dear. Tell me what your life has been with love in it."
  
  The blonde head bowed to her half filled cup, and eyes brimmed near to the brink with tears, "I'm afraid, Great One, that I have no story to tell. I was not loved by my parents, nor by any man in my life thus far, and I have loved nothing. My life is empty, and it is why I came to you. I am betrothed to my father's noble friend... a horrid lecherous old man who will surely never love me.. all he wants is a son to carry on his name. He is very rich, powerful, and has a vast army to call upon whenever he needs. I know I will be well off and never know hunger nor tragedy if I marry him, but I will have no worth that will let me die in peace when I am old. I came to you, Great One, because I thought... with all you know of love and everything else, that you might help me."
  
  What she asked of him caused the owl to spend a great time in silence. Never had he been stumped, but then never had one come to him with such a problem as that. Finally, he spoke, "I have never found myself not knowing what to do, little one. You may stay here for as long as you wish as I seek to figure out what advice is best to give you." Resolved to learn what the owl had to say, the girl bobbed her head with a smile, "I will stay as long as I need to."
  
  Months passed in the company of the young woman, who would not settle with idling her time away whilst Mailewhui was in deep thought isolated in the top floor of his arboreal library. While he stayed within there for hours at a time, pouring over books, the little human occupied her own time by cleaning out his roost. Like any man and hermit, he was only organized in his obsession with his books, and nothing else. Cobwebs were dusted from every corner of the place, her small frame even scaled the walls with the make shift climbers to clean the ceilings. His larders were full of food of many a variety for her to cook with, so it became common for him to step down from his solitude to find a suitable dinner prepared and steaming for him, to which he'd eat every bit of. When everything was clean, and a month had passed, she turned to his collection of books.
  
  Over time, the two spoke of many things on to the wee hours of the nights on love, lore, all the things the owl adored and more. She was quick of wit and intelligence as he'd always expected humans to be, had passion and was not afraid to admit when she was unsure of something. It was soon that he found himself becoming enthralled and admiring every thing about her, and yet still, he could not figure out what to do with her dilemma. She could always simply return and deal with the life fate had given her, but that seemed a cruel fate indeed. She could run away, but a beautiful woman such as herself would only be able to survive by replacing one evil with another.
  
  One evening, the small blonde head appeared in the massive doorway of the top floor. Her sweet voice chimed out shyly, "Sir... have you ever been in love?" She strode to the owl, who laid upon a large pillow and was flicking through a small novel so carefully with his large talons. Mailewhui looked up from his work as if rising from a stupor. Blinking several times, his large wing swept out, and pulled the girl to the feathered breast, "No, I have not. The time of the great ones has passed. I am the last of my kind. I believe I have your answer now, Nemarie." As the girl settled beside the great bird, she looked up with a flutter of her blue eyes, "What is it?" Waving his large wing over the vast floor, he'd gesture, "You can... stay here. I will protect you from your fate and you will want for nothing. The library has never been seen so noble and clean.. the food has never been so good.. and I have never felt so at peace than when discussing philosophy with you. If it would make you happy, you could spend your life here, and wait for a good man to scale my tree who will give you everything you've ever wanted."
  
  And so, she chose to remain in the arboreal palace of knowledge with the Great One, and the longer she remained, the less she looked upon the men who visited the haven, but instead turned to the great owl who had become her companion. In the end, love blossomed in only a few months between the two. Mailewhui was passionate, intelligent, devoted, and affectionate beyond anything she could ever hope for, and when finally they chose to consummate their love, he used his magical knowledge to become a beautiful two legged owl of her own size. During this time, it seemed to be bliss beyond either could ever recall. It was not to last.
  
  The war king whom Nemarie was betrothed to searched for his lovely wife to be when she went missing. For months he followed the rumors of her passing until he found an innkeeper who'd directed her to the Great One. He concluded that the beast had either eaten his prize or stolen her away for himself. Then, a village leader was found who had seen her in the haven with his own two eyes. Enraged and insulted that his beauty would rather turn to a giant owl than be his wife, the army was immediately mobilized. They started a great fire at every edge of the vast forest to draw the male from his safety nearly a year after Nemarie had gone missing.
  
  Mailewhui stood over his love as flames licked at the base of his home, helpless to save her as she struggled to bear the child growing inside of her. She screamed and panted and groaned as she pushed, the owl helpless to do anything but watch and reference what he'd read in his books. His talons clacked upon the ground anxiously, unaware of what was happening far beneath him. Finally, with a final heave, the strange child was free, and Nemarie collapsed to the bed. An amazing conglomeration of flesh, scales and downy feathers, the proud father held the little creature close to his chest, tears brimming at his eyes as he looked to his love, only to see her lack of breath. She hadn't survived the hard birth. Only then did he notice the glow outside his home lighting the evening up like the blaze of sunrise. Still mournful with the loss of his love, mingled with the joy of the child she'd given him, the male stepped out upon the landing to see his home burning. Tears coursing down his feathered cheeks, he returned to his true form. With the small bundle bore within the gentle grasp of one talon, and the beautiful book of song in the other, Mailewhui took wing. He fled even as the flames licked up the ancient trunk, soon to burn all the knowledge of the world which now meant nothing to him. It had not given him the joy a mere human had. Now, he had his child to love in her place.

• Pierette

  Mailewhui settled amongst the humans he so admired, taking on the anthropomorphic form on his body to fit in and better meld with civilization, though still he kept mostly to himself. He only lived when he saw his little girl bouncing around or when he read her one of his growing collections of books. They survived by his map making and collection of curios and books to which he soon began selling, though no longer did he offer his knowledge to others. Instead, it was fed into his little girl. Even when she was very small, she had an impressive well of random facts, and a sharp tongue to back it up as well as a constant need to cheer others up and entertain them with her storytelling just like her father, only marking her as even more of a freak than her strange half breed looks.
  
  One day, she ran home with her small smock and feathered face covered in mud, bawling like the world was about to end. Mailewhui, smiling gently, cleaned her off, and spoke in a patient tone, "They don't yet understand how special you are, my little one. All they see is the feathered creature on the outside, not the beauty within. I will show you what I mean." Casting a spell upon her, the girl turned into a lovely normal little human, a small copy of her mother. Smiling some, he shooed her back out of the shop. Perhaps he was not the best of parents, but he meant well for his daughter. For years she wore the looks of a normal human, and yet still her intelligence and wit and strange ways set her beyond the other children of her age. As she grew, she began to hide her intelligence, in lieu of running around and being a tomboy with the local children. No one remembered the strange feathered hybrid they pushed down in the mud, only the streetwise little blonde urchin child that made a suitable mischievous leader.
  
  Whilst still a teen, and soon a rebellious little thing against her father, Pierette snuck into a strange acrobatic performance outside the skirts of town, and that was when she fell in love with the fantastical performances. All of the beings who worked the performances were beautiful hybrids or strange offshoots of humans who had nowhere else to go, and she was truly enthralled with their life of travel, their songs played from all over the world, and their tricks and feats just as varied. Returning to her father, she begged him to allow her the same privilege he'd had in his youth, and after much pushing, he allowed it.
  
  The troupe traveled everywhere, the young owlette no longer afraid of showing herself for who she truly was, devoted to working the stage just as every member of the group did to earn their keep. She told stories during the intermissions, sang in the small band when she could, all the time hearing other people's tales and taking that knowledge to heart. What a perfect place for one such as her! Better yet, she could hide herself as she wished, with a variety of masks she created herself to add to the mysticism of the show. Her light body made her perfect for acrobatics, contortionism, and walking tightropes with ease. Here, she truly felt she fit in.
  
  One month, they set outside a large castle where a noble had invited them for a personal performance, and Pierette was chosen to be the head of the show, the Actmaster to announce tricks, wearing her favorite bronze bird mask to hide her hybrid face and only a tight fitting suit that made the rest of her plumage look like props rather than part of her body. It was a brilliant performance, one of her best yet to the noble's court. He was a fat, bitter old man, however, and nothing seemed to please him at all. Fire spitting bored him, acrobatics made him scowl. No matter what they tried to make him pleased failed miserably.
  
  He groaned out, "I have seen this all, and it does not entertain me. I want to see something amazing, and.. sexy." Stepping forward, the owlette crossed her arm over her chest, her fist over her heart, "So be it, Milord. Perhaps you will enjoy the sensual dance of our Ladybird performers of the air upon the silk curtains. Watch and behold as they writhe and knot themselves together for your very viewing pleasure!" Scowling further, the angry nobleman waved to her, "I want to see you perform, girl. I have already seen your ladies, and am not impressed. I would like to see you upon those curtains." Behind her, the massive lengths of cloth were being hooked to the high vaulted ceiling, and she looked up to them with a gulp, "Sir... I am a mere novice at such a performance." Narrowing his severe eyes upon the slender performer, he'd raise his voice to a dangerous edge, "You will perform, or I will have you all arrested for wasting my time and gold."
  
  Tension hung in the air as she stared at him from behind her mask, glaring at him as shoulders squared up. Turning about face in a quick spine, she marched up to the massive drapes, flinging her hand in the air, "Start up the band!". The troupe looked around to each other, unsure for a lingering moment, and a large liger passed through the crowd to stand on the ground beneath her, arms folded to knot his paws together for her to step upon. A powerful heave sent her flying up between the twin crimson drapes. Hands shot out to catch them, her feet twisting the fabric around them to allow her footholds in her rise. Higher she climbed until she could feel her stomach roll with that familiar knot of anticipation steeling her nerves and steadying her hands. At first, she started with what she knew, tying the curtains to her ankles and performing the splits, holding the curtains above with one hand and curling the drapes about her like a cocoon, hanging upon the drapes and bicycling or holding herself aloft with legs spread. Then she heard from below, the excited bellow of the noble, "More!"
  
  As the beat of the music increased, her feats got more dangerous, dabbling into things she wasn't as familiar with, hanging by a mere silk drape from a single foot as her body bent at amazing angles, her bosoms heaving in the skin tight suit she wore. Yet still, she heard the cry for more. Finally, there was only one trick left that she knew of. The curtain was wrapped around her waist and between her legs several times, her mind working fast to remember the combination. One slip up, and she'd be dead. She hesitated, holding onto the cloth with a single hand as she held her breath, looking down to the ground far below. Breathing out, she released the curtain, her body going into a rapid spin like a top as the material unwound from around her waist, sending her careening toward the floor. At the last moment, that which she'd wound around her thigh tightened in it's grip, jolting her in a snap that sent her mask flying from her face. Before she could go swinging out of control, she curled up, and grabbed the drape above as her heart raced whilst listening to the astonished gasps of shock from the audience. Slowly, she lowered herself into the arms of the liger, panting and shaking all over with adrenaline while applause roared in her ears. It was only then that she looked around and noticed her mask missing. Blushing, she'd look around to the astonished crowd, who cheered and whistled for the performance, paying no heed to her looks. Then, her gaze fell upon the noble lord. He sat there in stock silence, his face bright red with an indistinguishable emotion, brows knotted together as he stared at the woman as if he'd seen a ghost.
  
  Patting the liger's shoulder, the girl noted she could now stand, and was set down. Stepping forward with grace, her arms folded behind her back as she hid her utter mortification at having shown her horrendous features. She'd not gotten the beautiful visage of her mother, the face beneath marked with sprouts of feathers and those massive eyes of her father, her pale golden curls hanging to frame the face, "Have we pleased you now, Milord?"
  
  Moments passed by in silence before the old noble spoke, "You have. Pray tell me, girl... where do you get your... unique... appearance from?" His words held a strange hint of danger laced in every syllable that set the girl on edge, "I... my father is the Great Bearer of Knowledge, Mailewhui. My mother... was a human named Nemarie. They were very much in love, Milord, that not even nature itself could stop their bond." With his suspicions verified now, the bitter old man began to shake, "Chain her up and put her in the dungeons. The rest of you, get out. NOW!" In a flood of chaos, the liger leapt forward to place Pierette behind him, roaring out his defiance to the noble's guards. The rest of the troupe fell together, surrounding her in a ring of protection even as she shouted over the din for them to leave.
  
  In the end, it was a quick battle. None of the performers were armed after all, and they fell before the swords of the guard with very little effort and no mercy was shown. The girl's suit was ripped in several places, her body bruised and beaten until she submitted. Thrown in the darkness of the dungeon, the little owlette wept for her friends, only having a faint suspicion of why she was there. She would never find out for sure until years had passed. Weeks later, she was sent off blindfolded and gagged, jostled and tossed around in a wagon for more weeks on end. Finally, when she was then released, she found herself in the cargo hold of a massive ship, with many around her all beaten and hollow eyed. Few had any spirit left already, and the worse was yet to come. It took several months to arrive at the chosen destination.
  
  
  Keeping her head up, Pierette soon found herself upon the Isle of Delights, Guilderiem, and within the none-too-gentle paws of the Golden Tether. The first year was spent in processing and common basic training, which.. was very slow going. She was stubborn and enraged, confused and independent, and even threat of torture, starvation, mutilation, didn't work upon her. She spent many an hour being tortured near to death, had all her feathers plucked several times over, and endured even having her talons and nails ripped out, only to have them expertly healed each night. After a while, the girl found her way to ignore the pain... retreating into her mind. Seeing her friends now dead, and flying on the back of her father in his true form kept her sane. One day, her trainer, a Clydesdale named Trailus, found her breaking point. He took another slave and began to beat her mercilessly in Pierette's place, and didn't stop until the slave was near to death.
  
  Determined not to allow anything like that to happen again, the songbird changed her tune, a complete and utter 360 turn around. Finally, she found the balance between who she was as a person, and what she was, a slave. Two years after being captured, Pierette emerged as the makings of a fine trainable slave at last. Friends were made during only the first couple of days, Haku Loa and Illiandi Bondsmiller, whom the female came to trust beyond any others. She was rather quickly snatched up by a massive black dragon, Vismitne, who had a particular soft spot for slaves. For his kindness, Pierette gave everything of herself over to him in hopes of helping him be kinder to other slaves and because she truly loved and was devoted to him. But soon, he acquired a castle of his own, and moved Pierette and her slave brother Michi to it, intending on using them to help fix up the dilapidated castle. In the process, however... Vismitne divided her from her friends and then would leave for long periods of time, sometimes with Michi. Leaving the owlette alone, and desperate for friendship, she became severely depressed, even in his presence, and ceased eating. Almost to the point of being suicidal, she begged Vismitne to allow her to be sold back to the Tether, in hopes she could see her friends once more. He reluctantly allowed her return.
  
  After a horrible rental, Pierette realized only too late what a mistake she had made. Though she had her friends back in her life, she missed the dragon, and saw that no other Owner would ever live up to the standards Vis had set. When given the opportunity by Landi and Haku to be freed, she took it without a moment's hesitation. Now her own woman once more, Pierette dived in headfirst with renewed determination and passion to pursue happiness for herself and others. The three along with the sweet Salena Redd moved far from the evils of the Tether to island of Nasmara.
  
  Seeking to reconnect with her father after persuasion to do so by Landi, Pierette set off from their peaceful home, in search of her father after receiving a very concerning letter from him. This search to find her father became an obsession as the one constant in her life came into mortal danger from an old enemy, the same that captured and enslaved Pierette. Although her whereabouts had been unknown since her freedom from slavery, her father was found and injured, running for his life and in hiding from the assassins sent to kill him.
  
  Pierette spent months, desperately trying to track down her father's whereabouts without attracting attention to him or herself along the way. She left a small marble enchanted to point the bearer in her direction should Mailewhui ever find the towns she visited. Then, she found him, or at least the small hovel he had been staying in. Hidden in a corner - neglected from being kept warm - was a large egg, speckled and cool to the touch. The owlette bound it to keep it warm, and continued on her search.
  
  Horrible things must have happened while she was gone, for when she finally returned to Nasmara, she kept the right half of her face carefully covered, leaving only a mournful blue eye to be used to view her world. A strange round marble is kept constantly tied around her neck with a loop of ribbon. The egg she'd found had hatched, leaving her to shoulder the burden of raising her little brother Tyto, the last true Tyto regis that she knows of. She still does not know who the mother could possibly be. Life continues on as she gets over the loss of her father, tends to a young owlet growing by the day, and lives with her new family.