It's been too long since the first part. I hope you enjoy this look into Sol's past!
It's a bit bloody though, so be warned

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The Life of Sol Mana: Part 2
Cold fog chilled Sol’s yellow coat. A raven’s cry caused her to jump, startled by the sudden noise. She and her sister, Rose, had split up to gather food. It was dangerous to be apart, but these mountains were scarce of nourishment. They had to cover more ground were they to find enough to feed themselves. Sol relied on her sister, however, and felt vulnerable without her. They agreed to meet back at a large rock in not but fifteen minutes from now. Or was it only ten? The atmosphere seemed to ignore the laws of time, moving of its own accord. Either way, she didn't have a single berry to bring back, and she was hungry. She was starving. The only force keeping Sol from running back to her sister was the pain in her stomach.
Eerie noises echoed through the mist. They were quiet but loud as a thunderclap to the young Zorgoia. Sol kept her head low, and body raised, ready to run from perceived threats. She felt a chill run down her spine as the feeling of being watched grew. “Rose?” She whined. “Are you there?” No response came. She attempted to calm her nerves by breathing deeply, but her fur still stood on end. Each step came with a soft tremble brought on by fear and cold. Sol’s footsteps bounced around in the mist, creating the illusion of someone walking alongside her. Her sight couldn’t cut more than ten feet through the fog until nothing but white haze was visible. The thick mist seemed to swirl as though creatures were hiding just behind it, disturbing it with their movements.
The fog was the perfect place to ambush a young zorgoia. Hungry beasts would happily feed on Sol. What worried her most was the Order of Magic Control. After the pair had escaped the OMC, the group was angry. The OMC had been chasings the twins all three years of their free life and would not stop until recaptured. If there was ever a time the OMC would succeed, it was now.
CRACK! The sound of a broken branch erupted from behind her. Sol whirled around to see four yellow lights fade back into the clouds. “R-Rose? Is that you?” she stammered. She knew that whatever she had seen was not her sister, but Sol prayed that she was wrong. Sol backed away from where the lights had been, fear grasping her heart and a knot forming in her throat. She hit a stone wall, perhaps the side of a massive boulder, stopping her from retreating further. “Rose?” Her voice came out strained and quiet. The mist responded by rolling a small, red ball at her, which stopped just short of her paws. An apple. An apple? Why did it roll an apple at her? Was it even a real apple? Or was it something else? Thoughts raced through her head. No good could come of the fruit. Sol concentrated on the apple’s form. A flickering turquoise magic surrounded the apple that clumsily dragged it into the air. Sol used her magic to push the apple away, which floated into the mist before she lost concentration on her spell. It casually rolled away only to return moments later. The four lights returned, carrying the silhouette of an unimaginable beast behind them. White pupils on each glowing eye looked down to the apple, then back up to Sol. The young Zorgoia froze in terror. What did it want with her? Why didn’t it just pounce? Why is it playing with her?
“It is for you, kit,” A voice told her. No, not voice. It had no sound. Something deep within her core spoke to her, but she knew the words came from the being. “Are you not hungry?” The lights shifted clockwise as the monster cocked its head.
Sol fell to the ground as something rammed into her side. Sol screamed in terror and looked up at her assailant. White and pink fur calmed Sol’s panicking mind as she recognized her sister, Rose. “Get up! We’ve gotta go. Now!” Rose wrapped her tail around Sol’s neck and hoisted her to her feet.
“There’s something out here with us!” Sol cried. She looked to the creature, only to see the lights had vanished.
“It’s the OMC. They’re back again.”
“N-no, it’s som-.” A net flew over their heads, cutting Sol off. A built human ran through the fog at the pair, clad in black and gold armor. To his side, he carried a large, high-tech rifle. Two more men followed behind him. Sol felt her body jerk forward as Rose yanked her along, pulling her away from the men.
“What are we going to do?” Sol asked. She had always relied on her sister for direction.
“We’ll get lost in the fog. They won’t find us.” Heavy footsteps shook the earth behind them as they ran. The angry voices trailing behind them grew quieter and quieter, the twins slowly outrunning the OMC soldiers.
Sol’s mind raced when she heard “This way” or “They’re over here!” The only thing keeping her sane was her sister’s grasp. She kept Sol running, even when her legs were exhausted and her lungs were on fire. Each minute felt like an hour as they ran, narrowly avoiding obstacles hidden by the mist. Sol was jerked left and right as Rose led them through twists and turns to lose their assailants. Finally, the chase ended as Rose pulled her behind a fallen tree.
Sol collapsed onto the ground, heaving. Rose’s hand clenched Sol’s mouth shut as the three soldiers ran by, missing the twins. They disappeared into the white mist. Rose sat next to Sol, panting and coughing. The two rested for a moment, hidden by their semi-safe haven. After a few minutes, Rose pulled out a small, round object. The ball was obscured by Rose’s body, keeping Sol from seeing what it was.
“What’s that?” Sol asked. “Food?” Rose didn’t respond. She looked at her sister’s face to see it twisted with sadness. “Rose? What’s wrong?” Rose didn’t respond. She stared down at the object, then out into the fog. “I’m sorry I didn’t find any food, but I’m sure we’ll find something soon!” Sol attempted to cheer her sister’s mood. “I… I-I’m not really that hungry anyway, so you can have all of whatever it is you found.” Sol was lying, but she hated seeing her sister sad. Angry was normal, but sadness was very rare.
“Could… Could you make us a bit of light?” Rose requested.
“But the people will see it through the fog.”
“Don’t worry about that, just do it,” Rose demanded, harsher this time. Sol lifted her claw-like finger into the air and drew a lightbulb-like symbol. Turquoise magic trailed behind her finger as she sketched the rune. When she finished, the spell poofed into a turquoise light that shone brightly in the haze.
“You… You know how dad used to do things that didn’t make sense? A-and he said it was for the best, even if we didn’t understand?” Rose’s voice broke as she talked. “He said that he wanted us to survive,” Rose fiddled with the object in her hands. “N-no matter what it takes?”
“Yeah?” Sol asked slowly. She stood to her aching feet and moved around Rose to see the ball. It was black, with a golden cross-hatch pattern. An opening on the top of the ball held a brown string with a gold-colored ring to pull it out. The object eerily resembled the OMC’s equipment.
“I… I-I’m sorry, Sol,” Rose sobbed. “I don’t want to do this. I-I think I have to, though.”
“Do what?”
Rose didn’t respond. Instead, she grasped the ring and pulled, the string unraveling from the metal ball. With a loud click, the string’s length fully extended, pulling a sharp piece of metal out with it. The golden cross-hatch started to fade from the top of the ball, traveling down to the bottom. An ominous ticking sound grew louder and faster. Rose threw the ball at Sol, which exploded into two halves midair as the pattern entirely vanished. The ball revealed a net that wrapped around Sol, immobilizing her.
“What the hell, Rose?” Sol screamed. “W-why did you-”
“I made a deal, Sol,” Rose shouted back, tears forming in her eyes. “T-They grabbed me… B-but they said they’d let me go if I turned you over.”
“Cut me out, you drongo!” Sol begged. “Rose!”
“They said they’d be nice to you. That they wouldn’t hurt you too badly. Just don’t fight back and it’ll be fine.” Both of their faces became wet with tears.
“Rose! Y-You can’t!” Sol begged between sobs. “I’m your sister!” Fear filled her heart like none other she had felt before. Stronger yet, anger built inside of her. Sol had trusted Rose. She had loved Rose. To repay her loyalty, she was rewarded with betrayal.
“They’ll be here any second. That light will lead them to you,” Rose looked to the beacon she had tricked Sol into lighting. The spell vanished as Sol dispelled it, but it was already too late.
“G-get back here, Rose!”
Rose took one last look at her sister, then turned to the fog. “I’m sorry,” she quietly sobbed before disappearing into the mist.
“You bitch! You- you f- you fucking no good bitch! Get back here!” Sol fought against the ropes to no avail.
Heavy footsteps slowed and approached Sol’s crumpled form. “Yah gave us a run for our money, kit.” A gruff, masculine voice spoke behind her. “But we’ve finally got yah. Now, we’re gonna untie yah, n’ yer gonna cooperate.” The cold metal of a laser rifle pressed up against her head. “Else we’re gonna have to clean up a mess, n’ you wouldn’t want to make us do that, would ya?” One of the soldiers began to remove the net from her head. “Jacob, get the muzzle.” The leader backed away, gun still trained on Sol, to let the other two restrain her. She felt the ropes holding her loosen, though she was fiercely aware of the weapon.
“Up.” One of the soldiers demanded. Sol did as ordered, clumsily rising to her feet. Now she could see the rifle pointed at her, along with all three men. A loose plan began to form in her frantic mind. A man holding a muzzle came close, about to force it on her maw. Sol’s eyes were not locked on the restraint, but on the gun instead. Turquoise magic flickered to life around the gun’s mouth and trigger. Sol telekinetically jerked the rifle’s aim to the man with the muzzle and pulled the trigger.
A beam of golden light sprung from the weapon and connected with the armor of the muzzle’s holder, piercing it and scaring his arm. He yelled out in pain and clutched the wound. “What the fuck, Jett?” he shouted.
“I-it wasn’t-” The leader had no time to defend his supposed actions as Sol leapt at the muzzle man. Sol pinned him to the ground, scratching and biting at his chest. Hard metal plating deflected her attacks. Another beam of light sprung from the gun, scorching Sol’s side and knocking her to the side. She scrambled to her feet in time to avoid another shot, clumsily hopping back. The two other men pulled weapon handles off of their belts, which manifested blades of golden light, one axe-like and the other sword-like. “Yer gonna regret that, mutt,” the gunman threatened.
The swordsman impatiently rushed Sol, connecting a swing into her shoulder. She cried out in pain as her flesh split apart. She uncupped her stinger and stabbed the man, who dodged the attack.
“Careful, Briar! We need her alive.”
“And I need you dead!” Sol shouted, poncing at the swordsman for her own attack. He sidestepped her pounce, only to feel her stinger connect to his throat. The Soldiers had not been wearing their helmets, underestimating Sol. That would be their downfall. The end of Sol’s stinger pierced through the back of his neck. Everyone went silent as no one, especially not Sol, had thought she was capable of such a violent retaliation. Sol wrenched her stinger to the side, slicing the man’s neck from the middle to the left. From his wound and mouth, blood gushed. The swordsman collapsed to his knees, then down to the ground, lifeless.
The two men stared at their fallen comrade in disbelief. “H-he’s dead…” The axeman choked. “You killed him…” He turned his gaze to Sol, his face turning from shock and grief to pure anger. “I’M GONNA KILL YOU!” He charged forward, axe raised. He swung it down at Sol, missing the first swing but connecting his backswing with Sol’s leg. Cyan blood gushed from the wound as he pulled it out and swung again. The swordsman’s weapon, enveloped in turquoise light, blocked the blow and returned a counterattack that clinked into the axe. “How dare you use his weapon!”
Another beam of light drilled into Sol’s side. The burning pain caused her to lose concentration on her spell, dropping the sword to the ground. The axeman used the opening to drive his axe into Sol’s clavicle, splitting the bone in two. More blood gushed from Sol’s body as more wounds formed. She was turning pale, having lost so much blood. If she were to survive, she would have to end the fight quickly. Sol’s body was nearly out of energy, her wounds and lack of blood not helping. A final, desperate plan formed in her mind. She crumpled to the ground, attempting to look defeated.
“Hope you rest well knowing your life amounted to nothing!” The axeman shouted, raising his weapon for the final blow. The golden sword lifted into the air at Sol’s command, flying into the gunman. It pierced the armor, digging into his shoulder. The axeman hesitated, looking at his friend, worried. Mustering her few drops of energy for a grand finale, Sol tackled the axeman, who dropped his weapon as he fell. The axe raised into the sky commanded by Sol’s magical turquoise glow and plummeted into the axeman’s chest. The thick metal plate splintered with a loud crack. With all of her strength, Sol pulled the plate open with a horrible metal creaking, then tore at the man’s chest with her teeth. He screamed as his flesh was torn and pulled from his body. Sol bit down on some unidentified organ and ripped it from his guts. Whatever she removed seemed vital, as the man stopped struggling when it left his body.
Sol turned from the corpse to the last soldier, her maw stained in blood and eyes with the message of approaching death. In a final attempt at survival, the gunman raised his weapon to begin firing shots. The sword ripped out of his shoulder with a sickening schleck, causing him to drop his rifle. Sol rushed the man for her final attack. She wrapped her long body around his, restraining him.
“P-Please! Y-you got away. I never even saw you!” The man begged. “I’ll tell them whatever you want. Just let me go! Please!” Only ten minutes ago, Sol would have given him mercy. In a short time, however, that version of Sol had died. Something new took her place. Something she couldn’t hold back any longer. Something angry at the world. Something without a hint of care for the people who hurt her.
Ignoring his cries for mercy, Sol opened her maw wide. With a sickening crunch, she bit down on his head, then wrenched it to the side. Muscles popped, and vertebrae shattered as she ripped the gunman’s head off. Metallic-tasting blood poured into her mouth and throat. She spit it to the side, the shattered skull landing with a thunk. Breathing heavily, Sol collapsed to the ground, the headless body still tangled in her coils. Blood continued to leak out of her wounds, staining her yellow and brown fur cyan. Her mouth and stinger were soaked in the soldier’s crimson fluids. Her eyelids weighed more than boulders, but she was afraid if she closed them, it would be for the last time. Heavenly adrenaline faded, giving way to the violent pain wreaking havoc on her body. Unable to hold on, Sol’s pale body and ravaged mind faded into unconsciousness.

An aching pain enveloped Sol’s waking mind. The previously searing pain had faded significantly, though it still stung fiercely. She sorted through the hazy memories, trying to remember what had happened. Slowly, the events trickled back into her mind. Her eyes shot open when she remembered the men. Her surroundings had changed drastically. No longer was she surrounded by a sparse forest with a thick fog, corpses and blood scattered in the barely visible range. Rough stone walls surrounded her, lush plants growing from the cracks and floor. A makeshift bed of leaves cradled her sore form. A large opening in the wall showed the early morning sky. Dew gathered on the plants at the mouth. A small pool of water collected at the back of the shelter. Sounds of battle and fury no longer filled the air. Instead, from mushrooms on the wall, chime-like growths hung and clinked together, singing a calming melodic noise. A soft morning breeze entered through the mouth of the cave, bringing along the scent of morning dew replacing the scent of bloody iron. A large leaf in front of her held a pile of red balls. Apples.
Sol stared at the fruit for a moment, confused by the change in surroundings. Remembering the painful hunger in her guts, her eyes grew wide as she began to feast on the apples. They crunched satisfyingly as she chewed, their sweet and slightly tart juice poured down her throat. She had never cared for apples before, but they were now the most delicious thing in the world. The hunger wrenching her stomach gave way to a satisfying fullness. It was more than she had eaten in the past week. When the pile was gone, and the pain in her stomach along with it, she turned to lick her wounds.
To Sol’s surprise, the wounds had been mended. Leaf bandages wrapped around her body as spider silk stitched together her wounds. Cuts showed signs of significant healing, as though it had been months since the injuries. Broken bones had fully connected, and her burns were gone. Her fur, once matted with red and cyan blood, was clean and groomed. Still, Sol attempted to lick away the remaining pain. A tingling sensation filled the first cut that she licked. The injury healed what would have taken a week in five seconds. Sol pulled her head away in surprise, then licked the wound again. Again, it healed significantly. She licked a different scar with the same result.
“W… What?” She asked herself, quietly. Hesitantly, she uncupped her stinger and used it to prick a hole in her finger. A drop of cyan blood trickled out. She licked the new prick only to see it vanish in an instant. This healing wasn’t some residual magic from the bandages. This healing was her.
Sol roughly stood to her feet, her aching body shouting in protest. She ambled to the pool, where she drank a much-needed sip of water. After the ripples cleared, she stared at the reflection. Someone unfamiliar stared back at her. It was her eyes. Something was different about them. At the same time, it almost felt right. Almost.
Sol turned to walk back to the makeshift bed. When she did, a figure was standing at the mouth of the cave, watching her. Flat, stump-like feet connected long striding legs to the floor. It had a deer-like body with bark for fur. There was a humanoid torso where the neck would be. The ashy-skinned torso held four long arms, one of which rested on the ground for better balance. A thick neck curled strangely, going up then coming back down to the head. A large mouth followed the head, along the sides and bottom, encompassing most of the skull. A large, green mask-like face stared back at her. The mask branched off into large antlers adorned with spider webs and birdhouses. Four yellow eyes with white pupils watched Sol with contentment. The creature turned and walked away. Sol watched it disappear into the forest beyond the cave
Sol stepped back to her pile of leaves and plopped onto her side. She didn’t know how long she had rested, but Sol did know she was still tired. She stared off into space as she tried to process everything. The creature, the soldiers, and above all, Rose. How could she do that? Sol had always been by her side. Sure, Sol wasn’t the best travel companion, she knew that, but to do something like that. Sol had spent too much time relying on her sister. “No one else…” She muttered to herself out loud. Just Sol, traveling alone from now on. No one else.
End