[PRP] Skittish as a hare (Stella & Hidalgo)

[lysia_nyteblade]

This is a log of a private RP between myself and SkyDragono. Please do not post here unless invited by one of us.

The players:

 

[lysia_nyteblade]

Stella had chosen a time when everyone was busy with their own things to try and help the family some. She waned to do something on her own for once. After all, their stocks of food needed adding to and there had to be something she could bring back right? Dry grass or something at the very least. She set off on a path she and her father had walked regularly since she'd been old enough to take walks with him and her mother. It lead a little ways away from the place they called home. She walked longer still till se pushed even the boundaries of her comfort zone. It was usually about here that she'd turn back or even need some coaxing from her sister to go any further.

Still, she had a mission. She wasn't about to allow her own insecurities get into the way of what she'd planned on doing. After all, her family world need the food and she couldn't just do little to help. It wouldn't be right. Shoving her desire to turn back, she pressed further still looking for something edible to return home. The quick, the better.. but nothing so little as to have been a wasted trip. As she searched, a twig in the distance snapped. Likely just a passing animal.. she hoped. She continued to browse all the while her mind wandered. What if it were something other than just some deer or something passing by? She shuffled her hooves, looking for some one to stand behind only to find no one around to shield her. This wasn't good, not good at all.

SkyDragono

 

[SkyDragono]

Hidalgo looked around. He had not been in these parts for a very long time, and he was seeing many things that he had not seen before. Maybe there had been a flood a few seasons ago that had changed the arroyo flow and depth, which was now deeper and wider then when he had last seen it, though still as dry. A few bushes that he had last seen as seedlings were now as high as his shoulder, and as wide as he was long. The prairie grass around him was dry because of winter, and didn't leave much for grazing, but it was all he currently had. The roots were still good though, he had learned that with his years of roaming. A few of the bushes around here would also be good to eat, though he reserved those for more desperate times as they were bitter and tended to draw him to drink.

He walked carefully into the arroyo, as he did not want to soft sand to slip under his hooves. It was too cold for snakes to be about, so he did not worry about them popping out from under the rocks unexpectedly. That had been a hard lesson as a foal, and he still had the double scar on his hock to prove it. Something else he watched for was rocks in the soft sand. It was just as easy to get a stone bruise from a rock you couldn't see, as from a rock you could. But there could also be places down here that hadn't gotten as cold, and you could still find green grass in these areas, which is what he hunted for now. His ears were constantly moving as he lowered his head to the sandy bottom, hoping to catch a scent of anything that would be useful, whether it be food or water. As he walked, his mane caught on an overhanging bush, and he had to tug himself free, causing one of the dry branches to break, and he instantly froze. Who knew what he had just alerted to his presence with that sound. If he was lucky, there was nothing nearby looking for a meal.

lysia_nyteblade

 

[lysia_nyteblade]

Carefully, she listened. She was waiting for any signs of anything else that could possibly be lurking about. Nothing for long moments till finally, she head the singing of a bird and then another bird's answer. Letting out a breath she hadn't known she was holding, she moved onward in her search. Likely some poor critter rustling up something. Maybe a fox after a rabbit. She was trying to keep herself in a logical calm state as she walked along. It wasn't till she came across the arroyo that she found the culprit of the sound.

There stood a stallion with a splattered white and brown pelt. Oh boy she thought to herself as she looked at the stallion. She wasn't good with strangers. They made her nervous. Shifting from one hoof and then the other, she looked for something or some one to hide behind. Seeing nothing but a smaller bush near by; she stepped behind it, leaving most of her body exposed. It was at this time that she herself stepped on yet another twig, snapping it. She flinched and froze instantly at the sound, her eyes locked on the stallion below her. Why me? Why this when Pop Star's no where near? She was taking slow deep breaths attempting to keep from shrieking and bolting back into the direction of her home. Yes.. socially awkward didn't even scratch the surface for her. In fact, at best she was just paralyzed with fear of others without some one close to her acting as her personal shield. She'd hoped she would have grown out of such fear of others by now. Sadly, she hadn't.

SkyDragono

 

[SkyDragono]

After listening for several heartbeats, and then to the returning sounds of the wildlife, he knew that there was not a predator around, and he was about to move again when a motion caught the corner of his eye. A dark shape that seemed to come forward, then backward. And as it moved backward and somewhat disappeared behind a nearby bush, he heard a twig snap. Judging by the size of the darkness, it was most likely another soquili.

He raised his head slowly, and saw parts of the dark-colored.... mare? He could only guess as he was not one to stare, but as he flared his nostrils trying to catch a scent, it smelled a bit more feminine from what he could catch. But, why was she hiding? Was she really that shy? He had run across a few really shy Soquili before, and they had acted in a similar manor, so all he could assume was that she was shy. So, hopefully what worked with the others worked with her.

"Hello?" he called, not moving from his position. If he didn't advance, she shouldn't feel threatened. Of course, one memorable occasion had been him speaking, and the frightened creature had fled in terror. Hopefully, this was not one of those.

lysia_nyteblade

 

[lysia_nyteblade]

She actually physically jumped at the sound of his voice letting out a yelp and a whimper. She was panicking, looking around with wide eyes as she started to look for a way out. The worst of it was if she moved from her cover, however little it might be, she would be more visible. This kept her hunkering behind her bush, trembling visible from the tip of her nose to her tail.

Her fear of others was starting to lock her body up. It coursed through her body not unlike a poison so that she felt cold and wobbly. Her legs like jell and unresponsive. Every fiber of her body screamed for her to flee but the same thing that made her wish to leave held her hostage in place. Her body a sort of foreboding prison. Only her mind was left grappling with it's self. He'd spoken and there she was still trying to muster the courage not to completely shut down. Too much time passed and finally, she opened her mouth to speak though no words came out. She mouthed something at first before finally she spoke. "He-hello." Her voice was tight with her fear, barely able to be heard as she'd choked out her reply.

SkyDragono

 

[SkyDragono]

He heard and saw the mare jump, and watched as she trembled. Though this mare had not yet bolted, it was certainly close. And she trembled, which if he could not smell her fear in the air, would have shown him how afraid she was, though the yelp and whimper were also very good indicators. So, this one was on a hair trigger apparently. Or, as he liked to call them, 'Hare Triggers'. Give them any excuse and they bolted like a terrified rabbit. So, he would just try to find what calmed her down, if he didn't give her a heart attack first. Now he was glad there was no cougar or other predators around. He wasn't sure what that would do to her stress levels.

He stood fast where he was, though trying to convey calm with his body posture, as he waited for her to make up her mind, or leave them in a Mexican standoff. He would wait all day if he needed to. If she took him up on his invitation to speak, he would gladly engage her. Or, if she started shaking worse, he would ease himself away slowly, and leave the mare to recovered without him there. Finally, when she choked out her 'hello', he took that as a sign to engage, but gently.

"I am sorry to startle you," he replied soothingly. "I don't mean you any harm, truly. My name is Hidalgo. May I please have your name?"

lysia_nyteblade

 

[lysia_nyteblade]

The look she gave him was not unlike that of a hare staring down the throat of a fox. She'd been waiting for something to happen and when he did nothing but talk, it left her almost confused. No laughter no strange looks. It wasn't that she'd been abused, no one had ever harmed her . Her fears were unreasonable to say the least but sill they were hers.

Slowly, she willed herself to ease a little further. She took slow deep breaths trying to reason with herself. Once she felt her body relax further, she attempted to answer his question. "S-Stella" She squeaked once again. This time it was a more audible tone, less constricted. She was actually making an effort to stand on her own for once. After all. Pop and the rest of her family wouldn't always be near by to act as her security.

SkyDragono

 

[SkyDragono]

The look she gave him from what he could see, made him feel like a predator. He had to wonder if she had ever been abused to cause such a shyness. Well, that meant he would just have to do his best to make her feel comfortable. Though he was trying to rack his brain for things as each case was different, and he wasn't sure what would work with her, and what wouldn't. But he was patient, and he would take his time. That seemed to work best on all of the shy Soquili he had come across.

When she gave her name, he smiled. "Stella? That is a very pretty name. It is nice to meet you Stella." He flicked an ear back as he heard a bird flutter from one branch to another in the bush behind him. Although he was keeping his body posture calm, he was always on the lookout for danger, especially with those that may have difficulty defending themselves.

lysia_nyteblade

 

[lysia_nyteblade]

She actually offered a small smile at the compliment. Her father had wanted to name her Stella. It was one of the things she was most happy about. She liked the name frankly. Then again she supposed if she'd been named something else she might like it too. It was all semantics she guessed. "Thank you" She spoke, finally stepping out from her bush, though she still didn't make a move to join him down in the bottom of the arroyo. Her ears flicked to the bird in the bush, her eyes following the sound for a brief moment. Her breathing exercises were starting to help her more than she thought they would. Still though, she couldn't quite shake the wish to bolt completely. she held herself, tense in an almost visually uncomfortable way.

SkyDragono

 

[SkyDragono]

"You are welcome." He was glad to see her small smile. That was progress. Now hopefully he could continue with the steps he had taken, though they were all mental steps, since he hadn't moved.

"I'm curious. I haven't been a round these parts for a while. Do you by chance remember when this arroyo became so deep? I ask, because it wasn't like this last time I was here." He shifted his weight off of his left back hoof so that he could rest it; cocking it so that the front was all that touched the ground. Though he was very good, and even used to traveling long distances, it was key to rest your hooves as often as you could.

lysia_nyteblade

 

[lysia_nyteblade]

His question caused her to tilt her head in thought. She was trying to think of what all had surpassed.. or even passed before her birth. She was a young mare so she had to think about some of the things her parents had told her and her siblings. She then looked at the arroyo and pondered the view of it. It clicked then. Before her birth had been a large fire that had run rampant through the lands. It was followed by a flood and that had to have been what happened.

Clearing her throat, she spoke. "Flood. Before I was born was a flood. My father told me.." Her voice still held the tremoring softness. She was still unsure about the new stallion but at least she was starting to become more used to speaking to him. Still, her body tension showed little improvement. Lifting one back hoof, she set it back to the ground repeatedly a few times before finally resting it back in the position she'd been before. The stand off was still ongoing but little by little there was becoming change in her anxieties.

SkyDragono

 

[SkyDragono]

He nodded his head thoughtfully, though he did so slowly. He noticed the way she shifted her hooves, and knew if he sneezed he was going to send her bolting. She was high-strung, certainly like a hare.

"It would have had to have been a flood with this sort of dig-in," he mused. "And some of the sand is not from this region. So, the rain would have been in the highlands. I bet if you follow the arroyo for a bit, you will find stones from the mountain regions in the arroyo bed." He pawed a bit at the soil, revealing a bit of black. "Or there was a fire, followed by rain, which could have also created unstable soil, and the same thing would have happened, including the shifting soil." He gave a snort. "But I am rambling."

lysia_nyteblade

 

[lysia_nyteblade]

She gave a nod. "A really hot and dry season at the worst of times." She shrugged. It wasn't that she was careless about fires. In fact she understood they were dangerous by the way her father and mother had stressed their disastrous ways. Destructive meant danger and danger meant that she wanted no part of it. Danger made her edgy and uncomfortable.

She offered a meek smile. "It's ok.. I don't mind rambling.." It wasn't like she was adding much to the conversation. If he was talking, it meant that she wasn't talking.. she liked that idea. She wasn't comfortable speaking to strangers. In fact there really wasn't a whole lot that she was comfortable with, especially around strangers.

SkyDragono

 

[SkyDragono]

He let out a soft chuckle. "Then we should get along just fine. I tend to travel alone most of the time, so the only one to talk to is myself, and I tend to keep myself well entertained." It was true. He had once run with a herd, but he had let his son take over and decided to go wondering again in the wilds. It was dangerous to be a loner, but he mostly managed it. Sometimes he would find some companionship in bachelor bands, or sometimes even find a mare to spend some time with to ease his loneliness. Though, he wasn't sure this one would fit into that category. She was much to afraid of everything it seemed. She would never survive being out in the vast wilderness.