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 Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 6:37 pm
Oliver's quick decision of leaving his family behind him weighed heavy on his heart, sending sharp jolts through his body as he remembered playing with his two siblings and parents when he was a colt, the pride and joy of beating his father in a race. He used to be the apple of his father's eye, the one that Will had always thought to grow up to be just like him.
But unlike Will, Oliver was not brave. Sure, he could swallow the fear and go through with something if he was forced to, but his father was the king of the no-holds-barred courageous adventures, a grin on his face and his adrenaline pumping. Oliver was more soft-spoken, more creative and more into speaking and words. He often played mindgames with palindromes, such as "Draw a level award." He repeated these things in his mind, trekking through a dense forest or frolicking in a flower-covered meadow.
But there were no flowers or tall trees where he was now. The ground was covered in the thinnest, dirtiest layer of gray snow that Oliver had ever seen, and the parts that were not covered in the blanket of snow were being drowned by its melted cousin, mud and the smell of decay fresh in his nostrils. Every now and then, Oliver would spot a sprig of some unknown plant, a squished reminder of where someone had stood not too long before.
A lone, young tree stood at the crest of the hill, completely free of leaves, but with delicate green buds littering the thin, skeletal branches. Oliver stood near the sapling, breathing in the scent of spring. His lungs filled gratefully with the sweet aroma, and he sighed happily. He loved spring.
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Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 7:08 pm
Dusty Trails groaned as she stepped away from the snow. She took refuge under some evergreens, where dead grass reminded her of her hair. The train of thought soon led to her flowers, which led to the color of the sky, which very quickly led back to the disgusting snow around her. Perhaps she should have stayed at the teepee today.
Somehow, she began thinking of her name. Dusty Trails. What kind of a name was that? Dust was an unsightly nuisance, which she surely was not. In an effort to prove this to herself, she searched for water to look into, only to find that the only water source was surrounded by snow. Surely there was another one. When she looked around once more, she saw another Soquili in the distance. What was even better, it was a stallion.
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Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 7:38 pm
Oliver tried counting the buds. Never odd or even. More palindromes surged through his mind as he counted, again and again. But one resurfaced, every few moments. Never odd or even.
He noticed a shape in the distance and lost count. Cursing himself, he tried to focus on the buds; he didn't want to have a run-in with one of his father's enemies, the pirates he had nightmares about. Yet, though he was somewhat suscpicious of the other Soquili, obviously a mare with bright blue flowers adorning her light hair, he couldn't help but glance in her direction every few moments.
The stallion told himself that he could not strike up a conversation with the mare. Though he was desperate for interaction, the part of him that made him the awkward little poet and the odd one out refused to let him speak. He even tried to recite a palindrome aloud, live evil, but his voice cracked terribly and he gave up.
If the mare was really the type that he'd like to talk to, she would have to come up to him first. Or, at least, that's what he thought.
Before he could comprehend what he was doing, he found himself striding towards the mare, his head held high and his tail swishing behind him. Well, if that wasn't the oddest thing to him, nothing was. Usually his head was low, his tail only moving if there was something bothering him. Maybe he had actually taken after his father...? Or maybe the fresh smells of spring had awakened a new, confident beast within him?
"H-hi...?" Oliver stuttered as he got close enough to the mare. Oh well, at least he tried.
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Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 7:55 pm
Dusty smiled as she noticed him walking toward her, pretending to adjust the flower in her tail. Of course it's perfect. It always is. I'm perfect.
The mare often thought to herself, giving notes of how pretty she was, or how wonderful she looked compared to other mares. When she was a foal, she counted how many times she'd gotten a compliment from a two-legger, but she'd long since lost count. If only she knew how much she was like her father, and how much she loathed him for it.
She quickly looked up when the stallion spoke to her. "Hello." She smiled, happy to have somebody's attention.
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 6:53 am
Oliver grinned foolishly. She hadn't dismissed him as of yet, which was a good sign. And for the moment, the palindromes had stopped; his mind was at a complete standstill, his brown eyes focused on the mare and sparking just ever so slightly.
"T-t-terribly so-sorry to distu-urb you, Miss," he managed to choke out awkwardly. "But I-i-i-i noticed you from afar, a-a-and..." And what? Thought that she wouldn't make fun of him for being slightly awkward? Did he think she'd be fun to compose with? What was he doing there?
He collected himself and tried again. "I noticed you from afar, and decided I should come say hi." There. Not to creepy stalker-like, not too uncaring. Perfect.
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 7:09 am
Dusty wasn't exactly sure why he was stuttering. I'm just so beautiful he can't think of what to say. That was it. She was just too beautiful. Her blue eyes examined him curiously. He's a little odd... Looks like he's got spots of pitch everywhere, but I guess that's alright. Something glimmering in the sunlight caught her eye. What's that?
She moved closer to him in curiosity to find that his mane was tied together with a silver band. Well I suppose that isn't bad. Makes him look kind of... cute, I guess.
"Disturb me? Of course not. I can always use the company. In fact, I'm quite glad you came over here. I was getting quite lonely."
The mare looked back at the flower in her tail. Still perfect.
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 7:19 am
Oliver smiled and even managed to laugh a little. Whew, now that he knew that he was not bothering the mare, he felt a little better about coming over. He relaxed slightly, allowing his mane, though it was tied like his fathers, to hang near his face.
"Madam, in Eden I'm Adam," said Oliver after a moment, using one of his favorite palindromes. "But most call me Oliver." Already, he was feeling much more comfortable, and decided to stretch one of his back legs slightly. He had injured it not too long before, when he had a particularly nasty run-in with one of his teepee-mates, and it felt a little stiff when he stood perfectly still.
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 8:04 am
Dusty thought a bit of the first phrase, noticing what it was after a while. Instead of replying with a palindrome of her own, she giggled. "Well met, Oliver. I'm Dusty Trails. But please, call me Dusty."
Introducing herself ended up reminding her of what an awful name Dusty Trails was. To be named after something so annoying and unworthy of existance was surely some sort of crime. She thought for another moment before checking on her flower again. You're still perfect.
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 8:15 am
Oliver grinned and nodded. "Dusty it is, then," he said quickly. He tried to remember a line he had once heard, about a rose and a name... but wait, she didn't have roses on her, but delicate blue flowers. The line wouldn't make sense, saying something about a rose. Jeez.
"So, what're you doing way out here?" he asked after a moment, craning his neck around and watching a bird that had landed on the skeletal sapling. "I mean, all by yourself and all."
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 8:30 am
Dusty wasn't exactly sure how to answer his question. Well, what are you doing out here, Dusty? All by your lonesome? You could tell him that you're exploring, but that would be lying. Or you could say that you're looking for more orchids to put in your hair. That's a lie too. What on earth am I doing out here?
"Well, I thought I'd go for a walk. Haven't been able to get out much lately. That and I thought I'd say goodbye to the snow. I've never been out when there wasn't snow." This was both a lie and the truth. She hadn't left the teepee to go for a walk. Instead, she'd left in hopes of finding a stallion to woo her and pay attention. However, she hadn't seen the ground without snow. Once again, she looked back at her orchid, finding it falling out. Great. The mare fixed it and looked to the flowers on her shoulders, finding one of them falling out as well. She left this one, for trying to fix it would end up in a silly display that would more than likely end up with the stallion laughing at her.
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 8:59 am
Oliver watched Dusty adjust her flowers, his tail flicking back and forth. When she skipped over one that had been falling, he stepped forward.
"Mind if I...?" he said, trailing off as he pulled one of the blue flowers back to its regular place. He smiled and backed up, examining the mare more closely now. Her coat almost seemed marbled, with the white details accenting her perfectly. The blue orchids contrasted her brilliantly white and dusty brown mane and tail, making them seem more delicate and beautiful than if they had been by themselves, and her blue eyes almost pulled Oliver into her.
"That better?" he asked quietly after a moment.
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 9:44 am
Dusty watched him as he adjusted the orchid. She wasn't sure how to react. Hesitantly while Oliver was already fixing it, she quietly answered. "Not at all..."
The mare inspected it once he stepped away, smiling and nodding in approval. "Much better. Thank you." Her blue eyes wandered toward the ground momentarily, trying their best not to glare at the disgusting gray snow. Glaring causes crow's feet, frowning causes other wrinkles. Just stop that. With this, she looked back up at him, not sure what to say.
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Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 5:54 pm
Oliver smiled and nodded his head. "No problem," he said kindly, following her gaze to the dirty snow.
"Nasty stuff, isn't it?" he asked, kicking a little bit of it off of his hoof and sending it behind him. "I like it better when it's powdery and white instead of sticky and gray." He smiled. "It'll melt soon, and reveal the most beautiful flowers. Like yours," he added quietly. He stared at the ground for a moment, trying to see through the snow and the mud to visualize the dazzling blue and yellow flowers that would bloom in a few months' time.
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Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 6:21 pm
Dusty nodded. "It's dreadful. I haven't really seen the ground without it, though." Her cheeks showed a light shade of pink when he commented on her flowers. When they began to warm, it took her a moment to figure out why. Don't do that. You know your flowers are gorgeous already. You don't need him to tell you that. Stop blushing. Once she collected her thoughts, she checked on her flowers again. She pulled a strand of her mane off of one and smiled cheerily at the stallion. "So, Oliver, how long have you been in the Soquili lands?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 1:06 pm
Oliver thought back to when he had indeed first stepped foot in the Soquili lands. He remembered his father being right there with him, his mother tending to his siblings. It was slightly chilly out, but not enough for him to shiver.
"The first fallen leaf of autumn had just hit the ground," he said, a hint of nostalgia commanding his smooth voice. "So around eight months' time seems about right." He grinned. "What about you? You said you'd only seen snow and nothing underneath. I can't imagine what it would be like to not smell the rich scent of autumn and late summer."
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