|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 2:30 pm
Glancing around the group, he saw his siblings lazing under a tree. Well, Sedna was; Rhinel appeared to be trying to get her to play a game. Hanyx was there, too. Malachi frowned. Their mother must not be far away, but he couldn't see her.
His breath caught in his throat for a moment, and he felt tears well up in his eyes again - why, he didn't understand why - but then he saw her. His expression of relief was almost a smile, and, ignoring the young stallion who was approaching him to ask some question, he galloped over to the spotted mare whose eyes he had inherited. She was with some others, but, for once, he didn't care about interrupting them. The ble colt came up to his mother from behind, halting a short distance away. "...Momma?"
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 5:37 am
He’d gone out exploring alone today, hadn’t he? Had something gone wrong? He didn’t look as though he was hurt, much to her relief, but obviously something wasn’t right with her usually cheerful boy. “Did something happen to you out there?” the splotched Aeri asked, nuzzling him again and wondering if perhaps she should have told him not to go. D’ob was usually so safe, she couldn’t ever remember having trouble with unsavory characters... but then she’d always remained within the herd’s lands, hadn’t she? Learning to be a good second to her brother had taken up all of her time, she hadn’t even considered exploring the wider world until... Well until she’d met Hasani actually, and it would take a damn fool to tangle with two very large Aeri.
She remembered the odd incidents of injured Nequus staying with her herd for a time then, recalled the fact that the Black Devils were still around somewhere. It was obvious that the world wasn’t perfectly safe even in D’ob but she’d thought... she’d thought he’d be alright.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 6:07 am
For several moments, Malachi did nothing but snuggle closer to his mother, comforted by her warmth and closeness. Then, with a small sigh, he stepped back. He nodded, then shrugged. "I... met someone. She said her name was Verity, but I don't think it was. She seemed really nice, but..." The colt trailed off, looking down. How to explain without repeating it all? He could remember so clearly what the Jala mare had said, but he didn't want to have to say it.
He couldn't say it. He closed his eyes, shaking his head, and swallowed hard. "She said some... horrible things," he concluded in a whisper. "An' I don't know if they were true, but, she said - she scared me, and then she just left, and I didn't know what to do." But you will, right? was the silent expectation in his eyes as he gazed up at his mother. He wanted answers. He needed answers. He needed to understand.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 6:17 am
The tall mare nudged her son again before turning and putting a wing over his back. “Come on dear,” she said with a soft smile, “let’s go and fine somewhere comfortable to settle down, shall we?” Verity. Almost any other name might have passed her by, but Verity? The mare had gone and called herself truth? If she ever found the b***h she’d beat her into the grass before having her skinned and her pelt used as a bed.
On coming to the comfortable shade of a tall elppa tree, Nyx settled down in the grass with a sigh and wondered what to say to her son. Obviously whatever ‘Verity’ had told him had been horrible... but there wasn’t a lot she could do about it until she knew more or less what had passed between her son and the foul beast. “Tell me what happened, love,” Nyx said, nuzzling her son again and hoping that it was something she could go some way to fixing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 6:39 am
Malachi laid down next to her with a sigh. "Well..." There was no way to avoid saying it, really. He'd best start at the beginning.
"I saw her - saw a Jala mare, that is, with a blue and white coat - when I was exploring over that way," he began, indicating the direction he meant with a flick of one wing. "An' I thought I'd go over and say hello, and she seemed nice, but she was looking for water, and seein' as she was new to the area she asked me for help. I didn't really know... I mean, I'd never been there before, but I thought I knew where we could find some. And we did find it!" He looked up at his mother, pleased with himself for that despite everything that had happened afterwards.
"Verity asked if I want to explore the bit of woods we'd found. I said yes, and she... she just changed." Malachi frowned, unable to describe exactly how she'd changed, and unable to think clearly enough about it to put it into words. The rest of his sentence came out in a rush. "She called me brat, and said she'd make me a slave an' pull my tongue out, an' that if I wasn't careful someone'd - would - stove my face in..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 7:09 am
For a few moments Nyx was shocked into silence at her son’s story; it was beyond belief that anyone would do that to a child! Slavery, violence, Gods knew what else she’d threatened him with. “If she tried anything of the kind,” the tall mare said eventually with a hint of growl in her usually soft voice, “I would beat the living daylights out of her... Did you see which way she went?” It might be worth sending a small patrol out to deal with this Verity creature. Such a monster shouldn’t be allowed to just wander about the place. She had used Malachi, used him and then not only abandoned him once she’d got what she wanted about abused him too. Nyx couldn’t recall seeing the blue colt like this ever before, and if she had anything to say about it, this Verity would pay.
“What did she look like, beyond blue and white I mean,” the splotched Aeri asked after a moment, “even if I can’t do anything about her, it might be best to warn people there’s a poisonous beast wandering about the place, wouldn’t want anyone else meeting her unaware of what she is.” Yes, that would work alright; if she could pass out such a warning, perhaps other people would find and punish the mare for what she’d done.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 7:33 am
Malachi wasn't sure whether to be scared or pleased by the hint of threat in his mother's voice. He wasn't sure if he wanted that to happen to Verity... but in any case, he couldn't help. He shook his head. "She flew downstream from where we were, but I'd have to back to that... oh! She said she came from the west. I think. Somewhere... somewhere not as rich, not as Lush as D'ob..." He looked up hopefully, with no idea whether that had actually helped.
"As for what she looked... uh... well, tall, and she had these..." Malachi shifted awkwardly, then sighed. He didn't want her to fool anyone else. He didn't want anyone else to get involved with her if they could help it. "She had like tear-drop white markings under her eyes. I thought it was pretty," he added quietly.
I thought she was pretty... he realised dimly, and I wondered if her daughter was too. I can't believe I thought that. He shifted again, closer to his mother, nuzzling her affectionately.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 12:19 pm
Nyx groaned at her son’s description and shook her head slightly. “A Katilenuck. What in Urin persauded one of those idiots to come down off their mountain? No wonder she was such a beast; they don’t see us as people you know.” Perhaps she’d said, in among everything else, what she thought of other breeds. She would definitely have to tell the border guards to pass the word out on this Katilenuck, this Verity.
“If you can help it,” the tall mare went on after a moment with a slight smile to her son, “don’t pay too much mind to what she said. By the sounds of it she just wanted to hurt you, so I doubt there was much truth in her words.” Other than the bit about slavery of course, but she didn’t need to go on about that just now if Malachi didn’t bring the matter up himself. There was little in the world fouler than slavery, but handrakai Katilenuck was one of them. The less her children had to hear of them until they were grown the better.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 2:31 pm
"A Katilenuck..." Malachi repeatedly quietly. "She said she was from a big herd... I guess that's its name then." And he had thought it sounded like a nice place she was from. If it was full of Nequus like her - who thought he was not really a person - it would definitely not be nice. The dark-coated colt felt momentarily bereaved, ripped away from a place he'd never visited, never known - that hadn't really ever existed except in his mind.
His mother's smile sank in before the rest of her words, and he was smiling back until he realised what she'd said. It faded, to be replaced by a frown, and hesitantly he asked, "But Momma - if Verity's like that, there must be others like her too...? She said D'ob was dangerous. She said there were people who'd want to hurt me. Not just her, I mean." Although she said if she saw me again... Malachi shivered, although the day was not cold.
He wanted to believe his mother, he really did, but he couldn't help thinking of Verity's words. He couldn't help thinking that some of them, at least, must be true.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 3:11 pm
Nyx found herself pausing at that, trying to think of a response. Eventually, she said; “Nowhere in the world is perfectly safe, but D’ob is one of the safest. Bad Nequus are out there but they’re few and far between really and honestly... Well somebody like Verity, or whoever she was, are big exceptions to the norm. Some adults might get annoyed with you and give you a n**, chase you off but there are very, very few who would do you real harm.” What else could she say? There were some people in the world who would harm a foal, she’d known that letting him go off alone but there were so few. It wasn’t fair that he’d met one on his first solo excursion.
“I don’t know what to suggest to you dear,” the tall mare said eventually with a soft sigh, “as I’ve told you, most people out there really are decent but there are nasty piece of work too... I suppose meeting them is a risk we take when we go away from the safety of the herd but... I swear, there really are few of them.” She thought. She’d left the herd, what, twice? Yes. ...But still, she got a lot of news and stories from travelers. The world wasn’t really such a terrible place on the whole.
Sighing again, the large mare gave her son another nuzzling. “It’s a big world out there, and the nasty bits of it might be tough to deal with right now, but believe me there aren’t all that many bad bits, and those that there are you’ll have far less trouble with once you’re grown a bit. There’s not many out there willing to start a fight with an Aeri just for the sake of a fight, you know.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 3:28 pm
He nuzzled back, and smiled - properly, this time. "Yeah - I'll be tall when I'm older, so hopefully I might look a bit scary." His smile, that was almost a grin, faded as an idea occurred to him. "Momma - I think I want to learn how to protect myself. Like, how to fight. I mean I know I won't be any good at it, but when I'm older I might... If I ever meet anyone who does start a fight, I don't want to not be able to defend myself." He looked up at her with unaccustomedly serious blue eyes.
Although he knew that he was just a foal, and a clumsy and awkward one at that, if he could protect himself even a little he might feel better about going off exploring alone again. Right now he wasn't sure which was stronger: the pull of the unknown, the desire to see new places and new things - or the fear of those that were like Verity. Those that might be worse.
It was good that his mother had admitted that there were some nequus who were like that, though. It had scared him more when he hadn't been sure who to believe. Now he could believe them both; and he believed her far more than Verity, when he thought about it. She had just been trying to scare him. Maybe that was what it was like amongst those Katilenuck, but his momma was right - here they were a minority. He was sure of it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 3:37 pm
The tall mare nodded to her son’s words and smiled approvingly at him. “Being able to fight has certainly saved my hide once or twice, and I suppose it’s never too early to start learning. I could teach you myself if you’d like, but I’m no expert; I’m pretty good but... not really good enough to teach if that makes sense. First thing tomorrow, I’ll talk to captain Seran and see about getting you some training, see if he thinks I could do a decent job or if he can assign somebody or... whatever he wants I suppose, he’s the expert. I can make the offer general to your siblings too, if you like, I think Sedna and Rhinel at least would be interested.” it might be nicer for him not to be the only one learning, and having people of his own level to practice with would probably be a great help actually. She’d have to ask Seran about it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 9:20 am
Malachi pulled a face. "Yeah, I bet they would." It wasn't that he didn't want his siblings to have the chance to join in, it was just that he would probably have to explain why he'd had the idea in the first place, and that could be awkward. Rhinel would think he was silly, and Sedna would probably laugh at him, and... the blue colt sighed. He would have to tell them at some point, but he wanted to put that off if he could. Until he could think of a way to not look stupid in front of them whilst explaining.
"Momma," he asked hesitantly, "could you... pretend it's your idea? I don't... I don't want to tell the others. You can tell dad, though," he added, although he suspected she'd have done that with or without his agreement, "and... well, you can tell whoever you need to warn, too." He hoped she could avoid making him look too stupid when she did it; after all, it wasn't his fault. Not all his fault. He could never have guessed that 'Verity' would change like that... but he wouldn't take strangers at face value again, that was for sure. He would be much more careful in future.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 12:39 pm
Nyx smiled at her son an nodded, understanding his sentiment. “Of course dear; it was somewhere on my to do list in any case but kept getting pushed to the bottom, I didn’t want to ask any of you to start so young but, well they do say that foals learn best. I’ll tell them that... that after you ran into Verity, I felt it would be best for all of you to have the chance to learn how to defend yourselves... Or if you prefer, I can let it be said that’d I’d simply heard of Verity from a reliable source?”
As to telling Hasani... She’d think about it. She wanted to be truthful with her mate but he was so... so... protective. After what had happened to his last family she could perfectly understand the blue stallion wanting to race off and hunt the Katilenuck mare down and that might not end well. She didn’t want to see him, or indeed her entire family or herd, targeted by the brindled herd because her mate had attacked one of their members.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 1:05 pm
There was something strange about hearing that name, Verity, from his mother's lips. Malachi knew it probably wasn't her real name, and so it felt weird to use it. The blue-and-white mare had become her in his head, no more. ...And yet he still felt an odd sort of possessiveness about her, about that name in particular, and he frowned to himself. He couldn't figure it out.
There was no point worrying about that, though. Malachi shrugged and shook his head, turning his thoughts back to his mother's question. "I don't mind... You can tell the grown-ups about Verity, if you like, you can tell them that I met her, but... I don't want to have t'tell Rhinel and Sedna and Hanyx about her." He looked up with wide eyes. "Y'can tell them that you heard about her from a reliable source, or whatever... I don't know." He shrugged again, and this time he was smiling.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
