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 Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:11 pm
The moon wasn't out. The air had a bite, and a wind was threatening to whip up and tear her feet from their holds. But the stars were about, twinkling, shiny and overall being cheery while actually sealing some poor sods doom. Zara had made an agreement with the stars. They were not to twinkle too brightly and she was not to scorn them.
So the stars and she had an agreement. The sound of laughter escaped into the valley as she slipped. A rock when jumping and skipping down the path before tumulting over the edge to meet its doom. Zara slid to a stop, sending dust in all directions and tiptoed over to the edge. She peered over and turned her head to the side and gave a nod and a grin only when the distinctive plunk of a rock hitting water at far distance reached her ears.
The flash floods had come only a week ago. The fields were now replenished. Grass, flowers, all of that spunky happiness that Zara loathed was now about. But the grass, for its part, tasted good, and as long as Zara could hear those rushing torrents down beneath her, she was a happy sort.
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Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:32 pm
 The moonless night and darkened skies were the best companions for those individuals who enjoyed the morbid fascination of the deepest corners to their mind. Ka was one of those sorts. Although he didn't make a habit to skulk around in the shadows like a common criminal, he did enjoy the solitude of the late hours. It allowed him to get a grasp on reality, or at least what he considered his reality. He wasn't so egotistical to consider it everyone's little piece of paradise.
As the prince took a long pause to consider his current situation with family, and the parallel subject of power within the herd, a few distinct sounds in the otherwise quiet night drew his attention. Scuffing hooves against the dusty ground, something skidding, and he wasn't hard pressed to pinpoint just what had gone on. Somebody, he wasn't sure who at the moment, had just slipped. And considering he hadn't heard a scream or a larger splash he assumed whoever it was hadn't fallen over.
Still the brindled buckskin loosed a low, melodic laughter that drifted away from his position on a nearby ledge. Whoever that was, had gotten very lucky, but it amused him none the less.
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Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:39 pm
Zara jerked her head up and scanned the area with interested eyes. That was a man's voice. Or perhaps it was just a boys. Either way. Fun.
Throwing caution to the wind, she jump from the clifface and snapped her wings open. It took her little time to locate the place where the sound had come from. It would be stupid for anyone else.
Oh-ho. It was Princey-boy. Out for a little stroll, was he? Princey-boy should have been careful. Although not as careful as his little sissy. Who knew who wanted their blood. And no slaves and no body-guards? Shameful.
"Morning, Nighttime, something to you, hallah," she said with a prickled voice as she landed in moderate grace a little ways away.
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Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 10:07 pm
By then, as whomever it was unfurled their wings against the dotted sky, it was easy for him to make out the shape. And the pale, pinto coloring. He wasn't quite fond of the pattern, but then that's only because it reminded him of his mother's adviser.
Speaking of which. As the figure took up residence not far away and the mare's voice, no scratch that, the girl's voice was heard he was fairly certain of her bloodline. Figures. It wasn't the tactitian either, the owner was much younger. And perhaps a fair bit unwelcomed.
Screw formalities, he saw no point in them now. "A far greater something to you, Girly." Zara. He hadn't met her before, but as a royal he had the duty of learning everyone's names at the very least. Their bloodlines as well if he was feeling particularly observant. "I suppose I'm glad you hadn't the misfortune of plumeting to your death", although his words were malicious, the tone was off-handed and almost aloof. After all he couldn't say he down right hated anyone but Mavasu and Yi if he was having a particularly hard of it.
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Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 10:16 pm
The term 'girly' caused her to grin. It wasn't one of those young child's grins, or the particularily 'I'm excited to see you' grins. It was a 'I'd love to sink my teeth into your hind' grins.
"Ah, yes, I'm sorry, Prince. My excitement is getting the better of me. Forgive my rudeness, Kahallah."
The next words surprised her, though. "Oh?" she said as she moved back over to the edge and gave it another look. She spread out a wing and looked between it and the drop. There was a loud laugh. "I would have to be half-dead to plummet to my death." She spread her wings and gave them a flap as if to enunciate this fact.
"Am I bothering you Kahallah? Should I leave?" It was a test. How, how, how would he treat the commoners. She would love to know. Her smile and the flash in her eye told all.
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Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 11:19 pm
Oh how he loved that look on her face. The tall stallion couldn't help but return it with a lopsided smirk, quite pleased.
He snorted half-heartedly as she exceedingly 'appoligized' for being rude; he'd rather not feign the need to be formal. Not when the dark sky above offered such a promising night. "Ah, but I prefer excitement", he quirped with a roll of his eyes.
Course the buckskin gave another melodic, low laugh that was more a chuckle as she demonstrated the use of her wings. "Indeed, but I presumed you were half-dead. Who else would be careless enough to walk these paths at night unless they're half-dead or half-crazed?" he raised his brow challengingly, almost expecting her to refute him. And what did that make prince Ka? The later, he wasn't feeling very dead this evening.
"Should you leave?" The stallion took a large step towards the painted mare, enough to close some of the distance but not quite enough to invade whatever little bubble she might have. "I can't say whether you should or shouldn't, but I'd rather you not. You're much more amusing when you're around." What other sort of witty banter would she come up with next? He was practically daring her to continue. Although the stallion did raise his head to gaze at her with an almost sarcastic expression. "Why? I'm not too scary, I'd hope." With a reputation like his, he couldn't help but toy with the subject.
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 12:27 pm
Princey-boy had a sense of humor. Just to send that humor running, she gave him a wink and turned her expression slightly dark.
There was a long, cheered laugh as he talked about being half crazed and she dropped from the precipice only to come back a few moments later with wings flapping to land on his other side.
"And here I thought you wouldn't like the company of a commoner like me." Perhaps not commoner. She did get to wield the army like little pawns, and it was delightful.
She stretched out her neck and her body. Tendons and bones snapped and popped in her wings as they realigned.
"Scary, prince?" She snorted. "I've found rocks scarier than you, no offence. But maybe I'm just charmed by your looks." She offered him a wink and then slipped past behind him. He could easily kick her hard in the ribs if he wanted. In fact, she was almost daring him too. The feathers that brushed him were certainly a second invitation to put her in her place. But just as soon as she passed, she was skidding and walking down the paths again.
"I want to go hear the rush of the river. Care to come with me?"
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 1:22 pm
Quite the little daredevil this one was he noted as she sprang from the ledge only to land again. "Most hardly have the backbone to speak with me before they slink off with bows here and hallahs there," the prince chuckled, flashing a rueful grin as he did so. No, he's never quite had any fun with commoners; but Zara might be careful. Only with the soldiers could Ka jest so openly and venomously with; and soldiers often times found themselves in spars with prince Ka.
As she proceeded to walk around behind him, the prince cocked a hind just to entertain the idea that indeed he could kick her if he so had the whim to do so. "And perhaps I'm simply striken by your lovely personality", the buckskin returned, quirking his muzzle to the side in a such a way he almost seemed genuine; had it not been for the malicious smirk that played upon his muzzle.
He noticed as well, with some interest, that she began down the winding path again. However, he gave a rather devilish bark of a laugh as he forced a hard leap and powerful thrusts from his wingblades. Ultimately the stallion landed in front of her, stopping short so as she'd bump into the back of him if she didn't watch it. "The river, huh? You sure you don't want me to just push you over? You'd get there much faster," he jested with a harsh snort of laughter, throwing a satsified smirk over his shoulder as he walked forward nonetheless.
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 1:28 pm
Zara stopped as he landed. The look she gave him seemed uncertain. Her expression played upon terrified. She gave a look to the right and flattened her ears at the view.
They slowly raised again as she turned her eyes towards him. Her voice was flat and even. It showed little wavering.
"Do you want to?" She stepped over to the side and looked back at him. "I'd pull you with me, of course. It would be a romantic way to die. . . " A smile slowly snaked its way over her lips as she softened her gaze towards him.
"I've always wanted to die in romance. Maybe they'd call it lover's leap."
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 1:55 pm
He paused as she did not follow him, and craned his neck to watch the play of expression from both her features and her ears. Body language was about as important, if not more so, as the things nequus said. However, as she stepped over to the ledge he turned around to face her; carefully as it wasn't at all as wide as most of the other paths traveled on far more frequently.
His expression was somewhat vague, remote even, as the smirk wiped itself from his muzzle. Prince Ka, outcast and betrayed Ka as he somtimes refered to himself, stepped his way up to her. The tall stallion too glanced over the side of the ledge as he did so. When he stopped he was shoulder to shoulder with her, taking the inside track and peering over her back down into the dark abyss. If he had wanted to, surely if it had been on his mind, all he would have needed to do was merely throw his weight against her; and then she'd tumble over the side.
But the prince remained still, unwavering despite how close they were, when he spoke all hints of previous humor were a mere whisper compared to his usual tone of voice. "A lover's leap, you say? I'll consider it." With the little room available on the path, especially side to side like this, Ka kept himself disciplinedly still. A brief moment of silence as he regarded the ledge, and the stallion took a single step back, enough to where he could pull his head up and place it near her ear.
"I have too many things to do before I die, but perhaps..." Perhaps she did not. He could have finished that sentence, but it wasn't in his best interest to really terrify her to the point she wouldn't speak to him again. She was interesting, fun even to mess with. The buckskin then back stepped the rest of the way to give her space on the path if she no longer wanted to court the edge. "Flying will get us down there sooner." His expression softened a bit from its sterness, and the stallion then rushed the ledge on his own and leapt.
His wings opened in a flurry, whether she followed or not, was her decision.
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 2:04 pm
Princey-boy liked to play games, too, did he? How amusing. Still, Zara kept her expressions tamed as his breath hit her ear.
She even had the knowledge to close her eyes and let her muscles relax all over. Let him think he was wooing her and had her within his clutches. He half did. She wouldn't turn him down.
But who would she turn down?
"But perhaps. . .?" she encouraged, but before another word could be uttered, he was spiralling downwards on golden-striped wings.
She snorted and thought about it. He had to have been dreaming. That fall? It was nasty. And the canyon narrowed up. It would be impossible to fly towards the bottom. It was not wide enough for their wingspans.
Still, it would be fun to see his rotting body at the bottom and tell the herd what a horrible tragedy had struck them. "You have to be half-crazed or half-dead!" she shouted off after him with a laugh and jumped.
But she didn't jump after him, instead she went skidding and sliding down the path, even once daring to use her wings as a balance and skip an entire switchback. She wondered if she could get down there before his corpse. Doubtful, but, maybe.
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 2:25 pm
He had always been a reckless sort, but not that reckless. His wings had opened for a few spirals down, yet they acted as a buffer as his hooves touched the slanted sides of the canyon once that would have been their slow path down again. Had she indeed followed him? He imagined a tactition wouldn't have likely leapt and flown the canyon as he said he would. All the while though, the rush of such a sentiment was more thrilling than talk of 'lover's leaps' and that charade. In truth if he wanted a mare, he could probably get any in the herd he wanted. No need to even entertain the idea just yet.
"Half-crazed!" the stallion bellowed back up, however deeply concentrated on the way down. He could not afford to throw a look over his shoulder toward her. If he allowed his mind to slip now, he could quite possibly make a terrible mistake in his footing.
When it was possible to find a stopping point close enough down to the river Ka stabbed his hooves into the ground at close intervals before stepping again to avoid coming to a sudden stop. His wings as well acted to slow himself as he gave them several practiced beats. The result was a sudden yet slow halt on a realtively even ledge. Only then did he glance over his shoulder to watch for the painted mare.
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 2:41 pm
"Chicken," she growled as she actually had to leap over him when she came barelling down the sheerside.
The roar of the water was already in her ears and she had to slam her feet deeply into the narrow precipice to keep from toppling too far and actually falling to her death.
Heavily breathing with wide eyes towards the river not far below them, Zara could see the currents rush and boil. Nothing. Nothing would survive if they hit that brown and churning whitewash.
The canyon itself was moderately spacious to walk in - if it hadn't been for the giant flashfood river swimming through, that was. It was only their massive wingspans that kept them from flying down to the tight space.
Her knees hurt from having to jump over him and her head was swimming. But it was a good sort.
"All that water and not a drop to drink," she whispered, flicking an ear back to Ka to see what he had planned.
When she turned her head to look at him, she saw that trying to stop had left some of his hooves quite sheared. "More like all-crazed." With that she continued the rest of the way slowly.
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 3:04 pm
He's knees had taken quite a shock, but that feeling was nothing new. However looking back up toward the top of the canyon he had to laugh. Indeed, the canyon was too narrow for their wings, so if Zara had actually fallen over in the first place she likely wouldn't have been able to fly back up as she had demonstrated to him earlier. Such irony, he thought.
"Probably," he replied, turning his gaze to the river below instead of the mare before him. For the sort of things that had been swimming through his head lately, he'd have to be crazy. He could of course feel the difference to his hooves, but he had been right about one thing. This night had promised to be interesting.
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 3:12 pm
Zara wasn't sure she liked this silence.
It made people content and she didn't want anyone to be content. There were always more things to do, and exciting things to happen.
"What do you say we make this night worthwhile?" she asked, her eyes hardset on his form as she travelled them down the length of his back.
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