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 Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 1:08 pm
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 1:11 pm
“Scarlet! Scarlet! Where are you?” The slightly panicked voice carried across the warm wind riding it like a leaf on the water. It’s owner was a blue mare covered in dotted swirls and stripes. Her clear blue eyes were wide with worry as she made her was across the river heading through the village and towards the lake.
It had been scarcely a week since Dark had been attacked by what he described as the ‘crazy kid of Krad’. This description was shortly followed by demanding to know why Lunathiel had sent his son to live with him and with the thief retelling what had happened exactly. The older mare wouldn’t have cared for his story at all had it just been about him and Krad. She was well aware that the two had a very strange relationship. From what Dark said, however, it was fairly clear that Krad’s daughter had taken interest in Scarlet Wing for some reason. Why that was she didn’t want to know and so here she was, searching for the mare that was quite good at disappearing.
“Dammit Scarlet where are you?!” She cried more frantically this time. “Answer me already!”
“I’m right here.” Came the ghostly reply not three seconds later. Lunathiel’s head turned sharply towards the voice and saw the red butterfly mare standing in knee deep lake water. After letting out a sigh of relief to see her, the blue mare turned and made a bee-line towards the other.
“You scared me Scarlet...” She said stepping in to the cool water. It felt nice after spending the last hour darting about trying to find a ghost. Lids closed slightly over brown eyes as the younger mare frowned, expressing her apology. She did not turn to look at her caretaker, however, and instead kept her eyes focused on the mountains in the distance. This was unusual behavior for her and it did not go unnoticed. “Scarlet...tell me what you’re doing...”
“Looking. Thinking...” The answer alone was enough to worry the dotted mare. Scarlet didn’t think from what she could tell. Not for herself at any rate. The poor thing did what she was told and said what she was told to say.
“And what are you thinking about?”
“Mountains...home...” More red flags were going off. Between her own observations of the mare and Dark’s they were fairly sure that Scarlet had originally come from the mountains, despite Ayden insisting that she was some sort of lake fairy. They were pretty sure of it but neither of them had told her about it. No one had. Was it possible that she had remembered after all this time? If she had there was no point keeping quiet about it.
“Right...they’re your home...” She said quietly a frown playing across her features. Even if she confirmed that they had once been her home things didn’t change. The mountains were massive and they had no clues to point at which peak she had come from and even a single peak was huge. There was no way to bring her back even if they wanted to. There was really no conceivable way to find out what had happened to her.
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Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 9:33 am
The world had not been quiet, the whispers of the land no longer came in lulls and tides. On the contrary there had been a dramatic shift and the spirits now shrieked in his ears and demanded his attention immediately. He was no longer a free creature in their eyes, he was a vessel and a method of communication. Since he had returned to the realms of the living he had grown decidedly more agitated by their constant mutterings and musings. Apparently as the generations of soquili had degenerated into idiots, so too had the spirits that guided and toyed with their lives. It was pathetic and none would have found it surprising that the stallions expression was one of a disapproving frown beneath masses of hair had they known of this thought process. Consequently there were few how could pry into the depths of his mind with such precision and even the spirits remained oblivious to a degree. They were a thorn in his side and he was beyond the point of patience - combine their ridiculous wailing with his already troubled thoughts and it led for a decidedly unimpressed stallion.
He had not yet made use of threats but he was getting near the point - if they uttered one more observation he would silence them and return to his grove. Screw the Kawani, he was perfectly happy slumbering in his cave with his thoughts and musings to himself. He was doing them a favour by even walking into the world once more, to be treated like a simple tool was not appreciated. That being said he supposed that it didn't help that so many of his kind had sunk to the levels in which they had the emotional capabilities of a plank of wood...let alone the intelligence of one.
Not impressed.
Consequently it was with a rather lack-lustre approach to the lowlands that he wandered idly through the long grasses. His large bulk thrust through the meadows and every now and then he would pause to take note of the bird song. His ears swivelled here and there but he made no attempts to disturb the soquili dotted around the area. He was fairly certain that the bells had sounded upon his approach and those who required him would find him...those that feared him would make themselves scarce. This in mind, the rather massive Angeni continued meandering towards his next 'destination' while he shuffled through the spiritual chatter and dealt with the issues he considered important while chucking the other issues out.
...Really, it was not his bloody concern what colour daffodils should be and whether or not they should all conform to the same colour. He couldn't even SEE the damn daffodils!
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Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 10:54 am
Tan ears flicked backwards gently as brown eyes widened a fraction. Moving so slowly that it wasn’t even noticeable the petit mare turned her head. Once Lunathiel found that she was being stared at she finally noticed that Scarlet had moved. The butterfly mare’s ghostly movements were something impossible to get completely used to. Still, the older mare had grown more or less accustomed to them, at least to the point that she had stopped jumping when Scarlet appeared beside her silently or anything like it.
“What is it, Scarlet?” Lunathiel asked a bit of humor in her voice. She could not help but find the look on the tan mare’s face funny. As she watched her ears swivel back and forth she began to wonder what was up for real. “Scarlet? Tell me what you’re listening to...”
“Bells...” Lunathiel blinked. Bells? She couldn’t hear anything. Closing her eyes she focused on hearing anything around her but still couldn’t. She felt the water move around her and when she opened her eyes once again the little mare had gone missing.
“Scarlet?” The half soaked mare was on the shore and she was on the move. “Scarlet! Wait. I don’t hear anything.” She called scrambling for the thread. There were times when she really wished Scarlet didn’t act like she was hollow. Especially during times when that hollow nature seemingly gave her rather unnatural walking speed. The girl was already several lengths ahead of the blue mare. She trotted after her and suddenly she heard them, bells. She stopped and simply listened for a moment. Where were they coming from? She didn’t know.
Scarlet didn’t either but she was following them anyway. Her feet carried her swiftly and softly over the ground tracking the soft sound. She didn’t know where it was coming from but in her heart she had the feeling that it was something special. Something important. She followed the sound blindly completely unaware of Lunathiel trailing after her calling her name over and over. Until, that was, something wonderful and strange appeared before her eyes. A great black figure that seemed to be made entirely of hair or fur was shuffling about before her.
She said nothing, only stared for a moment before lowering her eyes. The blue mare, however, was far from silent. “Scarlet!” She called and then once more trying to locate the little one once more that she had just lost sight of.
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Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 9:34 am
Whether Scarlet had been loud in her approach or stealthy, she would not have gone unnoticed. Call it instinct but the hairs on the stallion's neck had prickled slightly and his ears had swivelled. Heightened senses were a given for the 'blind', his hearing and other senses had become so strong that a creature preparing to utter 'boo' would be greeted long before they opened their mouth to announce their arrival. Consequently he had already drawn to a halt as he felt the shiver down his spine and he had remained still and expectant. Alas, whatever had chosen to approach him had hesitated for the distance between them did not close and they didn't make themselves at all known to him.
Hmmm...
He cleared his throat softly and continued to wait, an action that was to pay off. No sooner had his ears swivelled away from the previous noise than they were drawn back to it. The addition of another in the area, combined with her alarmed voice had disturbed the tranquility of the meadow. However it was to his advantage as the words seemed to click and the spirits paused in their arguments to whisper and murmur their opinions on this situation. They confirmed that there was one nearby him and they also confirmed that the name that had crept across the breeze was connected to her as well - admittedly they didn't explain how but he could take a stab in the dark at it (excusing the pun of course).
Shifting his weight the stallion at last turned his head towards where the petite mare was standing and while he remained in place he did open his mouth to address him. From the depths of his chest an ethereal voice rose up and escaped through his parted lips, "One should not stare towards their hooves in hesitation when they are met with the opportunity to find an answer to their queries." It had been the spider that had explained how she was standing shortly after the spirits had spoken, it had poked it's way out of his mane and confirmed as much.
"You are Scarlet, I assume."
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Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 9:37 am
“Understood.” It took less then a second for Scarlet to adjust her position to something that the other would find suitable. She lifted her head to look in the area she hoped his eyes were. It was somewhat hard to tell their exact location under all his hair. At the sound of her name her ears twitched and for a while she stood silently wondering if that required an answer. Finally she nodded her head and responded with a simple, “Yes.”
It was at this moment that Lunathiel appeared behind the tan mare seeming a bit flustered. Seeing Scarlet she let out a sigh of relief then sucked in a deep uncertain breath seeing the black stranger. For a second she considered dragging Scarlet away as quickly as possible but the second was a brief one. The worries of her mind faded seeing that Scarlet seemed completely at ease.
If one knew the butterfly mare for only a day or even a week they wouldn’t think that was anything special. To untrained eyes she seemed exactly the same no matter who she was with but Lunathiel had spent a good deal of time with her. She knew better then to think that every blank face was the same. That and there was simple something about the very fluffy, winged and horned one that didn’t really worry her. So, she relaxed and simply took her place by Scarlet.
“I hope she hasn’t been bothering you...” She said wondering just exactly who they were speaking to. Never before in her life had she seen anything like him and it wasn’t just the hair. "She's...just not quite right you see."
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Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 10:17 am
It all happened rather quickly for the stallion, his dandering and slow life interrupted by both mares. One gave off an air of curiosity but that wasn't what he had been drawn to. It was the first of the pair that had caused the hair on his neck to bristle, for whatever reason she had a question and it somehow involved him. There were many Angeni in the world but there were a select few who could provide specific assistance to those who sought them out. It was strange how things worked but nine out of ten times the Angeni would subconciously appear, coincidence had nothing to do with it...it was just how they were created. Consequently this was the position Cyn Generis found himself in now and while he may be scrutinised by one pair of eyes it was the other he was more concerned with.
"Quite right, is a matter of perspective in much the same way as 'normality' would be defined by various individuals," he echoed wisely towards Luna, a small smile creased his lips. He allowed these words to settle between the pair of mares before he shook his head. The expansive mane shivered and shimmered against his neck, the muscles beneath it rippling with the effort of holding the weight of the mane alone. Still, despite the movement and the rather 'extreme' response his mane had had to the shift there was still no sign of his eyes beneath.
"It is not often I am disturbed in my wanderings and when I am, it is always for a good reason..." he reassured Lunathiel more so than Scarlet, though his head did remain pointed in Scarlet's direction. "It is no bother to provide assistance, though I am intrigued as to the query that may lie within the depths of your heart, Miss Scarlet." He settled on this as a final remark and drifted into silence once again, shifting his weight here and there to get more comfortable. Now fully awake the spider swung from his horn and watch the pair of strangers with interest, keen eyes focused on any tell tale body language that may indicate 'danger' to the bumbling fluff ball they had stumbled upon.
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Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 10:50 am
“Oh...” Lunathiel frowned slightly at his words. Most people just took her words with a simple understanding nod. This wasn’t a response she used to and it made her wonder even more who it was that they were in the presence of. Her mouth opened to ask a name but she fell into awed silence as he shook his mane. At that moment the only thought that seemed to be running through her mind was how utterly impressive all that hair was and how heavy it must be.
Scarlet’s thoughts, however, still lingered on his earlier comment and it brought a small smile to her face. It was a look that Lunathiel misinterpreted as amusement in his hair. She smiled at the little mare then returned her attention to the stallion as his mane settled. Hearing his reassurance brought the question of who he was back in to her mind. However, he did not seem to be taking any interest in her at all. Rather he seemed to be focused on Scarlet. She wondered if perhaps she should say something further but decided not to. Instead she shifted her attention to the younger mare and was a bit surprised to find her eyes shifting about unsure what to do.
After a long silence Scarlet lowered her eyes to the ground this more but this time in thought. What was it that she wanted to know? What was it? There was something she knew there was and it seemed he knew as well. A silence settled around her ears and around her mind until a tiny voice echoed inside her.
“Home...” She said very softly lifting her head very slowly. The sad look on her face shocked her caretaker into gasping slightly but Scarlet didn’t seem to notice this. “I want...to know where home is...”
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Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 7:04 am
...Home.
Cyn Generis remained silent for a number of minutes as the spider within his mane painstakingly described Scarlet's body language and that of her companion. The spirits that had opted to remain in his company throughout the encounter also worked in conjunction with the spider, mulling over the aura of emotion in which the pink mare seemed to radiate. It was only after both arachnid and spirits had settled that the Angeni lifted his head again and turned it in the direction of the mare. As of yet he had yet to unveil his eyes but a frown did furrow his forehead beneath the mass of hair and his lips had creased into a grimace. It was a vague question (if he were honest) but that wasn't exactly a rare occurance for him. Those who found him weren't always sure of what they wanted, it was only when he was looking for them that the situation changed.
"That is a very vague question," he spoke at last in the same tone as before, ethereal in quality. It drifted through the air and if one listened closely they might argue they could hear the faintest whisper of an echo within it. His adopted son had often joked (timidly) that his father had been permanently situated in an invisible tunnel where his voice could bounce and echo like that. "There are many definitions of 'home' as well," he didn't wish to over complicate matters and fell silent for a few moments to dwell on her query a little more. By the manner of the description he had received of her, she seemed 'empty' so he could assume that 'home' might actually be the key to giving her a little more depth... so to speak.
Whatever it was, it wasn't here.
"The home you seek is not one of warmth so much as answers, an awareness of your heritage, birthrites and of forgotten or misplaced memories. If I am wrong in this assumption then by all means, correct me..."
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Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 11:06 am
Lunathiel had to agree that what had been said had been vague. Not that it was all that different then what the great black stallion was saying. She was completely lost in the conversation between the other two. Scarlet wanted to know where home was, that was clear enough to her at least, but if she was hearing the stallion right there seemed to be more to it. The blue mare thought perhaps he was reading a bit too much into things and brushed them aside. Scarlet, however, was running the words through her mind over and over again.
Slowly a thought began to form. It was fuzzy as though it were not something she should be thinking but it was there. The thing that she wanted to know. “Yes...my home...past...” As she spoke these words confusion spread on to both of the mares’ faces. Neither of them understood quite what was going on. For Scarlet it was a matter of not quite knowing that she had had these thoughts in the first place and for Lunathiel it was that she was speaking for herself without being ordered or demanded to.
For a long moment silence surrounded the two females until finally Lunathiel spoke up to hopefully be of some use. “She’s...ummm...we found her...” Her voice was rather unsure. It was not just because she was confused but also because she was somewhat intimidated by him. “So...her home...might be it...?”
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 6:15 am
So he was right...
His weight shifted from one side to the other as he adjusted his footing and his head swung from Scarlet to Luna as the blue mare spoke. He considered the words that both mares had uttered before he gave a small nod, really he wasn't surprised by it. Soquili had a way of locating the right Angeni (or someone connected to said creature) whenever they sought answers, as the Guardian of Time he would know. Each time he encountered a wandering soquili in search of answers it generally had to do with the past or the future - it was never a simple answer either, most seemed to have the urge to 'find themselves' which he commended.
However when it came to these types of questions he found himself in a rather precarious position. In order to provide a definite answer to the mare's query he had to unveil his eyes...and with that came his cursed vision. Had it been as simple as looking at her he wouldn't have hesitated but it was a little more complex than that. He wasn't one who was inclined to watching those before him wither, age and even die (sort of) before his eyes and that was exactly what happened when he turned his gaze towards another. He would know if they were murdered, if they died of young age, old age - whether it be a natural or unnatural death he would know and he wasn't allowed to stop it... that just wasn't his domain.
It went against nature.
Unfortunately turning his back upon those who needed his assistance wasn't what he was created for and while it brought trouble for him, he could do nothing more than shake his head. So fierce was the movement that the heavy forelock shifted from his eyes, leaving them exposed. They remained closed for a short while then slowly opened, blinking a number of times as they adjusted to the sunlight they were so unaccustomed to. It came as no surprise to him, that as his vision settled the earth lost it's colour and became a withered and twisted mass of brown and blacks, the occasional putrid liquid seeping from a 'dying' tree here and there.
"Lovely," he murmured moreso to himself than the pair of mares. It was then that he flicked his gaze towards the pair and sure enough within the hourglass pupils Scarlet seemed to shimmer with a light that her companion did not possess - she was the one.
"Can you recall where you first encountered her?" he addressed Luna, fighting hard to keep his brow from furrowing as his cursed vision kicked in more fully and the mares began to age before him. It was no wonder he kept his face hidden, if they knew what he could see they'd run for the hills!
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 5:09 pm
It was rather shocking for Luna to see his eyes. She had almost been willing to believe that he did not actually possess eyes for a short while. The way he spoke was odd to her ears and the way he looked was strange to her eyes so the thought of him not having a pair of his own didn’t seem to out of place. Though, even having eyes they were still not normal. Something was off about them but she couldn’t quite place it.
She found herself staring for a moment until she was spoken to directly for once. “Oh, well...” Her voice trailed off as she thought of an answer for him. She could remember quite clearly when the butterfly had first made her way into her life. The night was oh so very clear to her. The trouble was she hadn’t been the one to find her. Dark had. Did he want to know where she had been found or where the two had met?
“I met her nearly two years ago at my two-legger’s teepee, but she was found a night before that at the lake near the village.” Settling to answer both questions worked well enough right? Scarlet made a small sound like a repressed laugh at Luna’s side. The older mare blinked. Well she certainly had never made a sound quite like that before but then what had happened to Scarlet after they found was never exactly a common topic. When she came into conversation it was mostly speculation about how she had gotten there. Perhaps she was remembering something. She smiled a little. Well at least it was a good memory.
There were, however, more important things to deal with right now. Like what the strange stallion was planning on doing with the information. How could it possibly help anything?
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 11:48 am
Cyn Generis, the Angeni of time was a creature who could flit to and fro through time and all it's intricate strings with little objection from the fates. Provided he did not intervene in events of the past and so long as he was never spotted, he was permitted to walk among the Ancient races to learn from them and on rare occasions...to provide rare individuals with a second chance. However, he was not a creature who possessed boundless and god-like knowledge. When another individual came to rest by his side and requested his guidance and words of wisdom it was much more complex - most of these complications stemmed from the lack of information or direction he was provided with. He had touched on the vagueness of each individuals' behaviour before now and Scarlet was of no exception.
To work around these awkward moments the spirits had imbued in him a 'trigger'. While he couldn't catch these triggers directly, they operated on a subconcious level and when they occured he was launched into an immediate premonition. There were a number of requirements for these triggers to be successful; he needed to have a visible target (in this case Scarlet) and the word needed to be precise enough to stirr within him tiny threads of history that would draw together into a very ornate and decorative tapestry. In this case, Luna had provided him with an ample trigger in the form of 'lake' and the light that had once surrounded Scarlet completely drowned her out, replaced by the ghostly visions of a land far beyond the reach of the Kawani.
At first the vision itself was fairly general, as though on the wings of a bird he trailed the banks of the lake and then turned off to follow the river that meandered towards the slopes. Crossing through waterfalls and mountain lake alike he snaked his way up to the slopes towards the rising sun... It was a typical vision at this point but if there was one thing the Angeni sought it was specifics.
The water soon reached it's origins and from there the world disappeared from beneath his metaphorical feet and he was launched further eastwards towards a location that was something that resembled a fairytale... Everything seemed to be red - the flowers, the butterflies. In the centre most part of his vision lay a r ock pond and as though the spirits had guided him enough the vision shattered, the light faded and the rotting imagery that he was so accustomed to returned leaving him with a bitter taste within his mouth.
Colours were always so vivid when they weren't for him...
"To the east of the river's source their lies a region deep within the mountains where both flower and butterfly are red. Only in this region does those phenomenon occur - perhaps due to the rock pool that exists so high upon the slopes, an unnatural occurance in itself." He replied distantly, his gaze still unfocused.
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 12:52 pm
For several long moments Scarlet and Lunathiel sat in silence. It wasn’t unusual for Scarlet, of course, and it wasn’t exactly strange for the blue mare to find herself wordless. What had just been said, however, made everything feel very odd. What was the great fluffy one talking about?
To the East of the river’s source? Red butterflies and flowers? A rock pool? Hadn’t they just been speaking about Scarlet. More particularly about finding Scarlet, at the lake. How had he managed to jump from meeting Scarlet to somewhere in the mountains. Unless...
Her crystal blue eyes went wide with a sudden thought as she turned to look at the stone still mare to her side. “Red butterfly...” Blue hues finally settled on the crimson patterned that almost seemed to bleed out of the small mare. That mark had earned her her name. “Are you saying...is it...?” Her brain didn’t seem to want to connect with her mouth long enough for any real sentences to form. Luckily for her Scarlet didn’t seem to be having the same problems she did.
A spark of life lit up her milky brown eyes and her lips parted ever so slightly as she gasped softly. “If you ever find yourself lost you must follow the crimson trail home...” Her voice was just barely above a whisper and hollow, as though it wasn’t really her saying it. The sound sent chills down Lunathiel’s spine and when the chill was gone so were any of the signs of light inside Scarlet.
“Uhhh...what you were saying...” Luna said eyeing the small mare a bit nervously before turning her head to face the stallion. “That place...it’s her...home? But...how...?” She allowed the question to dangle in the air. She couldn’t be sure if the suspicion was right anyway. For all she knew he could have just been making things up...in a very very believable manner. That, though, really didn’t seem likely at all to her.
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Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 8:23 am
It was difficult for him to explain the gifts that he possessed. God-given powers, guided ever so slightly by the will of the spirits. He had long since become accustomed to the fact that he wasn't all knowing, but was instead provided with information that was necessary. When facts needed to be recalled and details needed to be provided then the spirits would use his prompt and 'show' him. Thus, Luna's question was one that caused his jaw to tighten. There was no definitive answer to her question, he couldn't confirm or completely deny whether or not what he had seen was Scarlet's home.
Urgh.
"I will be honest," he replied softly, bowing his head so that the forelock could return to it's original position. The ebony strands fell heavily across his eyes and the world once again went dark. No death, destruction and rotting features - it was far more comfortable. Once he had done this his head lifted again and he continued with his previous musing. "I cannot provide you with a simple yes or no to your question, I can only provide the information I have been given and even then it can be vague."
"If she recognises such a place then it will provide her with a starting position, however if it turns out to be her home then that will make her life simpler," he smiled wryly and shook his head. Shifting his weight from one side to the other. "I am only as all knowing as the spirits decide upon in that instant - I see only what they choose to show me."
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