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 Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 10:55 am
 Well, Cabriole thought, huffing softly with a chuckle as he shakes himself once again with a loud jingling of his bells, having difficulty drying off in the hammock of oaks and mangroves that made the forests north of the southern floodplains of the grand river he had forded almost an hour ago, This has been an interesting experience..
It had started over a month ago. Having reached adulthood, Cabriole and his father had decided to take a journey to learn the family business of trade together, as a way to bond as father and son.
It started off fairly well, traveling place to place with what they had, trading them with other Soquili for other goods, getting orders. Feathers were collected, vines and preserved flowers. Rare herbs collected and some exotic looking smaller creatures captured and tamed, then traded to individuals, the two happy to find each other and goods like shiney rocks called 'gems' obtained.
However, as they got to a part Mecho had been hyping up as his main 'secret' of getting the best treats and goods for other soquili to wear, they came upon an abandoned camp, with no sign of the Native Human that Mecho traded with for human goods and the random items they collected turned into pieces of artwork in exchange for goods more difficult for the Seminole women and the natives of the tribe to the east to get, nor of Mecho's beloved Familiar companion, who acted as translator between him and the Seminole women.
The trail was cold, the garden plucked clean and over grown, and there was no idea where she had moved to. So the two stallions split up in search of the brightly dressed native.
Which led Cabriole south, across the river, humming a soft tune under his breath.
The tune, however, cut short as he spotted damage created by Massive Claws against the bark of the tree, scratched in such a way it seemed to almost be writing, "...Curious."
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 11:32 am
 The sound of flesh under the tip of her talon was a delightful one. Nothing else could sound so wet, so.. previously alive. There was nothing but skin and bones left of the hare, she'd picked it clean of meat and innards and was now laying beside the remains, a taloned claw tearing idly at the pelt as she licked the blood from her chin. It was a bloody act, but Zahraa' was a relatively neat eater, and the evidence of the rabbit was nearly gone from her snowy fur. She was a prideful, vain harpy and she disliked her appearance being anything bu pristine.
In the forest edging her flocks new territory, she assumed she as alone. She hadn't needed to go out hunting, there was plenty of food back at the nests, but she'd wanted to stretch her legs, have a little fun. The hare had offered a chance to hone her agility. The soft chirp of birds and cricket song were her only companion, and she was content with that. At least up until they fell silent and the sound of jingling carried through the trees to her pivoting ears.
Not just jingling, but humming as well. A low, masculine sound that sent the feathers of her mane bristling. She rose swiftly to her feet, giving a quick shake to rid her flank of dirt or derby before slinking forward at a silent creep. Following the hummed melody and quiet chime of bells.
She was a stealthy beast, and she made her away around to his side with barely a leaf disturbed. Watching him move through the trees, his eyes on the torn bark of the trunks around him. What was he doing here? Males had no rights to these lands.. A great urge to simply dispatch him and be done with it surged through her, but she shook it off. The majority of their males had died on the journey from their old home.
Lucky, or unlucky for the tan stallion, he would serve a purpose and would not be merely a meal for Zahraa' and her sisters. Stalking out from the cover of the undergrowth, the mare moved to cut off his path, dark talons flexing into the soil beneath her claws. "My, aren't we a little far from home?" The smile she directed at him was down right evil.
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 11:49 am
ooooh, that is not a friendly sounding voice...
Cabrioles ears backed in submissive fear, eyes wide as he turned his head slowly to see who was talking with him, "-Ah.. I.. I suppose I am. I'll just get leaving -- Sorry for not recognizing your territory markings, I'll never both you again.."
Mystery solved -- Acotas must have noticed this predatory, and obviously territorial soquili moving in and had the bright idea of leaving before she noticed her dwelling so close to her new territory. If he survived he'd tell his father not to go south.
He took a step to try and get a vine covered tree between the two of them. If he had to bolt, he wanted to get something between him and the mare to try and slow her down, moving cautiously to avoid triggering predatory instincts.
While he had been taught not everything was as it seemed, it was obvious by the way this feather covered women looked at him that she didn't want to just have a friendly chat and let him go on his merry mistral way.
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 5:42 pm
Dark talons dug into the ground with each rolling step she took, head lowered and shoulders tensed, ready to lunge or make chase at any given instant.
Leaving? He thought he was leaving? He was very much mistaken on that.. "Oh, you have to leave so soon? That's really quite a shame." Her voice was low, rumbling with the edge of a feral growl, not canine, but something more exotic.
For every step away the stallion took, the mare took one of her own, keeping the distance between equal. She twitched her gaze up to the tree, to the vines that hung from it's branches, but her attention never really left the pale male. There was no escape for him, he just didn't know it yet.
Feathered mane was fluffed, bristled with anticipation. Turquoise and rose like a halo around her pale face. "Why don't you stay a little longer, hmm?" The purr in her voice wasn't exactly inviting, nor the curl of her lips.
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 6:50 pm
This was definitely not his day, the warm colored young stallion decided. Judging from the mares feet, it was possible she was the offspring of some sort of pure skinwalker -- a creature their Godfather had taught them all about. He had never heard of a kind with bird-like feet, but then he was sure there was one somewhere.
"You don't really sound like you want me too. I would simply be intruding..." Cabriole added politely, finally being about evenly distanced from the mare as the tree was, "So as kind as it was of you to offer, I'd rather not stick around and be an intrusion." He stood his ground for a moment, looking like he was relaxing his body and giving a kind little bow, "I apologize once more... And I apologize that I must at least try to save my skin -- I have a family that would be heartbroken should I get eaten at such a young age.." He then, using the training he had been given by his father, used his relaxed state and the pose he was in to turn quite suddenly and smoothly into a run in the opposite direction he had been facing.
He stepped high and quick, avoiding roots and moving as swiftly and smoothly through the trees as he could, his gait causing his anklets to jingle loudly as his feet pounded to the beat of a train engine.
However, the originally graceful moments stumbled to a stop fairly soon after as his feet hit a lower area that had held onto some rain, Cabriole's natural clumsy nature taking over and he rolled in an attempt not to break his legs -- If she had been slowed down at all he'd have to get up quick and continue the run, if she had chased him beyond the claw marks marking the territory. He did a quick look around the woods as he got up to his feet to continue his attempted escape.
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 9:10 pm
Zahraa' let the stallion speak, responding with an almost delicate flick of her tongue along pale lips. She was enjoying herself, that was rather obvious. It had been a long while since she'd had this sort of hunt, and that was exactl what it was, a hunt. Cabriole, though he would most certainly survive this dangerous game, was with out a doubt the harpy's prey. She was going to make him her personal play thing.
She watched as he turned to run, a loud burst of laughter echoing after him along with something of parting shot. "Oh now, don't be silly! You can't leave yet, you've only just arrived!" Her voice had taken on a wild, excited note, and of was at the tail of her words that she made her move. Confident that she would catch him, even with the head start she had allowed him.
Her breed was made for the forest, perfectly adapted to the tricky enviornment. What slowed him down only made her faster. Talons dug into the soil under foot, and with a graceful leap she launched herself up, digging claws into the trunk of a thick trunk before rocketing off that.
She closed the gap easily, even taking time to grab a vine or two on her way through the branches. When he stumbled and rolled she was there, looping the thick ropes around his neck left foot, pulling them taunt as a clawed foot came down against his side, pinning him.
Her free leg coiled into the tight vines, knifing them so she could up her mouth to hiss down at him, neck bending so her face was beside his. "Give in now, or I will take your obediance by force with every hunk of flesh I rend from your bones."
It was not a request.
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 9:31 pm
Huffing in fear and the force of getting pinned. Well, that hardly got him far enough. However, she seemed disinterested in eating him.
At least for the moment. Trembling slightly he went limp, knowing attempts to shield his throat and stomach would only get him bound tighter or annoy her into changing her mind of saving him for later.
Keeping what posture he could where he was submissive and limp, "I yield... I yield."
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 9:49 pm
His near instant submission was almost disappointing, but she put the feeling aside. Talons gave a quick flex against his tanned side as she withdrew her foot, not breaking the skin, but enlightening him to the promise of pain they could inflict upon him at her will. She stepped back only enough for him to roll back to his feet, the vines still coiled around his neck and leading down to her leg where she'd tangled them.
"You realize that running will gain you only punishment? That nothing but submission will be tolerated?" Her voice had lost that hissing quality, but it was by no means softer. She wanted to impress upon him the consequences of disobedience, it would make things so much less painful for him in the long run if he came to understand the rules sooner, rather then later.
At first she'd thought only to bring the stallion back to the flock, but now that she gave him further attention, she was entertaining the idea of keeping him for herself. If that was the case, she would not mare his handsome figure. She preferred her let's to look well kept, rather theb ragged and dishevled. That wouldn't stop her from dishing out punishment, but it would make her doubly pissed that he'd forced her to make a mess of him, which could easily lead to more pain.
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 10:09 pm
Disappointing, yes, but not forcing her to do more then that promise, which seemed to tingle on his pelt as it was, was exactly his reasons for doing so. Better to go with now and escape later while she slept, Even if it meant he would have to give up the childhood treasure of his bells to some branches. the gentle rocking of the branches should jingle the bells just enough to simulate him breathing in his own sleep to keep her from noticing the difference until he was already at least far enough away to escape.
Nodding, his cheek still against the floor, he kept his eyes on her, but not meeting her eyes, remaining visibly submissive, "Understood, M'lady... Permission to stand?"
He was a bright boy, quick to pick up on things. She seemed to be binding him so he'd be unable to run, but still move, with a viney lead around his neck. She wanted to take him somewhere, but where, exactly, he was not sure.
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 10:31 pm
The mare smiled at his compliance, and it was almost sweet. Which perhaps made it all the more disturbing to the poor stallion. She entertained no ideas of his planned escape, for she had no reason to. Even if she had the inkling of his thoughts, she wouldn't have cared. One harpy could perhaps be slipped away from, but not an entire colony.
"Good," she purred down at him. Pleased that he was smart enough to when he was bested, plus respectful. "Stand up, We're going home now." The vines around him tightened as she took a step, and ic he didn't rise quick enough to follow before the slack was used up then she may very well drag him, which would annoy her greatly.
With her partially ahead, she lead the way through the forest towards it's boarder against the river. They had a bit of a walk before them, and Raa' kept a steady pace. It would be almost dusk by the time they made it to the flock, but she suspected to run into one of her "sisters" before they actually arrived. There were mares out on patrol, though not quite this far out.
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 10:53 pm
He hefted himself up quickly, just barely catching himself as the vine on his leg nearly made him simply roll over to the other side back to the ground.
After about ten minutes passed of him weighing his options, knowing he'd simply be drowned and dragged off as a water logged meal if he attempted to ford the southern river he had been following, he let out a small sigh before humming again, the soft melody trembling in his fear. He needed to calm his nerves. He needed to think of a plan -- a way to get help. While one stallion against a predator of a nearly equal size hardly stood a chance, if a group arrived they could over power her.
However, with his nerves frayed as they were, song was the best way to settle his nerves, singing under his breath one of the African chants that had been taught to him by Cuauh and his mate Ikinya. No, Ikinya couldn't come, nor could Adom. The Usdia's would be eaten easily. However the Swahili song was soft and sweet, his voice surprisingly better when he wasn't thinking about singing.
He simply was being song. The foreign words, and the translation he had been taught, soothed him, a prayer and a lullaby.
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 11:12 pm
they walked in silence for a while, the only sound coming from the twigs and leaves under the stallions hooves and the gentle chime of his bells. Zahraa' moved though the trees like a pale ghost, clawed feet making no sound as she followed the familiar path home. So far it was little more then instinct and subtle signs of many harpies going to and fro, unrecognizable to anyone but her fellow sisters. Eventually the ground would wear under their feet, but they hadn't lived there long enough yet to leave such obvious signs of passing.
Her ears alert and strained, Raa' furrowed pale brows at the sound of humming. It seemed odd to her that he would do something usually reserved for less dire situations. She ignored it for a while, paying no attention and giving no reaction, even when the humming turned to singing. Eventually though, curiosity reared it's head, and the mare paused, turning slightly to look at him.
"What are you singing? That's not a language I'm familiar with.". They weren't far from the nesting grounds of her flock, only another fifteen minutes of walking or so.
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Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 9:49 am
When Raa first looked back at Cabriole, his eyes seemed unfocused as he sang, but snapped into attention as she addressed him, "mmn? It's... Swahili. An African Prayer... If it disturbs you, I apologize, m'lady. I-I-I sing when I'm nervous. It's a bit of a.. Bit of a nervous tick. "
He dipped his head and looked away to her feet, realizing he had been looking her eye to eye, his ears held in a submissive manor, "I'm not very good at it though.. The words, roughly translated, beg to the great spirits for forgiveness for our trespasses and plead for protection in our lives and as we sleep... Whether we wake in morn or die in the night, that the spirits inside us stay safe... And a blessing for the same to all others. It was sung as a lullaby by my Godmother and Godfather to me as a child."
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Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 10:16 am
She blinked at him, at his explanation of the song and why exactly he was singing it. "No.. It doesn't disturb me. I was just curious what it was." Pale brows furrowed, not angry, but puzzled by his behavior. The singing in fact was a point in his favor. Harpies loved to dance, and this stallion seemed musically inclined. Her sister's might find that very appealing, not that Raa' had much inclination to share.
She took a step forward to get them moving again, but hung back enough to hear him as he explained the significance of the song. The irony of it made her smile, but she showed just the slightest hint of mercy by not pointing out that she doubted his pray was falling on anything but deaf ears.
She hadn't in fact cared that he'd looked her in the eyes, well aware that it wasn't a challenge. He posed no real threat to her, and they both knew it. "I don't know the language you speak of. Nor of this great spirit. We give pray to The Great Mother."
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Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 11:35 am
We?
"...The Great Mother is likely one of these Great Spirits.. Mothers, fathers. The Sun, the moon, the earth, sky, and great oceans. They're what gives life.. And Death. Protection and destruction." He knew they had to be real -- Cuauhcoatl was one of their children, having wandered the earth before taking form as a soquili and man as his house.
Whether or not they listened, however, didn't matter. It was more the comfort of the song itself, "But, It is not my place to speak of religion. To me it's just a Lullaby."
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