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 Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 11:21 am
Abdiel stepped lightly through the soft grass and dirt of the forest. The intense summer heat was much more bearable under the shade of the big trees; even better every now and then when a cool breeze would blow through, gently ruffling his curls.
Every now and then Abdiel's head wold turn as he looked left and right, taking in his surroundings. This was a part of the forest he hadn't explored yet, and he liked to take everything in - to remember it. He listened curiously for anything interesting that might be lurking in the shadows.
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Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 11:44 am
For the past few months, Keira had made these woods her home. There was no going back for her. It had taken awhile for her wounds to heal and she left no explanation for her father. He didn't know where she was but she wasn't about to come back willingly. Her head was swimming with thoughts constantly and she wished that it would all just stop. Leaning against a tree, Keira kept her eyes closed as she listened to the world around her. She needed to clear her thoughts but flashes of the attack just kept haunting her. Shaking her head, Keira's eyes snapped open and she looked out into the forest.
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Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 12:09 pm
Abdiel continued his wandering, not exactly sure of where he was going, but on the other hand not entirely caring. Exploring was just in his nature, and he enjoyed it. It gave him a better sense of how the layout of the land was and also just gave him something to do.
As he turned once again to the left he instantly locked eyes with a mare who was leaning against a tree a little ways away. Her eyes were bright yellow and seemed to glow out of the darkness. They were set into a smokey white face, belonging to a gray body, with white hooves that reminded him of snow. Her hair was long and fair and hung lightly by her side, and something gold glinted around her neck. But it was something else entirely that caught Abdiel's attention and made him stop dead in his tracks. She was a kalona.
He'd never encountered a kalona before, but of course he had heard about them. They were said to come from evil spirits and were known to have a bad nature - very unlike the unicorns he knew. Abdiel wasn't the type to judge on appearance, or stereotypes, and his curiosity drove him forward once more. This was exactly the interesting he had hoped for when he set out to explore. This day held the possibility of meeting a new friend, or perhaps...an enemy. That would be a first for Abdiel, but he was prepared for anything.
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Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 12:42 pm
She hadn't noticed the unicorn at first but then she saw the faint blue markings. Squinting her eyes slightly, Keira stared back at the unicorn wondering why he was just standing there. For most soquili, the sight of her glowing eyes would send them running; she was used to that.
The mere sight of the other living being made her exhausted; he was probably just a figment of her imagination. These days, she was always tired and wanting to sleep but unable to. Everything seemed out of place for her and she hadn't spoken to another soquili in a long time.
Breaking away from the gaze, Keira looked down and gazed at her wounded legs. They were no longer bleeding but the scabs were painful reminders of what was. The kalona continued to look down and she was only reminded of how defeated she felt.
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Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 1:20 pm
He got closer to the mare, and she didn't seem opposed to his approach. She just stayed where she was, slightly slumped against the tree. He saw her gaze lower, but other than that remain unmoved. There was something else about her too; she seemed...exhausted, somehow worn and fragile.
After a few more steps forward he could see the wounds that marked her legs. He wondered what had happened. 'Maybe she got in a fight,' he thought. Whatever it was, Abdiel didn't think she would be much of a threat in the state she was currently in, but more than that Abdiel thought, 'maybe she needs help.' He couldn't deny anyone in need of some assistance. He wondered however if she would even want his help.
A close distance away from her now, he stopped. Cautiously and gently he asked, "Are you alright?" He didn't know whether it was the best way to greet her or not, having never met her, but he didn't think he could ignore the marks on her legs long enough to get out a normal greeting.
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Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 11:48 pm
Frowning slightly, Keira noticed him moving slightly closer and she let out an exasperated sigh. So he wasn't a figment of her imagination and she would actually have to try to scare him off. Lately, she had been in no condition or mood to interact with others and other soquili got the message.
Furrowing her brow, Keira heard his question and snarled at him angrily. "Yes, I'm fine. What do you want?" She wanted nothing to do with this unicorn or any soquili as a matter of fact. The old Keira hated showing weakness and hated the fact that she could barely take care of herself right now. But right now, she could really care less if some other soquili just ended her misery. Keira hated being pitied and it seems like this unicorn would be no different.
Under any other circumstance, she would have been willing to talk to him and maybe seduce him but she was no longer that soquili.
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Posted: Thu Aug 05, 2010 8:53 am
Abdiel figured her reaction would be that way, that she wouldn't want his help, so he wasn't surprised. It was a shame too, Abdiel could probably heal her wounds for her in a matter of moments, but of course he wouldn't touch her if she didn't want it. He noticed that they had already begun to heal themselves and that she would of course be fine - with the exception of a few scars.
Abdiel really couldn't blame her. It wasn't exactly the best way to be seen. He guessed it was probably pride that drove away his help, as it usually was with most. Abdiel wondered if he would be the same way if the situations were ever reversed.
Abdiel didn't flinch at her angry snarl, but simply shrugged and turned his head to the side as if looking away. "Suit yourself then I guess. What do I want?" He thought for a moment then turned to look at her again. "I was just curious." A small grin pulled at the corners of his lips. "I should have introduced myself first. I'm Abdiel." Like she would care, but it was still the proper thing to do.
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Posted: Thu Aug 05, 2010 11:45 am
Keira looked away from him almost in shame because interacting with others just reminded her of the soquili she had become. Where was the proud kalona that she used to be? She didn't want him to heal her; she needed the scars as reminders.
Looking back up at him when he spoke, Keira paused before replying. She didn't want him to know her name because that was the only part of her old identity that she had now. Keira didn't even realize that her knees had buckled and she felt herself sliding down the tree. Keira realized that she was too tired to fight with this unicorn and she just sat there silently. Deep down, she knew that she needed help or at least someone to talk to but she would fight those feelings for as long as she could.
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Posted: Thu Aug 05, 2010 12:54 pm
"Whoa..." He saw her slipping down the tree and instinctively moved closer to her, ready to help her up if she needed it. On the other hand, it probably did her more good to rest her legs...
He hadn't gotten any reply from her. No name, no nothing. At least she hadn't snarled at him again. That was a good thing, he thought. He hadn't really expected a reply from her anyway, not a nice one at least, so he just went on. "Your body's really weak. You look like you haven't slept in weeks," he assessed her condition out-loud. "What happened anyway? You get in a fight or something?" He was purposefully prying. He wanted some sort of reaction from her, not to mention he was still curious.
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Posted: Thu Aug 05, 2010 3:26 pm
She didn't even feel like warning him to get away from her and once she stopped sliding, Keira just leaned her head against the tree. She looked up at him again with defiance in her eyes; she did not want his help but her body was telling her otherwise. Why couldn't he just leave her be and let her suffer alone?
"Thanks for pointing out the obvious." She wasn't going to give up easily and there was still a little bit of resistance left in her. "It's none of your business." She spoke weakly knowing that he would probably get it out of her eventually. It was so shameful that she had lost a fight; her father would be so disappointed with her. She didn't even want to go home to face him now.
Keira looked up at him carefully scrutinizing him. She hated how he was so persistent.
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Posted: Thu Aug 05, 2010 4:05 pm
Abdiel smiled when she spoke, happy to have gotten any kind of response from her, even if her eyes did glow with defiance. Perhaps if he persisted she'd eventually let him help her. This is what he wanted, to see what she would be like then, when she wasn't weak and wounded. It wasn't only that though. He couldn't leave her. It went against who he was to leave someone where they were, alone and hurting, even if they didn't want him there. But he knew other things would have to be talked about before she'd ever trust him enough to let him close to her. Although he knew persisting and trying to talk with her only might make her angry with him, it was the only thing he knew to do. She needed sleep, but there was something keeping her from it, and he wondered what it was. Perhaps pain, maybe something else...
"None of my business," he repeated her words. "No, I guess not, but I'm not just going to leave you here by yourself now." He doubted that he could cheer her up, but it was also in his nature to lighten the mood whenever he could. He smiled one of his playful smiles, though be it a small one. "Let me guess, whoever you got in a fight with is a lot worse off. That's how it goes right, 'you should have seen the other guy.'" He tilted his head, still smiling and keeping his gaze on her face to see her reaction as he imitated the saying he'd heard some humans say after getting into fights. He turned serious again and said a little more quietly, "either that or you lost..." He paused a moment and then added gently, "you know it doesn't matter either way, right? Better that you're alive anyway."
He stopped as another possibility hit him. He'd only guessed that she'd gotten in a fight, but what if that wasn't it at all. What if someone hurt her without any cause. He'd heard of those sort of things happening before. Someone could have just hurt her and left her here all alone to die. Whether it was another soquili, or even a human. This made him a little angry, and it showed on his face. "Unless someone just did this to you.." he trailed off and gazed back at her wounds, wishing more than ever now to just reach over and touch them. He wanted to watch them dissolve away, and whatever pain she had with them.
Strange that he could feel all that for a complete stranger in only a few seconds time.
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Posted: Thu Aug 05, 2010 5:00 pm
Keira continued having this internal battle inside of her as she debated whether to shoo the stallion away or not. She should be able to take care of herself! Her father taught her everything that she needed to know and she was just putting him to shame now. Keira hoped that she would be able to find the strength to redeem herself somehow.
She turned away from him while she thought about this but then looked back at him again as he spoke. Keira could just shrug her shoulders at his comments because she could really care less. She just let him ramble on about what he believed to have happened to her; she really was in no hurry to tell him about how much she failed.
The other kalona had caught her completely off guard and she knew that she should have been paying attention more. She knew that he didn't kill her because he wanted her to suffer... "Don't pity me." Those were the only words that she could muster up the energy for.
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Posted: Thu Aug 05, 2010 5:43 pm
The mare only shrugged at his assumptions. He wondered which it was, or if it was something else entirely. She wasn't getting angry at him, but it was apparent that her energy was draining. Abdiel was quiet for awhile. He heard her small tired words, asking him not to pity her. With a sigh, he slumped down to the ground beside her.
'Pity?' he thought. 'Was that what it was?' Of course, pity didn't sound like a very good thing. But having compassion for someone, that was the same thing, wasn't it? Or maybe it was completely different. It depended on how you looked at it, he supposed. Perhaps even compassion was bad to some people. He wondered what it mean to her.
"You don't want me to care?" he asked. It was a silly question really. Didn't everyone want someone to care?
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Posted: Thu Aug 05, 2010 6:30 pm
"No, I don't want you to care and I'm not sure why you would want to." Keira had spent her entire life just caring about herself and her family; it was absurd to her that he would even bother caring about someone outside of his family. She really wished that he would leave but she knew that she needed the company.
She saw compassion as weakness and only room for trouble. She didn't even have compassion for her family, she was loyal to them. "Why do you even bother with me? Can't you just let leave me here to die?" Keira could feel her temper flare a bit and she wanted so much to get up and run.
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Posted: Thu Aug 05, 2010 7:19 pm
"I think you're just saying that," he said. "You want someone to care. What kind of place would it be if everyone only cared for themselves? Is that really what you want? To die here alone?" He was having a hard time understanding this kalona girl.
"Well I can't leave now anyway. If you did die, it'd be my fault for leaving you here. Can't have that, so don't think I'll be leaving anytime soon." He made himself more comfortable on the grass and looked her over again, "you're not going to die. I think you could really just use some rest..."
It wasn't true of course, his reason for staying there. Sure, he would feel guilty, but the truth was that he did care - because Abdiel had compassion, and also...just maybe...he could somehow tell that she needed company. It wasn't like he couldn't use any himself. He'd been wandering around in the forest, and this was just as good a spot as any to take a break.
He wondered what her name was, but didn't think she'd tell him even if he asked. She seemed too tired for conversation, and he didn't want to push her. He hoped that her exhaustion would just send her into some much needed sleep. Maybe if she slept...he could use some of his powers to speed up her healing process. Would that be wrong of him? He wondered.
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