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 Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 11:20 am
 It was a normal day when Aria awoke under a shade tree, but yet something wasn't normal. She had a feeling that something important would happen today, life-changing.... She knew to not think much on it, knowing it would come to pass regardless. She stretched her legs and felt her stomach growl. There was a sweet berry bush beside her, but she felt like something more.
As a last resort there was a stream not far with fresh-water fish, but she felt like rabbit. Though her meat cravings were not unusual, she seldom sought it out. She had stealth, but having to learn to hunt on her own proved her downfall. She wasn't the fastest so her technique was lacking.
She wandered a bit looking for a good trail but after awhile she only found a wounded squirrel that seemed to have fallen from a low tree branch, but it wouldn't last long as it was, so it served an appetizer. She then sought around again for a rabbit trail and not long after she was on one and she lightened her hoof falls even more, even stepping on the driest leaf made hardly a sound under her.....little did she know she would find something more.
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Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 12:26 pm
 Now normally Rainart would be off hunting large game, that is, something like deer or at the very least lynx or bobcat. That was his nature. He lived for the Hunt, and he loved what he did. He could spend days tracking the same hard-headed bighorn if not weeks. But today was proving to be a lazy day. He was somewhat sluggish when he awoke -which is unusual a hunter such as he- and decided right from the start that today would not be a day for big game. Today he would catch some smaller game, not just for food or snacks, but for practice. Being a heavy-set draft it could sometimes prove to be more difficult to catch the smaller things than the big ones. He could name more than a few instances where instead of eating a delicious bird or rabbit he would end up eating run-over pancakes.
And so, with his mind set on a good meal and thoughts of being lighter on his hooves floating about in his head, he sets off, only to find himself soon after following a rabbit trail. Nose set almost to the ground, his eyes are set on the horizon just above that ground and he weaves his way through the trees, only stopping to poke his nose under some brush here or there. But as he pays attention to what is before him, he finds himself hearing a twig crack and when he glances back for just a moment he sees the culprit: his back left leg. 'Damnit!' he snorts, but without letting that affect him too much, he quickly whips his head back around and manages to catch a glimpse of movement: a white streak bouncing away from him. Without hesitation, he sets off after it, barely seeing anything else around him. He was determined to catch this rabbit, and not make it into a pancake. Buuut.... he would just have to see.
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Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 12:53 pm
Ariadne followed the trail with sharp eyes, she also notices a heavier path. It appeared someone was ahead of her, but she couldn't be for sure it was after the same creature. She passed a snapped twig, the breaking pattern told her it was of soquili size, but bigger then her. Stilll she continued on taking a narrower path hoping to cut the animal off.
She paced herself, she was in no hurry, if this rabbit eluded her she could still fall back to the river. She came through the trees and saw the trail had not reached her yet so she walked a bit and stayed behind the trees to see if she could see it's future path. She soon saw a little white and brown rabbit running closer to her, she had it. That was when she felt the ground vibrating from heavy hoof falls. She decided to step out from the tree coverage to cut the rabbit off so it's other pursuer could catch it, seeing as they were ahead of her.
The rabbit saw her from a distance and in a panic froze and turned the way it came. It was then she saw the other pursuer coming too heavy and fast, the rabbit had no chance. She walked forward a bit more, it would prove entertaining to watch perhaps. She noticed that the other soquili seemed to be wearing bones, an advid hunter, but not appearing to be Kalona, in part or otherwise. But he was large, possibly the largest male she'd seen. It intrigued her so she took a few more silent steps and watched what was about to happen, wondering if/when her presence was known.
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Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 2:13 pm
It weaved this way and that, and it was easy enough to keep pace with it, even if he was moving straight and the rabbit from side to side. But he would have to wait for a clear chance to actually strike or else he would find himself diving head-first into a tree... not that he had ever done that before...
There it was! All of a sudden the rabbit froze and turned back towards him. This was his chance to nab it! So he tried to slow and lifted one of his front hooves, aiming at it carefully and was about to give it a nice swift kick to the head -one of which, if placed well, could kill a decent sized dear, let alone a rabbit- but just as he was about to reach the rabbit with that hoof he saw something else. A shape of light colors, whites and blues and purples, and that was enough to throw him off his guard. So instead of just nicking the rabbit's head with the tip of his hoof and slowing to a trot then stop altogether.... he instead dropped that hoof down... right over top of the rabbit, and to boot even threw all of his weight down into his legs to slide himself to a stop.
Gawking at the maiden before him, Rainart looked something like the rabbit had moments before: frozen and wide-eyed. It took him a moment, but he eventually realised that he was staring... at another Soquili, and not just a mirage or daydream. But instead of saying anything intelligent, the bulky doof looks down at his foreleg, lifts it slowly and tries to shake it off. The stubborn -and now completely flattened- rabbit clings to his hoof for another two shakes before falling to the ground with a gruesome, wet flop. And all Rainart had to say for himself was.... well, he opened his mouth, raised an apologetic eyebrow and decided to just leave it at a sheepish grin.
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Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 2:33 pm
Ariadne looked at the male and his bone accessories. She was amused, but her face didn't show it. She ruffled her wings as she walked forward with a glance down at the flattened rabbit. "Well now it's no good for anyone but the flies. I guess Im to blame for that. Fish it is then.....", she said mostly to herself and stepped over the rabbit, still hardly making a sound as she walked.
She looked up to the male, she was fascinated by the bone skull mask he wore. She noticed his blue eyes, strong but calm. "Your peculiar. You eat meat, but seem to have no Kalona blood in you. It's unusual, but not unheard of I suppose.", she looked him over, realizing how much bigger then her he really was. She shook her head letting her hair untangle from her horns and ruffled her wings as she studied him unsure of what to say or do just yet.
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Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 10:07 pm
Sheepish grin it was, and so it stayed as the mare came closer, as she ruffled her wings. Wait... wings? He had examined these on birds (well, any that he managed not to smoosh into oblivion), and he had seen other Soquili with them from far away... but he had never gotten a chance to see wings of this size, this close up. Perhaps if she was calm and patient enough for him he would string together a sentence or two and ask her about them. Definitely something for him to think about talking about, anyway.
But the mare was speaking. Flies.... and fish... Aha! He could definitely catch fish without squishing them beyond eating! As she stepped over the rabbit he answered gruffly, his low voice gravely and uneven, "Never flattened a fish." Another grin, though this time leaning closer to pride than sheepish. This time when she spoke though, he was ready and listening now that he had gotten over the fact that there was another Soq so close to him. She mentioned Kalona, and this made him look over her a little more closely. Yes... she had to be at least part. The horns and the hooves... but she had feathery wings too, and a tail made of hair. A mix, he supposed, but what did that matter? To her... observations he merely shrugged and when he looked down at her face found himself following her yellow-lime eyes with his own blue ones, watching her look him over. Unsure of what else to do, he remained more or less still, allowing her to finish her study, allowing his thoughts to focus on the many questions about this mare that he was probably never going to ask. But there was one that he supposed he could ask... if indirectly.
"Rainart," he said as his head offered the slightest of bows to indicate he meant himself, but left it at that. If she chose to share her name, great! If she didn't, he would not pursue it. He was not one to try to stay social, and would never stop another from leaving his company if that was their wish.
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Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2010 11:02 am
As she looked him over she found his eyes watching hers and even studying her wings a bit. He didn't seem the social type like herself so she figured he'd never really seen in detail one with wings. She could see he had questions, but he was hesitant to speak. She may be unsocial herself, but she was bold and sometimes blunt in her words.
She mused at his indication of himself, had she been one to show emotion she may have given a chuckle, but she kept herself closed to the eyes of others. She did nod and bow her head lightly and responded, "Ariadne...... Rainart, you seem to have questions? I can see that in your eyes. A solitary hunter, keeping himself isolated from most if not all. In that respect we are....alike. What are your questions? Don't hesitate to ask. You are a great hunter, hesitation should not be in your heart fo the trivial things in life, correct?"
Ariadne could be insightful, but harsh. She disliked the timid. She believes that one should speak there mind, just not always to her. She liked being alone, if asked she'd say she didn't miss her family, but she did think of them from time to time. She was just a loner and that was fine with her, she was as tough as any pure-blood Kalona and feared not even the vicious skinwalker. She didn't like to see weakness in others, like Rainart's hesitation. Her words had not been harsh, just blunt. She was taking a bit of a liking to the quiet hunter realizing their similarities and whether she realized it her not, a small smile graced her face as she looked at Rainart awaiting his questions.
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Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2010 12:25 pm
Ariadne, she said. 'What a beautiful name!' he said to himself, but on the outside just offered a small smile. But what she said next surprised him. She could see that he had questions to ask, without him even saying so! His brow furrowed a bit, a little confused as to how one might be able to see such things in another's eyes. Even more surprising was how hard that last... compliment and point of truth had hit. She was right, he was definitely a great hunter, he knew that. But the hesitation that he carried really should not be there, so she was right about that too. After all, if he could jump onto the back of a bucking moose without a moment's thought... why shouldn't he be able to speak around others? To string together some simple sentences and start a conversation? This was definitely something he would have to spend time mulling over.
But for the time being, she had invited him to ask his questions, and so bravely, he cleared his throat raised his head so that it was level but not towering over her and spoke... if in a somewhat broken manner.
"If trivial things are my only weakness... I can live with that." He threw that out there to acknowledge her finding his weakness, allowing her to have the power of knowing what may fail him. She deserved it, he thought, for being brave enough to point it out. But more to the point... "They get heavy, when wet?" He nodded at her wings and cast a glance at them once more. "Look fluffy and... absorbent...." and more quietly he added, "...and soft."
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Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2010 6:21 pm
She quirked an eyebrow at his comment of accepting his weakness. Her voice got a little harsher when she quickly replied, "To realize and acknowledge ones weakness is one thing, but to blindly accept it is another. Even the trivial can become something greater that weighs you down."
With her 'proud' Kalona blood, weakness was unacceptable no matter how small. She had seen the smallest weakness turn to a greater fear in the strongest soquili. It became their 'Achilies Heal', if you will. She brushed the thought off and her feathers ruffled in the slight breeze as it cut between the breeze.
Rainart's next words caught her off guard a bit. They did get heavy, but not overly so and it was something she got used to. She groomed some of her feathers as he continued. By the time his words stopped she was looking at him ad gave a genuine laugh. She caught herself after a few seconds but her smile lingered her features unusually soft and feminine. It had been a long time for her to show any emotion, especially happiness. "They do get heavy when wet, but I sometimes don't notice and I suppose they are absorbent. And I have heard they make a nice pillow for another. Many little ones find shelter under their mother's wings, that I've observed."
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Posted: Fri Oct 29, 2010 1:45 am
Her harsher tone caught him off guard for just a moment, a twinge of shock probably ran through his expression, but he blinked slowly and nodded just once to acknowledge that he heard and understood the wise tidbit she had just thrown at him. None-the-less, it was not something he wanted to talk about so he didn't respond, and instead took another look over the mare, confirming that she was definitely part Kalona with pride like that.
It wasn't long before her expression changed to something he felt was calmer, and then even softer... was that... a smile? Yes! And a laugh! Wait.... why was she laughing? His brow furrowed when he finished speaking, focusing on her now obviously feminine features, trying to read them, to understand... but all he thought he could see was... relief? And that soft laughter. He could at least see that in her eyes, and hoped it would stay for longer than just a moment or two. He liked her eyes happy.
He listened attentively to her answers, tilted his head a little to one side, and then averted his eyes to her right wing -the one closer to him-. His neck stretched out and his nose made it's way closer to her wing, slowly so as not to startle her, but he wanted to touch the feathers, feel if they were as soft as they looked. In truth, the thought of possibly offending her didn't cross his mind, he was being calm and gentle after all! When his nose made contact his eyes slid shut and he snorted very softly, to get the feathers to ruffle just the slightest. And just as gently, the stallion slides his nose down but brings his head up, trying to lift the mare's wing a little. Had he been thinking about it, he might have realised she could easily get angry at him and either run away or attack him for being so invasive, but for that matter, if he had been thinking he would never have put himself this close to mare he had just met.
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Posted: Fri Oct 29, 2010 2:02 am
The laughter and smile faded from her face, but lingered still in her eyes. She found it peculiar, this feeling. It made her more intrigued at the male. It had been a long time she'd had any real contact with another soquili, and even longer since she genuinely felt happy.
He seemed almost entranced by her wings and she noticed he was edging his nose closer to inspect them. In a normal situation she would've gave a swift head-but or more, but knowing he'd not seen many winged-soquili up close she just shifted her wait, curious as to what he would do.
As he touched his nose to her top feathers they ruffled under his breath. When he continued to nudge under her wing she helped by lifting and out-stretching her wing slowly as to not startle him. A smile crawled onto her face again as she watched him. "So, do they have your approval?", you could hear the slight humor that she spoke with.
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Posted: Fri Oct 29, 2010 1:14 pm
Her feathers were easily as soft as he had thought they would be, if not softer, and as he felt them brush against his skin a smile crept into his features. When he nudged the wing gently, he felt it give and slowly accompany his movement upwards until he found himself -still with eyes closed- taking one, two, three tiny little side-steps until his side was mere breaths away from hers and he was standing (if ducked and with a bend to his knees) underneath her wing with it resting easily over his back and neck. And only when she spoke did his eyes snap open to look back at the mare he had just sidled next to. Shock being the most prevalent emotion on his face, but happiness and calm quite apparent too.
A wide grin split his muzzle as he replied, "Yes. Not heavy, and much nicer than any bird's." And only then did he notice that when he breathed in his side would brush Ariadne's and that he was in fact still standing under her wing... like a foal. But instead of reacting physically, he just froze and continued to breathe, to see what she would do, to see if he had just blown their conversation and ended their meet.
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Posted: Fri Oct 29, 2010 3:55 pm
Ariadne body stiffened as Rainart was under her wing, his body lightly brushing against hers. She felt her breath catch ad she held it for a few moments unsure of what to say or do. Had it been any one else....well it wouldn't of been anyone else. She couldn't understand why she was allowing this, it wasn't like her.
She found her face growing red as she looked at Rainart smiling. She couldn't help, but smile back as she tried to find her voice again. "I umm....You...you have a nice smile, you should smile more. You could break some hearts I bet. Girls would fall at your feet for a smile like that.", her face was beat red ad she was mentally kicking herself. 'Stupid...stupid..Pull yourself together!'
She held her wing up still until a strong side wind swept through the trees, throwing her hair everywhere and throwing her slightly off balance, bumping into Rainart. She ruffled her feathers as she tried to refold her wings without hitting him in the face as best she could. "Damn wind, sorry about that.", she tossed her hair out of her face to look back at him with a shy smile on her face, another expression she thought she had forgotten a long time ago.
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Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2010 6:36 pm
He sighed just the slightest as she began to speak. He had not blown it after all. And what she said just kept him smiling. 'She likes my smile!' He found himself feeling warm inside for the first time in a long time. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he felt warm inside... unless the feeling of pride counted... but that was a different sense... one of comfort that made him stand taller. No, this was very different, and he liked it.
Lightly he shrugged and said, "Haven't talked to many mares." With a second thought he quickly added, "Thank you." A little awkward perhaps, but he could at least try to be polite! And it was then that the wind caught her wing. He would normally have dropped to the ground and rolled into the other's legs to knock them over, but this was no fight scene, so he ducked his head and stepped to the side, out of the way of her wing so she could tuck it against her side once more.
A softer smile emerged to try and match her shy one and his eyes seemed to shine a little brighter as he looked at her. He gazed into her eyes for a moment or two and then outstretched his muzzle to touch hers just lightly and just for a moment before straightening back out and lifting his head up to his full height. That seemed enough of an acceptance of her apology to him, and he hoped she would accept that.
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Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2010 9:51 pm
Ariadne felt her face grow hot again and she gave a small smile and then tried to clear her throat a bit. "So, how is it one like you came to be a hunter? It's very rare to see one not of Kalona or Skinwalker blood to have a taste for meat. I do find it a nice sight.", you could here the intrigue in her voice.
She took a step closer and looked over his skeletal accessories and thought on them more. "Tell me, what creatures bones do you wear? I can't say Im familiar with the structure, though it appears bird like.", she was as close as she could get, almost forgetting her own personal boundaries to stretch to see the skeleton on his head, but then looks more to the one strung on his chest, close enough to hear his heartbeat. She looked at him and still held a small smile.
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