[PRP] FRIEND!!!!!!! [Peter & Ahote]

[Huroggmeten]

Peter White moves with sedate grace down the seemingly deserted forest path, following the artfully crafted avenue carved out from the densely-packed trees by the passing of countless hooves. Were they Cerynei tracks or those of a cloven beast?

... was there any way to tell, aside from direct contact with their maker?

He heaved a gentle sigh, pondering the mysteries that lay at his hooves... literally... What could...?

He froze, over-sized ears wiggling as his nostrils flared.

Woosh!

What was that?

Instantly, his facial expression softened, eyes loosing their bright intensity as his eyelids sagged. Half-lidded, he appeared a rather "simple" creature... not one to ponder philosophical matters, in any case.

Hm... could just be Alice. But best be safe.

Stupid is safe. After all... who would feel threatened by a dullard?

Fixing his features to appear even more... soft... simple... senseless... he pivoted lightly (being sure to allow his hooves to falter, making a hasty yet clumsy recovery as he turned to face the OPPOSITE direction the noise had come from).

"HELLOOOOOOOO!" he hollered, allowing his voice to crack unpleasantly.
He winced inwardly; too much?

 

[The Dawn of Twilight]

Woosh... woosh... woosh...

Ahote's great wings glided through the air in a steady rhythm, beating a wholesome tune to his descent.

Great fire-strewn orbs blinked slowly as he angled himself with precision, ensuring that his barrel-like chest would not scrape against the close-knit tree trunks. Tucking his wings in neatly, he landed...
... right... in front... of another stallion.

He blinked... once, twice, thrice.

Barely able to restrain his wince at the other's abrasive holler, he twitched in recognition.
The hefty stallion examined his thin, pale counterpart's facial expression. His head jerked slightly out of surprise, though he quickly repressed the thoughtless criticism of the other's intelligence.

"..."

Somewhere, a courtier cringed at the stallion's complete lack of etiquette. When one is greeted, one greets in turn... not stands there, looking as if he were waiting for something to wake him up from his travel-weary state (and, indeed, he was waiting for some sign of need... other than the need for a little intelligence, that is.)

... at least he was courteous; he did not say such things out loud, for all that he may be unable to suppress his thoughts of them.





((OOC: Going to mimic your style a bit, if that's allright with you. I feel it makes things easier to read. ^.^))  

[Huroggmeten]

Peter smirked inwardly as a silly grin played across his features.

Large, behemoth features... thick feathering... a mane that cascading in rivulets with feathers and leather thongs tied in almost haphazardly, as though a two-legged had twined each trinket carefully in place many moons before and Nature had taken its toll.
No teeth, no claws, feathers in place of barbed wings. But... size. Still an issue.

"Helloo... anyone home?" His head tilted, glasses tilting to one side. Scrunching his nose to keep them in place, he righted his head, eyebrows raising in comical surprise. "Woopsie! Don't want to loose these..."

He blinked, mimicking the other's actions like a simple child.

"You see, I can't see very well." Oops. Pun. Sort of. Joke? Eh... nothing a simple-minded fool couldn't come up with. He was safe.


"I'm Peter, friend." What was it about those strong silent types that brought out the chatter mouth in him?

 

[The Dawn of Twilight]

Ahote's features seemed to relax even as his focus sharpened.
Impaired eyesight? An obvious affliction, had he been so careful as to note the stallion's... eye-frames... eye-wear... eye-glass... with a deep breath, he concentrated, dispelling his the weary fatigue from his mind as he sought to remember the word.

Spectacles. Glasses.

A small glimmer of satisfaction touched down in the stallion's quiet reserve; even tired from a long flight during turbulent conditions, followed by an extended flight as he sought a secluded refuge for the night's rest (Though this refuge had turned out to be not so secluded after all,) he still possessed enough willpower to control his cognitive capabilities.

"Ahote." I am here; an introduction, that you may speak further; a two-syllable recognition of the other's presence and virtue, of his worthiness for conversation. His voice was rusty, dry from long disuse, but still possessed a certain cavernous depth.

His head tilted, mimicking this Peter's actions in turn (for the other's presumably clever mimickery had not escaped the wise stallion). What troubles may this one's poor vision cause?

 

[Huroggmeten]

Peter blinked, out of sheer perplexity this time.

Ahote... ? The combination of syllables, the manner in which it was said...

Ah, a name. But then... would a true simple-minded fool be able to deduct that?
May as well go all-out, for all that he was wary of 'over-doing it'... after all, what might this one do? Squish him?

He winced.

Possibly.

"Ah-o-ttttt?" he said it carefully, as though trying to wrap his mind around the odd noise. "Is that...." his voice increased in volume "... a foreign language? Do you... speak... Ka-wah-nee?" He asked, eyes widening (overly comical, overdone, as all his actions were) as he spoke as though to a simple-minded creature.
Typical arrogance one who assumes that those who do not understand would understand if the same words were repeated at a higher decibel range.

"Myyyy.... naaaaame... isssss... Peeeeteeeer." And slower, of course. Allows more time for thought.

"How.... aaaare... youuuuuuuuuuuuuu." He grinned as he finished his overture for conversation, rather amused at his own audacity.

Simple-minded indeed.


 

[The Dawn of Twilight]

Ahote's careful consideration turned wary. A true simpleton, if ever he had met one... if his theatrical demeanor with its comedic flare was to be believed.


He could not be silent with this one. This one required words.

He spoke slowly, carefully, drawing out each syllable to its full worth. Careful to pronounce each word delicately, as though he were executing a fragile turn, he spoke with precise articulation. His delivery was perfect.

"I am called Ahote." He could be no more straightforward than that; not even a simpleton could deny that he had been quite clear. Ahote was his name... Restless one.

Ever moving, never staying. Always in motion, eternally traveling. A constant migration.
Stop only when honor demands it. Rest only when the body can move no further.

For... with no home. No family. No friends. ... Where would he rest? Where could he be at peace? If not caressed by the cool wind's biting chill, high above the ground where all is quiet...

His gaze flickered upwards, a brief salute to his favored range.

Restless.

"I am well. You?" Who really wanted to hear all of what one was feeling, thinking, experiencing, at every moment of every day, their every thought, their every grievance... Well. He only wished to know enough to lend aid, where needed. To help, when required.

For all intensive purposes, he was doing well.


 

[Huroggmeten]

Well, well... Well what? Water well? Well done? Well perhaps? Well we'll? Well... Peter stiffled the thoughts before they could weasel their way to the forefront of his conscious speech.

"That is good to hear..." his ears twitched, as they always seemed to do when he mentioned... ears (twitch) hear (twitch) well.

With a deep breath, he launched into a detailed explanation of what he had been up to that day, what he thought... too much information, perhaps, for a first time encounter, but well deserved for one who would speak so sparingly to one who was obviously mentally challenged.

Or, so he hoped.

This stallion could be playing games with him... though he seemed honest and noble, at first glance. Peter, of all, knew how deceiving looks could be.

"I woke late. Alice- You know Alice? No, of course you do not. He is my familiar. Speaking of... Alice?! ALICE?! ALIIIIIIICE???????!!!!!!!" He paused for good effect, but of course there was no response; Alice was off foraging, and would not be back for quite some time. Shrugging off his familiar's lack of response, as though he were rather carefree about the whole situation and could easily dismiss Alice's absence, he continued. "Grazed for some time. Ah, Alice woke me. I don't know why." Because I was snoring, and Alice was hungry. He always lets me know when he leaves. "The grass tasted sweet today, somewhat like..."

Oh, he could go on for hours. After all, now he had an audience.

 

[The Dawn of Twilight]

A brief flicker of bemusement flickered across the stallions' travel-worn features.

Is this stallion...?

Ahote nodded once, briefly, to acknowledge that he had heard.
He had garnered once piece of useful information from this Peter's rambled expose.

... serious?

Missing familiar.

Something wrong. Something he could focus on, in this tumultuous onslaught of poorly-phrased revelations. Strange, that he would react with such relief to a detrimental situation... and yet, not.

After all... this is what he knew how to do. What he was comfortable with. What he... knew.

Help.

A rabbit, thankfully, would not take to the sky... unless he had been snatched up by some predator... no. That was not an option.
He could walk.

"Come."


Strange, to issue such a direct command... but, then again, when dealing with childlike minds... perhaps it was best to take control.
.. before they... he flicked a concerned glance at the shimmering gold chains and baubles hanging about Peter's pristine form... hurt themselves.

 

[Huroggmeten]

Peter frowned, thankful that the stranger could not see the brief flicker of panic that manifested in his otherwise docile expression.

Come? Come where? Go where? Surely this was not some guise, some ruse to get him to drop his guard- perhaps, in cohorts with Kalona, the lure for their deadly...
Peter paused.
... games?
Stared at the behemoth stallion with his intricate patterns, the worn leather thongs... a hermit, a wanderer, a traveler. His sculpted form, of constant exertion rather than short bursts of vicious attack. A... hero?

"Okay!"

... he sighed, and set about examining what he had said as he followed complacently after the large stallion, blathering about the sky and sweet things with all the enthusiasm of a rambunctious colt.

... Alice.... Missing...

Ah, that must be it. Perhaps they were off to find his vagabond little Alice.

He sighed with relief, letting himself ramble on about nothing.

At least this would be worthwhile.

That is... He peered at Ahote, leading him confidently who-knows-where... if that is what they were up to.

He banished the quizzical expression, and felt it was a good time to trip.

Oof!
 

[The Dawn of Twilight]

Too late.

Ahote came to an abrupt halt, ears flattened against his skull as he processed the sudden... faltering... of the other's movements. He turned, preparing to lever himself beneath the fellow stallion to hoist him back to his hooves.

He did not ask after the other's safety, despite his concern; it was obvious that he had merely tripped... even so, as Ahote lowered himself placidly to offer sturdy support for the ... clumsy?... white stallion-child, he met the other's eyes with a sympathetic glimmer.

Perhaps this stallion was merely out of sorts? Having a bad day...? No. The most likely scenario was a mere fault in precision of his movement.

...

"Come... carefully." He murmured delicately, careful to keep his tone entirely monotonous. He was not judging (much... on purpose...,) he was not condescending. He was merely... pointing out what should be common sense.


After all, what use is finding a rabbit for a stallion no longer among the living?

... well. Saving it from being someone's dinner. But that was... not entirely beside the point...

Ahote stopped. Literally.

Thought, movement, even his breathing, paused as a horrible thought dawned on his conscious mind.

What if... What if this stallion's inanity is... contagious?

He took a deep breath.

Now he was being silly.

... Oh, no...

 

[Huroggmeten]

Peter peered up at the behemoth-stallion from his chosen 'resting spot,' completely oblivious to the stallion's inner turmoil. Carefully.

Why?

So the Kalona don't attack too soon? So they don't tear into YOUR flesh too, before you can make for the sky? Before you can spread your wings and leave me, here, alone, to die, never to see Alice again, never to-...

Peter stopped himself with a comical shake of his head that sent his ears wobbling once more.

The stallion was probably concerned for his safety.

Carefully, so you make it. Carefully, so you don't injure yourself. Carefully, so we can find this Alice together.

He had meant to test this creature with his staged clumsiness (ah, but even staged, clumsiness still hurt!,) and the stallion had obviously passed with... flying... colors...

Peter snickered, though it came out a high-pitched giggle.

The stallion was earthen hues, many shades of brown, but possessed no color aside from his eyes...

..eyes...

Peter scrambled to his hooves, peering into the brush.

... "ALICE?!?!?!?!?" ... if it wasn't Alice, maybe it would be scared off by the floppy-eared rabbit-thing barreling into the brush after it.

... Delivery service?

... ahhh, crap.... Peter jerked back, but- no, too late!


Into the brush he went.
 

[The Dawn of Twilight]

Ahote stared after the child-like stallion, completely baffled. He tightened his jaw quickly, suddenly conscious that it had slackened in disbelief.

A quick cry, his familar's name, and the stallion dove into the bush. To the winged stallion's well-trained eye, his long-eared charge (they had crossed paths, he was responsibly for this one in a way now... until his duty was done) had appeared to pull back. Perhaps he had realized that diving into a bush, especially if one believes that one's beloved is hiding there, was not exactly the best idea? Especially when one is rather large and capable of squishing said beloved without thought?

He trusted that the rabbit would be quick enough to evade this stallion's sudden antics.

He carefully stepped towards the bush, half-expecting the other's head to pop up with a silly grin and an 'I'm okay!!!!!!' followed by random babbling.

"... Peter?" he inquired gently, preparing himself for a bloodied site or a sudden face-full of stallion.


Peter, what part of carefully escapes you? He suppressed the exasperated thought and waited, slightly perturbed.

Perhaps it was his weary state that allowed this stranger's oddities to... well, ruffle his feathers?




((OOC: Ahote was so surprised he had to wait over a year for the shock to settle out. >.>; ))
 

[Huroggmeten]

Peter crouched in the bush, his heart beating frantically, rather dazed by his sudden descent into the shrubbery. A quail that had been watching the pair from the bushes took flight, scolding him furiously in sharp tones as it fled to safety.

No claws. No teeth. No attack, just sharp branches and leaves and hard ground. And a disturbed bird.

No Alice. No beloved furry little creature, impish and tricky though he may be at times. No safe reunion to be had, not yet. Not here. Not in a bush, on hard ground, with a stranger... A strangely altruistic stranger, one whose name was known but whose intentions could only be guessed.

He winced, twitching an ear experimentally and then going through a routine inspection of his extremities (check), limbs (check), inward workings (c-c-c-check!) He worked to slow his beating heart, slowing the rhythm of his breathing until he could calm himself.
It was a predicament of his own devising, true enough, and now... The gentle inquiry, his name, sent Peter carefully removing himself from the tangled branches, his head slowly rising from the brush. "Thought..." He suddenly realized how ridiculous he must have looked, now that his fright at imagined dangers had passed. "... thought I saw Alice." he finished softly, averting his eyes from the clearly concerned stallion.

Pulling himself together and gathering his courage (what little there was), he took a deep breath and stood, wobbling slightly but moving forwards without further ado. "I did not see Alice."
 

[The Dawn of Twilight]

For the second time in what felt like forever, the stallion found himself suppressing a chuckle. He didn't know how the other might react, for he knew that sometimes laughter appeared mocking.

Such conscious reflection and altering of his actions was unfamiliar to the great steed. He normally lacked such tact, but somehow the other's over-the-top actions lured a subtle caring from the behemoth.

He nodded slowly, as much to help the white stallion justify his actions to himself as to agree with the reasoning behind the sudden burst of movement.
Watching Peter move forward on wobbling legs, head held high with reserved dignity, Ahote was grateful that he had suppressed his baffled laughter.

"Perhaps Alice is near." He had heard of bonds shared between a familiar and their beloved so strong that the two acquired a sort of sixth-sense, a Knowing that transcended all logic and imbued both with a sort of... understanding, awareness. He found himself rather puzzled by his need to reassure the other stallion, but once committed he never did things half-way.
Perhaps Peter had 'sensed' his familiar and acted on instinct... or perhaps Ahote was merely trying to protect his.... charge.

He shook his head and started off after the rabbit-eared steed.

 

[Huroggmeten]

Peter blinked back the dizziness, moving forward with stubborn determination. Yes. Perhaps Alice WAS near, in which case he should move forward with all due haste so that he might be reunited with his beloved!

They had been together, just the two of them, for so long... he remembered when he first locked eyes with the adorable twitchy-nosed rabbit, when he was only a foal himself. They had been so young then, and yet they already felt the pull of a bond of true friendship, a bond that had surely matured throughout the years... yet, Alice did pester him occasionally, and he did steal his glasses from time to time, but that was all part of his familiar's playful charm.
He whimpered inwardly, fearing the day when he ever truly parted from Alice. He wished, fervently, that they would fade into eternity together- so that neither might not the pain of losing their soulmate.

He shook himself as he stumbled along the path, casting a suspicious gaze towards the stallion that had become his somewhat companion on this quest. His thoughts were private, and he should not be having thoughts such as those when his expression could be read for any to see.
Flashing a quick smile, he returned his gaze to the land about them.

Well, if this stallion was right, and Alice was near, he'd be within earshot, would he not?
Peter drew a great breath, expanding his ribcage to the fullest as he prepared to shout.

"ALLLICCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Peter called, the sound ringing off the forest and echoing through a nearby valley.
He didn't really care if he brought less-than-friendly creatures down upon them now; he just wanted his friend back.