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 Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 7:51 pm
 Raz decided to head south after his run-in with Freezia and his meeting with Kai. He felt alienated both from his father, as well as from himself. He just wasn't sure what it was he was meant to do anymore. Part of him wanted to go visit his mother, and talk to her about his feelings, but he was afraid that what he had done to the Capra would come out, and he couldn't bear the look he knew he would see on his mother's face if it did. He knew he couldn't talk to his father or younger brother. His father would see him as an embarrassment to his lineage, and to the herd, and his brother would simply disown him, seeing as how he looked up to his oldest brother, to show him how a brave Azrein should behave. No, he needed a compatriot who felt the same way he did to talk to, but he didn't think he would find that among his herd mates. So instead of going all the way down to where the herd made its home, he decided to mill around the upper reaches of the Borro Hills. He could only hope that none of his herd would be up that far north, and see him.
He was grazing around the tree line, as the sun was starting to make its way beyond the horizon. It would be dark soon, and he hadn't seen a living soul all day. Just the creatures that lived in the hills that climbed up beyond the stand of trees at their base. It had been quiet all day, and he was about to go find himself a safe place to spend the night when he heard what could only be the sound of hooves trampling the ground. He turned in the direction of the sound and waited to see who it was.
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Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 8:52 pm
 Paimon was galloping. He'd been running for miles, hours it had seemed, just to get away from where he had last seen Ruin. Finally, just as the light of day turned to dusk, Paimon slowed his pace to a stop. He shook out his mane, flames jumping everywhere as he did so, and looked at his surroundings. He could tell he was near Borro Hills, but couldn't for the life of him, place exactly what herds were around this area. The dark, firey stallion hung his head in exhaustion and confusion. I understand what I was bred to do... Destroy.. Every living thing.. That is my father's wishes... but.. surely there's more to life than that? I mean... there's more azrein out there.. doing something with their lives.. Surely I am made for more?" Paimon gave out a loud sigh as he bent down to munch on some grass.
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 12:20 am
Fire? He caught a brief flash of what he was sure was fire. Were the trees ablaze? Was he in danger? With the wind blowing south as it was, if there was a fire, he would need to alert the herd. So he quickly headed toward where he had seen the flames. He drew up short though at what he found instead of a fire. Not five horse lengths away from him was a black stallion with flames coming from around his head. The markings on his legs and flank almost glowed, and he had some sort of covering across his back, which Raz found extremely distasteful. It also looked very uncomfortable. The stallion had his head lowered to the ground, and was grabbing mouthfuls of grass. Actually, the idea of a mouthful of fresh, green grass was suddenly very appealing to Raz, so he cleared his throat to get the stallions attention.
"Greetings. Don't be alarmed. I was just wondering if there was enough grass in that patch there for the both of us." He stood his ground, not wanting to startle the stranger unduly. This stallion was much larger than himself, so he was probably older and battle tested. Something Raz could not attest to yet.
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 2:18 pm
Paimon looked up at the voice and saw the purple stallion not too far away. He was quiet for a moment, studying up the other. How could I have been so stupid? He could have attacked and I wouldn't have known until it was too late. Paimon scolded himself. "Hail, Stranger." He called out, deciding that he'd be okay so long as he kept a dark eye on the stranger. "Help yourself. My name is Paimon. May I inquire as to yours?" He asked, his red tail flicking back and forth.
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 4:13 pm
"My name is Razien. Greetings to you Paimon. I was just wondering, did you know your mane was flaming? You aren't harmed are you?" Raz felt obligated to bring this to Paimon's attention, but had to wonder if it was some strange trait of this particular Azrein. He walked over to where Paimon was grazing and sampled the grass for himself. "This is good," he said, "I don't know how I missed this patch." He hadn't really been looking for more grass, but it was a good enough excuse to meet the stranger. "Is your herd from around here? You don't look familiar, so you're not from my herd. Do you serve the Six?" Raz had decided that from now on, he would simply come right out and ask any Azrein males he met, and forego the charades and lies. He was simply tired of hiding his affiliation any longer. Perhaps if he met some Azrein who sided with the King, and were open to talking with him, he might shed some light on the conflict he was having.
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 6:12 pm
Paimon nodded in acknowledgment of Razien's name. He gave a small chuckle when the worried stallion asked if Paimon's flames harmed him. "Thank you, but no. I am not harmed. My mane is always on fire. My father is Ruin, the horse of war, and it is a trait he passed on to my sister and I when we were blankets." He explained. "And it will harm none unless I let it." He added, his eyes still watching the purple male. At the mention of a 'herd', Paimon gave a small snort. Quite the inquisitive fellow. Why does he wish to know? He narrowed his eyes at the mention of the six and struggled to keep his disdain for that group of ruffians from rising in his voice. "I belong to no herd, nor do I associate with those you call the Six. But don't mistake me for one of those weak minded fools that believes humans can be trusted." He added in warning.
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 8:44 am
Raz had no particular fondness for humans either, but he had seen Azrein consorting with them, and even some it was said, who chose to bond themselves to them. That was something total anathema to Raz. To bond oneself with a human? Were they out of their minds? So, Paimon called no herd home. And he had no fondness for the Six either. Strange then that he would be so close to their territory. However, he didn't seem to hold it against Raz that he had asked.
"The horse of war you say? I believe I may have heard my father speak of him. I think it best to advise you that you are in the territory of those who do associate with the Six. My own herd is one such, and though they are currently south of us, on the other side of the Hills, this is still dangerous territory for one not on their side. I am here, only because I have not been able to consign myself to serving them as my father does." He felt some sort of kinship with this strange, hair-aflame stallion, and believed he could open up to him about his conflict.
"You see, for some reason I have not been able to discover, my father chose to mate with a mare who sides with the King and his kind. Believe it or not, my father actually killed her parents, and yet she still allowed herself to take him as a mate. I can't understand it at all. I've been raised to believe our mission was to kill all those aligned with the King and his kind. So why would my father choose to mate with her? It's so confusing, and I don't dare ask him about it."
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 9:40 am
Paimon was about to leave when this strange purple azrein mentioned that he consorted with the six, but stopped at the stranger's last words. He, too, was confused?
Paimon's coal black eyes blinked at the stranger, searching him for any hint of lies or untruth. Finally settling that this stranger was telling the truth, Paimon gave out a small sigh. "I too, was born to an evil father... My mother was evil as well. I was bred to help my father destroy the earth, along with his siblings. But.. he left me on my own, and I was raised by some good and neutral azrein... When I was old enough, I left, and found Ruin... And he taught me to hate... just about everyone.. But now... I dunno..." He looked down at the ground, his firey mane falling about his neck. "I've seen these others that are with the humans, and these others that live in herds and surely there's more than destruction?" He finished, looking up at Razien.
He gave a small and awkward grin. "Guess we're kindred souls, huh?"
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 12:13 pm
Finally! At last he had found someone who felt as he did. He'd no longer need to hide his confusion, or his feelings. But this new friend was still too much of a stranger to entrust him with the events of the recent past, concerning the mare Freezia, and his actions in the meadow. He hoped she had made it safely back to her human, and that he had done no lasting harm to her. Perhaps one day, their paths would meet again, and he would know for sure.
"Kindred souls - yes, I suppose you could say that," he replied. "Maybe we could travel together for a while. I've been alone much longer than I had anticipated when I left the herd. A traveling companion would be a nice change. Someone to hunt and talk with."
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 8:23 pm
Paimon eyed Razien cautiously. He had seemed excited that the both of them had similar issues, so he was inclined to trust the stranger, if only just a bit. Paimon weighed his options. Honestly there was nothing wrong with accompanying Razien for a bit, and if he was leading Paimon in a trap, Paimon could easily escape by use of fire if he needed. After a moment he gave a small nod. "I see no reason not to, stranger. I would enjoy your company. Where are you headed?" He asked, his red tail flicking back and forth.
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 8:45 pm
Where was he headed? Up until Paimon asked him that question, Raz hadn't really given his destination much thought. There was so much territory he had not yet seen in his short life. He wasn't really even sure where the King's castle was, not that he wanted to go there. He just didn't want to stumble upon it by mistake in his wanderings.
"I hadn't really decided. Is there somewhere you would like to explore? I'm not really familiar with anything other than our herds territory, and that of my mother. And I was very young when I left her to come live with my father."
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 9:34 pm
Paimon shrugged. "Honestly I was just following the setting sun. I have no idea where I am headed." He answered.
Paimon watched the other male for any hints on what to do or say next. He wasn't used to socializing with others that often.
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 9:09 pm
"Well, I can tell you that if we go south from here, we will be going deeper into the territory of those who follow the Six. If we want to steer clear of them, then I suggest we either head West or North. I've heard that the King's castle lies to the North, so maybe that's not such a good idea either right now. If we were to be discovered by his followers, we could be in for a fight, and I for one don't particularly relish the idea of fighting my own kind. So, I guess that leave West. Why don't we continue with your original plan, and follow the setting sun?"
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 10:09 pm
Paimon took in the other's words wisely. This Razien was intelligent and the dark stallion could find no reason or need to oppose his suggestion of still heading west, so Paimon nodded. "Agreed. I'd rather not deal with the Six right now, North is definitely out of the question. Too many there know of my father, and East is.. well.. just not good for me right now. So West it is my friend." He agreed, shifting his hooves lightly, ready to get moving again.
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 10:28 pm
"Very well then," said Raz in reply, "let us not waste any of the remaining daylight," and he headed westward. He had absolutely no idea what lay ahead of them, but he was open to finding out. If it meant staying away from his father and the others in the herd, all the better. Perhaps given enough time to himself, he would be able to make a decision as to whether or not he was cut out to be one of the Six's evil followers, like his father was. And perhaps Paimon and he had been fated to meet by what ever powers oversaw their existence on this world. He'd heard the stories of how his kind had come to be here, all yearlings did; it was part of growing up. However, those were the stories told if one grew up among those like his mother. He and his youngest brother had learned a whole new story when they had come south with their father. It made young minds wonder just which stories were true.
He did not want to walk the whole way in silence, so he decided to try and coax Paimon into conversation, but what topic to use he couldn't decide. After tossing around a few ideas, he settled upon, "So tell me Paimon, have you been in many fights?"
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