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 Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 2:48 pm
The sun sits just at the horizon, slowly drying the dew damp grass. The day promises to be warm though the shadows still hold a chill and a faint fog. The white stone bones of ancient ruins peek through the underbrush. Scattered here and there about the clearing made by the ruins are ruins of another kind. The shattered, tattered and torn remains of baskets litter the edges, lurking under brushes, crunching softly underhoof. Their colors faded with the magics that kept their precious bundles safe. Then one notices that the ruined baskets are not the only remainder of a herd having once lived here. Among the white stones of the ruins are the white of bleached bones. Not enough to account for all the scattered basket remains, and some of adult Soquili as well as a few from young foals. But there is no mistaking the nature of the bones as the morning mist burns away. The whole place has an eery feel. The wind blowing around the trees and stones sings a melody that would be beautiful anywhere else, but here only lends and even deeper feeling of foreboding. If a chill were to crawl up the spine of any passing through, it would be easy to understand the source. But still, there is a quiet beauty to the stillness. The sound of a single bird singing echoes among the stones, though the bird is well hidden. The grass is the brilliant green of early spring growth and the dogwood tree on the edge of the clearing holds white blossoms with just a hint of pink around the edges. It is a place to walk and think. It draws the introspective and compels the philosopher. And a the sound of a single set of hooves is oddly muffled, but still disturbs the peace of the place.
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Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 3:19 pm
Oh oh oh oh.
Aurora could not help but silently complain. Her stomach hurt, her sides hurt, her hooves hurt, her back hurt. She was a ball of hurt. The reason? The gift of life. She was pregnant. And she could never have expected it to be such a strange and emotional thing. She was carrying life in her overburdened womb, and she could not be anymore grateful about it. For so long she had envied those around her who were gifted with children. Now she herself would soon be gifted with the experience of having a true family.
Shaking her head of the headache that lightly pounded at her temples, the soft-footed mare continued to trek her way through the small patch of wood that she had stumbled upon in her traveling. She wasn't allowed to travel far from Dante since he had found out she was with child... but even he had to hunt and such. This allowed to slip away from his watchful gaze for some exploring.
The sun was bright around her, warming her dark pelt as it continued its climb into the skies, and making the vibrant colors in her scales and on her wings seem to glow even moreso than normal. She was a picture of motherhood - a slightly distended stomach and a glowing expression of love on her dainty face. She was happy, albeit flickers of irritation at this or that snuck onto her face when she would stumble or her hair snagged on a branch.
Continuing her forward motion, the mare would pause occasionally to nibble at a blade of grass or sniff at a pretty flower. She had always been abundantly curious, even in the early days new from her basket. It was something inherent in her, a need to travel, to explore, a yearn to learn and know what the world contained. This had gotten her in trouble on multiple occasions.
The air around her was still, slightly chilled with morning dew, and held a sweet scent of flowers opening to greet the sun. She breathed deep, letting it linger in her, remembering it. Yet, beneath the scent, she caught a whiff of something... else.
The mare raised her head, her wings fluttering anxiously as she looked about her, stepping lightly over stone and white branch. Strange white branches... Her eyes looked more carefully downward at the branches - they were strangely smooth, pale and white... And they smelled strange. It was only as she backed away to look at them more that she noticed what exactly they were. She stifled a squeal, her heart thumping heavily, and her wings flaring outward in shock. Bones. They were arranged in such a way that she could feel the memory of this would linger as a nightmare later.
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Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 3:38 pm
A bush rustles as the mare startles. A tiny quail bursts from cover, it's wings blurring as it flaps loudly away. The clearing falls silent in the bird's wake.
Unseen and unseeing, a basket rests quietly in the shade of the ruins. One large white stone lays upon another and in their shadow sits a small basket, white with black markings. The foal inside the basket sleeps, unaware of it's surroundings or how it came to be in this place. If it knew there was another so near, would it call out?
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Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2013 5:30 am
It was so quiet here, barely even the rustle of grass or leaves by wind. Ominous was a loose way to put it. The young mare shook her head, trying to shake the feeling she was not entirely alone. But the chill on her spine did not leave. Something was here. But where was "here"?
Curiosity overwhelmed Aurora. A new area to explore and here she was being afraid. It was unlike her, really. But ever since she had found out new life had taken root... she felt strangely nervous about everything one moment, then irritated at being small the next. It was annoying. Mood swings were strange.
Sniffling, the mare stepped away from the bones in their small piles. Something happened here and it left many dead. But what exactly could have happened? More curiosity.
She nosed about the clearing, looking about at the different structures long since covered with dust and growth. A family lived here, even perhaps a herd. Mother, father, children... There were signs of all. Scraps of old baskets lay beneath her feet, and she sniffed at them, catching the small and very old scent of their contents. What could have happened??
Thinking the place thoroughly explored, the mare began to exit the area. But there was that scent again, it wafted on the soft breeze, fresh as can be, and close.
Ears perking forward, Aurora began to nose about the rocks, smelling them. The scent was close and new. A stirring warmth. There!
She saw it where she could not have expected, hidden underneath the rocks. An intact basket! It couldn't be. The smell that permeated it was warm and fresh. She stared at it with wide eyes, shocked by her find. "You're all alone, little one... why is that?" She murmured, saddened by this, but happy that she had discovered it. Gently, she grasped the edge of the basket with her teeth and pulled it from it's hiding place. She could feel the contents move slightly at the sudden movement, and this shocked her even more.
The little one inside was still alive!
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Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2013 8:31 am
The world shifted, moved around the sleeping foal. The dark and cool was replaced by a slow warmth and a fuzzy lightening of the basket in which he lay. A quiet murmuring sound was muffled as it passed through the magic enchanted walls of his second womb.
The foal didn't understand, but it shifted as the basket moved, tilted. Still sleepy, it was somewhat awake and aware. And some strange instinct kept him mostly still, quiet. He had been alone in the shade of the rock in the quiet ruin for, what seemed to the young foal, a very long time.
He had vague memories of being in a moving world with the sound of a gently thrumming drum only a heartbeat away. Then there was pressure and a little pain and he was expelled from that warmth. For the briefest of moments there was brightness. Then he was in this new home. Quiet and still and alone.
But now there was movement, sound. Did that mean he would be thrust from this world as well? Frightened, he curled up as small as he could. His front feet grasped at the walls of the basket, afraid he would be forced out of this home.
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Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2013 9:46 am
Gently, she told herself.
The little one had to be scared, it had been alone for so long - she wondered just how long that was. Frowning, Aurora lowered her head and sniffed at the basket. "Poor little one. Don't be afraid...." She murmured, feeling very sorry for the contents of the basket. What was it feeling right now? Fear? Loneliness?
The mare flapped her wings, shaking her head to rid herself of some of the misery she felt. No, the little one was not alone any longer. She would make sure of this.
With a stubborn feeling in her heart, the mare settled upon the ground - albeit this action was far from graceful. She let her wing spread outward over the basket and pull against her protruding side. "It's alright... You won't be alone. I'll be right here with you." She felt suddenly very comforted by this basket next to her side. Was this what it felt to have such a thing and knowing it would contain a child and when it would open the child would step forth and be ready for the world.
Perhaps if no one would bother her, she would watch the child.
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Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 10:57 am
The foal in the basket felt the world shift slightly again, then a radiating warmth. And softly, muffled, that thrumming beat. Different, but still familiar.
So he settled closer to the warmth. And the slightest coo proceeded him returning to sleep.
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 2:26 pm
It was only hours later after a obnoxiously colored mare stepped into the clearing where the slaughter had taken place. The fear at the deserted scene was easy to see in here eyes, even from where Bear lay resting in the shadows. She hadn't been expecting anyone else in the area to come here, especially when the screams of the last living relative had died hours before. She had taken a nap with a full stomach, saving the lone basket for an afternoon snack. It seemed like her patience had been worth it, as the mare found the basket and started talking to itself.
It was very easy to tell that her new prey was heavy with foal. Her belly was swollen to the point where it would be difficult for her to move long distances, and impossible to do so at a swift pace. The spawn inside of her would be old enough to carry a decent amount of meat on their bones to enjoy. Bear smirked in the shade of the trees.An appetizer to the main course. She would make the mother watch as she tore her children from it's stomach and devoured them in front of her. Would they be strong enough to cry before she swiftly ended their lives? A shiver of anticipation ran down her spine. She had never had the pleasure of tasting fresh foal before.
The mare reminded her own her own plump stomach, still full with the meat of that poor innocent basket's family. Towards the end of her slaughter, their screams all sounded the same. Torn with surprise bright in their eyes and her paw fell upon their throats, as they let out their last screams. Oh yes, she let them make as much noise as they wanted. It'd attract even more soquili into the death trap, and she could use the voices of them to draw them out of their guard. How stupid her prey was when they believed their loved ones were in danger. How delicious.
Would this pregnant mare's screams draw out it's distanced lover? Bear licked her chops. Ohhh she would find out.
"Pa-p-pleasse haa-help-p me," Bear 'cried' from the bushes, still hidden by the darkness the canopy provided. This mare didn't look very smart. It would be simple to trick her. "Ma-my baaaby" How easy it was for her to sound desperate. She couldn't remember who's voice the one she was using belonged to. It didn't really matter.
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Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 5:25 am
A voice!
The mare had been half asleep next to the gentle warmth the little basket emanated. That and the fact she felt so curiously drained of energy, sapped of her life by the little ones growing so strongly within her. She was certain they would be strong, just like her beloved, Dante. Yet, she found herself hoping they wouldn't be quite as devilish. She wouldn't be able to keep up with them!
Struggling to her feet without falling over onto the little basket she rested against, she stood and looked around, blinking sleep from her eyes. Wake up, she told herself with yawn that cracked her jaws in its immensity.
Focusing, the small mare looked about her, her ears swiveling to capture the small voice she had heard. It sounded like it was in pain, and this boosted her heart rate enough to make adrenaline begin pumping through her veins. She fluttered her wings anxiously as she stepped forward - her cloven hooves dug into the ground, almost ready to leap away back to the basket. Something felt off, but she couldn't quite place why.
"H-Hello?" She called, stepping closer to the brush. She could smell the blood of someone, sharp and metallic in her nostrils. It was an uncomfortable smell, fresh and dark and made her heart thump heavily. "Please, speak up for me. I'm no healer, but I'd like to help. Your... Your baby is safe, I've found it and it is unharmed..." Aurora frowned, backing away back toward the basket. Something felt wrong. It was genuinely difficult to place why. Oh, where was Dante? The mare thought with trepidation. Damn him sometimes and him leaving her... Damn herself for leaving him. Curiosity was difficult to contain.
"Please, madam. Speak up! Let me find you."
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Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 2:30 pm
The ruins were silent, eery and still. The foal in the basket felt the warmth move, the thrumming retreat. It was alone again. Shrinking into as small a ball as it could, the foal shivered. There was something too familiar about the stillness. Something too frightening about the cold.
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 8:15 am
Bear almost laughed at the hilarity of it. This mare was so gullible and quick to help. Her large form trembled at the thought it her next meal, bright white fur still stained by the slaughter of the basket's parents. Sucking in a deep breath, she continued, using a forgotten mare's trembling cries "I- I can't move. M-m-my leg is hurt. Please"
Oh how good of an actor she was. If only the mare knew how she was smiling as the broken mother's voice came from her mouth. She had so much practice learning the various cries mares and stallions alike made as you snapped their bones into pieces. She knew how it sounded when they begged for her to stop afterwards; sniveling with snot and tears dripping down their faces. Proof that her work was worth appreciating. No one else worked the same as she did. Not everyone could get their prey to come to them so willingly.
How very satisfying. Dante licked his front teeth clean from the blood of his afternoon kill, being careful to avoid the sharper fangs with his tongue. Just another deer, as was normal for him on his "meat days". It wasn't often that he got to go out and indulge himself and his carnivorous instincts. Not with his little mare running around every place... Especially with the new state she was in. He would have thought that pregnancy would slow her down but she still wanted to stay on her feet, even when she was exhausted from the weight she was carrying. He wasn't sure if anything could truly slow down the mare that became his lifemate. Dante could only imagine what it would be like when there were more little things running around that he'd have to keep his eye on. But... It was worth it. He never doubted that for a moment. It wasn't easy for him to admit that deep down, he was concerned that he wouldn't be the father Aurora needed him to be when the children were born. He had no idea what the roll entailed or how to act how he likely would be expected to around the small additions. His own father hadn't stuck around for anything other than the quick act that created him and his siblings. Never would he do such a thing to his own baskets. Growing up was tough, but Kiera had done the best she could, given that she had three carnivorous foals running around. There were so many questions he would have wanted to ask his own father about the role he was about to take on.
Dante snarled as he stepped over the carcass of his kill. It was about time that he got back to his mate to begin with. He could think about those things when the time came. He followed the broken twigs and hoof prints he left in the mud back to the area he left Aurora to wait for him only-
"s**t. AURORA!" Dante yelled, anger stirring in his stomach. He had expressed that wandering around while pregnant wasn't a safe thing to do. There wasn't any sign of a struggle to suggest she was attacked, so his little mare had to have wandered off by herself. His golden eyes narrowed as he set off in the direction her scent led. As much as he loved his mate, she would have an earful coming to her after this.
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Posted: Thu Nov 21, 2013 2:03 pm
[[ Are we interested in continuing this? ]]
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