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This felt wrong. Wrong because of the differentness of it all, and wrong because Anelisse felt awkward about feeling wrong. She was a grown mare, after all; she could do as she pleased, including going places by herself. Just because she was usually inseparable from her familiar and had as of late had the insufferable Fernghuang keeping her under quite, protective surveillance didn't mean that she wasn't allowed to do things on her own, dammit!

If she had been the type to contemplate, rather than simply grouse, she might realize that same closeness and sense of familiarity were the root of her current issues. After all, she'd only been a foal when she Bonded with Raccoon, and Fenghuang had been a presence for quite some time. Even in the Dark Times, she hadn't truly been alone.

It was difficult to say what it was that had made Anelisse decide she wanted to go off on her own, and saw her walking alone through the trees beside the forest river. Her protected life style suited her; she loved the adoration of her devoted familiar, and the flattery and compliments that Feng was always willing to pass her way (even when he was doing his darnedest to infuriate her and ruin her looks). She loved the security of the familiar.

If pressed, she would have to answer that her sudden urge to wander was random. But the truth was, like the most simple of children, it was driven by an urge to prove herself. 'Princess', she was called, and 'princess' she was. She was coddled and protected, and she liked that...but lately, she had found herself becoming a smidgen resentful. She was a gorgeous creature, but she could be tough as well!

...Couldn't she?

Although she had found herself mentally defending herself against any internal accusation of wrongdoing, Anelisse was proud of herself at the same time. Proud that she's managed to slip away from her 'sentinels' undetected, proud that she'd had the ingenuity to come up with this clever plan of proving her self-reliance. Proud that she, as always, looked smashing while doing it. It never would have occurred to her that the same looks on which she doted and prided herself could be a danger. It also never would have occurred to her that what she was doing could be considered a danger.

~~~

It was the splashing noise as the stallion waded into the water which had first caught her attention, but her attention was chained to the creature making the splashing from the moment she laid eyes on him. Who, or rather, what, was that? She could approve of the color, even if it was a bit morose. But the rest of him was a collection of parts she's never seen on a Soquili, parts that did NOT to blend into anything she would consider a harmonious whole. Large, batlike wings with gleaming tips, horns on his head, spikes jutting out from his back legs...and as he smiled, she could swear she saw points. He also seemed to be carrying something; that, or he had some sort of tumor growing out of his shoulders.

The...creature had stopped on a rock in the middle of the stream, and he appeared to be looking straight at her. She did not approve of this. Perhaps if she pretended she didn't see him, he would go away? It was a feeble hope, but her best bet at the moment. So she continued on at the same pace, telling herself that the mysterious being was nothing but a construct of her own imagination and the shadows. That had to be it!

She was not scared, and she would not be scared. She was Anelisse, which meant she was indomitable, indefatigable, peerless among mares, a delight for anyone to see. She was strong, she was powerful, she was...

She was terrified.

She still didn't know what sort of...thing it was that was following her. It seemed that he had to be a Soquili, but to refer to that bizarre assortment of parts as a Soquili seemed to be downright inappropriate. Besides, if she didn't acknowledge what he was, perhaps it would be easier to ignore him? Or make him go away, even!

The only problem with that thought was that not only was he not going away, he was following her. She tried to remain strong and upright and unconcerned, but it was as though his creepy eyes were boring into her back. Anelisse, you foolish thing, what are you doing out here alone, anyway? If you were a sensible creature, you would have stayed back where you were safe and not run the risk of running into...things.

A fine thought in retrospect, but definitely not a useful one at the moment.

She continued on for a few more paces, then stopped. This was unknown territory for her, so if she was going to deal with this...thing, she had best do it now. Taking a deep breath and drawing on her vast reserves of haughtiness, she turned around to face him. "Why are you following me?"

Anelisse's orange eyes narrowed. For sure, the stallion had displayed what could only be described as common sense when he called her beautiful. However, she knew she was beautiful, and she would have been beyond suspicious if he'd ignored her obvious charms. No, she was annoyed. Annoyed at the disrespect he was showing her, and at being ignored. What did he think she was, a child? To be patted on the head and talked over?

At least being irritated was stronger than being afraid. Not necessarily the most sensible of behaviors, but it was a typically Anelisse trait to let her emotions take control. So she maintained her haughty pose and cold tone as she responded, "You missed the question, Mister, so I'll ask again, why are you following me?" She was rather proud of her focus, even if she was feeling rather more upset than was prudent. She wasn't used to being ignored, and she didn't like the sensation. Who was this strange creature to be both so creepy and so rude??

There he went again, being all creepy and weird. And what was up with that expression? He reminded her of a creature from a story she’d once been told as a youngster, about a cat with a predominant grin. That cat had sounded very unsettling, but she doubted it had anything on this…thing, which she still couldn’t bear, even mentally, to name as a Soquili. She was still very uncomfortable with him, still fearful, but she had to acknowledge he was a very complimentary fellow. It always bothered her when her great beauty and grace was ignored, so it was actually pleasant to bask in the compliments she was now being given. Pleasant, and creepy at the same time; why couldn’t he be a handsome Soquili, instead of an assortment of leftover parts?? Life just wasn’t fair sometimes.

Still, vanity was winning out, as it always did. Unconsciously, she dipped her head in a preening gesture. “Well, thank you. It’s very sensible and only polite of you to answer such a reasonable question…and thank you. I’ve always prided myself on looking my best at all times, and in all occasions.” Though she didn’t quite like the sound of ‘unclaimed’, not at all. “Though I feel I have to tell you, I am not available for claiming, whatever you mean by that. I am not a mare who needs or wants such things, thank you very much.” There, that ought to put him in his place!

He spoke in such a level voice that the thing’s speech felt all the more surreal. Honestly, what sort of creature would talk about carrying away a Soquili with the same emphasis as one would talk about eating an apple?

Indignation was a defense mechanism for Anelisse; by being indignant, she could try to hide from herself (or anyone else) the fact that she was afraid. Her own analogy about apples reminded her she knew nothing of this creature, nothing of his motives of machinations or dietary habits. She was too lovely to be eaten, for goodness sake, and she would NOT be anyone’s meal! Not even their snack.

Maintaining her regal pose and hauteur, she narrowed her eyes at the stallion as extra emphasis on her displeasure. “Just because you don’t see anyone around doesn’t mean I am a prize for the first creature I encounter. And just because I don’t know exactly what you mean when you say ‘claim’ does not mean I don’t know claiming usually means taking ownship. I will have you know, Mister, that I am not a shiny trinket!” This was said with a little more heat, accompanied by a foot stomp. The nerve of this fellow!

Though a new nervousness had filled her when he asked who would come looking for her. Who would, if no one knew she was gone? Was Fenghuang still in the area, or had he gone off on one of his little world jaunts? Would Raccoon have alerted Fenghuang to her departure by now? Would he be looking for her? How far had she even gone??

Fear was the sensible emotion. Fear was what any rational creature would be feeling, and whatever else Anelisse’s failings were, she was still mostly rational. The smile on the creature’s face did nothing to slow her pounding heart or lessen the constriction about her ribs; indeed, on his face, the expression was unnatural and terrifying. Her fear was not allayed by his smooth commentary on potentially eating her, either.

But rational was not her strong suit, and she could not stifle a lifetime of ingrained behavior patterns. And Anelisse had never, ever liked to be belittled. She was beautiful, she was perfect, she was Anelisse! And as the stallion referred to her with a completed unwarranted possessive and called her a ‘trinket’ to boot, her eyes flashed orange fire. Perhaps one did attract more flies with honey than vinegar, but if he was a fly, she had no desire to attract him! “I think it would be a much nicer day if you weren’t being so incredibly uncouth, Mister.” She did not believe in swearing or coarse language, but a lot of venom could be infused into one word! Even one word so incredibly courteous, on the surface.

Had she thought he was creepy before? Obviously Anelisse would have to upgrade that description to something much more sinister. She almost wanted to take pride in the fact she had correctly called this stallion as no gentleman, but at the moment, she would have vastly preferred to have been wrong!

What she ought to do was run, she knew. She was a unicorn, after all, and weren't her people reknowned for their speed? The only problem was that she still didn't know exactly what the stallion was, and what abilities he had of his own. She would rather not turn her back on him, unless she had no other choice.

And at the moment, she had a choice; it might not be the smartest choice, but it was herchoice! "As if you don't know very well what you're doing, SIR," she said with emphasis. "You're continuing to call me by a rude term that I have already said I don't like; perhaps I should start referring to you as an object as well, then perhaps you'd understand the rudeness of it all. Would you prefer to be called Pebble? Or perhaps Pond Scum." It was probably not wise to provoke him, but he was certainly doing a good job of pushing her buttons!