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 Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2014 11:22 am
This is a private RP for Nisshou H's Malcolm and Midnight. No posting please.  
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2014 11:23 am
Malcolm wasn’t sure what had woken him. Had the temperature dropped too suddenly? Had the moon been too bright? Had it been the silence brought about by the end of a summer storm? He couldn’t be certain, but whatever the reason the former desert dweller found himself standing outside the opening of his cave home bathing in the light of the full moon. His cave rested in the foothills near the mountain path into the desert. The temperatures here had always been a bit unusual with spikes of heat in the daytime and sudden drops at night and being in a mountain shower always lead to great rain storms in the afternoons and evenings of the summer.
He took a deep breath of the fresh air, cleaned of the scent of dust and heat by the latest rain. The air smelt like autumn, just a hint of a true chill clinging to it, and Malcolm new the change of seasons would soon be upon the land. As he stood in silence, enjoying the fresh air, something moved across the moon.
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2014 11:26 am
Her body was numb from the cold and what wasn’t numb burned like a branding iron. How long had she been flying for? Longer than she was meant to have been. She had pushed herself far beyond what she should have been physically capable of. She couldn’t keep it up, though, her wings were starting to stutter and falter. They would beat rapidly for a moment and then stop, dropping her, only to catch her moments later. She had done so much more than she should have been able to in this last week but it seemed she was finally reaching her limit.
Her wings stopped beating altogether although she was still several feet up sending her plummeting to the ground. She landed hard on her legs and immediately keeled over. She didn’t even try to get up. The most she managed was to drag her long tail up and over her exhausted body for what little warmth it could offer. Her eyes closed and she focused on steadying her breath and bringing some relief to her aching muscles.
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2014 11:30 am
Malcolm narrowed his eyes trying to get a better look and then watched in amazement as a star fell to the ground. Only there was something wrong about this star. While it was as bright as the moon it didn’t move in an arc or in a straight line. It dipped and rose and then dropped and swayed until it reached the ground. This was unlike any star that he had ever seen and it warranted investigation.
Leaving the boundaries of his home Malcolm raced over to where the star had landed. It was even closer than he had previously thought. As he came to the crest of a hill he spotted the glowing shape on the bottom of the very hill on which he stood. It was no star. It was a mare as pale as the moon with hair like the midnight sky. She lay on her side with eyes closed breathing heavily and if his eyes were not deceiving him, she was slowly growing from the size of a foal to the size of a small mare.
“Are you alright?” He ventured.
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2014 11:31 am
Her eyes opened warily at the sound of another’s voice. So, she had landed in company, a male from the sound of it. She tried to lift her head to survey the stranger but while she was certain she was giving her body the right commands it was failing to respond. She closed her eyes again. There would be something poetic and ironic about coming all of this way just to be murdered by a complete stranger.
She let out a tremulous breath in the stead of laughter before fading into sleep.
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Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2014 10:45 am
The general lack of response from the mare left Malcolm at a loss for what to do. It was clear that she was not alright. He took a few rapid steps closer as her breath stuttered. Had he just witnessed the death of a beautiful creature? No...her chest still moved. Malcolm released an anxious breath. It was good that she yet lived but that knowledge did little to alleviate his worries. From this distance he could see that her pale coat was covered in grime and, if his eyes were not mistaken, patches of dried blood. She did not look to be wounded, only exhausted, which left the question of where the blood had come from hanging heavily in the air.
Malcolm drew back but kept his gaze focused on the mare. She did not look to be dangerous. Her long, elaborate hair and delicate ornaments spoke of a life of luxury, not one of battle. There was a story to be told here but the only one that could possibly fill in the blanks was unconscious.
Malcolm sighed and took a few more steps back and settled in for what promised to be a long night. It was fair weather to take watch at the very least.
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Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2014 10:53 am
The mare's eyes were still firmly shut when she realized that she was no longer asleep. She knew that the sun was shining down upon her now but she did not wish to open her eyes to great it as she normally would. Her body ached in a way that she had never known before. But for all the pain her muscles held that in her heart was so much worse.
She had dreamed, in the night, of her home and all her friends. She had seen the beautiful water, clean and clear in great pools and falling from moss covered cliffs. She had heard the voices of those dearest to her laughing and playing in the glen. She wanted more than anything to return to that dream. She wanted that to be the truth of it and not the silence that assailed her ears like a thousand blades now.
She trembled lightly as the first tears fell from her closed eyes. She was not with them. She never would be again.
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Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2014 11:02 am
Malcolm's eyes felt heavy. He was not the young stallion he had once been. It was not so easy to stay alert all through the night anymore, especially not when absolutely nothing happened. The mare had slept soundly and the most eventful thing that had happened was an owl flying by with a mouse in its talons. More than anything he wanted to drift off himself but that would mean leaving the mare unguarded. He doubted that she would stand a chance if anything attacked.
A startling image of an overgrown weasel dragging her down a giant hole played through Malcolm's groggy mind. The bizarre nature of the thought snapped him out of his daze. "Weasels..." He muttered under his breath before yawning loudly. He looked over to where the mare rested. She still lay there but something had changed, she was shaking.
Concerned he ventured closer to her again. He saw the wet streaks on her face as clear as day in the light of the morning sun. "Are you alright?" He asked, repeating his question from the night before.
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Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2014 11:14 am
She did the best that she could to still her body at the approaching footfalls but it did little good. She recognized the voice as the same one that spoke to her last night and slowly opened her eyes. The hazy form of the stallion took form. She had been unable to look upon him earlier and still she was unable to see more than his forelegs, chest, and part of his head. From the angle that she lay he appeared quite monstrous but it was clear enough that he was an ordinary stallion. She also noted that he had not killed her while she was out cold.
She closed her eyes again, when she opened them again she was looking away from the stallion. If he had killed her, would her dream have lasted an eternity?
She was silent for a long while. He had posed a simple question but it had no easy answer. Finally she settled to giving him that which he was likely looking for, "I'm fine..."
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Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 8:59 am
Malcolm frowned deeply. He was no longer so young that he was fool enough to take the mare's words at face value. She hadn't even tried to make the statement sound sincere. Whatever it was that had brought her here she didn't want to share with a perfect stranger, he could respect that, but he needed to know if she was hurt. He couldn't just leave her alone if she needed help and no one could take a drop like she had and be completely unharmed. She had even fainted shortly after landing. All the signs pointed to her needing some assistance, she would just have to deal with him giving it to her.
"Are you thirsty?" He prompted stepping a bit closer. "There's water not far from here. I could help you to it if you want?" Baby steps. If he could get her to answer he could hopefully find out how bad the mare's situation was. Could she walk? Could she even stand? He hoped so but there was no telling. What if her leg had broken in the fall? Malcolm pushed the "what if's" to the recesses of his mind. There was no use contemplating all the possibilities. There were, after all, too many to even consider.
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Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 9:23 am
The stallion wasn't leaving. If anything he seemed more determined to stay near now that she'd given her answer. If only she had been born a natural actor. Things would be turning out a bit different now. "I would be alone and hurting instead of hurting with another around. Not much difference." She thought bitterly to herself, squeezing her eyes shut.
"I'm not-" She was going to say 'thirsty' but that would have been even more of a lie than her stating that everything was fine. Her throat was parched and her tongue felt thick in her mouth. She was surprised that the stranger hadn't noticed it... or perhaps he had and he was simply being polite and neglecting to mention it.
"I... I suppose I could use a drink... a small one." She said as she started to roll over. Her muscles ached in protest. Those that controlled her wings were the worst offenders and they started spasming. She had to force them under control again so that she didn't seem completely helpless. She knew there was no point in acting secretive. This stallion had watched her fall down to the earth and was still hanging around checking on her well-being. He knew something was up, she could tell, but she really just wanted to be left alone. So that she might mourn in peace even if the thought of being alone was, at the same time, unappealing.
Once her wings were back under her control she set to work getting her legs to respond to her will. They trembled as she put weight on them and she feared that they might buckle away altogether. She managed to stand and was made grateful for her long tail that was working hard to keep her from tipping over. She knew she was shaking badly with her legs spread out at odd angles but she was upright which was probably more than this fellow had expected.
"Which way to the water?" She asked becoming a bit flustered by how winded her voice sounded. She was fooling no one.
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Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 9:33 am
Malcolm's frown lessened when the mare accepted his offer for water, perhaps she was doing better than he was assuming. As she struggled to stand the dour expression returned. She couldn't do this on her own. He shifted uneasily. He wished to offer his help but got the distinct feeling that she would only turn it down. Either she honestly thought she was doing fine or she didn't want him fussing over her. Either way an offer to act as a support wouldn't go over well. Instead he watched miserably as she nearly fell over and only managed to stay up thanks to an absurd way of holding herself with all four legs stretched out to the sides slightly. She looked like she was about to drop at any second with the way she was shaking, and sounded like it too.
"It's... it's this way." Malcolm said sounding and feeling defeated. He should insist that she lay back down but the odds of her listening to that seemed slim. Instead he moved as close as he could to the mare's side under the pretext of guiding her. If she fell he could at least try to catch her from here.
"My name is Malcolm, by the way.""Midnight." She replied. "My name is Midnight."
~*~~~***~~~*~
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Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2014 10:16 am
Midnight stood in water that reached up to her chest just soaking her legs. The pool was too small to be called a lake, it was more like a large, unusually deep pond. It was also the only source of water in the area save for the small streams that ran in and out of it. She had been standing in the water for close to an hour now. Her legs had gone numb from the cold. It was preferable to feeling the deep ache of muscle soreness but not by a great deal. She brought her mouth down to the water and took another drink of the cool water.
She was putting off the inevitable discussion that would wait for her when she left the water. The stallion that had brought her here was still nearby keeping a watchful eye on her much like a body guard would. She had nothing she wanted to discuss with him. She had nothing that she wanted to discuss with anyone at all. It was like the chill of the water had filled her, body and soul, and now everything was numb.
At the same time she was somewhat aware that she was acting like a child in trying to avoid something that would certainly come to pass one way or another. She stared down at the water, she could almost see her face reflecting on the surface but the ripples were too many to get any sort of detail. What did she look like now? Did her eyes look as empty as she felt? She had seen stallions return from battle before and they never had the same light in them as they had before they had left. Did she look like one of them now? If she did that would explain Malcolm's worry.
She turned to look at him. He would follow her until she was well or until he knew, she decided. She would never be well. If she wanted her peace she would have to tell him. With that settled she slowly made her way back to dry land.
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Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2014 12:02 pm
Malcolm's offer to help the mare into the water had been firmly declined. It hadn't been surprising in the least. Instead he had been left to his thoughts off to the side. He kept an eye on her in case her legs buckled beneath her but she seemed to have a handle on things enough that he felt comfortable taking the time to graze. Before long he felt full but she was still standing deep in the water, unmoving.
Having nothing better to do Malcolm let his mind wander. He was not stranger to stubborn individuals. He'd played host to a young stallion named Deidren a while back who'd boasted a stubborn streak a mile long. His refusal to accept aid had been born from hostility. Midnight's was something else. She wanted to be alone, he could tell that much about her, but why? She didn't look like a loner. Her hair, while untidy now, was still held up in an ornate design that she couldn't secure on her own. She had no scars on her body, her coat was practically pristine even after a crash landing. She was decorated with gold, jewels, and cloth that were of no protection. Nothing about her appearance said that she knew what it was like to be alone and yet she continuously shoved him away.
Spoiled. The word hit him quickly. The mare acted and looked like she had never had to do anything by herself before. Was she trying to get rid of him because she thought she was out of his league? Malcolm smiled in spite of himself and shook his head. It made an unfortunate amount of sense. He was no young stud anymore and he had never been much of a catch to begin with.
When he looked back up he could see Midnight heading his way, finally done with the water. He took a breath. What was he going to do about her?
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Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2014 12:10 pm
"I'm ready." Midnight said coming to a stop in front of Malcolm. She didn't feel ready but then she doubted that she ever would.
"Ready?" Malcolm couldn't help but be confused. Had he offered to take her some place else? He didn't remember doing so. "For what?"
"You want to know what happened?"
Malcolm's eyes widened. He hadn't expected this. "I do but-"
Midnight flicked her tail impatiently like a cat and gave Malcolm a sharp look to cut him off. "Please don't interrupt... I can only tell this once."
Malcolm opened his mouth to reply but closed it again after a moment of consideration. Too many questions might make her change her mind. Instead he nodded the okay for Midnight to start speaking and settled in for what promised to be a long story.
"Right..." Midnight took a deep breath to ready herself. This would not be pleasant to relive so soon after the event.
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