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 Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 11:43 am
Ellion had been up late, trying to locate a patch of night blooming flowers he'd heard grew in this area. He had overheard some people talking about happening across the strange plants, whose blossoms only opened up once the sun had gone down. Ellion had never heard of such a thing, his father and mother lived in a large beautiful garden, his father had traveled around for years looking for new varieties to add to his collection but he had nothing like this. Ellion, who spent a lot of time wandering was putting some thought into decorating the small glade he thought of as his home, he thought a moonlight garden planted in one corner would be perfect, it would be a challenge to track down the the plants to harvest their seeds but that would be an adventure in itself, he thought it would be a good way to pass the time for a while and it would give him something tangible to call his own. He was sure once he got the garden started that his sister, or parents could be persuaded to watch over it while he was gone. They already tended the little medicinal herb garden he had planted some months prior, it was full of plants with healing qualities he had discovered throughout his travels. While looking for something to help his ailing mother, he had tracked down quite a few useful varieties to bring back home with him and plant nearby where they would be useful and readily available for anyone who might need them. He had some plans to get training in how to use those plants effectively, he dabbled as an herbalist but he wanted training from someone who truly knew what they were doing, Ellion had just picked things up here and there.
His eyes were growing heavy, the patch of ground before him looked comfortably inviting and the stallion decided a short nap was definitely in order. Lurching about like a zombie for the rest of the day would not be very productive. Sinking to the ground and curling up, he spread his diaphanous wings over his head to give himself some shade, pillowed his chin against one leg and closed his eyes. Almost immediately his muscles went limp as his face relaxed of its exhausted tension. His vivid mane fluttered in time with his deep even breaths, a quiet buzzing snore filled the air. Before long his legs began to twitch and his eyes flitted under closed lids, he was dreaming.
Unbeknownst to him a crafty crow had been watching him since he lay down, calculation in its black gaze as it eyed the glittering beads and bells that Ellion wore. It thought they would make a grat addition to its nest, fluttering down, it landed quietly next to the slumbering stallion and began to gently nudge at them with its beak, thinking to steal away with them before his quarry awoke to find them missing.
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Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 5:13 pm
Anger, terror, despair, unease, a various array of other emotions filled the mare. She had been banished, turned away from those of her home, her family because she conversed with her brother and previous best friend. The Elders believed that the taint would spread to her and then she would give it to the rest of the Court, so to be safe, they cast her out of their society. It came as a terrible shock, for was it not the belief of the Seelie’s that Love Conquered All? And yet they did not even give her or Herne a chance. Were the Elders of Seelie Court not following the Code of the Seelie? And if they did not follow it, would that mean that they were tainted? Questions ran through her head, she would never dare ask them out loud, for it would be considered rude and even though she was leaving polite civilized society she would stick to her manners.
What was she going to do now? Herne did not appear to be anywhere near and thankfully Gwathrandir was far away. Ashaniel did not know what to think about her previous best friend who had become tainted. It was a sad tale, Gwath had fallen for a Daoine Eile, but he only had eyes for Ashaniel. The pink Seelie wanted nothing to do with him, for he was not of the Daoine Sidhe and therefore someone she did not want to interact with, but he took her aloofness as a sign of attraction. He kept telling her words of love and recited poetry, all the while Gwath stood in the shadows radiating with her envy. It turned her lovely minty coat a deeper sickly green and when she splashed his face with acid, her tainted transformation was completed. Since that day it had been her aim to either Taint Ashaniel or kill her, Ash did not like either option and lived in constant fear that she would become Tainted like her brother and Gwath.
She was lost in her thoughts and sense of betrayal that she had almost missed the sight before her. A crafty black crow was trying to take the shiny pearl necklace off the slumbering stallion. It was having trouble getting the necklace off, and soon switched its attention to the pearls in the stallion’s mane. Pesky birds, stealing what was not theirs.
“Friend of the sky, I do not believe that to be a good idea. Who is to stay what temperament that stallion has, for should he awake and find you stealing his possessions, I am sure it would not end the way you wish.” She was not sure if the bird understood her, but her voice drew its attention away from the shiny object. Did she need to talk louder to wake the stallion? “It would please me to know the reason you desire to have the pearls.” She was talking to a bird, but perhaps it was a familiar stealing objects for its bonded and had the gift of speech.
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Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 11:23 am
Ellion stirred for a moment, his forehead wrinkling as his ears flicked towards the sound of an unfamiliar voice. His exhaustion was like a heavy weight in his limbs however and it soon dragged him back down into a deep, if not entirely peaceful sleep.
The bird had frozen while its' quarry stirred, barely daring to breathe until the stallion stopped shifting and settled once more into relaxed stillness. The bird skip hopped until it had a better angle to get at the string of pearls, it glared at the pink mare accusingly with one beady eye, clicking its' beak threateningly and voicing a disdainful caw in her direction as it alternated tugging at the necklace with it's claws and nudging the headdress with its' beak. Finally, it gripped the black tassel firmly, and with a mighty heave tore the bell and its' accompanying pearls from Ellion's mane, taking quite a chunk of hair with it and fled to the safety of the overhanging boughs.
Ellion awoke with a surprised yelp, his eyes tearing up reflexively with the tearing pain in his scalp. "What in the-" he gasped.
The crow overhead, having settled the pearly about itself was cackling, a harsh discordant sound that made Ellion grit his teeth in irritation. Especially when he realized what must have happened. He cursed himself for being so foolish. Startled from his deep sleep, it took a moment for his brain to clear enough for him to realize that he was not alone, a mare quite unlike any other he had ever seen was standing quite near, also watching the crow. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, unsure of how long she had been there and rather taken aback by suddenly finding himself in another's company. His father had drummed politeness into his thick skull all throughout his childhood though, so despite finding himself embarrassed and at a disadvantage in a contest with a crow, he dipped his head respectfully, managed a half smile and murmured, "Greetings, Lady," in a cordial tone. His solicitous manner somewhat marred by the way his hair was sticking up around his head in hilarious disarray from where the crow had wreaked its' havoc. He turned to face the offending creature, "That was quite rude you know," he called with a scowl, "You shouldn't take things that don't belong to you!"
Despite his surly words, he was at a loss about how to reclaim the crow's prize. In open air, he could catch it with no issue, but among the trees his wings wouldn't do him much good, he would likely bash himself black and blue without even coming close to the creature.
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Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 1:10 pm
Finally the stallion awoke, it only took the bird pulling on his mane for it to happen but it was too late, for the winged thief had what it desired, now it stared at them from the tree flaunting its new treasure proudly. Ashaniel turned her attention back to the stallion and she bowed her head to him, “I See you Child of the Daoine Sidhe.” Since she did not know his name, she decided to give him the name of their people, those who are of the fae. The stallion then turned his attention back to the bird and she did the same, she could not see any easy way for the stallion to get his possessions back from the crafty creature. It would surly lead him on a chase through the woods and win in the end, for it was small and agile, while the soquili was large and cumbersome in comparison.
An idea formed in her mind, she knew the only way the bird would give up its prize, it would only trade it for another more interesting object. Ashaniel loved reflective surfaces and had a necklace of tiny little mirrors that the Daoine Eile had given her to try and win her heart, she had taken the necklace with her when she was banished as a token to trade, she just did not expect to be trading it so soon and to a bird no less.
“Friend of the Sky,” she addressed the bird, “it would please me greatly to participate in a trade with you. I have this lovely necklace,” she pulled it from the bag that was hidden beneath her mane and laid it upon the ground, “and would be honored to exchange it for the strand of pearls you now bear.” It no longer mattered that she was talking to a bird; she knew that it was smarter than it let on and that it understood everything she said. There was a spark of intelligence to those crafty eyes, and she knew that if it wanted it would steal her necklace as well as the pearls. Softly she placed her hoof in the ring the necklace made, making it slightly more difficult for the bird to steal should it desire.
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Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2015 9:25 am
Ellion's eyes widened at the strange greeting, unsure of what to make of it and feeling that now was not the time to pursue his curiosity over the matter, but his mind was steadily ticking away, even as the crow occupied the larger portion of his attention for a moment. He glared at it, silly creature, he couldn't truly be angry with it, it was simply following its' nature, even if its' nature was to be a pain. It was he who was at fault for not being more careful in his exhaustion.
Ellion glanced at the mare as she spoke again, to his astonishment she was removing a necklace and placing it upon the ground before the bird. Her speech was strange and archaic but the cadence of it was lovely to his ear. She placed a single hoof on the offering, clearly meant to foil the crafty crow should it decide to try to make off with both prizes.
He watched as the crow cocked its head this way and that, looking the mare over as it considered her offer. Its' beady eyes tracked the way the light flashed in the tiny mirrors. The crow fluttered to the ground and landed a few feet away, it hesitated for a moment, meeting Ellion's gaze, and then awkwardly hopped towards them on its' stilt like legs. Ellion watched the crow intensely, wondering if he could be quick enough to snatch the necklace back without the mare being forced to give up one of her possessions to fix his foolish mistake. His cheeks were somewhat pink, he appreciated the selfless gesture, but fervently wished it hadn't been necessary.
The crow leaned down, gripping the loose end of the mare's necklace in its' beak and gave a light tug, as if testing the mare's hold on this second prize. He voiced a rattling caw that made Ellion wince.
"Oh no you don't" Ellion cautioned, his voice tart with exasperation. "One or the other, sir, you won't fool us that easily."
He turned to the mare, his brow creased with worry, "You don't need to do this, truly, I appreciate the gesture, but it would be churlish of me in the extreme to allow you to trade away one of your possessions to fix my mistake." He eyes the necklace's simple but elegant design, "That looks valuable, you shouldn't let this little thief take it on my account."
The crow watched this exchange, its' beady little eyes calculating, once the mare was fully absorbed in what the stallion was saying it cackled softly. It waited a few more moments and then launched itself at her face with a raucous caw and a wild flutter of wings an attempt to startle her into removing her hoof from the object of its' desire.
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2015 8:48 pm
All of this seemed to be quite the mess over some pearls but for beauty and lovely things Ashaniel would help even those of the Daoine Eile, which she was thankful that the stallion was not. She had only encountered one of the Others before and he was the one who had given her the necklace that now held the attention of the black bird. It was a pretty thing, all the mirrors reflected the light and cast beams on her legs and the bird’s feathers. “An object is only as valuable as the memories it holds,” she smiled at the stallion, “The necklace is no great loss to me; I had it with me to trade, for it is not something I wish to keep upon my person for very long.” Ashaniel could guess that the pearls had some meaning to the stallion and that they held dear memories as well, the mirror necklace held nothing but darkness and taint, she would be glad to be rid of it.
A few turning of the seasons ago a stranger appeared in the lands, he was not Fae, in truth he did not possess any wings at all. Curious the Court of the Seelie went to greet him and he was a welcomed guest, he told wild stories of distant lands and strange creatures with feathered wings. Gwathrandir, the best friend of Ashaniel became infatuated with the stranger, she would follow him and fabricate stories of their love. She was so blinded by her love for both Ashaniel and the Stranger that she did not see how he courted Ash and how much the pink Seelie mare detested him, until it was too late. When Gwathrandir finally learned of the Stranger’s love of Ashaniel, she snapped, and in a jealous rage blinded the stallion with acid so he could never again see beauty. Despair filled the seelie mare, for she was the cause of her friend’s taint and the stallion’s blindness, constantly she wondered if she could have changed anything, but knew that it was too late for such thoughts, the terrible act had been done. Now every time she looked into the mirror necklace she saw his face how it was and then how it became after the attack, she gave a slight shudder, yes it was worth giving up the necklace to a bird.
Warily she turned her attention from the stallion to the little black bird near her hoof, she knew that he would not give up without a fight. Right when her attention turned to the bird it flew into her face, even if she had expected something like that from the creature, she still reacted in surprise, it would be hard not to when something large and black flies toward the sensitive area of the face. With a started yelp she stepped back and let out a little curse when she realized her hoof left the ground, quickly she tried to place her hoof back over the necklace loop, not sure if she would be quick enough. Faithofthefallen I am so sorry that this is so late! x.x
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Posted: Fri May 29, 2015 12:03 pm
Ellion nodded his thanks, "If the bird agrees to the trade, I'll find you something of equal value, so you will still have something to trade." he said firmly. His eyes lingered on the mare's face as it flickered with emotions. There was a story there, but he wasn't sure if she would be willing to share it with a stranger.
Ellion started as the crow dove towards the mare, stepping foreword protectively in an attempt to shield her, misreading the bird's intent for it pulled up well before it would have collided with her. There wouldn't have been enough time for Ellion to have done anything regardless, he had been standing a polite distance from the mare, too far from her and the crafty creature to have intercepted their exchange.
He squeezed his eyes shut in a wince as he heard the yelp, when he opened them again, the bird was back on his branch, the other necklace firmly under one talon as it cackled to itself, studying the long strand of mirrors it had captured.
"Come on now!" he called, biting back a chuckle in spite of himself. He was frustrated but in hindsight, he should have expected the attempt. Ellion walked towards it slowly, trying not to spook it away with its' two treasures. The bird was now quite determinedly pecking at one of the little mirrors, "Come on now," he repeated, "You can't eat that, you can't carry both of those. Give one of them up." At this point he didn't even mind which one it was, his stomach still twisted uncomfortably that it had been his foolishness that had enabled this entire fiasco.
"Give it back, you promised," he wheedled, although of course, the bird had done no such thing. "If you do I'll-.... I'll...." He trailed off, they had nothing left to barter with. Tiptoeing closer he gave some thought to shaking the tree, the crow might be startled enough to drop one or both of its' prizes, and it could hardly fall so he wasn't worried about injuring it. He didn't want to hurt the animal.
He leaned casually against the trunk, bracing himself, the crow raised its' wings, voiced a threatening caw before it dove at him, both necklaces draped around it, the downsweep of its' wings nearly whacking Ellion in the face as he ducked. It circled and flew off disappearing into the trees.
"You Theif!!" Ellion cried, incensed, his face mantled in a rosy flush from frustrated temper mixed with amusement. "Theif!" He nearly chased the crow into the trees before remembering the mare behind him. Taking a deep breath to calm himself he turned.
"I apologize that your necklace was lost," he sighed regretfully, "It appears even our combined wits are no match for that little hellion."
He shook his head, trying to convince his mess of a mane to lay flat again.
"My name is Ellion," he said with a wry smile, "Interesting circumstances for a meeting, I thank you for trying to help." He peered into the woods, "Did you want to try to track the troublemaker? We could try to reclaim what was taken." He shrugged, "My mother made the headdress for me, I'm saddened to have lost it but its' not irreplaceable. I'm sure I can ask her to make me another if you'd prefer not to. In fact..." He lowered his head to shake off the double strand of glowing beads, he nudged it foreword gently with his hoof. "You may take these if they are suitable, I admit, I've never seen anything like that necklace," or anyone like you the thought hung between them unspoken, "So I'm not sure what a proper trade for it would be. Perhaps if you told me what you'd hoped to get for it, that would give me a better idea of its' value, so I can be sure that you receive fair compensation?"Thalea No worries whatsoever <3 I'm not in any rush for replies n_n
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