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 Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 11:12 am
"HAH!" Coquette's battle cry rang through the clearing, the resounding thwack of her staff smacking the tree trunk scaring a few small creatures into scampering in fear of their lives. The young mare glistened with sweat, her long hair was damp and dark from her exertion but her eyes were bright and energized as she immediately twirled about, almost thrumming in pleasure at the smooth feel of sliding muscle filament as her strong body perfectly executed the next figure in the series. A tight patch of muscles bunched and then relaxed into the familiar maneuver. She had been out here for nearly an hour exercising, waiting, distracting herself from the worry dancing at the back of her mind. She swung again and smacked the tree again.
Would she come?
Coquette had made the difficult decision to send her daughters to be raised in another herd, The Code of Edda, where her long time friend and more recently, her lover, Elijah had been raised. He was her favorite sparring partner, and the father of her three children. During their many mock battles he had assailed her ears with glorious tales of the Valkyrie's might and fury. When their friendship had blossomed into passion, she had eagerly accepted the request to send her daughters to become such fearsome warriors. She knew she would be at best a distracted mother, she was devoted to the martial arts, she was a warrior body and soul, and while she loved her children as fiercely as any parent would, motherhood did not come naturally to her. Thankfully her sister, Jezabelle was more than willing to offer advice when it came to raising Everette. She knew she hadn't done a perfect job, but parenthood did not come with a set of rules, she and Elijah had done their best by their son and she was proud of the stallion he had become. She was proud of her daughters as well, they were as beautiful and talented as promised, and oh... So dangerous. Reaver and Solveig were first and foremost valkyrie, while they had met the Sinclairs under supervised visitation with the other Valkyrie children, part of their education, a concession made by her grandsire in an attempt to know his granddaughters better, they were aloof. They were not raised the same as she had been. While the girls recognized Coquette as their birth mother, they had been brought up communally and didn't harbor any particular affection for her simply because of their shared genetics. She was a friendly acquaintance at best, but while Coquette did not regret her decision, in fact would make it again should she conceive again with Elijah, she felt she was missing something not having any relationship with her daughters. While Coquette had known and loved her mother, Jessamine was dangerous and unpredictable. When she was settled, she was a loving and loveable mare, but her relationship with her children was always slightly strained by the knowledge that an unexpected episode would put the lives of those around her in danger. Coquette had grown up fine with her grnadfather, father, and elder sisters to guide her, so she didn't really worry about sending her daughters to a herd that practiced something similar. Now that her daughters were grown and their training complete, they had more freedom, and she was eager for the opportunity to know them better. She was not overly excited by foals, they were messy, noisy, and disobedient, but she liked the idea of forging a bond with her adult children.
"Mother"
The familiar, and yet unfamiliar voice startled Coquette. She whirled to face the newcomer, weapon raised to 'guard' position but she relaxed when she realized Solveig had silently arrived. Her gaze flicked down enviously to the paws that allowed her daughter to move so silently through the forest. Such useful appendages. She appraised the mare before her, so strange to see her own features reflected back at her, of course Elijah was there too, as well as some features that were uniquely Solveig's own. She thought she would be used to it from Everette, but he had been with her from birth, his features were so well loved and familiar that she didn't notice their similarities anymore. He was Everette, her son, when she looked at him, she saw him, and perhaps some of Elijah at times. This was like meeting a stranger and seeing your reflection, albeit a distorted one. The powerful wings churned uncomfortably under Coquette's unrelenting study, her daughter had branching tentacles instead of a tail. Strange, but doubtlessly useful, she and Elijah had conceived at a time of year where offspring were known to be twisted by the spirits. Many in her family had been touched by these spirits, she herself had not even been carried within her mother's body. Rather her sister and her had been formed and placed within baskets for her parent's to find. They were clearly descended from the same genetic stock as the rest of the Sinclairs, but their origins were shrouded in mystery. Her family was the very last to raise an eyebrow at strange mutations. Her gaze fell to the roses growing from Solveig's chest. Wondering if her daughter suffered from those thorns as she had in the past.
"Solveig." she finally responded, tilting her head in acknowledgement, her eyes gleamed with admiration and pride. "I'm glad you came."
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2017 11:19 am
Solveig moved through the forest silently, her powerful limbs eating up the miles between her home and the meeting place with ease. She exalted at the exertion of her muscles, the slow burn that gave her face a warm glow in the chilly air. It was still early in the year, the snow had melted, but that meant nothing, the air was still cold enough to bite and the grey clouds chugged overhead threateningly.
As she neared the clearing, she slowed, taking the time to pick her way across the top of each heavy root and boulder to avoid rustling the detritus littered across the ground. Her flexible toes spread and her claws bit into the bark as she moved, perfectly balanced. The nest of tentacles that formed her tail was constantly stroking the air, the flexible appendages swaying and rustling independently of each other and of her other movements, grasping the tree trunk and branches around her for extra support brushing against the foliage curiously, the sensitive pads tasted the world around her, and provided her with continuous sensory input to supplement her five senses.
Her breath clouded the air as she pushed through the veil of foliage that exposed the mare running through a pattern dance within. Objectively, the mare was still quite young, her form was exquisite, her balance almost enviable. Her face was familiar, both from her trips to visit the Sinclair herd as a foal and from looking at her own reflection. Coquette, her mother, had invited her for an afternoon of sparring. She knew Reaver had received a similar invitation, but she had not asked whether her sister had accepted. Solveig was curious about the dam who had given birth to her and had the strength of character to send her away. While the Sinclairs were strong, almost strong enough to follow the Code themselves, the thought of how close she had come to never knowing her Valkyrie sisters, her true heritage, and her calling, made her blood run cold at times. Her mother had loved her enough to send her away, for that, she had earned Solveig's undying respect. She had often wondered, growing up, if she should send her mother on to Valhalla, such a selfless act was evidence of a worthy spirit. But altruism itself was not enough, she sought out souls that were too good, too pure, for this world. Exposed to shadow, but unmarked by it. Her mother was admirable for certain, but she had shadows in her soul, Solveig could not bestow Valhalla upon her, but she wanted to, and that level of compassion made her decision to accept Coquette's invitation easy.
"Mother"
She called out her greeting, announcing her presence. She was slightly disappointed that Coquette had not noticed her arrival, but not entirely surprised, she had been trained to move without disturbing the world around her.
Solveig's voice was a musical alto, but it was brisk and uncharged by emotion. Her expression was cold and detached, belying the tumultuous thoughts taking place under the surface. A very few had dared to call her heartless when she proved impervious to their advances or met their attempts at conversation with disinterest. She had agreed with them, and then bled them for the insult without a single change in her visage.
"I was.... Intrigued by your invitation." She responded, although she could not have looked or sounded less so.
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2017 11:37 am
Coquette's eyes flashed irritation momentarily, before she regained control. She had forgotten how cold her daughter had become. It had happened rather suddenly, one visit Solveig had been as bright and interested as any foal her age, albeit possessing a somewhat reserved air that made her seem older than she actually was. The next visit, she had erected a thick wall between her and anybody who dared to speak to her. Her emotions had been locked away and hidden, and to Coquette's disappointment it had not been a phase. She sighed, this was going to be harder than she thought if Solveig insisted on maintaining a professional distance. She had had dreams of bringing her daughter on patrols with her, talking long into the night to make up for lost time. She had some friends from other herds she felt close to, she would have liked to have forged something of a friendship with Solveig if the bond between mother and daughter was forever out of their reach, but if the mare insisted on distance that would be somewhat impossible. She felt more awkward than she had ever felt in her life, meeting a distant stranger for the first time was one thing. Meeting someone you had created, carried beneath your heart for an entire pregnancy and brought into life through blood and pain, and who was also a complete stranger to you... She didn't know how to feel. She felt guilty for not feeling the immediate connection and love she felt with Everette, how could she not love her own daughter the same as her son? But she didn't know Solveig, and now she was worried she never would.
She shook her head and sighed, breathing out the anxieties that would do her no good. She itched to get back to sparring, the world was simpler with a weapon in your hand, and the exertion burned away doubts and insecurities. Solveig was who she was, she was grown, self possessed, beautiful, and talented. She hadn't had Coquette for a mother, but she had been loved and raised in a family. Coquette had not deprived her of anything, she had simply given her a different path. Her heart wondered how it would be different if she had insisted on keeping the girls as well, how different this meeting would have been. There would have been an embrace, smiles, easy banter, instead of this cold stranger. But she could not change the past, she had made her choice, she would stand by it and live with the consequences. Her daughters with Elijah were Valkyrie, they belonged with the other's of their kind, it would have been wrong to deprive them of that heritage.
She cut to the chase, if Solveig didn't want to muddle around in uncomfortable emotions, she would take a page from her book and do the same. Their complicated past was what it was, talking about it would change nothing, they could only move forward from here. She pretended the mare before her was not her estranged daughter, she was a complete stranger who shared a love for martial arts and probably had a lot of tips she could share.
"I've been here a while, do you need to warm up before we start?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 12:48 pm
Solveig strolled forward to take up a position across from Coquette, she rolled her shoulders a bit, flared her wings and flexed her paws experimentally.
"Unnecessary" She declared finally, "The journey here seems to have done the trick." She picked up the other practice stick and swung it a few times.
She felt an uncertainty she hadn't experienced before. Looking in her mother's eyes she could see the emotions warring within the mare's strong frame. Coquette was expecting both everything and nothing from this meeting and Solveig was unsure what that meant for her. She had been raised according to a strict code and had come to think of outsiders as a threat, those worthy of Valhalla were few and far between, those who were not worthy were like traps for her sister's souls. Coquette was not worthy, should one of the Valkyrie send her on, they would taint themselves and be potentially barred from Valhalla. Still, were it not for this mare she would not exist, her body had grown within this mare, even though they were nearly complete strangers, in a way Coquette knew her as no one else ever could. Then again, her herd knew her in a way Coquette never had. Couquette may not have raised her, but in agreeing to carry her to term and then send her to her fate, she had given her a chance at really making a difference, she found the mingled mixture of disdain and disinterest that she normally felt towards outsiders did not apply where Coquette was concerned. She saw a person, flawed and unworthy of Valhalla, but worthy in other ways. That was disturbing, what had always seemed so straightforward and uncomplicated had now revealed grey areas she didn't want to have to face. If her mother was not Valkyrie and she was not a blight on the world, perhaps there were others that were both unworthy of Valhalla and worthy of getting to know. It was too much.
Though her thoughts were tumultuous, her face remained smooth and serene, she had trained her features so, she did not want her enemies to be able to read her. If she showed nothing, they could interpret nothing. Normally she strode for a clear and objective frame of mind as well, but as the decision not to make the kill had already been made she didn't need to keep her emotions at bay to avoid clouding her judgement. She shook her hair out of her face as Coquette took up a position in front of her assumed a 'guard' stance. She was tired of thinking, she just wanted to do for a while.
The emotions were gone from Coquette's features as well, her face was smooth, serene, her eyes glittered like twin rubies. She circled Solveig like a cat sizing up its prey, her mother sprung forward suddenly and she smiled despite herself, there had been no hint that she was about to attack, it was seamless, as if she simply thought and executed reflexively in one simultaneous moment. Their staves clashed together, creaking, and Solveig bit back a gasp at the strength behind the blow. She gave no ground, but her mother was deceptively strong despite her delicate appearance. No wonder her father enjoyed sparring with her, this would be a rare challenge.
Solveig disengaged and returned the attack with equal ferocity, Coquette's eyes were dancing now and her smile was fierce. This, at least, was something they could share.
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Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2017 12:37 pm
Coquette took the opportunity to study her opponent as Solveig took stock and loosened up a bit, the tails could be a problem, they were flexible and strong, if one got ahold of her it would be difficult to break free, but it didn't seem as though Solveig consciously used them much. They writhed independently of her other movements, but she would have to be careful. Her claws were another dangerous area, it was one thing to be kicked in the ribs, another to be sliced open by sharp talons. She eyed the wings, she wasn't too worried about them, Elijah was a tri wing as well and she had sparred with him enough times, but she couldn't be sure how different the training was for the female Valkyrie, still, they weren't claw tipped, the most they could do would be trip her up or cause confusion. Suddenly, her mind dragged her unwillingly back to the night of Solveig's birth. The blood, the fury, the terror, those wings had certainly caused damage then. Her children were not the first tri wings to be born to the Sinclair family, but Ara had not been available when the contractions started to offer her advice. Her elder sister Belle had been there, but she had had no midwifery experience, Vervada and her daughter Vidia specialized in poisons and dealing death. They had picked up quite a few healing tricks throughout their time with the herd but they were by no means experts. They had been able to dull the pain and stop the bleeding, but she had felt enough before the pain meds kicked in to make her perfectly fine with waiting quite a while before she gave birth again.
She remembered her first sight of Solveig, barely recognized as the now grown mare before her, but she remembered the smell of her soft baby hairs, the soft nuzzles before she was tucked safely into her basket to continue development. Her eyes brimmed for a second. She hadn't realized how damn complicated things could become because of her decision. Vincento was speaking to her again, but she could tell she was not entirely forgiven yet, Coquette hoped that when Queen gave birth that that would be happiness enough for him to relent a little. She missed their closeness and regretted not telling him earlier of her decision to give him time to warm to the idea, or at least prepare him for the inevitable before his excitement got too out of hand. She understood that his fury was based in pain, and she understood that the depth of that pain was not entirely from this situation, Solveig and Reaver's departure had brought old injuries from his past to the surface. It wasn't fair, but life seldom was. He would get over it or not, she could only hope that his love for her would temper the rage in time.
She released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Solveig was staring at her impassively, silently waiting. Coquette launched forward, holding nothing back, any less would have been an insult, and reveled at the feel of her muscled bunching and releasing in perfect harmony with her will. She was a weapon, and she kept her weapons well honed, that was what her grandfather had taught her. Constant practice and vigilance, she would give her all in this fight, and hopefully leave knowing more than when she had came here this day. Certainly the Valkyrie before her would give her a battle to remember. Solveig met her attack with effortless grace and Coquette almost laughed when the staff gave the tiniest bit. Although her daughter's face was still seamless, she felt the shock through their connection, so, the Valkyrie had underestimated her, that was good. She wouldn't make that mistake again though, wouldn't fail to give her full effort. It seemed she had something left to teach Solveig as well. She spun away as the other mare disengaged and flew effortlessly to parry her return attack. Ducking low, she spun and was pleased when Solveig launched backwards to evade her and then sent a counter blow flying at her skull. Coquette quickly got her hooves under her, blocked the blow, and danced out of range.
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Posted: Wed May 03, 2017 11:49 am
Despite her initial misgivings and the complicated emotions associated with this meeting, Solveig was enjoying herself. She found her body relaxing into the rhythm, the give and take of shattering blows, her muscles were protesting, perhaps she should have warmed up a bit more before beginning this workout but she hadn't expected this much of a battle. Lesson learned. The pair of mares spun, their staves in a blur as they circled one another, neither had landed a single blow, they were quite evenly matched, a fact which pleased Solveig. Her mother did not have the training or the education to be a Valkyrie warrior, but she had the soul of one. Idly, Solveig wondered if her mother could ever be convinced to join the Code of Edda. It would make things so much simpler, but deep down she knew better. Coquette was a high ranking member of Vincento's herd, The Sinclairs, she trained its' warriors and defended its' members. She was devoted to a cause already, she could not be swayed.
Her mother's herd was quite the enigma to Solveig, she had visited it a few times growing up with her sister and the other young Valkyries. Vincento had not seemed the type to allow such an intrusion on his lands, it was certainly educational. She had enjoyed it as a young foal, until...
Solveig winced at the pain of the memory and nearly had her skull caved in, she ducked quickly, cheeks colored in embarrassment as she refocused.
Shortly before their coming of age ceremony, Reaver and Solveig had ventured out with a fellow young Valkyrie to test their mettle, unbeknownst to their elders. The skinwalker had attacked so suddenly there had barely been time to scream for help, their friend had lain there, dashed against the ground, blood turning the earth muddy around her as the two sisters had faced down their attacker. Despite their fear, the extensive training drilled into them from day one had kicked in, they had worked together seamlessly, while unable to kill the walker they had managed to injure it enough to convince it that there were easier pickings to be had. It had fled and Solveig and Reaver had rushed to their friend's side, she had begged for death, begged for the assurance of an ascent into Valhalla by dying at one of their hands. Solveig wasn't entirely sure why at the time but it turned out their friend had sent an outsider to Valhalla at a young age based off of shoddy judgement. After being counseled by her elders, she had realized the decision had placed her own soul in danger. If Reaver or Solveig would only make the decision to send her on with their power, her own taint would no longer weigh in the balance... But killing another Valkyrie was one of the biggest taboos. Killing her would risk bringing taint into themselves, they had refused, and watched in heavy sorrow and guilt as her life bled away. That decision had been disturbing in itself, but what had truly terrified Solveig was the hunger that had burned in her after the battle. The hunger for violence, the lust for blood. For a moment as her friend had lay there begging for release, Solveig had wanted to grant it with her teeth, only her iron clad self control had held her in check. From then on, Solveig lived in terror of what she was capable of if she relaxed her vigilance, she had a darkness lurking inside. So Solveig constantly tested her self control, her will had to be stronger than the urges of her body, she could not risk addiction to that surge of delight that suffused her when she was forced to make a kill. She would not become a monster.
As a foal, Solveig began to go days without sleeping or eating, simply to prove she was the master of herself, particularly after an episode of bloodlust left her terrified. Her caretakers had balked at this new behavior, had counseled her endlessly, but as much as Solveig wanted to admit what drove her to test her limits at such extremes, she was terrified they would tell her that the bloodlust was the taint establishing itself within her, that they would drive her away from her family. Reaver never spoke of any such problems, she didn't know her brother or her other relatives enough to ask, she felt alone. So she pushed herself, to prove she was worthy, to fight back whatever taint lurked in the depths of her soul, she had done nothing to earn it, had not yet found anyone worthy enough to send to Valhalla, unless she had been born with it, it should not be there... The only person she had ever dared confide to was Reaver, whom she had repeatedly sworn to secrecy. The love of her sister was a balm that helped her find peace when panic over whatever it was that lurked inside her threatened to overwhelm. She was not a slave to it, she simply co existed with it... For now.
A loud crack resounded through the clearing as Solveig's staff snapped in half, one jagged end twirling off into the trees, for a moment, the mare hesitated, expecting the fight to stop long enough for her to replace her weapon, but to her astonishment Coquette simply hissed in triumph and launched in with renewed fervor. Solveig gasped, ducked out of the way, and then laughed. Flaring her wings, she churned them, hoping the movement would cause some confusion and then lurched forward, claws unsheathed. She wouldn't damage Coquette, but she really wanted to win this match!
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Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2017 11:16 am
Coquette's eyes were alight with battle lust, it wasn't often she faced an opponent and could truly unleash herself, one where she didn't have to hold back. It wrmed her heart that it was her own daughter who could push her so far, sweat once again streamed down her sides, both of them were panting with exhertion, but she could see that Solveig was enjoying this as much as she was. When the other mare's weapon broke, she instinctively pressed her advantage, using the staff's length to keep herself out of the other mare's reach. She felt Solveig's frustration grow as Coquette easily parried each attempted attack. They danced across the clearing, their movements as deadly as they were elegant. With a furious hiss as her warning, Solveig spun, her tentacles whipping out to circle Coquette's forelegs. The mare managed to parry two, but the third reached is target and pulled her off balance, sending her toppling to the ground with a roar of fury. Solveig was on her in an instant, looming over her, wings spread, fangs bared, her claws slid out as she pinned Coquette to the ground drawing blood. Coquette realized the newest trickle down her forehead was blood not sweat, she had managed to hit her head on possibly the only rock in the entire gods curst clearing. She hissed in frustration, it had been a while since someone had overcome her defenses so completely, she needed more practice fighting against Solveig's mutation. Her cheeks colored, but as she glanced up she realized the greatest danger had not yet passed, for her daughter's eyes were glazed and hungry, the Sinclair bloodlust rearing its ugly head. Coquette took a deep breath, and gazed cooly back at the other mare, one eyebrow quirked in invitation. She wondered how the bloodlust manifested in her daughter, she wondered if this was the first time. Regardless of how many times Solveig had dealt with this in the past, she clearly had not learned to control it yet. Empathy stirred in her heart, neither of her daughters had met Jessamine, she was the herd's most dangerous secret. Introducing her to her granddaughters and then forcing her to watch them leave for another herd might have triggered something, and they all went out of their way to keep Jessamine calm. She wondered if Solveig thought herself a monster, as many members of their family had at one point or another thought of themselves before being brought into the family. Before learning they were not alone. This was why Vincento had lost his mind in fury when she announced her intention to give away her children, she would need to find a way to prevent her children from suffering in silence while still honoring her family's secrets.
"Are you going to kill me, Solveig?" she asked pleasantly? "I can see that you want to."
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Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2017 12:39 pm
Solveig's eyes widened in surprise as her tails reflexively whipped out to snag her mother by the ankles and slam her to the ground. Interesting, they had never done that before, part of her mind observed coldly even as another part of her mind smelled blood and she just went... Blank. A blood thirsty battle cry poured from her lips and she instinctively sprang on top of Coquette with the speed and grace of a pouncing cat. Her claws slid into flesh, ripping deeper as the creature beneath her struggled, she smiled, her long fangs glinting in the moonlight as the mare met her eyes with calm acceptance. Solveig hissed, wanting her opponent to accept her dominance, she had won, she was poised for the fatal strike, but the female simply met her gaze stoically, the challenge still smoldering in the face that was like a warped mirror of her own.
Are you going to kill me, Solveig?
The words bounced around within her skull. Was she? Her claws slid out farther into the pinned mare, whose pupils contracted to pinpricks in surprise and then dilated as pain and adrenaline washed through her body. Solveig licked her lips as she stared at the artery pulsing on one side of the mare's exposed neck. So easy, so delightfully easy for her to end this life, to rip and rend this flesh, to sate the hunger that had been denied so long. She had yielded enough to let it wrest control now and it wanted.
I can see that you want to.
Did she? Did she truly? A part of Solveig was screaming, if she ended this life with her own body, with her own teeth and claws, she would be sending this soul to Valhalla. This corrupted soul that had been already deemed unworthy. Solveig would taint herself, perhaps beyond redemption. She, who prized self control over all else had lost it, her worst nightmare had been realized. There was a monster hiding in this skin with her, lurking, waiting, always hoping for a chance to take over. To reduce her to riding along as it had since their birth, watching through her eyes but unable to interact with the world, feeling her limbs move without being able to stop them. It was horrendous. The monster didn't care about tainting her soul, it wanted to feast.
Solveig didn't realize her tails had slowly loosened their hold as the waged her internal battle, didn't register that her claws were slowly retracting back into their sheathes. But Coquette noticed the moment her daughter's attention wavered. Solveig gasped as the world suddenly turned over, her head smacked into something hard with an audible crack that echoed through her skull. She sighed in relief, feeling the beast flee back into its mental cage even as stars exploded into her vision and darkness swallowed her.
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