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 Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 3:48 pm
 A soft crunch against the frost-bitten ground, still dry and hard from the winter's season, brought the heavy rounded hooves of the tribal green aeri lazily bringing brought up and placed down once again at leasure. Though despite the lack-luster pace of this brute, his head swung slightly from side to side as he kept a continious gaze at his surroundings, and tiny pricked ears flicked busily. Now Zak had never really traveled far from the borders of his home, the D'ob valley, but something had occured to him very instantly during the night. If he was going to finish what he started, he couldn't keep waiting around for the pompus Jala to show himself. He had to believe that somewhere in Urin, outside of D'ob, that he would find what he was looking for. But even now, the tribal green stallion was begining to doubt himself, it was much easier to just stay in the valley during the winter season, and to stay warm until the frost thawed from the ground and spring was in the air. With these thoughts he flared his nostrils as if to snort it all away, bah, who was he to go wait? He had waited for most of his life, and after toning his body to become the brute he is, it was time to be on the look out. "Just going for a little walk," he thought to himself, flicking his stub of a tail in irratation.
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 4:22 pm
Some way off, the ground crunched under the hooves of another creature. This one however, had only two hooves on the ground.
Lucius frowned in concentration as his rose up on his hind legs and stretched for the berries that dangled tantalizingly above his head. No sweet prize hung before his eyes so insolently and got away uneaten. Teeth closed around the stem that attached the berries to the very top of the bush and the Aeri stallion grinned before allowing himself to drop back onto all fours.
The berries were pulled down with him and the orange-winged stallion began to munch them, ignoring the woody stem as an annoyance to be swallowed or spat out as the mood took him.
Thoroughly satisfied with his victory and the resulting prize, the morbidly clad Nequus set off at an easy walk with no particular aim in mind. They wouldn't be moving on for a while yet but he wanted to keep his muscles warm. It wouldn't do to have gone stiff when the time came for the next leg of their journey.
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:04 pm
Lax in his pace Zaknafein continued on his little trek away from the D'ob valley, unsure of where he was going even, but unwilling to allow himself away from the thought of finding that blood bay Jala. He was out there somewhere, probably still laughing about the horrors he put Zak through. It was these kinds of thoughts that were constantly running through the aeri's head. Perhaps he was a bit cynical in this manner, but that hardly pahased him or was brought to his attention.
While he continued to plod along, his crimson gaze happened to sweep from the horizon to just to the side of his normal vision, and there he spotted a figure in the distance. At first the tribal green stallion was going to ignore it, but the prodding to the back of his conciousness made him look twice. From this distane he could not see the build nor breed of the other, and was not able to determine just what it looked like. What if it was in fact the blood bay Jala himself? Flicking his ears back and fourth in thought, Zak flared his nostrils to try and clear his mind. He hated getting involved with other Nequus, and would hate to show signs of wanting to meet and greet when he in fact did not want anything of the sort.
In the end though, his tangled mind gave way to chance, and he decided to check it out; just in case. Slowly the brute changed his course to a diagonal path, that would hopefully give him a better view of the other Nequus.
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Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 6:59 am
The orange-winged Aeri continued to munch at the stem of berries as he wandered, eyes sweeping for anything unusual that he might investigate. An strange stone caught his attention a moment later and was duly turned over with one large hoof. It looked almost like the rock that had covered the rise where he had found the red bones that even now adorned him.
Lucius finished the last berry on the stem and spat out the woody remains before bending his head down to study the stone closer. He was sure he'd heard a name for stone like this from one who had visited the Fire Mountains.
Yes; obsidian. It must have been washed down from those peaks by a river and then found by a sentient creature. Perhaps it had been but a momentary diversion to them, plucked from whatever stream it had rested in on a whim. Perhaps it had been a treasured gift from a sweetheart or an awed twolegs or a beloved friend.
The curly maned stallion closed his teeth around it and straightened up. Whatever it had been to its former owner it was his now and would be passed on to his son as a gift when he arrived at the coast once more. He'd have to work out a better way of carrying it but, for now, his mouth would suffice.
As the Aeri raised his head, he spotted another stallion heading towards him. It was another Aeri, too, and not looking overly friendly.
And here he was with a rock in his mouth.
Lucius lowered his head to the ground again as if to graze and spat it out before taking a step forward to stand over it. Present thus protected, the bone encrusted male waited for the other to draw near.
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Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 9:07 am
Withdrawn into his investigation, Zak hardly noticed the movements of the other Nequus, for from here they were hard to distinguish anyways. Perhaps he should have paid more attention to the Nequus rather than his own thoughts and questions. If it was in fact the blood bay, what would his reaction be? He was sure the pompus Jala would remember him and their entangled past, and it shouldn't come as a shock to hear that the grudge had never been forgotten. With things like this swirling around in his concious, Zak's demeanor switched over to the irratable brute he had become, swaying his stub of a tail in antisapation.
Through the midst of his own mind and desires he happened to glance up towards the other Nequus again, and was surprised that he was able to make out what it liked like now. Damn it all, the build was too heavy for that of a Jala, and the coloring was all wrong. Snorting at his luck the tribal green aeri planted his hooves into the ground and ceased moving forward, cynical crimson gaze going over the aeri he had nearly approached.
Lest to say Zak was in a foul mood after discovering he hadn't found the Jala he sought after, and in no way peaked his curiousity into meeting other Nequus that may seem 'interesting' in retrospect. Wanting nothing more to do with him, he swung his head around and was about to move off once again, a heavy hoof swinging to the side and his body soon followed. It wasn't till after he had taken his first step away that something caught his attention. Considering he hadn't taken a good look at the other aeri, he was surprised to find, that from here, it looked as if the other was carrying something on its back, and standing over another something.
Stopping momentarily to glance back once again, Zaknafein took into account, after quite a bit of studying, that this aeri was carrying bones upon its back. Bones? The thought was appaling to Zak. What sort of creature, sick minded and cynical, would carry bones upon its back in plain view of other Nequus? Snorting at the thought, his ears twisted back some as he stayed planted where he was, not exactly trusting to leave his back open while walking away like he had orginally planned.
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Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 9:45 am
Lucius watched the other's approach with curiosity. Thus far, the green Aeri showed no sign of the usual disgust or fear that Nequus displayed in response to the sight of him. Some way away, the short-tailed creature came to a sudden halt and gave a snort.
The boned Aeri frowned to himself; still no real reaction but the other male had definitely lost interest in approaching. He was even turning about to move off once more. A few moments later, the world returned to normal as the tribal-marked creature snorted his disgust and pinned his ears flat against his skull. Perhaps he’d only just noticed the red skeleton; the black-coated stallion had been told that it looked somewhat like simple markings from a distance. The other Aeri didn't seem about to flee or attack. He didn't seem about to do anything really, beyond hold his ground where he was.
"Greetings," Lucius tried, nodding his head to the red-eyed Nequus. "My name is Lucius." Introducing himself probably wouldn't make this hostile looking stallion change his outlook but there was no harm in trying at least.
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Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 10:09 am
It surely was a strange sight, and definatly something he doubted he would have encountered back in his valley home of D'ob. Which made the warm little place call back to him in his mind, since it was his first time away from home, and already the world outside was becoming twisted and sick. Not only that, but there was ample oppurtunity to encounter other Nequus, which of course was never on his list of things to do by far.
Usual thoughts of intimitation came to mind. Since he wasn't willing to leave his back open to such a creature while walking away, just maybe he could scare him away and then take his chance to retreat back into his withdrawn search. A crimson gaze flicked away from the bones momentarily as he tried to size up the other stallion from a distance, but found that he was only slightly smaller then himself, and wasn't showing any signs of nervousness as it was. It would definatly be a difficult task to accomplish, but at the moment it seemed like the only option.
Though at the sound of the other's voice, through the midst of his thoughts, Zak twisted a single ear forward before planting it back to its place adjacent to the other. Unsure of whether or not he should respond, the tribal stallion slowly curved his brute of a body towards the other, and tucked his chin towards his chest slightly. "Zaknafein", he answered slowly, at least giving the other his name before placing one heavy hoof in front of the other to walk closer. Zak was still unsure of whether or not he should try scaring the other away, but decided it was a better idea to at least get an idea of what the other was like first. Despite his crimson gaze never leaving the skull worn upon Lucius' face.
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Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 10:50 am
The curly-maned stallion nodded to the other's words, noting silently how it had taken him a while to choose to reply. Afraid the green creature did not look and now he was approaching. Lucius gave an internal frown as he weighed up the possible reasons for this. Either the swirled Nequus was warming up to him, which from the set of the ears and head he doubted, or he had some evil in mind.
"Glad to meet you, Zaknafein," the orange-brown marked male said with another nod of his head.
The black stallion gave his orange wings a relaxed stretch as he assessed his possible opponent. A little larger than him, true, but without the protection of hardy bones on his body; probably nothing to worry about. A brute and a probable bully, Lucius considered calmly as the red-eyed creature approached. Well, if he wanted to start a fight that was fine but the dark-coated Aeri had no intention of making the first move.
The bone-clad Nequus gave himself a shake before turning his attention back to the slowly encroaching other. "So, what brings you here?" he asked casually. "I'm travelling south myself."
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Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 11:14 am
As he got closer and had a chance to examine the bones a little better, he had to wonder if they sturdy, or if they were brittle and might fall apart. As sickening as the thought was, he couldn't keep it from entering his mind, and poor creature that had once been the owner of those bones. What of it? Was this aeri wearing its remains as a mark of victory? Sick-minded and cynical indeed, and after closing the distance to a still relatively safe enclosure, Zak again planted his forehooves where they landed.
Fortunatly, Zak was a mere intimitator, neither laying a hoof nor teeth upon the ones he sought to frighten away. And at the moment he twitched his little stub of a tail in waning patience to his own indecision, knowing a fight was to be avoided, but mere acts of agression was still in question. Laxly his nostrils flared in a sort of heavy sigh, as his ears came lop-sidely forward. Perhaps it would more trouble then it was worth, for the other seemed like he wouldn't budge either way, and looked as though he happened to be protecting something he was standing over. In a mild curiousity his gaze dropped to what lay beyond Lucius' hooves, but found nothing of interest. That was odd.
Bringing his neck up into its collective arch once more, he kept a lax stance, neither moving towards or away in a sign of agression or fright. Despite this though, his crimson eyes did not change their demeanor as he again thought of ways to get away without having to expose his back. Flight? He wasn't a strong flyer in the least bit, and doubted his wings would be of any use to him here.
Coming up with something though, meant soldiering through a conversation. With a roll of one of his shoulders he answered plainly, not willing to be very open about anything. "Looking for someone." Perhaps a sudden lunge forward? He considered the thought, but there was a chance it might back fire on him. Deeper into thought he went.
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Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 11:27 am
Lucius swished his tail at an itch as the green stallion continued to approach him. Still no sign of fear and no direct sign of wanting a fight. That was good. Confident in his ability to hold his own though he was, the black stallion was well aware of how easy it was to injure a leg with a slip when trying to strike out. The last thing he needed now was to get himself damaged but the orange-winged stallion knew that his considerable pride wouldn't let him back away if the red-eyed creature did initiate hostilities. Stupid ego.
Some way away from his own position over the piece of obsidian, the swirled Nequus came to a halt and seemed to relax a little. Somehow Lucius didn't find the less aggressive stance and ear set very comforting. Again, it was possible that the other stallion was just adjusting to his unusual appearance but it paid to be cautious.
"I see," the red-maned stallion said with a nod. "Anyone in particular? I might have seen them around, you never know."
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Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 11:53 am
Zak found himself to be in a very awkward position, he perfered to stray from others and any conversations they might have. And usually when he was unable to frighten them away, he himself would turn and leave in a very disrespectful way. But with this one he didn't think exposing his back was a good idea at all, and since confrontation was something to be avoided... well again it was an awkward situation that called for him to stand his ground.
Shifting his gaze down to the spinal cord and rib bones he had to wonder about just what had happened. Of course he doubted Lucius had been born with them, and thus that only left a few options. He either found them and took them, which seemed illogical for the tribal stallion; or they were decorations of victory taken off his beaten opponet. What kind of Nequus lived beyond the valley of D'ob? He shook the thought away, but nonetheless cynical about this stallion.
Tilting his head slightly in thought at the question, he pondered over the chances of Lucious having seen the one he was after. With a bit of pause he answered darkly, "A pompus Jala", before slipping into further thought. The more he thought about this one knowing some information, the more tempting it seemed to go further in the description, despite any resent he had for Lucious. In the end he turned crimson eyes upon the other stallion once again, shifting his membrane covered wings restlessly. "Blood bay in color, and relativly three or so heads shorter then myself I believe." Of course he had estimate about the height, but he hadn't seen Aitumn since he himself was a mere colt.
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Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 12:12 pm
Lucius watched the other stallion's eyes run over him in silence. He was used to being scrutinised in this manner by now and made no comment. If Zak wanted to bring the bones up he would do so himself and in his own time. Accusations, the black Aeri felt, would get him nowhere save into a fight.
As the other male began to speak, Lucius frowned to himself. A blood bay Jala? Memories flashed across the red-maned creatures mind of snow and deep bitter cold near to the valley of D'ob at the beginning of the harsh winter. …Aitumn? That had been the fellow's name hadn't it? He hadn't seemed all that pompous to the orange-eyed stallion. He'd liked the story about Pyrus and the acquisition of his bones. Ought he to tell? This fellow had shown no courtesy to him where as the Jala had been quite friendly.
Well, he could always find out more and then give false information if he felt the need to.
"A stallion? Named Aitumn?" Lucius quizzed before falling silent and awaiting a reply.
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Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 12:39 pm
Sternly Zak kept his mind on thoughts of Aitumn and their entangled pasts, sucking himself deeper and away from his fowl mood at meeting the bone-clad aeri. Perhaps this would bring him the answers he sought, and maybe even a chance at the blood bay himself. Though at the opposite end, if Lucius knew nothing, Zak would take his chances to turn tail and leave in a furious search for the Jala. Perking his ears a vivid antsipation to his answer, he waited impatiently as it seemed like the other was trying to remember something. Alas, there was hope!
It almost seemed liked his words didn't register at first, but Zaknafien quickly gave a jerk of his head at the name. "Yes, that's him!" he snorted, tossing his large head with a morbid excitement, and unnerving his short mane so it tossled about. He had heard of Aitumn! Ah, but wait, he thought to himself, settling his once more tensed frame into place. How did he know Aitumn? Were they friends? Enemies? The possibilities made Zak sick to his gut, and again his chin tucked in close to his chest as he struck out fiercly at the air in front of him with a single forehoof; ears momentarily twisting back to show emphasis on the gesture before returning to their eagerly perked position. "I haven't seen him since I was a colt", he began cautiously, eyeing Lucius as he seemed to forget about the bones now that his body pulsed with morbid tension. "How long ago did you see him?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 12:51 pm
The black stallion watched Zak's reaction carefully, searching for some sign of what the Jala was to him. From the tossing of his head and his pricked ears he was interested but-
There!
The back-set ears, the tensed in neck, the striking hoof. From those signs the orange-eyed stallion was fairly sure that the other Aeri stallion meant the travelling Jala no good. He could still be wrong of course; there were any number of things that might have provoked that moment of anger before mere interest returned. Perhaps the green stallion was friends with the blood bay and simply angered about some squabble between them, or maybe he was worried. Worry easily led to anger, Lucius knew.
"I've only met him once," the red-maned stallion replied. "That was close to the beginning of winter, just when it was getting really cold and snowy." The leathery-winged stallion offered no additional information, hoping for some more sign of what the red-eyed male felt for the fleet Jala before he came to a decision about what to say. He didn't really know that much in any case, just that Aitumn might have chosen to head to D'ob at some point, but it was the principle of the thing that mattered in this case. He wouldn’t do anything to help someone who might seek to harm the Jala unless they had a good reason for their dislike and even then only maybe.
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Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 1:10 pm
Zak was still a young stallion, having only been a colt when he knew a fully grown Aitumn, and thus never really thought things out further then his initial reactions. Very carefully he listened to what Lucius had to say about Aitumn, but he himself was unable to tell what kind of relationship they had, and wondered if the truth was some how being hidden. It could not be denied. Lucious knew Aitumn. But could Zak trust he only met him once? Deep-throatedly he seemed to snort from the depths of his chest as his sides stuck out a bit before resting back into its usual position.
"I see", he spoke off-handedly. How much information would just talking get him? Could it garuntee the truth? Reseting his thoughts and his head he kept a crimson gaze upon Lucius, and pondered about other tactics in getting what he wanted. Swinging his head to the side Zak took a step over there, before hesitatnly stepping in the other direction. This kept up to the point it looked like he was swaying, but he was deep in thought. Finally he shook his heavy head and snapped his bony wings at the air, coming to a decision it would seem.
With the flicker of his stubby tail Zak took a more inticed stance then before as he stood. "Any idea where he may be now?" he asked, flipping his short forelock out of his crimson eyes and rocking his weight from hoof to hoof; finally growing impatient with conversation, but unwilling to move off just yet. And if he could help it, he'd keep himself from mentioning the reason as to why he was looking for Aitumn.
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