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 Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 5:35 pm
He hadn't mind her rambling, that was always nice. As he turned to show the direction it was, she grinned, dancing in place. Ooh, the long strip of empty beach was much too tempting and inviting. At his offer of her going first, she squealed with glee and reared up a bit before bolting off down the beach at a gallop. It was a bit clumsier than usual, due to the sands, but it didn't bother her much. She also held back on her speed; she wanted to find the cave as soon as possible, but she didn't want to leave Maurice behind, either.
After a bit she spied a hole in the side of the cliffs and grinned, figuring that was probably the cave Maurice had told her of. "Is that it?" She asked as she turned to look at Maurice, tossing her head a bit towards the direction of the cave she'd spotted. She certainly hoped it was, but if not, it would be a neat cave to explore anyway.
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 7:33 am
Maurice grinned at her enthusiasm and took off after her, letting the mare keep the lead as they surged along the beach. It was nice to have somebody to run with again, he’d have to look Cressie and her mother up again one day. He hoped they’d found one another. The problem of Cressida’s crossbreed child still remained, but he would cross that bridge when he came to it.
As Sonata spoke, the blue stallion nodded and slowed first to a canter then a trot then eventually to a halt. “Yea, this is it,” he clarified with a smile, glad to see that the entrance hadn’t been damaged. Perhaps the storms had not been bad enough to smash all the way up against the cliffs at this point, the possibility that they would had been one of his reasons for removing to D’ob. He’d nearly drowned and been dashed to pieces the winter before when sudden waves had slammed themselves against his home.
“C’mon,” the small stallion said with a smile to his companion, “le’s go in.” So saying, the blue stallion settled his wings more comfortably against his flanks and trotted into the hollow in the cliffs. Much to his surprise, there wasn’t any debris at all. In fact, everything was just exactly as he had left it.
Except for the shadowy shape of a Jala at the very back. A frown overtook the blue stallion’s face and he gave a snort of displeasure. “Who the ‘eck are you?” he demanded as the figure got to its hooves turned to face him.
She had been enjoying a nice doze until the heavily accented voice came. Setting her ears back somewhat, the mare clambered to her hooves and turned to face the cave’s entrance. A pair of Ichsa, and it was the stallion who had spoken to her. The striped mare snorted back; he was a very small creature to be using such a big voice. Perhaps he’d been looking for a nice private spot to really get to know the taller creature behind him. Giving another snort, the tall mare moved forward a few paces.
“My name’s Bastet,” she said curtly, “who the hell are you?” This was a nice cave, she had no intention of giving it up to anyone until it was time for her to finally leave and return to her herd. She was not looking forward to that in the least and had probably already put it off longer than she ought. Still, for now this was her spot and she was damned if she was going to give it over to some shortarse and his prettily-marked friend.
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 2:31 pm
She grinned excitedly, coming to a quick halt outside the cave as she flicked her lengthy tail, the end of which was fairly wet from the salt water and had bits of sand sticking to it, which she'd failed to notice. Still did, but even if she did pick up on it, it wouldn't have bothered her much. "It is? Oh, good!" She waited for him to enter first before following him at a slow trot.
Except there was someone else there that Maurice obviously didn't know.
The musical mare bristled a bit, flicking her ears back and shifting her tendril wings a bit more comfortably against her sides, and a bit closer as well. It didn't take long for her eyes to adjust to the change in light, as a lot of it came in through the cave entrance and fell upon the creature that had come closer. She snorted softly, pawing at the sand a bit. She didn't know who this 'Bastet' was, but if Maurice didn't know her, the slender Ichsa figured she'd better be careful. She hadn't met a Jala before, if Jala she was, so Sonia didn't exactly know what the striped mare would do.
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 3:02 pm
Before she had said her name, Maurice had worked out who she was. The couple of paces forward she had taken had illuminated her better and revealed her distinctive coat. The blue stallion relaxed and chuckled. “Well, that’s convenient,” he said with a shake of his head at life’s wonderful little coincidences, “I got a message f’ you from Nyx. It’s about the message she ‘ad sent t’ y’ ‘erd for y’. Oh, name’s Maurice by the way and this is Sonata.”
She was bigger than he’d expected, not vertically but horizontally. Not that the mare was fat, no, she just wasn’t the slender little thing he’d expected; this mare had muscle. If what Nyx had told him was accurate she was probably about the same age as he or a tag younger, so it was feasible that if she got pissy with him he’d be in for a bit of a fight. Still, hopefully she would have more sense than that... Though again, from what Nyx had said, she was not one given to sense. Oh well, what would happen would happen and he’d have to deal with it; at least he had the advantage of a horn should things turn nasty.
Bastet blinked, fortunately this little revelation sparked confusion and curiosity rather than her somewhat prominent temper. “From Nyx?” she echoed, pawing nervously at the ground. Oh dear. Well, she supposed she ought to have expected a response. She still dreaded what it might be, though.
“You two her messengers then?” the gold-eyed Jala asked to stall the inevitable a while; she didn’t want to know how angry her father was, she really truly didn’t. Best not to think about it until she knew for sure how much trouble she’d be in when she returned. Shaking her head to push her worries to the back of her mind, the feather-winged creature forced herself to concentrate on other matters.
It seemed to be the stallion who had information for her, but there had to be some reason that the mare was present as well. She couldn’t imagine the pink-marked creature was there for protection or anything, though she supposed folk were less likely to trouble two travelers than one, especially if both had horns. Still, doubtless she would find out what the mare’s purpose was soon enough... Yet if one or both of them were messengers, why had the stallion reacted to her as though she were an intruder in his personal space instead of politely investigating? All in all, the striped Jala decided, this was turning out to be a rather odd encounter already.
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Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 3:32 pm
The pink-speckled mare blinked in confusion; so Maurice did know this mare? That was a bit of a relief, at least. But still, she'd never heard of this mare before.. Perhaps Maurice mentioned her at one point? If that was the case, then it was her own fault for forgetting. That seemed to happen a lot.
She relaxed a bit, but still pawed at the ground once or twice before shaking her slender head at Bastet's question. "I'm not a messenger, no; Maurice was kind enough to take me to the ocean so I could see it, and he was going to show me his -- this -- cave." She explained, offering a small smile. She was still terribly confused, but she turned her gaze onto Maurice. "You never said you shared your cave with anyone! You should have told me," she said with a smile. The thought that Bastet had moved in while Maurice was away didn't even cross her mind.
She turned to Bastet, offering her a warm smile. Well, if Maurice knew her somehow, then that was okay, right? Right. "So, where are you from, Bastet? Is this your first time at the ocean, too?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 6:45 am
Bastet soften a little as the Ichsa mare began to speak; she at least seemed nice. A trifle dim perhaps, but nice. “Yes, this is my first time by the ocean,” she said with a nod to the taller of the two horned Nequus before the other could begin to speak. “I come from up north near Ryuten, that’s where my father’s herd is.” A sigh escaped the mare at this point and she gave a shake of her head. “Your friend will have his cave back soon enough; I have to return there soon...”
Trailing off, the tall mare turned her golden eyes onto Maurice. “So then, what’s the message you have for me?” Best to just get it over with and find out, she supposed. All the facts didn’t quite fit yet, but with luck all that would be explained in due course. Right now she wanted to hear, well not wanted so much as needed, was what her father had to say to her.
Maurice chuckled softly and smiled at Sonata. “I don’ share this place with anyone, usually, never seen Bastet b’fore in my life; jus’ ‘ad ‘er described t’ me by Nyx...” So, the message. The blue stallion frowned in concentration as he tried to recall it and turned his attention back onto the Jala mare. “The message was that y’ folks were jus’ ‘appy t’ ‘ear y’ were okay, an’ that they want y’ t’ ‘urry back ‘cos they been worrin’ themselves daft over y’.”
Perhaps he ought to explain how he had come to be Nyx’s messenger now; both mares looked rather bemused and being bemused was no fun. “Nyx did a favor for me see,” the bright-eyed Ichsa said with a bob of his head. “I wanted t’ do somethin’ f’ her in return and so she asked me t’ find you, Bastet, an’ tell y’ what the return message was. She thought I’d find y’ quicker than anyone from her ‘erd seen as I know the area an’ all that... though I gotta admit I didn’ expect t’ find y’ quite this close to ‘ome.”
At least he wasn’t going to have to fight to get rid of her. She’d be off back to her herd to become some stallion’s mate or whatever it was. Sounded like a bit of a bum deal to him, but there wasn’t really a lot he could do about it. Herds, the well-built Nequus decided yet again, were far more trouble than they could possibly be worth. Being mated to people you didn’t know, having to do things just because somebody who thought they were better than you said so; the whole thing stank of Katilenuck to him but he kept that much to himself. Though she seemed to have calmed and might not be too keen on the idea of herds herself right now Maurice was still aware of those large golden hooves and the muscular legs attached to them. He didn’t really fancy getting one of those in the face just because he’d felt the need to express his feelings about herds.
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 3:05 pm
Sonata merely smiled, listening politely and waiting patiently. She had a multitude of questions for the pretty Jala-ess, but it would be rude to interrupt, so she merely waited instead. She didn't understand the message but, since it wasn't meant for her and she didn't know this 'Nyx' or the circumstances, she didn't exactly have any need to know.
"Your father has a herd, too?" She asked once both were done speaking, sticking her tongue out a bit. Poor Bastet; had she left her herd for the same reason? Hopefully not, such a fate seemed awful to her. "Why did you leave your herd? Just wanted to explore?" Hopefully that's all it was.
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 4:11 pm
Bastet snorted and shook her head. “If only,” she responded with a lopsided grimace. “I left because I met the stallion I was to be mated to.” The mares ears flicked backwards and she pawed slightly at the smooth sand of the cave floor that she had so meticulously freed of seaweed and other debris. “He... had a reputation, which I believed was correct. Turns out it wasn’t quite but still... Reason I’m going back is my cousin.” Her purple on black wings drooped and the mare shook her head again. “I was a bargaining chip, father loves me but that was how it had to be if he was to see our herd done right by. When I left I didn’t realize that somebody would have to chew the thorn as it were. Now that I do... well, I couldn’t let my cousin take that in my place.”
She had perhaps, Bastet considered, told these two strangers more than she had intended but she was tired of mind and of heart and past truly caring about revealing personal details to people she didn’t know. “So, a couple of days from now I get to go back and be the mate of somebody who, while he isn’t as bad as I thought he was, is a stallion I neither know nor love. Still, such is life I suppose. I know I’ve made the right choice, and that is some comfort to me and I hope it will continue to be so.” At least she hadn’t let another take her place. This was the right thing to do. ...Why did the right thing to do never make you happy?
Maurice winced at her story, gladder than ever that he had left his herd when he had, and that as far as he recalled it had been a loose knit thing with no real leaders or followers. There had been no plans for him from birth, and he had left before his dam could formulate any, b***h that she’d been. He hoped she was dead, and that her death had been both slow and painful.
Shaking himself, the silver-marked stallion turned to Bastet with a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry t’ hear that Bastet... Still, I guess y’ don’ got a lot of choice really.” If somebody you loved was at stake, or even somebody you didn’t; a stranger expected to take your pain, there was only one thing you could do, however unpleasant it might be. “I ‘ope ‘e decent to you,” the Ichsa went on with a shake of his head, unable to think of anything more comforting or positive to say to her.
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 5:18 pm
"You too, huh?" She murmured, her smile fading into a discontented frown. Poor Bastet... She was worse off than the pink-speckled mare had found herself. Doubts began to spring up in her mind as to her own actions; perhaps she should have stayed with her herd and gotten with the stallion her father had presented her with? But... no, no; no, she'd made her decision and she'd stick by it always. No matter how selfish it seemed. Although, she hesitated to tell Maurice and Bastet; they'd probably think her selfish for her actions and decisions, but.. but that was just something she'd have to deal with. Maybe they wouldn't think badly of her.
"I was in much the same situation as yourself, Bastet," she began, canting her head to the side. "My mother loved me more than anything, although my father didn't care for me the way my mother had done. I was their only child, and they were the only children of their parents. If they'd had any siblings they were gone, all I know is I had no other relations," she explained before shuffling her tendril wings a bit. "One thing they made quite clear, though, was that they'd never subject me to the fate of bargaining chip, and Milo made sure of that. It stayed that way up until the leader of the neighboring herd came to my father, offering to give our herd more grazing lands if he'd give up his daughter to be mate of the other's son. Father was, of course, ecstatic, and he didn't feel bad about the ordeal at all. I, of course, wasn't told until the young stallion sauntered into our herd to claim me while Milo was away."
"Needless to say," she said after a pause, scuffing the sand with a peach forehoof, "I declined, rather impolitely, and I haven't gone back since. I haven't seen Milo since then, either..." She trailed off as her ears flicked backwards, her thoughts turning to her little Shrila friend as she cast a side-long glance to one of the cave walls. Her eyes flicked back to Bastet after a moment, and she perked her ears forward a bit. "I.. I hope you don't think I'm selfish, especially since it seems we're in much the same position, except... Except I don't think I have to go back. I know how you feel about having a stallion you don't know or care about pushed on you, and I'm sorry you have to go back, but..." Poor Bastet... Sonata felt awful; here she was, having run away the same as the tiger-striped Jala-ess, but yet she didn't have to go back. Bastet did, and she didn't. "I hope he's kind to you, I really do.. Maybe... Maybe, if you'd like, I could come visit you or something, and we could go, I don't know, explore.. Come here, maybe, if he doesn't mind..?" It wasn't much, of course, but maybe it would help the other mare feel better...? It was such an awful feeling..
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 5:27 am
The tall Jala gave a snort and a lopsided grin, shaking her head and laughing a little. “Hey, not a bit; believe you me if there wasn’t another going to be shoved off in my place I wouldn’t be going back either no matter how much I might love my family.” The grin shifted to an encouraging smile as the purple-striped Nequus stepped back somewhat, gesturing for the pair of Ichsa to come further into the cave even if it wasn’t really her place to. “Frankly,” she went on, turning the smile onto her fellow mare, “I’m just glad to hear that somebody gets to snub an arranged mating and keep it snubbed... And I’d very much like you to come and visit me, he can hardly object to that, and I’m sure I could get away with going off to explore the world once in a while provided I come back again.”
Lucky little thing; what she would give to be in the Ichsa mare’s position. Still, if Diego really was as peeved about this as she was, perhaps he would be glad of chances for them to be apart. It was definitely a thing she would have to raise with him; if she was to tolerate being his mate her whole life there would have to be some chances to break free and do as she willed or she was sure she’d go mad and start talking to trees like her father’s mother had near the end of her life, poor old thing.
“Oh, also,” Bastet grinned, “sounds like your father’s a right Rit-turd. At least mine feels bad about all this, I guess.”
So that was why she’d left her herd. Maurice moved forward a pace or two at Bastet’s beckoning, trying not to feel too annoyed about being invited into his own home or too cut out of the loop. He couldn’t begin to imagine the choices the two mares were now discussing. Well actually he could but imagining didn’t make it a real thing and wasn’t all that solid; like trying to picture a colour you had never seen from somebody’s description of it, he guessed. In fact, the only thing he felt he understood was the feeling that parents were Rit-turds and he could hardly venture that opinion without having to back it up and he didn’t want to have to back it up. Sonata had worried to be thought less of for her admissions. He was sure he’d be thought less of. Still, so long as he didn’t say anything it wouldn’t be a problem.
“If y’ like I could show y’ back there,” the silver marked stallion said after a moment. “ ‘m sure y’ don’ need me to,” he added hurriedly because Bastet seemed the sort to take offense at an offer of anything that vaguely resembled the implication that she might be anything less than totally capable in any situation, “I just thought that... y’ might like some company.” That would mean leaving Sonata, he supposed, but that was alright. He’d found her a safe place to remain if she wished, and if not he was sure she could find another for herself. Who knew; if he was lucky he might even find Milo on the trip and be able to take the Shrila back to meet up with Sonata.
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 9:48 am
The pink-speckled mare grinned, ears perked as she pranced forward a bit into the cave at Bastet's invitation. She'd completely forgotten this was Maurice's cave until he spoke. She beamed at the purple-striped Jala-ess, flicking her lengthy tail. She was infinitely glad the other mare hadn't reacted negatively to her story. "Okay, I'll come visit you, then! And it's up... up near Ryuten, was it?" It had taken a moment -- and a thinking face -- to pull the little snippet of information from the rest.
At the thought of Maurice leaving to escort Bastet, the slender mare ruffled her tendril wings a bit, and offered Maurice a smile. "Would it be okay if I stayed here until you get back? I can make sure no one else moves in!" She meant no harm by it, of course; she figured not all who'd found such a lovely little cave would be as nice as Bastet was. Granted, Maurice had known her -- her description at least -- but that thought escaped her for the time being. Plus, it sounded wonderful to live in a cave by the ocean, and the Ichsa was already terribly excited for it. If he declined, she'd find another cave, of course.
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:14 am
Maurice gave Sonata a lopsided grin. “Sure, y’ welcome t’ stay as long as y’ like; when I get back I'll 'elp y’ look f’ a cave of y’ own if y’d like. ‘s nice t’ ‘ave a place t’ call y’ own, right?” He could think of a few nice stable caves not too far off that weren’t occupied, or hadn’t been last he’d checked at any rate. Yes, that would be good; having a close neighbor but still having his own place to be alone and in silence.
Matters thus arranged with his fellow Ichsa, Maurice turned his attention to the Jala mare who had not yet responded. “Y’ can say no if y’ want,” he offered with a smile. Poor kid, he didn’t envy her a bit.
Bastet sighed and shook her head. “No, I mean yes. I’d be glad of the company... if you don’t mind setting out now that is. I’ve put this off too long as it is, people are going to be wondering where I am pretty soon.” She didn’t want anyone to think that she just plain wasn’t going to come, and the blue stallion’s message had sparked restlessness in her in any case. She didn’t mean to have worried anybody by her disappearance but... well, no help for it. All she could do was get back as soon as possible and do her best to make amends.
“Ready then, Maurice?” she asked, flicking her long tail and flexing her wings as she headed for the cave’s entrance.
Maurice nodded and paced after her, shooting Sonata a smile and pausing as he reached the mouth of his home cave. “I’ll see y’ soon, yea?” he said with a nod. “You ‘ave fun explorin’ while I’m gone... Oh, an’ if winds start pickin’ up, head t’ the top of the cliffs; in bad storms water can come int’ the cave an’ it’s not good t’ be inside when it does, yea?” He couldn’t think of any other information she vitally needed before he went; most of the rest was just trivia that could wait or that she could discover herself without risk.
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:28 am
"Okay, thank you Maurice!" She exclaimed, trotting after them a few paces and extending a tendril wing in a wave good-bye. "I'll stay here until you get back, and I'll make sure it's nice and clean for you!" She could gather more driftwood and shells -- they must be the little smooth curvy rock-type things she'd seen in places, right? -- for him, too, hopefully he'd like those.
"I'll come visit you soon, okay Bastet?" The mare offered, ears perked. It would be good to set out to see her... perhaps a few days after Maurice returned. So long as he didn't take too long, of course; then she'd have to set out the following day. Just to make sure he was okay, though she didn't know why in the world he'd take that long. How far away was Ryuten, anyway? ...and come to think of it, where was it? The thought didn't bother her too much; she could simply ask Maurice when he returned. Then he could give her an accurate account of the place. "And thank you, Maurice, I'll remember!" Water coming into the caves? Eek, that didn't sound good at all. With another friendly wave of a tendril wing, the pink-speckled mare beamed at the both of them. "Have a good trip!"
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:07 am
Maurice smiled back and gave another nod. “Thanks Sonata, see y’ soon then.” The, turning to Bastet; “shall we?” The sooner they set off the better; it would be good to get some good distance between them and the coast before dark fell, it would feel as though they were well on their way if they’d made it a fair distance. At the Jala mare’s stiff nod, the blue-coated Nequus gave Sonata a last smile before cantering out of the cave and getting up speed to take off. He hoped Bastet didn’t intend to fly much of the way; there was no way his elegant tendril wings could keep up with the powerful feathered appendages that the Jala sported.
As her traveling companion set off, the gold-eyed mare gave Sonata a smile. “I look forward to seeing you,” she said with a nod. “Hopefully I’ll have good news for you on how I’m getting on with my mate.” Well, it was possible she’d end up liking him. Not probable, true, bust still possible. Sighing at herself, the striped Nequus waved a wing in farewell and took off after Maurice, beating her wings to get airborne. She hoped he didn’t plan to run all the way, she considered as she watched him streak away along the beach, she’d never keep up with a ground speed like that.
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