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 Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:33 pm
Kali's life has been a steady course of ups and downs for as long as she can remember. She knows what it means to be an outcast and an orphan, knows well the value of freedom, and knows how whimsical and fleeting love can be. She even knows how to feel so comfortable with her mistakes, she wouldn't trade them for the world. It all has a curious way of weathering one to the bitter harshness of sadness, and shedding a new light on what happiness really is. She's come far from the frustrated filly she once was, and perhaps it shows in the sincere contentment she wears now. "Of course it's true," she quips, more than a little smugly.
"Your dear, am I?" The mare flashes him a challenging grin, and her tail gives a lashing swish. "I wouldn't dream of it!" No sooner than the words leave her mouth, Kali has gathered her limbs beneath her, and pushed off into a tear-away gallop that sends her propelling through the trees, with her wings tucked snugly at her sides.
She'd clearly been honest in calling the forest an old friend; her path is not a haphazard one, and she knows quite obviously where she's going. Her ebony hooves glide over the most prominent roots like she's never left, and the trees are little more than minor inconveniences; she weaves easily around them. Kali isn't running at her limits though; she has one ear tipped backward, listening for pursuit behind her.
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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:49 pm
Akteon heard her, but it was far off. He could almost hear the Hunting horns in the back of his mind, pounding, blocking out almost all other sound. The stallion was gathering his strength, concentrating on the muscles of leg and neck. Of, he was sure she'd be off soon, and he was going to be ready.
He didn't have a response to her creature, only the twitching flap of his tail alluded to the fact that he had heard her.
And then... the Hunt was on! She ran, and he wasn't far behind. Akteon knew right away how well she knew this Forest. To be sure, he probably did not know it as well as her, but he had an instinct about forests. Not to mention he was following her, who knew the path so well. Only, he didn't always go around fallen trees. The shortest distance was a straight line, and where he could, he simply... jumped!
Soon, he was right on her heels, actually, closer than that. Akteon was flanking her, his breath reaching the back of her neck. He had to duck quickly, and pivot along his joints to avoid a rather thick, low-haning branch, but the stallion rejoin his place at her side again. The Hunt was over as far as he concerned, the Horns silenced. Now, he was simply her escort, though he was not positive she absolutely needed one. It was obvious that Kali was more than capable to care for herself, but to just leave was not the gentleman-thing to do.
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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:31 pm
Her pace doesn't quicken as she runs; it slows, despite the nearing sound of his hoofbeats. Kali is as much a fan of a good run as anyone, but it's probably clear by now the escapade was largely for show, and she was truly more interested in teasing than she was racing. When she can hear him at her back, as he moves to her side, Kali glances over her shoulder, turning her head just so. She offers another grin; part teasing, and part coy. And then she turns back to her path, and pushes off with an increasing burst of speed, lasting just long enough as if to say she let him 'win'.
This was no race though, and there are no real winners; her pace drops off quickly, from that heavy gallop, to a smooth canter, and then a trot that lasts only a few steps before she stops. The run was just long enough to make her breaths a little deeper; Kali's velvet nostrils flare as she huffs air.
It was also long enough to bring her to her original destination; she casts her eyes across the line of trees ahead. It's a mostly circular area - a little clearing, situated comfortably amidst a ring of old trunks, with a small thicket off to one side, and the sound of a brook babbling not far off. That much is ordinary though, and it's not why she's here.
This time of year, just after winter and just before spring, the small, beaded tips on the old tree branches betray their shyness, and wear their true form for just a precious few weeks before they wither away. They're large, round blossoms, with smooth petals that start white at their tips and fade to a sky blue at their centers. Kali hasn't seen them since she was a gangling youth, but they look just like she remembers, with the way they wash the deep greens of emerging spring in the last, lingering tastes of winter. In retrospect, it's probably not a choice place to bring a stallion, feminine as it is, but she can admit she came selfishly for herself.
She only hopes present company doesn't take exception. Curiously, but not tentatively, Kali peers over her shoulder, her ears rolled forward with interest. "I do apologize, this probably isn't what you had in mind."
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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:51 pm
As Kali's speed picked up and then dropped, Akteon did his best to keep pace. But while subtle cues of the body can inform another of intentions, Akteon wasn't the best of reading such clues. So he did manage to get ahead, only to slow to flank the mare again. As their speeds slowed, he looked around. He had been by here before but to say it was familiar would be dillusional.
They came to the clearing. The stallion's ears were perked to the sounds. Akteon listened, to ensure the safety of the area. There were birds and squirrels going about their daily rounds, so he felt further at ease and allowed his muscles tense from running the opportunity to relax.
He looked all around, and looked to inspect the white-blue buds. They really were beautiful and Akteon was not one to deny them their right. He was cautiously inspecting one with his dark nose when Kali's voice brought him back to the moment.
The unicorn ducked and turned, avoiding the newborn buds. His eyes glinted in the light as his face crinkled into a smiled. "Oh, it is perfectly alright, miss Kali! I offered to be an escort, and it is your heart's desire that we both go." His tone told of his genuine thoughts. He had said he would escort her around and be a likely companion. So, he was perfectly willing to come to such a place, not to mention it gave him the chance to soak up the beauty of the area... and it was still new to the year! He could only imagine at this point how it look during full bloom.
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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 8:39 am
This is a place Kali knows with utmost familiarity, having spent the entirety of her juvenile life dwelling here with her brother. Through their quarrels, their laughter, and their sleep, it had provided unyielding safety to two young foals with no other comfort in the world. They had needed it, and it had been here; that is how she remembers it, and is how she views it now. Her ease shows in her posture, having relaxed some from that alert poise she'd had before.
She's eying Akteon as he investigates, her expression resting somewhere between amusement, and kind sincerity. "May as well enjoy them while you can - they won't survive to see true spring." It does seem sometimes the most beautiful things in life are also the most fleeting. Kali gives a wistful sort of sigh, her thoughts drifting a little.
The unicorn's voice keeps her grounded in reality though, and her enigmatic neutrality gives way to another teasing grin. "Are you always so amiable? I am beginning to wonder if you have an opinion of your own," she remarks, her head canting slightly to one side.
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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:52 am
As Kali paused and spoke some words, Akteon looked back to the buds. How sad, that they did not last very long at all. It reminded him of some other flowers, which bloomed and were gone before the next moon. But you couldn't dwell on those as well. His eyes took in the buds until her next words made him turn around.
He eyed her for a moment, a glint coming in. His tone seemed to disagree with the expression in those dark eyes. "Oh, would you prefer me to be disagreeable? To moan and complain about every little thing? To lie and cheat, and then tell you waht I think you want to here to get whatever I want?" Akteon took a step forward and cocked his head to the side. "But it is hard to not be amiable when there are so many others to Protect from the Evil Ones." A wink accentuated the sentence.
Well, he did get that sometimes, and usually from females...
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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 12:49 pm
It's probably obvious by now Kali has it in her to play a bit of a devil's advocate, and can walk a precarious line between being honest, and disagreeing simply for the sake of being controversial. This is one of those times; her grin broadens. "Who says one's opinion must be disagreeable?" The mare's tone suggests she thinks the mere implication is quite objectionable, despite the irony in it. "It's a matter of what you would prefer, not what I would," she says teasingly, drawing her head up a little.
"I'd like to think there is a medium there somewhere, between being entirely amiable, and wholly unpleasant." And his flirting... Yes, she had been referring to that too with her accusation. "Still," the mare adds, feigning disappointment. "My question goes unanswered. Shall I assume you are, then?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 1:06 pm
Akteon's fiscade was slipping. He was really enjoying himself and the company of Kali... and his mind fought with his true personality and the attitude of the 'proper' respect for mares (so, treating them like royalty). It was the slight twitch of his cheek that showed the debating in his mind. "Uh," he smile lightly, "but I would never want to disagree with you. Everyone knows the mare is always correct."
That light smile widened and he took a step away from the pretty buds and towards Kali. "Well, to answer your question....." the stallion chewed it over. "I guess I am!"
"So Kali, what would you like me to do? Braid your hair? Fetch a snack? Nod and agree with your every word?" With each question, he walked a step closer. "I have to fully admit, I am not very good with hair-braiding.... lack of opposable thumbs and all...."
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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 1:38 pm
Conversely, the demeanor she's showing him is genuine. This is who she is, and she maintains it effortlessly. "And what's to say all things are composed of 'correct' and 'incorrect'?" Again, her head tips to one side, her long forelock sweeping near one eye. "What if an opinion is nothing more, and nothing less than an opinion? And to hold another is 'perspective', not folly?" Kali's words are ever-lighthearted, despite her sincerity.
"Truly?" The mare seems to be considering her options as she watches him with a sideways stare. "Neither. I should warn you, I'd hardly allow even a dear companion to cater to my every whim." At times, Elan has tried; she remains fiercely independent. "And I certainly wouldn't allow it from a stranger." It's hard to be certain if she's teasing, or being honest; her expression and tone hold a little of both.
The jesting in her features fades as she continues though. "And in any case, unconditional agreement is unbecoming." And then it returns again; she grins where she stands, watching him near. "A mare likes to know she is being credited for her merits as an individual, and not for her gender." Kali is of course no exception, but there is a touch more to it than that for her. She passes him another teasing, sideways stare, but doesn't say she values backbone and individuality in others.
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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 2:46 pm
Akteon's tail twitched like a cat as he thought about what he was going to say. But protocol decided that he should wait, for although Kali was obviously very outspoken and independent, it would have been very rude to interrupt while she spoke (and that was not gender-bias either).
"Ahh, I think some cases are not so prespective. I will not begrudge a fox his meal and he would be 'correct' - he's just trying to live. But, a Skinwalker, I cannot find anything 'correct'. All they want is death and destruction, and not for survival or need. They just want to hurt and harm others. While there are not smaller corrects and incorrects, there are still Truths." The stallion nodded to himself. Truth was at the very core of his being, and it did not always mean that it was a Truth he agreed with.
"Ahhhh," Akteon purred. "You do not care to be pamper? No ever?" He pretended to think hard on this. "Well, I do not know what to say, you must be the first mare I've ever met that did not wish for a stallion to hover and jump at her call." The stallion actually laughed while he thought of his friend Paul, and the demanding little flutter Zahara.
He relaxed his face, to try and look all serious again, "I cannot imagine anyone might not accredit you merely for your gender..." Akteon choked on his words a little to keep the chuckle from coming from his throat. He jumped back just a little, much like a playful dog might when intitiating a game. "You are the most astounding mare I have ever met!" And then, he quite literally stuck his tongue out at her!
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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 3:16 pm
"Some," she agrees at length, still half-teasing. "But not all! Would you not say, despite the existence of truth, some things are only subjective? Not everything in life needs deeper meaning, sir. How am I to discover the opinions of others if my opinion is the only one?" Nevertheless, he has indulged her provocation and shared an opinion of his own; she only hopes to goad more.
"Do I?" she echoes, now grinning sweetly. "I am not entirely convinced it's in my best interest to guide you on the path to a girl's heart, but I'll share with you a secret, sir. Every mare likes to be flattered - at least a little. We do not, however, all desire having someone shadow our every beck and call. I like to think they're not quite the same, even if one does enjoy being 'pampered' now and then." Kali gives a teasing, thoughtful pause before continuing. "Company is really much more enjoyable when it can think for itself," she adds, still with that pleasant smile.
It's an expression that fades rapidly when she feigns offense on hearing his closing statement. "Astounding?" She seems to have glossed over the emphasis on gender, and instead latched onto the adjective with less certain intention. "And what, praytell, do you mean by that, sir?" But she sounds far more amused than irritated; despite her almost-stern expression, there's laughter in her voice she doesn't care to hide.
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Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 8:09 am
Akteon chewed over her words. "There are not so much the little Truths, for as you said they can be different. I may see a flower and this it smells horrible while you feel it smells good. That would be little Truths, which are affect by personal opinion. But the larger Truth, that there is a flower -though it might be called something else - is still there too. And if you are worried about being opininiated...if there was not the Larger Truths, there wouldn't be the littler Truths that you could argue over." His dark eyes sparkled, as he became more involved in the discussion.
The unicorn tossed his head. "Oh, oh! Not in your best interest? Why, you think I be guided to your heart? And then what would you do?" The smile on his face was perhaps one of the brightest he'd given Kali yet. Granted, he really didn't fully know how to treat mares - he didn't grow up with any around, and stallions tended to be safer friend-wise...for they didn't offend so easily, which was possibly one of the reasons that he tended to be so 'proper' around mares - at least initially.
Akteon cleared his throat. "Yes, astounding. Maybe I should re-word that... if you were to go into battle with a Kalona, I am convinced you would come out on top." He pawed a foot in the ground, "despite some of the... disadvantages." Which admittably there might be some, what with those sharp hooves, horn, fangs... but Kali had the brains, and could outwit the opponent - brains of bronze?
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Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 6:44 pm
"Argue?" Kali's expression wilts, in truth more for show than for genuine disappointment. "Don't you think that's a rather unfair way of phrasing it? Everyone could use a little friendly discussion, but I'm sincerely not sure arguing does anyone any favors." Her brother and she had argued often as foals; that sentiment is true enough.
At his following inquiries though, she laughs. The mare has been fairly whimsical with her notions so far, and she's not certain there was any genuine intention behind the remark which inspired it. "Because secrets aren't very good at being secrets if one shares them all! And as to what I would do?" She pauses thoughtfully, tossing her forelock from her eye. "Well, I'm not entirely convinced there is a path to my heart, sir." She has half a mind to ask him why he wanted to know, too, but refrained with another grin.
"Oh? Well, in that case, I'm flattered you have so much faith in me." Truthfully, Kali has never had a sour run-in with much of anyone. "I do hope that's a theory that stays untested though," she adds with a distasteful snort.
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Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 7:42 pm
Akteon shook his mane and lowered his head, not in submisison or agression but a little of playfulness. "Argue... discussion.... I don't think either are inherently bad. But if you prefer to discuss it, that is acceptable too."
The stallion nickered, "True true, one thing that makes secret so intriguing is the Mystery that surrounds them." Akteon chewed his lip, not very dignified. "Oh, there is a path to every heart... some are just more...." he flinched at the idea, "...painful that others." He was probably setting himself up for that one, but all Akteon could think about was his friend Paul and the pesky flutter mare that demanded so much of him. To be tied down so thuroughly scared him - not that he would ever admit it.
"I've met a kalona here or there.... not much thought process seems to be involved with them," he winked and turned to admire the area once again.
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Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 2:19 pm
"I would," Kali remarks haughtily, lifting her slender head in a fashion becoming of females far younger, and far more feminine than she. It's almost difficult to believe she's as ornery and tomboyish as she is, with as regal as she's looking now.
The poise is one she doesn't hold long, though; there's still wily teasing in her eyes. "Painful?" The mare slants her head to one side, her features painted purposefully with a mix of genuine curiosity and amusement. "What makes you so certain there are?" she queries, raising one brow.
Several steps draw her nearer his larger form, where she pauses to flash him an impish grin. "Might that be the voice of experience? The words of one so traveled, he can prove it?"
Not to suggest she actually thinks he might be; it doesn't take a particularly skilled eye to judge Akteon's inexperience. She means no discredit to him, but she doubts he's the sort to have traveled even one such path. He doesn't have that feel about him, like he might be one who's hardly even considered trying to capture a girl's affection.
"You ought to be careful with that ego," she chides trailingly, still half teasing. "I hear they can get quite cumbersome."
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