|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 1:18 pm
Rosalind didn't need to be reminded to stay close to the stallion; she remembered the hushed whispers her father and Liebe had shared when she was younger, worried expressions commanding their otherwise-soft faces. They spoke of evil Unikalonas, most likely Darkfire, that would take her from the herd if she was left alone like anyone else would nibble on grass. She lived in dangerous times; no need to tempt fate.
She sensed something from the stallion, but paid no heed. Why be distracted by the actions of someone, when the need for one of life's necessities was far more important? She saw the stream only a few steps before she would have fallen in, and was grateful that she had remained so close to Leigh. If she had gotten wet, the night air, though it wasn't chilly when she was dry, would make her shiver with cold.
Rosalind smiled politely in the dark, though Leigh probably couldn't see it, as she stepped forward to take the first drink. But something in the distance stopped her; a slight flickering light, green and almost oval in shape, floating in the air. She felt a huge grin spread across her face as one of the lights approached her, settling into an orbit around her head, before flicking its light off and continuing on its way.
"It's a firefly," she whispered to Leigh, so as not to scare the tiny insects away. "Aren't they beautiful?" She focused her eyes on the one that stayed near her head, illuminating the loving expression on her face. More memories of her forgotten childhood flooded back to her, images of chasing the fireflies with Liebe and almost falling into the ocean, jumping off of the top of a small hill to catch one, only to roll down the rest of the hill without it.
When the firefly moved away from her face, she slowly made her way to the stream and drank enough that her mouth was no longer dry, but not enough to make her stomach cramp should she need to run again in the near future. She stepped back, flicking her forelock out of her face and fighting to keep her tail still, so it would not injure any of the fireflies that may have lurked behind her.
"Your turn," she said quietly, looking at Leigh in the darkness. "I think we should start setting up camp, while the fireflies are still about."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 3:16 pm
He paused as he reached for the water, giving her an odd, confused look. He resumed his drink before speaking, gulping deep and filling his belly. It would mean he'd have to graze less, he supposed, which might be good for him. Thirst slaked, he returned a puzzled gaze to his travling companion. "What is camp?" he inquired, brows narrowed. As he waited for her answer, he settled himself into a comfy spot near a stand of saplings, not laying down, but relaxing in preperation for rest.
One of the glowing bugs landed in his forelock and sat there, blinking on and off. At a distance, the affect was appealing, but right on his forehead, he found it less than pleasing. He tried nodding his head several times, but the stubborn insect clung to his mane, making its flickering light even more strobe-like. Frowning, he shook his head hard, side to side, throwing his mane every which way. This finally dislodged the firefly, which went sailing through the air for a moment before beginning to fly under its own direction again.
He gave a disgruntled snort and mumbled a comment about them being more annoying than fun before settling down again and turning his attention back to the mare for the answer about what a camp was.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 4:11 pm
Rosalind smiled. Maybe her father's love of language had made the words she used a bit too... intelligent?... for someone that hadn't the knowledge she did. It almost made her feel bad at first, until she remembered that she had to answer him.
"Camp is where we sleep," she replied, giggling slightly. The firefly had visibly bothered Leigh, and she fought the urge to chase after it playfully. She felt alive, playful; the fresh, crisp air did nothing to settle her down any. "Camp is where we just relax and recharge ourselves before the next dawn."
Rosalind flicked her curly forelock from her face, staring at Leigh for a moment. He looked expectant, like he was waiting for her to say something else. It might've just been the failing light, but it confused the mare a little.
"Is there something wrong?" she asked, not meeting his gaze as she searched on the ground for something to lay on. The trees hadn't dropped any of their "softest" leaves quite yet, but Rosalind thought anything besides pine needles would do.
A firefly danced in front of her face as she ambled past Leigh, spotting a relatively large leaf on the ground and snatching it up in her mouth. She flicked her ear as it buzzed around her head, and turned to Leigh, dropping the leaf and saying, "Okay, you're right, they get annoying."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 1:23 pm
For several days they traveled this way... loping along during the day, and making camp, as she called it, every evening. Leigh thought her habit of sleeping on the ground on a pile of something or other rather odd, but accepted it without comment. The forest gave way to rolling plain, so wide that there was nothing visible on the other side. Days passed as they traveled, and the forest behind them disappeared from sight. They followed the sun, sometimes at a walk, sometimes at a canter.
And then one day, it simply ended.
They pulled up at the top of one of the many rolling humps of grassy soil, only to find the world came to an end. Or the green world, anyway. At their hooves, a steep bluff fell away, dropping sharply down in a jagged face to meet a flat, level bowl of sand, which stretched away to the horizon in watery wavers that danced in the mid-day sun. Heat rose from the base of the cliff and met them like the insideous breath of a kalona.
Leigh cast Rosalind a dubious look. "We are supposed to cross that how?" They needed food, and water. How were they to travel without them? "We need a plan. Or some incredible luck." The moment the words left his lips, a loud bawling from around a shoulder of rock, down upon the shimmering sands. Looking down, they could see some very unusual animals stride into sight. Long legged and knobby kneed, they had hideous lumps on their backs, from which swayed either a human or some sort of boxes or bags. At a slow, measured pace, they made their way to the left, a whole long string of them, apparently bound for a destination very nearby to the lucious grasslands.
Leigh glanced at his companion. "Do we follow them?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2009 11:29 am
Rosalind frowned. The huge dunes that were laid out in front of them seemed a daunting task; the stretched as far as the eye could see, like an ocean of beaches. But, as her father had taught her, where there were beaches, there was water.
But this was different. The beaches she was accustomed to weren't that large; they didn't make her feel thirsty just looking at them. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she paid no heed.
She turned her head to look at the strange creatures making their way across the sand. Ugly beasts, they were, with funny-shaped heads and an absolutely terrifying hoof; they were split down the middle, which made Rosalind feel a tad squeamish.
"I don't know," she said aloud, shifting her weight uncomfortably. She swished her tail behind her nervously, her ears frantically switching between the quiet, calm, comforting sounds of the familiar things behind them, and the noisy stillness of the foreign territory, and the ugly beasts, ahead of them.
"Do we have any other options? Can we go around?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly. She didn't like the look of the sand, the animals, anything. It frightened her. "I don't like this."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
