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 Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 7:53 pm
And where she went, he would do likewise, whether he liked it or not. But being tied down wasn't as bad as he'd thought it would be.
"What was that? I can't hear you, I'm too busy winning!" he laughed back at her, kicking like a madbeast. More like too busy trying to keep himself from noticing that his legs were starting to feel like one of the Kawani had tied bags of sand to them as a prank, but Gethin didn't care (or at least, not much). He didn't know how close or far she was behind him; all his senses were straining for that rock ahead. So he almost didn't notice when what had laid beyond that curve came into view. Whoa...
Gethin didn't much go in for description, but this was... He realized he'd stopped where he was, and turned to Ayelen, giving up on their impromptu game for the moment. "This would've been a good place to raise our kids, maybe."
A sheltered cove stretched out before them, its edges held firm by rocky sentinels like the one that had inspired his challenge. The clear water, unsullied by mud from hooves as yet, allowed glimpses of pale sand and smooth-washed stones, and a small stream wound away through the forest of pines beyond a short length of beach. There'd probably be all manner of minnows darting beneath the flash of sun on water, too, ready to nibble on perfectly respectable Soquili, and- Well. It was one of those picturesque places he once might have noted as a good place to bring a mare if he wanted to win her over, but now he found himself simply admiring the beauty of it for its own sake.
"Or maybe not," he couldn't help but add, chuckling softly. "We'd've been having to rescue them from 'drowning' every five minutes."
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Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 3:58 pm
Her heart was hammering in her chest; even flitting from one rocky outcrop to another on her delicate wings didn't take this much energy from her on a usual day. She almost felt like she had back when their foals had been little and they had left her to rest in what had then been -their- family clearing. Her head had ached that day, and yet the squealing of her two little girls had been enough to lessen the pain...
She snapped back into reality, suddenly catching sight of what had attracted Gethin's attention. Her eyes widened a bit as she stared for a moment, taking in the view of the pebbles that lay in multiple colors all over the beach, smooth and rounded from time and weather. Thick, ancient pine trees began fifty or so feet back from the shore, their old and discarded needles littering the floor.
"Beautiful," she panted, a grin pulling at the corners of her maw, "It would have been fantastic." Her ears swiveled forward towards the place and she shifted slightly, making her way towards the shore that was closer than their original destination. She'd admit he'd won; for now, at least. She never minded his teasing remarks, after all.
"I'm sure any child of yours could hold their own," she replied, shooting him a mischievous wink, "Not a doubt in my mind." Her hooves had just grazed the bottom, and she paused for a moment, huffing for breath with her head held as high above the rippling water as she could manage.
"We could, well-" she was cut off as a small wave from his movements caught her in the nose, sending her snorting to get it out. "Do it again. Foals, that is." She quirked a brow in his direction. "Someday, perhaps. Maybe they'd be less of the little terrors you had worked them out to be." She laughed, eyes alight with amusement.
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Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 10:52 am
Suddenly hearing the exhaustion in her voice, Gethin turned to her with no little concern, and a bit of guilt, too. He'd been so caught up in the fun of the chase, he hadn't really given much thought to the fact that if he was breathing hard, his mate would probably be even worse off. He waded closer, positioning himself protectively by her side to lean on if she needed. The stallion was just about to apologize hurriedly for the water his progress had sloshed at her when he realized what exactly she meant by her interrupted comment.
Again?! That was his first reaction at her words. Luckily Gethin had the sense not to voice it. Go through all that trouble of raising a bunch of hooligans more than once? The first time had been an accident! Or well, he at least hadn't been planning on it.
That was when he remembered his own reason for seeking out her company this morning. He'd felt uneasy with the silence, hadn't he? That there was something missing in his life? Perhaps this is the answer I wanted...
...Naaaah. He wasn't the kind of guy who needed foals galloping all over the place to feel complete. It'd go away eventually; all he wanted was to be with Ayelen. Of course. "I... I don't know." He shuffled his hooves beneath the water awkwardly, sending up little puffs of mud, and his expression looked as though he was trying very hard to think of an easy way out of this. "It's so soon."
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Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 5:59 pm
The mare gratefully leaned against his dark shoulder, just enough to support herself without risking toppling him over back into the water. She heaved a large breath, pulse slowing back to normal and muscles starting to get that tired aching feel to them. Just in time, then.
Ayelen suppressed a laugh as she caught a the reaction on his face. Sure he hadn't said anything, but she knew what he was thinking. The trio of rambunctious foals had taken its toll on her as well, but she couldn't help but miss them running about and getting themselves into all sorts of trouble. He missed it too. Or, well. Maybe he did, even if he wasn't letting on to it.
She shifted her weight to pull herself further out of the water, deciding that to flop down on the cobbled shore would be better than standing in the slick silt that covered the lake bed. A giggle escaped her lungs as he finally replied, muzzle reaching to playfully lip at one of his braids. "I wasn't saying now," she said, still laughing softly, "Someday, though. Perhaps. You know you wouldn't mind." She flashed him a coy grin and trod out of the water, wringing her tail back and forth in the air and ruffling her wings in an attempt to relieve some of the weight from her body.
"Besides," she continued, now just up to her knees in the lake, "They didn't turn out all so bad. A little loud when they were little, but they cleaned up." She grinned playfully at him, tail swaying back and forth again. "Maybe you're a better father then you think you are, dear~"
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Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 7:14 pm
Gethin followed her, still half in a daze at the idea. Go through that whole process of raising them and kicking them out all over again? Well... Er...
He ducked away from her questing muzzle just in time - and only then seemed to realize that not only was water still dripping merrily from every bit of him, but strands of hair and even a few bits of unidentifiable weed and stuff stuck out in all directions from his precious mane. Not to mention the thick silt that felt so cold and soft beneath the water had probably left streaks up to his knees.
For a moment he was seized by the irrational impulse to stay right where he was until the mud magically washed off him, maybe until the lake dried up (perhaps until those mysterious lake-makers came back to pack it up and move. You never know). But then he busied himself trying to shake off some of the water at a discreet distance from Ayelen, taking advantage of the distraction to help him recover his composure.
He harrumphed and muttered to himself, though there wasn't any real feeling behind it. "I'll think about it, I guess." Just wait and see what happened. Then if things went wrong he could just blame nature again. Problem solved!
And besides, if this turned out to be something Ayelen really wanted...
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Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 2:59 pm
Feeling much more relieved once some of the water was gone from her body, Ayelen pranced a bit on her feet as she met the shoreline, stones smooth under her hooves. She suppressed another giggle as he shook himself, noting that just like always he was concerned with his appearance.
Not that she minded.
She had seen him at his best and at his worst, and no matter what state he had been in Gethin had always been just as charming to her eyes. Ears swiveling to listen to his reply, she nodded her head a bit in response. Someday, yes. However, right now she was content; just him, her, and the lake.
"On the bright side," she started, cerulean eyes moving from him to the area around them, then back to the stallion, "This place is absolutely gorgeous." She grinned broadly in his direction, that smile that could melt ice if it had to. "You do seem to have a knack for finding things that are worthwhile, Gethin." She laughed softly and fluttered her wings, a fine mist rising from her pale feathers.
Part of her wanted a straight answer from him, but the other didn't mind so much. It was the way he was, the way he'd always been; why should he change now? She wanted him for exactly what he was.
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Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 11:15 am
Was she... was she laughing at him? Now that was just unfair. For that, the dark stallion would stay right where he was in the water until his legs fell off; let her try to coax him out all she wanted, but Gethin wasn't moving an inch.
"Well, of course," he scoffed teasingly, softening a little despite himself at that much-loved grin. "I found you, didn't I?" Or had she found him? Sometimes it seemed like he had known her forever, even as he knew it wasn't so.
The sun felt wonderfully hot on his cold and sore flanks, and he stretched out his neck, luxuriating in the feel of dry land beneath his hooves - Damn. When exactly had he followed her up on the bank?
[[So short, gahh. Dx]]
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Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 6:11 pm
The mare's heavy, wet tail swayed behind her, smile widening at him. "Naturally," she replied, laughing, "Though I thought I found you?" She shook her head to ruffle her mane, becoming acutely aware of the way the sun was beginning to spread warmth over her chill body. Moving towards Gethin, she slunk up against his body for warmth instead.
"Where do we go from here?" she crooned playfully, reaching her nose to teasingly tug again on one of the stallion's no longer prim and tidy braids, "You, me, the lake, and the sun, that's it." Her eyes lifted to catch his, to see what he was thinking. "Any ideas?"
Her wings ruffled against her back as she thought for a moment. "We could travel," she suggested, not waiting for him to reply first, "All over. Just go wherever we feel like walking to." She leaned against him, testing her weight playfully against his. "Then again, we do a lot of that anyways, don't we? Maybe..." She trailed off for a moment, shaking her cranium. "What do you want to do, Gethin?"
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