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Quicksilver the Archangel
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 Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 6:23 pm
Alyssum promptly nodded, prancing in place a bit before giving a self-satisified toss of her mane. She had always been pleased with her name - afterall, she had chosen it herself out of Daddy's long list. Several syllables with a carressing s in the middle and a satisfying 'm' at the end that lingered for a few moments on the lips. Not to mention that the flower itself had become her personal favorite upon viewing it. Clusters of tiny white blossoms all piled together on tall, slender stalks, amazingly fertile and tough in differing elements... she liked to think that she could capture some of that strength, that elegance.
Her ears fell some when the stallion spoke of his name, the sympathy filling her eyes unseen in the increasing darkness. How could your name mean nothing? The thought made no sense to her, not when she felt such a powerful connection to objects and others based solely on their names. She closed her eyes to consider his full name now. Leigh Sebelt. She continued to like the ring of it, though she thought she'd still continue to call him only by his first name. Her face squinched in thought, and she finally reached a conclusion, "Maybe... maybe you need to give your name meaning. Maybe, to some extent... we all have to give our names meaning."
The sneeze startled her, and the sudden splash of cold against her skin made her give a small hop, and she threw her head back with a dismayed whinny. What a cheap trick! As soon as she regained her bearings she was off, springing into action as she ran along the river bank, "You'd better go faster than that!"
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 8:00 pm
He galloped agilely down the stream, avoiding larger rocks and deeper pools. His curls began to flow elegantly in the wind, his eyes gleaming signifcantly at the mare as she charged along the bank. It only came to his attention that he was approaching a rather imposing cliff when the sound of the waterfall imposed itself over his own splashing hoofbeats.
He jerked his head back around with wide eyes and stiffened all four legs at once. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite that easily to stop, and he slid directly under the falling water... and disappeared behind it with an echoing clatter of hooves on rock.
For several moments, the only sound was that of the merry chattering of the falling water. The cataract wasn't large enough to roar, but it did provide a rather thick curtain of water that could easily hide a horse. But finally, his head popped out of the exact middle of the waterfall, wearing a huge grin.
"Alyssum, come look! It's a cave! And it goes somewhere! There's a breeze!" And with that, he ducked back behind the water again, his hooves once again echoing hollowly beneath the sound of falling water.
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Quicksilver the Archangel
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 8:27 pm
Alyssum heard the waterfall before she saw it, her cream mane and tail bristling as she slowed, not because she feared for her own safety, but because Leigh seemed to be charging straight for it!
Sure enough, the male disappeared behind the water. A concerned whinny left the mare's muzzle as she once more picked up her speed, trying to be as quick (and as safe) as possible so that she did not follow his path. "Leigh! Leigh... are you alright?"
His initial appearance from the curtain of water made her buck in shock, but her curiousity overcame her as she charged forward, holding her breath until she too arrived into the cave. The first thing she did was to shake off her coat, sending drops of water flying even as she took a few steps forward. Her eyes gleamed with excitement when she turned to Leigh, and that same emotion leaked into her voice, "This... is wonderful! A hidden hideaway... who knows what could be here? We should go exploring!"
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 9:18 pm
Ah, but the moment she'd come through that curtain of water, he'd practically forgotten about the adventure of a cave leading to who-knew-where. They stood, nearly touching, velvety darkness embracing them while moonlight caught the falling water and turned it into a cascade of diamonds. He gazed at her in awe. Beauty had a new meaning in this situation. His heart stood still. His flippant flirtations slipped away for a moment, and he took several deep breaths, letting himself soak in this sensation of palapable loveliness.
Stirred by the magical moment and his deeper romantic tendancies, he made a daring move. With a soft whicker he ran his nose down her jaw and then gently nuzzled her, muzzle to muzzle, breathing warm breath softly against her hide. He paused then, nose to nose with her, staring deeply into her eyes. A sudden gust of wind blew a spray of cold water across them unexpectedly, and he broke the contact with a startled squeal and a shy sideways, jarring his shoulder against the rock.
"Well, I guess we should get going!" he said, almost too brightly, covering for his own embarassment and exhileration. He didn't quite know what to think, with his heart pounding so fast that it nearly drowned out the waterfall in his ears. "There seems to be some glowing fungus in here deeper... see the green glow?" He pointed his blushing nose towards the rear of their cave, fervently thankful for the darkness which hid his flushed face.
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Quicksilver the Archangel
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 10:00 pm
Alyssum's excitement at the prospect of adventure made her unaware of the stallion's movement until he was right in front of her, and her response to his nuzzle was to freeze in place. What... was he doing?! She could only keep eye contact with him, his eyes one of the few things she could make out in the dim light. "Leigh?"
His movements were gentle, not threatening, and the warm breath against her wet hide and the proximity of his body provided her some relief from the chill that came from her trip through the waterfall. When the splash of cold water once again increased the distance between them, she had already decided that she understood. He had been trying to warm her up, sort of like she and her siblings had done when they were little by huddling against the cold.
Satisified with this explanation, she made no mention of the contact and brushed it from her mind, trotting towards that pale green light that Leigh had indicated with a cheerful neigh, "Alright then... I wonder, if you eat them, if they make you glow too?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 10:17 pm
His ears twitched as she let it go too... maybe he'd been right to try and brush it off? Even so, he glanced sideways at her in the brightening glow, thinking how very little was likely to make her look any less pretty.
The glow, as it turned out, were mushrooms of varying sizes. The glow did not come from the tops of their crowns, but from beneath, where delicate filigrees laced the underside. They clung to the walls in crevices and cracks. Water trickled down the walls, puddling and running along the floor.
The passageway narrowed and widened again several times, occasionally forcing them to walk single file. Safe in the assurance that she was focused ahead of them, he couldn't help but admire her from behind, the way her hips swayed as she walked, and how shapely her fetlocks were. he tried to shake his head to rattle himself out of this weird new mood, but doing so had almost disastrous consequences. The floor of the cave was rough, and when he shook his head, he stumbled. In stumbling, he pitched forward unexpectedly, very nearly ramming his nose into the base of her tail.
With a desperate grunt, he threw himself to the side and ended up burying his nose into a thick clump of those glowing shrooms. Sptting and gagging, he blinked tears from his eyes. His nose throbbed... that was twice now in one evening! And those mushrooms... blech!
"I can tell you, you'd not want to eat one of those things," he grumbled, sticking out his tongue comically. "They taste absolutely horrible. Like moldy hay." His whole hide shuddered with revulsion. If he didn't still find Alyssum appealing, this adventure would be over right then and there! But an accidental glance into her eyes mezmerized him, and he forgot the terrible taste. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all.
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Quicksilver the Archangel
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 10:41 pm
Alyssum found herself enjoying her time in the cave, even if the rough surface beneath her hooves made a grating sound, even if the musty smell rising from the mold and water made her nostrils twitch. She was on an adventure, a real adventure, and she could hear Leigh's hooves not far behind, pratically feel his warmth... and it oddly comforted her.
Now that she had a quiet moment to think, she turned over the recent events in her mind, her tail swishing. She had not thanked Leigh for his attempts to warm her from the chill, and when she thought about that moment, about his continued presence, she knit her brows in thought. She felt comfortable with him, enjoyed his company, the games and challenges that had developed in their brief time together. He felt... close. Like family. Like a good, good friend. But did he want to be that? Would he want to see her again, once they reached the end of this cave, turned around, went their seperate ways? If she never saw him again... she was surprised at the pit that thought left in her stomach.
The brush of nose against her tail made her jump slightly, and she whirled around to confront Leigh... only to find that the stallion had tasted some of those horrible smelling mushrooms! Despite herself, she could not help but laugh at his expression, the way his tongue hung from his mouth, and she moved forward to offer her sympathy in the form of a chaste rub against his neck. "Glad I didn't eat one then! Come on... we can go back to the waterfall, get you something to wash that out. I know where some really tasty flowers are too... they always take nasty tastes out of my mouth."
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Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 8:02 pm
Leigh nodded mutely and followed her, glad she had an idea of how to get that horrid stuff off his tongue. As he followed her out, he reflected on how, once again, he ended up doing something that made him feel stupid. This time, however, something was different. He swished his tail agitatedly as he walked, tongue hanging out in a disgusted manner, thinking about what was so different.
He finally realized, as they began grazing on the promised flowers, that what had changed was how he felt. Oh, he still felt terribly stupid. But somehow he also felt comfortable... as if it was okay that he was stupid. He glanced over at his lovely companion and considered her attitude about it. She didn't seem bothered at all by his stilly and ridiculous blunders. He'd had several in their short acquaintance, but she'd not mocked him or scorned him. He had to admit, it was a nice change.
Soon enough the taste had faded, and it was time for good night. He didn't much want to, but knew he shouldn't press his luck. After all, she might still decide he was a nuisance and refuse to see him again. So instead, he cleared his throat and asked wistfully, "Alyssum, do you think we could meet again sometime?" There was no mistaking the genuineness in his voice. "I've had a lot of fun, and I'd hate to think it is all over with now." He shuffled his hooves like a shy colt, tipping his head to look at her sideways, his curls tumbling across his face and catching amusingly on his ears. "Please?"
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Quicksilver the Archangel
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Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 8:41 pm
Alyssum breathed in the night air, enjoying the feel of the wind against her slick flanks, her damp mane. While the adventure had been exhilarating, the cave's lack of air flow had made her increasingly hot. Recrossing under the waterfall had cooled her off, and she joined Leigh in nibbling on the delicious flowers that sprung up from the grass.
The chocolate mare felt entirely at peace, and she half-mused on this fact as she lazily grazed. Perhaps it was only his companionship that she enjoyed, the feeling of having another Soquili to join her in her adventures and stay by her side. Until now, her parents and sibilings had kept her life filled with company, and now grown... having to go off on her own, not to see them as often had left a small void in her life. Maybe all she had needed was a friend, a friend like Leigh.
His nervous speech shook her from these thoughts, and she lifted her head, a pale pink flower still hanging from her muzzle. She nickered softly, bobbing her head in excitement, "Of course! I'd like that alot, Leigh. I'm always around the forest, so I'm not too hard to find but... er... well, I guess the forest is pretty big, huh?"
She stopped to ponder this, her cream-tail flicking from side to side and spreading droplets of water in its wake. Then, an idea struck her, and she gestured towards the waterfall with a bob of her head, "But... why don't we check for each other here? We both know where it is, and I'm sure nobody else knows about the cave inside. Doesn't that make this the perfect spot?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 4:15 pm
Her immediate assenting to the idea buoyed his spirits instantly, making him feel like flinging back his head in a neigh of joy. However, her fumbling for how to meet brought him back to reality as he too pondered how they could find one another again. His ears pricked as she suggested the waterfall. "Why yes! It's like... a secret! A pirate's hidden treasure cave!"
The idea of having a secret place to meet with a mare tickled his fancy and his imagination, filling his head with thoughts of bringing favorite treasures here to hide, of finding things hidden back in the back of the caves, of meeting Alyssum there and sharing their pretties, of sharing a nuzzle, of... wait, what? His wandering thoughts brought a rush of warmth to his face. Flustered, he leaned down and immediately snatched a very large mouthful of the flowers, raising his head to try and smile innocently at her. The end result was once more comical, despite his attempt to look nonchalant and suave.
Of course an overly large bite meant he had to chew fiercely before he could say anything further! He gave a great gulp to get it all down that left him panting. "Yes!" pantpant "That sounds," pantpant "lovely!" He finally caught his breath, and caught himself smiling dumbfoundedly at the pretty little mare. Shaking himself, he sidled up closer to her, tail whisking nervously. "So... until then?" He fidgeted a moment more, then curved his neck and tapped her cheek lightly with his muzzle, a swift but gentle nosing, and then he was off! Bolting away just in case she was mad he'd stolen a nuzzle without permission, like some recalcitrant little boy enjoying the glee of some small insurrection. His heart sang and he reveled in the feel of the wind against his face and the butterflies in his chest.
that watefall was going to be positively haunted by a certain chestnut stallion for the next week!
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