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 Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 9:21 am
Silence settled around them awkwardly and the spotted stallion shifted somewhat uncomfortably. His golden eyes studied the mare before him wondering just what she was thinking. A great part of him was reconsidering what he had said. It was far to late to take it back now but it seemed like perhaps it had been the wrong thing to say. His gaze turned away from her to meet his sister's eye.
They exchanged silent words speaking with their eyes. Worry sat in gold while confusion and mild irritation flickered over blue. Neither of the siblings knew exactly what was going on or what to do.
And then Estelle spoke. Dark and light heads turned at the same moment to look at her wanting to know what was on her mind. Ayden, to make sure she was okay and Amoena wanting to know if she was insane or something of the sort. Trying again wasn't really anything the older mare really wanted to do but she nodded her head anyway to indicate that she agreed. This was for her brother and only for her brother. Ayden offered her a pleasant smile very happy with her making an attempt move past the earlier happenings.
They watched her carefully as she introduced herself properly. At first Ayden only thought that this was going to be the same thing she had told him on the beach but she went on. His face fell. "Estelle..." His voice was pained. He never knew this about her. It was horrible. He couldn't imagine a father acting in such a way. He couldn't but Amoena could. She clenched her teeth hearing this information but did not move, not yet.
She took in a deep breath watching Estelle and listening to her. At the same time Ayden was resisting rushing to the yellow mare's side to comfort her. She looked, so very sad. Had he done this? Was he the one that brought this up? As she finished Ayden finally made his move only to be blocked by his sister once again. He narrowed his eyes unable to understand why she was still determined to keep the two apart.
"Amey! Get out of the way!" He was frustrated but as his sister turned to look at him he found himself blinking, confused. She seemed, upset. He had never seen her with that look on her face before.
"Just give me a minute here kiddo..." She said before crossing to Estelle. She moved slowly but for the first time since she had seen the mare's yellow hide she was not preparing herself for a battle. For once she came in peace. She stopped directly in front of her and looked directly into the other's eyes. "What is he to you?" She asked after several long minutes of consideration. The question seemed to come straight out of the blue, that was because it did. It was something Amoena needed to know though. Did she think of Ayden as a friend, a cuddly pet perhaps, a rival? She needed to know and the mare's answer would let the older mare know just how much information she would share.
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Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 10:02 am
Estelle was filled with overwhelming emotions as the scene continued to play out before, yet she strangely felt as if she was suddenly detached from the situation, floating above the scene as it unfolded, watching, taking in every detail in an effort to understand.
Once again Amoena was being protective of Ayden, standing between then like an unmoveable wall that simply would not budge no matter her tactic, it was quietly disheartening and a sudden flurry of panic swept over her, would Amoena always be there now, between her and Ayden? Lowering her head to the ground once more she simply watched and listened. Then the sound of footsteps echoed through her mind, instinctively she raised her head to be meet by the cold blue eyes of Amoena. She starred into them for what felt like a short eternity, it seemed that the mare before her was also assessing the situation, yet her stance was now far from offensive, it was calmer, more fluid, and for the first time Estelle felt she could see her true beauty.
Then came the words that swept Estelle completely off guard, ‘what is he to you?’ Her eyes swung instantly to Ayden, how did she feel? This strange feeling that had been building since their last encounter upon the beach seemed to be an indication yet she had no experiences to call upon that would allow her to place a label upon them. Was it possible that he was merely a good friend, her first friend since the trouble of her past, or was this almost magnetic attraction she felt towards him an indication of something more? Desperately attempting to recall the connection she had witnessed of her parents when she had still been home, she came across an image hidden in the back of her mind of them caressing beneath the setting sun. It meant nothing to her. Yet as her eyes continued to look at Ayden she found that for the first time she was truly seeing him, he was a magnificent specimen, strong and brave, yet with the heart of a child. All the qualities she had always hoped to find in the stallion of her dreams, security. What that it?
This was all too much, too fast. Her mind was alive with a thousand questions that spun around in circles, all the while she stood squarely on the spot in silence. She was sure that Amoena would be growing impatient yet in this moment she had no concept of time. Collecting herself she turned her attention back towards Amoena and opened her mouth for a moment, only to swiftly close it again. Surely she could not say what she felt out loud? Trying again she managed to allow several words to stumble clumsily out of her mouth, "I... he... my..." She knew we not very coherent, the difficulty was that she was not sure what words to use, or how he would react. Yet there stood before her was the mare who demanded the answer with her strong cold eyes, there was no escaping this, not if she truly wished to stay. Gulping loudly she paused for only a moment and then allowed the words to rush out her mouth in a slightly higher tone than normal, but also a higher volume, "He is everything to me." Only a few words were needed, no need to explain things now.
Swiftly her attention shifted again from the mare to her brother, what was he thinking? She would have done anything to know in that moment what thoughts stumbled through his gentle childlike mind, all the while she was not sure is she had just ruined any chances at a friendship or more that they had possibly ever had. It was now her turn to wait.
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Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 10:53 am
From where Ayden stood he could not hear a word that was being said. No one was being attacked which was a good sign but he really wanted to know. Knowing his sister, though, he would likely never know what was being said. If she wanted to keep something private it would stay a secret for an eternity. He leaned from one side to the other trying to catch her attention but only received a slight glare from the corner of her eye. Great he would never know.
Heaving a sigh he lowered himself to the ground to simply watch and wait. Amoena rolled her eyes a little at her brother. He had always been silly but she had never really gotten used to him still acting the same way as he had when he was a foal. Always somewhat impatient when he wasn't included. He had to be patient now, the women were talking and it was not his place.
Or rather, the women were silent. The question had been asked a while ago and now the only thing Estelle would do was look off to the spotty stallion. She tried to be patient, it was an important question she had asked after all, but it was difficult. The mare was hardly entertaining to just watch but she needed to be sure that her shifting eyes were not a clue to a shifty nature. After a while she opened her mouth, sad nothing and closed it. Not long after she finally spoke. 'I. He. My.' It didn't mean a thing to Amoena and the look on her face mad this perfectly obvious. The other gulped and finally gave her an answer.
"Your everything?" she asked with a quirk of her brow. She had been expecting a simple 'he's my friend', this was a bit of a shock. She looked to the side and met her brother's eyes for a moment before looking back. It seemed she should have been more concerned from the start, though not of an attack. "You listen to me very closely. Ayden is my half brother. His father is my enemy but I love him dearly anyway. If you ever hurt him in anyway I want you to remember this: these wounds came from a kalona I fought. I survived an attack from a beast like that. Do not think there is a single thing you will be able to do to stop me if you ever hurt him in any way. If he cries because of you your head is mine. Understand." Her eyes narrowed in such away that she seemed to be trying to pierce Estelle's soul.
Without another word she turned to return to her brother's side and nipped at his mane gently as he stood. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow but received no answer to the unspoken question. He was very confused. What had happened?
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Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 11:49 am
Heart thumping heard within her chest she watched and politely listened as Amoena’s thread reached her ears. Although she did not move or speak she could not help but imagine the words that left the other mares mouth, it seemed that she too had experienced a troubled past. Sighing she avoided the temptation to argue or interrupt, even the temptation to add her own input. There was no point in antagonising her considering this seemed to be giving her the opportunity to stay. In a low, almost whisper she said two little words. "I won’t!" It was the truth, she had no intention to hurt him, be it mentally or physically.
The stare that followed from Amoena’s eyes were piecing and it was uncomfortable for Estelle to keep the gaze for too long switching to look at the ground once more, the blades of grass continued their effortless dance in the light breeze. If only she could join them.
As the now familiar footprints began to move away from her once more she raised her head and looked towards Ayden. He had a bewildered look peeled upon his gentle child like face, it made her laugh, it felt strange to be laughing but she could not control it, nor did she explain it until she had stopped, a smile perched upon her lips once more, she was looking straight at Ayden. "That’s a new look for you."
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Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 12:17 pm
The laughter that rang through the air made the siblings turn to look at the source. Both wore matching looks of surprise on their faces. Ayden, because he had been sure that his sister had been over there chewing off her head and Amoena because she was fairly certain she had heard the starry mare say 'I won't'. Now it seemed she was being mocked. She scowled and reconsidered her decision to let the mare anywhere near her brother. At what Estelle said it became apparent that no reconsideration was necessary at all.
Ayden started laughing as well after only a moment cuing a smirk from his sister. "Trust me when I say you'll get used to it." Ayden stood there with his mouth hanging open eyebrows knitted together. He closed his mouth slowly a pout forming on his lips. "Hey now..." He said looking between his sister and the yellow mare. When had his sister decided to be all friendly with her? What exactly had they been talking about over there? He imagined it was probably just girly stuff and as far as Amoena was concerned he would never know the truth.
After a moment his usual smile found it's way to his face wiping away all traces of confusion. "So...you aren't gonna chase her away?" He asked a bit nervous to hear the answer. The white maned mare shook her head a few times.
"Naw...she can stay...for now I guess." Ayden's eyes lit up like the sun and it broke his sister's heart a little bit. It hurt her somewhat to see him act like this. He acted so much like his father around their mother it was almost sickening. He didn't even know why he acted that way. The older mare loved her brother but he tended to be oblivious to things that others saw immediately.
She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as the over-grown two-toned foal pranced over to starry female. He danced around her with such excitement before leaning in to whisper something to her. "Ya know...I think my sis likes you...what'd you say to her?"
Not knowing what he said sent a surge of over protective rage through her. She fought to keep it under control. It should have been obvious to her that this would happen. Even as a foal there had been signs, little things that should have let her know that one day he wouldn't need her. That one day he would have someone else. Someone more important.
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Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 2:14 pm
Estelle sighed as the reactions of those before her settled into a more manageable situation, she liked to feel as if she had some control over the situation yet lately that had been all but removed from her due to actions beyond her control. Amoena was certainly an interesting character, the complete opposite to Ayden as far as she could tell, hard and worn by the battles of time in comparison to the innocent essence of brother. It was then that Estelle wondered if this was the source of her protection. ‘You get used to it’ the words sent a shiver of enjoyment down her spine, perhaps he felt more towards her than she had anticipated. A weight lifted over her confession to Amoena, although she also had a suspicion that she would not tell her brother of the conversation that had unfolded between them.
Yet as the smile on Ayden’s face formed one that mimicked it formed upon her own. She was happy, happier than she could ever remember. It didn’t matter now what everyone else had to say or think, all that matter was that he running away. She ran the snippets of conversation she had overheard through her head, had he expected Amoena to chase her away? Had she truly changed her mind by simply her words alone? It seemed like she had achieved the impossible, it was exhilarating.
He came closer, and closer, her eyes instinctively moved to Amoena and then her heart skipped a beat at the realisation that she was not attempting to force herself between them anymore. Relief circled her mind with each of his movements, and she found herself turning her body to match his own movements, a strong glistening smile still peeled upon her lips. The evening looked fabulous upon him. Then he moved closer, her full attention on him, so close that as he spoke she could feel the warm air that was released from his sweet scented mouth. He smelt of apples. Then his question settled in.
He wanted to know what she had said to his sister, so her suspicion was correct he had not overheard their conversation, yet now as she contemplated what she should say she felt her mouth get drier by the second. Could she really repeat her words? But this time to his face, so close that he could smell her, so close that she could touch him with only the slightest of movements.
As he mind contemplated the possibilities she looked towards Amoena once more, she seemed almost disinterested in their events now, perhaps that was her way, yet it did not erase his question from her mind.
Bravely she leaned into his neck for a moment, nipping playfully at his mane as he brought her mouth to his ear. She licked it softly, stalling for a moment more of breathing time. Although she felt more confident about his response she was unsure of how much to express. She decided to lessen her response a little so not to shock him. Heart racing she spoke in a low almost whispering voice, "I told her that I l---ike you" perhaps love was too strong a word. Feeling less brave she added in her mind, ’I don’t think she liked it’. Trying desperately to be playful once more she nipped at his mane once more and wagged her tail. Each movement felt more fluid than it had before, her breath however was slightly shallower as she waited in anticipation for a responce.
((Wanted to know what he would do/say XD sorry.))
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Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2009 8:56 am
It was the silence that made the spotted stallion worry a little bit. Had nothing good been said? His golden eyes drifted from Estelle to his sister. She was watching them but not in the usual 'I hate this' way. It was almost like she was ignoring the situation completely, or at least she was trying to.
As the starry mare leaned in two sets of eyes focused on her, both curious. She licked Ayden's ear and he shivered lightly. It felt so strange but not unpleasant, just unfamiliar. The flower dotted mare tensed seeing this and turned her head away quickly. Right now she couldn't stand to see this. Estelle would listen to what she had said, she knew it, so there was no reason for her to stick around any longer. There was no need to punish herself in such a way and so she turned away leaving her brother to hear the mare's words alone.
Those words sent happy chills down his spine. His eyes widened and he stared at her for what seemed like an eternity as his mind floundered about trying to piece everything together. She liked him? He couldn't quite believe it. His sister had never been pleased with him having friends before so did this mean?
"Like, like liking me?" He asked wondering if she would even remotely understand what he had just said. He tried to clear his throat but a lump seemed like it had found a new home there and didn't want to move. "Then you...me...and I...kinda...sorta...ya know..." He could feel his face warming up. "Like like you...too..."
If anyone could hear him he imagined they would be either laughing at him or pitying him for having nothing more suave to say.
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Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2009 12:01 pm
Estelles attention wavered between them as she tried to capture the feelings they were both emanating from each of her movements, it was then that she watched as Amoena walked away and thoughts of sadness raced through her mind, in one way it had appeared she had ’won’ in another it felt as if she had stolen the only treasure that the other mare held dear. Shaking her mind she turned her attention back towards Ayden, knowing that such words would wait once more for her moments of solitude.
It was then she noted the silent, statue like form of Ayden, her heart stopped. Had Amoena simply left because she knew her brother better, knew he would know understand her sudden words. How stupid she had been, why would such a stallion ever consider settling for such an ordinary creature as herself. It pained her even more though that there was a possibility that she had caused pain for him. Lowering her head softly she waited politely for a response, she would wait, although her mind had already run a thousand words and phrases that her ears were all too used to hearing.
It was then that his uneven words reached her ears; it took a few moments for the first to be understood before the flourish of the second reached her ears delicately. She blinked roughly and raised her head, a smile beaming upon her lips once more. Was he attempting to tell her that he felt similar to her? Perhaps she had been too quick to jump to conclusions. Happiness coursed through her body and impulsively she pounced towards him, her head nestled snugly within his neck line, her rump swaying softly as her tail wagged with great enthusiasm. Although she said not a word she felt that her actions would speak louder. She enjoyed, nah, lavished at the very thought that they could be together, be it that he only ‘sorta’ or ‘kinda’ felt the same, she knew her heart would stay true. Time would be her friend now; she simply needed time to strength his feelings for her.
Playfully she nipped at his mane and drew away from his side a few paces, her tail still wagging playfully, her eyes singing with joy. Nothing mattered in that moment except him, not even Amoena. She remembered her words, but she also knew she had no intention to break her own returning words.
This was turning out to be a wonderful night; still smiling she looked towards the sky and then back towards Ayden. Her voice danced from her mouth almost like a spoken song, "Fancy a walk?"
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Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2009 12:42 pm
A walk? They sure took a lot of walks together. Or at least it seemed like that was the trend. He'd really only run in to her a couple times counting now. It didn't bother him in the slightest. Walking was a great way to spend time with a person you wanted to get close to. Right now that was exactly what he wanted, but what of his sister?
Peering over his shoulder he realized that she wasn't there. He was shocked. A good part of him had expected Amoena to be hovering over his shoulder for the rest of the evening. It was surprising that she wasn't.
What exactly was going through her head right now he wondered. She had been so against them, then perfectly fine with it and now she was missing. It was all very strange but it wasn't something he should be thinking about right now. Right now he was with Estelle and it wouldn't be fair to be thinking of anything else.
"Alright, where should we go?" He asked cocking his head to the side slightly. It was a beautiful night, cold, but beautiful and he cold think of no better way to spend it then walking with her. Or perhaps going somewhere warm to spend time with her. He'd be good with that too.
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Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2009 1:31 pm
Her smile dulled slightly, not out of lack of enthusiasm but out of control as she watched him. His movements seemed more deliberate than she had noted before, soft yet fluid, almost like water. Perhaps just like his friend that swam within the mighty waves of the Ocean he too was connected to it, how amusing that they came from separate worlds. Her the night, the home of the Moon that controlled the waves of the mighty Ocean, and him the soft flowing water, childlike and perfect keeping the sky busy in its working. As these thoughts danced within her mind she found herself laughing out loud, a soft subtle laugh, and her eyes sparkling as the took in his face once more. She had not noticed before but in the dull light it was hard to make out his features, just the strange green markings and streaks within his hair.
Nodding her head she then turned to look around her at last, the first thing she thought to consider was a walk, but in truth she had no idea were she was let alone an idea of a safe direction in which to travel. A soft pink blush covered her cheeks as she spoke, "I am afraid I have no idea were I am." She could say no more now, too afraid that she would appear weak. Weakness was not something she tolerated in herself.
After a moments silence she gained the courage to speak once more, "do you know where we may venture?" She was eager to walk with him, despite the brightening blush that flooded her cheeks.
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 8:21 am
The light pink on her face made his eye brow raise a little. Had he said something that embarrassed her or something? He didn't think that it was possible with the kind of question he had asked. When she spoke, however, things cleared up quite nicely in his mind and he laughed. So that was it. She didn't know where she was. It was nothing to be all shy about. He didn't expect anyone to know where they were all the time. Just because she looked like the stars didn't mean she saw everything they did after all.
He let his laughter die off so that he didn't end up upsetting her. That would be a rotten way to spoil things, and so soon too. "Well," he began after a little while. "There's the beach where we met, a lake on the other side of the village, or some really pretty spots in the forest..." Allowing his voice to trail off he let his eyes wander to the dark heavens. There had been very beautiful places in the forest in the spring and summer but now that the leaves were gone would they still be so lovely. That got him thinking about the other places. The sand was probably still out for revenge of sorts against them and then the lake was probably frozen.
Ayden sighed lightly, the winter didn't seem to like him much. Oh well, he would make whatever place pretty again. Even if it took a lot pf extra effort. It was worth it. He lowered his gaze to beam at the black maned beauty before him. It was worth cause she was. Right? Right.
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:08 am
When he laughed she found herself smirking also, she was being so silly, it was almost as if his childlike nature was contagious and she had become infected with a fatal dose.
Trying to smile as naturally as she could, she looked towards him with a tender look lingering in her eyes for a moment, before cocking her head to one side in an effort to contemplate the options he had provided her. She knew that the Ocean and the sand was probably not a good idea, not so close to her last encounter -considering the wounds upon her side still stung their objections. After a moment in silence she straightened up and spoke, "You pick." She was not always a fan of surprise but when she knew one was coming it was no as intimidating.
Her heart fluttered at the idea that she would at least have some excuse to spend more time with him. This would be her first opportunity to show him that he could not do without her anymore.
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 9:03 am
She wanted him to chose? Talk about tough choices. He wanted her to enjoy herself but where would be the best place to go? The ocean was nice but they had already been there and there weren't the most pleasant memories about the sand. Scratching it off his mental list he went on to the next place, the lake. It was close and they hadn't been there but it was also a known hangout for Dark, Scarlet and his sister. There wasn't much of a chance that any of the were there at this very moment but he wasn't sure what he would say if they were.
That only left..."The forest." He nodded his head a little with a smile. "Let's go to the forest." He looked at her as though expecting her to object but after a short moment he set off for the bare trees not far ahead. A bit of a mental map began to form in his mind as he went trying to remember where the best places were. The two-toned stallion had never been the best with directions but he would try his very best in this case.
This night was going to be special he knew it and not a single thing would stop it. It hadn't, after all, started out in the best way. The end had to be something special and he had remembered just the perfect place. A little place where the trees grew in a perfect circle leaving a small clearing in the center just big enough for two. In the spring and summer there were always butterflies around and in the winter, he imagined the look of the sky from the center would be stunning.
Turning his head back he shot Estelle a grin before racing off into the woods. The future looked oh so very bright right now.
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