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 Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 12:57 am
 Watching as Dolci galloped past him, he felt the wolves closing in and he skidded to a stop, turning back to run straight at them, thrashing his head around wildly, his forehead connecting with the jaw of one wolf and then kicking his back legs out from underneath himself to kick the side of one of the others, knocking it to the ground.
He felt a few rain drops against his back and then it really started to come down, the thunder was loud and the lightening coming down close enough to the forest to lick a few of the tree tops. The dirt on the ground becoming muddy, he started to lose his footing and stumbled back, yelling loudly in Dolci's direction. "Keeping going until you get to the pasture, I'll be right behind you!"
He bucked his hind legs out again to kick at another wolf, turning to run after her before his front feet slipped out from underneath him and he hit the ground hard, splashing mud everywhere. Trying to take in his surroundings, he noticed a few of the wolves had retreated but the others were still there and angry, closing in on him.
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 1:06 am
 Dolci had every intention of running, full speed, until her hooves hit more familiar grasses. Never, ever again would she play Hide 'n' Seek in the forest. Never, ever, ever! She'd never even leave the pasture, cross her heart. And she'd stay there and be a perfect example of a well-behaved pony for the rest of her natural life.
She nodded her head quickly and took off like a shot, pushing past the burn she felt in her muscles and the tired, sluggish feeling in her legs. Pounding the ground and lowering her head, just to move that much faster.
Until she heard the snarling of the wolf pack behind her.
Both eyes went wide and she squinted through the abrupt downpour of rain, skidding in the wet ground to turn and look back. Crying out, she actually winced as Yuuki fell to the forest floor. And she was moving again before she could blink.
Dolci galloped right back to him, stopping only once she reached his side, and planted her hooves firmly in the mud. Putting herself between the darker pony and the encroaching wolves.
Her usually happy-go-lucky personality wiped clean, she sneered at the pack and then bent to nudge at Yuuki's side with her nose. "Get up, get up!! We can make a run for it."
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 1:18 am
Yuuki could feel his energy being zapped from his body, the rain was stinging his skin as it pelted the ground beneath him and he closed his eyes, for sure that the wolves would be on him in a few moments and all of this would be over.
Then he heard an unfamiliar sound and looked up to see Dolci standing in front of him, his eyes widened and he growled quietly. "I though I told you to get back to the pasture!!" Using the last ounce of strength he had left, he pushed himself back up onto all fours once more, ducking his head down to push against Dolci's side, urging her toward the pasture quickly, following after her.
The rest of the wolves, realizing that this was not going to be a winning battle for them, decided it would be smart to retreat with the rest of the pack, slinking into the darkness of the forest as the two ponies edged closed to the pasture, a sigh of relief escaping Yuuki's lips as his hooves pressed down against the wet, familiar grass, looking back behind him to make sure they weren't being followed.
"I think we're okay now." He winced slightly, the muscles in his front legs sore from the fall.
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 1:28 am
Dolci felt like dropping to the ground and rolling around in the sweet grass beneath her feet. She'd never been more happy to see the field before her, as wet as it was. As soon as she'd trotted her way across it a little bit, she let out a trill of relief and finally let her legs rest.
"Are you hurt?" Her head turned to peer at Yuuki, and she stepped backwards just enough to be standing next to him. "They didn't bite you, did they?"
Without waiting for a reply, Dolci took it upon herself to inspect him. Walking slowly in a circle around him and leaning in close to peer at his short fur. It was beautiful, even in the rain -- the bright gold patterns and the shiny black hair of his mane and tail. Despite being covered in mug and drenched with rainwater, Yuuki's pelt was lovely.
Her own? Not so much. She needed a bath, a real bath... not just simply doused in rain drops. Her bright mane was matted with water and the light colored pink and immaculate white of her own fur was covered in a thin sheen of mud and grass.
"I don't see any cuts," she said quietly, coming around to his side once more. Then seemingly out of nowhere, she blurted out, "You're very brave."
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 1:43 am
Yuuki was speechless for a moment, digging his hooves into the ground before ducking his head down to nudge her side gently, directing her toward a nearby tree, standing underneath it alongside her to shield them both from the rain.
"Brave? I don't know about that... I just did what needed to be done to keep you safe." He pressed against her side to keep her warm, keeping his head held his and his eyes locked on the opening to the forest just in case the wolves decided to come back.
At least the storm seemed to be dying down a bit, it wouldn't be long before it stopped all together and the other ponies would come out of hiding to see what all the ruckus was about, this was going to be fun explaining what happened. He shook his head slightly, sending droplets of water every which way. "Stay close for now, I don't want you to catch a cold. Once the storm stops, then you can go talk with the others."
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 1:59 am
"You're very brave," she repeated, ducking just a little further under the tree. It didn't much matter now, for as soaked as she was, but not being continually pelted with raindrops was welcome. "Most would have run away, but you stood and faced them."
There would be no arguing that point. In Dolci's mind, Yuuki was the bravest pony ever created. He'd saved her from the dreaded hole, had turned back and charged the pack of wolves with their pointy teeth and evil eyes, and even now... he was shielding her small frame from the wind and the water. He was very brave, indeed.
But now that she was most of the way out of the slowing downpour, she was very thankful (once again!) for Yuuki's presence. And she side stepped enough to lean up further against his side. Wet, yes he might have been, but warm all the same. The residual heat helped her to keep from shivering.
"Thank you," Dolci said, for probably the hundredth time. Her smile was bright as she cocked her head, trying to peer at him eye to eye. "I owe you one!"
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 2:11 am
Watching her from the corner of his eye, he kept his hooves planted firmly against the ground, curving his body around hers slightly so that he would be the one getting hit by the wind and the rain. "You're welcome."
He bowed his head slightly, shaking it to move the wet hair from his mane off of his forehead. He couldn't wait for morning, as soon as the sun was up, he was going straight to the nearby lake to wash himself off, the feeling of mud caked on his hooves and legs was irritating.
"Are you sure you're alright?" He mumbled quietly, giving her a quick once over, seeing that she had no visible cuts, just mud all over just like him. "You can come to the lake with me in the morning and wash off, that way I can keep an eye on you and keep you out of trouble. Usagi and Dizzy will be getting a stern talking to as well. I don't know what they were thinking, leaving you out there when it was so close to nighttime.'
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 2:25 am
"I'm okay." Admittedly, she was a little shaken up. The adrenaline pumping now subsided, she had a moment to let sink in what just occurred. It was a wonder she didn't have four broken legs and the fact that she wasn't currently sitting inside the belly of a very smug and very full wolf was ... honestly surprising.
But she pushed those thoughts aside and opted to focus on the happy instead. Happy to be where it was safe, happy to be mostly out of the rain, happy to have all of her limbs in tact. And happy to have, apparently, made a new friend! Because that's what Yuuki was now, a friend, and it didn't rightly matter whether he wanted to be or not.
"I'd like that!" She chirped, turning her head to peer down at her own hooves. They were as dirty as dirty could get. Dolci couldn't remember ever being this muddy. Even the time she'd played under the mulberry trees with Usagi, and gotten her pretty fur all mussed with juice and squished berries, she hadn't been this dirty. Washing off would be a necessity, her coat was far too lovely to be so covered in gook and grime.
"Make sure you tell them how sad it made me," she added lightly. "And really make sure they know how close we got to being eaten!" Yeah!! That'll show 'em. "And tell them how dirty we got," was followed by a small frown. "Then they'll feel really bad for leaving me behind."
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 2:40 am
"I'm sure you'll be getting many apologizes once I'm finished with them." He nodded his head once, lifting his hooves absently one at a time to stretch his legs out.
His energy now completely gone, he was having a hard time keeping his eye open and he mumbled quietly taking a step forward to lower himself down onto the ground, folding his front legs underneath himself carefully. "You should rest, you had a busy night. I don't think the rain will be stopping anytime soon so we can just stay here for the night. I'll keep watch while you sleep so you don't need to worry about anything."
He forced his eyes open wide, combing over the forest for any sudden movements. He didn't think anything else was going to happen tonight, but just in case, he was going to be ready if something did.
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 2:55 am
"I hope so," she said with a quick nod. An apology from her friends would definitely help heal the wounds. She didn't want them to feel bad, necessarily, but feel guilty enough to never do it again. And Dizzy would, in all probability, offer her one of his many shiny trinkets as a peace offering. Gifts were always a plus!
When Yuuki moved to lower down to the ground, Dolci craned her head for a moment to watch him. She nudged at the grass with one of her hooves, making sure it didn't squish with rainwater under her foot, before following suit and bending down next to him.
But the longer Dolci looked at him, she could see the other pony was tired. His bright eyes stood out on his dark coat and they looked sleepy, no matter how wide he pushed them. So she shifted her weight to scoot in closer towards him, then ducked her head to nuzzle the side of it against his neck.
"You don't have to stay awake," Dolci started, quietly. "I feel safe." A little wriggle of her hindquarters as she leaned against his warm side. "You can sleep."
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 3:04 am
He looked at her and then back to the forest, back to her, then the forest again and decided that it wouldn't do either of them any good if he forced himself to stay up all night, so he settled down against the grass, getting more comfortable before leaning against her.
"I'll see you in the morning then. Try to stay out of trouble for a few hours." It didn't take long for exhaustion to overcome him and before he knew it, his body went slack against hers and he lowered his head to nuzzle her back gently before he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 10:32 am
* * *
When Dolci's eyes fluttered open the next morning, the sun was shining brightly. No trace of rain or thunder or lighting lingered in the sky. The horizon was a mixture of warm yellow and cool blue as the morning sun rose steadily. A few clouds dotted the otherwise clear skies, but they were white and fluffy and looked, to her at least, like deliciously sweet marshmallows. Nothing like the dark storm clouds that had loomed over the forest, and the two ponies, the night previous.
She yawned lightly and lifted her head from where she'd laid it -- on top of Yuuki's neck, nestled right in his thick, dirty mane. A shift of her hind legs and she leaned more fully against the other pony, just to stretch them out. They were sore, but not terribly so, and it felt good to stretch the worn out muscles. But she was awake, and after taking a sweeping glance down along her side (and nearly glaring at the caked on mud dotting across her pretty coat), she was definitely ready to take a dip in the lake to clean off.
Now all she needed was for Yuuki to wake up, too.
Trying her best to leave him relatively undisturbed, Dolci carefully crawled away from him a bit to push herself up onto all fours. She gave her tail a good shake, and fluffed her mane out with a swish back and forth of her head. Bending back on her haunches, she stretched her front legs as well, stifling another yawn as she did so. And then.. she set to work.
Creeping back over, Dolci peered at the other sleeping pony. Yuuki looked so peaceful, laying there in the grass, that she almost didn't have the heart to rouse him. Almost! Stepping close and craning her head down, she nudged at his face with her nose. "Yuuki," she said, gently. "Wake up."
But when the darker pony didn't stir, she fixed him with an annoyed eye. He'd promised, hadn't he, to take her with him to the lake to clean up? Well, it was morning, and she was ready to be washed off. Why was he still so soundly asleep?
"Yuuki......" Blinking, she bent down further, giving him a more forceful nudge with her nose. "Yuuuuuuki." Man, he sleeps like a bump on a log!
Then in one final attempt, Dolci leaned up, opened her mouth and bit onto the tip of one of his ears. Tugged a few times and then spoke through clenched teeth. "Yuuki!! It's time to get UP!"
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 3:34 pm
Yuuki couldn't even remember the last time he had slept so soundly. The sun was warm on his pelt and he was comfortable in the grass, he could feel a light breeze blowing through his mane, sweeping it to the side slightly and then he felt something bite down on his ear.
"Dolci.." He grumbled quietly. "I'm awake, you can stop now."
He lifted his head to tilt it back, trying to tug his ear from her mouth, his tail swooshing back and forth, brushing against the ground absently before he eyed her, a little annoyed at first but then it subsided and he looked away.
"Haven't you ever heard of sleeping in?" Shifting to his side slightly to stretch his legs out, he gathered his strength, quickly pushing himself up onto all fours, shaking his head to flip his mane out of his eyes, taking a quick look around the pasture before he started to make his way across it, heading toward the lake. It really was hot today and it didn't help that most of his body was black, a dip in the lake was just what he needed to cool down and clean himself off.
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 7:58 pm
Dolci smiled brightly when the other pony spoke. He was awake! And she immediately dropped his ear from her mouth.
"Good morning!" she offered brightly, stepping back just a shade to give Yuuki room to stand. Dolci watched, with mild interest, as he shook himself off, before she spoke again. "I have.... but there's no need to sleep the day away." Certainly not. Especially since, if the dirt stayed on her much longer, she was sure her silky pink coat would turn brown permanently.
As soon as Yuuki began to walk away, she quickly followed suit. Bouncing on her hooves to trot after him, coming up along his side in stride. She walked with him for a moment mutely, but the urge to keep speaking took over and she opted to break the silence instead.
"Did you sleep well?" Obviously he had, or else he would've been more apt to get up. But it was polite to ask, was it not? "You make a comfortable pillow."
She could see the dip in the grass up ahead, that lead down and over a small hill to the lake. It was close enough that she could hear the water lapping at the bank and could feel the slight breeze pulling off of the lake. It's going to feel so good to wash off... And it was then, she decided, she could wait no longer.
Without waiting for a reply to her question, she turned her head to nudge it playfully against the darker pony's shoulder, before grinning impishly. "Last one to the laa~aake," she started in a sing-song voice. "...is a rotten apple!" And with that, she kicked up her hooves and went darting off ahead, making a beeline for the water.
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