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 Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 7:47 pm
Cautiously stepping into the cave that he was so seldom allowed in, Brutus kept his head low, making sure he didn't set her off by anything as simple as lack of respect. Glancing around, he made sure to not allow his gaze to wander too much, and kept his attention on the glowing mare.
Taken aback by what was undoubtedly the closest thing this mare had ever come to a compliment, Brutus stood still a few moments and could only manage to blink as he watched her reveal whatever she had called him in for. If one was to look ever closely, one would notice that his left eye lagged behind his right eye by the slightest of moments, surely only perceivable to those of the greatest vision, but other than that small delay, his face had healed over time. Some days it ached a dull pain, like an old bruise, when the weather was about to turn bad or there was much stress on his mind, but he had his eye and even his sight, so it was nothing Brutus would complain about.
Following her movements, Brutus finally saw what he had been called over for. Before him she lay a basket of grass as green as one could hope for, and atop that a collar. Glancing up at her to make sure this was not a trick of some sort, he studied her a moment, but his expression softened, a small smile escaping his control. This really was a gift for him! Sure it was no game, he bent his head down and gently picked up the collar. Bringing one knee down to the ground, he stretched his neck toward Grauen, offering her the collar to help him put it on. If she could just slide it over his muzzle he could push his head through without too much effort.
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Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 10:23 pm
Grauen was pleased with his reaction. He was graceful and showed the proper amount of gratitude for the gift she'd given him. As he kneeled before her, she couldn't help but smile almost benevolently.
His actions now were the very reason she was rewarding him. She wanted him to know that she was pleased and happy with his guard duties. He had not failed her--not yet. That was enough for now.
More gentle then she had ever been with anyone that she could remember, Grauen slipped the collar over his head and horns so that he could get it on the rest of the way himself.
Backing away, she eyed the basket of sweet grass for a moment. She should have gathered some for herself too. However, she had forgotten. The flames of her candles flickered off the caves, and she closed her eyes. A strange sensation of strength--one she felt after feeding on fear was present. It was a pleasant feeling, like a delectable fruit. But there was no one here she was feeding on, no fear. It was probably just a leftover from her last feed. That had been quite delicious.
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Nyx Queen of Darkness Crew
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Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 11:14 pm
So softly she pulls his collar over his head that he barely feels her at all, but even so, he could say it brought a bit of warmth to his heart. It was moments like this that proved to Brutus that despite her actions and general outward demeanor, this mare was no heartless monster. Not that he would ever say that to another living soul, he knew better than that.
Once the collar was over his horns he stood back up and shook so that it would fall to a natural position around his neck. He gazed down at the tag and visually traced its crescent shape. The moon was only second after fire in the mare's admiration. Sometimes she spoke of them having powers, or about how mystical they were, but these were mostly private thoughts that he would sometimes be told snippets of when she 'slipped up' or let her guard down.
Brutus caught her glance down at the lush grass that was the rest of his gift, but said nothing. Instead, he bent his head down to the basket just as she closed her eyes. Taking a large bite into the clump of grass, he removed about half of it and placed it between his front hooves on the cave floor. Then, he gently lifts the basket with soft lips and reaches over to place it in front Grauen's feet before pulling back and rather heavily folding his limbs under him to begin munching on the delicious-looking grass. He knew his place, yes it was a gift, but even so, better to keep her in this mood and share, than to open up his mouth and start speaking.
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Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 4:04 pm
Grauen opened her eyes after relishing again the feel of her last feeding of terror to find the basket at her feet. Her fierce guard had gifted back some of his treat to her. She felt slightly touched by this show of loyalty, but she said nothing. She'd said enough today, what she would have once thought was too much. But she wanted to keep him here, and loyal. She needed his protection, she always had better feeds when he was with her.
She laid down and ate gently out of the basket. She'd been picking up some of his more...goat-like habits. But, then after all, this was quite comfortable way to eat so why not?
Finishing off her meal, she takes the basket back to the corner to use for later. Gently, she places the books in it again. It has been a special spot of keeping for these book, until at last she can find the master of them.
As her lights flickered around the cave, she tried to consider how best to find the one that could use these books without having any clue as to where to look.
"Brutus," she walks forward a bit lost in thought. It wasn't often that she asked him things like this, but sometimes she had found it was easier to use him as a sounding board for ideas. "Brutus, how would you find someone important who you don't know? Who won't even realize their own importance?"
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Nyx Queen of Darkness Crew
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Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 1:29 pm
Even when he finished his meal, Brutus kept his mouth shut and simply gazed around the cave, chasing the dancing reflections and shadows with his eyes. Glancing over to see Grauen put some curious books into the basket, he vaguely wondered why she would keep them. He'd never seen her reading them though he had overheard her ranting about them once or twice. They must be important to her somehow, but how, he did not know. As she turned back around the day got even stranger.
She was asking him questions, and not rhetorical ones, at that. Well, really, she was bouncing ideas off of him, but even so, he had to take a second to think. A few more moments of silence as he tried to stir his thoughts into a cohesive sentence, but finally he replied in his usual calm demeanor from where he lay, "Perhaps you would look where they have become lost." Even as he spoke it aloud, he knew it didn't make much sense, but how else could he express it? If one didn't know one's importance, it meant that one was lost... didn't it?
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Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 8:55 pm
Grauen shut her eyes processing what he said. It made sense to look where something was lost to figure out how one lost it...but at the same time could it really be that simple?
Without opening her eyes, "But the owner never had it. It was lost before them, but destined to them before they were born. There's no path or trail or place that he or she could have lost it to look." She opened her flickering eyes as she looked around.
Today was an odd day. Maybe it was more practical and useful if she was kind. Today had been profitable, and somehow her feeding was lasting longer than typical though she didn't understand it.
Her mind flitted to the books, "I don't know how to find him or her, but when I find...I will know."
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Nyx Queen of Darkness Crew
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Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 11:44 pm
He found himself staring at the mare, not intently, but most definitely lost in thought. She was an intimidating creature, that much was indisputable, but a rogue question spun around in his head. 'Had anyone ever looked at her for what she really is? A mare?' An ear flicked in response to a rustle outside and that snapped him back into reality. Quickly turning his head away from Grauen he looked outside to see if it was a big enough disturbance to rush out there, but it had gone quiet once more. He should probably get out of here soon though. He didn't want to overstep his boundaries, and the possibility of leaving her cave on a good note seemed very appealing to Brutus.
A low, yet comfortable hum escaped Brutus before he replied, "I am no planner or mastermind, Mistress, I am your strength and brawn." Shrugging, he glanced back over at the mare but no more ideas came to mind. His only thought had been to go where all things lost end up, but even that hardly made sense. Lifting himself up, he respectfully turned around to head outside to inspect those light rustles and tend to the bonfire he had been setting up most of the day.
Stopping just before the doorway Brutus paused, all four hooves planted solidly and offered just one more sentence to the dark mare.
"If it is fate, then the lost will be found."
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 4:03 pm
Grauen listened intently. He did have a point. There was nowhere else to start, not really. The candles flickered and flamed brighter as her guardian brought ideas to her mind, and quickly faded outside to do his job.
He was faithful. He was good to her--defending her and fearing her in a way. But somehow that fear had now settled into more of a respect. He was not her equal nor would he ever be---but there was something about his simple rustic charm that appealed to her. Why not make it simple rather than over thinking it as she had been doing?
Why couldn't she find the master of the books where the books had been lost so many ages ago? At least a hundred years...but had she not even herself been called back to places she remembered in vague half memories when the brother's whispered and wrote their tales by the light of her flames?
How often had she come to a place and found some sense of...belonging of deja vu? Maybe the one she needed to find was feeling that now too...
So maybe, just maybe it was the answer after all. Go where it had been lost, and even if the one she needed didn't know they'd lost anything yet...they would feel some strong connnection--some reason to be there.
One more night in the caves, one more ritual and bonfire and then they would go to find what was lost--what would soon be hers. For a moment longer, the eyes glowed like bright embers before the lids extinguished them.
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Nyx Queen of Darkness Crew
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Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2011 12:43 am
"If it is fate, then the lost will be found."
The words he had spoken aloud echoed around in his head a few times, almost mocking and yet they also brought a feeling of sincerity. It was strange, how one could say something and have it mean something so deep without having meant to mean anything at all. It brought back many memories of struggle and hardships, of learning to control himself and his anger so that he could harness it to his advantage.
Now that he thought about it, he realised how long he's really spent with Grauen Kerze, and how much she had come to mean to him. But why, why, why would a captive ever look to their captor in this way? Why should he feel anything other than resentment, anger or fear? She had taken him away from what big plans he had begun to form for himself, taken his only known living relative from him in a mere snatch of her whim. And on top of that, she had kept him here throughout his foalhood and now into his adolescence, training and moulding him to become what she wanted: a bodyguard. No, he had every reason to hate her and to want to spite her, but he didn't want that. All he wanted was to get away and to find his sister, or at least to find out if she was still alive or needed his help, and most of all to apologize to her that he had not been there for her when she needed him most.
He planned to leave here, but how? For now, he still had a purpose here. There were still a few mysteries and several things he could learn from Grauen and while he yearned to be out and searching, he could not yet justify leaving. He was a stallion of his word, but that being said, he always completed that which he set his mind to. There was no distraction big enough to draw him away from his search, it was just being put off for a while longer.
Back outside, the stallion stalked into the shadows, blending in with the coming darkness as best he could. The only sign of him was his white underside and a small shining of his brand new gift: his collar. He still had work to do here, and he knew this task and several to follow meant a lot to his captor, and he would do his tasks loyally as he continued to work out his plans for the future. His sister would not stay lost forever.
"If it is fate, then the lost will be found."
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