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 Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 9:43 pm
Pach froze as soon as he heard her call out for sure to him. He was nearly at a loss for what to do to make some noise then rolled his eyes, he was covered in things that made noise. He calmly flicked his tail, letting the big bell chime out calling to her. His heart was racing, and he didn't know what to think. Why was she here? Had something happened with her herd? A thousand questions raced through his mind, as he let the bell in his tail chime out again.
He was relieved when he caught sight of her as a stray shaft of moonlight caught the metal that she wore. "Tin, what are you doing here? In the middle of the night no less?" He couldn't keep the concern out of his voice. He was of course happy to see her, but it didn't stop him from worrying about what this could mean.
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Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 7:22 pm
Tin heard the bell chime, confirming that she'd been walking in the right direction. As she got closer, she saw his pale green coat and yellow hair, washed out in the moonlight, and was grateful that he seemed worried about her. However, she also hoped he didn't get the wrong idea or something... What would she do if he thought she wanted to break up with him? That was something that she hoped would never have to happen.
When she reached him, Tin was a bit out of breath, but she answered his questions anyway - "I have to talk to you," she said, not really aware that she was talking so fast that she was almost unintelligible. "I'm sorry I didn't show up today, I just... something came up, and it's what I wanted to talk to you about." Then, realizing that it was the middle of the night, as he'd pointed out, she blushed. "I'm sorry if I woke you up... I didn't know where to look."
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Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 7:42 pm
"Slow down, Tin, it's alright. Actually I wasn't sleeping well and for some reason felt like I should be close to the forest. I'm glad your alright though, I was afraid that something terrible had happened to you to make you come all this way alone in the dark." he closed the gap between them and nuzzled her. "But here you are safe and whole. I couldn't ask for more."
He then looked around, then back to her. "Did you want to talk here, or are you hungry, thirsty? My home isn't far from here at all, and you can catch your breath, get a drink, a snack and organize your thoughts. If we stay quiet we shouldn't wake anyone up." he said letting her decide.
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Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 8:58 pm
Taking a deep breath, Tin closed her eyes. She was a bit jittery from running through the forest with paranoia following her around, but now that she was with Pach, she felt better. "No, nothing bad has happened... I just have some explaining to do," she replied, reaching out to touch her nose against his soft muzzle. She couldn't help but think that they had some kind of special connection...Why else would he be awake, wandering through the forest, when she was looking for him? Hoping that she was right and not just thinking vainly, Tin gave Pach a weak smile as she tried to figure out what she wanted to do.
Well, if he said they wouldn't wake anybody up... She didn't want to bother anybody, but she really could use a drink, and she had long passed their pool. "Um..." she started, looking around. "It's kind of creepy out here in the dark... And I could use a drink, actually, please? I'm parched from all the running. But... are you sure that's okay? I don't want to interrupt anyone's beauty sleep." Although she was feeling tentative about going to his home - where his parents lived - she really needed that water; she didn't want to faint on him. After all, Pach would know his family's sleeping habits better than anyone, and she trusted him to keep her safe. Aside from that, she'd been all set to meet his family earlier in the day, hadn't she? If they accidentally woke them up now, it really was just one more opportunity...
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Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 9:23 pm
He smiled back at her. "It'll be fine, Tin." he turned and led her down the path, enjoying a cool breeze that brushed past him as they broke out from under the trees into the starlit sky of the meadow. "Just a little ways across the plain. If it was light out you could pick out the grove from here." he waited for her to come alongside him before starting across the open area. He wasn't sure if Tin had ever been out on the plains before so was unsure how she'd feel being exposed like this.
He kept close to her as he lead her across and soon the scent of apples and berries was on the air, and the soft tinkle of bells as their wearers shifted in sleep. He crept around the edge of the grove to the stream behind it and then motioned for Tinuviel to go ahead and drink while he kept watch.
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 9:03 pm
Trying with great difficulty to fend off her anxiety, Tin followed him onto the plain. While forests had made her nervous since the skinwalker attack - one could never know what was hiding behind the next tree - plains made her feel safer. Strange as it was, it was true - the open space gave her ears the chance to pick up sounds from every direction without confusion, and she had always felt better when she could see all the way around herself. Picking up her usual confidence again, she jogged a bit to catch up to him. "I bet it's beautiful in the daylight," she said, if only to add to the conversation. After that, Tinuviel fell silent and was glad that Pach didn't feel the need to fill her silence.
Soon, she caught the familiar smell of berries on the air. While she recognized some of them as they passed through Pach's family's grove, others she didn't know. There was one fruit that smelled particularly good; hoof-sized and shiny, its color was washed out in the moonlight. She gazed at it for a moment, wondering what it was, but snapped her attention back to Pach when she heard the quiet burbling of a stream. Following him, she gratefully took a long drink from the stream. When she was finished, she watched her wilting leaves begin to rejuvenate, loosing their wrinkles and regaining their healthy sheen. Looking back at Pach, she smiled at him. "Now what?" she asked quietly, trying not to disturb his family, who seemed to be sleeping nearby. She had heard them, but had been too focused on the strange fruit to get a good look at them. "Where can we talk?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 9:20 pm
He looked back over at her, "Here is as good as anywhere, as long as we keep quiet, the stream should cover most conversation. Pity it hasn't rained so it isn't any louder, but it'll do." he smiled at her. "I've never seen you in the moonlight before...you're as lovely now as you are in the daylight." he said moving closer and keeping his voice down. He nuzzled her affectionately. "I missed you today." he said tenderly. Rondel roused slightly from sleep. She felt something was wrong, but couldn't put her hoof on it. Her ears flicked and she eased up a bit realizing that whatever it was it wasn't a predator.
She wondered what could have awoken her and strained her ears for a noise just outside of her hearing. It sounded like voices, but one seemed to high to be her boys having a late night chat. She frowned slightly but stayed still trying to pick out tidbits of conversation, which were muted by the babble of the stream. She'd wait for now, but she'd give Cres a nudge if things got interesting in either direction interesting often became.
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 7:46 pm
With a relieved sigh, Tin blushed at the compliment, glad that the moonlight probably washed the color out of her cheeks. "Thank you," she said softly. "I'm still not used to having things like that said to me. You're quite handsome yourself," she added, leaning her neck against his as he nuzzled her. Sighing again when Pach mentioned her disappearance today, she said, "I need to talk to you about that."
Now came the hard part - finding out whether he would stay or not. Deciding that it would be better to just put it all out in the open, because he had understood before, Tin began her story. "This morning, I had a nightmare about my past. I know I'm too young for it to really be called a past, but... When I was a filly, my brother and I were attacked by pure skinwalkers. You know, the kind with paws, claws, and teeth?" she asked, not really sure if she should continue without him knowing just what they were - after all, if those monsters showed up again, she wouldn't want him to underestimate them.
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 8:11 pm
Pach colored slightly himself at her compliment. "Well I have no intentions of stopping any time soon." he said softly.
He shifted just slightly settling his weight on his far foot instead of the side Tin was on, not wanting her to feel crushed by him. He listened quietly and swallowed hard, feeling himself break out in a cold sweat, although he'd never seen a skinwalker of any type he'd heard of them. Despite the physical reaction, he felt rage inside that they'd dared attack foals, but that was their nature, prey was prey, the easier the better.
"I know what they are." he said slowly making sure his voice didn't crack. He didn't want to give her the wrong impression, he was more angry really than scared at the moment. "And I'm horrified that such a thing happened to you and your brother. Well enraged really, I'm doing my very best to control it, and scared...I'd be a fool not to be scared as well." he cleared his throat. "Do...they ever come back?" he manged to get out.
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Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 4:17 pm
"I think I smell them sometimes," she said, in response to his question. "It's an awful smell, like evil and death... The young ones don't smell quite as bad, but still. I think they wander through our forest sometimes to mark their territory. It just increases my paranoia; the rest of my family seems pretty quiet about it..." She trailed off, smiling grimly at his reaction. At least he hadn't gone into some kind of panic mode. Though she knew him well enough to understand that he wouldn't completely freak out, Tin's mother had always said that boys could do unpredictable, silly things and to always prepare for the worst. Even though Tin didn't know it, Cali had the experience to prove that those words could be true - Cali's first love had fled over an ocean because of his misplaced jealousy.
Sighing, Tinuviel continued her story. "My nightmare was about you meeting them - the mother-daughter pair that attacked us. They tore you apart," she said, her voice beginning to break a little. She was holding back her tears; in her head, she was silently reliving her dream. "From the time my mother and I met them, they swore revenge on us for making them lose their prey - my brother and I. So we've been keeping an eye out for them, and the herd is on high alert for blue and black pelts." Not really sure how to continue after that, Tin paused, and decided to just ask him.
"I want to make sure that you're okay with the idea that they could come after us again... I don't want to drag you and your family down with my family if they come back with an entire pack on their heels. It would be better if you were prepared for the possibility..." She sniffed, beginning to actually get choked up. Tin had never had to tell anyone that there was a possibility that they could be hurt (or worse) for associating with her; the rest of her friends were in the herd, and they knew what could happen. "I don't want to sound cold, but the reason that I didn't show up today was that I couldn't handle it if something happened to you because of me," she whispered, looking at her feet. "If you don't want to be together because of this, I would understand," she finished, and braced herself. She had bared her heart and soul to him, and all she could do was hope for the best and prepare for the worst. The information she had just spilled to him could be a complete game-changer; it could be the reason for a break-up, or it could be the catalyst that made them stronger. Whatever happened, it all came down to how he felt.Lady Argentum Draconis Just want you to know that school has eaten me a little and I will be a bit slower now. <3
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Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 8:48 pm
Pach wrinkled his nose at the imagined scent. While he had no personal experience with either component, his brain conjured up all sorts of unpleasant combinations, rotten fruit, sour grain, dead fish, and spoiled egg. Just imagining it all together made his stomach heave, but he managed to control himself. He had no idea if evil actually smelled like that but it was the worst things he could imagine so close enough for the time being, and he hoped that they were lucky enough that he'd never actually need to redefine the scent of evil.
He trembled slightly at the events of her nightmare. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths listening to her voice crack and the confession tumbled forth. It wasn't hard to come to a conclusion. He'd already know the answer the instant she started.
"I promised you I'd always be there, no matter what." he said opening his eyes and looking over at her. His voice was calm and even, despite the jangle of nerves inside, he knew she needed him to be a rock. "This doesn't change anything. Makes things far more interesting than I ever thought they'd be, but Tin, I love you, and I want to be with you, come hell, high water, or murderous skinwalkers. Besides my family can look after itself if they become threatened. They can flee into the forest, my grandmother is a crafty mare, I'm sure she knows how to deal with unwanted guests." he took a deep breath. "And if nothing else they can go north to my mother's family." he nudged her gently. "I'm not going to say everything is going to be okay, because I don't know that, but we'll make it work."
At the change in the cadence of the lighter voice, Del frowned. Whoever it was had obviously become upset. She wasn't sure if one of her boys had upset this young mare or if it was something else, but enough was enough. Time to figure out exactly what was going on.
She moved slowly not to cause to much noise and put her nose against Cres' neck. "Cres, wake up." she said softly. "Something's going on."
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Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 9:09 pm
An open field, the slightly shadowed grove, sunbeams coming down through the thick foliage overhead...it was all the things that filled the stallion's mind at night. He welcomed these dreams because there was never anything to worry about. His boys were still young and not getting into trouble, Rondel was always there at his side with no fear that anything would happen to any of them...and his own mother up to no good as usual with others who traveled through the area.
A small smile crossed Crescendo's face as he slept, skin flinching slightly at Rondel's touch. He whinnied and turned his head, ears laying back as he continued to sleep. A few seconds passed before his mind connected enough to hear Rondel say something was wrong. At least that's how he heard it.
"Mmmn? Del? What?" He asked, raising his head to look at her. "What's wrong?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2012 8:34 am
Del tilted her head towards where the stream ran behind the grove. "I'm not sure if it's Beat or Pachelbel, but someone is talking to someone else back there and one is upset, and I'm pretty sure it's a young lady. I think it's time to see what's going on." she said softly. She then chuckled. "If it weren't for the crying I'd be amused that one of them had the courage to sneak a young lady into the grove under our noses."
She gave her mate an affectionate nudge then quietly so not to set off her bells crept towards the stream. Yes there were two figures next to the water, and to no surprise one was a young mare and the other was Pach. Well it was good to know that the mystery girl did exist, but who was she? She didn't smell familiar, so it wasn't a girl from the trading post not far from here. Well only one way to find out. Del politely cleared her throat then tried to strike the right tone. "What on earth is going on, Little Bell?" she said looking between the two.Pach hadn't even heard his mother creep up on them. Her voice caused him to jump, which of course was her intended reaction for him and he looked over at her, "Uh...Mother...Father." he added seeing his father appear just a few steps behind Del. "Umm..." he was at a loss for what to say, this wasn't his idea of a good first meeting, so he just went for it. "This is Tinuviel." he said indicating the mare next to him. "My parents, Crescendo and Rondel." Mahogany Sunset It's perfectly fine. Don't stress yourself out <3
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 4:56 pm
Tin took deep breaths to calm herself down. He'd given her the reassurance she'd been searching for, and was about to reply when she saw two pale shapes in the corner of her vision. Though they were not blue, Tin still spun to face them - the moon was very good at washing away color, and all the talk of the skinwalkers had made her paranoid. But Pach's voice broke through her thoughts, which had been scattered when the pang of fear chimed in her mind: they were his parents. Of course they were. They were in his family's grove, after all. Taking another shaky breath, Tin bowed her head to them, hoping they took her sign of respect to heart. She didn't want to cause trouble.
"Hello," she said, voice trembling slightly. Trying to strengthen it a bit, she added, "My name is Tinuviel." It took her a moment to realize that Pach had just introduced her, and she immediately felt silly. She shook her head at her mistake, setting her hairsticks and beads a-clinking. Coloring, she tried to correct herself. "I mean, you can call me Tin. It's nice to finally meet you." She thought about saying that she was sorry for waking them, but she wasn't, really - Tin had needed to talk to Pachelbel, and since she'd been trying to save his family from trouble, she wasn't sure that she even needed to apologize for the intrusion. Plus, if it made Pach feel like she was apologizing for them being together, she wasn't even going to contemplate saying it aloud.
Studying them more closely, Tin found out that Pach looked like his father, but had his mother's hair and eyes. When her gaze fell on his father's wings, her eyes widened - they looked like thin, translucent leaves. They had what looked like light veins, and seemed to glow in the darkness. He himself seemed to almost glow - there were bunches of tiny, sparkly things in his mane and tail... And were those antennae on his head? Surely he had to be one of nature's gifted ones, like the fairies Mother had told her about once - the soquili that had butterfly wings and could drink nectar. Her serious conversation with Pach and the sudden arrival of his parents were momentarily forgotten as she stared at Pach's father, for though she'd met Beat, this stallion awed her. She was sure that the moonlight helped to enhance the illusion that he was otherworldly... Still, she couldn't help staring at him.
Soon enough, though, she tore herself away. She felt like she'd been staring for a few minutes, but Tin was sure it'd only been a few seconds. Looking back at Pach, she gave a small smile. She might have been a little anxious, but she'd just told him about the memories that had haunted her since childhood. She knew she could handle meeting his parents.
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Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2012 8:05 pm
Crescendo watched in silence, taking the new little mare in. So this is who his son was spending time with when Beat was wandering around the grove. He greeted her with a smile as she introduced herself. "Hello, Tin. It's good to meet you." He said, not really taking much notice of her staring at him. Instead, he found himself continuing to stare at her.
She was an usual little mare. Leaves for hair, but looked very much like the cerynei he'd seen near the groves when he was younger. To him, there was something mystical about her and he approved. "I hope we didn't interrupt anything..."
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