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 Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 9:52 am
... He was far too serious. So Arianwyn, bored of that particular line of discussion, tugged on his ear, and darted off again. She'd need to think about what he'd said, of course, but she still didn't really believe him. Not entirely. Grandsire would come back some day, maybe sometime soon, and set the record straight. It wasn't that she thought that the stallion was lying to her, she just thought he was a bit deluded. She took to the air, and flew above the trees for a time, before dropping precisely down into a spring. Ha! Let him find her there!
She slipped through some of the aspen trees, and settled within a small cluster of the flowers that she customarily wore on in her mane. Arian had seen foolish creatures eat the flowers and die as a result. They had become dear to her. In fact, she'd even kept scavengers away by lacing her kills with the stuff. She just had to be careful not to ingest any of it. Usually, she plucked it with her tail, and crushed it in the same fashion. She never put it on or in something she intended to eat again, though.
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Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 12:56 pm
Like her tail thwap, the stallion didn't expect for her to tug on his ear just before she took off in to flight. For being such a serious creature, he was unaccustomed to having strangers poke much fun at him, much less actually physically tug on him. This pale mare, this ghost of the aspens, was certainly forcing him to stay on his hooves.
Furthermore, he should not (perhaps) had let her get so close. Not all kalona were amicable or friendly creatures, even to their own kin, and one snap at the ear could next time be his neck. Just becuase she had been somewhat receptive to his arrival and had not left him bleeding didn't mean she might not change her mind. She was still an unknown female, a stranger. Size didn't make the kalona, after all. . . And just because she was petite did not mean she was not more than formidable. He shouldn't let his guard down. His confidence in his own well being and ability to manage whatever the world threw at him could ultimately be his downfall.
Unfortunately, Keiran didn't have much time to ponder his next move. As soon as she sprung away, the large stallion snapped open his wings and followed. Getting out of the woods, even for a moment, was a breath of fresh air. To stretch his wings, to have some move to actually maneuver felt good. So it was, the stallion followed. She had said nothing, had given no reply, and was once more on the move. . . But Keiran was not so willing to let her go.
He still had questions. Besides which, if he lost her now, would he be able to find her again?
Well. Clearly. He could hunt, he could track, and besides which, he would need to do so at some time during his stay. Not her, but actual prey. This was clearly her woods, and he would respect her territory and land well enough to make sure she did not object to him lingering. He might do very well what he wished, but he respected other kalona, and had been raised well enough to know the basics of respect.
He was no brute. Not when he didn't need to be.
When the mare dropped back down and in to a spring of water, he did not object to the waters once more. No, he did not catch exactly where she headed, but he had her scent now. She was clearly not in the water, so finding where she had gone was only a matter of tracking. . . Hoof prints, broken or bent limbs, or even perhaps a loose strand of her mane. "Leaving me so soon?" He queried dryly as he pushed his way through the woods once more, not one to be eluded quite as easily as she might have hoped. "And here we'd only just met."
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Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 1:10 pm
The little place she had chosen was a little more bare of trees than the one before it. A small clearing ringed with aspen trees, which she now stepped into. "Talk of lessers was quite boring," she informed him. "They never come here." They probably thought she was a ghost, as he had indicated before, or perhaps had heard that things that wandered into her forest died. It was not so very large a forest, after all. A small aspen forest, but big enough for a petite young mare. A range that suited her, and that she alone could take full advantage of.
"Who are you?" she asked, not bothering to hide. She'd been less careful this time to elude him, but then again... perhaps she'd realized that his larger wings might serve him better in flight. "You never said. It is my forest, so you must tell me. If you are looking for more Kalona, perhaps you might keep looking, but you will not find them here. Maybe northeast, or to the west." In the grasslands, or by the base of the mountains. Not here, where there was only truly food enough for what lived in the forest.
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Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 4:44 pm
Keiran appreciated that the area was a bit less crowded as the thicker woodlands they had just left. He wasn't claustrophobic, but he certainly preferred to have the ability for easy and swift movement. One never wanted to find themselves trapped, after all. The mares response did surprise the stallion, given the dire nature of his spoken words. The mare seemed to find their prior topic odious, which was just as well. . . . "Very well then. Consider the subject dropped." And that would be the end of it.
If the pale mare found it an odious topic, than who was he to push it upon her? The concern was not yet hers, and it seemed she wanted no more than to shake her wings free of it. Keiran was not sure that was a wise idea, but then, she was young. Perhaps someday their conversation would come back to her, might serve her well should her own kind begin betraying their race.
He did raise a brow when the mare demanded he give his name. Granted, he had little objection in being honest with whom he was, but . . .well. . . He could only imagine how his brother, Nemesis, might retort to the mares sass. Still. Keiran had his own pride, and he was not one to be stepped over or controlled, no matter where he found himself. He would respect her wishes, for now, but there was only so much he would allow in the sake of formality. "You may call me Keiran, of the Black Skull herd." He spoke proudly, unable to be anything but. "And who might you be?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 6:00 pm
"I am Arianwyn, of the Ghost Claw herd." It was said lightly, without the kind of gravity and pride Keiran spoke with. "My grandsire was protector of the herd, but he went away, as I mentioned. I've never heard of the Black Skull herd before," she said, and she scrutinized him. Black Skull? It was certainly a proper Kalona name, to be sure, but she'd never heard of it, so he must be from very far away indeed. Very, very far. "You're really not from around here, are you?" He'd had to ask her name, so he couldn't be. She didn't know everyone, but that didn't mean that they might not know her, or of her.
Keiran's dire words unsettled her, and she didn't want to spend too much more time on them. She wasn't entirely sure that he'd been telling her the truth, and if he had been, maybe he'd imagined it. Maybe it wasn't real. "Where are you from?" she asked, since that did seem rather important now. If... what he said was true, then she didn't want to go there, wherever it was. It sounded like an awful place.
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Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 7:03 pm
Keiran had heard of this Ghost Claw herd during his recent travels, though it still remained a bit of a mystery. He didn't know much about the herd, but he had been assured it was made up explicitly of kalona. It was good to know there were still established herds out there, even if their numbers were, ultimately, slipping. The fact that this mare was part of the herd, and that her grandfather was its protector, was a double plus.
"I've heard of Ghost Claw, but only recently in my travels." A fitting name, especially if many of its members possessed colors similar to Arianwyn's. "My regards to your family then, from one great herd to another." He was making an assumption that this Ghost Claw was great, but he had not heard otherwise, and what kalona didn't like a little due respect? He was quite biased in favor of Black Skull, but he knew its history, as well its stories. It was great, and anyone who thought otherwise could do so at their own risk.
"My own mother is the Alpha, my elder brother the Protector." He stated, seeing as the mare had seen fit to make mention of her grandsire's role within Ghost Claw. Yes, he was a son of Maeryn, even if his blood was not true. She was his mother, and was just as much related to any one of them. Perhaps he was simply the adopted sibling, but. . . as far as Keiran was concerned, they were still his family. Nothing would shake that, even if the term 'adoptee' or 'foundling' were dropped in front of his name.
"No, I am not from around here. This particularly journey has brought me northeast for many months. I am from a land called the Kawani, our herd near the foothills of the local mountain range." He didn't expect the mare to know where the Kawani was, but, he was not going to treat her as if she were stupid or ignorant. She might not have traveled far from her lands, or from that of the Ghost Claw, but he didn't blame her. It was doubtful he would have traveled far, had not a need for new blood demand such a thing.
He much preferred to be back at Black Skull, keeping the lands safe from the skinwalkers, from the impurities, from the lessers, from the threats. And yet. . . They could not grow stagnant. Their numbers were slim at best. . . he had no choice but to make this journey, and he had to make it successful. "Necessity has drawn me this far out, though I am relieved to have found the state of your lands is not quite so dire as my own."
Oh, but Black Skull would persevere. Even if there were threats from skinwalkers, from tainted blood, from prejudiced locals. . . They would find a way to make a comeback. Of this, Keiran truly believed.
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Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 7:45 pm
There he was with that duty thing again. "... And what, exactly, are you supposed to be doing out here? You said 'find pure Kalona'. Well, you have found one. Do you just turn around and go home now?" While he spoke to her, Arianwyn inspected her plants, deciding that the blossoms weren't right for her purposes. Not today. Anyway, Keiran would probably be much more fun alive, and if she accidentally poisoned him that would be a real shame. "Thank you. If they were here, I'd tell them so." She, alas, was the only representative of the Ghost Claw herd present and available at the moment.
"Well, whatever it was you seemed to be afraid of earlier can't be true of here," she agreed. "No one in their right mind would breed with a lesser. No one would do that. It would be so weird," Arian said, utterly horrified by the mere notion of it. Who did that? What sick, twisted Kalona would sully their blood and their breed in such a manner? Why, it was almost like breeding with a dumb animal. Almost. The only difference was that one was food and the other was a nuisance, and that wasn't always a difference, depending on who you talked to.
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Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 2:57 pm
Keiran considered the mare's words for a moment, knowing he hadn't been entirely forthright in his earlier explanation. He did not want the mare to think he had his sights on her -- even if, perhaps, she was a seemingly viable option -- but she was also deserving to know the truth. It wasn't like him to be evasive. "I'm afraid it's not quite so simple. Yes, I had been sent out to seek pure kalona. I've been able to keep a count, or at least get a feeling, of how our kind are doing outside the Kawani, and a general state of being for the herds and independents I find." That was true. It hadn't been his intention, but it had developed due to his excessive travels. It was surprisingly refreshing, actually, if not (perhaps) a bit disheartening. Their numbers were still smaller than Keiran would have liked to have found, but, he also understood he was heavily biased.
"The more important task is to find new blood for Black Skull. To recruit others who uphold our views, to strengthen our own by diversifying." Again, evading the truth of the matter. Well, best to be forthright. "We have an extreme lack of females in Black Skull, and it is my herd's hope that I might someday return with one."
And that was his angle. That was his entire reason for being out this far, wherever he might be. The stallion spoke formally but with confidence; he had no shame and it wasn't as if he were looking entirely for himself. If he found a willing mare, regardless if she were invested in him or not, new blood was always welcome. Considering he was related to many within Black Skull, tapping in to other herds was not a bad idea, no matter the outcome.
Giving his wings a bit of a stretch, the stallion gave a small grunt of approval. He kept his ears pricked and alert, though his glowing, red gaze was firmly on Arianwyn. Just because these were her lands did not mean there was still not lurking danger. "It is good to hear the lessers still know their place." Still, he was pondering this mystery mare. . this . . Arianwyn of Ghost Claw.
If her grandsire was the protector, where was the herd? He'd heard rumor of them, but had no knowledge of their whereabouts. Furthermore, if she were part of the herd, why separate her from it? Why was she in these woods, alone? Keiran could not imagine Black Skull abandoning one of their own, unless they did something so criminal as to be ousted. . .
So what was this mares story? He was curious, but for now, he would not push or press. No, there was no rapport, no trust. In fact, it was very likely she'd run him out as soon as she processed his intentions. Well. It wouldn't be the first time, and he doubted it might be the last.
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Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 3:43 pm
This stallion tended to be long-winded, and Arianwyn just about dozed off somewhere through his speech. Not really, of course, but oh how... prosaic. "Pure females? What, like me? Oh don't be silly, why would anyone want to go to a place where everyone's breeding with animals?" And Arian did think that he was being rather silly. "How can I know that you are pure?" she asked him, peering at him rather curiously. "You do seem to have a Kalona tail, just like I do. And Kalona wings, just like I do. And though your horns are different-- mine are much prettier, thank you-- you do seem to have those as well, just like I do." ... She really did think this was a game, didn't she? Arian pranced over to circle around him, rather curious.
"How is it that you're so big? I've never seen anyone so large before." It was... odd! A little impressive, but she didn't want to admit that. After all, she was perfect in every way, so how could being big be such a grand thing? If being big had been so good, then she surely would have been. But ah, it was not, and so Arianwyn remained precisely as she was. Practically perfect in every way. "Is this what you do with your time? Go on voyages to find mares? There are more mares that way, you know. To the northeast, I think. The west seems to have a few more stallions."
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Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 9:19 pm
"Just because some are breeding with animals, doesn't mean we all are," he stated with a snort of disgust. "There are many reasons a strong kalona female might wish to return to Black Skull with me, but I suppose I shall reserve those arguments for another day. Simply know that Black Skull has no room for those of weak hearts or minds, which is why my search continues." For as many who might have declined or turned him down, there were just as many Keiran rejected. He wanted the cream of the crop, or at least a mare he could come to respect and be proud of. . .An equal. That, unfortunately, was easier said than done.
Keiran watched as the mare picked her way over to where he stood, circling him, and having the audacity to ask whether or not he was pure. Granted, it was a valid question, especially after he spoke of the tainted beasts that came from his homelands, but it grated on his pride to be questioned. He was a true kalona, he was pure. "You'll need trust that what I speak is truth. I am pure." There was no reason to take offense, not when it was so ludicrous to think that he, Keiran, was anything but pure. His confidence and pride alone oozed through his entire being. . . . If she wished to question, she'd simply need come back to his homeland to see for herself.
". . . I was born this way. I've always been large." And yes, there was some pride in that voice. More than a little. Unfortunately, though, he didn't know what else to say, or how else to explain. There were many a large stallion back at Black Skull. . . . Ah, but Arianwyn needn't know that. Yet. Keiran was all for the cause, but he wasn't going to play wingman to his siblings until he was certain his opportunities with this mare were completely nixed. Still, when Arianwyn told him of where more mares might be, the stallion gave another grunt. "Noted. But if you wouldn't mind, I'd rather take my chances in your woods."
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Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 9:42 pm
"... But there aren't any mares in my forest," Arianwyn said, completely missing Keiran's point. "And certainly not ones as big as you are." Was anyone as big as he was? She didn't think it was likely. "What exactly is a weak heart?" she wanted to know. He was asking a lot of her, asking her to trust him. Asking her to take him at his word! She drifted over to her plants again, and plucked one off with her tail, playing with it idly. She set it to nestle in her mane along with the white feathers, absently toying with her hair. Mr. Big Bones was full of all manner of things to say, and she was humoring him for the time being. "How can you know if your heart is weak? I bet you don't even have a way to judge that."
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Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 9:56 pm
. . . .
. . . . Did she really miss his veiled invitation? Did she really miss the point of him lingering in her aspen woods, was not because he wanted to coo over the scenery, but was because she was a kalona mare he wanted to better get to know? Apparently, yes. She did.
Raising a brow, the stallion only gave a small, confident smirk and a small shake of his head. He pawed at the earth for a moment before stating coolly, "I think I'll take my chances, all the same." And why not? She was young, she was perhaps not what he'd expected to discover, but he wasn't so easy going to let this chance pass him by. His hooves had led him there for a reason, and until he deemed Arianwyn unsuitable, there was no sense in hurrying off. She was different, but she was young. . . And that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"Cowards. Those who turn soft and crawl to the lessers of this world. Betrayers of the kalona race of herd and family. Those who flee from adversity. I would say they all have weak hearts and weak constitution, and that is test enough." His fangs flashed as he considered those of his kind, those stories that showcased such beasts. There were still kalona out there who were not worth their spit, and certainly not worth being part of their herd, even if they . . . did not . . . spend time with lessers.
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Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 10:36 pm
Arianwyn eyed Keiran with some suspicion. What was he talking about, specifically? Weakness... was a sore point with Arian, who was not exactly robust. "My grandsire sent me here to keep me safe," she said, touching lightly on the 'coward' point. "I could have gone back anyway. Does that make me a coward?" Never mind that the lesser Soquili from her home took a very dim view to Kalona indeed, and would have desired little else but to wipe her from existence if they could. "Are you saying that the answer is always to stand and fight?" Would he find her reliance upon poison to be cowardly?
She didn't have the kind of strength he did, to be sure. Nor, indeed, was she as strong as some of the others, which was why her grandsire had not taken her along on his quest. ... Whatever that might be. He hadn't been terribly forthcoming about it, but she'd perceived it to be about her parents. It was related to them, in any case, of that she felt certain.
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Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 5:16 pm
Keiran did not like to be caught off guard, but it seemed this mare was rather good at shifting him off balance. Just as he had not expected the tail smack, the ear tug, or her flitting off on a moments instance, her response to his explanation was quite a shock. His ears pricked forward, and he almost canted his head as he considered her query.
There was no doubt she was substantially smaller than him. Smaller than his siblings, smaller than many kalona he'd met. Still, they had been speaking of those weak of heart, not physically weak. "I am not saying that at all." He replied gravely, even as his red eyes watched her, considered her. She was defensive, but he had not meant his words to wound or attack her personally. "Even the best trained warrior knows when to stand down. The point of being a warrior is to protect and defend, be it ones own life, their herd, or family. To die for ones herd or family is a great honor. . a great sacrifice for the cause. But such an honor is tainted when fools rush in for glory, out of wounded pride or vanity, out of being more concerned about what they gain from a fight, than by who they are protecting. Such a thing is not honorable at all." Or so Keiran believed. He was no white knight, to be sure, but he had his priorities. He would give his life to protect Black Skull and his family, if he found himself in a battle he absolutely could not lose.
To die fighting off an enemy was a good thing. But for some fool to charge in unprepared, to throw their life away simply as a means for glory or to show off? No. It was unfortunate that many were of such a disposition. "I do not see you as a coward for abiding your grandsire's request. It's wise of you to do so, as not every kalona must fight with hoof and fang. There are other ways of strength and to do battle with ones enemies; stealth and speed are great assets, as is cunning." He had no reason to doubt the mare lacked in those. She stuck to the aspen trees, and managed to keep herself camouflaged. She had grace where he lacked, speed where his size held him down. No, he had no reason to believe this mare fell under the term coward, or weak.
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Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 6:39 pm
"Do you think I'm a foal?" Arianwyn asked, both amused and a little offended. "It's as though you're explaining everything about your views to me, teaching me. Well, I don't need to be taught. And perhaps you might do with a bit of teaching, yourself. I don't know you, Keiran, and I wonder again... why would you stay in my forest?" If he were found... if she were discovered, the forest would no longer be the safe place that it was now. "What do you do for fun, back in those Kawani lands of yours? Do you do anything fun, or do you talk?" Talk and talk and talk until there was nothing to be said? "Stand around and talk all day? I can't imagine a Kalona doing that so long, so... there must be something."
And she wanted to find out what it was, because talking was boring. "It's good, though, that you see wisdom in following my grandsire's edicts. The only thing he asked of me was to stay where it was safe. And so here I am... and you run out of things to do in a forest alone unless you are very creative." Fortunately, Arian was rather creative. She'd taken to tending these plants, after all. "Maybe sometime I'll even let you see my home." Her lair, as it were.
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