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 Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 4:49 pm
"What is what?" Isenath cocked her head at the plant and regarded it with one flat eye. It looked a little like some of the plants they had underwater, but she had the feeling any resemblances were superficial. She gave one a poke with her hoof and decided they were uninteresting. "Who cares," she said flatly. "Let's see what there is around here."
She pushed ahead through the vegetation. Walking was such an ungainly way of getting from place to place. Isenath imagined that flying was more like swimming, so superior to this plodding along the ground. She sneezed when a spray of pollen drifted down from some unknown source. That was one more thing they didn't have to worry about in the sea.
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 4:52 pm
One edge of Tythoss' abnormally wide mouth twitched up in a smirk. He was starting to revise his belief in his ability to torment these two. They didn't seem to have a clue that he was around. His dark pelt melted into the forest background in the dim light, and their eyes just slid right over him.
Still not letting himself be seen, Tythoss slipped along after them. How far away would they dare to go from the water?
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 6:18 pm
Quinta resisted the urge to rub herself against something. The dry air was so itchy! The only thing keeping her from rubbing herself raw was the knowledge that it would do nothing to make her feel better. Sighing, she tried to distract herself by looking at the strange things that they had on the land, but not hte water.
It wasn't difficult to distract herself. Everything about the dry land was strange. The sound of dry leaves almost made her startle. A bird flying through the sky looked like a fish to her... but no fish could soar like that. The little bits of leaves she snatched tasted like nothing she had ever experienced. It was all so strange! So new! So...
"Did you hear that?" She looked around. She didn't recognize many of the sounds in this place, but that had definitely been something out of place.
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 6:28 pm
"... I did hear that." Like Quinta, Isenath didn't have a doubt in her mind that something was out there. Whatever it was, it was big and it was close. She didn't like that one bit. They had gone too far away from the water, and Isenath cursed her own stupidity. Protective, she put herself between Quinta and the source of the sound.
"Be prepared to bolt," she muttered under her breath. "Whoever you are, get out here!" she snarled dryly into the open air. "We're not afraid of sharks, and aren't afraid of you either." Too far away from the water. In a sense, this could be considered punishment. It was what they deserved, for abandoning the arms of the ocean. Bitterly, Isenath hoped they would be able to live to correct that mistake.
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 6:33 pm
And... that was that. He had gotten a little too cocky about his own abilities and the two mares had spotted him. Well, they hadn't spotted him yet. It was clear from the way they stared around that they had no clue where he was. He could have stayed hidden and never met them face to face if he had wanted, but of course... Tythoss had no desire to keep hidden.
He oozed out of hiding with a smirk on his face inherited straight from his father. His wings were currently folded, but not hidden. They would be able to clearly tell that he was kalona from his barbed tail and horns if nothing else. Plus... his jagged mouth always gave strangers a bit of a scare.
"Thanks for coming out of the water." He licked his lips, hungry. "I love fresh fish."
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 7:19 pm
All of Quinta's spines immediately sprung up. She wasn't poisonous like the fish she had similar color to, but the spines were still protective. They could easily get lodged into mouth and flesh if attacked from the wrong angle. "Let's just get back to the water!" she hissed at Isenath. The path back to water was still open. The stallion was off to a side and maybe could strike, but not if they were fast enough.
"Isenath, let's go!" She gave her mate a sharp n**. The sooner they were out of there, the better... She knew enough to recognize a predator when she saw one, and this stallion was a predator.
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 7:24 pm
There it was, their enemy. While Quinta was preparing for flight, Isenath readied herself to fight. She was much smaller than the stallion, but she hadn't let that stop her before. Size didn't mean anything underwater if you were smart enough.
"You like fish, do you?" she flipped her tail and gave him a caustic smile. "Tell me if you see any. We could both use a snack." She sized up the stallion. He was dangerous. Isenath might get hurt, but she would definitely be able to make an opening for Quinta to escape. She could fight it out with this one without any fear of him hurting her loved one. Now if only she had some way of luring him to the water. Isenath was no stranger to drowning her enemies...
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 7:28 pm
Tythoss wasn't worried. There were two mares and both of them looked like they'd be about one mouthful. He could eat one and save the second for breakfast.
Those thoughts were an exaggeration, of course, but he didn't have a doubt in his mind. Maybe he could even ask them if they had any word of Deep Sea Dolphin. Making it an interrogation would put some purpose into an otherwise pointless tormenting.
"I think we could all use a snack," he rumbled, darkly amused. "But I have to wonder... if I chewed you up, would I get scales stuck in my teeth?" He laughed harshly at his own joke. He really did crack himself up sometimes.
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Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 8:46 pm
Quinta felt like such a fool. Her mind raced as her hooves stayed rooted into the ground. If she hadn't gone chasing that fish then they wouldn't have gotten lost. If they hadn't gotten lost they wouldn't have come onto the land. If they hadn't come onto the land they wouldn't be in danger of being mauled by whatever this monster was. Usually she laughed when Isenath chastised her for her childish behavior. Now she regretted every instance of it.
"Isenath," she said in a hoarse whisper. "Let's run." Without realizing she was doing it, Quinta stepped to put Isenath between herself and the enemy. Isenath didn't seem afraid. Quinta tried to take strength from that bravery, but couldn't stop her heart from pounding all the same.
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Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 8:50 pm
Isenath made her decision. Both of them had part of the right idea. Quinta wanted to run, but Isenath didn't like the idea of being chased. Isenath wanted to fight, but it would be too difficult to get their enemy to somewhere she could fight him properly. "Quinta, listen to me," she muttered. Isenath's flat eyes glinted as she lowered her head. It was a slight change in posture, but one that signified much more.
"RUN!" Isenath surged forward a moment before she shouted the command at Quinta. She charged at the kalona, recklessly fast, or so it would seem. She was betting that the kalona didn't have much experience fighting kelpis. If she was wrong, things could possibly go very poorly. She aimed herself at the bulk of his body, preparing for a slam. He was bigger than her, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve.
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Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 8:54 pm
The little fish soquili was trying to attack him? Tythoss would have laughed if he had time. All that he had time to do was brace for impact and open his mouth. If he could manage a good bite on her she was as good as dead! He couldn't imagine any wound that wouldn't fester in the murky water of the surrounding area.
As prepared as he was, something didn't go right. It felt normal when she hit him, but then things were strange. Her fur was damp. Was it even fur, or was it scales? Whatever she was covered in was slippery with little purchase. He was surprised enough to stagger sideways. He snapped at her back only to find that she had raised spines there. He recoiled barely in time to keep himself from impaling himself. There were spines on her back, shoulders, and even her tail. He didn't know where to strike on a soquili like her!
He hesitated. He didn't pause for long, but it was enough. She slipped by him.
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Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 8:58 pm
Isenath didn't need to tell her twice. Quinta ran when directed. Isenath looked like she was running straight at the kalona, not something Quinta wanted to do. She instead arced around him. From her peripheral vision she could see Isenath impact with him... and then pull away, still running. Relieved that they had both made it as far as the initial burst, Quinta pulled her focus away from her mate and to the approaching shore.
She couldn't remember a time when the waves had sounded so sweet. Quinta didn't even dare to look behind her as she made her way across that distance. Had they escaped? Would they get away from this adventure with only bruised pride and a good story? Quinta hoped they would be so lucky.
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Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 9:01 pm
Her gambit had worked! Isenath expected to be sore the next day, but that was worlds away as far as she was concerned. Quinta ran off ahead of her and Isenath followed, always staying behind to guard from further attack. Unlike Quinta, she did flash looks behind them to make sure they weren't being pursued. The kalona followed them for a few bounds but then seemed to give up. She left him behind, glaring at them from the forest. It was like a vision out of a fairy tale, not that Isenath knew many of those.
She splashed into the water after Quinta. Though they hadn't really spent that much time on land, it now seemed like an eternity that they had spent out of the water.
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Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 9:03 pm
Tythoss snarled as he watched them run away. That hadn't worked out. His hide was still slick where the kelpi had touched him and he glared at the spot in distaste. It even had a fishy sort of smell to it. It would wash off, but it would remind him of his failure until then.
The one small blessing in all this was that no one had been around to see it. He would never have lived it down if one of his siblings had been there. They had already had enough slip-ups recently as it was without something like this. Muttering black magic curses, Tythoss stalked away.
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Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2013 8:54 am
Quinta only paused when the water was up to her belly. She could swim away from that depth if necessary, even though it would be ungainly. Isenath stopped beside her and Quinta anxiously scanned her for injuries. There wasn't anything obvious or bleeding. "Are you ok?" she asked unhappily. "Did he get you?" She scanned the treeline but didn't see the kalona anywhere. She hadn't seen him the first time either so he could still be out there... but he wasn't anywhere near the water.
She remembered the tiny little wings on the kalona's back. She didn't think any creature could fly with wings that small. Still, she glanced upwards at the sky in case she was wrong. Relieved to see only seagulls overhead, she turned back to Isenath.
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