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 Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 12:27 pm
The first fifteen minutes of my life outside of my basket were spent shakily forcing my way through a maze of tangled tree limbs and foliage. I remember the way my basket was quickly lost to sight amidst the Poplars; its white weave blended in seamlessly with the white, scaly bark. I hadn't known then, though, that Poplars weren't normally splashed here and there with brownish-red. The Poplars are what saved me, of this, I'm sure. Their torn limbs, and the scent of their sap in that small grove masked my small presence from the seeming force of nature that had destroyed everything else. I remember the silence most of all, though. Even in my basket, I'd been semi-aware of the noises from outside. Birdsong, raucous crickets, the shaky whine of cicadas, the muffled thud of my parents' hooves, their soft breath, and whispering voices. Gone. The grove was deathly quiet as I stood in its midst, and shivered.
What I don't remember from that day is how I felt. I don't know if I was sad, scared, or enraged. If I was, I don't remember towards whom I directed those feelings. My parents for leaving me? What or whomever had killed them? The world in general? My memories of that day are clear and distant at the same time. I was forced into the role of the observer. Perhaps I simply don't want to remember. Or perhaps, I knew instinctively that I wasn't going to live long enough. I wasn't a day out of the basket, my parents were gone, and I didn't have enough sense to hide in case whatever had torn the grove apart came back. If I chose to feel nothing at all for the last hours of my life, rather than bleak despair, who could blame me?
Of course, I did not die. Hart, displaying sublime stupidity or bravery, I still can't decide which, scented the carnage in that grove, and instead of running away as quickly as possible, came to investigate. He found me, kept me, and cared for me, waiting patiently through the first several months when I would not speak, and stayed beside me every night I awoke shaking violently. I was sick and weak for a long time, deprived of my Mother's milk, and I still am smaller than most Soquili my age, and I'm certainly not as brave, but I'm alive.
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 1:58 pm
Gender: Male
Name: Aisu
Aisu blinked his eyes as the light flooded the inside of the basket. Momentarily blinded, he stumbled out into the open world. He tripped on the fallen lid of the basket, and tumbled to his knees. Letting out a wail, he cried, "Mama! Dada?" The silence following his cry was so final it almost hurt his ears. He cried again, "Mama! Dada!" The only thing he heard was the echo of his own words hitting the rocky cliff behind him.
Snuffling in sadness for his parents, and in pain for his scraped knees, Aisu curled up on the ground. He licked his knee, but it hurt worse. He cried some more, and laid his head down on the ground. He recoiled in shock as he felt some sticky red stuff on his face. It was...blood. Aisu's eyes filled with horror as he sniffed it, and realized it smelled familiar, that it was his parents blood.
He let out a low cry for his parents, they must be dead. "No mama, no dada?" He said to himself, tearily. He looked back at his single basket. He sniffed some more, when a thought hit him. "Sho-shouldn't I have a broder or sisder?" He said confusedly. He stood up on wobbly legs and a determined look set in on his face.
"Mama and Dada wouldn't want me to sit around, they'd want me to find my broder or sisder!" Aisu wobbled his way across the clearing, he'd search the mountains and the oceans and the forests. He didn't know for sure if he really did have a brother or sister, but he was gonna find him or her if they really did exist. Before leaving, he nosed his basket one last time, and closed his eyes contentedly. Faintly, very faintly, he could still smell the scent of his parents, the most wonderful scent he would ever smell.
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 2:02 pm
Name: Ariana
Meaning: Silver
Gender: Female
It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, birds should have been singing but the meadow was eerily quiet. A lone basket sat in the shade of the trees at the edge of the once peaceful field. Around the basket where dried spots of what appeared to be blood. Suddenly the basket wiggled, the top moved slightly and a small gray snout pecked out. The snout was soon followed by the head and then the whole foal.
Ariana looked around. “Mama, Papa,” she called out weakly. There was a strange smell in the air that she did not like. ‘Where are they?’ she asked herself. Walking around the meadow she started to see signs of a fight. ‘There gone, I’m all alone. What do I do now?’ Collapsing in a heap she hung her head and started to cry. Slowly the tears dried up and a determined look crossed her face. ’I must be strong. I’ll grow up and then find who did this and make them pay.’
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 2:12 pm
Name: Ioshka
Gender: Female (In this response)
~~~
There were no birds greeting her with their songs. No wind to tussle about her mane and tail. Not even the grass waved a hello for the new filly in the world.
But she didn’t care. She was out of her basket, out of that miserable cramped cage. And sooner or later, she’ll find her parents, and just frolic around like a normal family.
Kicking the wet grass, Ioshka didn’t even try to consider the fact that the nightmare she had last night was real. It was too cruel and disturbing to be part of the happy life she was going to have. She was just like any other foal, why should she be destined to spend the rest of her days without her parents? It wasn’t fair after all. Why was she even thinking about this? She already knew it was a bad dream, nothing more.
Ioshka chased after a bumblebee, delighted at the chance she had to stretch her legs. Even if the sun was still hiding behind the bleak clouds, and the ground was muddy from last night’s rain, freedom was good. No more baskets! No more nightmares! In a few moments, her parents will come back to her, muzzle covered in grass they just ate, and she can continue onto a bright future.
And there they were! The grey filly bounded over to two bigger horses, her best smile on her face. As she got closer, she could tell that the two were having a conversation that faded out once they noticed her presence.
“Oh… Hello little one. Are you lost?” The male adult asked, his eyes widened with curiosity.
“Noooo! Don’t you know who I am? I’m your kid!” Ioshka snorted at the ignorance of the Soquili. What kind of parents wouldn’t recognize their own child? She would’ve also stamped her foot, but she decided to show respect for the couple, even if they weren’t perfect.
“Kid…? Honey? Is there something you’re not telling me?” The female glared at the other Soquili. He neighed nervously at the tension building while shaking his head wildly.
“No! I have never seen this foal in my life, even as a basket! Honest!”
Those words, spoken with such haste by the stallion, stabbed Ioshka in the heart. He had never seen her before? So he wasn’t her father? Or maybe…
“Come on, don’t play games with me. Haha, it was funny the first time, but I want to do some fun now!”
She bounced around the two, tossing her head back and smiling. The pair at first just gawked at the filly’s prancing in disbelief. Then, seeing that she had too much energy to give up on her own, went into another private conversation. Ioshka couldn’t hear what they said entirely, but she did catch parts of it.
“Why would she think…”
“Where are her parents…”
“Could it be… Yes…. It’s possible…”
“… Same time… same place… after all…”
“… Shame… You tell her?”
“… Fine. I will.”
Eager to find out what they were talking about, the small Soquili stopped in her mini dance and stared at them intently. It was the female that turned around and spoke to her first.
“Um… whatever your name is…”
“It’s Ioshka.” The said foal proclaimed, even if she just made that name up on the spot. It sounded nice, and she heard that name when her mother, this mare, sung her to sleep in her hated basket.
“Ioshka. Ok. But the point is… we’re not your parents. We’re just a couple that you happened to stumble upon.”
More harsh words that wounded her heart. This time, her serious tone convinced the filly that perhaps, despite all the things she told herself, what the older horse said was true.
“But we might know where your parents are.”
“REALLY?!” Ioshka became light-hearted and cheery again the moment she heard that sentence.
“Yeah. Even though we actually didn’t see them, we were around here last night. I remembered seeing a Kalona, and two Soquilis.”
“Kalona? What’s a Kalona?”
“They’re big, scary, Soquilis with demon wings and horns. Why we didn’t run from the scene, I shall never know…”
“Get to the point!” She stamped her hoof this time, only wanting to hear about her parents.
“Alright, alright. So anyway, I heard some talking, I think your parents were trying to reason with the Kalona, and then…”
At this point, the mare sighed and glanced at her with misty eyes. She was trying to suppress tears, but had no success.
“Ioshka, your parents are in heaven now, guarding over you. They can’t be with you on this earth, but they’ll be with you in spirit.”
“No! It can’t be!” She hissed through her clenched teeth. Ioshka stomped and kicked the dirt, but nothing she did could get the horrid words out of her mind. She wanted a perfect life, with her parents, and a happy ending. Why did the nightmare have to be true? How could these two ruin everything with just a simple explanation?
How could she let them ruin everything?
“It’s all a lie.” The foal declared, fury building up inside her.
“Pardon?” The male Soquili, who was paying attention to the whole show, stepped closer as if offering help.
“YOU’RE LYING! ALL OF YOU!” Ioshka backed away from him, still angry at everything that had happened so far. She spat out some more vicious expressions, and refused to face them any longer. Turning her back on the couple, the filly sprinted away while continuing to shout.
“My parents are alive! I will find them! AND NO ONE SHOULD TRY AND STOP ME WITH THEIR LIES!”
Sorry if it's too long. I got into it. XD;
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 2:50 pm
Prompt entry~ <3
It had been silent for awhile now.
The little colt in the basket was afraid, the silence had dragged on through the night and into the early morning when he finally nudged at the lid of his basket. Be silent, he had been told the previous evening, in a frightened whisper that scared him into compliance despite his questions. He wanted to know why, but he dared not disobey the fear in that voice.
He had done as he was told, cowering quietly in the basket, until the first lonely birdsong of the morning drifted through the air. The silence had been broken, and the colt couldn't stay where he was any longer.
He pushed the lid off, and struggled through the brush that had hidden his precious basket from view. Step by shaky step he set off through the woods. He wanted to find his mother, he wanted to call out so she would know where he was and come back to talk to him. He wanted to be reassured that the fear was gone, that it was just a dark cloud of doubt passing through the night. But he didn't make a sound, save for the crunch of dried leaves under his hooves. Be silent, that was what he had been told.
The morning sunlight began peeking through the leaves, painting his pale coat with a warmth that could not dispel the nagging sense of fear and loss. It fell on the green foliage lining his trail, the white shade-loving wildflowers at his feet. The drying blood here and there along the path appeared a vibrant rust.
The foal kept walking without a word, following the blood-spattered path of a mare's hopeless flight. Every step became a violent illustration of her last moments as she struggled to lead the kalona away from her baby. The colt eventually averted his eyes, gazing down at the unstained flowers along the edge of the trail. He had started to understand, there would be no gentle voice in his future.
He felt lost, but he walked on until the blood vanished and the sun rose overhead. What else could he do but keep moving? There was nothing left for him here, or anywhere, the only thing he had was himself. He could only survive, and struggle onwards.
While the day blossomed into light and sound, the little colt walked in silence.
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 3:03 pm
Name: Gwyn (Welsh name meaning "white, fair, blessed")
Gender for Prompt: Male
Temper: Skittish
The colt's legs were tense and cramped with disuse. He toddled shakily away from the ruins of his basket, marveling at each twinge in his muscles, every shift in terrain that threatened to knock him right over.
Was this the world? Gwyn had waited so long to see it. He found it a strange and quiet place. Before there had been laughing, and singing, and shouting, and the comforting half-formed notion that there were creatures around who were just like him Now he was alone with the soft grass and the sound of wind in the leaves.
A bright light stared down at him. It was white, just like Gwyn. Was that his mother? Would she watch out for him? If he waited very patiently and hoped with all his heart, would it speak when he spoke to it? Gwyn did not feel very round or shiny, but he would try his absolute hardest! He remembered voices; snatches of lullaby from within his long sleep. The voices had made everything safe. Until they were silenced.
The world was- um. It was very big. It stretched out as far as the eye could see. The vastness of the heavens made him feel twitchy and nervous. He wanted someone to sing for him again.
"Hello." He smiled up the moon. "Hello, I'm Gwyn! Hello!"
Insects chirped. The grass rustled.
"Are you my Mommy? Will you be my friend? Please?"
But the heavens did not answer back.
Gwyn cast his gaze back down to the mud.
The colt unsteadily made his way towards the tree-line. He didn't understand anything about what had happened. Why had the speaking stopped for so long? Did he do something wrong? What was that strange, salty smell on the air?
A Soquili nickered in the distance, and Gwyn felt a primal, unnamable terror unfold in his chest. The sound of a raised voice terrified him for reasons he could not begin to explain. Pandora's box had been unlocked, and flashes of repressed memory rose insistently to the surface of his mind, until-
No. No. H-he wasn't, he wasn't thinking about that, he-
Gwyn dove into a bush to hide from the horrifying sound, and tried his best to stay his ragged breathing. A merry herry of regular Soquili traipsed past on the dirt path. He made himself as small and invisible as he could until they passed.
The colt would be alright, here, with the branches of the bushes weaving over his head like painted reeds. He'd live in the wild and hide from all the bad things.
All was as it should be. Just Gwyn and his mother in the sky.
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 3:14 pm
So many fabulous entries. oo; I'm stunned, but I shouldn't be.
Good luck, guys~ I can still hope. >3
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 4:06 pm
Name:: Shi
Meaning:: Death or Loss {In Japanese}
Gender:: Female
Temper:: Innocuous
RP Color:: #B8B8B8
RP Response
Eye lids fluttered open yet blackness still met the gaze of the filly even after she had arisen from sleep. She willed herself to blink a few times before nudging the top of her basket with her muzzle, attempting to free herself from the woven confinement. Shi froze and her ears swiveled atop her head, listening for the scolding snorts usually generated from her mother and father each time she tried to escape the basket. However, no such sound came this time. The foal’s mouth opened slightly and she pushed her nose outside the basket. An unfamiliar scent met her nostrils as she did so; both fear and curiosity rose quickly within her mind.
Shi continued to struggle within her basket until finally the clasp broke and the lid of the structure flew backward. Her eyes scanned the area; noticing the thick red substance coating the ground not too far off from where her basket rested against the base of a tree. The filly rose to her hooves and stepped out of her basket: the one item that would later become a sanctuary to her. It would forever contain her innocence that was lost that dawn when she awoke.
Shi took a few tentative paces forward, her hooves stepping in the blood strewn across the ground. She lowered her muzzle down to sniff at the substance; unaware of what it was or what it would later mean to her. Patches of her fur on her legs and face became a dull red as the droplets of the moist blood clung to her white coat. The filly was just beginning to ponder things within her mind when suddenly a figure appeared before her.
Polar blinked curiously at the foal; numerous thoughts racing through her head. "What in God's name..." The Indian began, her voice trailing off as she stepped closer to the innocent being. Concern and fear showed in gaze as she regarded the filly. Polar paused as the soquili began to back away from her, calling out gently to her and holding out a hand for the creature to sniff at. The filly grew closer to Polar, yet it was hesitant and frightened of her. Again the Indian girl made subtle movements toward the foal and she stroked her neck affectionately. Streaks of blood coated Polar's hand from the contact and her eyes flashed, looking about to see that no other figure was near them. The Indian left the foal for a second, who had once again returned to sniffing at the blood on the ground with uncertainty, and retrieved that basket resting next a nearby tree.
"You only must have grown strong enough to leave your basket behind..." Polar spoke quietly in a weary tone, shaking her head back and forth. The Indian wasn't aware of what had happened to the filly's mother and father, but apparently it had been fatal. She regarded the filly and drew closer to her once more. "I'm sorry..." Were the two words that escaped her lips, a few tears falling down her cheeks. Polar drew the halter that had been resting on her shoulder off of her arm and coaxed it onto the foal. She eased her away from the blood and began walking the filly next to her as they headed away from the scene.
Shi began to snort in protest, releasing a quiet whinny as well, when the Indian began motioning her away from the substance she had been so interested with on the ground. The filly didn't know just what it was still, but something subconsciously told the filly that she was supposed to stay there... By the tree where her basket was. The filly's eyes fell upon the two-legged, seeing her white and gray confinement carried under her arm. 'Where is this creature leading me...' Shi wondered; unsure just what the creature even was at this point.
They had been walking at a steady pace for a while now at an upward slope, and Shi had given up her protests to being led away from where her parents had left her the night before. 'Parents...' The filly thought, her eyes growing wide. Where were her parents? Shi didn't know; but she knew that something was definitely wrong. They would have been there when she woke up; they had both been resting beside her basket when she feel asleep. Why weren't they there? She wondered frantically, her eyes darting about in search of her missing mother and father. The foal was so preoccupied in her own thoughts that she didn't noticed the Indian lead her past the buckskin entrance into the teepee.
Polar removed from the halter from the foal once they were safely within the large teepee that was home to her and all her soquili. She moved to a corner of the teepee, bending down to reach for a white cloth and then dipping it within a bucket containing water. The Indian moved back over beside the filly and began gently stroking her fur with the white fabric, cleaning off some of the dried blood that held tight to her white coat. The filly had flinched at first, yet Polar attempted to soothe her with quiet and gentle words. "It will be alright..." She informed the trembling foal. The two-legged cared for the filly; hardly noticing the winged stallion that had made his way over to the pair.
The black and white stallion shuffled his wings upon his back and silently inched closer to the foal and his Indian. Orchu furrowed a brow and frowned as he noticed the red color growing darker upon the cloth each time Polar wiped the filly's coat with it. He was intrigued just where the foal had come from and he curiously sniffed at her, though not getting too close in case he might startle her. The wise stallion knew from the scent that the red substance adorning the filly, Polar, and now the fabric, was blood; apparently something ominous had occurred during the night, though it was unclear what at this point in time.
Polar's eyes slowly moved up to gaze at Orchu, finally noticing him standing nearby to her and the foal. A small smile flashed across her face, but it lasted only a few seconds. "Don't worry." She began in a warm voice. "She's harmless." Polar assured her oldest soquili before she focused once more at the task before her. It took quite sometime to clean the dried blood of the foal's white coat, but the Indian continued working dutifully.
Orchu stood still next to Polar the entire time she tended to the foal; nuzzling at the filly's cheek a few times in hopes of letting her know that everything would be alright. The stallion felt it was necessary, and he helped Polar coax the the foal when she tried to get her to lay down. At first the foal had protested, but Orchu had nipped affectionately at her and she lowered herself to rest on the furs coating the bottom of the teepee. "Everything is going to be alright little one." He told her, staring down into her eyes as she watched him. Once the filly was situated, the stallion made to lay down beside her; as if she needed his protection. Orchu regarded the filly, watching as she rested her head upon her front legs and eventually closed her eyes. The stallion allowed a faint smile to tug at his lips and he too rested his head upon his legs and closed his eyes.
Shi had been uneasy most of the time while Polar was washing her coat. However, the Indian and the old stallion had been comforting to the foal and she had been able to relax somewhat in their present. The filly was still concerned with the whereabouts of her parents, though she was unsure how she would be able to find them. She had complied to their prodding and was currently lying down, the stallion beside her. Her thoughts kept her occupied for sometime, though eventually she laid her head upon her front legs and closed her eyes. Perhaps this stallion and Indian would be able to help her find her mother and father... The filly drifted off to sleep, pondering about her parents: thinking just where they were and if she would be able to find them later...
{{ A bit longer than I intended it to be. >_< Sorry. I also kinda went in a different direction than the prompt though I hope that's alright. u_u Plus I used my Indian Persona, Polar, and my stallion, Orchu. I really hope that's okay. ^^; Thank you for reading my entry!}}
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 4:15 pm
((Since the foal can not see it's parents nor it's attacker I left him completely oblivious to the extent of the attack.)) Aderes circled her kills, pathetic as they were. They had seemed to be protecting something very valuable to them. It didn't surprise her, the female had the scent of another soquili over her entire body. The male had the scent as well. A basket was near, or a foal, it could be the only explanation. But where? Aderes hated to leave loose ends, she would need to kill the offspring soon.
But then again, meat tasted it's best before the body and blood of her kills cooled. With a growl of pleasure Aderes ripped into the soft belly of the male soquili and gorged herself. She could kill the offspring later, and she would.
------------------------------------
The basket wiggled, nestled deep in some brush in a makeshift nest. The foal inside stretched in his confinement, his surroundings steadily growing smaller each day. It was cramped and even his wiggling no longer offered comfort for his stiff limbs. With some grunting and wiggling the foal pushed up on the lid of his basket. It gave way to let in a blinding light, the foal quickly shut the lid blinking his eyes several times. With his eyes shut he pressed against the lid once more. Slowly the foal opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the bright light at their own pace. The world was colorful and hot, nothing like the inside of the basket. The foal wagged his tail with excitement as he stumbled out of his basket and into the world. he looked around, a bright smile spread across his face as he searched for his parents.
Where were they? He had herd their voices only moments before not far from his basket. They had sounded angry and scared, but they wouldn't have left him would they? The foal attempted to get to his hooves, legs wobbly as he stood on them for the first time. He was almost standing when they gave way. He landed hard on the soft bedding of the nest. He blinked a few times not knowing what had just happened. He looked behind himself; maybe his mom had nudged him? No, no one was there. "Hmm..." The foal said. It wasn't a word, but then again he didn't know how to speak yet. He had herd his parents speak, he knew he was doing it right, but the sound he had made was nothing like what he had herd before. He would have to work on that with his mommy and daddy.
He tried standing once more, this time successfully. He put one hoof forward after another , then repeated with his back feet. He was walking. He smiled once more and looked about. Still no parents. Surly they would have wanted to be here when he came out to see them.
He began to panic. Why weren't they coming? He called out again, louder than before but the sound was still the same, nothing he had herd before. He ran, soon coming to an open field. 'Where are they?' the foal thought to himself as he gazed about. He knew he had parents, he had herd them, he had felt them against his basket when it got cold.
The foals belly grumbled loudly. He was hungry. He needed his mother, he needed the food she would give him, milk he believed he herd his mother calling it. Tears began to stream down his face as he began to believe his parents would never come. He felt his strength beginning to fade and he trotted around searching. He wouldn't survive much longer without food, without his parents. He whimpered; it was all he could do. It was growing darker and colder by the moment but the foal pressed on.
He needed to find someone. Hope was all that kept the tiny foal going as night fell, his strength had long been gone and it was obvious by his stumbling. He knew his parents were out there and that he wouldn't stop until he found them.
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 4:29 pm
((If we're able to request such things and should such a situation happen, I'd rather the basket than either of the raffle Soq =3 <3
EDIT: Edited to fix formatting, since I finished this at 7:29 EST, according to my clock x___x;;;
EDIT EDIT: Spell check -feels horrible now- No complaints if this disqualifies me x_x;;; ))
Name: Anaba
Meaning: "Returns from War"
Gender: Female
---------------------
It took a moment, for silver eyes to adjust to the bright light of the sun. The filly blinked hastily, rushed to rid herself of the sudden pain of seeing the mysterious orb for the first time. The beams of gold through the strange broken cover above her was familiar though, recognized as the light that filtered through minuscule cracks in her basket. But what was the stuff hiding it now? Monstrous creatures stretched up from the soft soil beneath her hooves, dark and pale colorings showing more differences in species than simple mass alone. Claws dug deep into the soil, twisting and gnarled as they seemed to search for something. She shivered, wondering if they searched for food.
A low whine in her stomach made her jump, turning her head to nibble the light fluff of fur over the offending area. It was strange though, she'd never heard such a sound come from herself before. Equally strange, was the hollow pain in the region, gapping and begging. Food some deeper, wiser part of her brain whispered, causing the youngling to look around her surroundings yet again. The monsters were stationary, they only swayed when the winds picked up, the sunlight shouldering its ways through to her moment it got the chance when such movement occurred. The thick walls around her were just as broken and foreign as the ceiling, but darker and with less variegations in colors than their taller cousins. Spikes on those behind her basket kept her moving forward into the clearing, careful with each trembling step as her legs got used to her weight. Once she was curtain they wouldn't dump her on the ground, she lifted her head and ears twitched this way and that.
Chirpings and songs drifted to her from every which way, and the whispers from the tall things soothed her now that she was sure they wouldn't hurt her. But that sound from her middle came again, and the hollowness began to hurt more. She frowned. Food, again came to her, and her bright eyes shot this way and that, turning her body in a circle as she searched for the answer to the silent demand. Food was warm, she knew -though how, she wasn't too sure. She knew it though, a warm stuff that flowed down her throat like how she imagined the goldeness through the cracks in her basket would taste, if ever she could catch it in her mouth and swallow. It came from a warm thing, a creature so alike her and comforting and safe and wonderful. Mother, came the smart little voice in her head, and she smiled. Yes, mother. That was where food came from, from mother.
Smiling still, she searched the area anew, remembering the brightness of her mother's eyes and coat, remembering how her mane glistened in the sunlight. It would be easy to spot her mother, when everything around her looked like the ground with all the same, repetitive colors. But... she was not here. Again the filly frowned. Father? Yes, of course! How very, very smart that little voice was! If only she knew how to look inside her own head, and see the owner of the voice, oh how she would thank them if only she could.
Father, he was darker than mother, but still so kind and gentle and warm. He would know where mother is, that much she knew, though really only assumed as there were times mother would be around, but not father, or vice versa. But still, point stood -find one, and you shall soon find the other.
Now she walked, no longer wary of her own four hooves, leaving the basket and the dark clearing in favor of the less tall-creature-infested area that lay beyond. Lots of short-creatures were around though, forming a looping track as she wondered, pawing the ground and sniffing the air for the familiar warm aroma of her mother and father, listening for their voices. The twinkling tingle of her mother's high pitches, the rumbling purrs of her father's thunderous vocals -they were music to her young ears, and symbols of food and warmth and protection.
Her steps were light, half-prancing, as she searched and explored, watching small creatures glide from tall-creature to tall-creature, twittered and beautiful songs sputtering from their strange shaped lips. Fly-creatures watched her with only the barest of interest, ignoring her all together as they either searched for food or were made aware she wasn't going to hurt the messy baskets on which they sat. She hoped the fly-creatures were light, or else they might hurt the foals! Such silly little things.
Squish! She jumped again, balking and staring down with wide eyes. Lifting her hoof, a strange, sticky liquid dripped off of it, back into the puddle in which she'd stepped. She placed her hoof back onto clean ground, then sniffed the puddle. The thick odor made her scrunch up her nose in disgusted protest, straightening before making a wide circle around it as she continued on. It was then she noticed a trail of similar puddles leading into a thick group of small-creatures not far from her. Head cocked to the side, she frowned. What was that stuff? And why was it here? She sniffed the air, and winced. A... weird smell was in the air. Danger, hissed the voice, run away it commanded. But... why? She couldn't understand why her withers stood on end at the smell, why her ears were set back against her skull so flat, why all her body was tense and set to dart. Why? What was so bad about this smell, about those puddles? She didn't...
"Hah-lay!"
Now she jumped, whirling around to stare wide-eyed at the most bizarre creature running towards her. "Hah-lay, u-s-ti sa-quu-i, hah-lay." The thing had dark fur, and yet no fur at the same time, an even darker mane, yet no tail! One eye was a strange, brighter color, but the other... the other was all weird, the color so... faded out. And it... it ran on two legs! She watched, frozen in horror, as the two-legger came to a panting stop not far from her, two non-running legs held out towards her. It watched her, the brighter eye narrowing slightly before it straightened and turned back towards the direction in which it came. "Jaci?"
Again she watched, mystified and frightened, but felt herself relax heavily once she spotted another four-legger coming towards her. A stallion, his coloring dark, eyes bright like the two-legger.
"She's telling you to wait," he whispered gently, making her look between him and the two-legger. He hesitated in front of her, glancing towards the small-creatures she smelt that weird scent coming from. "Little one... I think it would be best if you came with me." He smiled now, warm and loving like her father's smile. "Your parents sent us. They want us to look after you, keep you safe." She grinned, happily stepping towards him.
"Then... I'm safe."
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 4:37 pm
((I was called away for dinner at the last minute x_____x;; ))
Name; Atsina [meaning 'ceder']
Gender; Female
It was cold.
It was raining.
It was quiet.
The basket was getting too big for her, and the constant 'drip drip drop' of the water on the basket lid had woken her to that realization. She yawned, and moved to stretch, only to find that her little legs were cramped and sore, and the top of the basket moved when she leaned up to look at them. She turned, and poked her nose out, sniffing and sneezing shortly thereafter. The forest was wet and thick with the stench of mud and water and some foreign scent she couldn't quite identify. It was thicker than mud, and rusted, like an old pipe left out in the open for many years. It was a foul smell and it made her sick and it made her want to hide, but the thought of getting out of the basket was far too tempting for the young filly to ignore.
She pushed her head up farther, and leaned forwards, trying to stand. She did not expect the basket to fall over, however, and she went sprawling out of it faster than she would have liked. She turned, and glared at it, before looking down at her legs and noting the thick, black muck that stuck to her knees and fetlocks. She made a disgruntled sound, and stuck her tongue out at the stuff, arching her butt in the air and forcing herself to stand on her knobby little legs. It was far harder than she thought it would be, and once standing, she wobbled from side to side. Her steps were shaky, and she fell down more than once before standing again, but in no less than fifteen minutes she was walking with confidence. She turned around and beamed, expecting to see her parents watching with fire-licked eyes, but there was nothing. She tilted her head, and her little ears swiveled from one direction to another, and very tentatively, she called out, "Mother?"
Silence.
"Father?" The words echoed through the trees, leaving a long, aching hollow in her chest. She looked around, her heart thumping in her chest. She sniffed the air, that thick, rusted smell clouding her senses, and went back to the basket. After a few minutes of no answer, she grinned, her little tail flicking. "Oh, I get it!" she cried suddenly, turning in circles. "We're playing hide-and-go-seek, aren't we?" She bounded from here to there, searching for her parents and siblings (did she have any siblings?), but no one was being found. She was confused, and called out "Oli oli oxinfree!"
Still no answer. She looked about, and soon began to wander, and it wasn't long until she found the source of the foul, rusted smell. Two bodies, half-eaten and rotting, lay at the bottom of a ditch, and she wrinkled her nose in disgust at it. One looked white, and the other gray, but she couldn't make out any sort of markings. Most of them had been eaten (by what, she didn't know) and she began to glance around warily for any sort of odd movement. She turned around in a circle, her tail flicking warily, and it wasn't long before she bolted through the trees, running at full speed. Tears pricked at her eyes, for the horror of what she'd seen and some internal thing that said those were her parents. She ran and cried, and cried and ran, looking for some sort of comfort or some sort of company, and she only stopped when she saw a herd on the horizon. The looked odd, with furs draped over their backs and paws instead of hooves, but they were her only comfort, and she ran blindly towards them, tears blurring her vision.
One of the mares looked up, and hissed at the sight of her, but it was the maternal instinct that made her stop and listen to the little filly's garbled words. "Kalona," she snarled, and she tugged Atsina close to her side. "Hush now, little one. I will protect you. Hush."
For now, the little filly was safe, even in the hands of the skinwalker mare.
For now, she could sleep easy in the warm embrace of a mother, however outcast.
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 4:44 pm
CONTEST IS CLOOOOSED AS OF 6:30
Expect winners to be posted no later than tomorrow evening! Thanks for your patience, guys <333
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 4:54 pm
Dang it! My clock is an hour off...
And here I thought I had time to spare.
*sad now* I just finished typing the 'ending' too.
~sigh~
Oh well. Good luck to you guys.
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 6:00 pm
Wow, so many great entries. *_* Good luck, everyone!
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 7:25 pm
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