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 Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 10:09 pm
Pach watched his brother tumble into the water and stopped just a few steps away looking down at him. He glanced over at Tin came up beside him and sheepishly muttered to her. "I actually hadn't gotten that far yet." he said. "This is usually about as far as we get. I chase him around, I maybe n** him in the rear and then nothing really further. Anti-climatic I know."
He sighed and then went to help his brother up out of the water. "I think this time he got what he deserved though. You are okay, aren't you little brother?" despite the fact that his brother could be an absolute pain, Pach did love and worry about his brother. He knew that him having someone else in his life was probably hard on Beat. They'd been close when they were foals, since they'd had no other playmates, so having someone else capture his attention probably was driving Beat crazy. "So unless Tin thinks you deserve a good thrashing, I think it's time to move on to something more tasty, like breakfast." he said teasingly, winking over at Tin as he nosed his brother affectionately.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 10:13 pm
Beat huffed as he got up and out of the water with the help of Pach, and started shaking the water off himself. Giving his tail a few good flicks and buzzing his wings, he turned to look back at the two. "Yeah. Breakfast sounds good. Better than being in the river..." He mumbled, eyeing Pach in particular.
He decided to just follow them to wherever they decided food was good, aiming to look quite pathetic and wet behind them the whole way.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 11:57 pm
Nodding in response to Pach's explanation, Tin said, "Well, I'm happy to know you guys aren't too violent with each other. I know a piece of work or t-" Stopping and swallowing hard, she let her sentence drop, instead brightening up when breakfast was mentioned. Though she had failed to notice until that moment, her stomach was growling, quite audibly, in fact.
"Um..." Tin began, glancing around. It was then that she noticed again the great, red, shiny fruit hanging from a nearby tree. "Can I try one of those?" she asked, brow furrowing as she tried to think of its name. "What are they called?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 9:31 am
Pach caught her hesitation realizing she must be referring to the skinwalkers. He moved over and nuzzled her without a word reassuring her he was here for her. "It's all just fun and games." he said, chuckling when her stomach growled. "Let's get you fed, Love."
He was about to lead the three of them back to the center of the grove where he was sure Del still had a bag of oats open for them and then looked over when Tin didn't follow right away. "Hmm?" he looked around and then saw the apple that had caught her eye. "It's an apple. And of course." he walked over and stretched up gently putting his mouth around the ripe fruit and yanking it down.
The motion however gentle was just enough to send several more fruit tumbling down around him with one landing squarely between his ears. He winced and then quickly gave Beat a look, knowing his brother would find this hilarious. He put down the one in his mouth and then looked around. "Well not exactly what I'd planned but close enough. Breakfast is served!" he said with a smile.
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:02 pm
Beat glanced up as all the apples rained down on them, the majority hitting the ground with soft 'thunking' noises. He couldn't help but grin wildly as one nailed his brother square on the head and began laughing after a moment. "Payback! For chasing me into the river!" He said, happily prancing around his brother once more and completely forgetting about being soaking wet.
Upon stepping on an apple and stumbling a bit, Beat eventually decided enough was enough and stopped to eat instead of causing himself more bodily harm.
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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2013 2:59 pm
Tin smiled, returning Pach's reassuring nuzzle as she bent to pick up an apple between her teeth. They really were beautiful fruit - having only ever been exposed to blackberries, huckleberries, and the like, Tin wasn't used to seeing something as huge as the apples. Some of them were the size of a hoof. She cringed for Pach as one hit him in the head - that could not have felt good. "You okay?" she asked quickly, dropping her apple and looking between Pach and Beat. "That looked like it hurt."
Beat, of course, took the chance to call karma on them. Tin's smile now turning a bit rueful, she ignored him. Instead, she took a bite of her apple, and was surprised - it was crunchy and sweet, and she chewed happily, testing the fruit on her tongue. How delicious! She was surprised that Pach's family didn't seem to eat these more often. There was a whole treeful, right there. Tin supposed it was probably a treat, though, to be eaten sparingly; she could feel the sugar in her veins already. "This is excellent," she said, swallowing.
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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 9:01 am
Pachelbel snorted at Beat as he began to prance around. He was about to argue that Beat was the one that dashed headlong towards the water, but thought better of it and instead turned to Tin. "I'm alright, it's just a good thing I have a thick skull." he said teasingly.
He caught Beat stumble out of the corner of his eye, but decided to let that slide too. A happy Beat was a much easier to deal with than if he was moody and sulking again. Instead he leaned down and took a huge bite out of the apple that had clunked him on the head. He chewed happily then looked over at Tin as she seemed amazed by the fruit. "I'm glad you like it." he said with a smile. "We get so many of them that it's nice to see someone who appreciates them. Of course we share with the little colonies of animals that live around here, some get squirreled away for winter, and some we pack up and use for trade goods with an native outpost near here. Between that and dancing we keep an interesting variety of food around here."
He turned back to his own food and proceeded to eat until he was full, alternating between apples and the grass that was around the tree. He wondered absently what would happen now, of course logic followed that if she'd met his parents, it was probably about time he met hers. A thought that worried him considerably, but it had to be done. Movement off to the side caught his eye and he turned and saw his mother standing there waiting patiently.
"No rush, but when you two finish I think now would be an appropriate time to finish up that talk we were having last night." she said with a nod. She then turned to look at her youngest, while she didn't want to send Beat off on some fools errand, she knew that things would go much faster if they didn't have to stop and answer questions every few minutes from him. "And Little Wing, since your brother knocked down all this extra fruit, will you bundle up a few and take them around to the field mouse colonies? We owe them for something, what I can't possibly remember, but they always do like a few nice apples." she said with a smile before turning back towards the center of the grove, letting Tin and Pach follow her at their leisure.
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Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 7:20 pm
Beat looked up from his meal at the sound of his mother's voice. "Aww...do I have to go now?" He asked, not really wanting to go do things alone for a while. The look she gave him was all he needed to know. He frowned and began to gather up a few of the apples haphazardly, and trotted off towards the fields outside the forest.
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2013 10:50 pm
Tin opened her mouth to reply to Pach's self-deprecating comment, but stopped herself with a girlish grin as he took a giant bite out of his apple. "Really?" she asked when he said they shared the sweet fruit. "We do that with our berries and such... Not so much sharing with the natives, but the squirrels and birds do like it when the Gatherers leave things out for them for the winter," she replied. Feeling awkward for the first time as Tin felt his mother's eyes upon her, Tin took another bite of her own apple.
Looking over at the older mare, Tin nodded dutifully in response, her mouth full of apple. Swallowing hard, she said, "Yes, ma'am," and moved a little closer to Pach. While Rondel seemed much less intimidating in daylight, she was still Pach's mother - Tin knew they'd have to get along for the rest of their lives. There was no question of everything working out; after last night's fiasco and Pach's reassurance, Tin was newly determined to make up for her own mistakes. She wasn't going to mess this up. He was too good to risk it.
Giving Beat a nod goodbye, Tin waited for Pach to finish his breakfast, standing alone with him in the center of the clearing.
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Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 8:55 am
Pach nuzzled Tin as they stopped just a few steps away from his parents. He swallowed hard at the look in his mother's eyes. While he could still see the glint of warmth and playfulness that he'd always associated with her, there was a bit of an edge there too. He'd been in real trouble so little as a foal that it was hard to remember that his mother could be more terrifying than a thunderstorm.
He took a deep breath and straightened up, sending silent reassurances to Tin, along with all the love and support he could manage without actually saying anything.
Rondel turned and stood next to Crescendo in the center. She looked over the young couple and sighed quietly to herself. They really were sweet together and they reminded her a bit of herself and Cres when they'd first fallen in love. She considered her next words carefully, then started off slowly.
"I hope now that you've rested a bit, had a bite to eat, and the sun is up, that you wouldn't mind telling us what was so very important that you rushed all the way here in the middle of the night to tell Pachelbel. What exactly has my son gotten himself into?" she said with a touch of a smile at the last part, but there was a firmness to her voice as well.
She didn't think that Tinuviel would intentionally put Pach in danger, but she was still a mother and even if they were grown, protective of her boys.
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Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 9:38 pm
Feeling Pach straighten beside her, Tin took a deep breath as well, waiting for the torrent of questions that was sure to come. Sure enough, it did... But in the form of only one question, cushioned with pleasantries. In the moment that Tin heard it, she stiffened. The wording made her feel guilty for coming over, for eating their food, for even considering endangering Rondel's son. It was only with another deep breath that she kept herself from bristling. Formally, and almost detached, Tinuviel answered the question.
"I rushed all the way here in the middle of the night to inform him of something he should have been told months ago," she began, looking Rondel in the eye. If she was going to do this, she knew she had to do it right - no backing down; she'd done that too many times already. "When I was a foal, my family was attacked by pure skinwalkers. My brother and my mother were severely wounded, but my father and I got away with only a scratch. They've been lurking around our part of the forest ever since." Glancing at Pach for a moment before looking back to his mother, Tin sighed. "In the spirit of full disclosure, I wanted to tell him that I'd had a nightmare about them. Hurting him."
As she paused for a moment, Tin began to wonder if she was telling Rondel too much - she was a worried mother, after all... And meeting her son's girlfriend at the same time she learned that that same girlfriend might be putting her baby in danger couldn't be all too thrilling. But, as she'd just said, full disclosure. "We've been noticing their presence in the woods more and more often... When I'm out there, I could swear I see blue out of the corner of my eyes, always just beyond the point where things become discernible. And when I come back from a day out, I cross their paths - their scent is disgusting, and they sharpen their claws on the trees." Beginning to feel like she was starting to tell some tall tale, Tin cleared her throat and continued. "Anyway, I talked to my mother about how I couldn't bring myself to put Pach in danger anymore, and she told me he should be the one to decide what he could or couldn't handle. And so I came here."
Looking back at Pach one more time, Tin smiled. "So that's the story, and I hope you can understand why that seemed important enough to interrupt your evening."
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Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 11:53 am
Crescendo frowned a bit, from his place beside Rondel, as he listened to Tin's story. He had heard stories of skinwalkers but had never personally encountered or seen them. Not in their forest anyway. As far as he knew, it was safer here than it sounded in Tinuviel's forest home.
"I see..." He murmured, laying his ears back and glancing at his mate before looking back at the young mare. "Why hasn't your family....left then? Moved somewhere else? Somewhere safer?" He asked, tilting his head. His boys were just as important to him as they were to Rondel and hearing there was danger of skinwalkers was no longer putting his mind at ease.
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Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 5:40 pm
Rondel watched the younger mare stiffen then force herself to relax. She somewhat regretted her tone, Tin was evidently used to being addressed in such a way, probably by one of her own parents and it put her off. She didn't really want to upset the girl, but the unknown answer to this question had been preying on her mind most of the morning.
Rondel's eyes widened when she heard the answer, and she gasped. Skinwalkers were certainly not what she'd been expecting. She silently wished it had been something more along the lines of unexpected foals, than something so ominous. She caught the look Cres shot her and glanced back at him. She nodded in agreement with his questions. "I understand that one's home is one's home, but when something so..." she shook her head, her bells chiming out seeming to answer to her distress that she couldn't put words too at the moment.
She looked over at her oldest boy, her eyes full of worry. "And...you...you've made a choice Little Bell?" Pach swallowed at the look his mother was giving him but he firmly nodded his head. "Yes, Mother, Father." he said nodding to his father as well. "I love Tinuviel, more than anything, I can't imagine not being with her for the rest of my life, and come hell, high water, or an army of skinwalkers, I'll stand by her side until the end. No matter what that end may be." he said looking over at the mare he loved and nuzzling her neck. "I know you probably think I'm being rash, but I feel this is something I Have to do. Please...please understand." Rondel sighed and shuffled closer to Cres. She was at the moment having realized that at least one of her little boys was all grown up and didn't need her now. "Oh, Little Bell..." she said softly then looked back to Tin. "What happens now then?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 6:52 pm
Tin couldn't help beaming at Pachelbel as he defended them. As he nuzzled her, she put her muzzle against his nose for the briefest of moments, then turned back to his parents. "We haven't left because we have a herd thirty strong behind us," she said, wondering if they knew that there was a herd so large nearby - they were practically neighbors. "And they're purewalkers with a grudge... They'd just follow us, hunt us down." Nodding slightly to herself, Tin smiled grimly. "As for what happens now, since we were attacked, my father has made defensive and offensive combat training mandatory for most of the herd, in order to keep us all safe. We're well prepared in case of an emergency, but we've never scented more than the two... Anyway, things are relatively safe, but it was something that Pach needed to know, just in case."
Swishing her tail a little bit, Tin felt the comfort of its beads clinking and looked at Pach. She suddenly understood what her mother had always talked about when lecturing the young mares about love; a glowing pride had come to rest in her chest whenever her gaze found him, and she knew that her home would always be with him. For the months she'd known him, it dawned on her that she'd always suspected this feeling would be inevitable, even if it was only subconsciously. With the whole of her conviction, Tinuviel was certain that nothing would ever keep them apart.
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Posted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 7:32 pm
Del looked a little surprised. She knew that they were a little isolated in their grove home, but had no idea that a herd so large was so nearby. "Well...that explains some things." she said slowly and started to consider options.
She looked over at Cres and bit the inside of her mouth. "What do you think? Maybe perhaps...as a precaution we should go stay with your mother and sister for a bit, and..." she paused sagging slightly. "Send Beat away, maybe to my family, or at the very least away from here."
Pach felt his heart flutter as Tin returned the affection. He knew he'd said the right things, which was always a comfort. Sometimes he was still unsure of himself, but he was getting better about relying on his own judgement.
He looked back at his parents and listened as his mother asked for advice. He was a little worried when she didn't mention him. "What about us? Or me at the very least." he asked.
She gave a small smile at her oldest. "I think perhaps, if it'll be acceptable," she said looking over at Tin. "That maybe you should go with her to her herd. We're not fighters by nature, but it would probably help if you learned a thing or two, and you'd be safest there and together. I wouldn't imagine separating you two at this point." she said with a slightly happier smile and nod.
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