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 Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2006 6:15 am
Flattery Doesn't Get You Anywhere with Bears: Kali & KestalTwiddle Kestal lay beneath a tree, though he hated the dirt he was sleepy and didn't want his lovely coat to be marred by the suns rays. Yawning he stood after his three hour nap and stretched, walking over towards the small lake nearby. He was never too far from that lake, as he loved to gaze upon his beauty in the watery depths.
Walking over to it, he shook the dirt from himself and made a 'tsk tsk' noise, wading into the cool water to get clean again. He didn't get his lovely mane wet, though he did wash his tail off.
As he finished he walked out and shook off, letting the sun dry his coat and tail. He wondered if there were any mares around, he felt like letting someone be amazed by his beauty. Cihiru Bordem led to strange things, and even Kali was susceptible, though she generally thought herself a purposeful and resourceful mare. There were only so many ways for one to spend her time, after all. She didn't have much control over that. So, there were days like this one... Where she took off adventuring like a yearling, hunting for hidden treasures and whatever else she may find buried in lands undiscovered to her. She enjoyed it too, though she may have been hesitant to answer someone's inquiries about her activities. The simple joy in happening accross an untouched apple tree, or the adrenaline coaxed by suspense in wandering through a darkness-laden cave were somewhat difficult not to appreciate.
It was, however, also a little hard to enjoy simple fields like this one. Average in virtually every way... Trees here and there, a pond or maybe a garden of boulders. What was there to be excited about? Except company; that was always refreshing. Kali's ears perked forward when her gaze fell on the form of another, and she approached with little reservation. The mare paused a short distance off, offering a soft whinny and a friendly smile. Then gave her tail a deliberate, almost thoughtful flick before speaking. "Hi! I'm Kali." A little forward, maybe. Risky, probably. But the mare had never been accused of shyness. Twiddle Kestal looked up, and he blinked as he saw the beautiful, winged mare. He had never seen anyone as lovely as she, perhaps even, more beautiful than himself! He shook himself from his thoughts, and gave her his charming smile, trotting over towards her. "Why hello, lovely maiden of the winds." He bowed his head to her, and as he straightened he smiled. "I am called Kestal, it is a fine pleasure to meet you." Cihiru The stallion's antics drew a laugh - perhaps more inward than outward; her smile broadened and a hint of amusement glittered in her eyes. This was refreshing, indeed. She'd yet to meet someone quite like he. Whether or not this was a good thing had yet to be determined, but it was humorous for the moment, and she allowed herself to play along. "Just Kali suits me fine, thank you, sir." The mare returned his bow with a curteous nod. "Pleasure is mine, Kestal. What possesses you to grace this field with your presence?" The mare could see his ego in his posture and word choice, and for a moment wondered what made her dare to encourage him. Hopefully it wouldn't harm anything; he seemed innocent enough. In an I-love-myself manner, that is. Twiddle Kestal's smile widened as she spoke, and he flicked his golden locks from his eyes gracefully. "I have yet to venture far from here," He said, his posture proud and strong, "I like being near the lake, and having an abundant supply of apples at my call." He motioned with his strong, good looking muzzle towards the apple tree he had been under not long ago. "Would the lovely maiden Kali like an apple?" He asked, smiling at her and hoping to show off. Cihiru She wasn't sure how much longer 'lovely maiden Kali' would be a tolerable title, but it was alright for now. Maybe he'd drop it once the novelty wore off; she wasn't much in the mood to call him out over it just yet. "But don't you tire of the same scenery day after day? You don't thirst to see something more?" The field wasn't much to brag about, after all. Her initial impression remained - it was average in essentially every way. Average was all well and good from time to time, but it wasn't enough to satisfy her. "Maybe one wouldn't hurt; I ate recently though." Twiddle Kestal was full of himself and pig-headed, but he knew when to cool it. At least a bit. "Ah, I do long for the thrill of adventure, that is actually why have travelled here." He spoke true, he had left his herd a while back, in search to make one of his own. Or perhaps just to find a companion. "And these apples are quite delicious." He trotted towards the tree, and pushed himself off the ground, lightly grabbing an apple in his jaw before landing gracefully once more. He strode back over towards her and held it out to her, a grin on his face. Cihiru "But there's no adventure in settling in one place, never venturing from its boundaries... That's a little contradictory, don't you think?" She made an honest effort to sound conversational rather than contradictory; it was hard sometimes to judge this sort of thing. "I don't doubt that." Apples generally were, after all, but she opted not to voice that part. Smart-aleck though she was, she didn't want to go pushing buttons yet. She took the apple instead, resisting the urge to put her wings to use and pluck an apple from the tree's higher branches. While 'out-doing' him might have been fun, she doubted it would be well-recieved. "Thank you kindly." The mare had placed the fruit on the ground to speak and give her head a small bow, but she looked back to it now and took a modest bite. Twiddle Kestal smiled as she bit into the apple, "I've only been here for about two days, actually." He said nodding, looking around, "I has yet to be boring, especially after meeting someone like you." He grinned, he loved flirting. Shaking his golden locks from his eyes, he spoke again, "So, what brings you here to this quaint little field, Kali?" Cihiru "Two days? That's not long at all. You are enjoying the area, then?" She had managed this before he continued; his following comment almost made her wish she could withdraw it. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the compliment (nor that she minded), but having a brother as your only real social interaction didn't exactly teach one to react gracefully. She was accustomed to joking around and horseplay, not this. A simple 'thank you' wasn't really appropriate, and ignoring it wasn't polite. "You mean to say 'it has yet to be interesting' surely, for noone in their right mind would say that about me." She had intended this to discourage further comments, not goad them, but in retrospect she worried it might have been taken otherwise.
"Wanderlust, you could say. I was hoping for a cave or an orphaned foal or something, not a field, but I suppose I haven't been disappointed." She had taken opportunities during her pondering to steal bites here and there, and as she saw futher opportunity, finished the remainder of the apple. Kali risked an unladylike lick to free stray bits from her whiskers, and flashed an embarrassed smile. Twiddle Kestal was not discouraged, nor hurt or perturbed in any way by her comment. He could see she was not used to being complimented, which honestly surprised him greatly. "Well if that's the case, I lost my mind a long time ago." He smiled at her, chuckling a bit at her embarrassed look. "We could wander together, if you don't mind the company. I would love to explore here, and being with someone..." He was going to compliment her again, but thought better of it and corrected himself, "who is kind, will make it all the more exciting." He smiled once more and waited her respose, ears titled forward and tail flicking with anticipation. Cihiru "Me too, I suppose." Few hadn't 'lost their minds,' come to think of it. Everyone had their own quirks and oddities; the variety was interesting and almost necessary. She couldn't imagine a world full of 'sanity' and normailty. How boring. "Wouldn't have it any other way." She sighed inwardly, in relief and appreciation. He couldn't have made her awkwardness more painless. Kali noticed his effort not to repeat the experience too, and she smiled softly. "If you'd like, though I should warn the surrounding areas aren't much to brag about. You've likely found the prettiest spot nearby." Maybe she could show him the river a ways off. Unlike the one flowing near the village, it boasted a waterfall cascading into a deep pool. It was nice to look at and listen to, if nothing else, she thought. Twiddle Kestal smiled to her, and nodded. He held back yet another easy attempt at telling her how pretty she was, "Lead the way." He said with a smile. He wasn't really that interested in the area, but he was interested in her. He wanted to get to know her better, which was rather odd for him, since normally he'd much rather tlk about himself. Pushing the thoughts aside, he followed her as they went. "So, Kali," He said, looking over to her, "Do you have a mate?" He asked blatantly, hoping it sounded like a regular conversation starter, hiding his eagerness for her answer. Cihiru "That's a mistake I hope you won't regret later." Letting her lead, that is. Like her brother, she had a nose for trouble. Or it a nose for her. Either way, she often found herself in situations a little stickier than average. Granted, it kept life interesting, but she hoped it wasn't something that would catch up with her. But she swallowed her thoughts and pushed ahead, pausing momentarily to glance at Kestal and make sure he was in-tow (though she knew he was without checking). "No..." It wasn't something she'd really considered; she didn't need someone to look after her and wasn't really thirsting for companionship. Actually, she was too busy reflecting on the realization to think it an odd question. "Do you?" She doubted, considering his conspicuous and rather shameless flirting, but one could never be sure. Twiddle Kestal shook his head sadly. "Afraid not." For a moment his ego fell, and it was obvious that he longed for a companion and mate. Quickly he brought up his superficial exterior again though, flashing a grin in her direction. "But you never know what's around the corner in life." He smiled a little, and hoepd to change the subject by asking, "Do you have any relatives? Or are you part of a herd maybe?" He hadn't asked about her wings just yet, he didn't want to offend her in any way, though his eyes continued to drift down and gaze at the feathered body parts. Cihiru Afraid not? She hardly considered independance a bad thing, but given her impression of his opinion on the issue, she thought it best not to mention. Some just didn't like being alone. For Kestal, perhaps it was more of a pride issue, but she didn't dare to question that either. "My brother and I live as wanderers; we haven't been part of a herd since we were little." Little was an understatement, but who was telling. For the moment, he didn't need to know the only reason she knew she ever had a herd was her mother's recollections of it, and the stories she shared with them. "It seems a lot of Soquilis live with the humans though, in a village accross the horizon." She did notice the way something distracted him - it was only natural to assume he was glancing to her wings, considering the way his gaze kept flickering. Kali wasn't sure what to say about them though; it was impossible to judge what was on his mind otherwise. Twiddle Kestal nodded a little, "I was in a herd for a while, but I left after my mother passed away. There was really no point in staying after that, and I wanted to travel anyway." He smiled a little, "I dont really care much for humans. They haven't been the most kind things I've met." His eyes flashed with anger for a moment, but it was gone as quick as it ahd come. He found himself glancing to her wings again, and quickly looked back up to her face, an apologetic smile on his own. Cihiru "I'm sorry." She was familiar with the tragedy, and knew there wasn't much she could say to comfort him. Kali guessed her death may have been recent too, and didn't want to risk resurfacing dark emotions. "I guess it's not really worth hiding... Our herd outcasted our family when my brother was born without wings, so our mother took us to a forest and cared for us herself." The mare chose to leave out the 'she parted when we were young' part, it wasn't really relavent. "Is that so? I haven't had many encounters with humans. The one woman I met seemed kind though. You can't go wrong with sugar cubes, if I may say so myself." She offered this to soothe the discomfort she thought she felt from him, but it disappeared quickly and she chose not to pay it further mind. "What, do they make me look fat?" Kali grinned jokingly, and stretched her wings to their somewhat impressive span, exposing the trim figure that had been previously obstructed. Twiddle Kestal nodded a bit, "I'm sorry." He said in response to her tale of being outcasted. "The only ones I've met were very... well, nevermind. I'm sure not all of them are bad, I'd just prefer to not be around them." He smiled a little, as she spread out her wings. He was obviously in awe off the sight, and watched gazed at her openly. "Wow..." He smiled, "What's it like to fly?" Cihiru She simply nodded, declining the notion to respond to his sympathy. "Fair enough," she replied instead. It was a bit like... well, every other dislike, she supposed. Hard to explain, but there nontheless. You couldn't really force yourself to start liking something or stop disliking another. "Describing flying is a bit like describing running. It's fairly impossible to capture the sensation in words." Kali gave a reassuring smile, mindful of his awe but unphased by it. "Think of it kind of like running, but wings do the work and you don't get to feel the pound of earth beneath your feet. Not for those afraid of heights!" Twiddle Kestal chuckled at her comments, and nodded. "I would love to fly. You're very lucky." He smiled at her, and continued forward. "So, miss tourguide, where are you taking me anyway?" He looked around, he had yet to venture this far. Cihiru "I've heard that a time or two, but don't believe it. It's not as great as it sounds - it's just natural to want what we can't have. So much easier to romanticize something we can't try for ourselves." She nodded thoughtfully, gazing to the sky for a moment before looking back to him. "But it wouldn't be any fun if I told you! Surprises aren't surprises if you give them away beforehand." Kali grinned broadly and picked up her pace, pushing it to an easy canter. There weren't any roses to stop and smell anyway; she doubted he'd regret spending a little less time passing through an unamazing field. Twiddle Kestal loved her sense of humor and her spirit, and he smiled, picking up his own pace to match hers. "Very true, you're very smart." He loved the feeling of the wind flowing thorugh his golden locks, and he let out a happy whinny without thinking about it. He was a bit embarrassed, but didn't show it in the last, his pride not letting him do so. "Well wherever it is, I hope it's somewhere interesting." Cihiru The mare was at a loss, and found herself unable to do anything but smile... an almost shy smile? An unusual notion for her, but it suited her features. "Of course! I wouldn't lead you from one quaint field to another quaint field. Not on purpose, anyway." Kali grinned at the thought, but a faint sound met her ears and chased away any suspicion. Flowing waters could be heard from here, colliding with rocks at the base of the fall, though the river was just pulling into view. "I hope you're a fan of swimming. Or that you like water, at least." She took off at a gallop, pounding toward the river. Twiddle Kestal blinked as she smiled almost sheepishly, he thought maybe it was his imigination. Shaking it off as she suddenly sped ahead of him, he grinned and took off at full speed ahead after her. He quickly caught up, his muscled body pulling ahead. He backed off though, and made it seem like he was struggling, letting her get the upper hand and go ahead to win. Cihiru She laughed as she saw him near, and knew at the speed he persued, he could have passed her. But he didn't, and that amused her. It was an odd place for chivalry. "Don't be silly." Kali nipped playfully at his shoulder and pushed ahead, quickening her pace, but not testing herself. She wasn't racing; she had something else in mind. As the mare came up on the banks, she propelled herself accross the wide stream, spanning her wings and taking advantage of their aid. It was a long jump - even with the gliding extension, her hind hooves landed in shallow waters with a splash. The mare rounded up on the other side, completing a wide, running circle before slowing to a stop on the opposing bank. "I think we're here!" she called accross the river, over the lulling crash of the waterfall. Twiddle Kestal grinned as she nipped him, she had figured it out. Though it was rather obvious. As she soared through the sky, he skidded to a stop and watched in awe. She really was beautiful. As she called to him from the ther side, he laughed a little, "And where exactly IS here?" he called back to her, his voice barely overpowering the rush of the water. Cihiru Kali grinned broadly, though it was unlikely he was able to see her. "Isn't it obvious?" She pushed herself off the ground, kicking off her haunches at full force and flying more blatantly back over the river. It was an arched, soaring motion, and even she had to admit to herself she did a pretty decent job of making it look graceful. "A waterfall, of course." She gathered her limbs beneath her and landed easily on the other side, striding a short distance to slow herself. "It's the only one I know of within a day's traveling distance." Twiddle Kestal chuckled, though couldn't help but be awed once more by her show of graceful flight. "Well I can see that," He said smirking, "But why are we here? It's rather beautiful, though I've had the pleasure of much more beautiful company recently." He gave her a slight wink, and strode into the water, lapping at it. Cihiru "Why shouldn't we be here? It's a fair sight more interesting than a field, I think." Kali could feel a flush in her cheeks, but her dark coat saved her further embarrassment. It wasn't like compliments (yes, even flirting) should make her uncomfortable anyway; she couldn't quite place why that had bothered her. "Besides, it would seem one of us is thirsty," she commented. The mare considered her options momentarily, then opted to follow suit and entered the coursing flow. She did not drink immediately as he did, but she enjoyed the feel of the water and the serenity of the area... and company that made her smile softly to herself. Twiddle Kestel grinned as he looked back up at her, "I'm not saying I don't like it." He said with a smile, "I just figured we were gonna go somewhere a bit more... exciting." He smiled and lapped up the water a few more times before walking out, and shaking off. Sometimes he hated having a long tail, it always got wet when he wanted to get a drink, and then it would drag in the dirt and get all dirty and gross. He flciked it a few times, hoping teh sun would dry it off before they headed out again. Cihiru "If you're looking for danger, you're going to have to look someplace else." Kali gave him a sideways stare, but didn't try to hide the amusement in her eyes. "I'm a bit too fond of my skin to donate it to somebody else, and I like my bones in-tact." She stretched her wings again, giving them a flapping shake before returning them to their comfortable rests at her sides. "Not sure what other brand of excitement you could be looking for." The mare dipped her nose to drink from the rushing waters, and took her time in doing so. The cool waters and gentle spray were too relaxing to rush, and she didn't see much reason to hurry anyway. Twiddle Kestal smiled a bit at her, catching the amusement in her gaze. "Well, are there no areas you have yet to explore?" He asked, hoping to get a bit of adventure out of this place. And he also loved having the chance to show off in front of Kali. "And nowhere dangerous, just... different." Cihiru "Um..." She feigned an act of pondering, but ended it quickly. "Nope. Not really." Kali gave an ornery grin, flashing rare mischief in her eyes. It wasn't that she was mean-spirited, she just enjoyed throwing rocks on the road on occasion. "... There is a cave though, that I might have forgotten to mention." The mare pulled herself out of the water and shook unceremoniously, flinging droplets this way and that. Her forelock hung disheveled in her eyes, but she didn't care enough to dislodge it. "Follow me," she called as she started off. Kali followed the sloping banks to the base of the fall, where there was a shelf of rocks spreading the width of the river. "Mind your step." The slick surfaces did not lend themselves well to hoof-hold, but she made her way accross in what looked like effortless fashion. The ebony mare paused mid-way, just short of the waterfall, then disappeared behind its cascading curtain. Twiddle Kestal grinned as she spoke, and he followed behind her. He couldn't help but admire her the entire time he followed. As they amde thier way across the rocks, he slipped more than a few times, but kept his balance and walked after her into the waterfalls cave. "Now this," He said looking around, hearing his own voice echo abck to him, "Is fun." He grinned to her. Cihiru "Excited already?" she nearly whispered, as she wasn't fond of echoes. "We just got here." It was obvious the light faded quickly, and if they continued forward, they'd soon find themselves in darkness. And not just nighttime type darkness, either. Total lack of light; pitch black. It would be difficult to see their own noses, let alone eachother and where they were going. "I don't suppose you need reminding, but stay close," she teased. "I want to show you something before you go wandering." Kali gave a soft snort, testing the damp cave air before heading fully inside. Twiddle Kestal could tell by her soft voice she didn't like the echo, and he lowered his own as he spoke, "Another surprise eh?" He grinned, "I quite like the idea of being totally along in the dark with you." He grinned teasingly, his tail swishing against her playfully. As they ventured further in her became aware of the fact he was going blind slowly. Cihiru "I had a feeling," she replied, brushing against him as she pressed forward. Kali walked slowly, taking her stride almost a step at a time. While she could see her path for a while, it wasn't long before the darkness vieled them, and she had to rely on hearing and memory alone. Fortunately (for both of them?), the journey was not a long one, and she soon found herself where she had intended. Ahead of them, there were several tall columns - Kali was aware of this because she had the misfortune of finding them there by touch. One of them, however, was only about chest high to them, with a bowl-shaped hollow in its tip. "Come here," she urged, ushering him forward with her muzzle. As they approached, a light source became visible... Just barely glowing from the short pedastal. Kali looked down at it, and smiled in simple satisfaction. There was a small pool of water there, and inside it, there was a (likewise) small school of fish. Glowing fish. Each sported a sort of transparent skin, exposing their inner skeleton and organs, allowing them to emit a surreal sort of dim light that illuminated the pool's surface. "Look." Twiddle Kestal walked forward, his eyes adjusting easilly to the dim light. As he heard her spoke, he looked down into the pool and blinked a few times, his eyes widenening. "Whoa.." He breathed, watching the small fish circling inside the water. "This is.. amazing." He said, gazing up at her. The soft glow of lightplayed across her features, and he found himself staring openly at her, finding her sensational in the light. Cihiru "I think so too," she said simply. "Makes me wonder how they got there, and how they survive. And why..." Kali caught his gaze in their reflections, and it pushed her to peel her eyes away mid-thought and look at him. "... do you look like you've never seen me before?" This was not how she had intended to finish the comment, but it sounded natural, and she added a goofy, almost innocent smile. "The stunned look doesn't suit you." She leaned forward and gave his shoulder a nudge. Twiddle Kestal blinked, and he felt his cheeks flush slightly. It had been the first time he ahd ever felt embarrassment, and it was an odd feeling to him. "Heh, sorry. You just... look really lovely in the light.." He smiled almost sheepishly, his compliment very true this time. As she nudged him he smiled, "Let's exaplore further in." He said with a mischivious grin. Cihiru Her expression faltered, if only for a moment. She hadn't intended to cause him embarrassment. "Don't apologize." Kali reinforced her smile, and worried for a moment that might not have been enough to reassure him. So she nuzzled him just to be sure. "It's just, eh... Nobody's looked at me that way before." This too was difficult to admit, and she mirrored his sheepish expression, though only briefly. "If it suits you, but I haven't gone much further than this. Finding the way out can get troublesome, so I never really bothered." Twiddle He smiled a little at her nuzzle, and as she looked sheepish he nuzzled her back. "I'm surprised." He said honestly at her comment, he really was surprised no one had looked at her like that, or at least never told her how lovely she is. "And I think we'll be okay. I have an idea." He looked over to the little fish, and then left the cave briefly. "Be right back," He said with a grin. He came back a few minutes later, with a small, battered bucket. "I saw it while we were walking." He set it down on the ground, and carefullt placed some of the glowing fish inside it, along with some water. Looking inside he grinned as he saw they continued to glow. "Now we have a light." He lifted his head, proud. Cihiru An idea? Not that a light in this literal darkness was a bad thing, but it seemed so... random. And unlikely. And "where in the world did that come from?" She laughed softly, mindful of the echo, but amused by the unexpectedness of it all. "I suppose we do." Kali nodded at him, and stole a glance in the bucket, just to reassure herself it really was there and the fish really were inside and she wasn't just imagining it all. It still seemed so strange. But no stranger than a pool of glowing fish in the middle of a hidden cave, she supposed. "Would you care to lead the way? I don't really know where I'm going either." Twiddle Lifting the bucket in his mouth, Kestal nodded and smiled, flicking his tail a bit. "If you can't see, you can hold onto my tail or walk right next to me." He said, though his words were slightly muffled by the bucket. He was careful not to spill any of the water, nor any of the fish, as they ventured further into the cave. The light provided a good enough source, and he was able to stop before slamming into wall or corner. Soon, they came into a large, open cavern. Looking about, Kestal noticed that there were now two other pathways. He set the bucket down, walked over to the entrance they ahd just come out of, and slammed his powerful hooves into the stone. A loud clapping noise was heard, followed by the echo of it, and finally the sounds of sliding stone to the floor. "So we know which way we came from." He smiled. "You pick." He said, motioning towards the two paths. Cihiru "I'll be fine." There was a hint of teasing in her tone, but she did follow right at his side - close enough he was within reach if she became really desperate. She couldn't help but eye him with some reservation as he kicked the wall though. "That's kind of dangerous, you know..." Kali gave the newly created pile of rocks a sideways stare, as though daring them to move. "What would you have done if they all caved in?" she teased, half hoping he had a silly remark for this too. "Um..." The mare studied both paths expectantly, trying to find some distinguishing feature to discern one from the other. Unfortunately, they looked remarkably alike. "Left, I guess." Twiddle Shrugging a little, hiding the fact he hadn't actually thought of that, Kestal smiled a little to her. "Don't worry. I'll save you if anything happens!" He went into a dramtic, hero pose for a few moments. "Ah, left it is then! The way of rebels!" He chuckled and scooped up the light bucket again, heading into that area. He warned her to stay close, even though he knew she would anyway. Cihiru Kali grinned defiantly, and laughed a little at his jesting. "I'm sorry, but I think the cave-in would win." When he resumed his journey, she followed in-tow, conciously keeping him near as they progressed. "Ah, yes. Rebels against absolutely nothing. How heroic." She cast a curious gaze around, absorbing what she could see inside the light's small radius, and guessing the rest with the way their steps echoed off the stone tunnels. Twiddle Kestal grinned and chuckled, "Too true." He looked around them as they went, and he stopped short suddenly. "Wait, shh.." He said softly, his ears perked forward. "I think I heard something." Cihiru "What?" She paused abruptly, and tucked her wings tighter yet in apprehension. Even now though, as she stood statue still, Kali wasn't sure what it was he was listening to. Maybe she wasn't paying enough attention... The mare scolded herself mentally and vowed to try harder. She even tried to hold her breath for a moment, and strained her ears against the silence, flicking them tentavely. Still nothing; she exhaled softly and drew in a deeper-than-average breath. "I don't hear anything..." Kali gave her tail an absent flick while her gaze darted back and forth. Twiddle Kestal listened for a few moments, and didn't hear the sound again. "Odd... oh well. Let's keep going. Probably my imagination." He felt as thought something was watching them as they ventured further in, though he didn't tell Kali, not wanting to worry her. Cihiru "I don't know. Stay alert." She didn't doubt there was something lurking here, hiding in the cover of the darkness. After all, it was unlikely the fish had the entire cave to themselves. She was not, however, sure what else could have been there. It was a little much for her imagination to fathom; what would call a damp hole like this home? Especially one such as this, tucked away behind a waterfall? Kali realized then she could nolonger hear the rush of the crashing waves outside, and she wondered just how far inside they'd wandered. Twiddle Kestal nodded a little as they ventured even further inside. Looking around, he noticed they had entered a verylarge cavern. A soft, hot breeze played against thier legs and he wondered how there was any breeze inside the cave. He didn't see any openings or holes anywhere... Hmm. "This is strange," He found himself talking very softly, almost inaudible. "I feel a breeze, but there's not holes or entries." Cihiru She too had become aware of the wind; at one point it pushed her to make a full stop and reassess her surroundings. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary though; at least, nothing she could see. No patches of light, no glowing eyes, no... Ok, there was a thin carpet of mist around their hooves. She may not have noticed it, but it rippled in little wakes when the breeze carressed it. "Um..." Kali took an apprehensive step backward, and gave her ears a nervous twitch. Was that breathing? No, it must have been something else. "Kestal?" she whispered. The mare had become so absorbed in her thoughts and concerns, she lost track of him for a moment, and had to reassure herself he was still there. Twiddle Kestal stepped back and touched her flank gently with his own. "I'm here," He could hear the fright in her voice, and even his own heart had started pounding hard. "Let's just get out of he-" he was cut off by a sudden movement to thier right, the area where the wind was coming from. Kestal held the light out towards it, and his eyes widened as he saw a huge, black bear standing before them. "Kali, run!" He yelled to her, backing into her, hoping to distract the bear and let her get out. Cihiru The reminder of his presence comforted her, but did not slow her heart. She was in a maze of a cave, surrounded by figurative walls and without the faintest idea of which way was out; nothing about the situation struck her as reassuring. "I don't know which way to go." It pained her to admit she was lost, but it was hardly top on her list of concerns at the moment. More importantly, how were they going to get out? Fortunately, for all of them, the bear was just standing there, looking imposing and not really doing much of anything for the moment. It was a shame she doubted it would last long. Twiddle Kestal backed into her once more, "Here," He shoved the bucket into her mouth, as the bear started to realize there were two horses invading his home. He let out a manacing growl, and started forward at them. "Go through the entrance with my hoof mark on it, go!" He ran away from her into the darkness, distracting the bear and making it follow him further into the cave. Cihiru Kali braced her weight against him, stubbornly refusing to budge. This was, perhaps, another quality she shared with her brother. "Kestal! Stop." She had some difficulty managing the words around the bucket she now found herself wielding, but she hoped they were comprehensive at least. I'm sorry, friends. The mare took a deep breath to bolster her confidence, and without further contemplation, tossed the bucket at the bear... water, fish, and all. "Come on!" Kali couldn't afford to wait more than a moment for the stallion to follow; she turned as soon as she heard the bucket collide with a crash and the bear gave a disgruntled roar. Please, give me guidance. She could do this; she could remember the way out. She had to. Twiddle Kestal glanced back bnehind him, and spotted the glowing fish flapping on the bear. He galloped after Kali, running up behind her. He almost slammed into her, and would have if he hadn't heard her hoof beats on the ground. "Are you alright?!" he asked as they ran in the darkness. Cihiru "I'm fine, but step lightly and listen carefully." She didn't have time to make sure he was not injured; if he could run, he was well enough, and they needed to move. Kali took off without further ado, her hooves making hollow claps against the stone with surprising confidence. Her memory was better than she gave it credit for; without panic clouding her judgement, it was fairly easy to guide their path to the exit... despite the fading sound of pawsteps behind them. As they entered the area she was dually familiar with, and light began to leak into the inky abyss, the mare allowed her pace to slow and attempted to still her heavy breathing. For the moment, she could nolonger hear persuit behind them, and doubted her legs could stand much more torment anyway. "Kestal, are you well?" Twiddle Breathing hard beside her, Kestal stopped and nodded, his body covered in sweat. "I'm fine, a bit out of breath but inunjured. You?" He checked her over quickly, hoping she was okay. "Well, I think that's the last time I venture into a dark cave." He grinned weakly, his legs shaking a little from overuse. Cihiru "Fine, just..." Kali paused, still breathing heavily. It took her a moment to collect herself enough to continue. "Tired." The mare could have sworn she heard pawsteps resume in the distance, but she dismissed it as nerves and instead made her way to the cave's exit. Not trusting herself to make her way accross the rocky bridge, she leapt over it, and landed in the pool beneath with a splash. Had she not been so exausted, she would have taken a moment to refresh herself and play in the crystaline waters, but her limbs begged for relief. Rather than linger, Kali swam to the shallow banks and pulled herself free from the miniature lake. Once she landed safely on the outside, she allowed herself to collapse, and rested on the sandy grass. Twiddle Kestal followed after her, also not wanting to see if the bear pursued them. He leapt gracefully off the side as well, landing with a rather messy splash in the cool water. He floated for a few moments, lapping up the cool water, loving the feeling of it washing away his sweat and cooling his aching muscles. As he swam towards the bank, he walked onto it and shook off, making sure not to slash her. He then walked over and laid beside her, his head not inches from hers. "Are you sure you're alright?" His eyes contained concern in their depths. Cihiru "Reasonably sure." It was easier to speak now that her breathing had calmed, and she managed a comforting smile. "I'm fine, really. Don't worry." Kali gave another smile; a more solid, confidant one. The concern she saw in him reassured her all the more, though she couldn't have explained why. "Are you sure you're alright, Mr. Self-Sacrificial?" She heaved a tired sigh and leaned against him, propping her head against his neck as she forced herself to relax. Twiddle Kestal blinked as she leaned against him, and he smiled a little, resting his head over her neck. "I'm very good." He said softly, watching her for a moment before his eyes slowly closed, sending him into the land of dreams, where no doubt Kali would be there to join him. Cihiru "I'm glad," she managed, though it was hardly above a whisper. Despite her blatant struggle against sleep, this was a sentiment she actually comprehended. She really did hear him reassure her, and she really did take comfort in this. It just might not have been overly obvious; sleep was winning the brief battle. It wasn't long before she felt her breathing steady, and her lids droop, until she gave up on trying to remain concious. Kali gave a soft snort in surrender and allowed herself to be carried away by dreams.
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Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2006 7:49 pm
All's Fair in Love and War: Kali & KestalCihiru Ah, to be a foal again. She pranced jovially, a bounce in her step and a grin on her maw, headed to noplace in particular. Which was good, because she really wasn't making much progress in distance at all, especially given the energy she put into maintaining the over-elaborate gait. Not that it mattered; Kali was having far too much fun to mind. The way the sweeping flowers tickled her limbs as she pushed through them made her throw back her head in joy, and she trumpeted a euphoric, laughing whinny. When the edge of the energy had worn off, she slowed her pace, and settled for trotting eights in the waving grasses. Twiddle Kestal was acting the exact same way more or less; prancing around like a yearling with a crush. He bodded his spotted head up and down a few times, wondering if Kali was anywhere nearby. Though he ahd been wondering that all day. His ears flickered forward as the sound of a whinny carried on the cool, gentle breeze caught his attention. Kali! He reared, pounding the air with his powerful hooves, and let out a long, loud response, hoping she'd hear. Cihiru Someone had heard her. Kali's initial reaction was to withdraw from sheer embarrassment; her ears folded apprehensively and she felt herself take an involuntary step back. Only a moment passed before she realized though, that her audience was not an unwelcome one. "Kestal!" she called, almost laughing blatantly as she galloped toward him. "What are you doing here?" This too was light-hearted, though not quite so overt. She offered it as he pulled into sight and she slowed her pace to trot a circle around him. Twiddle Kestal smiled brightly at her, "I've actually been looking for you for quite a while." He said chuckling, "Though it sounds like you've had quite the good time without me." He grinned teasingly and stepped in front of her, blocking her trot. He quickly nuzzled her, hoping he wasn't too forward, he just couldn't control it. "How are you?" He asked, smiling, his eyes lit up when she was around. Cihiru "Quite a while?" she teased. "You mean ever since we last met, ages ago?" The mare's grin was hard to miss; she was amused and content and bursting with joy all at once. "Good times, maybe, but there's room for improvement." Kali pulled herself to a stop (not that she had much choice in the matter), and recieved the nuzzle with a still-beaming smile. "I could not be better... Now that you're here," she admitted. Maybe she was getting the hang of this flirting thing. Or maybe Kestal was just rubbing off on her. "And how is the day treating you?" She stole the moment to plant a nuzzle of her own. Twiddle Kestal chuckled at her comment, she was right! It hadn't been that long ago at all since they had last met. But even still, it felt as though it had been ages. He raised a brow at her comment about him, and he grinned happilly. "That's good to know. At least I'm wanted, as much as you are." He gave her a wink nd smiled, almost sheepishly, as she nuzzled him. "I'm wonderful, now." He answered, still smiling, gazing at her. Cihiru She could relate, actually, though she wasn't about to come right out and say it. He could assume it if it suited him, and if it didn't, she'd opt to ignore it. It was one of those things she could afford to let go unnoticed. After all, she didn't need to mirror his every notion. "I don't know if I'd go that far..." Part of this was jest, though there was some truth in it. She could see the adoration in his eyes, and part of her wondered if she'd be able to rival it. The rest of her just wanted to pounce the opportunity to poke fun. "Well then, Wonderful, what would you like to do with your day?" Twiddle Kestal chuckled lightly and shrugged. "Care for a race?" He said, eyes shining with mischief. He nipped her shoulder lightly and took off at a gallop, running towards nowhere in particular. "Come on slowpoke!" he called back at her, his golden locks flowing in the wind as he glanced over his shoulder to her. He grinned and his pace quickened even more, his feet pounding hard against the earth, boosting his body along. Cihiru "Any time!" she called after him, pushing herself into a gallop. This was, in fact, not her strong suit, but she'd never admit it. It was a sacrifice children of the wind had no choice but to pay... Wings just weren't aerodynamic, there was nothing she could do about it but buck up and try harder, ignoring the extra wind resistance strapped perminately to her sides. "I'll 'slowpoke' you!" Kali threatened, though the laugh in her tone belied her intentions. But she did push a bit harder, edging nearer to the end of the tether that was her physical limitations. Twiddle Kestal grinned a little, and his pace did indeed quicken. He waited though, so that she was almost neck and neck with him. He then sprinted forward, his hooves digging into the earth below them. He flashed a grin in her direction as he gained about a foot ahead of her. Cihiru She had been expecting this, so it didn't take her by surprise, nor did it bother her when he pulled ahead... Just as she'd been within reach of the lead, too. "But I bet you can't catch me." It was an ironic statement, considering he now had a healthy reign. But she had an idea, and though it was edging pretty closely on the boundaries of 'unfair', it was all in fun, and she'd voted to go along with it. So she spread her wings, and with vigerous flaps, used their leverage to propel her gallop and lift her hooves in a gliding stride. Twiddle Kestal looked up as she did this and he smiled. He picked up his pace even more, his legs propelling him forward even faster. He kept his eye on her, and took a flying leap into the air, pushing himself off the ground and using the extra momentum of the run to go even higher. He lightly, playfully nipped her side and landed with a thud on the ground once more, his run picking up again. He grinned up at her. Cihiru His speed actually surprised her; it was a fair sight quicker than she ever could have hoped to reach on foot. "Don't hurt yourself." It wasn't that she was flying particularly high; her hooves brushed the tips of the swaying grasses. Just that one wrong step could have resulted in a sprained leg, or worse, and a lame horse didn't have much of a future to look forward to. And it wasn't that the circumstances weren't always true, either. - The pace at which they were running, and the height he propelled himself just worsened the risks. Despite her concerns though, she still had laughter in her eyes and jest in her tone. "Wouldn't want you breaking a leg or something." Twiddle Kestal smiled at her, he could tell she really was concerned under her jesting, "Don't worry about me." He said smiling, racing alongside her. His breath came quick and sharp, and he knew he wouldn't be able to keep the pace much longer. He started to slow down, going from a canter, to a gallop, to a trot, and finally to a slow, steady walk. "Okay okay, you win." He said between taking deep breaths, smiling. "Too quick for me. Fair maiden of the skies! You have bested me!" He made a swooning noise, and fell on his side to the ground, grinning all the while. Cihiru Kali pulled ahead as the stallion's pace slowed, until she decided to make her landing. Her descent was a quick one; she propelled into a gallop as her hooves met the grassy earth, but halted with little effort... It was a gliding transition between gaits, until she made her way back to him at a liesurely trot (as she'd gone quite far ahead by then). "This fair maiden you speak of has surely cheated, like the crook she really is." She laughed again at his antics, and peered down at him with a questioning stare. "I hope you won't require assistance..." Twiddle Kestal opened one eye to look up at her, and smiled. Hopping to his feet he shook the dirt off his coat, looking at it with dissapointment. He really hated getting dirty. Oh well. Looking back over to Kali he smiled, "So now M'Lady, where shall we venture to?" He grinned, cocking his spotted head to one side. "Perhaps we can explore somewhere a bit less dark than yesterdays venture." He chuckled, though the thought of the large ebar still shook him a bit. Cihiru She quirked a brow at his expression, but thought it best not to inquire. Actually, that gave her an idea. Kali plopped on the ground and made a quick roll, taking care to disturb as much dirt as possible before picking herself up. Once she rose, she did not shake herself as he did. Instead, she let the earthy brown blanket her otherwise raven coat. "You could decide, maybe..." She gave him a goading grin. "You know, once every now and then." The mare walked another circle around him, sharing the dirt by brushing his side as she passed. Twiddle Kestal blinked and quickly shook the dirt off his coat as she passed. "Now now," He said with a grin, "No need for that." He thought for a little while, and smiled. "I haven't been near the mountains yet. Anything interesting up there? I am after all, a guest here. You should be showing me around." He grinned teasingly. Cihiru Kali grinned anew. He really was particular about that, wasn't he? For a moment, she wondered why it bothered him, but rather than dwell on it, she distanced herself and shook the clinging dirt from her pelt. "Mountains are mountains. Once you've seen one, you've seen them all." The mare took a few steps in his direction then. "Guest nothing. You said yourself you left to wander, and once a wanderer, you live wherever you stand." She returned his grin by wrinkling her nose at him. Twiddle Kestal smirked and laughed. "Ah, you are too smart for that miss." He smiled and nuzzled her wrinkled up nose. "Well then..." He said, looking around, his long tail flicking about. "I suppose we could just travel around then? Perhaps somewhere neither of us has been." He cocked his head to one side at her, smiling. Cihiru This made her shrug mentally; she wasn't much sure what to say. Kali had never really thought of herself as a particularly intelligent individual, she just had practical knowledge. "Or maybe you just need to touch up your wit." Despite her teasing, her tone was not an offensive one. "Lead the way." It would be a pleasent surprise if they happened accross something she'd yet to explore, and maybe if her feet weren't the ones making the path, they'd be less inclined to travel old roads. There was no excitement in that. "Maybe surprises await you," she added. Twiddle Kestal looked over to her, an adoration in his eyes. "I've been pleasantly surprised so far." He smiled and broke into a light trot, winding down towards a patch of forest, with a mountain beyond it. As he felt the wind blowing his curly locks around he smiled and closed his eyes, his legs automatically picking up thier pace, his trot turning into a gallop. Cihiru "As have I," she commented, giving him a nuzzle before he trotted off. Kali passed a look at their surroundings and bid it a farwell before following. It was a nice place for an ordinary little field, but undoubtedly bigger sights awaited them. "Any clue where we're going?" She followed almost absently, the inquiry the only indication she was paying attention at all. It was just too easy to get absorbed in such scenic surroundings. The landscape looked nearly too surreal to be tangible, with the misty mountain and towering forest. She was not so distracted she failed to notice his change in pace though, and mirrored it instinctively. Twiddle Kestal glanced over to her and chuckled. "Not a one!" He answered her destination question with a laugh. As they traveresed further through the forest, his pace slowed, only because of the trees becoming denser, bigger and closer together. Soon he was walking once more. "Ever been here before?" He asked Kali as he looked around, the air a bit chillier with the foreboding mountain ahead of them. Cihiru She looked to him just in time to give an amused grin. "Good to know." It didn't matter anyway; it wasn't like they were going to get lost. "Hmm..." Kali peered around as he voiced his question and more carefully observed their surroundings. "Nope, I have no idea where we are." She wasn't too fond of forests though; she never did understand how Loki could love them so. Perhaps it was because he didn't have wings, and didn't need to see the open sky above his head. Or maybe it was because he was just weird, and different in virtually every way. "Do you know what you're looking for then?" Twiddle Kestal smiled and shook his head. "That's the fun of adventuring." He said with a wink. As they went further in, the forest cleared and the terrain began to slant up, they were atthe base of the mountain now. Kestal looked around. "I wonder what's on the other side of this.." He pondered aloud, climbing higher. Cihiru "The other side probably looks a lot like this one," she answered, her smart-aleck nature shining through. Kali really didn't have much experience with mountains though - there weren't any at all near the forest she resided in, and a short travel brought only fields, fields, and more fields. Oh, with a few hills here and there. It was entirely possible there was something here she was missing; logic couldn't teach one everything, after all. "Seems like a big pile of rocks to me though." Twiddle Kestal looked over to her with a grin. "You never know what could be around the corner. Or in this case, over a mountain." He chuckled and headed further up, the slope getting more steep as they went. As they finaly neared the top, Kestral gazed out below them, blinking a few times. "Bet you weren't expecting this!" He called to Kali with a grin. As they looked down, they could see a large herd of reindeer grazing. Beyond them was a very large body of water, it almost looked like an ocean it was so big. Kestal breathed in deeply as the cool win played through his mane and tail.
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 1:11 pm
Obvious is Her Middle Name: Loki & RikkaKasaiLoki Swooping down from her home in the mountains, the snowbird soquili glided through the burnt forest from the fire that had been put out just a day before. Small woodland creatures had lost their homes, but nothing was unable to be repaired. Things would be restored sooner or later as times came and went.
Rikka glanced from the slowly greening grass towards the sky. She wondered how many she would see today (refering to the equine creatures.) Yesterday must have been a record! There were tons huddled as the news of the flames swarmed the valley. Cihiru Fire was merciless; it did not spare all but the small forest creatures. Loki's home was among the destruction too, casting him into the nearby fields, which he roamed aimlessly now. He couldn't help but feel a little displaced, though he did think to be grateful for his safety. And yes, Kali's too; not that she was ever around long enough to come to know the forest as a true home. To her, it was just a dwelling. She wasn't even there to see anything but the aftermath. Still, he was caught up in 'what now?'s. That pile of ash and rubble had been his sanctuary since he met the outside world; where was there to go now? He had no human to stay with. The surrounding fields were not satisfying. He would have to travel, he supposed... Surely there were other forests in the distance, even if they didn't house his lingering memories. He could form new ones. Maybe even come back once the trees had opportunity to regrow. As these thoughts swarmed him, the stallion cast his verdant gaze to the afternoon sky. KasaiLoki The only way the Kiger Mustang stallion could do, was move on. You can't really do much for the past, it's been done, it's unchangeable. But the future, that could be changed. It wasn't one of those things set in time where you just grasp what is going to happen to you. Choose your own destiny, live it the way you wanted!
As the stallion moved, Rikka picked up his scent, blowing softly through her nose. The air still tasted of ash and small bits of debris still floated from the tops of the burnt and livid trees. She nickered to him a short greet; she wanted to catch his attention. It wasn't everyday one gets lost in thought and wanders these parts, right? Or maybe that was just a land soquili thing? The snowbird was from the mountains; as a result, actions of the ground soquilis a bit clueless. Though, there wasn't much of a difference between the two breeds, for the fact one had wings and the other didn't. Cihiru And move on he would... In time, but not yet. One could not just cast away his emotional attachments; he was not one to ignore that sort of thing. They mattered. His memories and his family mattered. Once he'd convinced himself it was alright to depart from the area attached to them, he would, but not before then. All things in time.
A call pulled him from his contemplations; he perked his ears attentively and forced his eyes to stop staring and focus. Loki became aware then he'd actually been looking at the individual already. Wings did not give one the resembalance of a bird, and he gave an embarrased grin at his mistake. What a clumsy error. He had plenty of interaction with winged Soquilis to know by now. In fact, he was a wind Soquili by blood; ground by birth. It seemed to come up in one way or another every time he made a new acquaintance. "Hello," he called, pausing in his absent pacing. KasaiLoki Standing as still as a statue, the light blue ears perked towards the stallion again. "Hello," she greeted him, walking towards the off white male, so not to shout out their conversation if one should have arised. "You seem to be lost in thought," Well that was the most obvious of answers Rikka could have given. "Were you near the fire yesterday?" Maybe he lived in the burnt portion of the forest. He did live in the not charred area, but the snowbird didn't know that. She pawed the ground lightly, causing bits of dust and water spritz to fly elsewhere.
"My name is Rikka." She introduced herself. She liked knowing others' names. It was better than calling them by 'Hey you!' or 'One with the white skin!' Her preferences, of course. Cihiru "Never lost!" he assured, a joking grin curling his maw. More like 'never serious.' "Yes, though not long. Came back in time to see the flames turn to smolders, but that's about it." Loki hoped this topic wouldn't linger; he didn't want to get involved in a discussion about the loss of lives and habitats. It was conversational though, so he wasn't going to object. There were, after all, worse things to talk about. 'Nothing at all' came to mind, and something was better than nothing. Even if it was one of the less favorable things that came to mind, at least she didn't seem bothered.
"Oh, sorry. I'm Loki." Oops, he hadn't meant to wait so long to introduce himself. He'd just forgotten as she dived right into conversation. Hopefully she would not take offense. "Pleased to meet you," he added with a smile. KasaiLoki The subject on the fire would soon be dropped. Though, another topic for a conversation would be needed. This one was more for the recent news, but a good old 'How are you today?' or even 'What have you been up to today?' were always a few good fillers to begin another conversation. She nodded as he spoke. At least he didn't get to see the brute force of the impact, but he did seem to see just enough to keep his mind drifting from thoughts to reality.
"Pleasure to meet you, as well," She bobbed her head in a nod, showing no offense had been taken. She should have done a greeting before swooping right into a small conversation, but eh, can't do much about it now can you? She gave him a small smile as one of the questions from earlier seemed to be brought in. "How are you?" So she just met they guy? It was just like saying 'What's up?' so a random stranger on the street. Most common in everyday life nowadays. Cihiru He hadn't particularly expected her to be upset by the delayed introduction, but was relieved nonetheless. There were those that may have been, he was sure. Loki returned the nod, a subtle way of showing his thanks. "I've been worse," he answered. It wasn't the most exciting response in the world, but it was an honest one. Better than a dishonest one, right? "Just trying to decide where to go, as I can't very well live in a pile of ash and burnt lumber." This was more satisfactory, he supposed, though it wasn't exactly conversational either. "But I can walk, and hunger is satisfied, so I'd say it's a good day."
The stallion paused briefly to glance at the brooding sky, though he turned back to her before inquiring "and yourself?" He anticipated an equally uninteresting response, but perhaps something would be provided... Something that allowed him to propel their conversation into the realm of memorable, or at least drag it from the pit of dullness. KasaiLoki She blinked as he answered her question. "You mean...? You lived here?" So much for dropping the topic for the moment, but her curiousity was picking at her at the moment. "Are you alright?" Obviously that was so, seeing he was standing in front of her seeming unhurt, free of any scratches or scars flames could have elicted on him. "What about your family?" That probably was a better question to ask the stallion.
"As for myself," she waited to say after he answered those few questions, "I'm just exploring the ground lands, learning how to race the wind, but not be apart of it." For a brief moment the day before, Rikka had spoken with the paint mare Ayita. She told her how it would be wonders to race the invisible component, but with her wings pasted on her back, it was a bit hard to get the right speed to fly on the ground. Cihiru "I suppose that's what I mean," he replied with a simple nod. Master of the obvious, was she. This thought made him draw a small, amused smile. "I'm fine... we're fine. Kali wasn't around; I doubt she's had a chance to realize there's not much left." For a moment, he'd considered telling her 'I'm fine, my sister is fine, and there's not much family besides that to worry about,' but he thought better of it. Bitter didn't suit him, and he wasn't in the buisness of concerning others anyway. He'd done enough of that already.
"And how is your progress?" Loki gave his tail an idle flick, and pawed absently at the grassy earth. This was something he had, perhaps, taken for granted. It was true, one naturally wanted what he couldn't have. He was no exception; he spent so much effort wishing he could fly, he'd forgotten it was something his wind siblings might struggle with (Kali never was as fast as he). That wasn't to say he didn't love running though; he did, with every inch of his being. KasaiLoki "Kali...? You're...sister?" Or perhaps his mate? She didn't know, and assumptions were sometimes bad to take. Though, this Kali could also be a brother, but Rikka had never heard of a colt with a name anything near that. Oh, how embarrassing that would be if the she really happened to be a he. The blue mare would just turn bright red, and stay that way for days on end.
She made a disgusted sign as her wings shuffled. "Horrid! Absolutely horrible!" It was true. She couldn't keep the extra limbs tight enough clasped to her back so air couldn't pick up her body. Everytime she would get even close, a feather would shuffle and the wings would extend to a gliding formation. "These stupid things won't stay put." She refered to the blue feathers. Cihiru To this, he nodded again. "Annoying sister, you mean." One would think a Soquili of his age would be over simple sibling rivalry... But it wasn't so simple as that. Kali persisted to bother him, even now, and he wasn't going to just get over it because he was 'supposed to.' Who cared about normality? He certainly couldn't care less. Or perhaps he was just clinging to his stubborn streak.
"Well, I'm very sorry to hear that." Loki had to stifle a laugh, but it didn't surface as more than the grin he'd been wearing since she landed. Actually, this was a problem Kali complained of as well. "I'd suggest you take that one up with Kali, but I'm not too sure where she is. Anyway, I'm sure she'd be able to relate." He shook his mane randomly, tossing unruly forelocks from his eyes. "However, as I'm sure you can guess, I cannot... Not really sure what to tell you but to keep trying. You're careful to keep the fronts tilted down?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2006 8:43 am
From the Ashes: Kourin & KagaTwiddle Looking over the willow tree Kaga loved so much, he let out a heavy sigh. It hadn't escaped the flames as he'd hoped. Shaking his head he wandered over towrds the cool river that bordered the now burnt tree. He walked into the depths and cringed a little as the cool waters flowed aginst his charred legs and belly. But soon it felt mgnificent, and he smiled gratefully. He glanced over to the small muskrat family he had carried here, and smiled apologeticlly to them. They were across the river, on an untouched side of the valley. They started to rebuild their home, and Kaga smiled. Cihiru The fire certainly had thrown a kink into everyday routine. Even though Kourin was more or less tangibly unaffected, she could discern the ripples that drifted through her lifestyle. Hiabi seemed all but pleased; after the thankfulness for the mare's safety wore off, she had stalked into the forest, and Kourin had not seen her since. Surely she would return days later, her hands empty and her clothing laden thick with ash. Her morning strolls had to be altered too; she couldn't stand to follow the river through the charred vales. It was an insignificant price to pay though, especially when compared to the larger picture. She had her home, her safety, and her 'family.' Some were not so fortunate.
Was Kaga as fortunate as she? Kourin had been struck with worry when word of fire met her ears, but in the pandemonium that unfolded at the time, she was unable to act on it. She was more free to do... something now, once the chaos was calmed. It was just a shame she wasn't quite sure what 'something' was. The situation could have been likened to needles and haystacks, and that discouraged her. She had an idea though! It came to her as she gazed at the afternoon sky, and the quickly fading sensation of helplessness made her want to leap for joy. The mare refrained only because in her mind, she had no time to spare. - She took off at an outright gallop, dainty hooves flying over brittle grasses.
As she ran, she couldn't help but wonder what took her so long?! It was so simple. So obvious. Checking his favorite haunt should have been her instinct, and her failure to realize this made her blush sheepishly beneath her fur. The sentiment did not have time to linger though; it crumbled and gave way to apprehension as the verdant, untouched fauna was replaced by flame-cursed stumps and rubble. It was so stricken by tragedy, she doubted she would have been able to find her way if not for the steadfast river to guide her. Kourin thanked it with a placid smile, and with its aid, carried herself to what she'd come to know as Kaga's favorite tree. Twiddle Ears flickering around as the sound of pounding hooves caught his attention, Kaga opened his eyes and looked along the edge of the river. Normally the lush green trees would have obscured his view until the other was merely a few feet from him, but the lush trees were now more or less burnt sticks and he got a clear veiw. He smiled widely as he spotted the familiar shape of Kourin. He let out a long, happy and welcoming whinny to her. He didn't leave his spot in the river though, heknew she'd be worried if he revealed his burns to ehr to soon. Cihiru She was met with a mix of sadness and relief as she progressed; the flames had indeed spared patches of life, but others were lost beyond recognition, and ash still lingered in the air. The way the stung and caked her nostrils disconcerted her, but she had larger problems on her mind.
Well, not problems so much. The sight that pulled into view alerted her instantly, she'd been spared from the deepest of grief. Kourin smiled earnestly; a bright expression that graced her elegant muzzle. "Kaga!" she called so loudly she was sure half the world could hear, and she didn't care. Joy forbade self-conciousness; it didn't matter how she looked to anyone but him.
He did not run to greet her though, as she did him... And as he'd done time and time before. "Are you okay?" she questioned as she neared. The mare approached him until her hooves were planted in the cool waters, and she stretched her neck to gaze at him without risking further pain if he was injured. "Is there something wrong?" Kourin's concern was genuine, and it showed in both her posture and tone. Twiddle Kaga smiled over to her, a rather apologetic smile. He walked out of the water, knowing he couldn't hide it fromher, no matter how he wanted to spare her the worry. "Just a bit of a singe." He said, making the burns along his belly and legs seem a lot less worse than they were. "It's nothing. Are you alright?" He asked, looking her over with worry in his eyes. As he noticed she was alright, he smiled with relief and gve her an affectionate nuzzle. Cihiru She could feel her worry reinforced itself as he pulled out of the water; it struck her expression with a sadness, and she frowned blatantly, despite his smile. "Just a singe?" Kourin knew he was only trying to protect her, but her panic didn't appreciate the consideration. "Nothing! That looks like a lot of something to me." She fixed him with a warning stare, though it still belied her kindness. "You should see Aiyana, at least. Ignoring them isn't going to make them go away..." She repaid his worry with a calming smile, and returned the nuzzle with the gentlest one she could manage. "I really am fine. But I'd be better if you got a little fixed up." Twiddle Kaga smiled at her, he loved everything about her, and he hated arguing with her. "Alrght alright, I'll go see Aiyana." He said, nuzzling her once more. "Let me just soak for a few minutes more." He said grinning, walking back into the river, loving the cool waters travling over his burnt skin. After a little while he relutantly walked out, and nudged her gently. "You want to come along?" He asked, knowing she would, though he thought it polite to ask anyway. Cihiru That was easy; she knew it would be. It was only a woman's way to use her leverage to her advantage, after all. "I'm very glad to hear it." Her frown was replaced by her more characteristic soft smile as she observed. She chose not to follow him into the deeper waters, but she did watch attentively; fondly, even. "Of course I do." Kourin followed his path out of the river with a brief nod. "Are you sure you don't want to wait here? I could go find someone... It looks like it hurts to walk." The worry was back to tinge her expression; she couldn't hide it. Twiddle Kaga smiled to her, thankful for her kind eyes and attentiveness. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Aiyana's teepee isn't far from here." He said with a slight nod as he started to walk slowly, judging if he could make it or not. It seemed as though the cooling water helped, though he knew it wouldn't last very long. He cringed a little as they walked, and hoped she hadn't noticed. Cihiru "Don't worry?..." There was a touch of 'are you serious?' in her tone, but it was difficult to hear through her mild nature. "I will try." Futile though it was. Kourin was a worrier; sheer force of will wasn't going to change that. She vowed she really would try though. "Alright then, off we go." The mare paced herself, taking one careful step after another, to be sure Kaga would not struggle to keep up. But how could she not notice he was struggling? He was the center of attention; she wanted to be aware of everything. Twiddle Kaga glanced over to her with a smile. "Yes, don't worry." He nuzzled her for a moment and continued to walk, his steps heavy and filled with pain in each. He hid it the best he could, and after about ten minutes, though it seemed like ten days to him, they reached Aiyana's teepee. She was currently rebuilding the small home, as it had been burnt down by the fire as well. Kaga looked over to her with a sad look in his eyes, he had hoped she hadn't been affected by the flames. With a soft whinny he walked over towards her. Lookingup, Aiyana gasped as she saw Kaga, and ran over, wrapoping her arms around him in a tight hug. "Thank the Gods!" she exclaimed happily, looking him over. Her smile faded and turned to a look of owrry as she saw his burns. "Oh my.." She muttered, and ran over to her pack, grabbing the salve she had made for the animals she found burned. Kneeling down, she began to place the concoction on his burns gently, and he sighed as the cooling stuff was put there. He looked over to Kourin with a smile.
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 8:02 am
And the Thunder Rolls: Kali, Kestal & PallatonTwiddle The pounding of hooves upon the ground echoed throughout the valley, the spotted stallion flying across the open lands. He threw his head in the air and let out a loud, happy whinny, his mane flowing behind him.
He suddenly jumped into the air, flying over an unseen obstacle, and landed gracefully on the ground once more. As he approached the shallow brook, he slowed to a stop and dipped his muzzle to drink. wooga Paes Upstream to the stallion, another was making its way down. But rather-- he was swimming. Soon enough, the palomino stopped at the riverside, barely noticing Kes untill he had caught breath. He blinked, this one had so not been there before. Slowly, Pallaton made his way out of the water, sheking his mane out so it would dry, and attempting to swish a now, rather heavy, tail.
Looking once more, he let out a greeting. "Hello! " He neighed, waiting for the other's answer. Cihiru Even the not-so-observant would have had little trouble noticing her. The mare frolicked in the river with almost reckless abandon, throwing liquid up onto the banks and water-logging her gradiant mane and tail. It made loud, swishing splashes around her knees, and crashed against her sides in small wakes, but she was blissfully oblivious. Self conciousness had no place in the purest forms of joy; the mare threw back her head and let forth a whinnying laugh as though accentuating this.
However, even foals and butterflies had only so much energy... And Kali was neither. With a content, but faintly tired sigh, the mare slowed her movements to a mere wading walk, until she pulled to a stop. She peered briefly to the increasingly grey sky, and with a satisfied smile, bent her neck and drank from the crystaline river. Twiddle Kestal's ear flicked forward as he heard someone say hello. Looking up at the stallion, he raised a brow. "Hello." He called back, watching him. He must've gone swimming, he thought, taking in the sight of his soaking wet state.
His ear flickered around to his side, when he saw Kali in the river not far from them. He smiled widely and let out a loud whinny, reveling his presence to her. wooga Paes Palla too whinnied to the winged mare, before looking back at the cajun. "My name is Pallaton, whats yours? " He asked, before attempting to shake his whole body, wich almost resulted in falling into the water again. He felt a bit dryer though, and that made him content. He dipped his head to drink, amazingly, Palla didn't usualy drink the water while he was in it, wich was quite odd, in his mind, and probably the other Soquili's. Cihiru As she lifted her muzzle (and gave her head a delicate shake, disloding stubborn droplets), the mare tilted her head to gaze back at the brooding sky. Rain was heavy in the air, gracing it with a distinct scent that made her muzzle pull into a gentle smile. It was good weather, she decided; a taste she inherited from her mother. Kali gave her wings a fidgeting rustle as she imagined running through the swaying grasses while the clouds rained down on her, but something else demanded her attention.
Only partially attentive, the mare gave her ear an observant flick. That was a familiar call though; she turned her head to more fully observe its owner. "Hi Kestal!" The mare gave him an ornery grin as she pulled herself from the shallow waters. "How do you fare today, Firefly?" Ah, nicknames. This too was a family habit; where she came up with this one, however, was a mystery to all but herself. Twiddle Kestal gazed at her with admiration in his eyes, smiling as he watched her. He wondered what she was thinking about, but knew better than to ask. Shaking himself from his thoughts, he walked over to her and gave her an affectionate nuzzle. He cocked an ear at the nickname, but thought it better not to ask. "I'm very well now." He said with a grin, "Yourself?" Cihiru The nuzzle filled her with a warm smile, both inside and out. To adore and be adored was a... difficult sensation to describe, but she transferred it with a nuzzle. "While I am glad to hear it, maybe some day you'll tell me you're feeling down, and I'll be able to do something to cheer you up." Kali circled around him, fixing him with a scrutinizing gaze. "I can't if you're well already!" And she allowed the smile to resurface.
"I am... Content. Wonderful. Excited..." Kali tilted her head thoughtfully, causing her forelock to sweep over one eye. "It's going to rain. Do you like rain?" She certainly hoped so! Her imagination recreated the images that drifted through her mind, adding renditions with Kestal. Twiddle Kestal smiled at her and laughed. "But if I'm not well, then you'll worry. I don't want you to worry." He grinned at her and as she circled him, he flickered his tail in her direction, brushing it gainst her side. "Rain?" He looked up at the sky, "I haven't really thought about it before." He said with a shrug. "I suppose so." He looked back over to her with a smile again. "I can tell you like it." He watched her as she cocked her head and he smiled. He pushed her forelock from her eye gently with his muzzle, "I could learn to like the rain." Cihiru "I don't have to worry; I can fix anything!" Almost. It sounded good though, and she thought that counted for something. "Yes, rain." Kali gave the air a deliberate sniff, testing the humidity and soaking up the clean, heavy scent. And as though on cue, a droplet hit her square on the nose, followed soon by others. They landed with little 'plop's on her coat, creating dark spots on an already dark (and wet) canvas.
She gave a stifled laugh, the sound muted by the blanket that rained down on them. "Well, I think now's a good time to start." The sun had relenquished its throne by now. That was the best part; she loved the way the lightning played in the clouds, leaping freely from one to another while it graced the earth below with its glow. She'd admire it from the ground though, keeping her wings tucked safely against her sides, for instinct warned against soaring with the darting bolts.
"It's not going to stay there," she warned, giving an amused grin as she tossed her head to further displace the forlock from her gaze. "So! What shall we do now that the rain's blessed us?" Twiddle Kestal watched as the rain started to sprinkle down around and on them, andit soon became a steady shower of droplets. He smiled at her, as the droplets played across his coat, making him have dark streaks. "Well, finding shelter is the first thing that comes to mind. "He said loudly, his words blurred by the cracks of lightening, and the duistant sound of thunder.
Shaking himself off, only to be pelted with more drops, he wondered where they could go. The trees seemed the most logical place, though if a tree were to be struck by lighteing it may cause more danger than shelter. He looked over to Kali with a slight smile, "You wanna just stay here and get more soaked then?" He called teasingly. Cihiru "Yes, that would be the first to come to mind," she teased, leaning close to n** playfully at his neck. "But it's boring, and ordinary." The two did, after all, go hand in hand. Ordinary was seldom found without boring, and that never did satisfy the ebony mare.
She gave him a devious grin. "Nope," Kali called over her shoulder. "I'll race you." She had already taken off as she uttered this, fully aware she was approving her own figurative slaughter. Her limbs pulled her accross the ground anyway, her hooves landing in small splahes. "Last one to uh..." A hasty gaze scanned the horizon, trying to settle on a destination. Twiddle Kestal grinned and nipped back at her. "It's also safe, and wise." He said with a grin. Though he could tell this mare was not one to always follow the cautionary route.
As she sped off ahead of him, his instincts kicked in and he followed after her. As he came closer to her, he glanced around as well. "That cliff!" He called over the booming thunder and cracking lightening. He motioned towards a large drop-off, and sped towards it, his long legs stretching out to give him more speed. Cihiru "There are multiple ways to achieve safety, and wise is only a matter of perspective," she retorted. Kali snorted dismissively, hardly audible over the crack of thunder that peeled suddenly across the sky. As the rain thickened, so did the clouds, and it was impossible to discern one from another in the solid tapestry hanging above them, except when the lightning illuminated them.
Not only did it bring light to the skies overhead, but the ground beneath it too. It accentuated features that would have been otherwise difficult, or even impossible to see in the relative darkness... Like the cliff that appeared in the distance ahead of them, made conspicuous as the lightning lit its countours. Her eyes must have met it nearly the same time as his, because he made the suggestion as the thought crossed her mind.
"Chaaarge!" she cried, throwing back her head in a brief laugh while tucking her idle wings tighter still. Her speed was still no match for Kestal's, but she boasted stamina, and she so adored the rain (and his company), it did not burden her mind. She was content to run for the thrill of running, and the kiss of rain against her pelt. Twiddle Kestal let out a laugh as she yelled charge, and his spotted legs stretched further ahead of him. He could easily gained the lead, but like before, he had them race neck and neck. As the cliff was illuminated by cracks of lightening once more, he blinked and wonderedif this was really the best place to race to.
He planted his feet in the ground as they came close to the cliff edge, but the mud made him slide. As he skidded across the water strewn ground, his legs tried desperately to stop him, but from his former speed it wasn't gonna happen. He let out a sort of cry, hoping Kali wasn't having the same, frighting, problem. Cihiru Another flash lit the destination ahead of them - she realized it was nearer than her first impression. The marathon run she had imagined faded quickly with the gusting wind; this 'race' would be of the short and sweet variety. Kali nodded decisively and pushed her gait, matching him more closely.
Until she saw him skidding to a stop, his hooves sliding across the slick surface like ice. "Don't stop!" Was he trying to get himself killed?! "Jump!" she corrected, leaping at that moment to illustrate her meaning. It was a cliff, yes... A tall one, even; she could see ground far beneath her. But it wasn't just a cliff. The deep ravine had a matching wall on the other side, only a realistic jump's distance away.
As she landed heavily on the other side, Kali pulled herself back to the ledge as soon as she could slow her pace enough to safely do so. "Kestal?" The sudden crack of thunder made it impossible to hear anything else; had he made it safely across? Hastily, she searched around her, trying to catch sign of a sillouhette, scent, or other indication. Twiddle Kestal watched as she leapt to the other side, but he couldn't make out what she had said over the crack of thunder. He wasn't sure if it was the wisest idea for him to jump as well, since she had wings. He didn't have much time to ponder it though, as he felt the ground slipping beneath his hooves. He took a deep breath and pushed himself hard off the ledge, landing on the other side with a heavy thud. He quickly got up, though he winced as he put pressure on his right back leg. He had smashed it against the side of the legde due to his hesitance. He didn't care abut that now though. "Kali!!" He called frantically over the booms and cracks of thunder and lightening. Cihiru This was the reason nature's inhabitants sought shelter during the fiercer storms. The thunder's booms were disorienting, and the sheets of rain still pouring down impared both scent and vision. She had to rely almost solely on the occasional streaks of lightning to guide her sight, though her ears did perk observantly at his call. So, he had made it. Kali spotted him easily, even through the blurring rain once she heard him; a flash of light only assisted in the process.
The mare pulled herself to him at a brisk trot, and gave his neck a nuzzle. "Looking before you leap isn't always the best course of action," she jested, leaning close to whisper in his ear. "Are you going to be able to walk?" Asking if he was alright was idiocy; the way he favored one leg was obvious. She just wasn't sure what to do if he couldn't. "Let's get you someplace safe." Kali flashed an apologetic smile, but she'd save the sincere sorries for later. Twiddle Kestal smiled back at her, nuzzling her affectionately. "I'm just glad you're alright. And it's not bad," He lifted the leg, as if to make his point, "I can walk." He said with a slight nod. He caught her smile, and smiled back, knowing it wasn't her fault. Or at least, he didn't think it was.
Looking around, he wasn't sure where to go. Mostly cause he couldn't see if there was anywhere to go. As the lightening lit the sky once more, illuminating the scenery, he spotted a small cave. It didn't seem like the most relible source, but it was safe, and dry. He motioned to it, "What about that?" He called, even thought he was so close to her, he still needed to raise his voice above the noise. Cihiru She nodded her understanding. "Good, because I don't think I can carry you," Kali added jokingly, as though it wasn't obvious. His mobility made the situation considerably easier to work around; at least that wasn't something she had to worry about. Besides straining an injured limb, anyway.
And at the moment, there were bigger problems to concern themselves with. Like what were they going to call suitable shelter. Thickets and caves didn't exactly litter the landscape. Or did they? The mare followed Kestal's gaze as he spotted something, and tilted her head when her eyes landed on the object of his attention. "Care to take a guess at what else might be hiding there?" As the only cave and only natural shelter in sight, she didn't. But desperate times called for desperate measures... And, well, they were pretty desperate. "Add two Soquilis to that list," she commented. Twiddle Kestal looked over to her with a smile. He loved her sense of humor. Pushing the thoughts aside, he limped towards the cave, hoping that there weren't any other creatures in there. He didn't mind raccoons or rabbits, mice, any rodents really. But a bear; well that was another story. He didn't want them to have another bear episode like last time.
Pushing those thoughts aside as well, he stuck his soaking wet head into the cave, hoping a crack of lightening could illuminate it's inhabitants to them. As if on cue, lightening struck and illuminated the small cave. They would ahve to duck to get inside; which was good for them. A bear couldn't even fit inside. The largest would be a cougar, and Kestal sincerely hoped there wasn't one inside. Cihiru The mare bobbed her head absently and set her hooves into motion, obediently following Kestal's path and pace. The cave was indeed going to provide close quarters... she hoped it was bigger inside than it looked from out here, or the two of them weren't going to fit.
And it was, to her relief. She actually had little trouble squeezing inside; though not petite, Kali wasn't large either. "Kind of cozy," she offered sarcastically. It was okay to be a smart-aleck every now and then, right? She couldn't hide it all the time. "I hope you can get comfortable." This, however, was sincere... And she waited for Kestal to situate before finding someplace to plant herself. Twiddle Kestal smiled at her and chuckled softly. He laid down, his face distorting in pain as he did. It wasn't there long though, as he rested his leg against the cold stone. He looked up at her and smiled a little. "I'm fine." He said, though she hadn't asked. He yawned, and shivered a little. Now his worry was them getting sick from the cold, and wet rain. The thought didn't reside long in his mind though, as he yawned again. His body was yelling at him to sleep, and his eyelids felt like they were being pulled down. He didn't want to sleep until she was settled though. Cihiru Though she hadn't asked directly, his 'I'm fine' assurance was a modestly comforting reply to her previous comment. Kali took it as an okay to find someplace to rest herself, and settled on a patch of floor... well, much like all the other patches of floor.
"Get some sleep." She would lay and wait, keeping watch for danger as long as she could keep her eyes pried open. The mare was not yet sleepy anyway, so it didn't burden her... and she vowed to persist even after tiredness set in, as an equine with an injured leg faced grave danger.
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 9:38 am
There's a Bad Moon On the Rise: Kali & KestalTwiddle As the morning sun dried the ground, the light contrasting the previous night heavily, the animals began to leave thier shelters and hiding places, glad for a new start, a new day. The aftermath of the storm wasn't too bad; a branch cracked there, a few puddles, nothing major.
As the light played across his face, Kestal cracked one eye open and looked outside of the small cave, watching a few rabbits hopping by. He started to get up, but winced and fell heavily back to the ground. Looking at his leg, he cringed at the sight of his swollen and bruised flesh. Sighing, he tried to get up again, more carefully. He managed to stand up, and limped out of the cave, into the sunlight. Cihiru She was anything but a sight for sore eyes. Sure, the athletic, yet elegant figure was there. And her slender face looked innocent as ever, her two-toned eyes hooded by heavy lids. Her posture, however, belied the intentions she'd held the previous evening. Kali had steeled her resolve to stay awake and be watchful, but raw determination could not keep the sand at bay.
So it was understandable Kali woke with a start at the shuffling. Perking her ears in an instant, she tossed a blurry gaze around the cave's confines. And in another instant, her sight landed on Kestal. She smiled softly at him and pushed herself to wobbly limbs, giving a gentle nudge as she pulled herself out of the cave's mouth.
The sun was a welcome sight, and it renewed her smile. "Good morning." The mare looked to him with a questioning gaze, trying to judge the extent of his injury without outright popping the redundant 'how are you feeling?' There were enough physical indications she didn't have to; swelling was bad. Twiddle Kestal looked over to her as she woke and followed him out. He smiled softly at her and gave her a good morning nuzzle. "I'm alright." He said, answering her questioning look. Though it was a flatout lie, he didn't want her worrying too much. If he acted like it wasn't sending shots of pain throughout his body, maybe she wouldn't notice. Right.
Now that the sun's rays illuminated the area, Kestal noticed the ravine wasn't a large space to jump at all. He looked away from it, not really wanting to remember it at that moment. "Have you ever been here before?" He asked suddenly, the unfamiliar teritory making him curious, and wary. Cihiru Uh-huh. "And I don't have wings." Kali gave the appendages a morning stretch, extending them expiramentally before refolding them against her sides. "I'm not blind, really." She smiled sincerely, appreciative of the notion. It was just a shame it wasn't true.
Having assessed that particular situation, she too turned to observe their surroundings in the more revealing morning light. "Not that I'm aware of." They were far from what she knew as home, now. While she did a great deal of wandering, she could only explore so much. And well, this wasn't part of it. "I'd suggest we head back, but I think that's a bit much travel for your current condition." So much so, it wasn't an option. She hoped he wouldn't indicate a desire to do so, but if he did, she'd put a stop to it.
"Sounds like we're stuck here, for a while at least," and in apparent contentment, Kali lowered her head to graze on the still-dewey grasses. "Unless you have another idea?" She paused a moment to glance to him. Twiddle Kestal looked around and shook his head. "Nope." He smiled a little to her, and followed suit, dipping his head to munch of the still wet grass. "I suppose we could see if there's anything of interest around." He said, looking to the small cave. "I doubt we can stay in that for very long. I'm sure something will want to get it's home back." Cihiru Kali gave a delayed, tired yawn. "How creative." Her tone was, perhaps, more venomous than she intended, but her good intentions rarely faded, and she was too sleepy to care much anyway. The grass she stole bites of every now and then made only a meager attempt to wake her, and she gave up on it after a while.
"We could." Wandering aimlessly didn't seem like the 'safest' nor 'wisest' thing to do though. Not while Kestal's leg was in such poor shape. He was right to harp about safety, so why stop following the advice now?
Because she had adopted reckless abandon long ago, growing up in the relative safety of the quiet woods near the Kawani village. "I can look around, if you want. It's a little easier to see things from up there," she motioned with the tilt of her head. Twiddle Kestal raised a brow at the tone of voice she used, and wondered why it was so. He pushed the thoght off though, and nibbled at the grass. "If you think you're up to it." He said, though he wondered if she was in the best condition to fly. He knew she wasn't hurt, but being tired probably wasn't the best sidekick to flight. Cihiru She made a small, half-hearted nod. "I'm..." and broke her sentence with a yawn, "fine. Really." Kali smiled for emphasis, blatantly sincere this time around. It wasn't that she was short-tempered; she just forgot to wake her humor. "Anyway, I can fly in my sleep. Don't worry about it;" anything but that. There were better things to worry about, if he felt inclined to bother. And it was best that he didn't; worrying was no fun at all.
"Any last words?" she offered in a far more good-natured manner. The mare paused only briefly, glancing over her shoulder to see if he really did have anything to say before she took flight. And with that, she took wing, lifting herself off the soggy ground with a powerful push of her haunches.
It was a gorgeous morning to be flying, all grogginess aside. The sun was still low in the sky, saving its blinding rays for later, and the only clouds to be found were of the light and puffy variety. A sight to behold, indeed. All it needed was a rainbow and it would have been picture perfect, she thought. Twiddle Kestal smiled to her, he figured it was just the fact she was tired that made her a little bit more on edge. He watched as she took flight, not saying a word, always in awe of the scene. He wondered what it was like to fly, though as he watched her he knew it was marvelous thing indeed.As they ventured through their lands, one of the hunters pulled the reins on his horse back, stopping the dark animal. He pointed to the sky and hushed the other five of his group. "Look!" He whispered harshly to them, as he pointed to the black mare soaring through the sky. The other hunters gasped, a flying horse?! They had only heard of such a thing in legends and myths, a story creature indeed. Well, not anymore. Kicking thier horses into a run, the six hunters started towards the flying mare. Cihiru She wasn't particularly sure what it was she was looking for; 'something interesting' was a rather large boundary to work within. Kali kept alert nontheless, and settled to search for anything out of the ordinary... though she did struggle to keep her eyes from the surreal horizon, and had to peel them away once or twice.
Inbetween peeks at the sky, the mare spotted the group easily from her vantage point. That definately looked out of the ordinary, but it was difficult to make anything of it from her height. After a squinting peer, she decided to swoop a little lower for a better look, and descended until she could discern details like... like the halters fastened on their horses.
The sight of them made her raise a brow; it was a fleeting curiosity that disappeared before she realized just what it was. A curiosity that gave way to dread, causing her ears to fold and her raven hide to give a nervous twitch. Something was definately amiss.
Kali didn't wait around to find out what was bothering her; she altered her path to an arching 'u', darting back in the direction she came. She might have been a little (okay, very) careless, but she knew the smell of danger, and wasn't one to question gut instinct. Kestal had to be warned, and they needed to seek safety of some kind. Twiddle Kestal watched her as she zoomed back down to the ground. He could already sense something was wrong, her movement were quick and he could sense her fear. "What's wrong?" He asked quickly, limping to where she landed."Hurry! Don't let it get away!" The leader of the men called as they watched her fly to the ground. Cihiru Kali landed with a heavy 'thud,' her hooves pulling her to a hasty stop. "No time to explain." She stole a quick glance over her shoulder, ears swiveling nervously. "We have to leave." But to where? There was no forest to be seen; the nearest thing they had to shelter was the cave, and that wasn't exactly ideal. She wasn't sure how deep it was, didn't know her way around inside, and who knew if they'd even be able to get inside before...
The group arrived. "Any ideas?" She was certain he would know now; he had to have heard the human's yell. Kali pushed herself between the group and Kestal, shielding him from view as best she could. "Cause we could really use some about now."
She could hear the footsteps at this point, rustling through the grasses in a rather hurried fashion. They were really out of time to act; meeting the party head-on didn't really appeal to her, but she didn't have much choice in the matter. Not long after Kali caught wind of their approach, shadows pulled into view, and a few humans slung themselves off their mounts. Twiddle Kestal wasn't the brightest stallion in the world, but he knew this was not a good thing. If he wasn't wounded they could have leapt over the ravine, and that would be that. But he was, and now they needed a much different, and very fast plan. The first thing that came to mind was the cave; but it was so small, they didn't know if it had an opening on the other side, and if not they would just box themselves in. Time for Plan B.
Watching the two horses in awe, the lead hunter brought out a lasso, slowly approaching the two. He made soft cooing noises and clucks as he did, and Kestal eyed him warily. "We can't trust these people." He whispered to Kali, as if it weren't obvious enough. "Fly away, now." He said, not wanting her to get caught. He pushed her aside, walking in front of her, placing himself between her and the group now. "I said fly!" He whinnied loudly at her. Cihiru Too bad there was no plan B. Not really, anyway. And no, 'stand your ground and fight!' didn't count as a plan. That was idiocy, too extreme even for her. What sort of fool planned to be foolish? She certainly didn't.
The antics might have worked on horses. Might have. But they were soquilis, not horses, and the men didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of swaying them. Soquilis carried with them a gift and a curse; the ability to sense human thoughts, emotions, and intentions. That was the source of the fear coursing through her veins; she could feel the dangerous reverence and curiosity. Kestal had to have sensed it too.
"You said what?!" Now was not the time to assert her independance, she chided. The shove went ignored; she merely braced her comparatively meager weight against him. "You should be thanking me," she spat, her jesting tone overriden by urgency.
Kali pushed around him, charging at the approaching human. She reared just short of him, extending her wings in intimidating fashion and lashing at the air with her forelegs. The man scrambeled a few steps backward, which satisfied her until she saw two more pull up beside him. Twiddle Kestal snorted at her, his ears against his head. "Get out of here! Get help! FLY!" Though his calls were ignored as she ran at the man. Kestal's eyes widened and he ran to her side, ignoring the rush of pain he felt from placing weight on his wounded foot. He winced and cringed but made no movement to stop.
The man eyed Kali with an eager curiousity, he was obviously thinking of the money they could get from this. He spun the rope around his head, about to throw it, when a hoof plowed him in teh chest. Kestal snorted at him as he fell, though the other were quickly circling them. Cihiru Kestal's cries fell on selectively deaf ears; she heard them, but they did nothing more than chime retorts in the confines of her mind. What help? The humans I can't communicate with? The soquilis that are liable to fall to the same fate? The friends you don't have? The mare had far too much to say to voice it all, especially when so much of it was too bitterly sarcastic to be appropriate for civil conversation anyway. "Don't do anything too stupid," she warned him with a sardonic grin. Leave foolishness to me, she mused.
It was about that time she thought to wonder where the others went off to. Yes, she was certain there were more. Hiding somewhere, perhaps, ducked just out of view, waiting to pounce. "Get away from me!" she cried at the man who dared approach her empty-handed, and snapped at his arm with her teeth. This was, perhaps, the moment he was waiting for, because it was then he slipped something over her head. Kali felt it tighten around the base of her neck with a tug, and pulled back out of instinct... only to be met with solid resistance. Twiddle Kestal looked over at her as she spoke and gave her a slight glare. He ignored it mostly though, as he spotted someone approaching him as well. He snorted and pawed the ground with one hoof, but the man was smart, mean, but smart. He noticed Kestal's injured leg, and with a long stick he smacked the Soquili's wound hard. Kestal let out a cry of pain, his legs buckling beneath him. The exact thing the man had wanted to happen.The human ran at Kestal and slipped a rope around his neck, evading his snapping jaws and kicks. He then slipped another rope around his neck, and one around his foot. Kestal whinnied loudly, trying to get up, only to be dragged down by the men holding onto him. Another rope was thrown over Kali's neck as well, by a man behind her, the two pulling at the same time to keep her in place; and on the ground. "Wrap the wings!" The lead man shouted, grinning with vigor. A young man tht looked quite afraid of the angry horses approached Kali cautiosly. Cihiru Everything happened so fast, she had trouble making sense of it all. Especially what was happening to Kestal; this was what they called tunnel vision, she supposed. "Kestal!" she called, more to make sure he was indeed still well and with her than anything. And then she heard his cry; it made her wince visibly, and for a moment she closed her eyes as though to block the thought of it.
When she opened them, it was with a new burst of resolve. Kali threw her weight against her vice, turning to face Kestal and lash futilly at his captors. It was a shame the men that bound her held fast; she rather would have enjoyed crushing them then.
Rather than the satisfaction of a bloodied corpse beneath her hooves, she was met with a force that made her legs buckle beneath her - a rather impressive feat. "Don't touch me!" she cried as she eyed the final man to approach. Kali spread her wings again, arching them defensively and thrashing them against the air. Twiddle Kestal heard her calls and he tried desperately to stand and aid her. He whinnied and kicked, snapping t them when they tried to get close. "Kali!" He called, looking over to her as the young man approached. He sent an aimed kick at his back, and the young man was thrust foward at her. Instead of collapsing as Kes had hoped, he merely smashed into Kali, her wings then hitting him. He yelled and ran away, droppingthe cloth he had been about to use for wrapping her wings.
Kestal smiled, at least her wings were free. If he could only get those two off of her she could fly away... but she wouldn't. He knew she wouldn't. Another man approached her, and grabbed the cloth, trying to force her wings down to wrap them up. Cihiru The collision hadn't really phased her; he was so light, it was rather like an acorn bouncing off the ground. More than anything, it was a relief to have her wings free, if only for a fleeting moment. Kali stole the opportunity to try and gather her limbs beneath her, but her effort to stand was met with more force, and she remained pressed against the ground.
And the moment was indeed a brief one; by the time she established she wasn't going anywhere, another had resumed the fallen's task. This was something that actually terrified her; a fear that wasn't going to be reasoned away. Her wings were her lifeline... her bridge from danger to safety.
Not that he cared. The man folded one wing with brute force, and pinned it against her side with his weight while he attempted to grab the other. "Don't!" she objected, scramblng one last (vain) attempt at freedom. It didn't delay him; in a dozen blinks, her wings were bound so neatly and tightly, it would have been difficult to tell they were there at all. Twiddle Which was exactly what the man had wanted. When they went back into the town, they didn't want anyone thinking of these two horses as odd in any way. Just a couple of wild ones they'd brought back with them.
Kestal however wasn't going to take this laying down. Well, maybe but he'd make a fuss about it. He tried once more to stand up, but the men around him brought him back down to the ground. His leg throbbed with pain, and he feared that soon he may pass out, which was not good for Kali. He needed to stay awake to help her. He forced himself to stay conscious, as the men began trying to get bridles around thier muzzles. Kestal snapped at the ropes as they tried wrapping them around his face. Cihiru But not impossible. "How'r you going to ans'r questions?" the man at Kali's side queried. He still had one palm pressed against her lump-for-wings, and was particularly aware the observant would have been able to discern them. The white feathers were stark against her dark hide, and created unnatural contours at her sides. It didn't take a genious to figure out; just a careful eye. The same man took another rope in hand; one she recognized as the contraptions she'd spotted around the horses's heads. Before he even had opportunity to try and wrangle it over her muzzle, Kali snapped twice at his hands. The human's grumbling yelp notified his companions of her success, and though he managed to wrench free without taking any real damage, another came to assist him.
Unable to build a course of action to defend against them both, she shook her head frantically, tossing locks of mane in disarray. It kept them for a while, but she knew it was over when a burly hand clasped across her nose and steadied her thrashing. The bridle was soon to follow; first a loop over her nose, and then a tight strap behind her ears. Kali gave a dismayed, almost panicked snort, but lacked the words to say anything.Twiddle Kestal heard the fuss beside him, and looked over to see one of those rope things on Kali's face. He whinnied, hoping it wasn't harming her. He then felt a hand clasp over his own muzzle, a rope forced about it after. He shook his head and snorted, snapping at the fingers of the man. He dodged the teeth and glared at the spotted horse. "You're gonna get broken horse, and I'm gonna be the one to do it!" He suddenly grabbed Kestals mane, holding to it tightly in his hand. He forced the stallion's head back, and while doing so slipped the bridle around his head. Kestal whinnied and snorted, violently jerking his head from side to side, though it wasn't helping, the man's grip was too strong, and his head stayed secure until the bridle was fastened around it.
The men grinned and many cheered, thinking victory was theirs. Kestal didn't think so though. He smashed his head into one of the man's legs, causing him to trip and fall, and promptly took a bite from his clothing, ripping the cloth and snorting at the man. Cihiru The pain was far more emotional than physical; the ropes themselves didn't particularly hurt at all, except when she wrenched against them... Which was most of the time, actually. There was still the lingering hope maybe one of them would lose his grip, despite the voice that warned her it was only wishful thinking.
And the combined voices that reminded her she was outnumbered roughly three to one. She did have equine strength on her side, but there wasn't much she could do against sheer numbers. Kali recoiled briefly at the cheer, folding her ears tighter still and bowing her head closer to the ground. "Just leave us alone..." she whispered, and the ropes pulled her head up in response."You both 'ave far too much fire for yo'r own good," he uttered as he rose from the mare's side, clapping the dust from his hands. Kali reinforced the comment by snapping at his leg as he stood; he shuffled backwards, narrowly doding her bared teeth. Twiddle Kestal looked over to Kali, he was beginning to feel a sense of panic and desperation. He didn't like being tied up, he didn't like it one bit. But as he gazed upon the dark mare, he realized he needed to stay calm, and safe, for her. He stopped fussing, though his ears flattened at the mans response. He smiled as she bit at him.A blanket was thrown over Kali's back, and the man who did it grinned. "Ah now, there's a solution if ah do say so mahself!" He laughed heartily, the others grinning and cheering once more. Kestal snorted and glared at them. "Now now painted horse, don't hold grudges!" He pet Kestal's neck and was met with snapping fingers. He glared at the horse, waving a finger in front of him. "When we get back to camp, you'll pay fo' that 'orse..." He grumbled, rubbing his now wounded finger. "MOVE OUT!" The call was loud and clear, and Kali and Kestal were forced to thier feet as they ropes pulled them along. Cihiru Kali tried to crane her neck as the material settled over her back; she could feel it even through the fabric that bound her wings. Her curious glance was not permitted though; someone tugged her head back in front of her, just before lifting the downward pressure, so that she may rise to her hooves. And she did, gratefully gathering her limbs beneath her and pushing to a stand.
Her instinct urged her to bolt... They must have known it, because their combined efforts forced her to take several steps back before they continued forward. Once the three men finally got the mare in a controllable, forward motion, her gait was a flighty, high-stepped one. It was a shame it belied her grace, because several men took notice. Not that anyone could blame them; it was a desirable trait."Where do you propose we put them?" One of Kali's ears budged from its tightly pinned position to swivel toward the voice's source. "Can't risk corraling 'em with the other horses, if yeh ask me." They were a danger to both others and themselves, at least until the group knew how they would react. It would be unwise to make assumptions. Twiddle Kestal was also forced to his feet, and his instinct was the same as hers. He wanted to run, to feel the ground under his feet as he flew across the land. But he knew even if he somehow escaped the ropes and men, he wouldn't be able to get far on his wounded leg. He limped forward beside Kali."We can keep 'em in the stables. They won't botha no one ther'." As the men admired Kali's grace, they pondered Kestal's wound. "Ya think we should just kill this one now?" One asked, looking at the stallion. "Tha' leg is pretty bad." Cihiru "I don't think that would be an intelligent decision," one of the hunters commented idly. He had been observing them rather carefully, noting small things like the way the equines glanced at one another, and walked so closely their sides brushed from time to time. "They are obviously attached, who knows what kind of emotional collapse it might cause." He knew none of them cared for their 'emotional stability' though. "She may die of sadness. She might find so much rage you have to kill her too," and he shrugged thoughtfully. "Who knows." After all, hell hath no fury like a woman's wrath. All this conversation made a new discomfort wrench inside her; empathy warned her something wasn't right. They were in grave danger... a danger worse than capture. Kali would have paused, her limbs frozen with fear and apprehension, but the ropes around her neck and head urged her forward. The mare tossed Kestal a worried look instead, huddling protectively against him as he plodded along. She nuzzled him when constraints permitted, glared daggers when they didn't, and nipped warningly at anyone daring enough to touch them as they progressed.Twiddle Kestal looked over at the man saying it was not a wise choice, and he silently thanked the heavens for him. Even though they were captured, he knew tht, if they listened to him, he would remain by Kali's side."Not wise? Since when have we done what's wise?" Another man said, looking over his shoulder at the other. "Taking these horses from thier home is not wise, but we do it anyway." Kestal eyed the men and their mounts. Thier mounts were what confused him so. On more than one occasion, he tried to whinny to the horses. Ask for help. Tell them to stop, that they could go back with himself and Kali and be free. But none listened, he got no response, and he sighed.
Whenever he felt Kali's touch, a new pang of hope spread through him. He smiled slightly to her, trying to let her know it would all be okay. Cihiru "Since you have in your posession the only winged horse you've ever laid eyes on." He shrugged and fidgeted with the bow draped over his shoulder. "You may want to start." This was a blatant threat; he let it dangle glaringly, confidant in the knowledge none would challenge him. He could feel their eyes flicking back and forth between them, calculating, and smiled inwardly. Two horses were better than one; it wasn't like his leg was broken. "Besides." Kali tossed him a weary eye... he was the only man standing away from them, in an almost hands-off fashion. "What can it hurt?" The murmering amongst them made her wonder what it was they were discussing, but the lead in her stomach reminded her she probably didn't want to know. In this case, ignorance was bliss.
Or it would have been, if not for the ropes, and the force, and Kestal's determined calls to persuade their kin to assist them. "They're not like us." It was hard to tell if her tone was angry or defeated; her voice was soft, curt, and filled with sadness all at once. "Don't bother." Kali tried to reassure him with a nudge on the only spot she could reach - his neck, just behind his jaw. It was the best she could do; 'it's going to be okay' didn't really do the sentiment justice.Twiddle The man who had spoken earlier, and had also been the one to threaten and hurt Kestal, shot a challenging glare at the other. He, too, however had nothing to say in retort. He huffed and reajusted himself on his horse. Kestal looked over to her, not liking the sound of her voice. "We'll get away." He said softly, his own tone filled with finlity, and a hint of desperation. He looked away from her suddenly, his nose in teh air. "Do you smell that?" Something drifted on the wind, blowing directly at them. The scent of meat cooking over a fire reched them, and Kestal contorted his nose against it. They were close.Cihiru Kali met his gaze with a steeled eye; her generally joking shine had given way to a determined fire. There was obviously much on her mind, but now was not the time to discuss it. Her heart would have to wait to bleed til later. "Yes," she said simply, snorting in dismay. "Fire." It smelled even more terrible than she remembered."Make sure th' stalls ah ready," the apparent leader huffed, jerking a thumb at the man who stood off to the side. He merely nodded and separated himself from the group, taking off ahead. They wouldn't be following him any time soon. The closer they came to the village, the more stubborn Kali grew. She was not content to follow them blindly, one hoof in front of the other. When the cluster of shelters pulled into view, the mare stopped abruptly, bracing herself against the ground. And as expected, the men pulled against her, goading only a few shuffled steps forward. She gave her head a violent shake, forcing them to tighten their already deadly grips."Wha's gotten into 'er?" a man spat from Kestal's side. One shrugged, and another shook his head. "Who knows?" Twiddle Kestal snorted, as if trying to get the rancid sent from his nose. He hated that smell, cooked meat. Ugh, it was disgusting. He snorted again, and watched as the man rode away from the group.
"It's like she can understand us." One man said, the young boy who had been afraid of Kali earlier. The others laughed heartily t this comment. "Undastand?! Ahahaha! They're jus' dumb nimals!" More cracks of laughter sounded fter that, and Kestal glared at the men. As Kali stopped, Kes followed suit and planted his hooves in the ground.
"Ah, not this'n too!" One man said, aggrivated by the horses. He smashed Kestal hard on his hindquarters, and the stallion tried to rear, though with his wounded leg he couldn't manage it. He tripped a little, falling into one of the men. Cihiru "I can," she snapped, whipping her head around to glare and pin her ears at the loudest offender. He met her indifferently, granting her no more than a dissmissive 'shoo'ing motion. Kali snorted again, and gave one hoof an angry stamp."I don' care. Just get 'em moving." The men tried pulling her forward once again, more carefully coordinating their efforts. There was little she could do this time; when her hooves started sliding across the still-moist ground, she gave in. It hurt, and the pain wasn't worth the futile resistance. As she started foward, resuming her nervous step, the mare gave her head an uncomfortable shake.
"Where are we going?" she pleaded, fully aware the humans couldn't understand her. As if on cue though, a different structure pulled up beside them. There was a large, round corral in the distance, with horses circling half-heartedly within its confines. And nearest them, a cluster of smallish box-confinements defined a row. The openings on one side, and the man seated on one of the fences answered her question. They'd made it past the smoking fires and questioning inhabitants. Twiddle Kestal cringed and winces as his weight was forcefully put on his hurt leg, he had to catch himself. As the men started to pull them, he followed suit once again and continued to walk. As they passed by the village, Kestal could see small children running out to gaze upon them, as well s adults and elderly ones. He snorted at them and sent a threatening whinny, which made most back away and resume thier day.
As the small brown confinements came into view, Kestal became nervous, his skin twitching constantly. He kenw they would be put in there, but he wouldn't go without fight. He once gain stopped, digging his feet into the ground, pleading with the humns not to put him in there. Cihiru Kali had a far different approach on the matter, and glancing over at Kestal caused her to shake her head at him. Maybe they'd reward his obstinance with more spacious confinements, but she was growing too weary to care. The escape from the pestering and muttering, and the opportunity to rest was more than welcome. If they would only leave her alone, she would be content to go without a struggle. "Let me be," she snorted, glaring over her shoulder as she passed through the gate and into the boxed corral.
It closed heavily behind her, and a man followed the outer gate around to her front. With a hasty hand (as though he worried she would bite him), he loosened the ropes and jerked them over her head; leaving only the halter, which he fastened to the fence's uppermost rail. Satisfied with his handwork, he clapped his hands as he'd done earlier, and returned to whatever it was he did when he wasn't harrassing horses. The mare took the opportunity to try and peer over her shoulder; she strained against the ropes to try and steal a peek at Kestal, but couldn't spy much from the corner of her eye. Twiddle Kestal struggled as they forced him isnide, in teh stall beside Kali's. They took heed to the man's words about seperating them. Kestal snorted and shook his head, sending kicks to them whe he could. They dodged his hasty throws though, and he ended up inside the small confinement despitehis struggles.
"That one's gonna need a lot o' work." One man said, with a malice filled grin. He loved breaking in the wild horses. He was ripped from hsi thoughts as he felt a surge of pain through his leg. Kestal had kicked him as he shut the gate. He glared at the spotted horse and limped away, as Kes smiled in triumph. He then looked over to Kali, trying to turn his head against the halter. "Are you alright?" Cihiru The difficulty was rather short-lived; she had little trouble seeing him once he shuffled inside the 'stall.' "That's what I should be asking you." Kali made a small smile, but it did not mask her fatigue, nor her turmoil. "No," she said plainly, straightning her head to avoid his gaze. Now was the time... The time for her heart to bleed, and she couldn't bring herself to look at him.
"Do you remember when I told you 'I hope that's not a mistake you'll regret later'?" She heaved a sigh and shifted her weight uncomfortably. "This is exactly what I meant." She should not have returned to him when she spied the party to begin with; she should have steered them away. Maybe they never would have found Kestal; she was foolish not to realize it was her that intrigued them. Maybe she should have at least gone and tried to find help. Perhaps there was something they could have done. Hell, she never should have suggested they adventure in the rain to begin with. None of this would have happened if she hadn't. Kestal would not have hurt his leg, they would not have been captured, and they could be off frolicking in the swaying fields.
But she did suggest it, he did injure his leg, and they weren't frolicking anywhere. "I'm sorry." Kali shifted again, flexing her wings as best she could manage beneath the binds and cover. It was as she cast her gaze around she realized all but one of the party had left them. - One was still nearby; the one that had run ahead, and the one that had saved Kestal from almost certain death. He leaned against one of the outer walls, propping his elbows against the upper rail, and rested his chin in his palms. Twiddle Kestal watched her as she spoke, and he nuzzled her gently, glad the rope on him was long enough for him to be able to reach her. "Don't be. It's not your fault." He said softly, smiling at her. "We'll be fine." Kestl had seen the man already, and didn't acknowledge his presence, even though that was the one who had saved him.
Looking around, Kes tried to figure out a way out of this place. He loathed more than nything being enclosed in small spces, due to something that happened to him as a foal. He pushed the memory aside, along with the panic rising in his chest. He had to stay calm, for Kali. Cihiru The touch should have comforted her; should have chased away her fears with the fierceness of a raging lion. But it didn't. She recoiled, turning away from him as she pushed herself out of reach. The sight of her made the man against the fence frown softly, and and he leaned forward. "Don't be sad, Tahki. It's not your fault," he cooed.
This man did not scare her like the others; he did not fill her with dread, and his tone was sincere. At first, she merely flicked an ear at him, but sadistic curiosity got the best of her, and she turned to peer at him for a moment. What was Tahki? The gesture made him smile gently, even though she looked back to Kestal shortly after. "We will," she confirmed, sleepily bobbing her slender head. Twiddle Kestal eyed the man as he approached them, though by his tone he could tell this man was not like the others. He had, aftrer all, saved his life. He nickered softly at Kali, questioning without words if she felt the same as he did about this man. Kes looked back at hm, wondering why he had stayed behind.
Pushing the thoughts away, Kes yawned, his leg still pounding with pain. He wanted to lay down, though the rope tied about his face, and to the stall, forced him to stand. His eyelids drifted down, but he forced them back open, trying desperately to stay awake. He didn't want to sleep in thisp lace. Cihiru "I like him," she stated matter-of-factly, looking back at the man as she did so. "He's different." Why he remained, however, was a mystery. He seemed content to observe though; when Kali turned back to him, ears perked forward, he smiled again. "I'm glad you approve." Did he understand them? "Do you think...?" The mare left the question dangling uncertainly; she didn't want to sound foolish.
He may not have understood them, persay, but he could read enough of their body language to draw hints here and there. "You must sleep eventually. Don't worry, I'll watch over you." The man turned from them then, leaning back against the railing as he re-propped his elbows on the fence. "He's right, you know," she teased in the most good-natured tone she could manage, and gave a tired yawn. "You said yourself, it'll be okay." Kali passed the stallion a nuzzle before resigning herself to sleep. Twiddle Kestal was still wary of the man, but since Kali liked him, he supposed the two-legged couldn't be all bad. He let his head drift down, though he really wnted to lay down. He tried to, but only ended up tangling himself in an odd position.
Looking over his shoulder, the man blinked and carefully untied Kestal's harness from the stall. Kestal sank to the ground with relief, and the man gave another smile as he looked up at him. Kestal snorted and turned his head away. The man chuckled lightly as the stallion drifted to sleep.
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Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2006 7:31 am
Good Idea! Bad Idea: Kali, Kestal & ElanTwiddle Kestal stirred in his sleep as he dreamed. His eyes shot open as he felt a surge of pain course through his leg. He stood up quickly, stumbling but catching himself. He looked at his leg, which over the night had gotten more swollen. He sighed and shook his forelock from his eyes. He looked over the sde of the stall for Kali, catching a glimpse of the man who had untied him sitting in the corner, still asleep.
Looking away from the man, whom he was still wary about, he nickered softly to Kali. Cihiru The evening had been a restless one, filled with discomfort, nightmares, and at times, fear. She woke repeatedly, sometimes jolting to alertness with a start, and shuffling nervously within the narrow confines. And every time, the man had been there to reassure her. His gentle voice chased her groggy, lingering terrors away, and lulled her back to sleep eventually. She even permitted him to touch her once; that time, it was a careful scratch behind her ears that sent her back to dreams. Uncomfortable though it was, the night would have been far less restful without him.
But he probably would have gotten a lot more sleep without her. She woke naturally this time, cracking a lid to peer tiredly at the rising sun. The morning rays lit the horizon as reliably as ever, hailing a new day and casting an appreciated light on everything its fingers could reach. Including a figure nearby, huddled on the ground and leaning against the fence, obviously asleep. Finally; it was about time he got some rest. Kali smiled softly before turning to the equine greeting her. "Morning, Kestal." The mare gave her head a wake-up shake, tossing her mane about. "Are you doing alright?" Twiddle Kestal watched as she woke, smiling to her. "I'm fine." He was glad she couldn't see his leg, that was one good thing about the small confines of the stall. "How are you? Did you sleep well?" He knew he hadn't, he hadn't woken up very often, but his dreams were full of storms, fright, and pain. Shaking the thoguht off, he concentrated on her again. Cihiru She was relieved he could still find it inside himself to smile. It was a miniature sort of window to hope, reminding her despite everything, one could still stand and walk again. Figuratively, of course. It was comforting to know nothing could keep them down, if they refused to let it. "Terribly." She laughed; actually laughed. A wonderful feeling, that, even though she really had nothing to laugh at. "Feels kind of like my back is half broken too. I haven't gotten to stretch since... this time yesterday." Kali tilted her head thoughtfully, and sighed a little. "Not that it's anything much in compairison," she added.
Their exchange must have woke the man propped against the rails; he stirred lightly just then. The rustling of cloth and cured leather made her glance over at him, just in time to catch him lift a hand and run it through his disheleved hair (mussing it even more than it was already). Once he finished, he heaved a tired yawn, and peered over at them. The smile he gave as he met her eyes reassured her, this man was certainly not like the others. "Morn'," he murmured to them, pushing himself to his feet. Kali gave him a soft snort of acknowledgement, but she didn't dare linger on him for long, and turned quickly back to Kestal. Twiddle Kestal smiled sadly, how he had missed her laugh. He nuzzled her affectonately, his ear twisting over to the man as he stirred. Kes had to admit; this man was not like the others. If any of them were worthy of even the slightest bit of trust, it was him. Kes didn't grant him that trust though, not yet. He snorted in his general direction, and looked back to Kali. "That one," He said, motioning his head slightly towards the man, "Isn't like the others." He saw the man smile slightly out of the corner of his eye at Kestal's snort. Cihiru Kali frowned, though only lightly. The nuzzle filled her with a sort of sadness that was difficult to explain. Just something about the stalls... the barrier between them wasn't right; it felt awkward. "No, he's not." She chased the discomfort away with the topic Kestal offered, and smiled gratefully. "He stayed here all night, like he said he would. I'm not sure if you noticed or not." He seemed to have slept a little better, even if only slightly. She hoped he hadn't noticed; it would have meant he hadn't been restless like she had been."I hope you don't mind the name I chose. I promise Tahki is a far sight better than it would have been if the others got ahold of the opportunity to pick, anyway." Kali turned to look at the man as he spoke; he shrugged idly. "I'm Elan, by the way," he offered conversationally. "You... still need something to go by too." The mare noticed him gazing thoughtfully toward Kestal, and caught his somewhat bemused smile. "Unless you like being called 'stupid paint' and 'spotted horse'..." Twiddle Kestal's ear flickered toward the man, and he raised a brow at what he called Kali. Tahki? What is that? Oh, a name. He was naming them? Kestal wondered why he would, they already had names... But he doesn't know that. He thought, watching the man. He whinnied and stamped his foot at the comment of 'stupid paint' and 'spotted horse'.
The man smiled, yet eyed Kestal. It was as though he understood. "...Well, let's get that leg taken care of anyway." He murmured, peering over the stall door to look at Kes's leg. He cringed a bit at the sight. Cihiru Tahki was alright, she supposed. Kali would have been preferable, but she didn't have much choice in the matter, couldn't communicate what her name really was, and didn't have any reason to complain anyway. Tahki really wasn't so bad. "Could be worse..." The mare looked to Kestal and fixed him with an impish grin. "Silly paint." It was not, perhaps, the best time to be fooling though. She could tell he was still in a great deal of pain.
And yet again, so could the man who introduced himself as Elan. This intrigued her greatly; the behavior and understanding was not something she'd come to recognize as typical. Why could he communicate with them where others could not?The injury looked worse than he recalled and anticipated; hopefully it had not passed the realm of recovery. "That's quite a number you managed," he mumbled to himself, and made his way around to the gates. Kestal's stall opened easily, the leather 'latch' giving in to practiced hands. Elan was careful to pull it closed behind him; it would have been a very poor time for him to take back to the wilds. Twiddle Kestal glanced at Kali with a shake of his head at her comment, yet he smiled as well. He still loved that sense of humor, and was glad she could still pull it off, even in this environment. Kestal watched and listened as the man talked, and as he came into the stall, Kes backed up, eyeing him warily."Don't worry boy, I'm not here to harm you." Elan spoke softly, his voice smooth and low. "I'm just going to try and help that leg of yours." Kes watched him as he knelt down slowly, carefully trying not to spook the stallion, and grabbed a few bandges and a light greenish salve from his bag. Kes though had no idea what these things were, and he snorted, his ears twirling forward at the man.
Kestal eyed Elan as he started to carefully approach his back leg. "Easy boy, I'm not going to hurt you..." He said softly, as Kes backed away from him, his skin twitching. He glanced to Kali, hoping she could tell him if it was safe or not, since he wasn't sure.
Elan slowly, carefully spread the salve on the bandage, not daring to touch Kes directly yet. As he wound the bandage around his leg carefully, Kes cringed but let him do it, his ears flat against his head. Elan smiled and stood, leaving the stall and closing it securely behind him. "There, you'll heal much faster now." Cihiru The mare shook her head at Kestal, ears wilting in sadness toward his mistrust. "Listen to him - I really do believe his words." What had happened to make him hate them all? Here she was, standing against her will inside a small enclosure, robbed of her freedom of flight, and she couldn't find it within herself to hate him, too. The others were free game, but he did not deserve her malice. "Was that so bad?"
Elan had circled around the fence once he left the stall, brining him back around to the side her halter was still tied. She didn't seem particularly bothered by the restriction, but he went to untie it anyway. Kali noticed the man took his time in doing so, stealing glances at her now and then, as though he was using the activity as an excuse to observe her from such close quarters.
This amused her. He was exceptionally meticulous, taking particular care not to spook or offend them, even in situations such as this one... Where it was probably uncalled for. He did not bother her; Kali tried to let him know by pressing her nose into his palm. Elan answered with a pat on her velvety muzzle. Did that mean he understood?
It was a poor time to communicate ammends, either way. Their interaction caught the interest of three passerbys; men she recognized as part of the group from yesterday. Their expressions shared varying degrees of satisfaction, but they greeted Elan with a no-so-friendly sneer. "'Lo. Tamed the beast already?" The largest of the trio had approached the line of stalls, and leaned obnoxiously over the top of one of the fences. "Must not'o been so bad after all, if you could do it."
Kali refrained from turning to bite him only because Elan had her lead still in-hand. The mare pinned her ears instead, and gave her tail an agitated swish. "Not so much," he warned, his smile fading from his expression. Twiddle Kestal watched as Kali let them pet her, and he smiled a little. He finally realized this man was not there to harm them. Looking over at the me that came into the barn, Kes snorted and stomped one foot. His ears flattened against his head as well, but since no one was there to restrain him, he grinned. He leaned over the stall, and bit the man's hand, hard. "AH!" The man yelled and pulled back, ripping his hand from Kestal's jaw. "Damn paint.." He muttered, cradling his fingers.
"That one is crazy." One of the other men said, eying Kes. Kes snorted at him, stomping his foot once again. He wanted to go out there and pound every one of tehm under his hooves. But the fact that he was in a small stall, and his leg was still wounded, didn't permit him to do so. He snorted once more and whinnied. "He's not crazy; he's wounded and doesn't like you." Elan replied, with a slight smile on his face. Cihiru "I can't blame him," he added thoughtfully, scratching his chin in an almost musing manner. "Don' tell me what tha' stupid h-" "Ahote likely has more sense than you do," Elan interjected. "So I think I'll make that decision myself; thank you for your concern."
The man huffed angrily at him and shoved himself off the fence with his palms. "A'right, Elan. If yer such a horse whisperer, yeh must have th' mare quiet as a rabbit b'now." He invited himself into Kali's stall and took hold of her bridle, 'politely' forcing Elan to surrender his hold. And he did, bowing his head in acknowledgement, while a voice inside him chimed you don't know what you're getting into.Was he ever clueless. Kali followed him out easy enough; she was so eager to be free of the tiny confines, she didn't really care about the method. Even more welcome, his first order of buisness was to pull the blanket from her back and toss it on the ground. The mare shook immediately, sending the dust lodged under the cover flying. Ah, that felt good. Stretching her wings would have felt better; she could feel them twitching against the binds in anxiousness.
But this wasn't stretching; not at all. Rope clasped in one hand, the burly man took a fistful of mane in his other hand, and slung himself over Kali's back. The extra weight hit her unexpectedly; the moment she spent stationary was the split second she was too stunned to move. The following moments were spent with the man clinging desperately with his hands and legs as she reared, using the base of her wings as an advantage to help keep him seated. "You okay?" one of his companions questioned after a minute or two.
In a pristine example of time-honored perfection, he lost his grip at just that moment. The man stayed on her back for only seconds after that, sliding quickly down her spine and landing on the dusty ground with a 'thud.' Kali exhaled a heavy, relieved sigh when she felt him fall, and distanced herself as far as she could before someone else grabbed the rope she trailed behind her. Twiddle Kestal stood by Elan and watched as this took place. As the man grabbed Kali's mane and heaved himself atop her back, Kes practically destroyed his stall. He bucked his good foot against the side, his front feet bashing against the door. The hinge creaked dangerously, and Kes would have gotten through if Elan hadn't restrained him by grabbing the lead rope attatched to his head.Elan watched, shaking his head, and hiding the small smile on his face. "Damn mare!" The now embarrassed man shouted at Kali, glaring. "Elan, ya didn' do a very good job o' breakin' this 'ere mare." He said, trying to put the blame on his companion. "I never tried to." Elan replied calmly, watching the other with a knowing smirk.Kestal whinnied to Kali in teh mean time, reaching out his neck as far as he could, trying to get over to her. "Are you alright?" He asked, almost frantic. Cihiru "She'll be alright," Elan assured, whispering to the paniced equine beside him. "She can take care of herself. Besides," he leaned closer still, steadying Kestal to the best of his ability. "You'll like the ending." The man nodded to the horse as he stilled and turned his gaze back to center stage.
The would-be rider was fuming so fiercely you could practically see the steam streaming off his head and shoulders. He never fell; not even off of wild horses. And he especially didn't let insolent Elan walk all over him. "What else do yeh think yer 'ere ta do?" he jabbed. "I'm here to take care of and tame them - and she's tamer than anyone could expect from such a wild and independant horse," he defended with a neutral tone. "Prove it, 'less I find somethin' else fer yeh t'do with yer time." This was not a hollow threat; Elan knew it and heeded it well.For a moment, she'd forgotten Kestal was there. His whinny pulled her thoughts back to reality, and she turned to look to him. "I'm fine." Kali had been saying that a lot lately. "I think it looks a lot worse than it is." She tried to approach and comfort him, but a tug on her halter said otherwise. And it was Elan, so she gave the stallion a regretful, apologetic smile and walked back to their caretaker, obediant as the tamest steeds."I'm sorry, Tahki," he whispered to her. "I shouldn't have let him do that - but I did, and now I have to show him I can ride you. I won't be able to watch over you if I can't." There was a gentle pleading in his tone; not begging, but a most sincere request for her permission. "I asked yeh t'show she's broke', not remind us yeh like t' talk with horses," he goaded, fully aware it was an impossible feat. 'Breaking,' as he called it, took weeks, sometimes months to accomplish; not a single day. "Will you let me?" Elan questioned, ignoring the man rambling behind him.It was a lot to absorb; Kali wasn't sure she understood the entirety of the situation. He wanted to... sit on her back, like the loud man had? What for? Whatever the reasoning, he made it sound like something he had to do; for some reason, she didn't want to let him down any more than she wanted one of those other men to take his place. So she nodded at him, bobbing her slender head and nosing at his hands. "I don't mind." It wasn't so bad.Elan's approach was much gentler, and his form was much lighter. He landed on her back like a feather, just sort of settling into his seat and wrapping his legs around her barrel. He actually expected her to start, at least a little, and had braced for it... And was taken by surprise when she didn't. The mare stood there like a statue, save for the idle flick of her gradiant tail. "I'm failing to see a problem here..." He couldn't help but goad; victory was delicious, and securing his lifestyle with the horses meant the world to him. Twiddle As the men laughed at the apparent leaders goads and jokes, Kes watched with ear perked. That is what the men who had taken his herd members had done. He remeberd them trying to ride atop the ones he had grown to love and think of as family. As he was lost in this memory, he didn't want it to happen to Kali too, and he forgot it was Elan who sat upon her now.
A large booming noise could he heard as Kes slammed his hooves against the stall, trying desperately to get to Kali. He whinnied loudly, snorting and stomping. Elan watched him with wide eyes, as the other men did, not sure what set this stallion off to rampaging. One of the men tried to gran his lead, and he snapped at the man's hnd, who quickly backed away from the crazy paint.
The leaderof the group suddenly hit him on the rump hard with a folded up strap of rope. Kestal let out a loud whinny of pain, and glarwed at teh man, ears flat against his skull. But it drove him out of his memory and into reality again. He blinked, looking at the marks in teh wood he had made, then looked over at Kali and Elan. He shook his head and looked down, almostlooking as though he was ashamed.The men eyed him warily, and were still in shock as to the fact Elan was sitting atop the mare with no problem, the horse standing there as if everything were normal. The leader huffed and left, saying he needed to get chores done, and the men followed him out.
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Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 5:19 pm
Relationships, and Other Oddities: Ti'ran & IntrepidLethrossen Intrepid moved along in the forest, he wouldn't be gone long from Rikka. She was probably paranoid he'd stepped away for a little bit. Probably thought he'd run again. Maybe he could bring her something back. Berries? Might be hard to find this time of year. But he just needed to think, and he did that best when he was walking.
It had been decided. He would help her with the two foals, wether she wanted the help or not. Actually, he should probably find out if she wanted his help first, even if he was going to try and force it on her. That was how he could make up for what he'd done... right? Ugh, he didn't want kids. Kids were a hassle. But for some reason he wanted to stay close to Rikka. Too bad that took him about eight months to realize, and still not fully.
He snorted, short tail flicking as he inhaled the nightly scents. His dark gaze flicked up toward the tree branches, trying to see through their web to the sky above. He wondered if the sky was beautiful tonight? Cihiru The sky was always beautiful. This was something he'd come to realize through seasons of isolation and contemplation, and insignificant though it may have seemed, it cracked his stoic visage with a faint smile. Whether the sun parted the drifting clouds, or the lightning cracked the crying sky, it was magnificant.
The same could not be said for everything; he'd come to realize this too. It did not plague his mind tonight, however, which he would have paused to appreciate had he become aware of it. He was busy thinking of other things instead... Things like why, of all logic reasoning, had he decided to depart from his sanctuary home and brave the wonders of the land beyond it? What made him turn to such reckless abandon? Maybe he just hadn't thought of it that way, until now.
Regardless, here he was, plodding along in what would have seemed an absent daze if not for the way his ears gave attentive flicks. Was there someone else about? He could have sworn it was the shuffling of hoofsteps playing on the slight breeze. Did he want to call out to it, chancing whether or not it was? Ti'ran podered for a brief moment before deciding no, he didn't. So he wandered toward it instead, pausing occasionally to reassess his approach. Lethrossen Intrepid's thought flitted away, his main foccus now were his surroundings. It was easy to get lost in thoughts, but dangerous to do so at night. Especially in the woods, a prey-beast could attack him any moment.
He snorted lightly, tossing his head a little. Attack him an recieve a few broken ribs or at least a bruise, for sure. He would fight back if that was ever the case. His ears tilted slightly left. Was someone there?
He inhaled deeply, but caught no scent. He surpressed a nervous whinnie, continuing his walk. He listened intently for an intruder. But it could alwasy be another mare or stallion, yes?
"Hello?" His voice was low, as well as cautious. Cihiru The object of his approach proved more daring than he; it called out before he had chance to pull it into view. "Hello," the stallion returned simply, stopping abruptly for a moment. This would be the first individual he had an exchange with since he'd set out on his travels; he only hoped he would not make a fool of himself with ignorance.
Having resolved his thoughts, he gave his head a shake to tame stray locks of his wavy mane, and started forward. His steps were light, but quick, and before long he found himself in the company of another Soquili. He first huffed a low neigh in greeting, following it with "I am Ti'ran."
The stallion standing before him was not unlike others he'd seen and heard of... but they were rare, and so he still provided a bit of novelty. It was difficult not to stare, particularly at the lack of horn and... well, fluffy tail. Ti'ran gave his own slender tail a flick, reminding himself of the differences. This served as a distraction too, and broke his fascination. Lethrossen Intrepid gave a little neigh back in return greeting, ears flicking as if to catch the name that was spoken. For once he was not sorry that it was a male that had greeted him instead of a female. But he was amazed at the sight before him. What was that horn.. and the odd tail? His markings seemed to glow, something else Trep had never come to see.
He blinked and gave his head a shake, loose strands as well as braided peices falling to either side of his neck. "I'm known as Intrepid.. nice to meet you, Ti'ran." He tried to keep the wonderment from his voice, but he was doing a poor job of it. He wanted to ask the other what he was!
But instead, "Why are you out here tonight.. also on a walk?" Cihiru The tone in the other's voice all but made him outright laugh; it would seem he was not the only one having a moment of curiosity. "Same to you. Intrepid, was it?" The name was a foriegn one; he wanted to be certain he'd heard it correctly.
"I wish I knew," he answered, overlooking the wonderment until he decided to be forward with it. He could ignore it, if Intrepid wanted to. "Walking just for the sake of walking." There was more to it than that, but he didn't care to share stories of a long and mostly boring journey, nor go into details of his homeland, and his kind. Not yet, anyway. "Yourself?"
To ask such a question and not have motivation himself would have crossed the unicorn as a little unlikely. Surely he was here for a reason? Lethrossen He nodded at the other's pronounceation of his name, it was correct. His short tail gave another flick and he let his curious gaze wander a bit left to the horned-stallion, he knew it was rude to stare but he was still amazed.
He listened to the other's reply in a calm manner, walking for the sake of walking. Fair enough, he supposed. What better reason to be out and about anyhow? One should not truly need a reason to be walking during the night. "I myself am just doing a bit of thinking, my mind needs settling." He murmered, but did not elaborate.
He was sure his story of abandonment and then finding the one he'd abandoned only to learn he had new responsabilities could prove to be an interesting one. But he did not feel like speaking of it, nor did he want the other to think him such a scummy fellow. Even though Trep thought himself a bit scummy, to say the least, he did not really want others thinking it as well. Cihiru Ti'ran noted the way the stallion glanced away with a slightly raised brow. Staring may have been socially impolite, but he liked to look at others while they were conversing. He might have mentioned it usually, but Intrepid's apparent discomfort made him refrain.
"Setlling is accomplished through action, not just thinking." Pondering what-if's and could-be's accomplished only so much. They could form a course of action, but could not undo the past nor weave the future. "Is it because you are not sure what to do?" Granted, he knew it wasn't any of his buisness. He was also very aware he wasn't in a position to be prodding, as this was someone he'd only just met. But he did seem troubled, and who knew, maybe there was something he could do to help. Lethrossen He glanced to Ti'ran's eyes for a moment, before turning and nodding. "Would you like to continue your walk? I should be returning back this way anyhow.." The other had seemed to be going in that direction, but Trep could be mistaken.
Now there was the matter of answering the other. It was almost nice to talk about it with someone else, even if they had no clue what it actually was. But what the other stallion said seemed very smart, action and thought together settled things, not just thought or blind action.
"Oh no, I have chosen what to do. I am just.. I know it was the right thing to do, but my actions prior to it were rather horrid. And I am trying to ease my mind." But part of him knew trying to do something just because it would make one less guilty.. did not work in the slightest. "I have hurt someone, someone who was not very dear to me.. but I think she had it in her mind i was dear to her. I am just trying to make up for it.." He sighed. He shouldn't be sharing any of this, it would probably back fire.
But again, it was nice to say his thoughts out loud for a little bit. Even if they were a bit mixed up and cut off here and there. Cihiru "It's no matter." He wasn't particularly sure what direction he was headed anyhow. At this point, it was all the same - away. Away from his home, family, and friends (few though they were). What difference did it make?
He did like to think of himself as wise, even if at times he did throw tact to the wind. Truth was truth, and fact was fact, regardless of how 'fluffily' one said it.
"Your mind should be eased by the knowledge what you are doing now is right." Guilt was an obstinant burden, he knew that. He did not, however, know much of the complications in relationships and false love. That was a whole new world to him; something he wasn't sure he wanted to touch with a stick.
"Have you apologized to her?" Ti'ran never had been one for regrets and sorries, but perhaps there was a time and place for everything. "And told her your current intentions?" One could only hope his word still held a grain of salt with her; if not, he wasn't sure how much Intrepid could really do. Lethrossen "Yes, I apologized." He murmered, walking slowly. Though that had been no matter, she'd then asked him to apologize to two baskets. Baskets containing life they'd made together. Though life had not been Intrepids intention.
Gah, he hadn't told her his current intensions, has he? "I still have to work out how to word that to her." He murmered, tail flicking as a light breeze came passed and ruffled at his fur. "It will take a long time.. to fix what i've done." Maybe it would never be fully fixed, either. Maybe there would always be a crack on the surface, proof that the one time beauty was now ruined, even if only a little.
But he was feeling sorry for himself still, and that was wrong. He had to get passed those feelings before he could feel sorry for Rikka, sorry for the nameless two. And then he could move on to fixing what he'd done. Cihiru "You keep saying you want to make it up to her - to make her forgive your mistakes." Ti'ran willed his cloven hooves to move forward, carrying a slow plod as he pondered the other's situation. "Make sure it is her interests you have in mind." He was making assumptions again - that had come back to bite him a time or two in the past. He just couldn't help himself; at times it seemed logical to do so.
After all, if one was given only so much information, did he not have to read between the lines? Yes, he did, the stallion assured himself. He had to make sense with limited knowledge. "Tell her what is on your mind; you don't have to plan, nor make it perfect." The ebony equine 'hmm'ed inwardly, absorbing the thoughts the gears in his mind fed him as they turned. "If she cares for you as you think she does, she will know what you mean."
Or at least, that's what it sounded like to him. He hoped, if Intrepid did choose to heed his not-so-experienced advice, it would work out in the manner his thoughts seemed to think it would. Lethrossen Ah see? There he went again, showing just how bad he could be. Well, not just as bad. But he was keeping his own interests at heart. He was a very selfish creature, but he was trying to give that up. Maybe, a little.
"Ah, thank you. Perhaps I should do as you say." Inexperience but still very good advice, and Trep did not know the other was inexperienced about such right then. Actually, Ti'ran was reading between the lines and assuming left out facts rather well.
"I am truly sorry, I have been droning on and on. I am sure you do not want to hear of this." He gave a half-forced chuckle, glancing sideways to his night time companion. Such a strange creature to Trep. "I'm sure you'd rather speak of other things." And if he wouldn't then Intrepid would just have to change the subject, because he was tiring of speaking about his personal life right then. Well, speaking about as much as he'd let out. Cihiru His ramblngs had been accepted rather well; it was his cue to buckle up and hope for the best. He'd done a decent job in the past, rarely pointing others in the wrong direction. But, well, one could never be sure. Life did have a rather large bag of surprises.
"Good luck," he offered rather earnestly. From the sound of things, he might need it. Ti'ran did know of the unbridled fury some mares seemed to carry with them; for all he knew, she might be one of those.
"I wouldn't say that." Droning was sometimes redundant and unimportant, and always uninteresting. Intrepid's ramblings had been none of these, and the unicorn was hardly bothered. Besides, it was something he could write down to the books of past experiences, free for future reference should he need it. "I have nothing else to speak of, as I'd rather not describe every brook and tree I've encountered in the last three days."
There wasn't much for him to discuss except that. He'd had no interaction to reflect on, no riveting tales of adventure. It was just him, the landscape, and everything he left behind. - Something he wasn't too keen on discussing right now. It hadn't occured to him he was something to talk about, and unicorns were a topic of interest. Lethrossen Well he was glad he could entertain the other with his troubles, if only for a bit. "Ah, so you are traveling." Not so much of a question as it was an assumption. Three days since he'd come from some place. What Trep was really curious about though was...
"I do not mean to sound rude.. but where you come from, are there many others with a horn and tail such as your own?" He glanced sideways at the other, his tone light and curious. Well it was something to talk about, was it not?
Trep was actually enjoying this company, for the time being. He hoped his question was not off-putting, though. Cihiru "I suppose you could call it that." At this point, Ti'ran was not certain if it was traveling or leaving. Either seemed possabilities at that moment. But time would show him soon enough; it always did.
"Where I come from, 'horns and tails like mine' are typical. To not have them is... unusual and unfavored." Well, the unfavored part could have stood to go without saying. Ti'ran wasn't one to pay heed to things like that though. "Are you implying the opposite is true here?" That was an unexpected conclusion; he would not have figured the world beyond the mountains to be devoid of his kind.
Life did have a rather large bag of surprises though, he reminded. Unpredictable was exciting and interesting; he was fairly certain he wouldn't have it any ot her way. Lethrossen Intrepid nodded thoughtfully. So that ment it might not have been fully traveling. Oh well, nothing would come from thinking on it, would it?
"Unfavored?" He questioned, only half realizing he was asking this out loud. Why would something like that be unfavored... Just because where Ti'ran came from they all had horns and 'odd' tails... or because to not have them ment something else entirely?
"Ah yes, it is very rare indeed. At least, I think it so. I have never met another with a horn or a tail such as yours. The strangest thing I have seen before you..." He cut off, realizing how rude that was. He coughed and shook his head a little uneasily. "Excuse me. The thing most out of the norm around here i've seen of late was a mare with wings, and that seems only special in these parts." Meaning it wasn't so rare, even if he'd only met one. He had seen others, perhaps heard tidbits of them. Cihiru He should have expected an inquiry. "Unfavored," Ti'ran repeated. Why, however, wasn't something he'd ever really pondered on. It was a 'social norm' one grew to expect and accept as something that just was. "A fear of the abnormal, maybe. Or a desire for conformity. I am not sure why." As far as he knew, it was nothing special.
Or was it? "None at all?" Well, just because this single individual had never met any did not mean they didn't exist. It was a small sample from a whole world of others. But, maybe it was unusual after all. And 'strange'... The word made him laugh inwardly, but it did not disturb his lack of expression.
"I have heard of the wind children, too." He saw them from time to time as well, for they sometimes ventured over his valley home. It wasn't entirely unheard of for them to land and interact either, so to him, winged Soquilis were in fact more 'normal' than those from neither type. "Then it sounds like I am rather strange, indeed."
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 4:46 pm
Chilluns': Ti'ran, Pallaton, Kasi, Ch'risa, Rowanoak & Orlandowooga Paes A stallion moved along the clearing in an easy trot, followed by a foal. Pallaton was taking is daughter for a nice, calm walk at sunset. He was moving at the river's route, though carefull so his daughter woulden't fall in. He could just help her if he did, but it probably wasen't a good thing for the foal, so soon enough he stopped and waited for her to pass him, it'd be easier to keep an eye on her that way. The foal was busying herself with her imagination, chasing a nonexistant creature. It had flaps on its side and was moving around-- in the air. Of course the foal was yet to understand those flaps were wings, but for now, she'd just happly chase her imagination, scuttling around as fast as her legs could carry. dustfeather Rowanoak, it seems, is looking after the son, who is lagging a little behind. The half-striped mare is reclining gracefully in the shadows of the woods, looking back over her shoulder at a gangly young palomino colt, who is carefully inspecting everything in turn. He seems particularly fascinated by the moving things: a squirrel darting to and fro, a caterpillar on a log. They move. Like the basket did, although not nearly as fast. "Come along, dear," she calls back to him, and he whisks about after her, not really understanding the words, but drawn by the sound of her voice nevertheless. His tiny tail sweeps back and forth, happily twitching, and he nuzzles the mare's side, going around and giving her tail a shy tug. Motherhood seems to have mellowed Rowanoak out, for she smiles vaguely and moves off towards Pallaton with a content expression. She doesn't yet realize that there's a stranger close nearby.... wooga Paes Pallaton looks back to his mate and son with a smile, before quickly looking forward to be asure his daughter woulden't fall in the water. What was she chasing anyways? Weird foal. Gotta love 'em tho, she was rather cute goofing around for nothing. The foal's imagination adventure ended in a quick shot as one of her hooves slipped into the water, but she managed to keep out of it by leaning forward, and slowly pulling it out. Water was so weeeeeeeird! And and. COLD. And urghf. She didn't want to fall into it.. Or did she? Peering over the edge, she smacked into it with her nose, splashing some of it around, before noticing-- why coulden't she breathe? Pulling back, the foal took a deep breath, shaking her mane out. Cihiru It would seem there was more than one stranger about, for another set of hoofsteps soon joined the mesh of sounds. They were soft; careful. As though he who possessed them observed his surroundings meticulously, taking in each and every detail, minor or otherwise. And he did, for each flicker of movement caused him to pause curiously, and flick his gaze toward it with an arched brow. He repeated this motion often, as one can imagine, halting to peer at a drifting butterfly, or a scurring shadow.
It wasn't long though, before something more pressing met his senses. A voice, carried faintly on the wind, coaxed a flick from his attentive ears, and the equine drew his pace to a stop yet again. It was a Soquili, certainly, but did he want to risk intruding? He could not be sure how kindly this stranger would take to his barging in - Particularly when considering there were foals, as he realized now, peering through the foliage. Young foals, it seemed, judging by the way the one acquainted herself with her surroundings. Couldn't blame her, really. It was a rather strange place they lived in.
But what could it hurt to introduce himself? "Afternoon," he greeted as he pulled himself out into the open. "I hope I'm not interrupting?" The unicorn gave his head a polite bow, looking between the individuals as he did so. "My name is Ti'ran." He was careful to keep his distance, allowing the family their space and then some, but he was close enough not to raise his voice. dustfeather Orlando sticks close to his mother's side, watching Kasi play near the water's edge, and eyeing the liquid distrustfully. That moves, too, and there's an awful lot of it. That possibly categorizes it as 'monster' status. But as long as he's close to mother and father, he'll be alright. Rowanoak's lazy train of thought comes to an abrupt halt as a dark figure arrives.
She's heard of unicorns before...she's heard the legends. But she's never actually seen one, or more than half-believed in them. They were something comforting for a nighttime story, as much as were the monsters. Her first thought, when she comes out of the momentary shock, is for her children, and she takes a minute step closer to Orlando as she watches the dark unicorn, and glances at Pallaton for a brief second.
"Afternoon," she says, her voice cautious but cordial. "We were just out for a walk, and it's a free country, so I'd hardly think you're interrupting anything." Never one for the nicities of conversation, she merely nods, still looking vaguely suspicious. Legends don't normally just jump out at you from the bush. "I'm Rowanoak, and this is my mate, Pallaton, and these are our two children, Orlando and Kasi."The little colt is staring, fascinated, at Ti'ran, although he sticks close to Rowanoak's side. It's so dark! Like the nighttime. Perhaps this is a nighttime Soquili. But it's not like Momma and Poppa, either. Puzzled, the child wrinkles his nose. Suddenly shy, the colt buries his nose in his mother's flank. wooga Paes The stallion nods his hea dpolitely, turning around to face the unicorn. H would have introduced himself-- but Ro got there first, haden't she? "Nice to meet you. " Other than Rowanoak, Palla didn't fint it odd for this one to have a horn-- he met one with wings, sometime he'd find one like this.
But then some movement caught his attention, something had just moved out of the bushes, and then just ducked? He made sure to be in the way if this creature tried attacking any of them, but seemed to calm a tad after noting it was a human. Humans could be threats, no doubt, but they were still better than cougars, wolves and bears. Those had speed and weapons, humans were slow, and their weapons weren't likely to hit. The stallion lets out a slight warning neigh, just to let know he found something. Kasi, though, was now busying herself with trotting over to Ti'ran, unblinking. Sooo black.. And those pretty teal marking he had-- and that pointy thing on his head! She attempted to talk again, only failing and letting out something in the route of a squeal. Shaking her hea,d the foal lets out a playufll neigh, tail swishing behind her-- would this guy play too?! She could introduce him to her little friend~ Cihiru He had come to expect this reaction not long after discovering his kind were far more unusual than he originally anticipated. This allowed him to accept it with a simple nod, rather than disbelief, and he merely looked on as the scene unfolded. He noted the mare's protective instinct with an inward smile, and warned himself not to step closer. "One would think not, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious." She could appreciate this, surely, for he heard the reservation in her tone.
"Hello to you, too." Ti'ran eyed the braver of the two foals, neither bothered nor threatening. "You must be Kasi?" This was another assumption, he realized... But surely a relatively safe one. Orlando wouldn't be much of a suitable name at all for a filly, would it? "Pleased to meet you." The politeness did not disturb his rather expressionless visage, but he didn't carry a foreboding air about him either.
Quite the opposite, actually. The Soquili lowered his sculpted head, to peer at the pale filly on more of an even ground. He would have said something additional too, but the stallion's neigh drew his attention. Turning toward the focus of his attention, Ti'ran huffed a questioning snort. Nel_Zelpher_2005 Ch'risa stiffened, not daring to move a muscle. Apparently she'd been found already. She didn't think Soquili were violent, but what would they do if they thought she was a threat? She hoped that at the most they'd just run away...she stood slowly, holding out her hands to show that she was no threat. Please don't let them leave... she thought. dustfeather She inclines her head slightly, and nods, clearly catching the deeper meaning behind the statement. Rowanoak relaxes a fraction: still on her guard, she's more comfortable around this unknown entity than previously. But a unicorn...Several questions flit through her head, each of them sounding rather silly, so she bites her tongue. A unicorn....
The mare's head suddenly shoots up at Pallaton's warning, her ears thrust forward, and she moves closer to Ti'ran...who is closest to little Kasi.
"What is it?" She hisses at her mate, slightly miffed at him for warning her of something, and then not telling her what it is...and, with her head turned around, she doesn't spot the creature coming out of the brush, at first.Orlando, deprived of his mother for the moment, sticks like a burr to his father instead, picking up on the uneasy tension in the air. His tiny ears draw back to his head, and he bares his teeth, as if ready to fight an imaginary foe, which turns to a squeak of surprise as the human appears. That's something he hasn't seen before! He presses his muzzle into Pallaton's shoulder. wooga Paes Pallaton took a small step back as the human got up, an ear twiching back when Ro spoke to him. "See for yourself. " He was rather amused that she haden't seen the human get up, wasen't that hard to spot, really. He woulden't lee from this human-- she was unarmed, a big and pointy stick wasen't hard to miss, and she didn't wield one. Brat wasen't ever armed either, but he still evaded the small girl, because she was quite anoying, though also nice in a way. Kasi blinks as the unicorn speak-- why can everyone do that? Snorting, she turned her attention to her father, but it quickly snapped to the odd creature. For once, she was startld, and scurried to take cover behind Ti'ran, he was closer than mother, and farther from.. Whetever that was, so it would obviously be her choice. Cihiru The stallion could almost see the questions fleeting through Rowanoak's mind, but his attention was too focused on the human to dwell on them. What was she doing, anyway? Ti'ran's gaze flicked toward the girl as she rose to her feet, but he pulled it to the filly as she hid herself behind him. "If it suits you..." he muttered, mostly to himself, as he craned his neck.
He really wasn't sure how to comfort her. A Soquili of his age - old by normal standards - could not avoid interaction with foals entirely, but he'd never spent enough time around the younglings to gather the ins and outs of caring for them. Ti'ran looked on instead, flicking his ears uncertainly as the human extended her hands.
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 9:11 am
Misadventure: Loki, Arida, Neferti & SheridanSayuri_Nitta Ardia clipped along a worn dirt track along the side of a field, before wandering out onto the grass. It was sodden under her hooves, and she kept her tail up a little to stop the ends from becoming wet. She shook her mane, looking up into the sky as birds wheeled across it. The sun was fairly warm, but the air still held the cold and her breath was visible. She nosed the grass, clipping a mouthful and chewing on it, just standing, enjoying the afternoon. lilwerewolfgirl This patch of grass is so tall... it nearly covers 3/5ths of my body! She thought giving a nicker, a butterfly landed ontop of her nose as she lifted it into the air. The reds and golds of its wings shimmered almost translucent as the sun hit it. Snorting she gave it the up draft it needed to once again take to the sky, as free as a bird. Her cloven hooves sank every now and then as she walked through the muddy portions of the high grasslands. Every once and a while one of the would get stuck, when she would use her strength and hoist herself out of the trap.
Everything was fine for a while, the grassline seemed to decrease... but the filly still was hidden. Finally pushing her luck she found her front right hoof sinking in the wet soil. Yanking as hard as she could she nearly stumbled backwards, if she yanked any harder she might of just as well tor the limb off! Neferti let out a silent plee for her, and looked around. Sayuri_Nitta Ardia wandered slowly along, occasionally snatching up a mouthful of the wet grass. She skirted boggy sections of the field as she went, her ears turning as she moved. After a while she was sure she could hear some sort of distress call, and she hurried more now, coming across the patterned filly.
'Are you okay?' she asked. lilwerewolfgirl The young soquili's eyes lightened softly as someone came. She hadnt seen her before.. maybe she came from behind? Or perhaps she could teleport... the female thought way too much. "Noo im stuck and cant seem to get out!" She tossed head head around wildly trying to remove her hoof. Her horn was zooming around like a dagger, if she hurt someone with it... it was completly unintentional. Cihiru This was one of those days where the stallion's more inherant nature resurfaced; a day where the afternoon was his morning. Loki gave a broad, tired yawn, and made a weak attempt to shake the disobediance from his mane. Always obstinate, it remained dishelved in his eyes as he squinted to peer at the surrounding foliage. Beams of light spilled through the forest canopy, blotching the leafy ground beneath it, while a too-alert chorus chimed through the humid air. That was his sign the world was up and around, and perhaps it was just about time he joined them.
Having stretched the lingering drowsiness from his relunctant limbs, he headed off on the day's journey with that resolution. It was a voyage he allowed his hooves to lead, taking him wherever it was they willed. And today, it would seem they thirsted for adventure, for they headed off in a direction he'd never bothered to explore.
A direction that soon proved very... soggy. He found himself wondering what in the world had possessed him to travel there, but a distraught cry forbid him from dwelling on it. Loki's ears twitched as they guaged the direction it had come from, and before long his hooves were following, pulling him near the source. As the filly (and mare, he noticed) drew into view, he huffed a low, required neigh to announce his presence, and strode to their side just in time to hear her explain her situation. "Calm yourself, for starters." Sayuri_Nitta Ardia shifted, trying not to let her own hooves sink into the grasping mud.
'It's okay,' she soothed, trying to avoid the needle point of the horn. She looked as hoofsteps announced another's presence, an imposing stallion. She ducked her head in greeting, then looked back at the filly.
'He's right, if you struggle its worse,' she said, keeping her voice calm so that hopefully the filly would calm as well. lilwerewolfgirl "How would calming down get rid of my situation!?" She said whining like a nieve child would. She continued to struggle a bit more, that was until her hoof sank even deeper. Without the balance of her 4 hooves her body thretened to topple over, if she did... you the hoof go with her or snap out of place? ._.; Realizing this the filly took some deep breaths. At first she didnt realize there was another soquili around her, this one was male.
One deep breath after the other she patiently tried to calm herself down. Her heart still raced... she didnt like the feeling of being trapped. "What.. do i do?" She asked the elders with pleading eyes. Cihiru Loki did not return the polite greeting; not right then, anyway. The filly's panic overwrote any other intentions he might have held at that moment. "It won't, but clear thoughts generally help." The stallion invited himself closer yet, bringing his large form to the filly's side. "Hold still. Thrashing around will make you sink." This was something he'd learned the hard way. The thought nearly made him grimace. But what had he done, back then?...
Oh, right. As the 'lightbulb' flashed inside his mind, Loki ducked his head to more carefully observe the problem. And after he deemed it safe to do so, he rose one pale hoof and pawed gently at the mushy earth around her limb. "Can you pull free, now?" The point near her hoof, at least, was noticably thinned out, with small trenches where he'd dug the mud away. Sayuri_Nitta The foal was panicking too much, Ardia could see. She thought, trying to come to an idea that would help.
'Go carefully,' she said to the filly.
'Pull a hoof out one at a time,' she hovered, blowing air through her nose in worry.
'I could get a tree branch, something for you to grip with your teeth and pull the other end to help if need be,' she suggested. lilwerewolfgirl She didnt mind the other comming so close, she wasnt that closterphobic. She watched ever so curiously as he pawed away at the mud. The indentation grew deeper and deeper, she tried to heeve her leg out but it was still pretty deep in there. "Still too deep" >_< " Looking towards the female she gave a nod. "That might help~" Sayuri_Nitta 'I'll be as quick as I can,' Ardia promised before cantering away towards the distant treeline. As she approached the stand of trees she slowed, casting about for broken branches that might be of use. She kicked about the rotting leaf litter, her hoof knocking against something and she kicked the leaves away, finding a good sized branch. She bent, grabbing it with her teeth and trotting off, the mulchy taste repellent to her tongue but she needed it. Back at the foals side, she stood with front legs apart, bracing herself and proferring the other end of the branch to the filly.
'Grab ob,' she managed, talking around the damp wood. lilwerewolfgirl She waiting a bit impatiently as she went for the branch. The duo where so nice to help her out here. ._. She felt so helpless.
Careful not to get her other hooves stuck she stayed still. Finally she came abck with the branch. Reaching her neck roward Neferti clasped the branch in her mouth, ICK! it tasted soo nasty!, and readyed herself. "Wready" SHe mumbled as well from the branch between her jaws. Sayuri_Nitta Ardia blinked, her ears folding back as she walked, step by step, inching backwards, teeth gripping into the branch. She thought she felt the filly moving towards her but couldnt be sure and so she just moved on, pulling back carefully, not wanting either of them to get hurt as they tugged against the mud's clinging hold. lilwerewolfgirl She did start to move forward slowly. As the mare tugged on her end the filly pulled on her leg. She tugged and tugged until finally with a small POP her leg was free. Not without just though, she twisted it on the way out.
Limping away from the mud-trap she settled down and shook the debree that had collected on her, spitting out the branch. "bleck!"
If it wasnt for the duo, she'd still be stuck. "Thanks you two~ Im Neferti." Her attitude changed completly as she sat, her ancle wasnt touching the ground for fear of pains. Sayuri_Nitta Ardia stumbled a little as the filly suddenly popped free. She dropped the branch as well, stepping away from the mushy ground and tugged up a clump of grass, chewing it slowly to rid herself of the damp wood taste.
'Ardia,' she said, shaking her mane as she swallowed the mouthful.
'Is your leg okay?' she asked, noting that she was holding it off the ground. lilwerewolfgirl "naw its fine.. i think i just twisted it. Itl heal fast imma quick healer~" Standing up she put most of her front weight on her uninjured leg. "Nice meeting you, i must go now..." Giving a small bow the unicorn soquili trotted off. Cihiru Loki had nodded briefly at the suggestion, though he continued stubbornly, pawing scoops of mud away in relative silence. It wasn't a huge help, it would seem, but it sure beat standing by staring, useless as the mare pulled the filly free. He wasn't keen on being useless. In light of that, the stallion gave a triumphant "there!" as the filly's leg pulled free.
"Don't have much to thank me for." His smile was a soft, almost embarrassed one... Fairly unusual on his features. "My name is Loki." He dipped his nose in greeting, and nodded toward Ardia as he finished. "You look a bit unsteady; do you need anything else?"... And then she excused herself, answering his inquiry without additional words. "Well then. Take care." Sayuri_Nitta Ardia nodded, watching the filly leave; it was after all young, and if she rested it, should heal fairly quickly. She looked at Loki, amusement on her face.
'Well, at least she'll stay away from muddy places now,' she commented, her tail swishing behind her. She started as another stallion approached as the filly left. Glancing at him she dipped her head, he was very handsome and finely coloured. Rein_Carnation A figure moved quite fast among the hills, his muscles moving with his entire form. Mane and tail swaying behind him, shimmering silken black as obsidian. Traveling from the northern mountains where he was staying he was staying, he decided to see what else lied out there. Perhaps even a pretty set of eyes would catch his attention. Pausing his gallop, he danced in place noticing a band of Soquili. With a toss of his head, and a gleaming smile he trotted over. "Hello there," he announced with his head held high. Cihiru "One can hope..." But couldn't be sure. Surely she'd have enough sense not to repeat the situation twice though, right?
And who was this stranger? "Greetings," Loki responded, adding with it a polite bow of his head. "Sorry to say hello and goodbye, but I should probably be off as well. Have a good afternoon!" The stallion flashed an apologetic smile before turning and taking off at a gallop.
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Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2006 5:25 pm
Untitled: Ti'ran, Catori & SheridanFarland Catori swished her tail, the rube and crimson tendrills brushing against the slowly melting snow. Crimson orbs glanced around. For once, she had met absolutly no-one in the lowlands today. but then of corse, she was still at the base of the mountains, her snowy white coat, shineing brightly in the sun, only her mane and tail, and the ocasonal splash of red of green makeing her stand out against the white backdrop.
Small as she was she woke out through the trees, gliting red hooved thudding against the ground as she trotted past a lazily trickeling brook, maveing bubbeled back to life with the slow retreat of winter. Cihiru "Hurry up, T'iran," a lupine goaded suddenly. He trotted loops around his much larger companion's stride, swishing his bushy tail as he pulled ahead.
The equine sighed heavily at him, and added a snort to clarify. "What in the world for?" His relaxed amble made his lack of ambition blatant.
"Well, if you want to sleep out in open snow, please, be my guest."
He had a point. The unicorn had been traveling most of a solid day now, pausing only long enough to soothe his hunger. With afternoon pulling near, he'd have to find shelter in the near future if he hoped to have any sleep by nightfall. At least with the slopes of mountains dotting the not-so-distant horizon, he had some hope. "It looks fairly cozy to me," he teased. Even with spring edging upon them, the lingering blanket of melting snow and ice did not boast hospitality.
"Enjoy," A'ier said simply, pushing himself forward with the unicorn trailing lazily behind him. Shariea With a slow trot the majestic chocolate Stallion came into veiw. His head held high as he briskly made his way along the shore line of the babbling brook. His long obsidian tail flicked behind him as he eased to a stop, a small snort escaping him. His brilliant brown eyes seemed to glint with a bit of mischief as he glanced around before giving his head a shakde, his wild locks streaming behind him as he suddenly took off at a full gallop.
His hooves guided him surely through the melting snow as he sped on down the shore towards the sound of other soquili. as He rounded the last bend he raised himself into a rear and kicked his strong legs with a wild whinny. Setting hiself down with a laugh he grinned at Catori. "hello there again Radiant one." He spoke softly as he approched her, tilting his handsom head to the left only silghtly. "Going for another playful romp in the water?" he asked. Farland Catori swished her long tail in a whip like motion, something she did when she was deep in thought -or currently soaked in water- untill she heard the voices of someone near-by. She stilled, listening, the voices obviously just on the other side of the tree line. her long tail brushed against the snow, rebelious buds of new life pokeing defiantly from above, freed as she snow was brushed away.
Narrowing her eyes she stepped carefully around the side of the trees, her delicate hooves treding carefully on the cold ground, carefull not to get tangeled into the snow. Her ears perked up, her body half visible from behind the trees as she peered at the newcomers, her scarlet eyes shineing with inteligent curiosity.
To her eyes, they stood out in a starteling sight. A worl padding through the snow... and the most curious black creature plodding alone unenthusiasticaly behind. She stayed quiet, not intirely sure if she should say hello, carefully looking over the stallions horn, long tuffed tail, and cloved hoves.
Suddenly she gave a sharp whinny of suprise, leaping out from behind the trees, rounding on Sheridan " I had not inteded to! but it seems you are determined to scare me into fallin in face-first! " she said, a soft grin on her face. " That ro give me a heart attack ' she said, sence she had not been paying all to much attention to her surroundings as usual. Cihiru The two of them did indeed stand out, a stark contrast against the light blanket of landscape. Nor did they make any obvious attempt to prove otherwise, for their steps were not cautious, nor were their voices low. Appearences could be decieving though; the equine, at least, kept himself attentive, while his smaller companion took curious sniffs every now and then.
Understandably, they were very aware the moment another made an introduction. Ti'ran flicked a listening ear, but A'ier did not pay it any heed. At least, not until the startled cry met his tender senses. The wolf turned fully then, pausing his light gait. "Shall we?" he inquired, his tone more or less uninterested.
Ti'ran nodded to him, wavy locks sweeping over one eye with the movement. He offered the introduction as he pushed himself forward, halting just short of physical intrusion. "Afternoon..." Shariea Sheridan couldnt help but laugh as his sudden apperance seemed to have really startled the mare. He Shook his head and stepped forward, nudging her gently with his nose. "Now now, Its not like I ment to scare you." he said with a laugh. "although the fright was rather cute in a way. " He smiled one of his dashing grins and stepped back, giving her room around him to get out of the water.
It was then that the sound of the strange horse and his wolf compainion reached his hears. Turning around to face them his eyes scanned first the length of the stallion before noting the dangerous horn atop his head. Raising his handsom head he slowly nodded to the stranger and his compaion. "Greetings." he said before a smile once again crossed his face. He frist nodded to the stallion before glancing down at the wolf and also nodding to him. Farland Catori carefully stepped out of the water, shakeing each leg carefully to free it of water before it could chill her fur and skin to greatly. ' Oh, Hello! ' she said, a sweet smile slipping across her white face, still flushed to a light rose color, still not gotten used to Sheridans teasing.
Her eyes were still shineing with a faint curious light as she looked them over quickly, now that she was out of the water, her small frame dwarfted by the chocolate stallion next to her. " nice to meet you, my name is Catori ' she said with another smile, inclineing her head in greeting, her ruby eyes sweeping over the wolf and unicorn.
Wolved did not startel her as they used to. One of her Herd-mates had a young wolf pup as a familiar, and another had a small teal wolf, so she did not still and go ridgest as she used to. But they did intruige her, for she had thought unicorns a simple myth. Though, she herself being red and green with a brught imprint of a candycane on her hind-quarters, she should have learned to think that some myths could be true. Cihiru The wolf, who had been lagging behind as Ti'ran stepped forward to greet them, pulled himself ahead now, and recieved Sheridan's nod with surprising indifference. "I'm A'ier." He gave a bit of a shrug, and tilted his narrow muzzle toward the other. "And that's Ti'ran."
The unicorn gave a sigh, and snorted dismissively at his companion. "Pleased to meet you both." He had been near enough to catch the mare's greeting to the other (and thus her name), but as she had not addressed him directly, he refrained from using it then.
"You are?..." A'ier eyed the stallion questioningly, taking a bold step toward him and flicking his twitching tail. He expected an introduction; he had, afterall, provided theirs. It was only polite, and though he wasn't particularly a stickler, he thought it reasonable to meet at least that standard. Shariea Sheridan nodded quietly as he listened to the names of each in turn. His eyes turned from the wolf to the black stallion before him. "I am Sheridan, and this.." he said with a nod of his head to indicate the mare. "Is Miss Catori."
He stepped forward and grinned to the horned male in front of him. "Its a pleasure to meet you, Both of you." He remarked with a quick glance at the indiffernt wolf. His long ebony tail lashed about him suddenly with a quick flick. "What brings you Gentalmen this way?" He asked curiously as he moved to stand once more by Catori in a somewhat protective manner, as he really didnt know what to make of the two strangers yet. Farland Catori crained her head up to look at Sheridan, wondering why all of the sudden he was getting protective. She turned back to the two others, that sweet and curious look on her face " Pleasure to meet you Ti'ran, A'ier ' She said with a friendly swish of her tail, trodding a couple of steps forward, casting a curious glance back at Shreridan, nipping at him teasingly as she troted past, before turning her eyes to the unicorn before her, obviously curious but feeling it would be rude to just start blurting out questions. Cihiru Miss Catori? The formality was the first he'd heard since he left the valley; it made his inward curiosity twitch, though he dismissed it as a personal quirk and nothing more. It wasn't worth inquiring about.
Besides, their mutual curiosity overshadowed his own by far. "Hardly a gentleman," Ti'ran snorted, tilting his nose in the wolf's direction. "I am traveling; observing the lands beyond the valley. A'ier is along for some reason I have not quite figured out."
The wolf returned Ti'ran's notion with a surprisingly tolerant frown, though he didn't offer any light on his motivation for sticking around. Probably because he hadn't quite pinpointed it himself. "I wasn't aware we seemed threatening," he commented instead, as he lowered himself to his haunches.
Ignoring the idle statement, Ti'ran turned his gaze to the mare. "Is something bothering you, Catori?" This was an understatement, he knew. Her reaction was one he had seen a few times before already, but it was the best response he could manage. After all, he wasn't really itching to make an a** of himself, and there was a possability he misread her expression. Farland Realizeing she was stareing, blushed slightly " Oh, no, nothing ' she said, feeling rather rude " I just have never seen a Unicorn before ' she said, her tail swishing slowly behind her.
" Its not often i meet someone new, and its not often that the person in question is so... exotic ' she said, serching for the word, that being the best she could find. Though she lived with a flutter, so she shouldent be as suprised as we was, but he was a very interesting looking creature.
She turned her eyes twords the wolf ' I dont find you threatening... though sometimes its always best to error on the side of caution ' she said, shrugging and glanceing over her shoulder with a grin, twords the stallion who slowly sinked away into the forest mountains, apperantly heading back home.
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Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 8:35 am
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 7:43 am
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Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 9:07 pm
Un-Pleasentries: Loki & DanzleikrWhite Arsenic He had travelled far, and he was beginning to grow weary. For quite some time, the lone Soquili stallion had not come across another of his kind. Ever since he left his herd, the young brute had found his initial goal was not quite... successful. However, he had finally breached the forest, coming out into a small clearing.
However, that seemed to be in the past. The stallion tilted his muzzle -- did he really smell that? Or were his nares playing tricks on him? Nostrils flaring, the young stallion paused. He could swear he scented other Soquilis, though the smell was so faint that it seemed to be long gone.
Crania dipped, the appy gave a cross between a snort and a sigh. Cihiru Ever since Isilme expressed her disdain at the forest element in general, Loki had been spending the more dull moments pondering why. To him, it was more or less a natural habitat. After all, he had grown up there. But as he stood back and actually thought about it, he could understand how it might cross one as uncomfortable. The confines were nothing short of clostrophobic in compairison to the vast plains, and the brush could be hazardous and difficult to navagate to those unaccustomed to it. All in all, not the most inviting to an individual from the open fields.
But on the same note, he felt more comfortable here. A race through the forest, weaving in and out of the trunk maze was so much more... exciting than a sprint through swaying grasses! In a way, he felt safer too, though he knew it more accountable to custom than logic. Good sense told him he was more secure out in the open, where he could keep an eye and an ear on would-be predators. And he did understand the reason.
It was just... different here. He loved the babble of the small river not far off, and the jubilant chorus chiming from the birds overhead. Even the way the sun peeked through the canopy and dappled the ground below held appeal to him; something he wasn't going to try and explain. And yes, even the smell of blossoming flowers, crisp foliage, and... Soquilis?
The stallion flicked an ear at the realization, swerving his head around to more attentively take in his surroundings. "Hello," he dared to call out, after he established the identity with more certainty. It was undoubtedly a Soquili. Not unexpected, particularly, but not common either. "I'm Loki." The introduction was offered after he had pulled himself nearer, the form of the other just coming into view. He found himself a comfortable distance off - Not so far he had to yell, but not intruding either. White Arsenic Danzleikr gave a start when he heard another Soquili call to him: it wasn't surprising, not entirely... but he hadn't entirely expected it either. Foremost his ears swivelled back and were followed by his head, and lastly, the appaloosa's body followed. His eyes were wide a moment, grey-blue irises swimming in white. Then Danzleikr caught himself, and his posture changed entirely.
Allowing his ears to swivel back, Danzliekr outstretched his head to the other stallion. His eyes glared, and if looks could kill... oh, but the other would be in trouble. One couldn't say this attitude was unlike Danzliekr, though: it was this very willfulness and tendency towards dominance that had caused Danzliekr to leave his herd. That and the fact that he wanted all the females to himself. Cihiru While he hadn't intended to take the other by surprise, he knew he would - so the reaction was a rather anticipated one. The initial reaction, anyway. The posture that followed was not. A mostly friendly and agreeable individual himself, he was more or less unaffected, though he was taken aback. It would have been rather like the equivalent of an unwanted shake; he figuratively drew back his hand, nodding curtly instead.
"Suit yourself," he murmered, folding back his tender ears. His better sense told him to turn and simply walk away, but curiosity demanded otherwise. This was the first of this kind he'd encountered; the first to decline his outgoing introduction and outright refuse his presence. Though Loki did not approach further, he did hold his ground, bracing himself against the leaf-covered ground with unoffensive resolution.
The claybank sighed softly, and gave his head a shake that disturbed his gradiant mane. "Has someone badgered you a bit too much today, or are you always this way?" The inquiry was spoken with honest curiosity, neither agressive nor sarcastic. He wore a surprisingly genuine expression, too; one that painted his sculpted features with infalible cordiality. White Arsenic Danzleikr snorted at Loki's initial remark. Suit himself? Well he most certainly would! After all, he had come this far to suit himself. Why stop now? However, the stallion was a bit shocked that the other didn't turn tail on him and trot away. And somewhat offended.
Ears still low, Danzleikr raised his head a bit towards the other. Loki's amiable expression made him rather curious, as well. Perhaps he had travelled so far and only came across another lonely stallion who preferred to spend his time trotting through these woods. His eyes were wide once again with Loki's second remark; it was something the appaloosa would have taken offense to normally, but something about the other horse forced Danzleikr's mind to let it slide... just this once.
And also, just this once, Danzleikr didn't have a plausable response. He started to reply, but no words would come into his mouth. Instead he gave another snort. "No." Cihiru So, it was like he expected. Prideful might have been a good word to describe the other. And perhaps, stubborn, like himself. And he drew all this from a single snort; a snort he knew meant I will... as it was something he might have done when he was younger. And wasn't that an ironic thought? He wasn't too sure he liked meeting himself, particularly when it was as old and large as he was. In retrospect, it was a good thing he grew out of it. He mustn't have been very good company, back then.
"No?" he questioned, tilting his head ever so slightly to one side. "No which? You haven't been badgered, or no, you're not always this way?" He would probably take offense to this too; it could have been read as mocking if one disregarded his friendly smile and sincere tone. Not that it mattered.
Loki had already answered it for himself, anyway. Any answer other than 'always' would have been disregarded and taken as the latter, as it was the one he thought the truth. Just the other's posture told him this was normal. It was the way he operated; the way he was. And on that note, he certainly didn't want to meet the other when he had been bothered. That must have been a basketful of trouble and then some. White Arsenic Danzleikr continued to stare at the other as he regarded him, brows still furrowed even though part of the spiteful glare was gone from his eyes. "Both," he replied in a grunt, giving a snort and hoofing the ground, his head shaking, tossing his mane before letting it fall back against his nape. The last thing 'Leikr had wanted to come across was another stallion. It usually meant bad things -- for instance, this other could have easily been the brute of another herd, and could have taken hefty offense to 'Leikr treading his territory.
However, this other Soquili seemed to be... nice. Danzleikr didn't quite know why he was being so nasty towards the other. After all, Loki had been nothing but nice to him. But then again, the stallion could care less. He wanted his own little world, perhaps with his own little harem, and there was no room for another of his sex. Though it was starting to seem that finding a bruja outside a herd was hideously rare.
"Do you want something?" 'Leikr cocked a brow and twitched an ear, repositioning his posture so that he was standing tall. Cihiru Not usually so disagreeable, and nothing had annoyed him? "Well, that's a relief," he observed calmly, nodding for emphasis.
He was still wary, but it was good to hear the edge of venom fade from his tone. "What, I have to want something to say hello?" The stallion regarded him with a quirked brow and a twitch of his sweeping tail. "I had been hoping for some nice company, though I can look for it elsewhere if you'd prefer."
The adjustment reconfirmed his suspicions; he was indeed an arrogant one. Not that he had to force his superiority. Loki would give respect where respect was due. Approaching it in this manner merely lowered his opinion, giving him the impression the other could not command it in any other way.
Maybe that was so. "Do you want something?" he said suddenly, rolling his pinned ears forward. White Arsenic Guilt. It was starting to sweep over Danzleikr's mind as the other stallion proceded to speak to him with the same kindly air. Leikr shook his head once again, giving a low snort, though this one was aimed at himself.
"No," he said simply again, and sighed. Tail flicking twice, hoof digging ground, Danzleikr exchanged his posture for a more easy-going one and began to move towards the other Soquili with an easy-going gait. Cihiru As the antics continued, Loki puffed a soft sigh. He was never going to make a friend here, with an attitude like that. Most would write him off with a mistrusting glance and little more. But then, maybe that was what he wanted? Maybe he liked being solitary? That hardly made any sense to the pale stallion though; Soquilis were social by nature. He couldn't not appreciate company... at least a little.
"Not much of a conversationalist, are you?" It was alright, he supposed. He could carry a conversation with himself, if it came right down to it. It was just the posture he was unsure of - a discomfort that was soothed away as the other relaxed... and approached? An unexpected turn of events, he decided. Not an unwelcome one though.
Well, while he was feeling generous, it couldn't hurt to pursue further discussion. "Do you have a name?" Of course he did, but it was the most passive wording he could think of. Loki wasn't even sure it was a name he'd be willing to share; he'd been unusually secretive with it already. He wasn't losing anything by trying though. White Arsenic Danzleikr continued to step across the clearing towards the other pale horse at the forest's edge. He seemed to sulk a bit at first, but he brought his posture up as he carried along. One ear flicked towards Loki, then both ears were brought up to points over Leikr's head.
"Danzleikr. My name's Danzleikr." He continued his trot til he was about five feet away from Loki, then settled his form a bit on his legs, squaring himself after a nervous flick of his hoof.
Perhaps this other wasn't so bad. Maybe he shouldn't have kept his guard so high up. He just wasn't used to unfamiliar stallions... Cihiru Does it really hurt that badly to humble yourself a little? was all he could think of as the approach began. And he chided himself for it, as it was rather negative as far as his standards were concerned. He couldn't help it; the appy looked rather shamed at first, though it was good to see him straighten as he continued.
And he didn't know why he had expected more than a name; more than a reply to his simple question. Maybe it had been wishful thinking that compelled him. After all, conversation was much more enjoyable when it flowed both ways. "A good name," he said simply. It was an adversion from his typical greeting, but 'pleased to meet you' didn't strike him as appropriate.
"A unique one, too. Have you traveled far?" The stallion was obviously new to the area; it didn't take a genius to see that. His guard was foreign to the forests here, as his name was unusual on Loki's domestic tongue. The curiousity caused him to tilt his head thoughtfully and twitch one attentive ear. White Arsenic Danzleikr's orbs trailed over the other horse for a long moment; it looked slightly disdainful, although the appy didn't desire it to be so. But for a while Leikr merely stared, which may have caused the other to garner more negative opinions on him. Not that he was entirely aware that the other might be looking at him in poor color.
"Yes, very unique," he replied finally, giving a swish of his tail. "I've been about for a while now. Can't remember how long it has been, but I do know that it has been far too long." He sighed slightly, head bobbing for a moment, seemingly lost in a trail of though til he shook himself out of it a few seconds later.
"Where... where exactly is this place? Are there other Soquili?" Cihiru Loki stood resolutely, his posture as confidant and relaxed as his demeanor was kindly. He was a fair looking mustang; rare in color, strikingly marked, and muscled enough to suggest he was capable of holding his own - and he knew it. This other's almost scornful inspection wasn't going to discourage his opinion. He didn't have time to notice Danzleikr was equally (in fact, moreso) imposing though, given his distration with his character.
And what was it that struck him so poorly he had to say 'too long'? Loki loved the area; he enjoyed most every moment here. It was difficult for him to grasp someone thinking otherwise. What was there not to like? "That bad, huh?" he commented idly, his curiosity wilting briefly.
"'This place' goes by no name, as far as I am aware." He'd actually never had need to call it anything, come to think of it. It was an odd epiphany; one that made him wonder if he'd been living here all this time unaware. What if it did have a title, and he just didn't know it? "Of course there are other Soquilis. I couldn't stand living all by myself, all the time. Most are down by the village though." And he motioned toward it with a tilt of his nose. White Arsenic The appaloosa flicked an ear, swivelling his head towards the village that the other had indicated with his snout. A village, hmmm? Well that was certainly interesting.
"So this is a place of Soquilis who serve human masters, I would presume?" Danzleikr gave a quick, wicked snort towards the village as he looked back to Loki. "A place where Soquilis let humans on their back like bizarre growths from an old tree?"
Leikr pawed the ground uncomfortably; as much as he had just harassed them, he didn't like being so close to the humans. He failed to trust them at all. Cihiru Always the village, he noted with an absent nod an only faintly annoyed snort. That was the only thing they ever took interest in; it had happened several times over now. He could only talk of the humans for so long before he grew bored of it; there was only so much he could say, especially with such limited experience as his.
"Soquilis serve noone," he said nonchalantly, casting his gaze in the direction he knew the settlement to be. "They coexist. The humans care for the Soquilis, and they in turn protect them and keep eachother company."
Loki shrugged at that, and pulled his gaze relunctantly back to the spotted stallion. "And I've never seen a human on a Soquili, though I expect they'd only allow it if they wanted to." Rolling the thought around in his mind, he sighed absently. That was something he really wasn't certain of; he had no proof either way. He couldn't think of anything that would suggest the humans made Soquilis do anything, though. White Arsenic Danzleikr snorted and turned his tail on the village, tossing his mane out. "Well, then. I'll remind myself to steer clear of that area." With a casual strut, the appaloosa started away from Loki, tail flicking with slight irritation.
"I guess I'll catch you around, Loki."
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