Kamiki's Teepee

[Kamiki]

Sabin Duvert

The OTHER Brother
RP with Ethan and Cricket and Diogenes

RP located HERE

 

[Kamiki]

Stormwild
Cataclsym
Adevina Takhi

]http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?page=1&t=18617255#238133249

 

[Kamiki]

Oracle and Shoshana:

http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?page=1&t=19613875#262155005  

[Kamiki]

The Prodigal Son Returns
RP with Firestorm, Shinoma, Firestarter, Vesuvius, Balrog, Stormwild, Thunderbird, Stormcloud, and Maeltrom & Cataclysm

It was a grey, misty morning that Firestorm stood at the precipice of the cliff, looking down at the lush valley that he had once called his home. The moment seemed frozen in time as the ramifications of what he was about to do gripped him, pulling at his wings and weighing him down. It was as if the early-morning dewdrops that still clung to his wings were made of lead.

By Firestorm's account, this land was rightfully his. HE was the golden child of the herd, and yet he had been dismissed as casually as if he were one of the wingless lessers. He was Balrog's son. The only son that had stayed in the herd... at least until that pretender arrived. He was an alicorn - brandishing a golden horn in the center of his forehead. Balrog himself had taught him the ways of being a protector of these lands. He taught him how to defeat, to kill the cougars and other predators that threatened the lives of the soquili that rested in the alpine valley. He had told him that these lands that lay in the bowl of the mountains were theirs... his home.

But Balrog hadn't cared when Firestorm called him weak. He hadn't stood up for him when Stormwild - who wasn't even his mother! - had taken offense at the mare he had chosen as his mate. She had wings. She was strong - stronger than any of the lazy soquili who rested in the valley. Stronger than the old alpha and protector who had grown fat and sedentary. And she dared to imply that she wasn't good enough? She was scared. Scared of the power that she lent him, that she gave their foals - their THREE foals!

Firestorm was young. Firestorm was strong. And it was time for a shift of power.

The other members of Balrog's herd could stay if they sided with him. But Firestorm's frustration with Balrog had become outright hatred. The final straw had come when that little freak had broken free of his basket before his very eyes. He had heard the story - the skinwalker attacks that had killed their foals (that Stormwild wasn't even strong enought to protect!) And this foundling they had adopted and called their own. Firestorm didn't care how similar the markings were. It didn't smell right to him. And the little freak had too many wings, which Balrog seemed to adore. How could something fly and keep those things straight? Balrog virtually forgot that Firestorm was standing there when this colt had emerged, so eager to transfer his pride to IT. He had even named it "Thunderbird". The totem that Balrog followed. It added insult to injury.

Balrog had cast Firestorm aside like so much garbage. He doubted that he even lent him a passing thought on any given day now that he was out of sight and out of mind.

Well, Balrog would remember him Now.

Three figures stood nearby. Firestorm's NEW Family. With a wicked smile, Shinoma stood by his side, crooning with pleasure at the impending assault. It was in no small part to her careful prodding, saying just the right words when Firestorm was ready to listen that he stood here now. She delighted in the fact she had pushed him to this confrontation, truly severing him from the herd of mostly peaceful wind soquili. She loved seeing the fire of hatred in his eyes, and the willingness to kill.

She had done precisely what it was that Stormwild had feared. But had she not initially tried to dissuade Firestorm from taking her as a mate, then it was possible that this confrontation would never have come.

But now, the worst fears were about to be realized. Firestorm had been turned against his birth-herd, and stood now by her side. It was an ultimate conversion, and an ultimate expression of her power.

And while she was pleased just knowing this day had come, she woudl not back down from the impending fight. She was strong.

And behind the couple, two figures, slightly smaller but full adults in their own right watched, listening to Firestorm explain what he knew about the placid soquili that nested in the valley below. Talking strategies.

One was Vesuvius, a hotheaded stallion who delighted in causing chaos. He could barely restrain himself at the thought of the havoc that they would wreak on the unsuspecting soquili below.

The other, a unikalona mare stood with a wicked smile, listening carefully to Firestorm's words, calculating the attack. Firestarter knew how integral she and her brother were to his plans, that he had waited specifically until they were grown and had proved themselves able hunters, and unhesitatingly willing to kill.
She looked with contempt at the tiny figures below. Those that had cast her father out and not understood what they were casting aside.

She cast a knowing smirk to her brother, and knew that they both were thinking the same thing.

Missing from the collection on the edge of the cliff was the third child, Yamika. While she seemed to ebb and flow with a passing breeze even more so than their demonic mother, there was something in her that was weaker than Firestarter or Vesuvius. She didn't have their fangs, their bat-like wings. And unlike their father, she didn't have the anger that boiled in their breasts like a rolling fire. She had no stomach for meat, and when there was talks and strategy on the attack... she had grown distant.

They had understood the signs, and eventually Firestorm had agreed, albeit gruffly, that if she did not have the stomach for what was needed to be done, than it was better off without her. She would have been a liability.

And with her distance, Firestorm had thrown himself more into this plot. He would prove to his other children the strength of their family... and give them the home that they deserved.

Finally, with a signaling nod, He snapped his wings open, and tore towards the valley.

*****

It was a quiet morning for the Thunderbird herd. Balrog had been slow to rise this morning; it was a blissfully cool morning respite from the heat of mid-summer. And a particularly hot summer it had been. Waves of heat rose from the browned grass, and even the mountain streams did little to alleviate the heat for long.

Something had not settled right with Balrog these past few weeks. He couldn't put his hoof on it, but something had seemed askew. But if any others were aware of a problem, they hadn't indicated it. There was the same pleasant conversations, same familiar faces, and the patrols had not yielded any strange activity. No skinwalkers had launched an attack, no demons had been sighted. And yet, something still did not seem right with the aging stallion. Stormwild had tried to alleviate his anxiety, telling him that he was looking for problems where there were none.


And, perhaps she was right. Thunderbird was growing into a magnificent stallion - one that did his parents proud. He had even taken a mate - a strange, but seemingly genuine mare. While she did have strange horns on her head, her wings were as grand and feathered as Balrog's or Stormwild's. And she truly seemed to love nothing more than soaring with the clouds, and racing the storms. Even her name brought a smile to Balrog's face, Stormcloud. She had been looking for a place to call her home. No one before his son, Thunderbird knew the love of flight and the passion of the storm. It was almost as if she was destined for this herd. She had found her home here. And while she and Thunderbird were prone to long meandering flights that took them far from the herdlands, they always returned, chests heaving with pure, simple exhaustion. They seemed to understand each other even better than Balrog or Stormwild knew them. But, he was happy for them. Thunderbird still had total loyalty to his family, and to his herd, and Balrog and Stormwild were glad to welcome her to the herd.

However, it was right as Balrog was rising, flicking his great wings to cast off the dew to begin his morning patrol of the herdgrounds that he spied four shapes moving towards them.

He was immediately at attention, bellowing a deep whinny of alarm. The movement wasn't casual, it was direct, fast, and carried the sound of leathery wings.


Stormwild was immediately up and ready. For her gentle nature, she knew when the time came to protect what she loved. However, when one figure at the front drew closer and the light of the rising sun glinted off ebony and crimson fur, her eyes widened in horror.

"Firestorm.." She whispered dismayed to her mate.

Shapes were already begining to approach from the herdgrounds - his fiersome daughters who were ever so aptly named Cataclysm and Maelstrom, Thunderbird and his mate when Balrog heard the word leave Stormwild's mouth.

"No." His blood ran cold as he now could see for himself the stallion that flew towards them. This was no visit - everything about the posture of the careening stallion spoke of hatred and fire and challenge.

That was his son.

he had always been stubborn, hot headed, and aggravating to deal with. But a part of Balrog had always been proud of that. He never knew just how much he took after him. Although when Balrog was met with Firestorm's Ego and temper, he rarely could keep his own in check.

Fleetingly, as the moment seemed to stretch on before the impending clash, Balrog remembered once, long ago, when he had called out a challenge to the spirits themselves. Something to prove his strength against - something for him to do to prove the worthiness of the herd that he had been instrumental in pulling together.

But not this. Not his son whose mind had been twisted by demons and turned against them.

But Balrog knew that there was not reasoning with him now. No time for regrets or apologies. Now, he had to do what needed to be done.

Balrog readied himself, murmuring only one simple instruction to the collection of herdmates that had flocked to the defense of the herd.

"Don't kill them."

All at once, the silence of the valley was broken in a great clash. Beating wings, screaming whinnies of anger and pain as the two forces came together.


There was murder in the eyes of Firestorm and his Kalona ilk. And that gave them the initial advantage. Many of the herdmates paused when they saw the soquili at the front of the invading force - this challenge to the leadership of the herd that had gone unquestioned for years. And this challenge had come in the form of none other than the protector's very son.


Very quickly, Balrog sprung forward, facing Firestorm's challenge directly.

"You have come here for ME, Firestorm! COME! FACE ME! If you come to take my herd then you have to defeat me first!"


Firestorm wheeled, seething hatred darkening his face as he flew towards his father, wrapping all of the resentment and hatred into one lunging assault. "You b*****d!" He whinnied, attempting to spear the elder with his shining horn. "You cast me aside! NEver listened! You have grown WEAK!"

"I will show you strength, boy. You will see now the impetuousness of your words and see the strength that it takes to lead a herd!"


And soon, words were lost in the frenzy of the fight.
Firestorm was indeed strong and vivacious. He had trained for years to be an adept fighter. But for all his ego and training, he was not ready to face the full force of Balrog not holding back on him.

The smirking mockery was quickly wiped from Firestorm's face as he quickly began to realize just what he had gotten himself into. Balrog was larger than Firestorm, easily outweighing him by at least a hundred pounds. And Firestorm didn't remember just how large his wings were. He maneuvered as if there were no boundary between land and air. He was faster than he looked and knew just how to use his weight to his advantage.

His hooves came down on him like falling boulders. And Firestorm began to feel the chill of fear... as for the first time the thought entered his mind that he might not win this.

He glanced around wildly, seeing his mate... his children clashing with the members of the Thunderbird herd. He saw his sisters tag-teaming against his son... and his heart began to strain with anguish.


This wasn't how it was supposed to go.

This wasn't right.

But the more he looked, the more members of the Thunderbird herd there seemed to be here, fighting against them. Soquili who he had seen as complacent now rose to the challenge - their strength that Firestorm had always mocked before now became apparent.

For a moment, Firestorm looked around wildly, realizing that Balrog wasn't around him. He had been distracted, and his ears were back, eyes wide. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, Balrog was on him again from above, His hooves knocking him down, pinning him to the ground.

Balrog lowered his head to his son, struggling fruitlessly under his pin. "You have lost, Firestorm. You have called me weak for the last time. Leave now, and NEVER return. You are no longer my son.

Despite the powerful blows that the stallion had landed against him, and despite the anger that had overridden the love that Firestorm had felt for his father, these words fell heavier on Firestorm than any other blow.

He cast his eyes aside, snarling in contempt and feeling every mix of emotions tumbling in his chest. Hatred, anger, sadness - all to such an extreme.

His ears back, Balrog lifted his hoof to release Firestorm, his head down, entire posture a powerful challenge.

Firestorm quickly extracted himself from the humiliating position of defeat, unable to look Balrog in the eye any longer. He turned, begining to call his family to him, to retreat, when he spied Firestarter - his daughter, slender and small being buffeted by HIM.

All memory of the defeat and intent on fleeing was gone. It was Thunderbird. Now grown to be an even bigger freak, attacking his daughter.

Without thinking, he was on him, striking at him with his hooves, lancing him with his horn. All He didn't care, all he wanted to do was hurt and scar this "perfect" son, to expose him for the imposter that he was.

But right as the angeni began to turn, calling out in surprise at the sudden assault from behind, a slamming blow hit Firestorm on the side of his head, and the world went fuzzy.

The last thing he saw before the world went dim was Balrog's enraged face...


*******

Firestorm eventually came to with the rushing of water and the roar of the waterfall where he had first met Shinoma.
His head pounded, and he felt an enormous welt making the entire side of his face swell painfully. He saw the scorn on the face of his son, the shaking head of his daughter - both of which sported large welts.

He lay his head down, exhausted beyond reason, wishing that he could just close his eyes forever in his shame.

He had lost.

He was not as strong as his father.

And he could never, ever return.

And more than that, he could see the loss of respect in the eyes of his children. Before this foolhearty venture, he had at least had that. Now, he was beaten and bruised. His wings ached and felt as if one of the bones had been crushed, to add even further insult to injury.

He groaned, slipping his eyes closed once more and welcoming the blackness of unconsciousness.  

[Kamiki]

Amitorlin & Sequoyah

Started on the original post: http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?page=8&t=10721921#228408287

Dahlia was a grown mare now – twice over having reared foals of her own. Her foals were grown! And courting mares… could it be?

Sequoyah snorted in disbelief, unable to sleep. He was a grandfather – probably about to be a great-grandfather by the next few seasons. He was no longer a foal – he was alpha of his own herd. And though he did consider Dahlia his child… a nagging part of him wouldn’t let him ever forget that he did not sire her. He rolled over onto his side in the grass, rustling up a cloud of dust as he sighed and looked up into the starry sky. Xandir shifted his weight as he slumbered nearby, but he was a deep and content sleeper and did not wake despite Sequoyah’s constant tossing and turning.

It was a full moon that night and Seqouyah could see the whole valley bathed in a shimmering, dream-like glow. He got to his hooves and tossed out his mane, looking over to his family nestled among a small thicket of trees. Only Sumi-e, ever diligent, was awake, standing on the outskirts of the trees, his eerily glowing red quartet of eyes glancing over to Sequoyah as he stood. Sequoyah nodded to him, silently assuring him nothing was afoot. The protector nodded back, but the corners of his moth creased in concern.

Sequoyah headed down to the stream, hoping a cool drink of water might still his mind. Despite the blistering heat of summer, the night was pleasant. The ground of was still warm from the glow of the sun, but the air had cooled and s small breeze coming off the mountains made it extremely enjoyable in the valley. The night was alive with the symphony of insects and frogs and the happy burbling of the creek as made his way to the water’s edge. He learned down and took several heavy pulls of water when he got the feeling that he wasn’t alone. He looked up, surprised to see the beautiful kirin mare standing on his side of the creek… just breaths away from him. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

The mare gave a small, shy smile. It had no doubt taken her a lot of courage to come over this close to their territory. Did she come over in the evening for grazing? Did she know he would be out walking this night? There were a thousand questions in his head but no words he could articulate. “My name’s Amitorlin,” came the small chime like voice from the mare.

This seemed to help. “I’m Sequoyah,” he said after a moment. Her eyes lit up pleasantly as he spoke and she nodded at him. Months of long stares and silent wonderings and he finally had a name.

The kirin dipped her head and began to drink, her tail swaying in the wind, lighting brushing up against his quarters. He only smiled and joined her. And so went the rest of the evening. They wandered around the valley in relative silence, continuing their shy courtship of hidden glances and friendly smiles. They walked close together, thoroughly enjoying each others company.  

[Kamiki]

((ongoing)

The silence was driving Sequoyah mad. It was like all his senses her heightening. Out in the grazing land in the valley the whole herd was lingering about, labouringly chewing on mouthfuls of dry, sun-singed grass in the blistering sun. All except Sequoyah who just stood around, shifting his weight from leg to another (and Sumi-e, who would discretely excuse himself to rustle him up something a bit more “hearty” than grass…).

He glanced over to Xandir was who grazing close to him, his pink tail swishing in the hot air, keeping various insects at bay. The grey and pink stallion looked up at Sequoyah and a concern look crossed his face. It was obvious his mate had something on this mind. He swallowed the mouthful he was working on and pulled his head up. “Something wrong,” he asked.

Sequoyah sighed, worried how this conversation was going to go. There was no point in stalling… he just had to say the words.

“I think we should invite Amitorlin to the herd.” The shimmery gray stallion mentally steeled himself for the backlash.

Xandir had never heard the mares name… and he didn’t have to. He knew exactly what his mate was talking about. A flash of anger crossed his face, but shook his head as if to clear those thoughts away. “Why?” The question was voiced with a twinge of betrayal.

“Well… why not?” Sequoyah countered. “She lives alone out there past the river. She’s all alone, she needs a family. A place to belong. Like everybody.” This was true, of course, but he knew as well as Xandir that he was skirting the real issues about why he wanted her closer. “We haven’t turned anyone away before,” he added, softening his voice.

Xandir couldn’t meet his eyes right now. He pawed at the ground with his front hoof instead. “I just wish… I was enough.”

Sequoyah’s heart hurt as he said that, a broken expression crossing his long face. “It’s… it’s not completely just about that,” he insisted. “I mean, we’re very lucky here. We have a great grazing land. The stream from the mountain keeps the water cool and clean. Most of the skinwalkers and cougars have been driven away….”

“So… you’re bored,” Xandir accused, tilting his head.

“No! But we have so much… we should share it. With anyone in need.”

Xandir couldn’t argue. He just stood there, looking rebuffed.

Sequoyah shifted his weight, trying to best figure out how to drive the conversation from there. “Don’t you think it would be best to share this wealth with… future generations? Foals?”

Xandir blinked, not quite grasping the depth of what Sequoyah was trying to segue to.

“I mean,” Sequoyah continued, “Dahlia is grown. She has grown children of her own now. So are the twins. It’s been years since we’ve had any foals around these lands. It’s such a waste.”

“Of course,” Xandir said. “But it’s not like you can just stumble across an abandoned basket whenever you want.”

The silver shimmery stallion rolled his shoulders in a shrug. “Of course. But, and don’t get me wrong I love Dahlia and the twins to death… but don’t you ever wonder, you know…what it would be like to have some of your own?”

Xandir opened his mouth to counter about knowing how basic biology works- but then it all hit him. The conversation about Amitorlin and exactly where this conversation was going. “You mean… you and her? Having foals?” Despite his best efforts to keep his tone even, the high pitch of surprise gave away his initial reaction of hurt and surprise.

“You can’t tell me the thought has never crossed your mind,” Sequoyah said quickly. “Honestly, can you?”

Xandir shrugged incredulously.

Sequoyah sighed in exasperation. “I’m a grown stallion.. I’m sorry but I do.. I do want foals. Of my own. My own flesh and blood. I owe to my mother. And to myself. I think I could be a wonderful father and Amitorlin, well, she’s really a great mare. She’s make a great mother… ya know.. uh, strictly speaking of inheritance and all.”

Xandir expression didn’t change to much. He was trying to process it all. His mate seemed to have more to say right now than he did.

Frustrated with his silence, the fumbling Sequoyah kept on. “Anyway… you know. Haven’t you ever been curious? At all. About, you know… with a mare?”

“No!” Xandir shot back quickly, but shook his head. That wasn’t exactly true. “I mean… yes. I have. But it’s not all its cracked up to be.” His voice dropped quietly. “Trust me.”

The older stallion tilted his head. “Eh? Are you saying…?”

Xandir gave a sheepish shrug. “It was a long time ago! I was so young.. I didn’t know.. I mean… ugh,” he turned his back and paced back and forth. “She was pretty, ya know? And I thought… I thought I knew what I wanted. She was so sweet… I just. I don’t know. It just wasn’t what I thought it was going to be.” Honovi’s sweet face materialized in his mind and he gave a small, guilty smile. “I haven’t seen her since. I feel bad.. I didn’t want to just leave her like that. But I didn’t know what else to do.”

Sequoyah was flabbergasted. “I had no idea…”

Xandir frowned. “It never really came up. It’s not something I’m proud of.”

Seqouyah came close to Xandir, letting his shoulder rub against his own and he nuzzled the side of his face gently, comfortingly. “It’s nothing to be ashamed over. I’m not angry. Anyway, it’s in the past.”

Xandir gave a small nod, leaning into Sequoyah’s touch.  

[Kamiki]

Consciousness slowly drifted back to him. How long had he been out? What happened? He blinked a few times, squinting in the harsh light. vonCoren tried to take a deep breath, but inhaled a bit of dust instead. It burned his nostrils and caused him to cough. Of everything, funnily enough, it was the sound of his cough that made vonCoren realize something was wrong. The sound was a deep, shaking rumbling; not a cute little scratchy cough like it should have been. What was happening? Why was he so sore. Why did he feel so heavy and broken?

He tried opening his eyes again, blinking into the light and wincing as his vision adjusted to the hard light of day.

Now what happened?

He tried to clear his head and remember. There was a festival going on… some kind of grand event. Silly little Wolpertingers like himself were hopeless drawn to large drunken crowds. There was always so much to eat drink. Festivals were the best. Tons of discarded faire food everywhere. And more… yes… he had stumbled across a stash of pet biscuits. Beautiful, wonderful, starchy heaven… left unguarded and just there for the taking.

The things was… despite how small and fluffy they were, Wolpertingers were notoriously bad at controlling themselves. There was no need for vonCoren to eat virtually the whole barrel of biscuits. He wasn’t starving. He didn’t have a little Wolpertinger family to take care of. He wasn’t even that hungry. But there he sat, for who knew how long, just eating. Of course once he had finished nearly the whole barrel – quite a feat for something his size – he had meant to scurry away before being caught…

…but something had happened. He felt sick and dizzy. Perhaps not too surprising considering he just ate over ten times his body weight in biscuits, but he couldn’t hardly sit up straight, much less hop away. He saw stars in his vision and then… blackness.

That left him here… the empty barrel was discarded off to the side – but why did it look so small?

He rolled over, trying to get to his feet. Looking down, vonCoren was shocked to see hooves instead of his adorable little bunny paws. He jerked back, instinctively moving onto all fours, wobbly steadying himself at the sudden change in height. He was a dizzy – he had never been this high up before – what was happening? He looked back down at the heavy hooves that now replaced his feet. He took a tentative step. His whole body felt so alien and strange – heavy and uncoordinated. Like he was on stilts. Why was he like this? Like a horse?! He shook his head in disbelief and felt the light slap of his long Wolpertinger ears against his face. His ears! Oh thanks the heavens he still had his ears! He looked back. Wings, too. So he wasn’t just changed into a horse… he was some kind of a horse like Wolpertinger… creature.

Perhaps festival food wasn’t all it was cracked up to be after all. He certainly didn’t want to get caught like this – they might try to put a saddle on him or something! No… no for now he would just find a quiet a cool place to rest, and wait until this silly spell wore off.
 

[Kamiki]

Obeah always felt more at home in the swamp than anywhere else. Even if it wasn’t “his” swamp it made him feel like comfortable. Something about the feel of the soft, supple, teaming ground under his hooves. The way the mud cooled on his skin in the blistering heat. The deafening symphony of frogs and insects. It all reminded him of his Kingdom – of his home.
Home, of course, was rapidly becoming a distant memory. It was over a year since he left his kingdom on this quest, and his long journey was wearing heavily on his semblance of a heart. He had a very distinct mission – find a suitable mare, have foals, and bring them back to his sister as the most important gift he could give to her. They would be the first seeds in what would one day be a thriving, powerful, unstoppable kingdom that would spread over all the Kiwani land.

He was a realist. He knew it would take lifetimes to be so grand. That is why starting his progeny with a truly perfect mare was so important!! He stomped his foot in the soft earth with a grunt of frustration. Why was this taking so long? What he doing something wrong? Was she not as a fertile and virile as he judged her to be?!

He had been so careful in the selection is his mate. She had to be perfect. Strong. Interesting. Different. Special. Mittrei was all these and more. Befriending her had been no easy task. He wasn’t a Soquili that was easy on the eyes…but he liked it that way. It was like a litmus test. He didn’t want some silly flighty mare who was scared of him. But she… she seemed so perfect. She had hypnotizing eyes and a strong but slight build and she even had wings...glorious wings like that of the moths that lived in his kingdom. He felt as though the Gods must have blessed Obeah for finding someone like her. But why wasn’t it working.

He felt a cold hand suddenly grip his heart and he was frozen in fear for a moment. What if it was him?

No. It couldn’t be. It just couldn’t be. That was a reality he wasn’t willing to accept. If it was he who was so … infertile. Impotent. Useless. Wasted. He couldn’t handle it. He would be so shamed, he could never go home. Never seen his Queen again. No, if that horrible idea was indeed the truth he would simply wander the lands for the rest of his days, drowning in his sorrow. In his failure.

He sunk down in a shallow bit of mud under an ancient willow tree. Nightfall was coming, and the dazzling array of fireflies began to start. A beautiful, haunting, wondrous display it was…the ephemeral globes of starlight bobbing in and out of few over the land. Their little bobs of light seemed to sooth Obeah’s soul as he watched them. How silly he was being. It simply wasn’t possible for the problem to be him. The Gods wouldn’t allow it. Perhaps he had made a mistake with Mittrei… but no. The fireflies seemed to be telling him otherwise. They were whispering to him with their dance. The Gods were testing his resolved. His dedication. Yes, that was it of course. Perhaps the souls of his future children were simply not ready. He could not rush fate. It would happen.

Soon.

Soon he would have his children. Soon he would be returning to his Kingdom. To his Queen. His world. She will be so proud of him. He closed his eyes and imagined it. How she would look, how she would act. How grateful she would be. How impressed. How honored.

It would be glorious. Obeah knew this. He was as certain about this as he was his very existence.
He continued to watch the fireflies for a while. Though his mind was appeased his heart still ached within his chest. He wondered if his Queen was watching the fireflies where she was. Maybe, if she was, he could imagine they were watching them together.  

[Kamiki]

http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?page=1&t=20613209#286120771

 

[Kamiki]

"Are you.... sure?"

"I swear," said the strange creature in front of him. "Look, I've been watching it for three days. No one's come to claim it. I don't want to stick around here much longer."

Xandir looked skeptically at the fuzzy beast. "How do I know it's not yours you're trying to get rid of?"

vonCoren snorted. "Look, it ain't. But so what if it was? Like I told ya, I don't like staying in one place too long... there are harpies all over the place... so I'm leaving it here. Take or not... I don't care anymore. LIke the harpies eat it."

Xandir frowned. "You're bluffling."

The winged creature gave a gruff laugh. "Watch me."

And with that...he walked off.

Xandir stood there for a better part of an hour...shuffling around. A few other Soquili wandered by, looking strangly at the stallion hovering around a dusty basket on the side of a well-used game trail. Part of him hoped someone else would come along and take responsibility. Part of him...didn't.

When nightfall came, he left the basket alone. He kept it in sight... but hid in the underbrush to see if the weird bunny creature would come back and claim it. However, as the moon grew high and small into the sky, Xandir finally convinced himself no one was coming for it. It wouldn't be the first time (or last) a disressed mare not ready for motherhood had left a basket to way-side, trusting in the kindness of strangers.

Xandir slowly approached the basket, tilting his head. He pulled it up by the little strings and flaires his wings, making double sure the basket was secure and closed before taking flight. Maybe... just maybe this was fate.  

[Kamiki]

RP between Xandir, Sequoyah, Amitorlin, and Flidais (basket)

Xandir landed in the soft ground at the base of the impressive mountains. The winter wind had completely numbed his nose, and his neck strained from the heavy basket he held awkwardly in his mouth. He found a rocky patch of ground to set the basket down on and shook out the snow flurries from his wings and mane. After a moment of rest, he picked up the basket again and trotted off towards the thick thicket of trees his herd called their home. He was nervous already about what Sequoyah might say about the new addition – after all, it was the middle of winter and everyone was growing tired of pine needles as a staple food – but as he entered the thicket and saw the kirin Amitorlin across the river on their side, he bristled a bit. Sequoyah was next to her, and his ears perked as he saw Xandir approach. He nodded for Amitorlin to stay put as he trotted up to meet his lovemate.

Xandir hastily set the basket down, “What’s she doing here?”

Sequoyah’s eyes widened at the basket, distracted from Xandir’s question. “Huh?”

“You heard me.”

Sequoyah sighed. “We’ll get to that in a moment. What’s this?

Xandir followed his gaze down the basket nestled in the short brown winter grass. “I found it…well, no. Someone abandoned it over near the apple grove.”

Sequoyah looked a bit skeptical. “Are you sure no one’s going to be looking for it?”

“Totally sure! I was there all afternoon… no one came for it. And no one else claimed it. It would freeze out there.”

Sequoyah gave a small frown. “It’s the middle of winter, the last thing most want right now is another mouth to feed.”

“Sequoyah…I’m disappointed in you – “

The silver stallion quickly shook his head. “No, I’m not saying take it back. Of course we won’t turn it away. We’re not that kind of heard.”

Xandir smiled and puffed up a bit.

Sequoyah sniffed at the basket, and placed his muzzle against the woven strands. It was thankfully warm; smelled early and not like death. As he inspected it, Xandir slid up behind him. “You know… I’ve been thinking. Sure, we’ve raised baskets before as a herd, ya know, like the twins and all. But I was thinking this could be more like… our basket.”

Sequoyah looked up from his inspection, his brows furrowing.

“Like Dahlia,” the spotted stallion continued. “I know you’ve been feeling a bit of the empty nest recently…”

“I thought we talked about this,” Sequoyah snapped, standing at attention now between Xandir and the basket.

“Yes and you said you …”

Sequoyah didn’t let him finish, “I said I wanted a basket of my own blood! My creation, Xandir. I need it…”

“But WHY,” Xandir pleaded. “Why can’t I be enough? Me and Dahlia, and the twins, and this one…?”

The older stallion shook out his mane and gave a frustrated snort. “I… I can’t explain it. I just feel like it’s something I need to do. I am going to do it.”

Xandir looked crushed, causing Sequoyah to soften his expression a bit.

“Look,” he continued, “I’m not saying it’s going to be tomorrow or next spring or five summers from now… I just don’t know. But I’m going to do it. And… I think Amitorlin is a fine mare…”

The pinkish stallion stomped his front hooves and rolled his eyes dramatically.

“Stop that,” Sequoyah said sternly. “Look, this is my herd and this is my ultimate decision. I’ve invited her to stay, and nothing’s going to change that. You’re going to have to learn to respect that – I treat her like you would any other in this family.”

Xandir struggled to maintain his composure, standing firmly and holding it ground even though he felt the sting of tears spring to his eyes. “Nice to know how much my opinion means to you,” he snapped. He stormed over to his basket and plucked it back up from its resting point, causing Sequoyah to cringe alittle as it swung dramatically from Xandir’s mouth. “I can’t be arounmth her ight now” he mumbled around his load and unfurled his wings.

Sequoyah sighed heavily as he flew off, his ears dropping in defeat. He joined after a few minutes by the quiet kirin mare, bumping him softly on the shoulder inquisitively.

“He’ll come around,” Sequoyah said after a moment, finally breaking his gaze from the rapidly fading figure on the horizon. “He’s just not used to change.”

Amitorlin nodded. “You really care about him, don’t you?”

The stallion smiled. “Of course I do. I’ll make sure he doesn’t stay gone long, no matter what.”

“I can leave…” she said in her tiny, musical voice.

“No…” he said quickly, shaking his head. “No, Xandir will understand one day. We just shouldn’t rush things.”

“Of course,” she said, lowering her head a bit. “I just don’t want to come between you to.”

He shook his head again. “They will be much his children as yours and mine,” he said, forcing a smile and giving her face a platonic muzzle. He paused for a moment, the insecurities creeping back into his mind. “You’re… positive about this arrangement? I mean, I really can’t stress enough – I don’t want you feel pressured…”

It was her turn to shake her head. “No. I’ve always wanted children… I’ve just wanted to do it right. I mean… this might be a bit, hmmm….” She searched for a delicate way to put it, “unconventional. But I can’t think of a better situation. A whole herd to raise them… loving parents – three of them, even.”

“Well, let’s hope so….” Sequoyah said as he started out into the night. He fluffed his feathers and shivered. “It’s getting cold, I’m going to go after him.”

Amitorlin smiled and gave him a supporting nod as he raced off into the night.  

[Kamiki]

http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=20667559  

[Kamiki]

Two figures walked along in the darkness of the cold winter night. The chilled sky was clear and endless, the moon shining bright, illuminating the forests below in a icey blue light. A million stars twinkled in the thick velvet sky as they made their way to a ledge to stand together and enjoy the beautiful scene. The ledge looked over a mountain valley; a creek cutting through the darkened grassy plain looking like liquid silver in the moonlight.

The first figure was larger than the first, a heavy framed stallion with a coat of brilliant colors- muted now by the cover of darkness. This fur was thick and full and his hair short and soft. Next to him a slighter mare leaned against him for warmth, her purple coat much more effective as camouflage in the dim light; at least when her eyes were closed. Open, they were as bright as the full moon itself and just as haunting and silvery.
The stallion, Glacier, smiled down at his dear friend next to him. “I want to tell you a story,” he said, looking back over the valley.

“Oh?” Laikaylah’s voice of soft, low, and enchanting.

Glacier smiled a somewhat small smile and nodded, giving her a sideways glance. “Once upon a time,” his purry voice started, “There was a little kitten of a foal who grew up in a very hard place. He didn’t know much of thick, lush grasses, or supple, watery leaves. He’s never tasted the sweet crunch of a clover bloom, or tasted the delicate taste of red strawberries in summer. He grew up in a world of bristle evergreen needles and rocky outcroppings. Brown, brittle grasses and small, sour apples. But when that’s all you know… it’s home.”

Laikaylah listened obediently, her tail waving back and forth as she listened.

“It was hard to leave everything you ever knew, but the little foal, who was rapidly becoming a stallion, felt like there were better places out there. With a song in his heart and the expectations of a miserable little child, he left and wandered the southern lands for season after season. But he found wasn’t the land of milk and honey that he expected. Sure, the grass was green and the summers were warmer, but he soon found himself so bitter and lonely. He couldn’t find his home anyway. There weren’t any others like him…all strangers.

“But one day… out of the clear blue night, he saw the most beautiful thing.”

Laikaylah gave a coy smile, having an idea of where this might be going.

“A flash of color… the dash of hope. Then there she was: a vision of the Southern Lands. Looking like something straight out of my home herd: bright, beautiful… but small, sleek, and slender. Not like the lumpy Soquili from my home,” he mused with a giggle.

Laikaylah gave him a playful shove with her shoulder, but didn’t dare interrupt his story.

“Anyway,” he said, still trying to stile a smile, “Lucky for me… she was just as lost as I was. But every since we’ve been travelling together, I no longer feel like such a drifted.” His attention now focused on Laikaylah’s face. “It’s so different. Suddenly this land is everything I’ve wanted it to be. It’s… perfect. The grass is sweet, the fruit is ripe, and the leaves of soft. The sun is always warm on my face and the breeze is always running through my fur like a caress from the Great Mother herself.”

“You have a knack of grandiosity,” Laikaylah teased, batting her silver eyes at him.

Glacier shook his head. “No, I don’t. I have a way of saying things exactly how they are. And Laikaylah… I want you to know I’m very serious when I say that I feel like this really is my home now.”

“Glacier…” She didn’t know what to see. Ever since they started travelling together she had felt a very close connection with this stranger from the North. He was gentle and kind and chivalrous… “I feel the same way. I’m tired of travelling so much… it would be nice, you know, to stay here a while.”

“Exactly!” he interjected, his face lighting up, delighted she felt the same way. “Laikaylah… will you be my mate?”

Now that was something she wasn’t expecting. “Are you serious?” she asked. She looked shocked, but not disgusted at least.

“Of course I am,” the stallion said, punctuating his seriousness with a stamp of his hoof. “Never more serious in my life. I want you to be my mate – and I want you to answer truthfully. If you’re not ready, well, I’ll understand. And I’ll spend every minute – ever - trying to convince you I’d be the perfect one for you, Laikaylah.”

“Oh Glacier… of course I will!” she chimed, surprising herself as much as Glacier with her quick decision.

“Mean it? You HAVE to mean it, my love,” he twittered, so excited he could barely contain himself. “You and me… together forever?”

“I mean it. I promise…” she cooed, burying her face in his soft silky fur. “Forever and ever.”  

[Kamiki]

http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=19634243  

[Kamiki]

Oracle, Shoshana, Winter Rose, and Briallan Oralee