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 Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2009 8:03 am
With an effort, Lucius prized his eyes open. One saw nothing but blackness, the other saw blue sky. So, he was lying on his side. Okay. There was the sound of birds, and... yes, he was lying on sand. Quirne... The storm.
Gasping, the black stallion lifted his head from the ground and inspected the beach. Yes, piles of seaweed and driftwood. There had been a storm and... Lucius swore his heart stopped. The storm. He’d seen Lydia and Alice, he was sure it had been them, on the beach. He’d raced towards them, tried to tell them to take off - flying in storms was a bad idea but being on the beach during them was a worse one - and then... A wave. It had closed over him and for a time there had been the swirl of water. Then unconsciousness.
Lydia.
Alice.
Had they made it? He had to go and look for them. Gritting his teeth, Lucius forced himself into a more upright lying position. As dizziness washed over him, tumbled his senses as effectivly as that storm wave had, he decided that getting to his hooves could be put off for a few moments; last thing he needed was to collapse.
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Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2009 9:39 am
What was that?
Aquila’s head snapped around as a flicker of movement caught her eye. Once her brain had processes what was going on, she broke into a swift canter, a frown of worry on her face. What she had taken to be a large rock or something was a Nequus. It looked in pretty bad shape... Had it been down here during the storm? As she approached, it moved again, shifting into a slightly more upright position. Well at least it was alive, for a moment she could have sworn she’d seen bones sticking out of it... Oh. Aquila came to a halt and stared. She had seen bones sticking out, but they certainly didn’t belong to the Aeri stallion. Now what?
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Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2009 9:47 am
Sometimes you become aware of a thing only when it isn’t there anymore. There had been hoofbeats, and now there were not. Lucius remained still. The owner of those hooves had not called out to him; it was nobody he knew, therefore they were a potential threat. Could he fight? Not well, possibly not at all, he would have to try to stand in order to work that out. No point in putting it off any longer then.
Clenching his teeth, Lucius forced himself to his hooves, keeping his back to whoever it was bet swiveling his ears back so they would know he knew they were there. Right, while he was feigning indifference to their presence it was time for another mental check over. Standing was alright, but he was keeping his weight off his injured leg and holding his right wing as he held his left was painful, but possible. Well rather a bit of pain than let it hang limp and show weakness. Now then, could he turn around? Only one way to find out. Wincing internally, the muscular stallion turned around slowly to face the other Nequus.
Humm. A Jala mare, short and stocky with an expression like to a stunned fish on her face. She didn’t look as though she was planning to attack him, which was good; he really wasn’t very sure he could do battle in this state.
“Good day to you,” Lucius said after a suitably long pause, “a most pleasant,” he glanced at the position of the sun, “afternoon, isn’t it? I was just having a lovely nap. What were you doing?” The sooner she left the better; he had to look for Lydia and Alice. If blatant sarcasm didn’t see the Jala off, he was going to have to go for intimidation instead and hope she didn’t call his bluff.
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Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2009 10:01 am
Aquila stared some more. A nap? Why? What?... What was he on about? Had he got hit on the head?... No, no he was being sarcastic. At least it didn’t look as though he was going to attack her though. Despite that, it was hard to get over her revulsion for his adornments. Bones. Weird and red, but still bones, bones that must have belonged to someone once upon a time... but how did they stay on all fitted together? How did they fit against his flesh so smoothly? It was weird, really weird; she didn’t like it at all. Nevertheless, he was a person clearly in need of help, she couldn’t walk away just because he was morbid enough to walk around with half a skeleton on his back.
“I... I was taking a walk,” the Jala managed eventually. “What happened to you? You look like you could use some help... I know where there’s fruit and water to drink, I’ll take you if you like.”
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Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 9:41 am
The battered stallion rumbled deep his his chest and pinned his ears back against his skull. “I have no time for food or water at present,” he said curtly, “I have no time for you either. Carry on with your walk, will you?” So saying, Lucius turned aside from the gold mare and moved stiffly towards the ocean. Much as he was in a hurry to search for his mate and daughter, he needed to clean out his grazes first. He would be no good to them if he keeled over and died from a fouled wound after all; the sooner they were clean the better. As he stepped into the gentle surf, Lucius winced; the water was icy cold, and the salt stung wherever his skin was abraded. It would do him good though; there was nothing the world quite like seawater for leaning up injuries well...
Lucius frowned and, once he was out to about shoulder level, he turned around and looked back at the beach. “Why are you still here?” he demanded of the Jala mare as a gentle swell washed water up over his back. What did she think she was doing, playing at hero? Well he certainly didn’t make a very good damsel in distress, so hopefully she would break it off and leave him alone soon. He had no time for her; he had to get back to the cave and look for Lydia and Alice. He had to find them. They had to be there... but that wave. Had it taken them too? Were they... were they dead? He didn’t dare think about it.
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Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 9:53 am
Aquila scowled at the half immersed stallion. What a git. She understood that he must be sore, but that was no excuse! “I’m still here because I still think you need help. Look, I don’t know what I did, but will you stop trying to make me go away? I’m not just going to wander off and leave you to die.” It was tempting, very tempting but she was a better person than to give into it. Helping out nice people was easy, it was sticking with the people like this guy that was really a good deed. Still, good deed or not he was spoiling her day. Oh well.
“You need any help cleaning yourself up?” she forced herself to ask. “You’ve got lots of sand stuck in you, I saw. You might not like me, but you know it makes sense.” Get him clean, get him somewhere with a good supply of clean water and fruit and then leave. He would do fine, and she could be on her way again. Where to? She didn’t know, but somewhere a good way away from him for preference. “Oh, yea, I’m Aquila by the way.”
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Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 10:01 am
...Oh fine. The muscled stallion sighed. “I am Lucius, and I do not have time to procrastinate. Your assistance would be appreciated in getting my injuries clean.” So saying, he waded in towards the beach until he was just about up to his hocks. It would be much faster if he accepted her help; he would just make a mental note to repay her sometime, if they crossed paths again that was. “I would appreciate speed more than gentleness,” the boned stallion went on, “my family and I were caught on the beach during the storm; I must search for them as soon as possible.”
Perhaps it would be better not to drive her off, perhaps she would help him search... Or perhaps not; she might turn her nose up the moment she found out that his mare was a Bae. Well let her; it was no skin off his nose and no great loss. If needs be, he was perfectly capable of searching alone, it would just be faster if Aquila was willing to help him look. They had to be alive. No, they didn’t. He wanted that to be the case but it was not the case. Storms did not pick and choose who lived through them and who did not, wishing otherwise was foolish. Either they were alive, or they were not and either way he would cope. The wave hadn’t taken them though, had it? No, he was sure it hadn’t, but that was rather irrelevant really. There were many waves during a storm, after all.
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Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 10:27 am
Oh great, well now she felt bad. Aquila hurried into the icy water, wining and prancing slightly as it splashed against her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know that,” she said as she reached the morbidly-adorned stallion’s side, “I’ll make this as quick as I can.” So saying, the stock mare lowered her head to an abrasion on the other Nequus’ shoulder and began to lick at it. The taste of sand and blood filled her mouth, and she couldn’t repress a noise of revulsion. Shuddering, she dipped her muzzle into the sea; the taste of the salt water was positivly pleasant in comparison to blood. Still, she had a way to go yet.
Steeling herself, the short-maned Jala moved onto the next injury and tried to think of more pleasant things. At least Lucius wasn’t talking; that would only make the task worse. As it was she was busy losing herself in pleasant memories; having to listen and therefore keep her mind in the present was not on her to do list. As she moved around to the stallion’s other side however, she found herself wondering about his family. The storm had been last night, and it was nearly evening now. Unless he’d been washed a very long way, they would have found him by now if they were alright. She couldn’t bring herself to say that though; strange and frightening though Lucius was clearly he had a heart, and she couldn’t bear to be the one who broke it.
“There,” Aquila said eventually with a sigh having washed her mouth out for the last time, “that’s everything. Dunk yourself in the water now, and we’ll go look for your family. What do they look like?”
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Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 10:50 am
Lucius nodded curtly in thanks and dipped briefly into the sea before wading back out of the water. Once on the beach, he made a weak attempt at shaking himself off. Well, he would be walking, he reasoned, he would soon dry. He would need to get the salt out of his coat soon or he’d get sores from the chafing. Just what he needed on top of everything else. As Aquila joined him on the sand, Lucius turned to her with a heavy sigh. Well, he did need to give a description if he wanted her help; nothing had driven her off so far, perhaps she wouldn’t care about mixing blood.
“My mate is a Bae. She is grey, splashed heavily with dark red and she has blue eyes. My daughter Alice is Bae-winged, grey, splashed with orange, and her mane and tail are orange... We were staying in a cave down the cliff in that direction,” he gestured with a wing, “we should start there, and split if up we do not find them.”
They wouldn’t be there, he knew they wouldn’t. Certainly he and Aquila were a fair way from the cave currently, but if Lydia and Alice had survived they would have gone back there to look for him first and then started searching along the beach. There had been ample time for them to find him, but they had not. If they were alive, they were either lost or hurt somewhere. If they were alive. He was finding himself less and less hopeful on that score the more he thought about it.
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Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 10:58 am
Aquila blinked. “Oh... A Bae? Err... right, okay, let’s go then.” Not meeting Lucius’ gaze, she could feel it on her, the stocky mare set off in the indicated direction. A Bae mate, and a crossbreed child. Well okay then, everyone was free to make their own choices. She’d never understood how people could take mates from different breed unless they were a same sex couple. Didn’t they know how some crossbreed came out? Weak, or crazy, or evil she’d heard. Sure there were probably some that were alright, but why take the risk? She could understand wanting to be with someone you loved no matter what, but she couldn’t understand bringing a child like that into the world. How could you explain to them that the world would hate them? It was an awful, selfish thing to do.
And now what was she supposed to say to him? Aquila glanced over at the bone-clad Aeri limping along beside her. He was still dripping wet, clearly walking was painful for him. Yea she still felt sorry for him, but... but why a Bae? Perhaps this mate of his was the only one that would have him given his... accessories. People could be cruel, she knew. That made it a bit more understandable but... Oh but what? She wasn’t going to say any of this aloud, she was never even really going to come to a conclusion on the topic so she might as well just forget it. His mate was a Bae, and that was his business not hers.
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Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 11:29 am
The Jala mare remained silent, and he was happy to leave it that way. Clearly she had a prejudices, but she was still here and that was what mattered. Wasn’t as though he cared what she thought in any case, it was just slightly frustrating to have to accept help from someone with a closed mind. Not as closed as some he would admit, but closed all the same. Worth did not come in the blood, in what you were born capable of; it was what you made of yourself, how you rose above whatever your circumstances had been when you came out of your fruit. A Nequus who failed to strive in life was nothing, and any Nequus that did strive was something, had worth...
And he was trying to comfort himself by running his own world views though his mind over and over. Keep his mind off the pain in his leg and wing, keep his mind off Lydia and Alice. They would be at the cave before sunset, until then there was nothing he could do. Even when they did arrived, if Lydia and Alice weren’t there, there would be nothing he could do until dawn. Trying to search in the dark was foolish... it would be best to get up on top of the cliffs in case another storm came. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to manage that. he couldn’t run in order to take off, couldn’t fly in any case probably and scrambling up a steep path would be hell. It had to be done though; he would not be foiled by his own body. He would do whatever he needed to do, one way or another. He would succeed.
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Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 11:51 am
The first she knew of their arrival at the right cave was when Lucius turned into it. Aquila came to a halt and peered in after him; with the sun setting it was impossible to see very far in. Was it a deep cave? Could the two mares they were looking for be at the back... No. No they couldn’t be. Aquila looked down at the sand. One set of hoofprints going in; Lucius’. His family wasn’t here, but she wasn’t about to go in and tell him. He probably knew already but felt he had to look anyway in case... In case there were bodies at the back. The purple-winged mare shuddered and backed up a few paces. She couldn’t bear the thought of moving though blackness, wondering if you’d find the remains of a loved one with your hoof. It was too awful to think about.
Feeling sick she turned to face the sea, squinted at the glare of sunset on it. It looked so calm tonight, it might have been a gentle summer evening if not for the debris scattered up the beach. Somewhere out there in that bright water, Lucius’ family might lie. Food for the fish. It was awful.
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Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 1:11 pm
The world outside the cave was brighter than he’d ever seen but it was a harsh, unkind brightness rather than a friendly one. Lucius came to a halt and kicked half-heartedly at a piece of driftwood. Aquila turned at the dull thud, and Lucius sighed, shaking his head. “Not in there.” He supposed he ought to be glad; nothing had stepped in there since the storm, so if they had been there, they would have been there during the storm and therefore exceedingly dead. Exceedingly dead, what a preposterous thought; either you were dead or you were not, there was no ‘slightly’ or ‘mildly’ dead anymore than there was ‘excessivly’ or ‘decidedly’ dead. They weren’t in there. Where were they? It would almost have been a relief to find their bodies in there.
“I know a way up the cliffs not far off,” Lucius said, setting off once more. “You can fly off if you wish; I shan’t keep you if you have other places to be.” He didn’t really want her to help him search, no matter how much sense it made to accept aid. This felt like something he ought to do alone. it wouldn’t be right for Aquila to find them alive and well. It would be worse if she found them dead and then had to lead him to the bodies. So, if she wished to stay fine, if not that was also fine. He didn’t care. He was too tired, and he hurt too much. Let her do as she willed.
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Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 7:07 am
She followed him. What else was there to do? There certainly wasn't anything she could say, and leaving wasn't an option until she'd at least tried to help him. If they'd been down on the beach during the storm, she didn't see how they could have lived, she didn't see how he could have lived come to that. Still, there was a chance and however small a chance it might be, she had to go after it. She couldn't leave a person in need, no matter how much they might freak her out.
Sighing internally over her soft heart, Aquila trailed on after the boned stallion, wondering how long it would be before she finally gave up.
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