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 Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 8:25 am
He walked along following the course of the river, half-heartedly making the decision to head towards the sea. He didn't really know the way, but he knew that all rivers flowed there, and that eventually, this way, he would reach it. He'd never seen the ocean. It seemed appropriate to start there, with just about the biggest, strangest thing in all of Urin.
The sun was past its highest point when the black and white stallion finally stopped for a rest. He wasn't travelling quickly, to be fair, but he knew he had a long way to go. He was conserving his energy - although he had no idea exactly how far, now he thought about it. He scowled down at his blurred reflection in the river, watching the ripples as he pawed at the edge of the water. So maybe he should have planned this better. Maybe he should have asked someone. He'd been so eager to get away from there, so relieved at his new-found freedom, and he'd rushed off without thinking.
"You idiot," Atti muttered at his reflection. With a sigh, he bent his head to take a last refreshing drink, then turned back up the bank. Time to get going again. And, this time, to not avoid everyone else.
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 11:38 am
 Any moments peace away from Mecriana was a God's send, and thankfully for the hippogriff nequus, he didn't have to deal with the mare at the moment. Apparently flying was her repelent. She couldn't do it very well or for very long, and she could never keep up. Now if he had discovered that little trick when they first met he wouldn't be in this mess. Ugh. First she hated him and spent every waking moment following him around, attacking him spontaniously, and just all around annoying him. Now? Oh Gods, he couldn't decide if this was worse or not. For now she confessed to liking him and wanting to be with him. Was she bi-polar? Psychotic? Crazy? Then again, maybe all mares were crazy like that, not being able to decide what they thought about a stallion and changing minds like the wind changes direction.
The hippogriff shook his head to rid himself of these confusing thoughts. As it was, he had gone off on his own not to depart from her company, but to hunt alone. Try as he might, he still thought the Mecriana was very attractable, and if he had a shot with her... well, he was going to stick around. Unfortunatly for him, his eating habits just might drive her away, so best to do on his own.
Below, as Sanue scouted the area from above, his eagle-like vision spotted the creature that would be his dinner. He loved fish like he loved the sky, but sometimes he just had a craving for flesh that walked upon the land where he wouldn't have to deal with scales. Usually. Lizards and snakes still had that little attribute, so he didn't go after them often. No. This time his prey had a pale white coat and stuck toward the shores of the river below. With his target sighted, the hippogriff dipped down into a dive, frontal talons outstretched and aimed to strike the creature for the kill.
By the time Sanue was within striking range it was too late for his prey to make a life-saving dive to the side, and the hippogriffs powerful claws wrapped around its body. The drive into the ground and snapping of its spine did the job of killing it swiftly. With a snort of satsifaction, Sanue gripped the limp rabbit in his talons and took a glance around-
Uh-oh. He hadn't noticed the other nequus near-by until just now, and for a moment he froze. Hoping, just hoping, whoever this Bae was didn't take a notice to the fresh kill that had taken place. Sanue usually didn't get very good reactions from non-meateaters when they happened to catch him in the act of hunting.
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Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 12:06 pm
The tall Bae was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn't notice the wingbeats above and the rush of air as the other Nequus dived. Or rather he noticed but paid no attention to them, and it was only the flash of grey that shot downwards that caught his eye.
Turning, the young stallion smiled at the sight. That had seemed a rather dangerous dive, but the Nequus who'd made it looked uninjured. This was, he thought, a sign. Hadn't he just been thinking that he needed to find someone to ask directions from? Maybe this stallion would know. Atti took a step forwards, ready for polite introductions and small talk.
...Actually, he was a rather odd looking fellow. The pale bae faltered in his steps, his smile fading to slight puzzlement. He seemed to be rather more feathery than usual, and his ears... must be folded back, or something, Atti decided. His face looked odd, too, but from this angle he couldn't quite place why... Atti didn't stop his approach. It would be shallow and presumptuous to judge on looks, he told himself; no way to make new friends at all.
Another step, and a flash of white caught his eye this time. Was that a... a rabbit? Held in the grey stallion's... talons?
He swallowed and stopped dead. Ah. Maybe not the best creature to approach for help, then... whatever he was. Atti wanted to back away, but his hooves seemed to be glued to the spot. All he could do was stare with eyes wide at the feathered stallion, and think oh, s**t.
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Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 1:09 pm
Was that, a smile he saw on the other stallion's face? Either the Bae didn't care, or he hadn't noticed yet, but Sanue prefered the first to the latter possibility. The hippogriff nequus remained still, awaiting that moment when this stranger would greet him or turn hind to hoof and flee at the very sight. Now Sanue had seldom run into a nequus willing enough to accept his practice of hunting, just one in fact; Ignacius. So he held out little hope that this small creature would overlook his eating habits.
It wasn't long until that smile began to fade, and another emotion overtook it. He must have noticed his adornments, possibly his feathers or beak, and was begining to regret the choice to approach. The thought left a bitter taste in the back of the feathered stallion's mouth, but he did not move just yet. Not until he was certain what this stallion was planning on-
Ah. There it was. Be it fear or disgust that stopped the pale bae's approach, Sanue could not help the tensing of his muscles. Figures. His luck wasn't that good to have stumbled upon one of the very few accepting of nequus. So now what? Would he turn and flee, scream at him, attempt to chase this 'monster' of a nequus that hunted flesh away?
The hippogriff gave an indignant snort as he raised his feathered head and turned his beaked muzzle in the other's direction, giving a gruff "Its rude to stare", remark from the back of his throat. Whatever it was this Bae wanted to do, Sanue was unwilling to relent his hold on his prey, his meal for the day. Would he want to fight? The hippogriff glanced over the other stallion once more. No, he looked like he wanted to run.
Sanue raised the feathered crest upon his head, prepared for the unexpected or the expected response, anything that may pose a threat to himself or the loss of his meal.
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Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 1:23 pm
"Oh! I... uh... sorry?" Atti mumbled, lowering his gaze. His feet seemed to have unfrozen, but he didn't turn and run. The strange feather-headed stallion wasn't being outwardly threatening, even if that beaked muzzle did look pretty sharp. For the moment, he was willing to risk staying there... not to go any closer, though, of course. Perhaps the strange stallion wouldn't attack him if he had the rabbit to eat.
That assumed he was intending to eat the rabbit, of course. It might just be an accident that he'd killed it. And the feathers and claws... were just some kind of harmless mutation. Maybe. It was possible. He shuffled on the spot anxiously, trying to make up his mind what to do. Stay, risk incurring this strange creature's anger, but have the chance of getting directions? Or run, feel like a fool, but stay safe - hopefully - and ask directions from someone else? Was there even anyone else nearby? He didn't think so. And that meant that he was in trouble either way.
But the stallion still hadn't shown any signs of aggression, other than raising his crest, so maybe it was safe... Atti raised his gaze from the level of the other stallion's feet, and tried not to stare this time. "Um. That's a... rabbit?" he asked. What are you going to do with it?
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Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 10:03 pm
Sorry? He was sorry? Those were words Sanue had rarely heard in his life, and when he did it was usually after he had given the offender a thorough beat down. It certainly sounded sincere, but many normal nequus were quite decietful. Still, despite a thought like that, the hippogriff couldn't help feeling some form of appreciation toward to the pale Bae stallion. Even if he had been gawking like a moroon earlier.
Sanue's brow raised slightly as the creature finally decided to raise his gaze and speak to him like an adult, well... maybe not totally. Still, it was better than nothing. "Yup, a rabbit." He supposed he could be civil, since it seemed like this fellow was going to at least attempt to show him some form of respect. And as civility demanded, Sanue could at least postpone his mealtime to make it more comfortable for his unexpected 'guest'. With a gruff sigh, Sanue heaved himself to the ground and lazily rested both of his talons over the dead creature; completely concealing it from view. Much more comfortable for the grass-eater, yes? He assumed so.
Oh he wasn't worried about being attacked while laying down, his beak was more than suffient to latch onto the flesh of an oncoming attacker; but from the looks of the Bae earlier a fight wasn't exactly on his mind. Hopefully it'd stay that way. "By the way, my name's Sanue. I'd prefer to know your's as well; I'm getting tired of thinking of you as simply 'the Bae'."
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 1:25 pm
Atti blinked. At least the dead creature was hidden from sight now; he still wondered what this... Sanue intended to do with it. Maybe he'd better not ask. And he'd still rather not approach too close... but he'd better give his name, as he'd been asked.
"Uh, Athiran," he said, not comfortable giving his nickname. It reminded him too much of home... no, not home anymore. He sighed. This would be hard to get used to. "Nice to meet you," he added, although without managing to keep a note of doubt out of his voice. Had he better ask now, and get it over with? That was probably best. He doubted the feathered stallion had expected to be disturbed, or desired his presence to continue. "I was going to ask - that is, I was looking for someone to... I was wondering if you knew the way to the ocean."
Atti bit his lip. He'd set out with such high hopes, and here he was, barely a day away from home, and reduced to stammering over asking questions from a dangerous-looking Nequus who killed rabbits.
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 2:15 pm
"And you, Athiran, its nice to meet you." There. Now that wasn't so hard now was it? It wasn't often he managed to drag a polite conversation out of a stranger, even if it was strangled and stammered. And to better prolong such a rare occasion, the hippogriff made the concious decision to keep his body language aloof and non-threatening. Though the crest upon his head still remained alert and erect; for he was unwilling to make it look like his guard had been let down.
The question about the ocean, as drawn-out and hesitant as it was, did catch his interest though. If not a bit of amusement. "I do. I've lived most of my life at the ocean, so it'd be fairly sad if I didn't know my way back from here." Now though, he was here in D'ob with the hellenes. His herd. It sounded so... strange to even think of being part of a herd. Someday he hoped it would become a second nature for him.
Anyway. "The best of the beaches are southwest of here", he paused to raise a feathered wing in the direction. "The ones to the south are rather cold as they're closer to Casa Tiner, it gets warmer the more west you travel, but I'd advise not getting too close to the red mountains. I've heard nasty rumors of an even nastier herd up there." Now with this bit of information, what would Athiran do next? Sanue was curious to find out.
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 2:47 pm
Well, that was a stroke of luck! Atti smiled, nodding to acknowledge the gesture. "Southwest... okay. And about how far? Is it dangerous? Will it matter that I don't really know the way?"
Perhaps that was too many questions all at once. He hoped Sanue didn't get annoyed at that - he was rather excited at finding someone who had actually been to the sea, lived there he said, and on his first try at asking for directions, too. "And... what's it like? The ocean I mean?" he added. Big, he'd heard, and otherwise indescribable. Maybe Sanue would be able to give him a better idea; but he didn't really mind, it might spoil the surprise.
As for the rumours... well, he'd better not travel too far west then. That was a bit of a shame, because he liked the sound of warm beaches, seeing as the water there was supposed to be pretty cold itself. But it was best to stay away from the sort of Nequus that had those sorts of rumours about them. Although he hadn't heard any of those rumours himself, he was sure he would hear more as he grew closer.
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Posted: Sun May 10, 2009 8:31 am
The hippogriff blinked once and stared at the little stallion. Had some sort of switch gone off in the Bae's mind? From scared stiff to chatterbox in about thirty seconds flat, now that was something Sanue had never encountered before. The feathered stallion couldn't help his amused snort, as he shook his fierce head slowly. Well what do ya know, some folks actually had it in them to be decent once you got past that first initial shock of their's.
Right. So first things first. "Depends on how you decide to travel. On hoof, I'd say its about a week's worth of travel, but that depends on your pace. Could be twice as much if you're planning on walking the entire time. Usually I fly though, but," the jala spread his feathered wings and gave them a mock flap. "Flying is one of my greatest skills, so its makes sense that it'd be faster for me. I'm not sure of your abilities, so you might want to try that out for yourself and see if its quicker for you." That's one of the little creature's questions answered, one of the many he had blurted. Geez, what'd he get himself into this time?
"Well as for danger, I'd say that depends on how ya are with folks you meet on your travels. Now I'm assuming you don't get scared stiff most of the time, so I won't be one to judge your normal attitude. When it comes to the terrain I wouldn't say its dangerous, just keep your normal rules of engagement in mind when dealing with nequus and you should be fine." Hopefully that was good enough, he couldn't remember in drastic or huge herds being in the way from here to there. So Athiran should be fine. "As for knowing the way, you'll be fine. The whole of that part of urin is surrounded by the ocean, you'll get to one stretch of it no matter which direction you choose in the general southwest area."
Phew, that's one set of questions down, and a whole nother to go. To tell ya the truth, it was getting a bit agitating, but... Sanue decided he'd let it slide for now. Since he didn't want to discourage the friendly thing they had going on right now. It was nearly impossible to drag decent conversation out of nequus he just met, so this was a treat. "Now that's something you gotta discover for yourself. To me, the ocean is the most beautiful place in all of Urin. Kinda like my own chunk of paradise." Away from all the self-absorbed assholes in the world, since most of the population seemed occupy D'ob and the grassy lands further from the sandy beaches.
Still, as much as he was enjoying his conversation, the hippogriff's belly rumbled noisely and he couldn't help but glance down at his talons. Knowing full well he lunch lay beneath them. Oh gods, was he hungry. Hopefully this wouldn't take much longer, he'd like to call this little Bae a friend before they departed, for he didn't think chasing the white creature away just so he could eat in peace would leave a very good final impression.
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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 2:28 pm
Atti smiled, pleased that he had asked, and that Sanue didn't seem to mind too much. The Jala's answers had been more than satisfactory - just what he'd been hoping for! Not too far; he thought he would try to fly most of it, as he was quite good in the air. Not as good as Sanue though, he guessed, eying the other stallion's birdlike features.
He had flushed slightly in embarrassment at Sanue's description of him as 'scared stiff'; he supposed he had been at first, but he wasn't always like that... not really. Just... cautious. And he didn't want to make mistakes with the people he met. Sanue had surprised him, that was all, with that rabbit... The pale Bae shivered and put that thought out of his mind. He would keep being friendly to strangers, he decided. This encounter had gone quite well, so far, and had given him confidence in the good temperaments of those he was yet to meet - surely if such an odd-looking stallion was so friendly, others would be as well?
The young Bae smiled at Sanue, his friendly feeling towards the other Nequus bolstered by his emotion-tinged description of the sea. He couldn't wait to see it for himself now! And on that note... "Thank you, Sanue. Your answers were most helpful. I think I ought to be off; the sooner I start travelling again, the sooner I'll see the sea for myself! It was..." he hesitated briefly, then continued with genuine warmth in his voice this time, "It was nice to meet you, and thank you again for helping me."
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 12:16 am
The hippogriff's lips flickered into a tight smile, the general stiffness around his beak often made it look awkward for him to do so, but it got the point across most of the time. That of which being, he was sincerely enjoying his time. "Heh-heh, it was no problem at all", he happened to chuckle, ignoring the gnawing from his belly for just a moment longer. "I hope you enjoy your time at the beach, it truly is like no other place in Urin." One that he undoubtedly missed, but it was worth giving up for the acceptance he had found in the hellene's ranks. An odd thing to admit to, but to one such as him, with an appearance so freakish, it meant the world.
Then again, so did the acceptance of any individual, including Athiran. That, of course, could only mean one thing to the hippogriff, and he gave a respectful incline of his head. "If we meet again, you'll have to tell me of your travels to the sea, my friend. I'd gladly like to hear of them." And with that the hippogriff's stomach rumbled aloud and Sanue shifted uncomfortable onto his side, still keeping the rabbit from sight. As soon as Atti got out of sight, Sanue would be sure to rip into his meal without hesitaiton.
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Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2009 12:13 pm
Atti smiled awkwardly. That remark was a little unexpected; he wasn't sure if he would want to meet Sanue again... but if they did run into each other in the future, he supposed it wouldn't be as odd as this meeting - it might even be fun. At least now he could say he had one acquaintance in the world outside his little herd.
He nodded. "Yes, I hope we'll get the chance to compare opinions of the sea, once I've seen it. I'm sure I'll enjoy it there..." The white Bae glanced away, south-west towards the shore, then back to his grey companion. "Fare well, Sanue, until we maybe meet again," he said with another smile, then trotted off up the riverbank, leaving Sanue behind.
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