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 Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 11:26 am
Character Concept Contest
This you Herla has traveled a long way to get to the Hartlands! How long did it take? What was the journey like? What discoveries were made along the way....and what sacrifices? It's up to you to tell the story!
Rules
1. One entry per person, no mules. You may re-edit your submission at any time before the deadline.
2. Entries must be posted here.
3. You must name the above the Herla, give him/her a personality, and describe his/her journey from his/her home at the south-western edge of the desert. See the intro post for the event for more details on where these Herla came from and why they left.
4. Winner will chosen by Kaiven at 4pm PST on Sunday, April 24.
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Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 3:11 pm
Name: Mars
Gender: Female
Temperament: Forlorn
Mars ears were deaf to the elders words, her mind numb and body unfeeling, the new shapes. New species that appeared before her eyes strange yet so similar. Herla..harts and hinds who chose to dwell in the forests and mountains and swamps. The concept felt so alien to her.
Gone is the warmth and the soft sands, gone the deep setting sunsets, and the bristling glare of the day. Replaced by all that is green and lush and foreign. New and frightening, better in many ways and yet not anything close to home. Their elder said it would be safer here, where they could live and flourish. The rock-slide had cost them much, had cut them off from the safety of their homes and left them open to the harshness of the elements. Even worse, had left them open to those that looked upon them as prey.
Mars remembered, with a gaze that looked far away and lost. Remembered her home, those that had been left behind. The one that she had held most dear who had not been able to follow. She wished with all her heart to be happy that they had survived the long journey. Three months it had taken them to cross the sands with so few casualties, and with so little cover. The oasis's they had grown up near were sparse as they went on. The bits of food and soiled water even more scarce. It seemed not even the most hardy of desert insects chose to dwell between the talons land and the patch of space that adjoined their south-east corner to the Hartlands.
Not even the most hardy of desert stags.
At first the wound had seemed like nothing, the rock-slide..it had done so much damaged. Taken so many little ones and their caregivers away. Her Orion, he was strong, he had been there to save them. Had tried. At first all had seemed well, he would have a limp and naught more. They had joked about it, how he would no longer be the one in such a rush to be everywhere. But the wound had swelled and bled strange colors. Mars had had to leave him, with tears and gasping breaths. With pained smiles and promises that would never come true.
Mars gently bit her lip as her wandering thoughts stirred buried emotions within her. That loss more then others. It was still so fresh, an open biting wound that she could not seem to close. Time would heal it, where words and salves could not. She hoped.
She shook the thoughts like cobwebs, ears flopping about her head. Forcing herself to look, and to think in the present. She would never find another Orion, but she would make this her new home. Would work to make herself and the others of her herd accepted by these new creatures.
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Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 3:57 pm
Name: Daisy May
Gender: Female
Temperament: Shy, Uncertain
Daisy May stood blinking at the destruction the rock slide had created. Her home and her childhood had just been crushed beneath countless pounds of solid, immobile rock. She watched helplessly as her family, friends, and Chibin companions darted, sat, or sobbed in panic and remorse. She thought she would never have to leave her home....but now the harsh realization was becoming ever apparent.
"Heavens....what ever are we to do nao?" her soft, southern like voice crept from her muzzle, though it was to no one but herself. Her home was just about obliterated, there was no hope of rebuilding it. When the Ancient told them they were heading to the Hartlands to join the herds of Queen Maya, she was both scared and relieved. A new home could be both exciting and dangerous all at the same time. And it was with those thoughts that Daisy May began what felt like the longest journey of her life.
The soft sand beneath her tender feet and the warmth of the sun soon became a distant memory, as she and her few kin traveled father and father away from their homeland. The Ancient kept insisting that it was what was best for them, but she could not help but have small doubts in the back of her mind. Each step took concentration, her tender pads not used to the rocky terrains or the tickling grass. Her nose was unaccustomed to the mountain breeze and would often twitch with new smells and sensations. Many loud cries from the local inhabitants bothered her delicate ears and her eyes longed for a familiar sight, even if just a small one.
It took them many months to safely cross borders, boundaries, hills mountains and plains. The group stopped when needed, allowing those to eat, rest and drink. Daisy May could not rest however. Every time she shut her eyes, the memories came rushing back to her. The screams, loud rumbling roars like thunder, the terrified faces of her loved ones. Often these nightmares would startle her awake, leaving her in shakes. But with the comfort of her family, she was able to press on to this new place they all spoke about with such wonder and curiosity. What would it be like? Would there be sand or grass? Sweet summers sun or a harsh winters wind? Would there be plenty of water, or strange flowers. And what about the creatures that lived there? Would they be friends or foes. Would she be hunted or welcomed? All these thoughts rushed through her mind and then some, only making her desire to return home stronger.
And Finally, after what seamed like eons to Daisy May, the small band had finally reached their destination. Weary and cautious, they made their appearance to the harts and hinds of Hartland, each more curious than the next. So many strange appearances made Daisy flush with embarrassment, as she tried to hide behind one of her fellow kind.
Long ears were drooped with exhaustion. The dainty body of the soft footed hind had been pushed to its brink on her long journey to find a new home. Pale golden eyes were cast downward in shyness. Her beautiful pink ribbon tattered from the wear and tear of her journey. Daisy May could hardly wait to settle into her hopeful new home in the Hartlands.
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Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 5:06 pm
Name: Nesrin
Gender: Female
Temperament: Bitter
"Our sweet little Nesrin."
A mother smiles as she takes a large pink ribbon, far too large for the small bundle of fur that she attempts to wrap it around. Next to her is the father, a large male, although from behind he seems menacing, almost, he actually has a very gentle disposition; light gray fur and long, awkward looking floppy ears.
"Dear," He begins "That ribbon is far too large for her."
"Oh I know," The mother replies as she looks upon their fawn with her bright yellow eyes. She leaves the ribbon by the fawns side; she'll be big enough for it eventually.
- - -
"Oh, Mother, look at this!"
"Yes, my sweet little cactus blossom?"
Nesrin smiles at one of the large cacti structures that dot her herds desert home. It's in bloom with many pink colored flowers. One is just out of her reach.
"Oh," Her mother says with soft wonder, "It seems that the plants are in bloom."
Nezrin nods as she watches her mother. She's only slightly taller then she is, but she still manages to reach the flower which was previously out of Nezrin's own reach. Taking the lovely pink blossom in her mouth, does the loving mother don it on her sweet daughters head, nestling it in her hair.
She smiles, "That should do it."
Their moment is cut short by a tremendous rumbling in the earth. A low, almost soft groan from the ground beneath them, that dies off as suddenly as it comes. Her mother's ears are perked, and suddenly their herd's elder is beckoning them together.
"What was that?"
"I don't know, it's never happened before."
"Well nothing's happened yet..."
The elder looked around his herd that gave troubled murmurs and whispers. Clearing his throat, he took a stance,
"What happened," He began, "Was a rarity, a stroke of luck. I do believe..." He starts again, but pauses, what were those called again? "An earthquake." He nods.
"An... Earthquake?" Nesrin echoes,
"Yes, an earthquake." The elder continues, glancing wryly at Nesrin, apparently having heard her, "They hardly happen, but they do from time to time... But it is nothing to get worked up over."
But the earth groans again, heads swivel, looking around.
As it turns out, the herd had made it's refuge nestled against a rather large rocky cliff face. Something rumbles, but it doesn't sound like that earthquake that was previously heard before.
"Look!"
Suddenly, something gives out near the top of the cliff, rocks giving way from the recent trembles, racing down the cliff side.
Shrieks of terror soon engulf the crowd, herla scattering everywhere as rocks crash upon them. Nesrin runs, but the last thing she see's is her mother being crushed by the weight of the earth.
- - -
"-which is why it has come to my attention that we must leave." The elder finishes.
The entire herd is shaken. Some casualties, only a few, but enough to choke up every single herla present.
"The rock slide has left our only safe refuge destroyed." He says, glancing around his herd, "And also has taken the lives of some of our herd.
The hind with the large pink bow tied around her neck. She's too choked up to do anything. The incident was three days ago, but it happened again, the rock slides, twice more. Their homeland was decimated, and they had to move on. Could this get any worse?
Her father, he's just as distraught. Gently nudging his wonderful daughter. She sighs shakily, mourning with her father.
- - -
They're well into the journey now. looking for better places and better things. The soft feel of the warmed sand in her paws does nothing but make her heart ache. At the same time, they haven't found anything to eat in days, and it's starting to show in some of the herla. Nesrin herself is famished, yes, but still goes on.
Her father is crippled. Not physically, but emotionally. His heart is crippled and his soul is weak. two weeks into the journey and he collapses.
They have to leave him behind.
- - -
Her eyes are shining with hurt. Hurt and sorrow beyond belief.
They're standing in a glen. There's grass everywhere, fawns and yearlings. Shouldn't this be paradise to one whose only known drought and sand?
"I mean no harm," the elder says,
"Rather, I seek solace. I have traveled from far to the south east, near the Talon lands. My family have lived there for generations, but a recent rock slide has forced us to leave. We wish to build a new home here, in the Hartlands."
The herla that frolic in the glen only stare upon the elder, his heard and their strange new chibin creatures.
Everyone else in the heard is either just as stoic, or just as wondrous as the forest herla, namely the young. She only regards these foreigners deafly; she does not acknowledge them except for sparse glances. She wishes to lash out at them, "How would you feel if your homeland got destroyed? How would you feel if you had to come to OUR home because you had nowhere else? Would you still be looking at us like we're some kind of abnormality?"
But she keeps her mouth shut. In do time, maybe.
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 9:01 am
Name: Song
Gender: Male
Temperament: Seductive
Delicate paws gingerly made their way through the lush grasses of an unfamiliar area, as Song followed the elder of his herd. There was a wince with every step he made, his feet accustomed to soft but hot sands, far different from this chilly and solid ground. They’d gotten progressively more blistered during the weeks they’d spent traveling from the homelands and his normally proud gait had slowed as the herd’s travel had progressed, but it still retained its hop-like quality, a trait he was proud of.
Coming to a stop he stood warily behind the elder, observing the strange and unfamiliar life forms that surrounded them. Quickly he began stockpiling complaints in his mind, eager to list them off to the elder as an excuse to try once again to return to their homelands. After all, with the number of twigs and pebbles that had cut into his paws, he deserved to have a word with the elder as to why this place was so unsuitable!
Like this he would have to choose an entirely new menu of foods he would consuming, though this time around it would be begrudgingly. Back in the desert there were always his favorite cacti to devour, their juices dripping down onto his chin with each bite. It was heaven, but those cacti couldn’t thrive here. What was he to eat now? All these flowers looked so unappetizing and only the guardians knew what those strange fruits were.
His oversized pink ribbon rustled in the breeze and the hart shivered, yet another thing to hate about this place, the cold. He couldn’t understand how these herla could bare to live in such a place, especially the occasional few he spotted that only had fur on their heads, tails, and hooves. Where was the hot sun that made lounging in the shade so comfortable?
He huffed slightly to himself as he remembered how things used to be; shifting in his spot behind the elder with unease, he reminisced of what life was like back amongst the sands. The only benefit he could find to this place was the opportunity to gather a new following of lustful harts that were after him. With his delicate beauty he was often mistaken for being a hind, but this he found was beneficial to him. Breaking the hearts of little boy toys was his favorite game and quite a few of his favored “fans” had been cut off from the group, if not crushed, by the rockslide. He felt no pity for them or their families, just regret in having lost a little bit of eye candy. He’d have to gather a new army of them this time. With this his gaze slowly took in the gathering crowd of strangers that had come to listen to their leader and a small frown appeared on his face. So many of them were ugly, with their short ears and rough hooves.
He bit his lip, bitter; he’d have to make do.
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 4:47 pm
Name: AtlissGender: femaleTemperment: IndependentReply:
"I'm so tired baby.." Her mother's voice startled Atliss out of her own little world. The yearling gave her mother a smile, giving a gentle nuzzle to her mother's cheek. She was used to this, supporting her mother. It was how things had gone.. The poor woman.. Forced out of her home, away from her lover.. How had they gotten here, so far from their home? The yearling's feet were long blistered and cracked, and blistered again, and yet she smiled for her mother. She was her mother's light. Her mother's only friend. ...What could she do, but smile, and reassure her that things would be ok?
All of her life, it had been this way, and this journey was no different. A child with no father, born to a mother too burdened by her own guilt, and self doubt to ever truly be a mother to her child. So, the child had grown, comforting her mother, taking care of her before she took care of herself. They looked so alike, those two, but even as the child grew taller, and the mother seemed to shrink, there was an oddity in their relationship. It seemed almost as if the older she became, the more and more her mother needed her. The thought brought a smile, filled with too many confused emotions to count, to the yearling's face. More times than not, she fancied herself her mother's big sister, rather than her daughter. So now, as all times, she smiled to her mother, her gold eyes bright, and her ears perked foreward. "..Don't worry Momma, it isn't much further. We'll be there soon, You'll see."
Days melted into weeks with the heat of the sun. Atliss's coat had long since taken on a dull coarseness with the journey. There was little time to find food, little time to stop for water. Things were dangerous here, in these untamed lands. Her ribbons were long since tattered and stained, but Atliss could feel tautness of muscle beginning to form,and her soft feet become harder, and more sure. More and more she ventured away from her mother, skipping along with the others, exploring on her own. She found that she enjoyed time without her mother, time when the weight was temporarily off of her shoulders, time when she could think what she liked, and say what she liked, without worry for her mother. She could curse her mother's lover. That wretched man.. He had always been cruel to both her, and her mother. He was a savage, in his words when no one else could hear them, and his blows, when no one else would see. Now, Atliss was free to admit that she had been glad when the wretched hart was too stubborn to leave home. She had been so relieved when she convinced her mother that it was imperative that they leave.
"I'm so tired.." Her mother's head hung low, tears welling in her eyes, and Atliss sighed. She loved her mother.. She loved her dearly.. But... Wasn't now a time to be strong? She watched other yearlings her age.. They were given the freedom to cry, to hear the comforts of their mother while she nursed their slightest sores. The yearling stopped, picking up her foot, spreading the toes where she could see the tender pads beneath. Callouses had formed over much of the pads, but angry, red and bleeding blisters still oozed between her toes, the constant rubbing of their movement too much for even callouses to form. Mother never noticed them. ..She never asked, or worried.
She was the one who was allowed to cry.
The yearling gave her mother a half hearted nuzzle, but could find no words while she was lost among her thoughts.
Many a night, she puzzled over things. Some part of her felt guilty, sad that she would even think these things. She was her mother's support, wasn't she? Some part of her felt that she deserved to be the child she was. How was it fair that her Mother could be the child, and Atliss the doting parent? The little hind nibbled at the small clump of sweet grass as she puzzled in silence..
Then came the day they reached the glen. Slowly, the scenery changed. The land became thickly wooded, filled with adorable, and strange little creatures who squeaked, like birds, and larger things, fearsome to behold. Each little change thrilled Atliss. She spotted new plants, new birds.. So many new things! The ground was soft, not in the same way the sand had always been, but soft in its own right. Atliss pranced in the grasses, playing with the others her own age, more delighted and elated than she had been in years. A love for this land had begun to grow in her heart, rooting deeply and more quickly than ever thought possible. But even as Atliss grew, and flourished, her mother seemed to wither. "...I miss him, Atliss.. I miss him so much.." Tears welled in the beautiful green eyes, but even as Atliss listened, a frown took her features. She remembered well how cruel the man was. How worthless he had made her feel, and how swift he had been to 'reprimand' Mother when she was not to his standards. A hint of steel took the yearling's gold eyes, as she watched her mother cry. For once, she felt no pity for her mother. She just.. She couldn't understand! The man was horrible to her! He had left so many bruises, and not just on her mother! A dangerous thought came to mind and anger began to boil. "I want to go home, I want to go back to him.. That's where I belong, I'm so useless without him.. I need your Father-"
"Don't call him that!" The anger spilled over into the yearling's features as she shouted. She was angry, with her mother. Before this journey, it would have been an unthinkable thought, but before this journey, Atliss had not been the yearling she was now. "He's not my father, so don't call him that!" Her little body quivered, resonating with the edge in her words. Tears welled up in the gold eyes, but even then she couldn't meet her mother's gaze, fearing the betrayal she knew would be in those green eyes. "..Why can't you think of me for once?" A hiccup of a sob coked her words. She bit her lip, and steadied her legs, willing herself to carry on. "...Shouldn't I be the one you watch out for?" Involuntarily, Atliss looked to her mother's face. Shock, and betrayal formed on her face. "..Baby.. We have to go home.." Her mother stammered, her balanced knocked out of her by the child's words. They had to go back. She had to go back.
Atliss shook her head... For a long time she had looked after her mother. She had made sure that she ate, and slept. ...But now, when she wanted to make sure that her mother was safe, she would not listen, not even for the safety of her own child. "...You go back mother. I'm staying.. I don't ever want to see that man again."
Atliss trotted into the grove, watching the elder speak to the other leders of the strange herla that roamed the forests. She lacked her typical luster, eyes dry and swollen from crying, utterly exhausted. It had been days since her mother left, and the little hind was growing used to things..For once, she had done what she needed to do for herself and not someone else. Once, she had heard an old tale about the herla Atlas, who held the world on his shoulders, even as the day and night moved across the sky... She might bear his name, but she would not silently endure anymore. As selfish as it might be, she was going to do what was right for her.
((please disregard if this is too late, I'm horrible with timezones CX ))
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 5:20 pm
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 9:45 pm
Winner is Shinigamisgirl <3! Thank you all for participating!
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