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 Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 11:11 am
With the cycle of short but dramatic death now begun again, he felt much too reminded of his own endings that lacked beginnings following after. His heart had felt all too hollow lately, his life a repetitive rhythm that lacked the company of those he loved. Shaitani had left him without even a kiss goodbye. All he had wanted to know for years was why? Now he simply wished he could forget. But when someone enters your heart so swiftly and so deeply, that same heart betrays you by always remembering. The hole left by her absence would remain.
And then there was his sweet daughter, Zoet. She had grown to be such a lovely, confident young mare, and Eloran was proud of her. But she had left him to lead her own life. Rightly so, for he would never wish to withold the world from her. That didn't lessen his sense of loss at her going, though. Now he was alone, save for the smaller creatures who lived in his section of forest.
Frankly, life was very lonely for the bay stallion. He rather longed for some company, but felt no stirring to leave the quiet sanctuary of his domain. Which left him where he was at this moment, striding slowly along the edges of his forest, eyes turned away from it out over the wider grasslands and meadows.
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Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007 10:38 am
Well, not entirely unknown. Deep down, she knew no matter how much she may have loved the woman Hiabi, she missed the companionship of her kin, as she'd had when she was young. She longed for the company of Kaga, who had disappeared what felt like an eternity ago, and she knew her loneliness was gnawing at her. Maybe she was just trying to ignore it, feeding her reluctance to resolve it. Voluntary isolation didn't make sense, of course, and she would have realized it if only she had thought of it, but her heart refused to be reasoned with, and Kourin was very much stuck in her melancholy.
It was with that motivation she often found herself traveling paths she knew to be deserted, as she was then, lest she stumble across someone and betray her foolish loyalty to her pain. They were always calm, quiet sceneries, and in their peace, Kourin could almost find it in herself to daydream, and imagine all was right in her world. Only almost, though, and some times were more successful than others. This day wasn't one of her more fortunate attempts; she was ambling aimlessly instead, very much aware of the bleak sky overhead, and the brittle crunch beneath her hooves.
Her desolate journey wasn't so desolate today though. Velvety nostrils flared at the scent on the wind... A soquili, she realized, slowly lifting her head to peer across the fields, and inwardly chiding herself for not noticing sooner. It took her a moment to spot him, but when she did, she paused and looked on, her ears perked forward as she considered her options.
Kourin's self was tugged in two directions then, torn between an obsolete, pained desire to be alone, and a longing for company. She certainly couldn't have both, she scoffed to herself, surprised by her own indecisiveness. Something inside the mare snapped -- a newfound clarity as to what it was she really wanted. What foolishness she had fallen into, she thought, ashamed of herself. She wanted company, and she had certainly taken her time coming to terms with it.
Better late than never, though. Freshly resolved, but no less pensive, Kourin pushed herself toward the other with a graceful walk, hoping to make a new acquaintance, should he let her.
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Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007 3:49 pm
Since he was already turned that way, he caught sight of her, possibly before she saw him. A spot of stormcloud blue against the yellowing grasses of fall. The mare appeared at first to be involved with her own thoughts, so he had continued along his slow patrol. Even so, the thoughtful stallion kept an eye on her as he walked along, not wanting to be rude and miss the opportunity to show his manners towards a visitor near his territory.
However, once she did indeed see him, he wasn't entirely sure he'd get the chance to greet her. He couldn't see her expression really, but her body language spoke of hesitation and indecision. Quietly he kept walking, not wanting to influence her decision at all. If she didn't want company, he felt she had every right to avoid polite company. Heavens knew he had done the same himself many times over the last few years. Granted, company rarely appeared. His section of forest was a ways from the humans' settled area, and seemed secluded from most soquili traffic.
Today, though, he didn't much mind the idea of having company.
When he realized she had begun to move toward him, he stopped where he was and waited quietly beneath the edge of the forest's shade. When she was close enough, he whickered a mellow greeting to her. "It is a fine day for a walk, is it not?" he began amiably. "Would you like to join me on my stroll? I am merely checking to be sure all is well along the edges of my home." He bobbed his head courteously, his neat black mane staying out of his gentle brown eyes.
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Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 12:08 pm
Kourin understood 'spots of stormcloud blue' were quite conspicuous when strolling through meadows, as she was, and had not been at all surprised to see him pause. He'd probably noticed long ago, really, as she had faith others were far more alert and observant than she. Such was the curse of her foolishness... Oh, it encompassed so many things, and she only seemed to notice more and more.
Chin up, though, she reminded herself. She'd spent far too long moping to sully this too. What could have been a potential friendship, that is, for she'd taken the gesture as a wordless greeting, not having spotted any aggression or standoffishness in his posture. Then too, she could have been mistaken.
The mare was relieved to discover she hadn't been though, and met the inquiry with an agreeable nod. "Moreso than most." For today would be the day she finally put an end to her misery. There would still be pain, of course, but somehow she felt her perspective had changed, and she seemed much more able to contain it. "I would. And may I ask whom I have to thank for his kind offer?" And for the first time in a long while, she wore a soft smile.
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Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 1:47 pm
Eloran chuckled gently, a soft sound that lacked any sort of edge of mockery or haughtiness. "I am Eloran, though no thanks are needed." He smiled then and began to slowly continue along the forest edge, the sunlight dappling his red coat, bright against the shadows which turned his hide brown. "The company is most welcome. Things are often much too quiet out here." And alone, he added mentally, but forebore to mention that. There was no need or merit to sharing that with her. Not that he withhled it distrustfully, but strangers generally didn't want to hear the woes and foibles of their new acquaintance immediately.
"May I inquire who has accepted my invitation?" He smiled in amusement then, a twinkle of mischevious, if muted, teasing. Just a light banter in the face of introduction. There always was a first awkwardness when exchanging names. He preferred to keep it as sedate and relaxed as he could. "And also what has brought you out this way today?" Perhaps he'd learn where it was she had come from, as well.
Meanwhile his ears would occasionally swivel before returning to focus on her. Some noise further into the trees would catch his attention, then resolve itself into whatever normal activity or occurance that it was, alleviating the need for his attention. Pleasant as it was having a companion on his rounds, he still attended to his duty while enjoying her presence.
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Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 3:07 pm
"Needed?" Maybe thanks weren't needed persay, but Kourin didn't let that dissuade her. "I would like to give them though," she added, genuine. Nevertheless, she didn't press, instead leaving her sentiments at just that. It was almost as good as a proper thank you, she thought, and she didn't wish to overbear.
She looked back to him then, her kind gaze having drifted away at some point, likely in her brief musing. "Well, I'm glad to be able to help relieve the regularity." There was a nod as she pulled up alongside him, her rather dainty hooves treading lightly on the yellowing earth. All too well did she understand what 'too quiet' meant, and though she wouldn't tell him - not yet, at least - she very easily could have said the same.
"Kourin," she replied simply, quite unfazed. "Truthfully?" The roan paused thoughtfully, very aware of the irony in the reality of it. "I came this way hoping to be alone." Something in her tone belied she wasn't at all perturbed by her circumstance though, and that she had indeed been quite honest in thanking him for his company. What had caused the change of heart, however, was left unsaid; her foolishness wasn't fit for troubling a stranger. "It seems there were other plans for me," she added a little jokingly, despite it.
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 10:58 am
He slanted her an amused glance. She'd come to be alone? He wasn't entirely sure whether that was good or bad, though the fact that she had found his company didn't seem to trouble her. It was a good start, at least. The only thing worse than being lonely was being with someone who didn't wish to be with you.
A frown crossed his face as another thought, unbidden, rose to trouble him. Had Shaitani really wanted to be with him? Oh, she'd let him convince her to come live with the humans for a time, but during a time when their joy should have been greatest, she'd left him. Perhaps that was what she had truly wanted? He shook his head, letting his thick mane fall where it would. It was not worth worrying over. The final fact that mattered was that she had left he and Zoet, and nothing could change that. As he had done uncounted time in the past, he resolutely set the pain aside and moved himself on. He was discovering to his dismay that it never really left him, though. Sadly he wished it could be left to the past forever, not exactly forgotten, but no longer in the present either.
A distressed squall interrupted his thoughts. Stopping dead in his tracks, he immediately began to scent the air and twitch his ears this way and that. The demanding and confused squall came again, a distance away from the two soquili. Eloran stayed rooted to the spot, on alert. Very softly, he spoke to his companion. "That is a bear cub. And where there is cub, thee is mother." He glanced at her, warning in his eyes. "I hope you know about the danger of mother bears?" he inquired, his voice still low-pitched, so as not to carry.
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 2:26 pm
She was actually quite attentive when not lost in a world all her own; Eloran's frown did not escape her. It did puzzle her though. Had she said something to upset him? No, surely not... She'd not said anything worth being upset over.
It wasn't any of her business, anyway. As much as she couldn't deny her curiosity, she could ignore it, and ignore it she did.
Kourin politely turned her gaze away so as not to stare, instead occupying herself with the rippling grasses and the way the shadows cast from the tree line danced over them. It wasn't a terribly deep pastime, but she found if she focused on her surroundings strongly enough, she could almost keep her thoughts from drifting. Listening to the chorus of the wilderness was a pleasant distraction from what would have otherwise been troubled thoughts, perhaps not unlike what Eloran himself was experiencing.
The cry didn't allow her a reverie though. She snapped to a halt, her eyes involuntarily widening in alarm as her ears danced atop her head. Despite having mellowed with age, Kourin was still a bit of a skittish creature by nature. "Too well," she replied quietly, her gaze darting to him. She had, in fact, met one once before, when she was but a filly. It wasn't something easily forgotten.
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 11:23 pm
The red bay stallion spared a moment for a look of admiration at the curly-maned mare next to him. She was neither ignorant nor terrified and fleeing. He found such cautious courage an admirable and commendable quality in anyone, but particularly in mares. They seemed to sell themselves short in the nerves department all too often. He was glad to see his new companion was no such mare.
But this cub, and his nearby mother, were his concern, as they were denizens of his forest, or apparently were now. "That cub doesn't sound happy at all," he mused softly, "but I don't hear his mother." He puzzled over it for a moment before deciding. "I'm sorry to abandon you, but I must go see what I can do to help." He glanced at her with an inquiring glance. "Though I wouldn't turn your down if you wanted to come along."
Another distressed bawl from the baby made his ears lean forward intently, and he murmured to himself, "Where is your mother, little one?" He looked again at the mare, truthfully hopeful she'd come with him.
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 9:30 am
He was so... calm. And she was... not. Not at all. It was honestly fairly shameful; she might have flushed and ducked her head in embarrassment if she hadn't been so busy trying to swallow her nerves. But she was, so she only shifted her weight uncomfortably instead, silently alleviating her desire to move, hopefully without making her seem too much a fool.
Not that she didn't have more important things to concern herself with (and concerning herself with them she was). No, it didn't sound pleased, and no, she could hear no signs of its mother, but did she want to come investigate? If she hadn't successfully quelled her uneasiness already, the question would have been outright disconcerting. As it was, it earned a faint shadow of indecision in her dark eyes, and then an agreement for reasons she didn't particularly comprehend. "I'm not certain how much help I would be, but sure I will."
Whether it was for pride, or because she wanted to help, or only because she was a follower at heart, she couldn't have said, but when he looked back to her again, Kourin nodded lightly.
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 9:49 am
He nodded his head silently at her in response, then turned to begin a careful stalk towards the cries of the young animal. He led the way through the forest trees, weaving his way carefully, stepping with caution. Before long they could see movemet through the trees, and the frightened call of the cub was much louder. Bears, Eloran reflected, were not known for their beautiful voices.
He stopped and scanned the area carefully. All he could detect was the movement of one small body, sunlight catching brown fur. Everywhere else around was silent. No birds stirred, no squirrels scurried. But neither was there the sound of breaking brush and heavy thuds of a mother rushing to the rescue. The cub was downwind of them, so he could not scent the air for the larger parent.
With a concerned look at Kourin, he waited in the shadows. Still the baby cried, occasionally snuffling about audibly, small paws scuffing on rock. He murmured in the softest tones to the mare to let her know he intended to wait. He stayed on alert, ears swiveling, nostrils flaring. As the sun turned above them, passing it's zenith, he finally decided it was safe to go see what the trouble was.
The sight that met their eyes was heartbreaking. The cub had finally flung itself down, sprawled across the larger bulk of it's mother, and fallen asleep. The mother bear herself was sprawled in an awkward position, unmoving and not breathing. Immediately Eloran's heart went out to the poor cub, bereft of his mother. Like his own daughter had been, though Zoet had never known her mother. Still, the association was there in the stallion's mind.
It wasn't clear what had happened, though there was traces of blood here and there, and a smeared pawprint in blood against a large boulder that towered over the dead mother and her cub. A rustle of feathers made him look up to see the circling carrion birds. If he was to save the cub, he needed to get it away from the vicious birds. Without warning to either Kourin or the cub, he moved forward quickly and grabbed the cub's neck fur in his teeth.
The cub of course awoke at once, squalling in fear and outrage. Eloran gave the small cub a gentle shake, and the poor youngster subsided slowly, still growling and yowling every so once in a while. Turning, Eloran broke into a swift, swinging walk away from the death scene, heading for his home glen.
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Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 11:22 pm
Well, there was no turning back now. Not to say she had wanted to; Kourin herself was somewhat surprised by her growing resolve. Being the sort who found her courage in others, it had been what seemed like ages since she last had someone to be strong for, and she had nearly forgotten what it felt like. The reminder was a good one though, jogging both her memory and instincts, and allowing her to turn and follow with little more than an uncomfortable twitch of an ear at each cry. Yes, she could do this... It was still easy to be sensible when she wasn't concerned solely for herself.
She probably wouldn't have looked like the boldest mare though, with the way she was trailing cautiously behind him, treading lightly as she scented the air and listened for anything. The lack of life around them concerned her too; so much so, she halted gladly when he did, and cast an almost worried look about them.
Then there was a brief moment she felt as though time had frozen, leaving behind only themselves, the cub, and its overwhelming despair. It felt worse now, standing there, catching glimpses of its lonely struggle in her dark eyes and tender ears. The cub's plight unnerved her in a way she hardly comprehended, and Kourin found herself fighting to quell it too before she truly realized why it was happening. She couldn't succumb to her emotions; not now.
Willing herself to look away, if only for a moment, the mare turned and peered at Eloran instead, jarring time into moving again. She nodded wordlessly when he shared his intentions, and with a great deal of effort, set aside her unease and fully averted her attention to their surroundings. Without nervous fidgeting this time.
Her composure held only as long as their position though. When he moved again, and she made to follow, the scene her eyes befell crumbled it anew. Kourin felt the cub's despair wash over her like it spilled through a broken dam, washing away the wall she'd built between herself and her discomfort. She held fast there, rooted in place by the sickness which always seemed to overcome her with pain.
Fortunately, Kourin was not a young mare, and understood herself well enough she was quickly able to get a hold on it. Her moment of hinderance was a fairly brief one, and though she had been utterly useless throughout, she recovered in time to see Eloran move to rescue the cub. No matter how prepared she was to hear it, its outcry still wrenched her heart, but she had the presence of mind to turn and follow once again.
... And enough to realize, in their retreat, it was a bear cub. She may have been a very sensitive, emotional creature, and deeply wanted to help it, but it wasn't a Soquili he was trying to save. Bears were omnivores at best, and carnivores at worst. How did he intend to care for it? Was it even old enough to eat things like meat? Kourin absently realized then she was quite a poor judge of bear-age; this cub was the first she'd ever actually seen, and she knew virtually nothing about their needs.
Tentatively, she opted to voice her concerns. "What will you do with it?"
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Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 2:18 pm
Mouth full of cub fur, his ears flickered towards her and he gave a faint snort, which translated into a sort of drawn out, "Weeelll...," For now he needed to get them all away from the dead mother bear. Those vultures wouldn't hold off for long, and they could be vicious, sometimes killing something readily available that lingered too close to the carcass.
It was several minutes later when he finally slowed, ears swiveling to guage safety, and then lowered the exhausted bear cub to the ground. Such were the trials of the young thing's life thus far, it had fallen asleep in the grasp of its savior. Eloran spared a closer look at the rumpled lump of fur. Not it, he. Weary himself, the bay stallion stretched his neck downwards, trying to work out the kinks from the unaccustomed carrying.
"Well," he continued his earlier response to the mare. "I suppose I'll have to look after him." He raised his head and gazed at her thoughtfully, wondering what she would think of him 'adopting' a bear cub. "His mother cannot, and bear fathers do not care for young." He frowned faintly at the thought. "In fact, they are more likely to kill them than raise them."
He cast another look at the not-quite-helpless cub. Already his claws were something to be reckoned with, if you were a smaller animal. And his teeth were nothing to sneeze at either. Though tiny, they would sink in like needles if he got a grip on you. Eloran only hoped the idea wouldn't occur to the small one. "I suppose I need to start thinking of how to feed him. He's sure to be ravenous when he wakes up." He had a few thoughts, but considering he had a mare with him, perhaps she had some ideas on how best to raise the little wild thing. "Any ideas?" he asked her hopefully.
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Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 9:37 pm
Nodding in understanding, she followed quietly, considerably more at ease now that immediate danger was mostly out of mind, and the poor cub's anguish had subsided. Kourin was very glad for it, too; it let her peace of mind she couldn't grasp while its emotions wracked her. Empathy was something to which she doubted she would ever grow accustomed. Finally, she moved more like a calm, sensible mare, and less like a nervous, flighty filly.
"So it would seem," she agreed at length, pulling to a stop just past the two of them. Leaving the poor thing would have been terribly heartless; how could he not look after it? This much she had already come to terms with, and it reassured her to actually hear it. Acknowledging the orphaned cub's need wasn't the problem though...
The complication came into the picture once they went to act on it. "Yes, he is," Kourin replied thoughtfully, picking up the pronoun easily. Ravenous indeed. The question was only what in the world did one feed to a hungry cub? She may have been female, but she was no expert in the intricacies of a growing bear's life. She'd never even had foals of her own to care for. Motherhood was little more than an inkling in her instincts.
Exasperated with her consistent uselessness, the mare huffed a soft, agitated snort. "Ideas?" Kourin had been repeating others and pausing in thought since she was very small; she did it most when something required careful consideration or contemplation. "I really don't know much at all about cubs, but do you think he'd eat fish?" Or when she was grasping for straws, like she was now. Oh, it sounded so terrible to her ears.
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Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 5:38 pm
The suggestion startled him, mostly because it hadn't occured to him. His eyes lit up. "What a wonderful idea! Though I'm not sure he's up to eating a fish on his own yet." He eyed the little snoring lump of brown fur uncertainly. "Plus, I'm not entirely sure how we'd catch one for him." He swung his gaze to her in case she had any thoughts on this, although he didn't expect any.
"I am thinking," he continued slowly, bobbing his head as he spoke, "that perhaps we should go the way of the berry." It was an odd way to put it, but that's how it came into his head, and he'd gone and spoken it aloud without much thought. He shook his head briefly, as if to shake sense into himself. "What I mean is, I think berries would be better for now, until we know more about him."
Cautiously but tenderly the stallion leaned down to the cub and gently nuzzled the darker brown ears. He wasn't so much brown as the color of red clay... red and brown mixed, making a reddish muddy sort of color. Ears, tail, and front paws seemed as if they'd been wet, being noticably darker than the rest of him, but not so much as to appear in stark contrast. Eloran softly sighed, his breath brushing aside the cub's scraggly fur. "So young, to be so alone in the world."
Pulling himself out of his own thoughts, he raised his head again. "It would help if we bothe looked for the fall berries. I think he'll be safe here, if we don't go far." Though the words were a statement, his voice made it a question. After all, she was a random stranger, but here he was roping her into an adventure. Perhaps she didn't care to look for berries or babysit a dangerous predator's babe. His eyes searched hers for some inner indication of her thoughts, while he waited patiently for her response to his not-quite question.
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