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 Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 9:24 am
It was an incredible gusty day, the wind having taken it upon itself to show off a little to the world below. Fallen leaves gusted and spun around the world, the trees swayed softly side to side, and Eponine was finding that her very long mane was unruly as ever.
Now would be a good time for a hair cut, she mused as the long locks attempted to hinder her sight. A shame she had nothing to tie it back with. Her tail had been braided thanks to a native she'd met many moons ago, but Eponine wasn't anywhere near that particular tribe. Besides which, her wild nature didn't necessarily trust the human folk. . . not all the way, at least.
Turning into the wind, so her long mane flowed behind her, the ice touched mare trotted through the open plains. The long grasses had turned a soft brown and gold, the greenery changed to prove autumn and winters approach. Time was flying buy and the young mare couldn't wait for the snows of winter. Head in the clouds, as usual, she didn't pay much attention to her footsteps as she made her way to the nearest source of water. She was dreaming of snow and the winter wonderland that was sure to come. . . .
Yes, food would be more difficult to find but for the most beautiful time of year that was something Eponine could handle.
It didn't take her long to reach the source of th river. Pausing at the edge, she glanced down at the streaming, bubbling water, imagining what it would look like frozen. Amazing how even the waters stopped their play to allow respect for the cold season and spirits. Winter truly was an amazing time. . . . With a soft chuckle, head still lost in the clouds, she lowered her head and drank.
The silly little mare would never really grow up. . . .
Not yet at least. She wouldn't ever give up or trade in her dreaming for anything.
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:33 am
He seemed completely suited for this time of year, his coat was tuned to the colour of vibrant birch groves where he spent his mornings, and his markings shone in the light filtering through the fiery oak and aspen. He seemed perfectly at home in the soft golds of the meadows, almost blending into the scenery until the sun peeked out from the clouds and made the gold on his body shine. Even the designs flowing across the little alicorn's body were reminiscent of dancing leaves in an autumn wind.
Kal gave little thought to how he now nicely matched the world around him, he was just happy to blend in better, and perhaps draw less attention to himself. The season brought him some peace of mind, and apples when he could find them. The apples and fruits were a wonderful treat. Sure winter was on it's way, the dreaded nights were growing longer and the frost in the mornings left him with an aching chill, but the stallion would enjoy the delightful autumn days while he could.
The small alicorn trotted across the field to the river, a little ways downstream from where the mare was daydreaming, and dropped his nose to take a drink. He hadn't noticed the other yet, as he wasn't very used to others in this particular area.
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Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 12:58 am
The young mare drank quietly, her head amongst the clouds as her mane and tail whisked about her. Occasionally she paused, getting smacked in the face with a long, unruly strand only to shake her coat out. Alas, it did nothing to keep her hair from running with the blowing wind.
Gold, red and brown leaves were scooped up from the land, a small whirlwind of colour dancing around the mare. It was amusing to see the leaves reflect against the rivers water, a sunshining day such as today keeping the water clear and ever so reflective. To see the rush of winds swirl and reflect upon the water was like a dream - From where she stood at the edge, the sky seemed never ending and the world appeared upside down.
For a moment Eponine couldn't help but wonder - what would it be like to be naught but a reflection? Did the mare staring back at her ever wonder what it was like to be right-side-up, or did she find her life 'upside down' to be quite fun. What would it be like to have the clouds and sky underneath her, and the river and world on top. A crazy concept, really, but enough to cause the ice touched mare a chuckle.
Could they swap places. . .?
Imagination running wild, the young mare reached out with her hoof and stepped in to the cool waters. Her reflection mimicked said action with ease, but she caused nothing but ripples.
No, she was still right side up, but perhaps someday. . . .
Glancing over her shoulder, only then did Eponine realize she was far from alone. What could have passed off as leaves drifting in the wind was a soquili! And not just any but one that was laced in gold and touched by autumns kiss. White and gold with large wings and - she had to squint to tell - but was that a horn?
Wow - doubly lucky this one was! A thought hit the young mare and she gave a gentle chuckle. The winter queen meets the guard of autumn - fitting for the season at hand!
Not at all shy, the girl ducked her head and removed her hoof from the water. No need to have the poor male think her crazier than she was. Tail flicking behind her, aqua eyes bright, the mare gave a little laugh. "C-c-careful now - I do b-b-believe the winds are trying to-to-to-to sweep us all away!"
As if to agree, another gust roared through, sending a flurry of dead leaves raining down upon the pair.
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Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 10:57 am
Kal had been lost in his own peaceful thoughts, near oblivious to the world outside his immediate attention. He took his time drinking, and kept his head down to watch the pattern of ripples on the water's surface. An airborne leaf drifted past his muzzle and landed gently in front of him, to which he smiled and nudged the delicate golden object with his nose.
Unfortunately that was the exact moment he heard a laughing voice speak up out of nowhere, and in his surprise he dunked his nose and managed to inhale a great deal of water. The little stallion whipped his head away from the water and snorted violently to try and rid himself of the water and pain in his nose. His eyes teared up a little as he stepped backwards, but as the pain ebbed he was finally able to glance in the direction the voice had come from.
With those colours and that long mane whipping around in the wind, Kal could have almost believed the mare was a vengeful winter spirit, out to terrorize him for wishing autumn would never end. Yet he had been called a spook himself and was not inclined to believe they existed in such a manner. Her words were normal enough, and blue and white were not unusual colours to wear in one's coat.
The little alicorn smiled weakly, and lifted a wing to rub at his offended nose for a second before replying. "I-I m-might be small, b-but the wind won't blow me away." Well, not unless he spread his wings and tried to fly, but he wasn't going to admit a thing like that right away. He was growing accustomed to the thought of being small for a stallion, but he was still pretty sensitive about his mediocre flying skills.
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Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 2:33 pm
Eponine blinked as the white and gold stallion took a giant snort of water! Oh dear - she hadn't meant to startle him, not at all! Still, it was a bit of a funny sight and her eyes twinkled in amusement. The poor boy. . . . Taking a few steps closer, concerned about his well being, Eponine bridged the distance between them.
If he was a small stallion, the young mare didn't notice. He was smaller than her brothers, yes, but it didn't occur to her that it could be a problem. What did size or height matter anyway? Just as she sometimes forgot that others could find her stutter annoying, so it was that she hardly noticed his smaller frame.
When it came down to it, a soquili was a soquili regardless of appearance. It was the differing details that gave everyone character.
Braids and feathers swished easily behind her as she giggled softly, taking a moment to admire his gold laced wings. She couldn't help but be a smidgen envious. Both a horn and wings. . . . and such a beautiful coat pattern! He truly was a knight of autumn. Besides her cool colours and the hair of pink upon her bakc, there was nothing out of the ordinary from the girl. She had no wings, no horns, no cat-like tail. . . .
Just the typical hooves and features of an every day, average soquili. But. . . such was life, c'est la vie.
Giggling softly, the daydreamer smiled up at the male. "I w-w-would most c-c-certainly hope not! B-b-b-but perhaps the w-w-wind is just trying to-to-to be encouraging?" She glanced up and around at the leaves dancing around them, blustering in the afternoon sun. "The silly th-th-thing just doesn't realize we all c-c-c-can't f-fly!" She laughed again, good nature radiating throughout her.
Oh, she'd fly if she could. . . . But all the wishing in the world wouldn't make it so.
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Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 3:18 pm
Kal almost took a nervous step backwards as the mare approached, he was not used to being looked at so thoroughly. The little stallion wasn't even sure why he was being examined. Maybe it was because he only matched her height, or because he had a different tail? He felt his cheeks heat up a bit, and he quickly glanced over his shoulder to see if there was anything stuck in his fur to make her look at him.
Once the shy little male was satisfied that there was nothing matted in his flanks or rump, he offered another smile. "I-I d-don't see why th-the wind would want to play with us anyway, i-it h-has a-all the leaves it wants..." He pawed at the ground nervously, his stuttering becoming a little more pronounced with his concerns about his appearance.
It wasn't until he was mentally kicking himself for stammering so badly that he realized the mare had also stuttered her words. His blue eyes widened in surprise. Was she nervous like him? She certainly didn't look like it with the ease of which she laughed and chatted.
His gaze was broken as a golden leaf flew up and smacked him in the side of the face, and he had to shake his head to dislodge it. At least his short hair wasn't blowing around like the mare's long, white mane...
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Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 4:00 pm
Eponine caught sight of the fact that the stallion retreated upon her approach. Uh-oh, that wasn't a good sign. Was he perhaps a mistrustful sort? Was he like her brother, Marius, in that he was reserved and not the easiest to approach? Or perhaps he was just a little on the shy side? He certainly didn't seem the aggressive and angry sort . . . . Hmmm, the mare made it a point not to get to close and allow the male his space.
She surely didn't want to scare him!
Keeping her expression as gentle as she could, the young mare gave a soft chuckle. "P-p-p-perhaps it likes b-b-bigger game?" She questioned, rasiing a delicate brow at such an idea. What if leaves were too simple to play with. . . What then could the wind attempt to blow away!
To her, a soquili seemed like the perfect target. Many had long locks of hair to tangle, like her own, or wings like the stranger before her. Why shouldn't the wind want to cause mischief with the soquili of the world? To the ever imaginative Eponine, it made perfect sense!
As a leaf attacked the pale male before her, the mare gave another little chuckle. The poor dear - if the water wasn't attacking him, the leaves were! "The s-s-spirits are f-full of mischief to-to-today," she stammered with a grin, tail swishing gently behind her. While the leaves were attacking Kal, Eponine's hair was on a rampage against her. Swishing in and out, here and there, the long locks captured gusting leaves and tangled tight around her. She dreaded the aggravation the white locks were bound to cause her later in the eve.
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Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 8:17 pm
Kal couldn't help but give a little laugh himself. "I-it seems like the wind doesn't need to lift us to play with us," he grinned rather sheepishly, watching another leaf swirl past his nose.
His own stutter let up as he momentarily forgot his earlier discomfort. However, he was still rather confused about hers. She honestly didn't look nervous at all, or frightened, so maybe it was just something she did all the time? Or maybe she was nervous, and was just really good at hiding it? Kal wanted to ask, but he wasn't very good around mares, and was afraid it might make her upset to bring it up. He didn't like when people commented on his own nervous stammering, but maybe it would be different if they did it too... And if she was hiding it, was there something he should do to help her be less nervous?
As he fretted over keeping silent or satisfying his curiousity, all his anxious gestures seemed to return. Twitching ears, pawing at the ground, not quite meeting her eyes, all spoke of a very edgy little stallion.
A diversion from his thoughts came when the wind direction changed and sent his bangs blowing into his eyes, and Kal realized exactly why he was relieved the mare had stopped as far away as she had. It wasn't because the close presence of someone disturbed him, but because of the way her long mane thrashed about in the wind. It would be more than a little problematic if they both got all tangled up in her hair!
"M-m-maybe w-we should go s-somewhere l-less windy?" The small alicorn asked hesitantly, his nervous stuttering back in full force.
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Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 11:46 am
Eponine wasn't a shy mare. She was innocent and naive, yes, but she'd never had a problem trotting up to a stranger and initiating conversation. But the fates cursed her with the inability to properly speak. Thankfully, though, she hardly saw herself as different from others and nine times out of ten forgot about her stammering. She didn't see it as a bad thing, but sometimes when the subject was brought up she wished she could speak more clearly.
Obviously that wasn't going to happen.
Mane still twisting and twirling, Eponine chuckled at the pale and autumn kissed stallion. It was true that they needn't be swept away from the wind for entertainment to be had - her tangling hair, the attacking leaves. . . . .It seemed the wind was enjoying itself this afternoon.
Shaking out her head - though it did little against her hair - the mare twitched an ear at the stranger. The wind was blowing his words away, but she caught enough to understand what he had (allegedly) said. Grinning as her hair reached out like tendrils around, the mare gave a fervent nod. "I th-th-think that's a g-g-great idea. . . ." Ducking her head, she glanced around trying to find an appropriate wind block. If they headed deeper in the forest there was a chance the wind would cut down, though the leaves might still fall and blow. . . .
And the young mare didn't really know of any caves. "I s-s-say head in to the w-w-woods, unless you know s-s-somewhere b-better," she suggested with a chuckle. Oh, by the spirits she probably looked a complete fright, but it was something the blue touched femme could easily laugh at.
It struck without warning and the girl suddenly felt a bit abashed. Here she was talking to a new friend and she had yet to give him her name! Considering they would soon be on the hunter for less windy territory (or at least a decent wind blocker!) she thought it was only fair for him to know. "F-f-f-forgive my lack of m-m-manners, I'm Ep-p-ponine," she did her best to get her name straight but, of course, it just didn't happen. Hopefully you could decipher her words.
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 5:48 pm
With Eponine's introduction, Kal immediately felt appalled at his own lack of manners. He hadn't though to introduce himself either! What kind of stallion would forget to make proper introductions? His nervous fidgeting only got worse. At least he had understood her name through her stutter since he was so used to hearing his own broken speech.
"I-I-I'm Kal, p-pleased to meet you!" He replied almost too quickly, thankfully managing not to stammer his own name. "I-I d-don't know anywhere b-better, I-I w-would have suggested the f-forest..."
His words were rushed due to his anxiety, and he didn't quite glance up to meet Eponine's eyes, but a thoughtful look crossed his face as he trailed off. Then he lifted his wings and spread them slightly, tilted his head, and then turned about 30 degrees to the left before glancing up at the sky. Then a delighted smile spread across his face.
"I-I do know a place," he said brightly, tucking his wings and taking a step towards the forest.
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Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 12:20 pm
The mare had hardly taken notice that the winged stallion hadn't given his own introductions. She wasn't so old fashioned to have thought that it was improper - so long as she told him who she was was all that mattered. He could have remained nameless for the rest of the encounter and she wouldn't have thought any less of him. Still, it helped having a name - she could properly file him away in memory with hopes of making a new friend.
It never occurred to Eponine that she sounded different than the other soquili of the woods - that was until she heard one with the speech impediment like her own! It wasn't difficult to understand him, but the mare wasn't sure whether or not to feel self-conscious about her own words or not. Hopefully he could understand well enough. . . . .
Still, the blue and white mare felt a sense of relief. It was as if she'd been holding her breath since birth and had never realized she'd been doing it - it was NICE to meet someone who tripped over their words just like her. To Eponine, what was usually frowned upon as a flaw just managed to make them extra special. It did her heart good to know that she wasn't so unusual or strange . . . . Maybe it would make Kal feel a little better too.
The mare bit her lip as she glanced around, concentrating on the area and where they could escape the wind. She wasn't entirely familiar of her whereabouts, which truly didn't help the matter, but. . . . there had to be some sort of wind block somewhere.
Thankfully Kal was struck with inspiration. Blue ears twitched as he did a little 'dance' and shifting in place, her aqua eyes twinkling in merriment. It seemed somewhere had struck the stallion, and Eponine gave a soft chuckle. "L-l-lead the way, my f-f-fine sir!" She bowed as gracefully as she could, her long mane and frazzled tail whipping around her. With a happy step, she bridged the distance and followed the autumn touched stallion deeper in to the woods.
A new adventure for the mare. . . . . Just what she liked.
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Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 5:20 pm
Kal seemed in higher spirits after his little 'dance', as ridiculous as it might have looked. Although he wouldn't ever fly in this wind he could still read it, and his silly shifting was nothing more than observing, doublechecking, and making some mental judgements.
Yet being able to contribute something meaningful to an interaction always soothed his anxiety. It also seemed to have freed up his tongue a bit.
"I-I wasn't sure if there was anywhere even in the woods where the wind wouldn't be too much of a bother... B-but even though it swirls around a lot, it comes from one direction a bit more than the others, and there's a place that's pretty sheltered from that direction." He turned his head back slightly to explain as he led the way through the woods, naturally wandering around small obstacles or uneven ground that might trip his companion. He knew some were uncomfortable or inexperienced in the forest, and without asking outright it was safer to be careful.
The little alicorn had another reason to glance back aside from facing who he was talking to and checking to make sure the forest hadn't caused his new friend any problems. He wanted to be sure he noticed if her gravity-defying hair got caught up on any branches or anything.
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Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 9:43 pm
Eponine was as comfortable within the woods as she was out in the open. She so did love the forest, especially in fall when their green transformed in to a varied palette of colour - reds, oranges, yellows, golds. . . . Beautiful really, even within the wild wind! So with a curious heart as to where the wind stallion would take her, Eponine followed.
The woods offered some protection for her locks, but some of the more lighter strands continued to gust with the breeze. Eponine had long since grown used to it, but she did pause now and then to snort and shake her head, to be rid of the hair that threatened to whip in her face and eyes. "I l-l-look forward to getting a respite!" Eponine laughed, attempting to shake her mane back in to submission for the umpteenth time. "I v-v-very much would l-like to see again."
She walked carefully within the woods, her hooves crunching on the dead and dying leaves that littered their world. She had to be extra careful thanks to the blanket of orange and red - they covered any roots threatening to ensnare any passing hooves. Aqua eyes glittered in delight, the mare grinned at Kal. "Seeing your m-m-mane, I'm almost inspired t-t-to chop off all m-m-my hair!" He didn't seem to have to fuss much with hair. . . .
Lucky. Though her white locks were pretty, sometimes Eponine wondered if they were really worth the hassle.
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 7:51 pm
Kal seemed to pay more attention to his company than to where he put his own hooves, but somehow he avoided the half-hidden pitfalls, ducked the branches he should have ducked, and managed to get by without scratching his wings. The little stallion appeared as comfortable amidst the trees as he was in a meadow or field.
In the forest his autumn appearance both stood out and blended in, often matching the leaves that cascaded down upon the two of them, and lighting up in small flashes of gold as the wind stirred the trees and let dapples of sunlight fall on his flanks. "I-it shouldn't be too far now, I think the wind won't be as troublesome once we get there."
Almost out of nowhere they came across a small creek, just a small winding trail of water in the bottom of what looked like it might have been a large riverbed once upon a time. Kal led Eponine right into the depression in the leaves and began following the creek upstream. In a very short time the riverbed started to become more like a ravine, with steep sides etched out ages ago through containing the ancient river.
"We're almost there," the little stallion said with a bright smile before resuming the pleasant chatter with a bit of a sheepish look. "Short is definitely easy, b-but mine just doesn't seem to want to grow out in the first place."
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