[PRP] Ew, Boys have Cooties (Ferrao and Vidia)

[lilmissy4205]

This RP is for Lady Evelyn Nyht's Vidia and Sukkubus's Ferrao.







Near the Kawani Village.

 

[lilmissy4205]

It seemed that this was acommon place for the shy mare to flee to whenever her mother decided Vidia needed social time with others aside from their make-shift family. It was the safest place to run into others and if she didn't want to talk to someone, flee from the scene and try to blend with the village. Her mother would never know about that.

But that wasn't why she was out here alone. Winter was coming and the grass was getting harder to find. Her blacken muzzle nosed into the dead and dying blades trying to find a few shoots that were slowly growing. She preferred grass over those oats Evening Night offered to her once. Now apples would have been a nice treat, but those oats tasted weird and not as sweet as grass. So all her concentration was on finding the best grass, not even thinking that someone may cross her way, least of all someone that usually ruffled her non-existent feathers.

 

[Sukkubus]

Winter had crept in unannounced, like a ravenous scavenger picking steadily at the landscape until it was nothing but the bare backbones of the earth. Ferrao had not found it difficult to find something edible, but taste was another matter altogether. He had the sinking feeling that nothing delicious would come his way until the earth woke up when spring rolled along and ate her own fill before feeding her children.

And so, left to his own devices, Ferrao snuffled along the ground in a state of denial. The cold prickled at his flanks as the wind sighed through the skeletal trees; rattling what dry leaves they had left as if begging him for life. He shivered and lifted his face, ears flicking. The wind carried something more than the moaning of the barren land – he could have sworn he heard the footsteps of another; slow, steady, but sure. Picking up his gait (as he wanted nothing more than company with the area so cold and dare he admit, frightening), he wove through the trees and pushed through the bushes in search of this soon-to-be (hopefully!) companion.

And found Vidia instead.

Oh, not that he minded! Not at all! In fact, he found a smile picking up the corners of his lips as familiarity settled on him. Slowing, his hoof falls crunched noisily over the foliage.

“So, have you been hoarding all the good grass, Imp, and leaving none for the others?”  

[lilmissy4205]

She had been so intent on her search that the sound of hooves hadn't reached her ears at all. It was a voice that interrupted her investigation and caused her to back peddle a few steps with wide cyan eyes. She recognized who it was immediately and gave a very loud snort, her heart beats refusing to calm as she wished it would.

She cast a scowl at him briefly before looking away, her long white mane covering most of her face. "Hoarding my tail," she said with a stomp of her front hoof. "You-you just like t-to blame m-me for your-your failings," she stuttered out angrily.

 

[Sukkubus]

“Such a sharp tongue for such a soft spoken mare -- forked like an Imp's would be!” he retorted lightly, turning his face as though she had hurt his ego. It wasn’t often that he found himself joking, but something about teasing the pale mare always tickled him – her reactions, maybe. It was difficult for him to be amused, but it came so easy especially now.

He broke through the underbrush and made his way towards her, his eyes sweeping the ground for something, anything, green. He stopped momentarily and pawed the earth, dragging away nothing but cold, half-frozen dirt. It wasn’t even snowing yet.

“Only thing remotely green around here are your eyes,” he sighed off-handedly, dipping his nose to whuffle the dying grass. “And I can’t eat those!”

He lifted his head with a small toss of his mane, an earnest smile ever present on his dark face, “Have you seen any snow yet, Miss Vidia?”  

[lilmissy4205]

She was thankful that most of her mane covered her face as a blush spread on cheeks. She snorted loudly again to keep herself focused. It wasn't often that she received compliments aside from her father, Tawali.

She tossed her head to make her mane move out of the way. Her gaze lingered to the north, where the mountains and her home rest. "Th-there was a light d-dusting near the mountains, but I-I've yet see it m-make it's way closer to th-these flatlands."

She kept her eyes from looking at him, viewing the barren trees. Everything seems to lifeless and barren. The gentle wind barely stirred the leaf covered grounds. And yet, the crystal clear sky with the music of the rustling leaves seemed to make up for the desolated area. She glanced briefly at him and blushed thinking over his comment about her eyes.

 

[Sukkubus]

Ferrao followed her gaze, scarlet eyes opaque as they reflected the spiking mountains of the north. The air may have become frigid, and the wind more like chips of ice than the soft kisses of summer and autumn, but the song had not changed. The pull was firm and the melody was steady; his ears swiveled back as pulled free of his reverie and settled his attention upon Vidia once more, the corners of his eyes crinkling in good humor.

“Good,” he said with a confidence he did not often show. “Maybe I’ll see you when the first flake decides to fall. It’ll be exciting.”

Unable to keep still, he paced close to the mare, stopping every so often to scuff his fore hooves against the ground. He gave up after a while and nibbled delicately at a crisp patch of grass, his ears flattening in displeasure. He wasn’t picky too often, but he was beginning to have withdrawals for the good stuff; he attempted to ignore the stale taste in his mouth, and somehow in doing so, his eyes drifted to the mountains again.

“Have you ever been up there?” he asked, sounding more naïve than he would have liked. “To the mountains, I mean?”  

[Evening Night]

She shook her head slowly. "No, I-I haven't traveled there yet. I-I live just at th-their roots where the river winds in the t-trees." She frowned and gave her tail an agitated flick. The beads clicked musically together, allowing herself to calm her temper.

"M-mother says you should be c-careful when traveling those slopes. Th-there is a herd of winds that aren't k-kind to Regulars. They make Kalonas seem humble."

Her frown was still present as she gazed to the white capped formations. She knew all to well that Wild Wind was soaring out there seeking some place to start his herd. Or so Omani'ceta claimed. Her parents had a grudge against that faceless wind. "So I-I don't dare travel there."

 

[Sukkubus]

"Do you ever plan to?" he pressed. The stallion drew himself up with a face of incredulity as her words settled in his ears, stupefied at the thought of superiority amongst those whose only difference were a pair of wings. He was aware that Kalonas were a bit self-centered too, and though not terribly understandable, he knew it was because of their darker nature. But Winds? A scoff hiccuped his large body.

"That's silly," he said finally, rolling his shoulders back and gathering himself. "The way a simple blessing can separate us so. I've never met a Wind - nor a Kalona, for that matter - but one day I will."

Ferrao gave a self-assured nod, his brows knotting.

"Not so much the Kalona, though! Spirits willing, it won't happen - I've heard too many stories to be eager for an encounter like that."

He studied her frown with a piteous look, amusement coloring his face - did she always have to make faces like that? Glancing towards the mountains again, he gave his head a toss.

"I'll cross them someday - see what's on the other side. Then I'll come back and tell you if you're too frightened to face a herd of ego-maniacal ponies with only wings to their names."

Ah, again with the precision poking.  

[lilmissy4205]

Her gaze dropped down to the ground and she scratched at the ground rapidly as if bored. Would she risk with such an adventure? "S-someday, perhaps," she stammered out. When that ego-manic stallion didn't want to break her neck. "But-but father feels it best th-that I don't tempt the f-fates."

She stole a quick glance from the corner of her eye and blushed crimson. She grabbed a mouthful of grass and chewed in thought. Anything that would give her plenty of time to gather her courage and cool her face. She swallowed and grimaced at the horrible after-taste. "I-I've heard there are more s-s-skinwalker sightings. I-I wouldn't want to run into Wild Wind, K-k-kalonas, or any other living myths." She gave a visible shiver at the thought, the stories from her father having a slight effect.

 

[Sukkubus]

"Do you tempt the fates often, Imp?" he questioned slyly, though the instant they left his lips he couldn't help but feel abashed. He never joked so openly with others, nor tease so pointedly save with his own siblings. He laughed his guilt away, a gentle, if not apologetic, sound that rumbled his chest.

Ferrao canted his head at the mentioning of skinwalkers, his eyes growing genuinely curious. Something new to watch out for? What was becoming of these lands, that had been so calm and safe? He suddenly missed the days of his foal-hood, yearning for the safety one could find in their ignorance - when Papa was still the strongest stallion around and whose only competition in willpower was Mama. A soft sigh breezed through his lips.

"What's a skinwalker? I've never heard of them," he admitted. He drifted closer to the mare, like a foal preparing for a story.  

[lilmissy4205]

She kept her gaze on the ground, ignoring his jest. It wasn't often that others found her to be so comical, aside from her family (of course). But the sound of his laughter allowed her to keep the sharp words at bay. She's always been a good listener.

Her gaze peeked at him briefly again when he approached closer to her. The sense that her storytelling "magic", inherited from her father, would do the trick for this young stallion, she squared her shoulders and lifted her head in a confident manner that was uncommon to see among strangers.

She let her gaze drift slowly around their surroundings. Her cyan eyes touched his briefly. She began to whisper, no trace of a stutter in her voice. "Skinwalkers are a very old legend. They're what two-leggers call werewolves. Some legends talk about how there are good skinwalkers. There is a tribe that claims their ancestors were brothers to the wolves and no one from that tribe hunts them. But there is a darker legend.

"Many moons ago, there was a poor wander that came across a village. He had no food or money and begged in the streets for a kind offering. The people sneered and spat at him before casting him from their homes and out into the wild alone. Grief stricken that people could be so cruel, he wander aimlessly into the woods in search of shelter and food.

"He came across a cave and gathered firewood to keep himself warm, but it wasn't enough as the winter wind cut him to the bone. It was in that cave, after he had light, that he saw the skin of an animal casually discarded on the rocky floor. This would keep him warm, he thought happily as he wrapped himself tightly in the skin and settled down for the night still hungry.

"He woke up the next morning to the scent of blood and smoke. As he pushed himself off the ground, the pelt fell away. It had red splattered across it. Fearful of what it was, he tossed the skin as deep into the cave as he could and set off back to the village to try and beg once more.

"As he drew closer though, he saw many smoke pillars rising into the sky. He hastened his steps and cleared through the underbrush only to see many of the homes charred or nothing but ash. A great mourning song could be heard in the air. He fell upon his knees in grief, but there was another side of him that was secretly happy that such ungrateful people had suffered so.

"The remaining villagers saw him and threw stones at him to drive him away, blaming him for the destruction to their village, the death of friends, families, and neighbors. And he fled once more to his cave where he wept until nightfall.

"He awoke the next morning to discover the pelt once more wrapped around him. When he went to pry it from his body, it clung to his hair and light fur causing him to cry out in great pain. This is a nightmare, he said in horror," her voice attempting to mimic the emotion as she continued.

"He stamped out the fire and went back to the village for a third time. He hoped they would be kind this time and share a meal with him, but another side of him was joyful at the sight of still rising smoke. He only had a chance to see that more of the village was turned to rubble before he was stoned and scared back into the forest.

"He didn't weep this time. His anger and bitterness grew and consumed him. For five more days, he repeated his black out nights and path to the village. But each day, his anger grew more fierce, his hope of kindness diminishing. After the hellish week, he confronted the small handful of villagers that were still living."

She paused and let her upper lip curl as she spoke in a deeper voice, "'You deserved what you got for kicking me into the cold. I destroyed your village every night as payback for the injustice you dealt me. I've allowed you few to live to pass on what has happened here and to strike fear in the hearts of man. You will pass on, but I--I shall live on to bring destruction to your peaceful days. And when I come calling, I will have warriors at my side to destroy the entire world.'"

 

[Sukkubus]

He listened to her story in rapt attention, captured by her unwavering voice and confident air. The mare painted a picture through the chill air with such a flourish, and it was unlike anything Ferrao had ever heard. So this was what a skinwalker was, he thought errantly, his ears tweaking back as she bespoke of the man's secret joy. A tremor whispered through the stallion's black pelt, like ripples from a stone's throw - and it was not from the nipping cold.

When at last Vidia wrapped up the tale, he drew his head back with a small puff of air. Not the story he had expected, but so much better. A coltish grin came to his dark lips; nothing fascinated him more than a frightening tale. He wondered if his siblings had heard it. Perhaps he had something to relay to them now, though in retrospect, he could not possibly tell it as well as Vidia had. An earnest look of joy took to his face, his hunger all but forgotten.

"So we -- well, the others he captures, this...man. He calls upon them?" He shuffled closer, "Do they howl? Have you ever seen one?"

A moment's pause.

"Now you've made me afraid to go home!" He jested, throwing a look over his shoulder and into the barren wood.  

[lilmissy4205]

She gave a visible shudder that moved from between her ears, along her spine, and to the start of her tail. It was disheartening to know that if dreams could come true, so could nightmares. She snorted loudly as she shook our her long mane and stole a quick glance to Ferrao. He seemed happy about all this? Did this foalish stallion have a death wish?

"I-I don't know. I-I've n-never seen one. N-nor d-do I care to run ah-ah-across one." He was daft to be looking forward to such an encounter.

"Me-me dad says they f-feed off the meat of others. O-only with a special i-item would you b-be turned. They-they even hate their own kind. N-nothing but anger in th-their hearts."

 

[Sukkubus]

"I'd like to see one," he quipped. And of course he would, preferably from a high vantage point behind a group of bushing and facing opposite of the wind. But yes, Ferrao had definitely decided he'd find one of these skinwalkers one day or the other. The adventurer in him demanded it.

However, upon hearing they feasted upon flesh, his tune changed. A look of horror and disgust crossed the stallion's face, brow and nose wrinkled in disapproval. Why would a fellow, who had once been one of them, eat others? So, they really were like Kalonas. Savage.

"I retract my earlier statement," he said quietly. "It's a sad sight, witnessing the hate in another's heart. Pitiful, really. There's never an honest-to-goodness reason to do so."