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 Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 6:27 pm
The golden-horned foal squealed in delight as his mother tugged gently at his tail, which sent the colt loping off a ways to the side. He grinned over at both parents, flicking his stubby tail before prancing over and whickering at his dam. He reared and tugged at her mane before racing off behind his sire in a giggling fit.
All play aside, his ears swiveled around as he pranced along beside his father as his bright eyes scanned the area. He frowned slightly, wondering where the large flash of snowy white was, so he leaned over and tugged at Aitumn's mane. "Daddy, where gramma?"
As she eyed the little colt she couldn't help but grin impishly, and she lowered her head and snuck around behind the blood bay as Tucker nipped at his father's mane. After the little colt had finished his question, Cressida snaked her neck out to n** at Tucker's whithers. That, of course, sent him squealing and bolting off around the other side of his father in a fit of giggles. She couldn't help but chuckle, herself. "Grandma Rhea went on ahead sweetie, to make sure her cave is all nice and comfy." Of course, that was what she'd said she was doing, but the gilded mare knew her dam was ensuring Zak wasn't there.
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Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 6:59 pm
 Travel seemed to do him good, though he had not desired it while with his little family, he sure did seem to miss the long journeys from place to place the beauty of different terrains. Shiral was grand, and Ryuten just as wonderful, but while on the move one could only marvel at a single sight for a short period of time, and as such it was much more important to take in all aspects at once. Such was Aitumn's philosiphy on the subject, despite the situation they were in with the green brute.
Now, the blood bay couldn't help but chuckle at his own son as he made a game of tugging and giggling and all around bothering Cressida, to which he rewarded with grins and winks when she wasn't looking. Poor little imp, he couldn't help it if Tucker decided to join his side most of the time.
At the tug to his mane, Aitumn was about to reach down tag him on the nose, but Cressida apparently beat him too it. "Yup, Gramma Rhea went up ahead", he reenforced the idea with a bob of his head. Though, he didn't have as much insight as Cress, he had a fair idea of what the snowy mare might be doing. Heck, its what he would have been doing if he got the chance. As it was though, he was having a good time, and as such reached down to brush a feathered wing against Tucker, wondering if he could surprise him.
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Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 7:23 pm
The little bundle of energy bobbed his head swiftly, making himself a bit dizzy but managed to ignore the strange feeling. He always seemed to get that feeling when he nodded or shook his head really fast. "Oh, okay," he said with a smile, trotting alongside his father. After a short moment, his eyes traveled up to peer at his sire's forelock. A sly grin spread across his face as he giggled to himself, unaware that both parents could hear it. He flicked an ear, trying to figure out just how he--
"Eep!" He yelped, jumping aside before dancing around beside Cress instead, in yet another giggling fit; he hadn't expected the blood bay to touch him with his wing.
The gilded mare grinned, prancing up a few paces before nudging Aitumn's shoulder, then turned to Tucker and nibbled at his short mane, eliciting a delighted squeal. "How 'bout a race, sweetheart?"
"A race?" He echoed, eyes wide. He wasn't sure what that was, but if mom was excited about it, it must be fun. He couldn't help but grin broadly, dancing in place. "A race, a race! Tucker wantsa race!" He ran around the two to prance up beside his sire, grinning up at him. "Daddy wantsa race too?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 8:16 am
A race? Well that certainly perked the stallion's ears right up, a sly grin spreading across his muzzle as he did so. "A race down to the beach sounds like great fun, and on such a sunny day. The clouds are surely to be jealous," he spoke with a wink to one of his dull dark eyes. Surely the mention of any kind of game would get Aitumn's attention and good spirits, especially with Cressida and Tucker involved. He still remembered their last race back to Shiral, but he would remember not to push himself too hard this time; especially in the sand and how they sucked at his hooves.
Though the tall stallion couldn't help but chuckle at his little white son as he around around them, such a great little colt they had. "A race is a competetion to see who is faster", he explained with a grin, lowering his sleek head down to his son to give him a nudge on the shoulder. "Are you fast Tucker?" he questioned with a good humored snort, raising his head up once more to go into a more elaborated prance of a walk once more. Knees jutting high, and hindhooves almost jogging in place. Oh how Aitumn loved to play.
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Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 2:20 pm
Cress grinned at the stallion, noting his perked ears and sudden enthusiastic attitude. Games certainly were one of his favorite things, it seemed. Her emerald eyes shifted down towards the bundle of energy and she smiled, flicking her slender, muscular tails. "Can you run faster than ute and riruy, Tucker?"
"Yes, Tucker fast!" He beamed, wriggling his little stub of a tail. In an instant he whirled around and, spotting the stretch of sand in the distance, made a bee-line for it. He looked back at his parents and offered an eager whinny before looking back at the pale sands, lengthening his strides as they had shown him since their departure from Shrilal, and racing across the coarse grass as fast as his thin legs could carry him.
The gilded mare grinned, laughing lightly and prancing in a half circle a moment before she reared, taking off after the little speed demon. As she launched herself into her gallop, she reached a tail out and lightly whipped the blood bay on the shoulder before speeding off towards their son, an amused grin plastered on her face.
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Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 2:40 pm
The stallion had held such pride in their son since his first steps, and though it hadn't dimished since he felt that pride swell into his chest once more as the white-wonder stretched out into a gallop across the sands. "Yeah, you're fast Tucker!" the sleek headed stallion chided after him, shaking his great mane and preparing to run himself when the golden imp beside him reared and snapped his shoulder. That got a surprised snort from the blood bay, as he made sure to have the sound deep and almost 'humph' like in nature for it was their game to be playful with each other. However, he did take the time to admire the strength of her jest, the power of her motion. He had started to do that lately, he noticed. Watching her movements, finding the strength, lingering in his gaze. Odd how he could go from uncarring wanderer to... whatever it was he had turned into.
Well! It looked like he would be last to start off, and thusly no sense in prolonging it, correct? Wrong. The blood bay took the time to toss his head upwards, nearly thrusting his forelegs off the ground in the sheer wake of his toss. Not a second later he was pushing himself off, tensing his haunches and jutting his muzzle forward. He'd get her back, that was for sure, and he didn't want Tucker to get too far ahead of them; despite his earlier decision to step off the speed for awhile.
Pulling up close to Cressida, the stallion couldn't help but n** close to her flank, before balking off to the side like a foal antsy about being caught in a game. However, his ears were pricked, a dark hallow eye turned towards Cress, and a light smile playing on his lips.
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Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 3:03 pm
The slender mare found herself bucking slightly in mid-stride at the not wholly unexpected n**, flicking her ears back and forth a moment before a grin formed on her muzzle again. Tossing her lengthy mane at the playful bay, she knew she couldn't reach him with tails nor muzzle, so she swiftly snapped out a wing and brushed his flank. She couldn't very well poke or prod him with it, as he could; he didn't have sharp claws on the fingers of his wings as she did. Bucking again in a playful manner this time, instead of surprise, she pulled her wing back and lengthened her strides quite a bit to catch up with Tucker.
It wouldn't be that hard to do, considering as soon as the white colt reached the sand -- which he expected to feel just like grass and dirt -- his hooves sunk and he tumbled forward with a shocked squeal. Well! That was certainly unexpected. He stumbled up and shook himself off before perking his ears forward and lowering his muzzle, whuffling at the sand a bit before a forceful sneeze sent him back on his rump again. With a snort, the young colt hoisted himself up again and, testing the sand beneath his hooves, set off once more. He was quite a bit slower now, of course, stumbling here and there, but he was determined to be faster than both parents, and that meant being able to walk or run on the weird pale dirt.
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Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 4:27 pm
He would have chuckled heartily at her buck, had he not already been repremended with the brush of a wing, sending his haunches skirting in an awkward stride that had his body twisted slightly at the center. That of course slowed his pace considerably, as he tossed his head glance at the leathery wing as it was pulled back to her side. "Sneaky imp", he chuckled slightly, pushing himself back into the stride he had previous been in. He had expected maybe a tap or a snap, but the light brush had indeed surprised him quite a bit.
Up ahead the sound of the soft thud in the sand got both ears swiveling forward, his muzzle soon to follow as his attention went from Cress to their little Tucker. The sight of his son sprawled out on the sand got both amusement and concern from the blood bay, as he intently watched for a reaction from the white colt. He pace went steady, his head raised on an alert arch, but he did not rush to the little one's side. He would not hinder Tucker when he was clearly capable of handling it on his own, as he did not hear his son cry out of help or desperation at the situation. In fact, as the little one got up to run again, the sire couldn't help but grin full on to the golden Reya beside of him; before upping the pace to get a bit closer to Tucker.
"How do ya like the sand, Son?" he asked with a bit of a wink, having to watch his own steps while the terrain changed; purposely showing that he too had a bit of difficulty manuvering in its odd texture.
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Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 12:13 pm
Tucker snorted at the shifting sands that sucked at his hooves, forced to slow down to a lope because of the strange terrain. "Sand?" He repeated, shifting his bright gaze to the pale dirt that Aitumn had called 'sand.' So it wasn't light colored dirt, after all, but something called 'sand.' He'd have to ask about that later, but for now, the blood bay was much too close for comfort. He might win the race! And the little colt couldn't let that happen. "I'm gonna win!" He shouted to both parents with a grin, lengthening his strides as much as possible. He was still running slower on the sand, of course, and stumbling half the time, but he was swiftly getting used to the strange terrain.
The gilded mare smiled as Aitumn pulled up beside their son, watching both with emerald eyes. She couldn't help but notice the trouble the blood bay had with the sand, and snorted softly in amusement. She'd been to Quirne many a time and had even lived there, so she was quite used to racing along the shifting sands of its beaches. Tucker, however, seemed to be doing fairly well. He was getting used to it, it seemed, mostly in an effort to outrun both parents. She smiled again, eyes flitting to her partner once more. Sneaky imp, was she? Well. She'd just have to show him how sneaky she could be.
With a devious little grin, she lengthened her strides to catch up to the blood bay, making sure to stay behind him. With a broad grin, she snaked her neck out and nipped at his flank before extending her wings as swiftly and quietly as possible, and jumped into the air. Thankfully, the winds of Quirne were on her side, and she didn't need to beat her wings too hard or too much to gain a bit of height and speed. Within moments she was ahead of Aitumn, at least, with Tucker off to her side, and she angled her wings downward for a swift landing. She whickered in amusement as she did so, galloping along the sands before her wings were even pulled back to her sides, and she cast a glance back at the blood bay to see his reaction.
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Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 2:11 pm
"Yup, sand," he affirmed. Aitumn had no intention of actually winning their little race, but he didn't want to make too easy for Tucker either. What fun was that for himself and for the little colt if he did? As it was though, he kept himself steady and behind, seeing as how Tucker was already stumbling about and he didn't want to push him or himself any further in the sands. "Oh, are ya now?" the blood bay chimed with a chuckle, responding to the shout.
Despite himself and the speed he knew he could muster, it was a much different story while on this terrain. He hadn't quite figured out how to keep himself from sinking and how to maintain his strides without much of a fuss over its shifting. That would come later though, after he focused and had some more experiance on the sand, but for now he was content where he was pace wise. Of course, as soon as something like that crosses his mind, a n** to his flank had him starting in surprise, flicking his lengthy tail out in a sort lash to the sudden intruder. It was a mistake to have forgotten momentarily the golden Reya was behind him, as he now owed her double in the pranks department. Glancing over his shoulder to give her a smirk, the stallion discovered she wasn't directly behind, oh no, but he did happen to catch her tail-end sailing above him. Which got a rolling laughter from the blood bay, remembering quite well how he had done the very same thing to her during Shiral. "Forgive me! You are not a sneaky imp, but rather a sneaky mirage that plays tricks with my sights!"
Yes it was all quite funny, and he found quite a bit of amusement in it all, but what to do now? How possibly shall he get her back for this one? Had his eyes not been dark and dulled from the glints of emotion they would have been laughing along with their little game, but as it was they were simply the same as always, despite the smirk that lifted onto his muzzle. Whether or not Cressida was still looking back at him, the stallion practically kicked his speed up several gears to catch her, snaking his muzzle out and snatching the tip of one her tails into his lips; careful not to grab it with his teeth. See her get away from this!
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Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 11:22 am
With a backward glance in response to his father's shout, Tucker looked just in time to see his mother's swift landing. He giggled a bit, knowing full well the two would be more preoccupied by playing with each other to notice him. He could win the race a lot easier this way! With a broad grin, Tucker continued pushing himself as much as possible, going as fast as his legs could carry him over the shifting sands. He would win!
The gilded mare squealed lightly in surprise, finding one of her muscular tails caught in the mouth of the blood bay. She looked back at him and grinned, laughing. "I was just returning the favor!" She chimed as a sneaky idea came to her. She laughed again and tossed her head, sending her dual-colored mane to the other side of her arched neck, and snaked another tail out. The second one lightly snapped on Aitumn's nose, or more like snapped at it, as she felt it barely graze the stallion's muzzle. While she did that, she quickly yanked the other tail out and bucked slightly, hardly believing how playful her mood was. See what he did about that!
As Tucker was closest, she smiled as she flicked her tails, offering a light whicker in greeting. "Hello there, Tucker! What are you up to?"
"Winnin' a race!" He panted as he skidded to a halt near her, stumbling a bit as he did so but not falling as he did before. He was glad he was getting used to the strange pale dirt called sand.
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Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 4:21 pm
Wrinkling his nose as the tail snapped at him, and feeling the other slip from his grasp, the stallion jerked his head upwards and gave a snort, as if trying to rid himself of something that had buzzed way too close to his nostrils. Despite this, he gave a deep chuckle, eyeing the golden mare in front of him. What was he going to do about this? Not even the blood bay could know the answer to that question, but it did not stop him from lengthening his strides once more, allowing himself to pull up next to Cressida and give a quick tug of her lengthy mane. Gentle, of course, but enough to turn her head at least.
This accomplished, the stallion pulled back sharply, digging his heels in only for a moment allowing her to get ahead once more, before flicking his heels out one more and stepping up the gears to quickly come to her other side, which he promptly nudged with his nose. That was ample retort, for sure, as he couldn't keep the smirk from forming on his muzzle.
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 11:12 am
Cress knew he'd respond to her teasings somehow, but she wasn't quite prepared as she felt her mane tugged and her head tilt slightly to the side. When Aitumn let it go she tossed her head and flicked her ears towards him, for he'd suddenly screeched to a halt after tugging her mane. She turned her head to see why he'd stopped, but as she looked she found he wasn't there. She was a bit confused until she heard his hooves pounding the sand beside her, and she turned her head around just in time to see him nudge her side. She whinnied lightly in surprise, rearing and kicking her hind legs out a bit as she did so, and grinned at the sneaky blood bay stallion.
She gazed ahead at Rhea and little Tucker, silently amused at how similar they looked, and she slowed to a halt near them. She'd get Aitumn back soon enough. "How do you like Quirne, Tucker?"
"Quirne..?" He repeated slowly, furrowing his brows and looking around. "Ute, what's Quirne?"
"The water, the cliffs, the sand," Rhea responded for her daughter, smiling at the small colt. "And don't drink the water, Tucker, it will make you sick."
"Ok grandma," he grinned, and quickly cast his eyes about. Spotting a desirable stretch of beach, he galloped swiftly over to the water and began prancing and splashing in it with a broad grin on his face. Quirne, he decided, was lots of fun.
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 1:16 pm
The blood bay could not help but feel gleeful at their mischevious teasings, shaking his head and snorting as he came to stop near the golden mare, sending his lengthy midnight mane into disaray. There was a reckless streak in Aitumn, one that enjoyed their playful challenges to one another, but he easily settled himself in the presence of Rhea and Tucker, deciding that the game must be on hold as she had yet to try and get him back for it.
His dull gaze, which was such a shame as he felt so alive in this moment, switched over to Tucker as he made a smile towards his son's question over Quirne. He was going to be a grown stallion one day, and Aitumn just hoped they could give him that chance. That, and healthy, happy childhood as far they could muster. It was difficult with Zaknafein's threats, as they always laid heavy in the blood bay's mind, no matter what time of day it was or what he was doing.
As Tucker went off to play the stallion turned his attention to Rhea and dipped his muzzle to give her a proper meeting. After all, she was the mother Cressida, and he would not be disrespectful to the white mare. "I hope the journey over hadn't been too much to ask?" Truth was, he did appreciate having her presence with them, that way it wouldn't just be Cressida and himself looking out for Tucker's well being in case of an emergency.
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 2:54 pm
"Of course," she chuckled lightly, flicking her muscular tails a bit. "I'm not so old that I can't make a trip from Shrilal to Quirne easily." The question amused her, although she figured if she was in any worse temper it would have irritated her. Honestly! She wasn't that old, not yet.
Tucker galloped over suddenly, sand clinging to his damp legs and a bit of his belly, and he grinned up at all three adults. "Is that where we're gonna live now?" He asked, meaning the cave nearby. Without waiting for any sort of confirmation, he loped in and began prancing around in it, inspecting and studying every inch of it. He liked the seashells and pieces of gnarled driftwood that Rhea had found, even going so far as to sniff or nudge random pieces with his soft nose.
The gilded mare merely chuckled at Aitumn's question, Rhea's answer, and Tucker's distraction. She could still hardly believe it; only several months ago she'd been completely alone. Now she had Aitumn, Tucker, and Rhea again, and she couldn't think of any way to be happier.
Well, she could.
If Zak would leave her little family alone.
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