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 Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 10:04 am
Leigh wasn't in the habit of eavesdropping. But this time he made an exception. He lingered beneath a large, old oak tree. There were many different kinds of birds populating the tree at the moment, and though you would expect that to equal a lot of noise, all was quiet, save one very old crow. Leigh had happened to be passing by and overheard the beginnings of the tale, and had been fascinated. As rapt as the avians, he listened closely.
"Once upon a time, my children, the world was fraught with dangers and evil. More of the hooved kind flew in the air upon unfeathered wings, and wolves could climb. Lions flew too, and no place was safe for our kind." The old crow stopped to rasp a few deep breaths before continuing. "So it was, when Heru, the gread Falcon, chose to take pity upon us. So it was that he sent a savior in the guise of one of the smallest and meekest of our kind, the sparrow." At this, the several sparrows present fluttered their wings and fluffed out their chests proudly. "But this was no ordinary sparrow, my kin. For she glittered like the sun, hued like honey. She gleamed brightly beneath the sun, for her plumage was made of gold, and her eyes were of amber." The ancient bird paused for the ensuing appreciative caws and chitters, then continued when they had settled down. "This golden sparrow, it is said, could sing more prettily than any other bird in the forest. She alighted on the topmost branch of this very tree and, opening her small beak wide, began to sing her heart out. Her lovely voice traveled far across the lands, enthralling each and every one of the predatory animals. Those known as the kalona ceased their evil ways and became as sweet as the youngest usdia. The flying lions were mezmerized, and tread once more upon the ground. The wolves were so astonished that they fell from the trees like rain." A coughing fit halted the story for a time, but all his listeners waited patiently, for they wanted to know how it ended.
"She sang at every sunrise, and at every sunset. Plants responded to her voice too, blooming heavily and producing much fruit for our kind to eat. For many years she sang just as I have told you, and after a time the wolves forgot how to climb. The lions forgot how to fly, and lost their wings. The kalona remained hideous to behold, but they also remained tame as lambs. All was happiness and merriment... that is, until the day men came. They found our land of plenty and thought it good. All living bengs welcomed them, and they soon settled in. It wasn't long though, my children, before one man learned of why the land was so good here. And when he laid eyes upon our lovely golden sparrow, his heart was filled with greed." He paused once more, eyeing the youngest that were close to him. "Greed, my children, destroys all it touches. So it was that this man wanted the golden sparrow for himself. He soon learned that he would never be able to capture her, and so he determined that he would kill her, since she could not be his. When the Great Falcon Heru saw what the man intended in his heart to do, he called the little savior to himself again, sweeping her away in the night to secret her to his City of Falcons in the mountains to the south, across a great plain and past a vast desert."
Another wracking cough made the crow's voice even more raspy, and it was clear his tale was drawing to the end. "So it was that the wolves awoke again to hunt us, though they never have recalled how to climb trees. The lions too returned to seeking us as prey, though they have no wings now to fly. The kalona, though, my little ones, awoke to become their old, evil selves, just as hateful and cruel as they once had been. So it is, my children, that things are today." And with that, the old crow hunched up his shoulders and tucked his beak beneath a wing and promptly went to sleep, leaving his kindred to chatter among themselves in appreciation for the tale.
Leigh was amazed. There had been a time of peace once, when the kalona had been kindly? The very idea staggered him. He turned his head to the south and the invisible horizon. In that instant, he rashly decided he would go find this Golden Sparrow, and would bring it back again, so that all could be at peace with the Soquili.
Jaw set firmly, he turned and began trekking south through the woods at a steady pace. It would be a long and hard journey, but what a tale to tell his grandchildren! As he made his way through the quiet forest, he daydreamed about being old and worn as the crow, croaking tales to wide-eyed foals that resembled himself. The idea made him chuckle enthusiastically. He'd be a hero! With a buck and a kick, he neighed joyfully before again pointing his nose south. It was time for a quest!
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Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 10:08 pm
Rosalind's mind wandered aimlessly, her eyelids slowly drooping over her light golden-orange eyes. Her ears ached slightly, having them recently kabobbed by three sharp, metal pieces on either side, but the pain had dulled increasingly over the past few hours, and she felt herself begin to drift into a pain-induced nap.
But, before the mare could get any meaningful rest in, she heard a high cackling, followed by raspy voice. The blasted birds were at it again. Though, as she pricked her metal-studded ears up without lifting her eyelids, she realized a startling difference from the last time she had actually tried to pay attention to the birds; they were speaking in a language she understood, not just the mindless chatter the prided themselves with.
She listened intently, wincing silently as she tried to push her ears up higher than they were supposed to go. She was completely interested now... if she could get her hands on that sparrow, there was no limit as to what another Soquili would do to get it... she could get anything she wanted...
Standing suddenly, Rosalind trotted around the huge tree, catching the final statements of the old crow's speech before deciding on a plan of action. Using her unrelenting, smoldering good looks-- who said someone couldn't be pretty and smart?-- she'd lure a strong, willing stallion into helping her find the sparrow, and ditch him at the last moment. It was the perfect plan.
Now the search for one began. She started her journey headed south, hot on the trail of someone that smelled excited; a stallion. Not too far ahead. Thinking quickly, and groaning to herself, Rosalind carefully wrapped her thick, light tail around a nearby bush, doing a better job than she had originally expected.
"Ow!" she cried out, using her father's experience with the art of acting to make herself sound convincing, though some of the longer twigs dug into her flanks. "I need a little help back here!" If her voice had reached the stallion, which she hoped it had, he'd have to double back and get her, but he didn't smell too far ahead; the scent was too fresh.
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Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 10:28 pm
Before he'd properly gotten going, but after he'd settled into a comfortable, ground-eating pace, a voice in the distance behind him caught his attention. He slowed his pace as he realized it had been a female voice. He hadn't caught the actual words, but the message had been clear nonetheless. For a moment he wavered. He was on an epic quest, after all! But in the end, he heaved a sigh and turned himself around. After all, what would his father say if he knew he'd left a mare in trouble?
He retraced his steps, looking side to side attentively for the distressed individual. He finally spotted her, off to one side, standing rather calmly. Puzzled but curious, he strode closer. "You called?" he asked as he neared and took in her situation. The situation only got more and more curious. How and why had she managed to tangle her tail up like that? It almost looked... well, it really looked as if she'd backed herself into the brush and swished her tail around. Whether that had been her intention or not, he couldn't say. "Rather silly situation you've got there," he stated bluntly. "Whatever seized you to go and do something like this?"
He stopped close by and peered at her tangled tail. Strands ran hither and thither, twined in the leaves and twigs. She was even being prodded in unmentionable places with said twigs. "Quite a pickle." He did manage to stop himself before inquiring if she was this clumsy all the time. He had difficulty knowing when to speak and when not to, but even he caught himself before this rather rude question. "Ah... how exactly would you prefer I assist you?" He was careful about how he said it since... well, the only thing he really could do was shove his muzzle awfully close to her hind end in order to free her. He knew of a few unicorn fillies who'd have imipaled him for such a thing!
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Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2008 8:55 am
Rosalind smiled sheepishly, looking up at the stallion from under her eyelashes. "I was chasing a butterfly," she said innocently. "And it tried to get away from me, so I chased it past this bush. I think it likes me too much." She giggled a little, attempting to lift her tail from the bush. Much to her relief, it didn't tear free; on the contrary, it was quite stuck.
A new wave of panic crashed down on her. She was actually stuck, no longer joking. She tried to reach back with her muzzle to untangle her tail with her teeth, but since it was stuck nearly up to her hind end, it was rather difficult.
"I see this is a pickle," she mused, almost to herself. She looked up at him, a thin smile curling across her lips as she kept eye contact with him. Using all of her strength, she propelled herself forward, ripping her tail from the bush, but losing a few of the weaker hairs and gaining a few twigs.
Rosalind knew she'd be able to get out right away, even if she did get herself hopelessly stuck. She had never been one to ask for help, even from her own family when she was a foal. And she sure as hell didn't need any help from some stallion with a hero complex. Yet, she had predicted his actions precisely, and now, was going to move on to part b of her plan.
"Thanks anyway," she said smoothly, shaking her tail to rid it of ninety-nine percent of the twigs. She sighed. "Man, did you hear those crows earlier? Crazy buggers... I can't believe they convinced me to go try to get this Silver Robin or whatever the hell it was." She wasn't that stupid; she had remembered every word that bloody crow had croaked out.
Rosalind smiled, quirking her head slightly. Her light-colored, almost flaxen, mane gently rolled in the breeze, as did her tail. "What are you doing way out here?" Fake realization spread across her face. She was a better actress than she'd given herself credit for. "Are you going for it too?" she asked in an eager whisper, winking for effect.
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Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2008 5:12 pm
Leigh watched as the 'damsel in distress' freed herself without any sign of having needed help in the first place. Put on his guard by this odd anomaly, he eyed her thoughtfully. He kept quiet as she played through her nonchalant little speech about the Golden Sparrow. Her actions were completely innocent and guileless, but her eyes... her eyes told a slightly different story. There was more to this than she pretended.
Still, it did no harm to play along, if nothing else than just to see what it was she was up to. So he merely nodded at her question. "Who wouldn't want to go after it? Imagine the peace that could spread from it. The foals would be safe, and the elderly content." He spoke with only half his mind, though. The other half was busy trying to puzzle out what she was about. He did indeed have a noble heart, but he was no push-over either. This girl was up to something.
Somewhat aside of the issue, he wasn't too impressed with her opinion of the winged folk. Leigh rather liked his feathered friends. They had their negative points, of course, but she clearly had a low opinion of them. His ears flicked this way and that as he mulled on this rather strange mare. "So... how did you figure to cross the desert?" he inquired casually, taking in her pretty face and feminine features. Would this little mare have the spunk to go all that way?
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Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2008 7:39 pm
Rosalind smiled sheepishly. She sensed a slight hesitation from the stallion and knew he was on to her. But, no matter. She'd flirt her way out of this, somehow.
"Just think, the Unikalona in my herd wouldn't be so grouchy, like she always is usually," Rosalind said excitedly. "And the sun would always be shining, and the grass would always be soft and welcoming." She allowed her eyes to mist over slightly. It did sound like a charming plan, getting the loveliest weather these lands had ever seen. "And life would be perfect for a change."
She thought back to her childhood. Her mother had left her with the choice of following her or following Oliver, Rosalind's father, and the filly had chosen to stay with her kind-hearted, awkward father. But she had been raised by his friend, another mare named Liebe, and had regretted most of it; the mare was foolish, rather stupid at times, and had nearly made Rosalind go insane. She imagined being able to walk back into her herd grounds without the fear of being attacked by Darkfire, the Unikalona, and being able to take a nice, long nap in the mid-afternoon sun without any interruptions.
She hadn't thought about the desert.
Shrugging slightly, Rosalind sighed. "That's where I got stuck... except for in the bush, of course," she joked, trotting around to the other side of the stallion, in the direction that he came from. "I'd like to play it by ear, but I know that, if I do, I'll probably die of thirst halfway through." She glanced up at the cloudless sky, where the sun hung menacingly right above her head.
"I guess that if I'm going to go tonight," she began, backing up a little. "I'd better be off now. It was nice meeting you, good luck on your quest!" She began to turn away, before twirling back and exclaiming, "Maybe you should come with me! We could keep each other company!" She paused, then giggled a little. "And I've completely forgotten my manners. My name is Rosalind, daughter of Oliver and Dusty Trails, and granddaughter to Will Turner. Just in case you don't want to come with, it'd be terrible if you didn't know my name!" She said the last part earnestly; she desperately wanted to know the stallion's name as well, but was a little too wound up to ask for it.
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Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2008 7:50 pm
Leigh continued to watch the pretty mare incredulously. Something was definitely off. The more she talked, the less likely it seemed that she was the way she claimed. When she began to move away from him, he merely stared after her in a befuddled state, brows furrowed slightly as he still tried to puzzle it all out. But when she spun back around and brightly invited him along, the light began to dawn.
Unintentionally rude, he brushed aside her introduction and said forthrightly, "Are you really as brainless as you are trying to act? Because I don't think I could believe it of you, even only having just met you." He was now almost but not quite frowning at her, and wasn't budging a bit. "You are trying to be too clever for your own good, you know. I don't need to be manipulated to come with you. All you had to do was simply ask." His ears pivoted to point backwards to show his rising irritation. "Such tactics are beneath anyone of any intelligence, particularly when dealing with someone else of intelligence. I'd have expected better even from a filly half your age."
He wasn't exactly angry. He was more bothered by her sideways methods of getting him to come with her. Who had brought her up to act like that? His own parents would have been scandalized if one of his sisters had acted that way. "Now I don't mind traveling together, but you've got to drop this "Miss Palamino" act. I don't buy it that you are quite that flighty and air-headed." Stubbornly he set his jaw, gazing directly at her and waiting for her reply. If she insisted on continuing this charade, he'd simply go a different way and leave her to her own devices, whatever those devices might be.
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Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2008 8:09 pm
Rosalind was silent for a moment. She wasn't trying to be airheaded. She was being her usual self... to an extent. But it wasn't exactly fair that this stallion had ripped her to pieces as he had. Rosalind was strong after putting up with endless, possibly-fatal, fights with Darkfire, but this one stung the worst.
The last time she had been so easily shredded, Darkfire had rattled off an entire list of reasons why nobody ever wanted to be her friend. One of the things on her list came back to the young mare; being a fake. Rosalind was most definitely not a fake, but she did try to manipulate others to help her...
She had gotten herself in too deep. There was no way he was going with her now, after she had made a complete and total fool out of herself. His words had cut her like a sharp branch, embedding themselves in her flesh and wiggling around to induce maximum damage. Thick tears began forming, but she blinked them back angrily; she didn't want to show this bully of a stallion that she was weak. She was not weak. After telling herself that over and over again, it'd be assumed that she would realize it's truth and forget about it. Though, it didn't help.
After a long pause, she broke the silence. "I'm sorry," she whispered sincerely. "You don't have to come with me, then."
She turned back towards the path, her ears back submissively, and began to slowly make her way towards where she thought the sparrow would be.
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Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2008 8:20 pm
There, he'd gone and done it again. As tears welled unshed in her eyes, he gave an inward sigh. He's made another girl cry. Somehow he just couldn't keep ahold of his tongue. Pinning his ears contritely, he moved after her, raising his voice to be sure she'd hear him.
"I said I'd come if you asked me, didn't I? So why not just ask?" Really, he was sure he'd never understand the female mind. "There's no need to act like I threw you out on your tail, now is there?" His longer strides drew him up next to her, and he tipped his head down to peer at her. "Please don't cry. I'm just awful with saying what I think. But I promise, I never mean to hurt when I say something stupid like that."
He watched her hopefully, his curling mane swinging as he tried to walk straight, tip his head down and up to look at her, and not trip. Unfortunately, tripping wasn't the only danger. A sapling, taller than he but thin as a whip, with much greenery sprouting from its narrow trunk, lay dead ahead. Focused as he was, Leigh was completely oblivious. "Here now, I'll pretend you've asked... Why yes ma'am, I'd be happy to accompany you on this grand adventure!" He smiled handsomely at her, trying to win a smile or even a laugh from the woe he'd caused.
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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 7:54 pm
Rosalind didn't especially want to hear what this stallion had to say, but couldn't tear her thoughts away from his voice; he was offering to go with her. He was apologizing. She had misunderstood.
Or maybe she hadn't misunderstood. Maybe this stallion, whoever he was, was just trying to mess with her, as she had done to him. Nothing like payback to make one so eager to correct one's mistakes.
She turned to him, locking her gold-orange eyes to his and blinking back the tears, which were thankfully slowing to a halt. What could she do but listen to him? She was much too trusting, after having spent most of her childhood with her father and his friend Liebe, but she couldn't help it. The handsome smile he had used to try to comfort her had worked.
"Okay," she breathed in acceptance after a moment, her voice cracking ever-so-slightly on the second syllable. She forced a polite smile out, though she wanted to grin. She was not going back to her original plan, oh no-- she was actually in the quest for the greater good, not her own silly reasons.
Glancing ahead of herself, she saw the sapling before her companion did, curious. He was off the path, on a collision course with the tiny tree. Though she was in no immediate danger, he was, and she didn't want him to get hurt by the dangerous-looking branches. Nevermind the amount of bugs and nastiness that probably lurked on it, waiting to attach itself to his coat and make him all dirty and gross.
At the last second before the stallion collided with the sapling, she playfully nudged him to the other side, so she crossed it on the path and he crossed on the other side.
"Pardon me," she said sweetly, meeting up with him on the other side of the sapling. "But I don't believe you've told me your name yet. I'm Rosalind, if you've forgotten." She smiled sincerely, shaking her curly, near-flaxen mane from her eyes.
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Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 11:38 am
He had begun to relax as she seemed to unwind, and so was completely unprepared for her sharp and sudden nudge. He tripped over his own hooves, stumbled through the underbrush beside the road, and stared at her in shock. Only when he glanced back did he realize that during his stumbling, he'd passed a rather prickly looking little tree. Blinking, he returned his gaze to the mare. What int he world was she about, anyway? He still couldn't wrap his head around her actions. One moment she's shoving him out of the way of certain discomfort, the next smiling sweeter than honey and batting her lashes at him as she askes for his name!
Befuddled, for once, he just stared at her for a few moments, automatically keeping up with her as she moved along. "Um... pardon me. My name is Leigh," he managed to get out. He paused for another four heartbeats, then broke into honest and hearty laughter. "Pardon me, my name is Leigh!" He chortled, lowering his muzzle and shaking his head gleefully, snorting and blowing. "I'm a poet and I don't know it!" Pleased with himself, he began prancing sideways, though this time he kept an eye out for errant foliage. "Off to the Golden Sparrow, speeding swiftly like two arrows!" he trumpeted triumphantly, giving a little buck and straightening himself out again. "Let's go!"
Too thrilled at having a companion and being on an adventure to approach the journey with thoughtful common sense anymore, he shot off down the southward trail, stretching his legs and tossing his head, letting the wind of his passage flag his mane and tail behind him.
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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 9:54 pm
Rosalind grinned as Leigh began reciting rhymes. Her father had taught her all about the wonders of language when she was but a wee foal, teaching her a great amount of respect for something she took for granted all too often.
She remembered something her father had said about language, something that made her grandfather chortle and treat Oliver like his young, stupid son, and recited it under her breath as Leigh sped off, well out of hearing range; "Fie, fie upon her! There's language in her eye, her cheek, her lip; Nay, her foot speaks. Her wanton spirits look out At every joint and motive of her body." Not that she knew what it meant, of course, but since it came to mind and she had it completely memorized, might as well show off to herself.
She walked at a leisurely pace after Leigh first sped off, finally becoming well aware of her surroundings. A thick canopy of trees covered the forest around the path, sometimes shading little bits and pieces of it. Leaves dripped down from the sky like rain, slowly cascading down and landing elegantly, only to be squished by heavy hooves and devoured by tiny insects. A few pink buds still lingered on the fruiting trees, but they were withered and beginning to repel the bees instead of attract them.
Finally, when she had satisfied her thirst for detail in the forest, she kicked up her hooves jovially, a smile spreading across her lips unconsciously. She hadn't run in quite some time, and the feeling of the gentle breeze suddenly intensifying because of her movement alone, whipping her mane and tail behind her almost violently, sent a surge of excitement through her body.
In no time at all, she was almost caught up to Leigh, her muzzle close enough to nearly grab his tail with her teeth. But that would be mean, and she'd end up with more hair in her mouth than desired, so she held back the urge.
"Do you know where you're going?" she shouted up to the stallion, giggling slightly as she narrowly avoided tripping over a large rock. There was no uncertainty in her voice; only joyous curiosity. She regained her step in no time, closing in on the small gap between her and Leigh. "I'd hate to backtrack this whole way!"
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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 10:12 pm
Grinning sideways at her, joyed to see her enthusiasm matching his own, he laughed to the wind, tossing his head spiritedly and giving a buck. "Why, we are going south! To the great plain!" With those shouted words, he surged faster, glancing back at her in playful challenge as they thundered on down the meandering trail.
Some time later, of course, they slowed to a walk again, and kept traveling until night began to fall. The last rays of sunlight filtered through the thinning trees. While there was an occasional forest giant, most of the trees here were slender and young, well spaced apart, and the underbrush had dwindled to nearly nothing, other than some thick groundcover here and there. The air turned grey, and a light mist began creeping between the trees, giving evidence of a nearby water source.
"I think we'd best stop for the night. The moon won't be out for several hours yet," he commented, glancing over at the shadow that was his companion. "There must be water nearby, but in the dark, I doubt it's a good idea to seperate to look for it." He smiled invisibly as the light faded further from the sky, leaving it a dusty grey that gave off very little light. There were no clouds in the sky now to help reflect the set sun's rays back to them. In minutes, it would be full dark, with only the stars to illuminate the world. "Up for a little risky exploration?" His voice didn't... quite... carry the innuendo that it might have. In the dark, who could tell if he'd meant it innocently or not?
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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 10:30 pm
Rosalind was puzzled for a moment, but she didn't let it get to her. She thought that the duo would continue on through the night, the high moon and the fireflies lighting their path. Yet, the idea of resting seemed like a fantastic idea, and she could feel the joints in her legs yearn for movement to cease.
Rosalind looked up to the sky, inhaling deeply and closing her eyes. The sky was a beautiful dusky grey, with a slight n** in the air. A light fog curled tenderly around her hooves, sending excited chills up and down her spine. Her favorite time of day was upon her, and she savored every moment of it.
Leigh's voice pulled her from her thoughts, and him mentioning water reminded her of the long journey they had already endured, and how dry her mouth felt. She thought about the time they'd spend looking for the Golden Sparrow; most likely a few days, if not more. They'd have to camp out each night near water, or they'd get dehydrated and die, and she didn't want that for either of them.
"Let's go look for some water," she said after a moment, her voice firm, though she hadn't caught the hidden almost-double-meaning in his words. "Sounds like a fabulous plan to me."
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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 10:40 pm
"Now stay close," he admonished, glad she couldn't see the slight smirk as he settled himself closer to her, so that they touched just lightly. Even so, their search for water was a quite necessary one, and he did apply himself admirably, despite certain... distractions. Eventually, by heading to where the mist thickened, they found a lacksidaisical little stream, that was so slow in its bed that it didn't even make the tinkling sound such streams usually made. No wonder it had been so ahrd to find!
A soft nicker and a bow of his head as he stepped back indicated he offer to her to drink first. In the groundcover across the waterway, light suddenly flickered on, then off again. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, ears pricked forward, he flares his nostrils with a snort. He wasn't terribly familiar with anything that could make light such as that. Were there two-leggers nearby? The light flickered on and then off again in a different spot. He snorted more loudly, shifting his hooves uneasily. Suddenly, light blinked into life directly atop Rosalind's forelock, and he gave a squeal of surprise. The light wiggled around on her head for a moment, then blinked out again. "WHat in the world...," began Leigh in whispered astonishment.
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