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 Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 11:33 am
Ju's face had never been so calm and at ease. For the first time in her life, she felt genuinely happy. She had been through a lot as he sons grew up. Raising them alone had been no small feat. Though admittedly, she could have done a better job with them, she was just glad to see them move on to adulthood and go out on their own.
Moving alongside her mate, she smiled up at him. They were heading to the spot where she had spent most of her time with her sons. She knew that they went out on their own now, but she also knew that they would come back here every now and then. When they reached the spot, she stopped and looked up at Raksh.
"They'll come. I'm sure of it."
Raksh looked down at Ju, smiling broadly. He was so glad that he had found her again. Ever since their first meeting, he had agonized over what had happened, and how the gods would judge his behaviour. But after talking with the gods for many days, he felt they had guided him to her, and they were together now. He was extremely anxious to meet his sons. He had thought about them for so long. While he didn't know that he had two sons, he knew that he had children now, and the fact that he wasn't there helping to raise them killed him. It tore his heart apart. But now, everything was going to be alright. He was finally going to meet his sons, and live by Ju's side. Perhaps they would have more children in the future.
He remained silent when she spoke. He looked around, his heavy mane trailing on the ground. Looking back at Ju, he leaned down and pressed his muzzle against hers.
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The golden stallion took long strides across the plains. The wind was quite strong today, and the strands of golden thread on his hindquarters rustled and jingled against each other. The fact that he rarely had a destination in mind was one that he had come to accept. He seemed to just wander around, and he usually ended up somewhere nice. Though today, as he closed his eyes, enjoying the cool wind on his face, he had an idea that he knew where he was going.
It had been a while since he had visited his mother. While he knew that he didn't owe her anything, he still felt obligated to check in on her every now and then. He didn't hold a grudge against his mother. He knew that she had problems, and that she needed some help. That was the reason she had been such a poor mother. He had known it since he was a young foal. There was something not right about her. Her mind was out of control, and it sometimes kept her from acting normal. While he understood this, he still felt some animosity towards his mother for his poor childhood.
As he opened his eyes, he was hardly surprised to find himself close to the clearing where his mother had attempted to raise him and his brother.
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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:23 am
Huojin had lived on his own for quite some time, and even through his many encounters or experiences there was one feeling that was always holding him back. Not only did he want to see his brother again, but he still felt pained from a large disconnection from his mother. He didn't know if he should blame himself for their lack of understanding, or if he should just take it the easy way out and blame her for everything. It was hard for him to come to terms with his family situation, so in a triumphant bout, he decided to go and see if he could find them. The decision was one that meant a lot to him, and he thought about it awhile before decided to finally go. He had many insecurities when it came to his family life, and he wanted to solve them now before it was too late. He was trying to prepare questions in his head as he walked, and he gulped now and then from many feelings of nervousness and doubt.
A memory of childhood led him to a familiar area, and as he walked through a very comforting path, his eyes were gazing around for any sign of his family members. They were easy to spot, so he'd know when he'd see them. What could he possible say to his mother? What about his brother, what had he grown to be like? Would Shen recognize him at all?
He hoped his brother and mother would be proud of him, he had worked hard to become the stallion he was. If it wasn't for some friends of his patience he would probably be the annoying child he always was. Slowly and surely he was learning to mature just like his brother, but there were times when his aggression still led him to remain just like a bratty child.
In an instant, he saw a stallion that looked just like his brother, with similar colors and patterns that Shen always carried. Could it really be!? "SHEN!" he then yelled, while increasing his pace into a trot.
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 12:15 pm
His thoughts now dwelt on his brother. Indeed, he hadn't seen any of his family in a long time. He wondered what Huojin had been up to, and how he was getting along. He remembered that his brother had expressed a desire to be more like Shen, and to have a better relationship with their mother. He wondered if he had reached his goal of being more calm and quiet. Recalling memories of his brother, he chuckled a bit, remembering that he was far from calm and quiet in his childhood. But that didn't mean he couldn't change.
He suddenly heard his name being called. He paused, looking around to see who had called him. It was a bit odd. He hadn't really met anybody that he had formed a very strong relationship with. He didn't know who could be calling his name in the middle of nowhere. But then he saw him. His brother had grown out of his small body and had become a stunning stallion much like himself. Shen stayed where he was, staring at his brother, a faint smile on his face.
"Huojin...."
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She was beginning to get nervous. She had been sure that they would show up. She didn't know how she knew this, but perhaps she was fooling herself. She knew that her sons had experienced a less than desirable childhood, and she knew that they blamed her. But they must come back, right?
She looked nervously at Raksh, a pleading look in her eyes.
Raksh could tell that she was getting uncomfortable without even looking at her. Contrary to how she tried to convince herself, she was very easy to read. He could tell what she was feeling most of the time, and he knew now that she was worried. He had been a bit skeptical of the plan to just wait for them, and expect them to show up, but he hadn't voiced his opinion. He looked down at her with his sharp blue eyes.
"Shall we maybe take a walk? Perhaps we'll come across them somewhere."
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Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 7:38 am
Huojin was seriously stoked to see his brother, and he could only run up to him and get a full view of how he had grown. "Maaaan, look at us! All big and strong now." His brother resembled their mother more, and Huojin still felt sort of funny with his bright red mystery coat. "So tell me, what's been up with you! I've wanted to find you, but it seems today was the lucky day for both of us."
His ears flicked somewhat as he heard something in the distance, and he scoped his eyes about before resting on the open area in front of him and his brother. "... Do you hear that?" he could have sworn he heard voices, but the stallion might have been hearing things. "I feels as if we are not the only ones here." he then said, with a lower tone in his voice. "Shall we check our safety?" Two grown unicorns could surely handle themselves, since Huojin had been in plenty of fights in this point of his life.
Sadly though, his fighting usually resulted in him yelling at someone else, so his physical training wasn't as strong as it should have been. But no matter, Shen was there for support, so Huojin could do anything.
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 1:19 pm
Shen looked over his brother. It was true that they had both grown into very handsome stallions. Looking at his brother in this new, larger body, it was hard to relate the image to what he remembered of his slightly pestilent brother. But he was still his brother, and he loved him. He bowed his head slightly, a light smile on his face.
"Indeed, we have both grown quite a bit."
His voice was soft and quiet as usual, but had a noticeably deeper tone to it. He was quite glad to have come upon his brother today.
"I've been thinking about mother lately. I haven't seen her in so long. I thought I might come and check on her. We used to stay somewhere around here, right?"
As he looked around, he also heard the sound that Huojin indicated. When his eyes caught upon something shining golden, he also recognized the slight tinkling sound that he often associated with his mother. He smiled as he looked at her. But his smile faltered a bit as he saw a stallion standing beside her. He looked over to his brother, a weary look on his face.
"Who do you think that is with mother?"
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She nodded, smiling up at him. She was so glad they had found each other again. He provided so much support to her, and he had an immense amount of patience with her sometimes difficult behaviour. She was thankful to have him by her side.
"Yes, perhaps that--"
She broke off suddenly. She was sure she had heard the voices of others. And even more sure that she recognized the louder of the two. She cringed a bit, and looked up at Raksh.
"I believe that is Huojin. He always was loud..."
He looked in the direction she had looked when she broke off her sentence. Peering around a tree, he could indeed see the vague forms of two stallions in the distance. His heart jumped in his chest, and he gasped a bit. He was finally about to meet his sons! But would they accept him? He was never around when they were young foals. Would they resent him for that? And Ju had convinced herself that there was no father to her children. Perhaps they believed that as well, and wouldn't believe him when he told them he was their father.
He took a deep breath and cleared his mind. The gods had helped him so far. He would have to rely on them to take it from here. There was nothing he could do to change his sons' thoughts. It was out of his control at this point.
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Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 5:41 am
Huojin turned at his brother's notice of their mother, and he furrowed his eyes a bit, and not really at the fact that a was stallion next to their mother. He was more concerned at the fact that their mother was there in person! "I suppose we've been spotted." he then said, in a much grumpier voice. "Shall we make an appearance?" He wondered why Shen was so concerned about the stallion. If there was someone there to control and keep their mother happy, then so be it. Huojin was all for that scenario! He was sort of hoping that someone was there helping to keep their mother stable, since he remembered the opposite behavior when he was younger.
"I have no idea who that is." he then said, as they walked closer. "But I guess we will find out soon." As Huojin was approaching the two figures, it was nice to finally look at his mother and be taller then her. Now she could never look down at him again, or even yell really. He was an adult now, so he could handle anything she threw at him.
"Mother." he then said, as he stood in front of her. Even though their mother was growing older, age seemed to be complementing her more then it did for others. She still held the same elegance Huojin saw when they were younger, and it was an elegance he could find even in himself. A family trait, as they say.
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Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 12:05 pm
Shen accompanied his brother, but instead of looking at their mother, his eyes were on the stallion next to her. His markings were intricate, yet somehow, strangely familiar. He looked down at his legs, the golden and red markings standing out. Then he looked at Huojin, and back to the stallion again. There was something about that red...
"Huojin...I think...."
But he didn't tell his brother what he thought. He didn't want to risk the possibility of sounding foolish. But he couldn't get the thought out of his mind. There were way too many similarities. He moved his eyes onto his mother, and tried to leave the thought behind.
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She could hardly believe that she was feeling a little happy about seeing her sons. Well, at least she was happy to see Shen. She felt bad admitting that she had a favourite, but Huojin had always been so...pestilent to her. She moved forward, leaving Raksh behind her for a moment, and smiled brightly at Shen, and merely looked at Huojin.
"Hello my sons. There is somebody I want you to meet. He is somebody very special to all of us."
She turned and looked back at Raksh, her expression telling him to come forward and join them.
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As his sons stepped into view, his heart swelled to the bursting point. He could see himself in both of them. He had never seen anything more wonderful. For a moment, he closed his eyes and said his thanks to the gods.
He couldn't keep his eyes off of them. After so long, and so many trials, here were his children standing before him. He couldn't have been any happier than he was right now.
At Ju's cue, he moved forward, joining his family. He didn't speak yet. He thought it best that it come from her first. After all, he was still a stranger to them.
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Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 10:41 am
Huojin continued to blink at his mother, and he only swayed his head so that he could move some of the massive mane out of his eyes. What the hell was she talking about, anyways? "Ok." he then said, in a sarcastic tone. The stallion in front of them was strong looking, but who actually cared? Huojin just stared into the other stallion's eyes, before finally saying, "So, does he speak?"
As always, Huojin was using his remarkable charm to break the ice. Well, that's how he considered it, anyways. Shen was clearly understanding the situation at hand, but Huojin was much too preoccupied with the memories of his mother AND at the fact that she was standing straight ahead of him out of nowhere. His mind always worked in this way, and if he was flustered in some state, he would always let those emotions take complete advantage of him. "It is so good to see you, mother dearest." he then added, while bowing his head a bit. "Didn't your sons grow up just lovely?" Huojin then bumped into Shen's side lightly, before relaxing himself once again.
It felt like there was tension around them, but it was probably a tension Huojin was creating...
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Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:00 am
Ju scowled at Huojin's sarcastic attitude. She definitely didn't need that right now. This was too important for him to ruin, and she tried to convey that to him in the silent look she gave him.
"Yes, I'm glad to see that you both grew up to be very handsome stallions indeed."
She cleared her throat and looked over at Raksh, then back to her sons.
"And yes, he does speak. But I am going to introduce him before he speaks."
She took a deep breath. This was it. She couldn't change her mind now. But she shouldn't even want to. This was their father, and they could be a whole family now. Isn't that what she had wanted? With one last look at her mate, she sighed and looked back to her children.
"This is your father. He has come to find me, and I want him to be part of the family again."
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He was slightly taken aback at how simply she put it. It sounded as if she expected them to just accept it and be fine with it. But he just couldn't see it being that easy. After all, they had grown up being told that they had no father. And now that they were adults, it would probably be difficult to accept the fact that they did indeed have a father.
He looked at his children. He first looked at Shen, who seemed very calm, and had been staring at him ever since they had met. He had a feeling that Shen would believe it. There seemed to be wheels going to work in his mind and he seemed to be working out the truth.
Huojin, however, was a different story. It seemed that he was set in his ways and it would be difficult to convince him.
He bowed his head to both of them in a late greeting.
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He sighed lightly. He had had a feeling that this was coming. As soon as he saw the stallion standing beside their mother. The signs were screaming out at him. The markings, the colours, the overall regal appearance of him blended well with their mother to make both him and his brother. It all fit.
Bowing his head in return to his father, he smiled lightly at his mother.
"I'm glad he has returned to you. And it seems that you are happy with him. I'm glad that we can finally be a family now."
He couldn't help his smile growing wider. They were finally going to be a proper family now.
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Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:17 am
.................................................................
What. the. hell.
Huojin only gasped slightly at his mother's overly calm speech, and he stared at the stallion, and THEN at his brother. Why was everyone so freakin' calm?! "Shen.." he then said, while calming himself and his speech. "You can't just 'become' a family.." well, that's how Huojin envisioned it at least. He didn't freakin' know this stallion! All he knew was that his mom was happy again, and that this stallion looked like them.
"Ok, well nice to meet you." he then grumbled, while lowering his bright eyes away from everybody. Starting something would be exhausting, and Huojin decided to wait and see how things panned out. He couldn't always be the trouble maker.. but again, why was he feeling so sick to his stomach? All of those years wasted, all of those times he wished for a father, someone other then their mother to hopefully connect with. Why was he so full of internal doubt?
"I am glad you are happy, mom." he then said, while bringing his eyes on the situation again. Well damn. He was behaving, and all for his mother's sake.
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Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:41 am
She scowled at Huojin again. Why did he always have to make things difficult.
"What's wrong with you?! Why can't you be happy!? This is your father! And it wasn't his fault that he wasn't around. He tried to join us as a family but I.....I was having trouble. I didn't believe him at first. But look, Huojin, you have his eyes!"
She turned desperately toward her mate. This wasn't how she expected it to go at all. But really, what else could she expect from Huojin? He was always the one to ruin things.
"Well, say something!" she said in an undertone to Raksh.
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But what could he say? Unlike Ju, Raksh had expected this reaction from at least one of them. And by watching them, he had guessed that it would be Huojin. He stared into the eyes that were so like his and wished so much that he would accept him as a father. He wanted to badly to be a part of his sons' lives. Admittedly, he was a bit late, but as Ju had said, it wasn't really his fault.
"I'm sorry if you don't believe me, but I really do want to be a part of your lives. I know that becoming a family like this won't be easy, but I'm willing to put in the effort to get to know you all and become a true family."
He hoped that Huojin would take his words well and would also want to work towards the goal of becoming a family.
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Shen looked at his brother, a calm expression on his face.
"Just look at him Huojin. Can't you tell that he's our father? Like mother said, you have his eyes. And where do you think your red coat came from? Remember when we were young, you always wanted to meet our father? True, it is a bit later than you expected, but now he's here."
He had always been the only one who could convince Huojin that everything was going to be fine. He remembered calming his concerns about their mother when they were younger. He only hoped that it hadn't changed that much since then.
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Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 12:08 pm
Huojin scoffed slightly, while turning his crazy eyes on his mothers. "Oh mother, what is wrong with me? Maybe you should ask yourself!" Before continuing on in some horrible speech, he quieted himself and calmed his insides. Slowly and surely, he was able to speak again. "If you really are my father," he then said, with a shaky tone, "then I will accept you, of course. I am not heartless." And nodded at Shen then, before sighing somewhat at this crazy situation. Nobody understood him, and nobody ever would.
"I'm sorry I'm the only one who is seeing things clearly." he then said, while glancing at his newly-found father. "I've been waiting to meet you, desperately, everyday. Shen looks just like mother, Shen is perfect just like mother. And you, I look like you, and you are as impressive as I would imagine." He felt his heart melt when he thought about his father and his strength, and he straightened his shoulders a bit before looking at their family again. "I am not what mother says, father. I am very happy, and happy I have found where my eyes come from. I just have problems with he-" He stopped himself then, and glared at his mother. It was always HIS problem, wasn't it?
"But thanks for putting up with her, dad." he then said, while feeling a little bold. Maybe his father was giving him a newfound confidence? It definitely felt nice, that was for sure! "And forgive me mother, for speaking." he then said, with a calmer tone. He was trying to not have conflict, but it was inevitable.
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Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 12:25 pm
She stared at her son. It seemed she had finally pushed him beyond the point where he would just take it. This was the first time he had ever fought back against her tormenting. She took a couple of steps back. She wasn't entirely sure how to deal with this.
Huojin had always been so easy to yell at, because he had always let it just bounce off of him. It had never seemed to affect him. But now it seemed he had been yelled at enough and he was tired of it. She hung her head, not looking him in the eye.
"I....I'm sorry Huojin. I just wanted this to go well..."
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He listened to every word his son said to him. He was willing to do almost anything for him to earn his trust and his love. Even after all the adventures he had had, he felt that this was the most important thing that had ever happened to him, and he needed to do it right.
"I'm glad that you're happy. And I'm also glad that you will accept me. I only wish to get to know you better and be the father that I couldn't be before."
He bowed his head slightly, keeping his eyes on his two sons."
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As usual, Shen just stood back for the time being. All the drama seemed to be going on between the rest of the family, and he didn't want to intrude. True, it was his family, and he was part of it, but knowing the tempers of both his mother and his brother, he didn't want to butt in quite yet. He would wait a bit longer before joining in.
It seemed that Huojin had calmed down a bit. But Shen also noticed that he had finally spoken back against their mother for the first time. He felt a little proud of Huojin. He had always complained about their mother, but now he was doing something about it and standing up for himself.
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Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 1:18 pm
Huojin was relieved to see his mother was off of his case for now, and he only nodded at her briefly before returning his gaze to his father's. He accepted her apology.. somewhat. It was the first apology he had ever received from her, so he would cherish it for time to come. He wouldn't stand down though, and that is why he didn't apologize to his mother in response. He only behaved, just as she was for him. He felt that was a nice change from the previous moments of before.
Once things seemed to have cooled down, Huojin asked yet another important question. "So, what happens from here?" he looked at his two parents expectantly, and then towards his brother Shen. Did someone have any big plans or anything? Huojin wasn't used to the whole 'family' thing anyways, but so far he rather liked having the four of them together. They all looked good, too.
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Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 2:42 pm
Ju also looked around at her family. While she was very happy that they were all together now, she really didn't know what to do. She had never been part of a family, even when she was growing up. Her parents had never spent much time around her. That was part of the reason she hated them so much.
She looked to Raksh for some support. Perhaps he would know what to do with the family.
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Huojin had raised a very good question. Raksh knew what a normal family did when they spent time together, but this was far from a normal family situation. They couldn't just idly spend some time together and talk about how things were. He was sure there was still more to work out between them all.
"Well....well, we still don't really know a lot about each other...so I...I'm really..."
It was one of very few times that he found himself lost for words. He thought it would be such a happy reunion for all of them, but now he found himself a little uncomfortable. He really didn't know what to do. He looked over to Shen and hoped that the wheels in his head were still spinning and that he might come up with an idea.
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He had no idea why his father was looking at him. He was in the same situation as everybody else standing here. But his father seemed a little overwhelmed by the whole situation. Perhaps he had expected things to be a lot easier when reuniting the family. He smiled and looked around. It seemed it was down to him now. Everybody else seemed to be lost and confused.
"Perhaps we should just talk. Or maybe find a nice watering hole or a place to eat. We can take our time and get to know each other."
It was a simple suggestion, but he hoped it would suffice. After all, that's what they needed to do, right? To get to know each other...
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