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 Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 7:23 am
Still smiling in a satisfied manner, the brindled Jala slowed from her brisk walk in order to graze; she kept moving in the direction of the red mountains of course, no sense wasting time by tuning any other way even while she was feeding. This was D’ob after all, she hardly had to cast around in order to find good sweet grass or patches of peppery red flowers to crop at.
The plenty offered by the valley had been invaluable to recovering her heath and appearance; she could never have gone back to Fyhi as the rack of bones she’d been when she’d left. Now, after many suns away, she was in better condition than she had ever been, and brushed sleek by human hands only a short time ago. By and large, Undine was not a vain mare but she couldn’t help taking pride in her appearance right now. She hoped it would please Xla too, maybe enough to offset the strange, probably unwelcome, news she would be giving him.
Shrugging internally the tall mare continued to graze and move, all the while spreading the web of her awareness out around herself to catch up any thoughts those she passed might have about it. It wouldn’t do to be caught unawares after all; she had delayed long enough without having to wait for bruises from some foolish brute’s hooves to heal.
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 7:33 am
Aquila slowed once she was a polite distance away from the little group of friends and relations she had just asked for news, and kicked miserably at a patch of red flowers. It felt as though this was her whole life now, and forever would be. Traveling, asking, getting her hopes up and then having them dashed. Sometimes she thought about giving up, but then she thought about her father, her other half siblings and about Bastet and she kept looking after all.
It seemed hopeless, a foolish quest that she was giving up her whole life for but here she still was, scanning for another person to ask about little Sekhmet. Before this, this mess, she’d been planning to find herself a mate. It seemed like she’d never get to do that now; every time she spotted a mare or stallion she liked the look of, she just had to ask about a missing striped Jala and move on. Life, Aquila decided with another sigh as she set off at a weary plod, was most unfair sometimes.
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 1:40 pm
Pining for a handsome stallion who would never notice her. Fool. Planning to discredit his elder brother and win favour in the herd. Surprisingly sophisticated for a bae. Bored with the lush ease of D’ob. Understandable; she was sick of it herself. Wondering about a lost sister with gold and purple stripes. ...Interesting.
Undine came to a halt and raised her head, chewing thoughtfully on a mouthful of grass. How many young black Jala mares with purple-gold markings could there be?... She strained to listen harder to the thinker’s mind. After a moment, she smiled slightly. Sekhmet. Yes; that had been the girl’s name, and that same name fluttered in the thoughts of... Someone nearby. Someone feeling alone and tired. The brindled Jala cast around, and soon located the creature in question.
Ugly brute she was. Her colours were nice enough, her short mane was neat and acceptable but she was muscled like a soldier and looked like she hadn’t been groomed her whole life. Too short to be a decent Jala mare, too, and those purple wings stuck out a little too starkly from the gold body. Nothing at all like her pretty sister... Oh, her pretty half sister. Still, at least this one wasn’t keeping company with Ichsa.
Undine snorted to herself and turned back around so that she faced the awful excuse for a feather-wing before continuing to graze. The too-stocky thing was desperate; she would approach soon enough and then some fun might be had playing with her mind. In a hurry to get home though the blue and white mare was, she felt she had time for a bit of fun.
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 7:35 am
Aquila sighed when she laid eyes on the blue and white shape. Another person. She was coming to dread people, and that was really rather sad. Perhaps she needed break from all this, perhaps she needed to spend some time on herself... But she had the energy for at least one more disappointment yet. Snorting to herself in annoyance at her own frustration, the stocky mare picked up her speed again and turned her hooves towards the lithe Jala. As she drew nearer, the purple-feathered female slowed, uncertain again. Brindles. Brindles were not good news... but the mare seemed to be alone, looked quite placid. Perhaps she was a rebel, or perhaps her father had been a Katilenuck but her mother a normal mare. It was worth the risk.
Whinnying a greeting, the short-maned mare trotted onward again, coming to a halt a polite (and cautious) distance from the other Jala. “Umm, hey there,” she said with a smile, “I hope I’m not bothering you but I’m looking for news of my sister... My name’s Aquila by the way.” She hated introducing herself and her cause more every time she did it; it felt... crass. It felt as though her questions had forgotten their purpose, had become entities in their own right that cared nothing for why they were spoken. It was, Aquila realised with a pang, very difficult to remember what Sekhmet had looked like. She knew the markings, she thought and spoke of them every day, but the face; that was all but forgotten.
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:01 am
This one was a very... compassionate soul. She probably wept for the bugs she accidentally crushed underhoof whilst trying to avoid doing the same to an especially beautiful flower. And she liked mares, apparently. Lovely; this was worse than the stupid aeri brat, mostly because this Aquila was a Jala and ought to hold herself to higher standards. Undine shuddered internally, and Verity smiled. Verity was a useful front like that.
“No, you’re not bothering me at all; nice to have some company if only for a little while. I’m Verity; pleased to meet you Aquila... Now you said you were looking for someone?” How should she play this? She wasn’t in the mood for an extended pretence today; she wanted to be off soon, but not before she’d given this fool a good metaphorical kicking. Her sister was a far better Jala than that ugly lump, or so Undine thought; she hadn’t been able to pick up thoughts so easily when she’d met the striped thing, she’d still thought herself mad to begin with...
Still, all the same, Sekhmet had seemed interested in her people, which improved any non-brindled Jala. Aquila on the other wing would no doubt call them cruel, barbaric and deluded. Fool.
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:09 am
The toughly-built Jala smiled gratefully and nodded, trying not to feel too heavy of heart. “Yes, my younger sister, half sister, Sekhmet vanished from my father’s herd... quite a while ago now. She was a filly then, but she’ll be a young mare by now. She’s mostly black, but striped on the face, neck, rump and hindlegs with a blend of purple and gold... I don’t think there could be another young mare around fitting that description so... Well have you seen her?”
There was a chance. This was what she always told herself, why she always got her hopes up; that one little chance that Sekhmet might have been seen and remembered. She no longer even cared if it was a recent sighting; just knowing that her sibling had been alive a few suns after vanishing from Estavan’s lands would be a comfort. Anything. She’d take anything. She always got nothing, but there was a chance that today would be different. There always was.
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:32 am
Undine paused for a moment longer, pondering. Eventually she smirked and decided she’d had enough of nice sweet Verity for now. Strong though Aquila looked, the blue and white mare had a feeling that she wouldn’t be much of a threat; being able to read your opponent’s mind had to make fighting easier.
“Yes,” the tactician said, beginning to pace around the now rather bemused looking Aquila, “I’ve seen her. First and last time I saw her, she was heading up Fyhi tel Oren. She ran away, you know,” the tall mare went on, recalling that blurred whispering feeling she’d got and at the time thought insanity. “First chance she got, I don’t doubt; couldn’t stand being around soft fool like you most likely. She seemed a sharp young thing; she’s probably a member of my herd by now, maybe she’s even a tactician working to bring down idiots like you, planning forays out into the world to bring in good slaves...”
The purple-maned mare looked about ready to burst with rage now, and Undine kept a careful eye on her, ready to dodge back at the first flicker of intended from that oh-so-kind mind. Perhaps it would be satisfying to give Aquila a physical kicking as well as the news that her sister had abandoned her and hers. If things turned ugly, she could always flee after all; no chance the chunky little waste of space would be able to match her long legged strides if it came to it.
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:46 am
It wasn’t possible. Aquila pinned her ears back and watched the other mare pace fluidly around her. No. Sekhmet wouldn’t. She wouldn’t... Would she? The filly had once said to her that she wished she were a b*****d child too, so that she didn’t have to be somebody’s nice mate someday. Could that have driven her to flee, to end up finding the idea of Handrakai Katilenuck appealing? No. Not Sekkhmet.
Verity was smiling knowingly.
Truth or lies, she didn’t intend to tolerate this.
Aquila screamed her rage and stamped at the ground; “Drek-whore you’ll pay for that!” She should have known better than to trust a brindled face. Perhaps she would be a bit more willing to listen to stereotypes in future. She probably wouldn’t, but that was just the kind of fool she was. It wouldn’t help all that much in the end, but perhaps beating this snob to a pulp would make her feel a little better. Sekhmet. She couldn’t believe it. Snarling viciously, she charged.
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Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 6:14 am
It was like a spike, or a sudden flash of lightning in a previously dark sky. Undine snorted and twisted aside from the other Jala's hooves.
Next the little brute would feint left and then try for a bite.
The moment of thinking about this was a moment too long, and teeth found a purchase on her neck. The Seeress snorted, furious with herself and with the little purple-wing, and jerked backwards, leaving Aquila with a few hairs in her mouth.
She was thinking too much, the tall mare thought as she and the other Jala backed away and began to circle one another. She needed to stop thinking and just follow the flashes of impulse that sang so clearly in the little drek's mind. This was probably why mares were not warriors; a decent mare was given to logical calculation, which didn't seem to be a lot of help in battle.
Thinking that you needed to stop thinking was all very well, but actually managing it was another matter entirely.
As Aquila made another rush at her, the blue and white mare backed off hurriedly. She could run, sure, but she didn't want to do that; she wanted to tech this little b***h a lesson. She just needed to think like some brute stallion, i.e. hardly at all, and she would be able to destroy the impudent, low-blood loving little wench.
Giving another snort, and more ground, the tactician tried to turn off her brain.
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Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 6:32 am
Verity was better than she'd expected; she had heard that Katilenuck mares knew nothing at all of combat but the blue and white mare was evading her quite effectively so far. No attempt to fight back though, which was strange. Fighting or fleeing she could have understood perfectly well, but Verity was just dodging, and there was a strange look in those brown eyes.
No time to think about it too much though; the small mare lashed out with another kick that her opponent danced away from as smoothly as if this were a mock battle choreographed for the entertainment of some high hallah or other.
"Damn you stay still," Aquila snarled in frustration as yet another strike failed. It had been a nearer miss this time though; she'd get another hit in eventually... If only there were somewhere she could corner the brindled b***h; that would put a stop to her dodging and weaving but this was D'ob, and there wasn't even a helpful river or copse nearby to push her enemy up against.
Sekhemt had left home of her own accord. She'd run away.
The purple and gold mare screeched and lashed out again.
All this time she'd spent looking, all these days of her life given up in wandering and worrying and her half sister had just left?
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Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 6:46 am
...She was thinking about her sister. Undine smiled nastily and pranced backwards, putting a bit more distance between them. "You know, I didn't get to speak to her for long," she purred, "but I do think Sekhmet will make a fine addition to our herd. There is always room for intelligent mares, especially ones who are beautiful as well. That's a double blow for you, should you ever decide to try to follow her. All that would keep you from being made a slave are those feathered wings you don't deserve."
So easy to provoke; that burning stream of thoughts was an inferno of rage and hate now, and the mares intentions became still clearer. Less coherent, less planned but sharp edged and as easy to spot as the sun in the sky.
Feeling a little more sure of herself now, Undine made a charge of her own. A flash of thought caught her attention; a dodge to the right. Too late to act on it, but at least she knew where Aquila's next attack would come from and was able to dodge herself.
Muttering a curse, Undine backed off again. Still thinking too much; she needed to... to tie the knowledge of what Aquila would do into her muscled rather than her mind. How to do that, however, was a mystery to her.
She had not got where she was in life by cowering from mysteries, or by being unable to think (or not) on the spot. She was going to work out how to do this and then the pathetic excuse for Jala was going to suffer.
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Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 8:37 am
She was lying, she had to be. Sekhmet might have run away, she could believe that, but joining the Katilenuck?... Aquila forced the thought away, refused to believe in it. Why would she? What would be the point in going from one herd only to join another? The gold-coated Jala lashed out at Verity, managing to catch the other mare a sharp blow on the shoulder. The taller Jala stumbled backwards then, and Aquila followed her, striking again and finding the paint’s neck. She was lying, she was an evil lying b***h and she was going to pay! She’d probably never even seen Sekhmet, was probably just playing games with her.
Aquila made a grab for the other mare’s neck with her teeth but caught only mane and was forced to release her grip quickly as Verity twisted around and snapped back viciously. She tried another kick, this one aimed for her foe’s knee, but Verity slipped aside once more. It was uncanny, it was making her feel clumsy and foolish to fall short so often, to have her every move read. Perhaps she’d been wrong, perhaps mares were trained for battle on the red mountain; she herself was mostly self taught so it would explain a lot of Verity had been trained by a professional.
She had allowed herself to become distracted by wondering, and only realised this when one of the tall Jala’s pale hooves cracked against her cheek.
Swearing, Aquila gave ground.
This was all going wrong. She should never have approached the lying b***h, she should have known better. Sekhmet wouldn’t join the Katilenuck. She wouldn’t... Right?
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Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 8:54 am
The mare’s thoughts were fading from her awareness. Undine cursed internally and grasped after them even as she advanced; this had happened a time or two before when she’d tried to focus her abilities for an extended period. Running out of power, and therefore running out of time. She needed to end this now while she still had more in her head than vague whispers.
Not bothering to waste energy on another battle cry, the Seeress pressed onward, striking out every chance she got. The gold seemed to be losing her will to fight now and, though it was by now only a dim impression, Undine got the feeling that she was thinking about her sister. Didn’t want to believe that she’d join such a hateful herd (ha!) but was finding it far too plausible.
“She saw what she wanted,” the blue and white mare panted as she continued her assault, “and she took it. She will be more with us than she could ever have been with you. She will be a success, a member of a mighty herd chosen by Jala rather than some backwater noble who matters only for her blood.”
That seemed to seal it; Aquila froze, looking at her with an expression of horror and Undine dived forward to get a good grasp on her short purple mane, using her superior size to force the other mare to the ground. “Yield,” she spluttered indistinctly around a mouthful of hair and neck, “it’s over.” That was about all she could do until Aquila spoke again; the gold-coated mare’s thoughts were a complete mystery to her now.
It was oddly disconcerting; for the first time since her ‘strange headache’ had begun, she was alone inside her mind. She was spent. She was trying not to be too worried by that fact. Surely she would recover her powers soon; she’d been mostly drained before, but even then the hum of minds had remained at the edge of her awareness and before too long she’d been able to listen properly again. Strange that something to unlooked for, something she had coped perfectly well without all her life had suddenly become so integral to her view of the world so very quickly. She hoped Aquila spoke soon; the position she was forced to maintain in order to hold the other mare down was extremely uncomfortable, not to mention undignified.
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Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 11:23 am
It was over; if she didn’t admit it the Katilenuck would probably kill her. “Alright, alright; I give in,” the gold-coated mare panted after a moment, “now get off me will you?” She shouldn’t have let herself be distracted by the tall Jala’s words, but they had been impossible to ignore. Though Sekhmet had never seemed ambitious to her, she had seemed as though she despised being treated well just for being the daughter of Diego and Bastet.
As Verity’s weight lifted from her, Aquila climbed slowly to her hooves, keeping her head lowered in resentful submission. Could her little sister really prefer people like this to her own family? It seemed impossible, and yet not impossible at all and she had to wonder if she might have made a choice like that if she’d been legitimate. No. She had more loyalty than that, she knew she did. She’d thought Sekhmet did too. She had to find out the truth.
“I’m going to go to Fyhi and try to find my sister,” she said eventually, raising her head a little so as to look the other mare in the eye. “If I find out you’ve been lying to me, it won’t go well for you.”
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Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 11:54 am
Undine, who had surreptitiously been trying to work hairs out of her mouth, snorted. “I’m sure you will go where you please,” she said coolly, “but I think we both realize than any threats you might make against me are empty. We’ve already proved what happens when we two fight, and if you’re not above involving friends then neither am I,” she wasn’t above it no matter what the girl did but no need to say that aloud. “It would come to the same thing Aquila; you or your allies at the mercy of me or mine.”
Everything inside her head was still very quiet, and as such the bridled mare wanted to be gone as soon as possible. If the stocky little drek attacked now, she was probably in trouble. Better not to anger her too much then.
“If it’s any consolation,” the tall tactician went on as she turned away, “your sister will be happy with us. We don’t let talent go to waste, of any sort. She’ll find her place in the herd if she does finally decide to join; I’m in little doubt that she would be accepted.” New blood, provided it was good new blood, was always a good thing. Provided it wasn’t introduced directly into the royal line too of course, Undine considered with an internal frown over Yi’s antics. That girl would never make a decent Queen; any of her siblings would be preferable to that daft little piece of fluff.
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