[PRP]Remembering the Past (Adelle and Shihab)

[pippi18848]

Bells jingled quietly with every step the mare took. The wind was blowing snow against her face making it hard to see. They far north, in Adelle's homeland. This was a place where grass and flowers were never seen. It was hard for her to be back here in this place of her memory. She never expected to be back here, but here she was, fighting the same wind she used to fight with when she was just an orphan foal.

This was the same wind that did not allow her to learn how to use her wings in flight. It was to dangerous to fly in this wind. One could get picked up in the wind and smashed up against the rock cliffs hidden from sight. Adelle paused a moment to look back behind her, making sure Shihab was alright. "How are you doing?" she called to him, hoping her quiet voice wouldn't be covered by the whistling wind. This was no place for one who had never experienced conditions like this and the dove-like mare could not help but worry even more about her mate as they struggled against mother nature.

 

[Kesmi]

Brrrrrrr. It sure was damned cold up here, worse then the winter seasons he was used to. Wings pulling in close to his sides and head down as she pushed his way through the cutting winds that blew against them. His long sandy colored hair waved behind him and over his shoulders. Giving a soft shiver, Shihab came to stand beside his mate as she called to him and asked if he was alright. Feeling that a vocal reply would have been lost to the wind, he gave a nod to her. Raising his head some, golden eyes looked around at all the white. It seemed to go one forever as far as the eye could see anyways, behind them, his own land and their current home was plunged into a winter of its own. All this bringing back many memories, one of their meeting just two short years ago.

"Wow." He muttered though it was more then likely to himself. "Does the wind ever stop blowing up here?" he asked turning his head to the side some, a wing extending to only fold against his side. Brrr, it sure was cold, and he didn't know if he could last long up here on his own.

Shihab looked around again for at least a possible shelter, though there didn't seem to be anything, but white and snow blowing against them. The small white flakes stung at his eyes making him have to squint, well, he had wanted to see what her last home was like and here he was. He couldn't complain now, they were here and if anyone asked... He would certainly say that he asked for it...  

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Adelle nuzzled Shihab gently in an attempt to encourage him. "If you want we can always go back." she suggested, but knowing he did not hear her. The cold did not bother her at the time as she was used to this kind of weather, having grown up here. Looking about she squinted her eyes towards the black mass hidden behind the wall of white swirling snow. There were caves lined about the cliff faces and if they could find one she could lead Shihab there.

She adjusted her direction a bit, heading towards the cliff face. Her mind was racing with thoughts, and she tried to suppress her memories the best she could. She didn't want to remember to many details from her past. As she pushed against the wind, she could hear the bells jingle even louder as the wind tried to break them free from their spots. It seemed to take forever to get to the cliff face, and when she could see them a bit better, she noticed a dark opening. "This way!" she called back to Shihab, hoping against hope that he could hear her, as she lead the way into the cave.

 

[Kesmi]

Shihab snuggled against his mate before they changed directions toward the distant cliff side. Lowering his head some, he followed his mate, though a couple times he had thought he lost sight of his white dove as she was the same color as the snow. But the ring from her bells and the red from her ribbon set him back onto the right path. Ears twitching some, he barely heard her calling to him through the wind. Squinting he followed her into the cave where the wind was less and the snow only made it to the entrance. That was better, for the most part, at least they didn't have to yell to hear each other.

"Nah, I asked about your old home and agreed to come up here. Just didn't think the wind was that strong." He half shivered shaking the snow from his back and feathers. "Besides Dao would never let me live it down that we turned back just after getting up here. You know her." he chuckled thinking of the lion that stayed home to look over the human. "Though one of the human's blankets would be nice right now."

His gaze went back to the entrance of the cave, watching the snow swirl and listening to the winds howl like wolves. Shaking his head some, mane and tail more then likely knotted beyond repair from all this, though that was the least of his thoughts. He had to wonder if the winds ever calmed, but from the look, they didn't he would have to wait and see.  

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"The wind is really strong up this way. Which is why I never learned to fly." Adelle explained with a small laugh. She walked over to Shihab and placed a wing over his back. "Come lay down and we'll get you warm." she suggested, motioning over to the other side of the cave that was away from the snow. In her mind she felt like she was experiencing some sort of dejavu, but couldn't explain why as she looked about the cave.

Pulling her wing back to her side, she moved over to the other side of the cave and gently lay herself down upon the floor. It felt very familiar and a look of frustration crossed her face for a few moments. She couldn't figure out why it seemed so familiar! Realizing that she wasn't smiling, Adelle quickly smiled gently at Shihab as she waited for him to join her, hoping he hadn't noticed her frustration.

 

[Kesmi]

Oh, he had noticed, but merely tilted his head to one side a little as he watched her wander over to the side of the cave away from the snow and wind. Turing some, he wandered over and laid himself upon the floor beside her, wings fluffing out some to create a better wall against the cold that might brush against him as he watched Adelle for a moment, his eyes blinking about the cave. He had been in caves before, even heard that his children, at least one anyways. Lived in a cave somewhere, where they had their large family. Just about as large as his own, though that was still getting bigger by the minute.

"I can see why." He admitted, looking back toward the entrance of the cave. "It felt like everything out there didn't want anything to even move."

He was now feeling that his foal hood had it easy, where he lived in the lands below these. He didn't know what other creatures could live within these lands, possibly the predators adapted to these places, but he didn't hear any... Though that could have been because if the wind and everything. Shaking his head once more he looked back toward Adelle, nuzzling against her as her frown turned into a gentle smile, something was on her mind.

"Something the matter my silver bell?" he asked softly watching her with soft gold eyes, wanting to know, even though he could possibly not help.  

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Adelle turned to him and nodded slightly. "I'm not sure really. I feel like I know this place, even though I'm not sure if I do. I don't think this is the cave I grew up in." she said quietly as she looked about the cave once more. There was one thing that would determine if this was the cave but she was in no hurry to find out. Not yet anyways. She wasn't quite ready to return to her childhood.

"Are you sure you want to stay here? We can go back you know." she said with a nod. "If Dao says anything you can always send her up here to fend for herself." Adelle laughed as she tried picturing the lion out here in the windy snow lands. Perhaps maybe she could get by this visit without once returning to her childhood. But she doubted it.

 

[Kesmi]

Shihab gave a hearty laugh at the mention of Dao, he doubted that the feline would even leave the human's fire to even step out into the cold. Even with her fur coat, Dao was a very indoors cat. Though Shihab could see himself coming up to the north to get Dao and drag back a cat-cicle instead. There wasn't any doubt that Dao was the type to really wander into the wild when things could just be handed to her like she were a queen.

"I don't think her majesty would like that too well." Shihab chuckled, "I don't even think she would leave the human's dwelling to even step out into the cold unless she really needed to."

Dao aside, Shihab looked around the cave again when Adelle had. The cave looked much like any other, besides the fact that there was snow blowing outside this one. He shivered a little as a wind seeped into the cave for a moment and against his back. Shaking it off, he laid his head down against the cold floor. A small rest now would be good he thought.

"When or rather if the snow and winds calm, we can head off again, I would like to see more of these lands." Shihab smiled, hoping that the winds would calm, it couldn't be like this 'all' the time.  

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The mare couldn't help but laugh again at the image of Dao being up here. Her bells jingled happily. "Of course her majesty wouldn't like it. She'd have to fend for herself." Adelle looked at the far backside of the wall, and knew this familiarness wouldn't go away. She stood up slowly and made her way over to a corner of the cave, just to the side of a dark tunnel.

Pausing a moment she took a breathe and then pawed at the ground with her hoof, breaking through the frozen ground. She kept digging at the ground a few moments until something silver could be seen from the small hole. Seeing the silver thing, Adelle shook her head nervously. "No, it can't be. No." This was the cave she had grown up in. And down the tunnel was another cave. One that she would not go near. Adelle backed up slowly away from the hole she had dug and away from the second doorway. Her body started shaking more from fear than the cold as her memories came flashing back.

It was a stormy night and all was well with little Adelle and her caretaker inside their little cave. Adelle had just buried a small silver bell in the ground when her caretaker came towards her quickly. "Adelle! In the back! Now!" She was rushed down the tunnel and hidden in a dark corner. "No matter what happens, do not make a single noise. Your life depends on it!"

Adelle hid in the corner, scared and frightened, when she heard growling in the cave with her. Wolves! She watched with her own eyes as her caretaker tried to fend them off but they quickly brought her beloved family member down and tore her to pieces. Adelle watched in horror, to stunned and scared to make a noise as they ate her caretaker. After the wolves had left, the little foal fled the cave hoping that she would make it out alive.

 

[Kesmi]

Shihab had only watched his beloved at first, his head having raised from the floor and glancing in her direction more then once. He hadn't really thought much of it as she had been a bit tense since coming to the cave and out of the wind. The pawing at the ground got him a bit curious. Soon the tension was growing thicker, Adelle mattering something before falling silent again. Picking himself up off the floor, the old stallion could only wonder what was going on.

Stepping carefully toward Adelle, Shihab nosed at her gently, trying not to startle her too badly. Concern covered his face as he stepped up beside Adelle and looked down toward where she had been pawing at. Something silver peeked up at him, perhaps this was what caused her to go silent in an unsuspecting way? Looking back to Adelle, she appeared very distant as if the silver brought back memories, ones he didn't know if he should ask or not.

"Adelle?" He asked instead looking at her with concern, "Something the matter love?"  

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Adelle snapped out of the memory, shaking with fear. Going back up to the hole she had dug, she pushed the dirt around some and pulled out a small silver bell. The last one she had ever received from her caretaker. She looked worriedly at the tunnel leading to the back cave, knowing full well there was a skeleton, and perhaps some still living creatures.

By this point her mind finally registered that Shihab was there, and that she wasn't a little foal anymore. "Oh Shihab, we should leave, I'm sorry, but we really should. This was a bad idea. Oh no no." she started rambling as her voice shook with fear. Why did she ever agree to this? How could she have forgotten of the dangers? She put her love into danger and now it would be her fault if something happened to him.

Turning towards the cave entrance she started walking out, when out of nowheres two great big wolves appeared, growling more out of hunger than out of anger. The dove-like mare froze in place, watching as they came closer, crouched low to the ground, ready to pounce. "Shi..shi...no no no." she stuttered. What had she done?

 

[Kesmi]

Shihab looked at his mate with concern as she pulled the bell from the ground, it's silver shinning even past the years of dirt that now clung to it. Reaching to nuzzle against her he noticed that she had pulled away, something was wrong. Ears twitching, and golden eyes looking around, the strong musk of wolves met his nose like a stone to the head. Ambush, that word seeped into his head as he backed away and closer to his mate, wings fanning out the best the could, he remained close to her. A black hoof pawed at the ground, challenging the wolves to make their move, he wasn't going to back down.

"I'm here Adelle," he said trying to reassure her, though the reassurance wasn't much to give as he had dealt with their kind before.

Watching the wolves, he waited still, he wasn't going to let them get between himself and Adelle, god forbid it that happened. No, not another one, he wasn't going to let another one fall to their greed for flesh not like someone he had cared about before... His sister, he wasn't about to let it happen, again. Bearing his own teeth and lowering his head, ears laying back against his skull, Shihab's eyes were fixed upon the wolves, more he assumed would be coming, let them come. None would leave without harm, none.  

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Adelle stared as Shihab got in front of the wolves, she couldn't allow him to do this. She couldn't! Her mouth moved to talk but the words froze upon her tongue. Her mind was shutting down, trying to make her forget that she's reliving her past, that except her caretaker, it was her mate, her love. She was frozen in time, caught between the past and the present and she had nearly forgotten which was now real and which had already past.

The wolves growled at the stallion's challenge. They had not feasted in days and the scent of the female was so strong. This was the one that had escaped them years ago. She was the one they wanted first. The two wolves separated, each going their own direction, in effort to make the stallion focus on one just one, while the other attacked the weak female. They would not lose her this time.

 

[Kesmi]

Shihab remained where he was, not letting the wolves get the better of him. Rearing up some, he came back down letting his hooves ring through the cave loud enough to turn his own ears back. Backing up he remained close to Adelle, he wasn't about to let her fall into their jaws. Wings flaring the best they could, he kept close, eyes watching one wolf then the other, Wishing now that Dao had come with them, even if she hated the cold.

"Adelle, back up." Shihab commanded as he tapped her with a wing hoping that she would obey.

She had been through too much and he wasn't about to let her fall into this dispair. Neva had hurt their family too much and now these beasts were pushing at those already weak barriers. Smapping at the wolves, Shiahb danced between wolves, trying to keep them back away from himself and his mate. Thinking that someone had been planning this, even if their visit was random.

"Where is Dao when you need her," He muttered as he stomped at one of the wolves that was sneaking up on his side. "Keep backing up and don't stand in one place, that's what they are waiting for." He said to Adelle, hoping to get them both out of there alive.  

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Adelle heard Shihab's voice, and she shakily started moving backwards, back into the cave. Her mind was flashing back to her past when she had watched her own caretaker be devoured by these creatures. But now instead of the image of her caretaker, she saw her love there in the same position, being torn to pieces. Tears began to form in her eyes as she kept backing up, losing her hope, which had been over time been dwindling.

The wolves pinned their ears back against their heads, and gave a low growl, as they continued herding the two further back into the cave. They knew they needed to get the male away from the female, that sweet sweet female whose scent made their mouths water with hunger. Then out of nowheres, one of the wolves growled, and leapt towards the male, intent on distracting him from the female that they so desired.