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 Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 3:36 pm
"How are you ever going to be a proper lady?" or the wonderful "No duaghter of mine will ever be caught [insert action here]."
Truly, Zara was beginning to feel suffocated and a bit overwhelmed. She loved Jaslyn and Baldev, certainly, but it seemed like the more freedom she gained, the more strings became attached. She understood that she was special, and that her parents thought of their daughters as better than the rest. Parental pride would blind them that way. . . but sometimes it became frustrating and down right controlling. Who did she talk to, didn't she realize they were beneath her breeding, etc. etc. etc. Her family was made up of purists, certainly, but Zara tried her hardest to be a little more open minded.
Lately though the mare did have to wonder. . . her only friends were ebony unicorns by name of Melancholy and Taigi. Though it had been years since she last passed the orange-scented 'Choly, Taigi had bumped in to her (literally) just weeks prior. And yet who else was in her life that had been memorable?
Certainly no fillies outside of her sisters. . . And only once did she remember playing with a handful of other foals and fillies her age. Yes, the more Zara thought about it, the more aloof the social lady actually had been. With every action studied, every day her sisters and she taught about the purity of their blood and a need for their perfection. . . well. . . Zara had never been one to disappoint but it made her life incredibly limiting.
So she could dance. . . it had been the gift of grace and body language that she had since mastered, having been drilled from a yearling on. Her sisters might be more creative than her when it came to weaving stories or song but the true mover of the herd was Zara. And yet, though she was proud of her talents, the mare had to wonder if there was more to her than her curled hair, her spiraled horn, and the pride of her parents as she reached for perfection.
Sometimes, especially at night while she wandered from home, the blue eyed mare had to wonder if there wasn't more to life than what she knew. Sometimes she had to wonder if she wasn't just some carbon-copy of a her parents prejudice. . . . Surely she could make some genuine friends that weren't of unicorn lineage, right? Glancing up at the frigid evening sky, the first stars beginning to glimmer in the vast expanse above her, Zara just had to wonder.
Unicorns were all she knew. . . . perhaps the spirits would allow her to live it up tonight.
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Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 10:26 am
 He was moving home, sides slicked with sweat, muscles growing heavy with exhaustion. He glanced up as the sun slid just under the horizon, the last rays the only thing that lit the sky. Well, he'd be getting the disapproving glare from his mother, he may as well stop for a bath. He stretched out his shuddering muscles carefully before throwing himself into the chill water of the river shallows. It went to work immediately, freezing the swollen tissue and washing away the sweat and stench of his long workout. His father had been more demanding than usual this morning. This was one of the days Reflection hated, where his father assigned him a near-impossible workout. He'd deal with his father's soft superiority in the morning though, once they'd risen. And maybe next time he'd drag the old man out here with him. Let him suffer through a dawn-dusk run. Reflection had been training his whole life, yet he still couldn't compare to his father's physical feats. He could, however, beat him in four out of ten bouts. That was pretty good, he supposed. Sighing, he leaned against a rock that hutted out over the bank and began to rub himself on it, hoping to scratch the dirt and sweat out of his coat before he had to go home.
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Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 11:37 am
The scent of water tickled Zara's nose as she trotted elegantly over the plains. The world had paused in a moments transition, dusk overwhelming the land. Though the sun had set and the moon had risen, the sky was still fading pink and orange to violet and black. Stars were making their first appearances, a few brighter ones twinkling overhead and the young mare took a moment to peek curiously above.
It was amazing how the night time could be so serene and secretive; every night she star gazed and every night she found fascination with the little points of light. It never bored her, and she found herself amazed at the sight every time. Tonight, of course, would be no different. She looked a little funny, trotting to the river with her nose pointed up in the air and it was a wonder she didn't lose her footing and fall!
Ah, but not Zara. . . She was as sure footed as the best of them, and graced with an ability to dance and move like a pro. Her body was the one thing she could control and it was often her only escape. Baldev allowed her to dance . . . but her parents continued to hold heavy standards for each of their girls.
Zara did swivel her neck down when something broke through the bubbling river. It wasn't water it was . . . . a shuffling sort of sound. In fact, it was only then that the mare caught sight of something dark within the river; something that wasn't made or water or rock. It was . . . it was another soquili!
Part of the mare thought to make a hasty escape; it wouldn't be very lady like to watch a stranger bathe. Then again, how often did one catch another swimming in the river at such an hour? She wasn't too old to be so formal and the young mare gave a little chuckle, bemused. "Is the water nice?" She finally questioned, quirking a brow and tossing Reflection a broad smile. "Looks a little cold to me," she added, her long tail swishing idly behind her.
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Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 9:02 pm
He caught her scent a mere instant before the voice came, inwardly cursing himself his carelessness. What if the stranger had been aggressive? What if she was still a threat? He turned his body enough that he could see her, relaxing only a hair. Unicorn she looked to be, but these days the outside told nothing of inner thoughts and desires.
Still, lie or not, she looked too friendly to be out alone this late at night with only a fool nearby. "The water is cold." he said finally, smiling back at her. "Freezing, in fact, and if I didn't smell I wouldn't be in here. Given the choice between freezing or smelling, I personally will handle the freezing. One can warm up with a light jog, but the smell will stick around for a while."
He was almost done, so he hastened the remainder of his bath and started to pull out of the river a short distance away so as not to get the female wet. She had a mass of hair that must be nigh impossible to keep in check- he was certain she would not appreciate being doused with cold water either. He shook himself carefully, not wishing to spray her. When he was finished, he gave her an appraising look. "You are out late. Are you new to this area? I don't believe I've seen you before."
She didn't look like anyone he'd seen either, so he could not try and place her with a herd. However, he knew very few in this area. Father kept him busy.
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Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 8:56 pm
A small sliver of Zara wondered if perhaps she should have left the stallion be. It wasn't exactly appropriate to interrupt ones bath, much less watch them as they finished. Oh but her father might throw a fit if he'd caught her err; thankfully though, the unicorn didn't seem too perturbed by her presence. "I think the world shall appreciate your thoughtfulness," grinning, the mare discretely turned to the side and ambled a few feet away, nipping at a few evening grasses. She'd allow him to finish his scrubbing and cleaning without a pair of pink eyes to watch.
Another unicorn thrown her way. . . Well, father would be pleased she was certain, but Zara felt less than thrilled. She wasn't as prejudiced as her parents, but it was also difficult to embrace strangers when the only strangers she seemed to meet were unicorns; were the fates truly on the side of her fathers stern belief and vanity? Ah, but at least he seemed an amicable sort and hadn't been gruff or quick to dismiss her. It pleased her even more that, after shaking off his excess water, he hadn't pointedly stormed off. A spot of company would be more than welcome this evening, and at the very least, allow her to forget about her earlier woes.
Turning back towards the dark coated unicorn, Zara took a few steps closer so she needn't yell or shout. "I'm afraid 'new' wouldn't be accurate; I've lived near these parts all my life," she explained, tail swishing lazily behind her. "But my parents keep a rather firm eye on the whereabouts of their children; they're a bit strict, one could say, and only recently have been more obliging to my wanderlust." Zara didn't want to sound too severe in criticizing her parents, as she loved and adored both greatly. But it was frustrating to have to consistently break the rules all the time just to go out and enjoy herself. Sometimes, only during the times of her deepest frustration, did she wish to have been born another race. "And what of you, my fine sir? Do you live near these parts or are you merely a wandering phantom?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 11:26 pm
He hummed happily as he finished shaking the last droplets of water off a hoof, unaware of the thoughts of the other soquili. Oh, he knew she was thinking, but what was beyond his ken. "They should appreciate it!" he shot at her cheerfully as she turned back toward him. "Really, have you ever tried being friendly to someone when you're caked in sweat and grime and they're looking at you with their nose in the air? All you want to do is stab them with your horn and be done with it."
He eyed her curiously, relaxed and comfortable in his considerable height. "I can understand the firm eye. My father keeps one on everyone in his family when he can. He let off once, and my first brother skittered away before he could so much as say 'no, Dad, I don't want to be a fighter'; He let off again, and my other brother skittered off and never came back. And then he was keeping an eye on my eldest sister, and she came back one day with foals. Then he found out mom was having me and my little sister. So... Dad's never taken his eyes off me." Or anyone else in his family now.
His grin was wry. "I'm hardly a wandering phantom. Though I do wander. My father keeps me running all over the place like a two-legger with its arm cut off. I sneak my few moments rest." This now would likely get him a stern talking to- if his father didn't hunt him down out of sheer paranoia and love.
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Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 7:28 am
Zara found herself rather fascinated and amazed by the unicorn before her. It wasn't so much in his appearance, as far as she was concerned she'd gotten sight of ever unicorn in the book. . . though the girl in her DID admit he was rather ridiculously handsome. But what really caused the mare intrigue was his complete and utter lack of formality. . . .
How long had she been taught to be nothing short of a proper lady? How many lessons in speech and etiquette had she sat through, how many lectures about the 'uncouth' had she endured, how many threats had her father whispered about his intolerance for a lack of perfection and impurity? Zara could be the most proper of ladies and had somehow assumed that all other unicorns felt the same. . .
And yet here stood a stallion that talked so casually Zara could almost feel herself blushing. What soquili ever spoke about stabbing another with their horn? Such violence, in jest or not, was never appropriate by her parents standards; and yet Zara couldn't help but chuckle at the image. And to paint a visual of a two-legged animal with nothing more than a bloody stump of an arm wasn't much better! Oh. . . . oh this night was fast becoming something delightfully different!
The flutter she had previously met had been everything her father would approve of, save his race. And yet now she met a unicorn, a warrior-sort, no doubt, and he seemed much more common place and casual. He was so unlike her own family that she couldn't help but feel delighted! And Baldev couldn't strongly object because he was a unicorn all the same!
Giving a little shake of her head, Zara tossed Reflection a wink. "Forgive me, but I will admit I adhere to a strict rule of never allowing myself to be caked in sweat and grime. Not that I don't know how to have fun, mind," she hastily assured, not wanting the stallion to think she was so incredibly stiff and stuck up, "but with as much hair as I possess, do you realize how long it would take to properly clean?"
Truly, her beauty was also a nightmare at least when it came to keeping up standards. "Besides, my father would likely disown me for such an unlady like display." And no, she wasn't kidding or exaggerating. It never occurred to Zara that such strict rules were an issue or that others didn't hear the same thing. . .
Love ran great in her family, but prejudice and closed-minded views were in as great supply as affection. So the delicate mare did indeed live in a skewed world.
Listening to the stallion, Zara gave a small quirk of a brow before she grinned once again. "Well at least you know you're loved, even if his best-interest in you is a bit stifling. I can most certainly relate." Though she would never voice it, the mare could appreciate the fact that the stallion had been pushed to his physical limits. . . He was a strong looking sort, and Zara felt tiny in comparison. Given, she was petite and small boned compared to many of her kin but she'd never met an actual warrior before and Reflection's stance was much larger than her own.
"Ah, but please forgive my rude behavior." Dipping herself in an every graceful but ever formal bow, she added, "Not only did I pointedly interrupt your bath, but I've neglected to introduce myself! I'm Zara, and with luck you can forgive such uncouth behavior." Her grin was self-depricating as her tone took on one of gentle formality. . .
She was a lady, but she was also young and wanted nothing more than to be liked. All of her foal hood friends had long since left her, and as it was, meeting others truly wasn't her strong point. She could be kind and gentle and amicable but she also found it hard to be herself. There was too much fear of letting down her family, and yet, disappointing those around her also haunted the mare. Unlike her sisters, though the most out going, she was also the most trouble.
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Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 3:07 am
He almost cackled with delight. Proper manners, this miss, and a sense of humor to boot! "You should meet my dam." he chortled. "She's got more hair than you and wavy to boot. Yet she's wild and wonky and still manages to smell like flowers. I'd say she could give you tips, but she'd just smile at you a lot and ramble about sun-bites." he grinned.
"My mom's an Echo, you see." he laughed again. "She's got some speech problems, and can only repeat words. She's not stupid, but she's... well..." he stepped back and eyed her. It wasn't a perverted look, more like... someone sizing up a potential soldier, almost?
And then he stretched, shaking out his legs. It looked like a strange little dance, most likely, but he was feeling his muscles start to stiffen and didn't want that! "My father thought his baby girl was a princess." he said, dryly. "But those sisters of mine are more like him than he'd like. Resonance is a sprited lass, tied herself a stallion up in knots and foals before dragging him in front of my dad. She got herself up and mated before she knew what was happening." he shook his head. "And you say your dad's willing to disown you for getting dirty, that's a real... shocker." He grinned again. "My mom and my sister were pregnant at the same time. I was born a matter of days before my nephews though." he added. It seemed important to him.
"I'm Reflection." he mocked her bow with a grace (and gracelessness) that was amusing to him. He kept his feet, but the formality of the bow looked like a falcon pretending to be a peacock. "I guess you can consider that there formality forgiven, and the informality much appreciated."
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