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 Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 8:55 pm
 While the forest was always full of the whistling and cheeping of birds of all sizes, there was one call that was rarely heard during the day. A mishmash of the nightingale, finch... and so many others, the whistling rang through the forest clearly, stopping only when the creature had to breath.
It was, of course, Khalidia, prancing through the woods with a song in her heart, one that she simply HAD to let out! It was unusual for her to be out during the day, but the sun had seemed so inviting, and she'd gone to bed early the night before while Alu slipped out to do... something. He did that every once in a while... vanished while she wasn't looking, only to return while she was asleep. She was curious about his activities, but never pushed, only used the early bed time as an excuse to go out before sunset.
As she neared a stream that ran through the trees, she came to a halt, and bent down to peer at herself in the rippling waters. It was so very odd, to see herself almost as big as Silarial! The whistling stopped, and she laughed instead, the silvery sound carrying on the wind.
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Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 9:27 pm
Beginning his trek anew, the long scarf wrapped haphazardly around his neck dragged the ground, every once in a while slipping from the bank and into the flowing water. Tuyet didn't pay it much mind, however, and the silken fabric seemed to keep its sheen no matter the distance. It had been that way since he could remember. Even as a colt, then cloth had been wrapped about him. It had proven an excellent nest.
Nearing a bend in the stream, a sound on the wind caught his attention next. It was faint at first, but grew as he stepped until eventually fading into nothing. It had been like too many birds in one place, though he couldn't say he disliked the idea. Ears slid back as the laughter met them next. No, that couldn't be birds then, could it?
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Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 9:46 pm
Was there... a fish in the stream? Her eyes went wide as she leaned over a bit further, intrigued by the flash of scales and the way they caught in the sun. It was like a mini rainbow, caught on a living thing and giving motion... so pretty... Still a bit unused to her longer legs, attention totally focused on the fish, she didn't realize that she'd taken a very precarious position on the bank of the stream. As the creature took fright and began to flee upriver, she tried to follow it with her head and neck... and promptly fell into the water.
It wasn't deep, but it was freezing; it wouldn't warm enough to really wade and swim in until late summer. For a moment she couldn't breath, and then she let out a yell, one of delayed shock and surprise, and annoyance at herself. "W-way to g-go! You s-s-scared the fish!" she chided herself as she struggled to the shore, slipping and sliding on the rocks. "N-n-now you're c-c-c-cold and... and fishless and..."
Once again, she fell, this time getting a shallow cut on her foreleg. "Owwwouch!!" she whined, pouting. Finally dragging herself onto the shore, opposite of where she started, she began to clean the cut, grumbling and muttering to herself, shivering, water dripping off of her to collect on the ground.
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Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 10:20 pm
The sounds seemed to stop completely and without warning then. It happened as quickly as they had come, leaving him to wonder with idle curiosity if he had even heard anything at all. It could have easily been the trickle of stream water over the rocks. While he had never experienced such sound illusions himself, he didn't put anything past nature in the long run.
Shaking his head gentle, he pushed on again, continuing the slow wandering along the edge of the water. It wasn't until another sound met his ears, surely convinicing him that he hadn't just been hearing things. Pale hooves cloped at a faster pace upstream. There was no doubt that someone was there and close and, if he heard correctly, in an uncomfortable state. There was a worry in the pit of his stomach for whatever it was. It was something he had a hard time helping.
Jumping easily over one last log in his path and turning one last bend, he came across the object of his search and worry. The mare, laid out on the ground, looked as uncomfortable as he had invisioned. Closing most of the gap between them, he knelt to her without thought of startling her with his sudden presence. "Are you alright?" he questioned, his voice strangely sharp, but holding a certain gentleness that came from years of watching and caring beyond necessity. He couldn't quite see the problem, but he was willing to bet her shivering was part of it.
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Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 10:37 pm
When she'd heard the clap of hooves coming nearer, the female had, frankly, expected one of her two companions. Sometimes she forgot there must be other Kirin in the world, that their strange family wasn't all there was of their race. If she'd known it was some strange stallion well... she probably would have found a way to not be there. When he knelt, she finally looked up from her leg to speak... and only let out a strangled sound, eyes going wide, fear flickering in them.
He sounded concerned, but... but... "Wh-who are y-y-you?" she asked, stutter partly from her nervousness, partly from the cold soaking through her bones. She scooted back from him, gulping, the wound clear for him to see now. "I d-don't know you." Nervously, she tossed her head, putting her horn between him and herself. "I m-m-mean..."
Suddenly, the fish came back, and caught her eye. "Oooh... it came back..." she whispered, seeming to forget his presence completely. "S-so pretty..." Teeth chattering together, shivers wracking her body, she leaned over the river again, trying to follow it's progress through the water.
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Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 11:01 pm
Although it hadn't occured to him at first, he certainly understood now that sneaking up on someone wasn't always helpful, even if one is concerned. He really hadn't expected her to be so jumpy. Rising fully and stepping back, he eyed the threatening position of her horn now. And yet, with the stuttering of her words, he wondered honestly he if would've felt scared at all, had he been an enemy.
"Please, I don't mean any harm," he assured, giving her another once-over and now taking note of shallow, but still unfriendly looking cut. It seemed she had been taking care of it herself, however. The obviously soaked fur seemed almost more of a burden. "I'm sorry to startle you. I-" Before he could complete his thought, her attention was ripped away by the simple shimmer of a fish. How odd, he thought, that she had come off as so very nervous before and now looked as if she didn't care that he was still standing there.
Letting out a soft laugh, he watched her watch the fish for a moment. It was nice to see, he had to admit. The way fish swam through the water did have a sort of elegance to it. "Do you like it?" he questioned, hoping she'd calmed enough that his idle chatter would distract her from her earlier fear of his being a total stranger.
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Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 9:37 pm
"Oh yes... I think fish are pretty. I was going to eat one once, 'cause I thought it might be good, but..." she paused and shook her head before bending closer to the water, giggling softly as the fish came to the surface to catch a bug and splashed her in the process. "Well, I couldn't after I watched him swim for a bit. They're almost as nice as birds are to watch." She looked over at the male again, head tipped to one side. "I tried to listen once to see if they sing too, but... I only ended up breathing water on accident. That's when I learned Kirin can't breathe water." she was completely serious, and delivered that piece of knowledge with the air of a parent lecturing a foal, as if he didn't already know it.
"My name is Khalidia... who are you? And why do you sneak up on others like that? It isn't very nice. If Alu was here, he probably would have bitten you for being sneaky. Well... only if you could sneak up on him. He's awful hard to trick..." Her chatter was both a symptom of her nervousness and her defining personality trait. Even as she spoke, however, she was backing away from him, putting a bit more space between them, and had pushed herself to her hooves. "And his bites hurt." she added, nodding and speaking from personal experience; sometimes she went a bit too far in her efforts to keep herself entertained.
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Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 1:30 pm
Listening to her explanations, he couldn't help but smile. If nothing else, it was refreshing to see an honest interest in such a simple thing. In his time of observation, he too had become more interested in the simple pleasures of life. Not only did it make things easier, but made them more worth it. He had gotten a bit of practice at smoothing out conflict and drama and found the peace that always followed to be one of the most enjoyable things. Canting his head, he let his eyes fall back into focus and land on her. Of course, he certainly didn't want to make her seem foolish for how serious her expression was. "Of course not," he agreed tactfully, nodding a bit. "We're lucky enough to be able to breath air."
At her introduction, his expression became a bit apologetic. "Oh, forgive me. I'm Tuyet. It's a pleasure to meet you, Khalidia." And yet, despite his attempts to be personable, he couldn't help but chuckle lightly at her distrust. It was probably better that way. Not all random stranger males would be as friendly as he. "I didn't really mean to sneak up on you. I was just worried." Watching her back away, he chose to stay put, not wanting to appear threatening. "I apologize. Next time I'll be more careful."
An ear flicked and he lifted a hoof, stepping absentmindedly on the end of his scarf. "It doesn't sound like this 'Alu' is very friendly, though. I mean, if he's bitten you before." Shrugging a bit, he knew better than to judge much before he'd even met the guy. "But maybe I'm wrong." he smiled.
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 3:01 pm
While she'd been a bit nervous, she'd also seemed friendly and open to making friends with the stallion... until he said something about Alucard. Instantly, her nostrils flared, and she lowered her horn again, eyes narrowed. "Alu is the nicest, most wonderful stallion in the whole entire world." she told him, tone in her voice suggesting that if this wasn't his opinion as well, he'd better change his mind, and fast. She held that pose a moment longer, then snorted and lifted her head, tossing it and turning away for a moment to snag a bite from a low hanging branch.
"The leaves on this tree are very good. You should try some, Tuyet." she murmured, mostly as a way to defuse the tension, shooting him a nervous, almost apologetic glance. "They're very moist, and... and... well, just yummy. Better even than grass, I think, and I really like grass. It's one of my favorites. Alu eats it too, but doesn't seem to enjoy it like me and Slilarial. Do you like grass?"
Then, as she so often did, she forgot to give him time to answer the question she'd asked, and simply kept on speaking. "I like that pretty blue thing you're wearing, too. Have you always had it? Where'd you get it? Ooh, did your dam give it to you, maybe, or did you find it? Oh! Did you maybe do battle with some fearsome creature four times your size in order to win it, tragically losing your mate in the process?" she asked, now facing him again, eyes huge in her face, totally lost in the story she'd woven for herself.
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Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 3:38 am
"Alright, I didn't mean to offend you." he offered quickly, not wanting to lose the process he felt he'd made. Besides, it really wasn't like him to voice his judgments--or even judge at all-- with such a lack of poise. Perhaps he really had spent too much time wandering and away from the particular social groups he had enjoyed watching in his younger years. Did they notice he was no longer around? Well, he supposed it didn't much matter. It had been obtrusive in a way, his observation. He thought the herds had grown used to him, though he couldn't say at all that he knew they appreciated him. "Please accept my apology for yourself and your dear friend."
Tuyet was happy, at least, to see her own attempt at reconciliation. It was generous of her. Taking a testing step closer, he canted his head to observe the tree she'd chosen to snack from. It did look nice, yes. "Thank you, I will." Careful, he reached forward and snatched a single leaf, chewing it thoughtfully as he stepped back to his original position. Swallowing dryly, he thought to answer, but was moved with her to a different topic before he could.
"My scarf...?" he questioned softly, both in response to her and as a tool to help himself recall. But the wilder her own depictions got, the more he wanted to laugh a little. "No, nothing so grand as some of those ideas," he assured her with a slight chuckle. "I have always had it, yes. Although it has been a long time, I'm not sure I remember where it came from. That's a pretty disappointing answer, isn't it?"
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Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 9:37 pm
She blinked and came back to reality, giving him a sheepish expression as she pawed at the ground with her right hoof. "Oh. Sorry, sometimes I get carried away. Though... if you've always had it, maybe the Sky-Kirin gave it to you." She'd never been able to give up that belief, though she'd modified it a bit - she was still sure there was something up there shaped like them, that watched over them and made the world work. She didn't bring them up often, though, afraid Alu would think her childish and immature. "It would be very, very special then."
There was a pause in her speech for - miracle of miracles! - several whole seconds before she began to chatter again. Of course, before she did that, she suddenly stepped very close, her muzzle almost touching his. "Tuyet... you're a proper stallion." she began, an almost mad light in her eyes. It was a look she often got when she had a scheme that would land her - and anyone she managed to drag along with her - in some sort of mess.
"I know that I don't act like a grown mare all the time. You though... you're old enough that you would know. You could show me, right? How to walk without falling, and how to not fall into streams, and... and... and how to not talk so much. Right?" she asked brightly, then playfully butted her head against his shoulder, though she was careful not to impale him. "Pleeeeaaaaase?" Wouldn't Alu and Silarial be surprised if she came back a lady!
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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 7:56 am
The next expression proved very thoughtful. The Sky-Kirin? Well, it's not that he didn't believe such a think could be true. For all the years the long scarf dragged the ground and always seems to keep its silken luster, he wondered it maybe that was a possiblity. Had Aerithe been the gifter of his life-long treasure? Or rather, was Aerithe the one Kahlidia spoke of in reference to the 'Sky-Kirin?' He wasn't positive, but either way, he was sure that this deity figure she mentioned was as respectable as any. "Maybe so," he finally responded, pushing it very close to the end of her pause. "I will continue to treasure it as always."
Of course, he had grown used to the quick jump in conversation in the short time they'd been together. It was just the sudden closeness that he hadn't been expecting. It seemed, if nothing else, she was finally beginning to trust him some. Or maybe, more than he'd thought, upon hearing her request. Certainly she must have thought well of him, then. Tuyet smiled, though there was some hint of friendly concern in the look, which only deepened a little when she nudged his shoulder. "You want me... to teach you to act like a proper mare?" he summarized, more for himself than her. What a strange request. He couldn't remember ever receiving one like that before. "There's nothing wrong with being yourself," he promised. And yet, her childish sweetness had hooked him into her plan at 'please.' "But if you'd really like, I could try to teach you some."
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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 4:31 pm
She let out a giggle-snort as his agreement, and prance-danced back away from him, nearly toppling herself over a rock and back into the stream. How she'd managed to keep herself safe and whole for as long as she had was anyone's guess. "That's fantastic! I really would like it!" she told him with a laugh once she'd straightened herself out again. "I think sometimes that if I were just a little bit less myself, it would make everybody happy. So if I learn how to be a proper mare, then maybe I can work on putting the two together!"
She was always asking Silarial the same thing, of course, but... she wanted a stallions perspective on what a proper mare should be. "How do I deal with my legs is my first question. They're too long." she told him, a pout in her voice as she peered down at the appendages. They were clumsy, not her!
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Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 5:40 pm
Well, at least she had a good way of looking at it. Tuyet certainly wouldn't want to help her bury her true self. If she was right and this all worked, she could turn out the better Kirin for it. But it did seem... like he had his work cut out for him now. Just a simple little dance had nearly sent her back into the cool waters. Shaking his head with a slight chuckle, he took in her request with a thoughtful expression. Legs, huh? They were long, yes, but not so bad once you got used to them. They were good for speed, at least.
Stepping forward, he eyed the stream. "My best advice would be..." It was a little bit harder to come up with a good way to put it than it thought it would be. "Well, try keeping your legs from crossing too much. If you let them get too close, you might trip yourself up." After watching the stream one more time, he coiled his muscles and jumped cleanly over the water, landing with grace on the other side.
"Why don't you follow?" he questioned, shrugging towards the stream."But no cheating. You can't touch the water, okay?" A small smile came to his maw. At the water's edge, he walked back and forth, his long scarf dragging the ground between his legs, but not holding him up in the least.
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Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 2:17 pm
"Follow follow..." she agreed, then chortled, watching him carefully. It was amazing - he had his feet to look after AND his scarf, and still he didn't trip! Khalidia thought she would probably manage to kill herself with something like it. That was probably why the Sky-Kirin hadn't given her one, she reasoned, her mind already wandering away from the exercise. Maybe they only gave them to nice, wise stallions like Tuyet seemed to be. He probably had been solemn even as an egg! Why maybe eve- "Eeek!" she squealed as she started to tip over, eyes going huge.
However, putting her attention quickly back to her hooves, she was able to stabilize herself. "Hey! It's okay! It's ooookay! I didn't touch the water!" she called to the male, sounding rather proud of herself. "I did it! Yay!"
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