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 Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 8:46 am
 There was something shiny in the underbrush, and Idris didn't like it.
Things would be different if Asar were around. Asar was good at taking charge of things and leaping before he looked. But Asar had taken off to stretch his wings, and Mum was performing her nightly rituals, so Idris had been left all alone in unsecured territory. Not even camoflage could help him, because there was something shiny in the underbrush, and for all Idris knew, that meant the whole place had been trapped by hunters looking to spend the rest of the winter eating venison.
He shoud leave. It was dangerous here. Idris was get in trouble with Mum if he interrupted her prayer time, but that was a small price to pay for being able to lay down on the soft grass, and rest secure in the knowledge that Mum would put a really mean curse on anyone who lay a fang on him.
Only...
Only there was something shiny in the underbrush, and Idris really wanted to know what it was. He didn't often discover things outside of Asar's shadow. A small part of him hoped that it was a dragon-Soquili scale, or human jewelry, and that he could use it to make his flashy, flying brother just a little bit jealous. The greater part of him knew that he'd be kept up all night by curiousity if he didn't investigate.
Trap or treasure? Give in, and take a closer look at the thing, or gallop away to safety?
The colt rocked back and forth on his hooves, wracked with indecision.
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Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:53 am
Earlier this morning, Vezian had gone along with his usual agenda, playing with the frogs that resided in a stream that wove through the place he called home, swimming in that very same stream. But then he saw something that wasn't quite common. A gleaming golden trinket was being dragged across the stream's bottom, slowly but surely. For a moment, Vezian stood there gaping at the little piece of metal for a good while. In fact, it was nearly out of sight by the time he realized that he wanted it. He struggled out of the mucky bottom that swallowed his hooves like quicksand, running downstream in slow-motion after it. Then, he had it! After a long struggle to catch up, he stopped promptly and bravely swung his head down, depositing it wholly in the water.
Now, Vezian, of course, wore his eyes into an ability to see underwater by hanging out with the frog crowd, so he was able to quickly focus on his target. His strong teeth readily clasped around the amulet as he swung forward again. He was victorious, but recalled that he actually did need to breathe. The little object secure in his mouth, he rose and shook out his mane, millions of droplets heading in every direction. Every physical ache became evident after this activity and he realized that he drove himself far too far for the little, near-worthless human trinket. His grin lessened and his mental agenda rearranged itself to suggest a nap. Exhausted, Vez dragged himself out of the water and, shivering, lay in the wide bank to rest, caring not of getting dirty even though his mother might just scold him for it. The gold amulet he released securely by his side and his lids slid closed contently.
That, however, was the morning. When Vezian woke, he realized that he overslept, the sun was already throwing unnatural colors into the clouds. But something else was wrong. Awfully wrong. There was only on shimmering object here: the sun. "The amulet!" Vezian hopped to his feet in a heartbeat, his eyes scanning all around him frantically. The only clue was a feather, pure black. Crow. Vez's worried eyes turned to the forest, and, without any parental permission, set off into the thicket in search of his item.
In between these two events, a common crow was circling the area. And, with its natural fascination for shiny objects, was searching for materials to build its glamorous nest. There was the shine of water, of course, but that wasn't solid and the crow knew this well enough to focus on something else. Envy burned in its eyes as it singled out a rare treat, a golden piece laying by a young foal. The owner of this pretty piece of jewelry was fast asleep. So, with no further hesitation, it swooped down, took the colt's possession, and presumed in carrying it to its nest.
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 5:16 pm
Idris spent a good ten minutes weighing his options and mulling over what to do. He liked having the luxury of second-guessing himself as many times as he pleased. If Asar were there, he'd surely tease his brother for worrying like a filly, and standing around while the bugs nipped at his flanks.
Finally, he took a tenuous step towards the mysterious flash of metal...
Only to rear back in alarm when a blur of black feathers dove right down in front of his muzzle!
"H- hey!"
A fat, sleek crow picked up the shiny object - an amulet of some sort? - before taking off into the lower branches. It was forced to fly low to accommodate its burden.
"Wait a minute!"
And for once in his life, Idris forgot to fret, and simply followed, trotting at a brisk pace through the underbrush.
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 5:50 pm
The forest was throbbing with life, a detail Vezian noticed once he slowed down with the burden of his exhausting search. The sun shone through the leaves, making lighter green patches on his already-verdant coat. He had been searching for a while now, the sun was making headway in its daily arc progression. For a moment, Vez allowed his mind to wander, thinking of the sun's true destination. Perhaps it was a lost soul, trapped in an orb and doomed to run circles around the Earth, benefiting all but itself. Was it dark inside the orb? Probably. He sighed forlornly, gazing up through the thicket, his glassy green eyes squinting against the light.
But he remembered his purpose and a sudden burst of rage flushed throughout his body. Who was this petty crow to take his amulet?! This new emotion was enough to get his hooves drumming a tune far more upbeat when compared to the one he's been playing for the past while. His pace went from a slow walk to a light trot, picked up into a canter and finally, with grit teeth and a confident look, flowed into a gallop.
The forest was a blur in his peripherals as he flew through the forest, kicking up soft dirt. Twigs caught in his mane and his ankles were covered in muck which hardened with each stride, but he ignored all this. His thoughts nearly slipped a second time with the joy of the freedom he felt, running like this, and he closed his eyes contently, letting his instincts guide him aimlessly. But he heard a crow's harsh caw and his eyes blinked open. They opened a moment too late.
He saw stars as his body was thrust backwards.
When his vision became crystal once again, all he could see was a litter of crow's feathers on the floor, his amulet a small pool of gold amidst the black void. There was the sound of beating wings and more angry caws in the distance as he stood up, a bit shaken by his collision. And then he saw the real object into which he crashed.
The crow, of course, was the epicenter of the crash, but it was trying to protect it's object of theft from another. Another colt, younger than Vez but not by much. Vezian saw this foal as a threat then and there and so rushed forward suddenly, catching the gold object between his teeth once more and staring accusingly at the taupe-colored one.
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 6:21 pm
What the- ???
Idris was cautious. He liked to do things in his own time. Certainly Asar would have been happier if his brother weren't such a 'wuss'. But when push came to shove, and his simple chase gave way to a sudden crash, Idris let his nerves go and went with the flow.
He could be brave, when it suited him, and here and now courage was sorely needed. He had to keep this threatening colt talking until he saw a good way to run. Idris wasn't keen to leave just yet, as he couldn't figure out why a crow, of all things, would be interested in human jewelry... but that mystery was certainly not worth his life.
"What are you glaring at me for?" Idris righted himself, regained a steady stance, and tossed his mane into place. He looked as perturbed as a cat who'd just been sprayed with water.
"That's hardly a mannerly way to introduce yourself; unless you come from a warrior tribe where such things are called for, in which case, I apologize for the deficiency in my education."
This strange foal who'd snuck up on him was so cleverly pattered that he nearly faded into the underbrush. Idris felt a small stab of jealousy. His own pelt was only useful for camouflage in the dead of night.
"Please be advised that, if you act in a violent manner against me, my mother would most certainly cast a curse upon you. Also-"
The sound of wingbeats intensified. Idris looked up into the rapidly darkening sky, and was surprised to see that clouds weren't the reason they'd been cast into shadow.
Apparently, that crow had been heading towards his flock. And the flock didn't look happy to see what had become of him.
Idris' lecturing tone faltered into something less sure.
"We appear to have made them mad."
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Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 1:52 pm
Vezian's eyebrows rose as the disgruntled foal before him straightened up and shook out his mane. He had to suppress laughter at the picture he saw: the younger foal looked so disheveled and wound up, too much so for this situation. They merely bumped into each other. Even though Vez would have exploded on the other by now if he was put in Idris' hooves, he couldn't help but snicker at the other colt's words.
Warrior tribe? As if. And look who had to run to mommy if he was hurt. Well he couldn't run if his legs were broken, could he? The darker colt's logic wasn't that logical after all.
But he did have a point about introducing himself properly. Vezian should've known better than simply glaring the colt down at first sight. If anything, the knowledge of the likeliness that his strength was greater than the brown one's should have given room for courtesy. After all, if Idris decided to lash out at Vez for the gold trinket, Vezian was confident in the fact that he could easily fight and win back his right to possession.
"Sorry, I-"
Vezian's apology was cut off by the gradually greatening sound of air sifting through feathers. He looked up with anxious eyes at the same time as Idris, and when he looked back to the taupe one, he could see how fickle his alleged courage really was. And then came the sudden need to prove that he could protect this younger colt who in reality - as Vez came to notice - did him no wrong.
"Run!!"
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Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 9:52 am
If Idris had known that Vezian was contemplating breaking his legs, he would have set off without another word, and abandoned the rude green colt to the mercy of the crows. His mother had raised him to be a kind Soquili, but she'd also raised him not to be a fool.
Thankfully, Idris was not privy to Vezian's internal monologue, and had no idea that the other youngster's thoughts towards him practically dripped with condescention. Idris thought that Vezian was just another dumb jock.
So he tossed his mane, and beckoned Vezian to follow him.
"Come on!"
Courage came in many forms. For some, courage was the ability to fight in battle without regrets. But for others, like Idris, courage was the ability to turn tail and run no matter what anyone else thought of it. He felt no shame as he took off into the bush. There was more than one way for a colt to protect himself.
All that time that Idris had spent nervously scanning his surroundings came in handy, now that they were under attack. He ducked and wove through the underbrush, absolutely sure of where he was going, slowing down their flock of persuers by making sure they had to fly through through thick branches in order to follow.
Of course, they couldn't run forever.
"We need hornets. Or a body of water."
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Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 2:11 pm
To Vezian, their escape attempt almost instantly became a race. He pushed through the brush, very aware of Idris' alike struggle nearby. His fear was quickly replaced with competition and he ran with a dumb smile on his face, ignoring the beating of wings and cawing of crows behind them.
Then, of course, Idris had to ruin Vez's fun with one of his smart-a** comments. But just as he was about to stop and roll his eyes with a retort, Vezian realized just how many avian creatures were stalking them. His eyes widened and his hooves pounded the ground at impossible-seeming intervals, a newfound necessity driving him further.
"Hornets? What are hornets?!" Vezian shouted back to Idris, irritated with his acquaintance for his tone, which, to the green foal, was very understating with their increasing threat.
But soon enough, Vezian saw a clearing ahead, and in the middle of that, a thick and volatile river. "Water'll have to do!" And, quite satisfied with himself, Vez galloped boldly into the clearing, ready for the familiar and welcoming feeling of a water body.
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 1:50 pm
(Apologies for the delay. I had to take a hiatus due to a family emergency. Thanks for understanding! <3)
The younger, smaller colt followed after Vezian as best he could, though his legs were less well-suited to leaping over obstacles and avoiding slippery rocks.
He probably should have been scared. By all rights, he ought to have been shaking so hard that his knees folded underneath him. But the green colt had asked him a question, and if there was anything in this world garuanteed to take Idris' mind off his troubles, it was the opporunity to yammer on about something he'd learned from an elder.
"Oh!" A light sparked in Idris' brass-colored eyes. His breath was slightly laboured. "Hornets are a large eusocial wasps! They have stingers on their tails which deliver poison that acts as a powerful allergen. Not enough to hurt you or me, by body mass, but they could disable a bird no problem, or at least make it hurt alot! A hornet's nest looks like a large silk coocoon and can best be disturbed from a distance by throwing a stick or other object at their home. I had thought, if we could get the birds to hit a hornet's nest, then we might- Oh! Water! Er, it's a bit large, and the undertow won't be good at all considering that neither of us is grown, but-"
But the flock was baring down on them, and there was nothing else to be done.
Idris followed Vezian's lead, closed his eyes, and jumped into the waiting current.
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Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 7:12 pm
Vezian's grin grew wider and wider still as they came closer to the cool, strong waters. Idris' voice was but a buzz behind him; A background sound, as the flapping wings of their pursuers have become. His ears tuned in to the rippling of the stream's surface, the thrust of the river's flow, the freedom he would soon feel, encompassed by its gentle embrace. His eyes closed far before Idris' had, though, of course, Vezian didn't know this and honestly couldn't care less about the taupe foal half-tumbling along behind him at the moment. But his closed with ecstasy, his senses mellowed as if a meditation ritual before further enjoyment.
Where Idris shut his lids, Vezian's fluttered open, greedily grasping the scene just before the jump. At that same moment, his senses broadened once more, spread to include the "outside" noises of frustrated wings and the latter part of his companion's anxious warning.
And then, the anticipated jump.
Vezian flew for a second, then split the water, making a huge splash. This was nothing but an enjoyable, sunny spring day now. A day during which he'd explore this river with his new-found friend. His new-found friend. He didn't even know this guy's name, did he? "Hey, Foal!" Vezian, with a lifetime of practice on his side, swerved around to face backwards, digging his hooves into the bottom. Even though the water reached only a bit past his shoulders, the thrust was stronger than he was used to. He winced as pebbles, not yet rounded by the water's stroke, flew past him, striking his ankles, adding to the unusual discomfort of the river trying to uproot and drag him downstream. "Foal?!" He squinted his eyes in search for the bookworm.
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