|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 9:06 pm
 Enfys stepped down the steep, narrow, wooded path with care toward the stream. His fellow stallions were elsewhere at the moment, but it didn't bother him. Enfys was probably one of the slowest stallions to anger amongst the kirindae, and no one had yet figured out how to even annoy him. Abhyagni seemed to have met a cheerful filly about his age recently, and he privately hoped the red filly could lift Abhyagni's pessimistic mood. Tuyet...he wasn't sure where Tuyet was at the moment, but he was sure Tuyet would turn up soon enough.
In the meantime...the stream below sparkled invitingly, and he was thirsty. Enough sunlight filtered through the leaves upon the stream as it flowed along its stony bed that some of the spray kicked up as the stream flowed down little waterfalls that tiny rainbows shone shyly. He kind of liked them; they were like his own small feet, but more ephemeral, and more valuable for their ephemeral nature.
He looked around at the flowers along the streambed. Summer was almost here in the lands of the kirindae, and it would soon be rutting season. He let out a breath he'd been holding back the last few strides down to the stream softly. Some stallions could be so nonsensical during the rutting season, and he hoped he didn't have to deal with that nonsense any time soon...though some treacherous part of his heart wondered what it would be like if he found a pretty, nice mare who wouldn't mind his wanderlust. Ah well. With that thought, he bent his head to take a sip from the stream, not noticing any kirindae who might be nearby.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 9:30 pm
 Iris was charging up the same steep path Enfys had just climbed up, her hooves beating out a muffled staccato on the soft soil. It was bathtime! A day of romping in the meadows makes for one smelly sweaty Kirin, and the water would help her cool down, as well. She was looking forward to splashing about and bothering fishies. Almost there; touchdown in three... two.. one... WHOA. She crashed into the stranger head-to-rump, hard - she had expected to plow gracefully through water. " Ow..." She said, seeing stars; she sat down backwards on her rump. What on earth had she bumped into?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 9:44 pm
Enfys was knocked headfirst into the water mid-sip. He tumbled, choking and coughing on the sweet water. Owww...his rump hurt, and so did his legs and side, he noted when he finally stopped sputtering. He looked up at whoever had crashed into him, having succeeded in landing in such a way that he was lying on his side in a position to see her with little difficulty.
He was startled by the splendidly-hued stranger: black with white scales and all the hues of the very brightest and most spectacular of rainbows had careened into him. He blinked a few times, partially because the fall hurt enough that he was seeing spots, and because the sparse sunlight made the bright mare positively glow in a radiant way.
"Owww" was what he could manage at first, and it did not rate high on his list of what to say to a pretty mare at this point in time. He managed to smile apologetically. "Well, this is a surprise. It's not every day I go tumbling like that, but it's certainly made the day a lot more interesting." He managed to get himself painfully to his feet. "I presume you're so unaccustomed to seeing kirin here that you didn't see me." After all, Enfys wasn't exactly very easy to miss: the snow and the rainbow hues about him made him about as hard to miss as this young mare. "I'm Enfys. I hope you're not hurt...?" he asked, scrabbling muzzily for something to call her and failing, settling on looking at her, hoping she'd supply a name.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 9:55 pm
She shook her head quickly and everything came back in patches of vision. For some reason her legs were functioning again, and she rose to get a good luck at her... accident victim.
Hm, hm! This stallion was quite the looker. Nice legs, pretty eyes, and that generous helping of colour on the back. It looked like she'd have a bath buddy.
"Iris," she finished cheerfully, head aching but she'd live. "Sorry about that, Enfys, didn't notice your butt. You're right, I don't usually see anyone else here...
Could you, uh, move just a leetle bit to the side so I can join you in there? I have an unfinished splash to make." As she spoke, she was already backing up a little, ready to charge again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 10:18 pm
Enfys nodded, stepping gingerly aside so he wouldn't get run over or too badly splashed...though he could use a bath; he hadn't had one in days, probably more like weeks. He couldn't help but smile at what he deduced was the younger mare's turn of phrase and enjoyment in startling the fish. "Of course."
Admittedly, it was kind of fun to watch startled fish and birds, since birds looked quite fascinating in flight and fish quite lithe while swimming. Maybe this Iris liked baths too and they could help clean some of the grime out of each other's coats and scales.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 12:00 am
Iris plunged into the water in two long strides, sending the spray high over her head. Fish who had just started peeking out from their hiding places after Enfys was pushed in darted back behind rocks, weeds. She admired the glistening drops falling around her, tail fanning out in the current.
Joy, joy, joy, she was going to be clean again! Delighted, she turned to Enfys... and frowned at him.
"Hey, you've got a little something right.. over..." She lifted her tail and mopped his back in brisk sweeps. "There."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 8:01 am
Enfys stepped closer and laughed in his quiet way as she swept his back with her colorful tail. "Thank you," he said when she'd finished. He plashed down to a deeper pool to submerge himself briefly. He turned back to her when he was in up to his shoulders. "Well? Didn't you come here for a bath? Come on!" He playfully splashed water at her with his white front hooves. He did have a bit of a playful streak, but why had this young mare brought it out? Was it the tumble and the way she seemed to enjoy life? Whatever it was, it surprised him, since he was usually so reserved.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 8:16 am
Iris had opened her mouth to give a "You're Welcome". Instead, a load of water went in, and she sputtered and huffed on the spot, trying to clear her nostrils.
"Oh, you!" Rising up on her back legs, she crashed down again, sending a wave in his direction. This was fun. She hadn't had anyone to play with as a foal, and it sure didn't seem too late to catch up on those lost years now.
For a minute she was sober, and it crossed her mind that she should be acting more mature with another adult around... then again, he'd invited her to play, right?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 8:34 am
Enfys laughed as he half turned to not get a face full of water before sending another wave of water back in her direction. He could not remember ever having had this much fun with anyone else, let alone a mare. Sobriety also crossed his mind, but the last time he'd laughed this hard and this much had been when he was a very small foal, a couple years ago now. He knew that he should probably stop if they wanted to get on with bathing and grooming, but this...this was much more fun. For the moment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 8:41 am
Evidently her grip on the river bed wasn't strong enough - the last wave Enfys sent over was strong enough to bowl the mare over. She flopped over sideways into the water; submerged, she opened her eyes and... everything looked different. Less alien. And so much more muffled and bubbly-sounding.
When she was the right way up again, she straightened soggily and waded over to him.
"Nice job, bowling me over like that," she grinned. "I guess that means you win!
Think we're clean yet?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 10:50 am
Enfys just had to smile at Iris and he delicately touched her side with his muzzle. "You put up a pretty good fight, though," he said with a smile. "You didn't get hurt when that last wave knocked you over, did you?" He laughed quietly at her question. "Perhaps, but we could probably be a bit cleaner," he said more seriously, moving in to start grooming her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 6:52 pm
"Nope, not hurt at all!" Iris replied. "How's your butt?"
She had felt slightly apprehensive when he closed in at first - accustomed to having as much space as she liked to herself, it was strange being this close to someone else. Then again, there were always those tricky spots she couldn't reach.
"Hn, that tickles!" She giggled, gently using her own horn to clean the grimy bits on Enfys off.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 10:00 pm
Enfys smiled. "A little sore and tender, but it'll heal with time." He noticed her apprehension as he started to groom her, which made him hesitate a little, but when she giggled, he relaxed, even shifting himself closer to her horn to make it easier for her. "This kind of thing always tickles," he said gently. "Haven't you groomed yourself with another kirin before?" He hadn't often, but at least he knew what this was like. It appeared that Iris didn't know what was going on, not quite, and certainly not on a conscious level.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 5:54 am
"No... never. Nobody around long enough to groom with." Iris rubbed at a particularly stubborn stain, not really concerned with the question. "My memory's not too good. You know, right after I hatched I could swear there was someone around, watching. Good-way-protective watching, not creepy want-to-eat-you watching. Then I went to sleep, and when I woke up there wasn't anybody around anymore. "
She paused, mulling over her words for a while.
"A few others came by... I ran into them fooling around in the fields, woods, the whole area. But they didn't stay long. Not that it mattered," she shrugged casually and started combing out his mane. "We didn't get along. They thought I was childish.
Do you think I'm too childish?" She asked worriedly, turning to him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 7:09 am
Enfys paused from attempting to untangle her mane to mull her comments and question over. "No, I don't think you're too childish. Most kirin are very serious, that's all."
He continued working on a particularly nasty knot in her mane, thinking, before finally speaking. "I didn't hatch alone. I was part of a herd, but shortly after I hatched, we were attacked in the dark. I never found out who it was, but we started wandering after that. It always seemed like if we stayed too long, we'd be attacked. The rest of the herd didn't live long enough to tell me why. I've been on my own ever since."
He shook his head slightly, trying to forget. A few neighboring kirin had called his herd kirkani, but hadn't driven him off when they found out how young he was, but they hadn't accepted him either. It had taken until he was almost a yearling to understand what "kirkani" was, and since kirin could not accept him for being born to a kirkani herd, he'd taken to wandering. He just never told anyone anymore about the kirkani bit.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
