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 Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 9:59 pm
 The forest was... safe. Familiar. Comfortable. What happened there, Elena knew, and she kept to herself, and she was content. Here, in the early evening, the sun just setting, the birds beginning to hush, the air beginning to cool, the night animals beginning to emerge. Elena had no fear of it. It was her place. Untired, she stepped through the forest, along the barely-there deerpaths, listening to her forest. At least, she felt that it was her forest, though she probably wouldn't have admitted it aloud.
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 10:08 pm
 It was the forest. The scent he had followed for so many moons had gained strength when he entered the woodland...indicating that the one he sought had done more than merely pass through here as in all the places he had been so far. Here his prize had made a home. He was getting so close, he could almost taste victory on the wind.
It didn't matter that the forest was home to many other creatures, many more so than in the mountains for example, and their scents overlaid the one he followed until it was nearly impossible to distinguish. He would find it and follow it. He was patient. He would have his jewel.
It was growing cool beneath the trees and he began to consider whether he should stop for the night. It was a hateful necessity, part of why it had taken him so long to come this far, but he would lose more time if he pushed himself so hard that he collapsed of exhaustion. He had learned that lesson early on in the quest.
Fregit turned the thought over carefully. At night when it was cooler, the scents that were present became less overpowering, allowing him to better sift through the traces. Fewer animals were moving and overwriting their own scents on the path. Fewer creatures stood in his way. But it was also darker, much harder to see where he was going...though he was using his nose and tongue far more than his eyes to follow, the ground was not nearly so level as to be an easy trek.
He would push on for now. He would take the time to consider stopping once the sun had fully set.
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 10:15 pm
Elena knew what belonged in her forest, and what didn't, and now she saw something that clearly didn't.
He was dark in colour, and hard to see, but she could detect him nontheless. She began to trot over, curious. She was fearless, unafraid, because this was her forest. And nothing, she felt certain, could be any serious threat to her. Not here. Not here, of all places.
"Good evening," she said.
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 10:18 pm
The sounds of something approaching, and then the noise it made in his direction, washed over Fregit without truly impinging on his careful tracking. He was aware, of course, and on some level he even understood the white mare's words.
He just didn't care. He didn't immediately scent anything on her that indicated she could help him in his quest. Therefore, she was irrelevant.
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 10:21 pm
Elena blinked, tossed her mane in some confusion.
She followed along behind the stallion for a moment or two, trying to make sense of this. Perhaps he was deaf? That would be terrible. Perhaps he simply hadn't heard her.
"Are you all right? Can I help you?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 10:24 pm
Fregit's tongue flickered out to taste the air and catch the elusive scent once more. He continued to ignore all sensory input that would not help him towards his ultimate goal and prize.
Most creatures that sought to distract him gave up when it became clear that they were unimportant to his mission. Thus, he gave no further thought or attention to the white mare.
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Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 7:27 am
This was just strange. Elena followed along another moment, coming up alongside the stallion.
"Are you lost?" she asked, still earnestly concerned. "Were you looking for something?"
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Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 11:07 am
There was a loud crack! as Fregit whipped his tail through the air to silence the white mare who insisted on talking to him. It was delicate work, sifting through the scents laid down on the deerpath to find the one that called to him so strongly. Every interruption meant time wasted getting back to his precious.
The display with his tail was the only warning he would give. Tracking his prize was far too important to take the time giving more than one.
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Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:50 pm
Elena jumped sideways, badly startled. For a moment, she could hardly bring herself to speak or move, could only shake her head in her distress.
"What's wrong with you?" she cried, frightened, both by this stranger and by the fact that she was here, in her woods, and things weren't the way they were supposed to be.
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Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 6:20 pm
One moment Fregit was nose to the ground, tracking the elusive scent that he had followed over mountains and through meadows for moons on end. The next moment his glowing, slit-pupiled eyes were focused solely on the face of the white mare.
The...very white mare. Covered in some pink and gold declaration of slavery to the two-leggers. Only the materials in her chains seemed to be of any value. She herself was not the kind of quality he wanted in his collection. The strange eyes narrowed as the snakelike horse made his careful evaluation of the mare, too busy examining her to respond.
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Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 6:31 pm
Elena stared back as evenly as she could, though she trembled faintly. At least, she supposed, she had got his attention. Now, though, she wasn't really certain she wanted it.
"Who are you?" she asked, faintly puzzled, faintly worried.
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Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 6:34 pm
Interesting. There seemed to be more to this snow-white mare than he'd supposed. His tongue flicked out, tasting the air. Very interesting. She wasn't afraid of him.
Yet.
"Whhhy do you care?" Fregit hissed, his voice as soft as autumn leaves being blown about by the wind. Those strange eyes never left the white mare's face...and never blinked.
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Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 6:46 pm
"Well," Elena said, only a bit uncertainly. "I know this forest. I know what's supposed to be here. And I've never seen you or anyone like you."
She wanted desperately to take a step back, and somehow managed not to.
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Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 6:50 pm
Fregit stared at the white mare unblinking as her words penetrated.
"Sssso...I do not belong here?" The softly asked question had a dangerous undertone of threat. He was...not supposed to be here? Ridiculous! His precious was here, somewhere in this forest, therefore he would follow. And reclaim his prize, his jewel, his gem.
But...perhaps this forest was not the place to remain. A cave would be preferable, to better keep his precious safe from all others.
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Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 6:55 pm
"You haven't been here before," Elena told him cautiously, looking at him askance. The last thing she wanted was to offend. Well, even under normal circumstances, she didn't want to offend. Now seemed like an even worse time to do that. "You're... unusual."
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