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 Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 6:47 pm
It had been barely a half-moon since the black stallion and his chestnut friend washed up on the unknown shores. A single, violent storm had released them from their prison--a large, floating enclosure, made of many flat trees, known by man as a ship--and swept them to their new world, all in one night. They had managed to survive since then, eating the grasses and leaves that seemed edible and staying together to ward off danger, acting much like the horses they had become. Though wild kirin by lineage, they had been domesticated all their lives, and so were not used to the things that the true wilds were comfortable with. The stallion himself, born wild and raised from an egg by humans, didn't even realize he belonged in the wild; he considered his home with man, and his strange horse-like mane and tail made him fit in even more.
Now the black walked along, investigating the forest that had become his home--after all, there was really no way of going back to the humans. His single white sock flashed each time it was raised, and his forelock alternatively covered and uncovered the star on his forehead. His split hooves fell softly onto the thick carpet of grass and leaves, much thicker than anything he had experienced with the humans. His tail swung calmly, sometimes switching at a sudden sound, then returning to its relaxed state. His ears were pricked, ready to catch any sound, and his brown eyes glanced from bush to tree, investigating his world. The chestnut mare had been sleeping when he left, allowing him to sneak off too explore and forage a little. Truth be told, he rather liked his being alone; though he considered her a good friend, the mare could have her moments of sarcasm, and it was nice to get away from it. So far, he had enjoyed his jaunt, watching the multi-hued birds and nibbling the foliage that grew along the way.
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Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 7:13 pm
 Aoibheann had gone out for a morning flight toward the coast. It was shaping up to be a lovely day, and she rather enjoyed flying on mornings like this. The air was fresh, cool and sweet, still sparkling a bit in the foggy autumn air, and the wind blew only very gently. She could smell the falling leaves, the salty sea, and the autumn fruit that was ripening on some of the trees below, or at least those trees that were still stubbornly clinging to their leaves. The first snows had not yet arrived, though surely they would be here in only a matter of time. She tossed her fine head gently. There would be time to worry about that later.
Glancing down, she noticed a black stallion wandering below. That was strange; she'd flown this way many times and had never even seen any kirin like that in the area. He must be a stranger or a wanderer, unless she'd simply never seen him around, and whatever was the truth of the matter, Aoibheann was in the mood to socialize, so she casually spiraled down, landing a safe distance from the stallion so as not to spook him, well aware that many kirin were neither aririn nor familiar with them. She backwinged with the experience of at least a few seasons, touching down as light as one of her brown feathers. Aoibheann smiled at the black stallion and called out in her sweet voice, "Good morning! I don't think I've met you before. Do you live around these parts?" She had no idea that she was speaking to a kirin who had lived with humans, else she would have been even more cautious and gentle than she already was.
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 10:11 am
The black had paused to stare at a particularly brightly-colored flower when he heard a strange sound. It was like the wingbeats of the birds around him, yet...odd. Louder, and slower, slow enough for him to clearly hear each one. And when it was finally so close that he could hear it as clear as a bell, he saw a flash of green-blue and brown out of the corner of his eye. He turned, and was amazed at what he saw. A lone kirin, much like himself--but so much different! She was clearly a mare, but she bore wings like the birds, and had a bird tail instead of one like his own. On top of her head was a small, strange crest of tiny feathers, and sprouting from her forehead was a horn that looked somewhat like a tree branch. Her lower body was a light brown with darker lower legs, but unlike the more muted chestnuts and blacks of his own kind, her back was brilliant green and her neck-scales blue-green. Her mane and fetlocks were blue and green as well, and she had a small splotch of green scales under her eyes. To the human-raised stallion, she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
Still, her sudden appearance and the addition of wings had both startled and scared him. She had wings! She could fly like a bird, something he had never thought of. That in and of itself was strange, new...and something to be feared, in his eyes. He took a few steps back, ears flicking forward and back, head raised as high as possible, and snorted. Y-y-you, you, you have wings. What...? And then the sounds! Oh, the sounds she made! They were so new, so odd, so much like the humans had done...yet he could understand it. He could understand what she was saying. At least, he got the jist of it; many of the words stuck out. Sadly, he had no idea of how to replicate them. Relaxing a tiny bit at her kind voice, he shook his head. No, I--I don't live around here. Then he pricked his ears again, and looked at her directly, inclining his head just a little. Who are you?
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 12:35 pm
Aoibheann cocked her head at the strange stallion. He spoke strangely and with difficulty, she could see now that he had no horn, and his tail was unusual. She shrugged slightly. The tail didn't worry her, given that her family had bird tails, but the lack of the horn and the speech difficulties did worry her. "Yes, I have wings, as do some other kirin. I am what is called an aririn, a kirin who can fly." It was a safe assumption that if he didn't know that some kirin had wings, he may not have been raised among other kirin. It happened occasionally, but this stallion's situation worried her deeply.
"I see." If he didn't live around here, that was more of the worrying story to be told at the stallion's leisure. "I am called Aoibheann. What is your name?" she asked as gently as she would ask any orphan foal. Aoibheann had had three colts, two fillies, and two grand-fillies, so this was familiar territory to her. How strange, this young black stallion was like a colt who'd never seen another kirin in his life...although not quite...the surprise at the wings and no surprise at seeing another kirin was surprising if he'd lived without seeing another kirin. She shook her head a little. These questions about his past could wait until it was prudent to ask.
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 1:27 pm
Again, the stallion caught a variety of words that he knew and meant something to him as the mare talked. The word "kirin" stuck with him, as he knew that that was what he was. "Aririn", though, was new; he reminded himself to remember that word for later. Then she said her name, Aoibheann. And she asked his. What was his? Back with the humans, he hadn't really been able to understand the humans' speech, so he couldn't know the name they had picked for him was Black Beauty. He had picked up those two words when they were talking to them, but had never really realized they were his name. The other kirin, however, especially the mares, had commented on his handsomeness. That, along with his black coat, brought him to a conclusion. He couldn't exactly say he had no name, could he? So he decided that, from now on, his name would be Black Beauty. Studying how Aoibheann had formed the words with her mouth, he tried the same thing; of course, no sounds came out, him not knowing how to make them, just the motions. Bl-black Beau-eaut-ty he stammered with lips only. Then, afraid she may not get it, he turned his head and nudged his side, looking back at her. Black. Then he raised his head and posed in the way he had seen some of the elder stallions do so, in a way that clearly showed off his looks. Beauty.
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 1:54 pm
Aoibheann later found she wasn't sure how she'd understood him the first time around, but managed to work out from his gestures and the words forming on his lips what his name was. "Black Beauty. Kind of a simple name, but nice." She cocked her head. "It looks like you've almost figured out how to talk normally, since I guess for some reason you never learned. Can you make a sound? Like this?" She whinnied softly and briefly as an example, a questioning note to it. "Just make sounds the same way you would whinny while shaping your lips and tongue like I do," she suggested, hoping he'd understand. A conversation conducted through gestures and lip-reading was going to prove a serious challenge to the mare.
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Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2009 3:42 pm
Beauty's ears pricked as he listened to Aoibheann talk again. He caught the words "Black Beauty" and realized that they were the exact same sounds the humans had used when talking to him. Huh. It was his name after all. Well, that was good. He'd gotten that part right, and it was easy for him to show. Then he listened to what she said...something about making a noise, and him not talking normally because he never learned. He wasn't sure why she thought that, seeing as he'd been talking his own way all his life, but he decided to be nice and try to talk. His brows furrowed and he pawed the ground once. Of course I can make a sound. Then he let out a quiet whinny, much like hers, only the tiniest bit deeper, seeing as he was a stallion. Then he listened to her again. Make sounds like that...and move his tongue and lips. His brows furrowed more as he formed his mouth the way she had when she had said his name, and made a sound like his whinny. "Bla..." he suddenly said, startling himself enough that he took a step back and glanced around, as if looking for the creator of the noise. Then he realized it was him. He had talked! With another, more joyful tail swing, he did it again, elaborating on it. "Bla...bla-ck. Black Bea-beau. Beau-tee. Black Beauty." He went slowly, and it sounded somewhat odd, but he was talking! Then he narrowed one eye in a somewhat sly expression, and threw his leg out a little, as if gesturing to Aoibheann...which he was. "Aoi..aoib-hean. Aoibheann." This one came more quickly, as he started to get the hang of it, and he looked proudly at the winged mare.
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Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 5:01 pm
((Yay for being far enough along in linguistics to know what kind of advice to send for BB? xd ))
Aoibheann smiled. "Yes, like that. You're doing quite well," she said. She was relieved. It might take him a while to learn how to speak quite properly, but at least now he was headed in the right direction. It was like seeing a foal learn how to walk, or a teenage bird or aririn learn how to fly, and filled her with much the same kind of pride she had as a mother. She cocked her head. It was probably a fair time to ask about how he'd come to be here, if he was alone, if he'd met anyone else. It would be nice to visit any kirin in the area, if Black Beauty and any friends of his chose to stay. "I think you said you didn't live here? Where did you live before, if I may ask? Have you met others like yourself?" she asked as gently as possible. She didn't want to startle him, but she did want to know the answers to the questions this stallion naturally brought into the light.
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Posted: Sun Oct 11, 2009 5:18 pm
Beauty's tail swung happily as Aoibheann complimented him. He had never spoken in his life, and his praise from the humans had been rare, so to hear a "good job" from his own kind was wonderful. He almost couldn't wait for more. And his opportunity came quickly, with the winged mare's questions. "I think you said you didn't live here? Where did you live before, if I may ask? Have you met others like yourself?" So many questions! The only thing he could do, he decided, was tackle them one by one. He thought a little bit about the first one, where did you live. Then, with some difficulty, he answered, finally putting his thoughts into words. He shook his head. "N-n-no. Li-live with...with hoo-hu-humans. And oth-other...kirin. Long way aw-away. Over...water. In big...tree-thing. Trees lined up. Mares...few stallions." At first it was slow, and stuttering, but as he continued to speak the stutter disappeared, until he was finally talking. Sure, it was pidgin talk, but he could get the point across! At least, he hoped he could. Her question of the others made him think again. That chestnut mare. What was her name? He would have to find a way to ask her. He couldn't think of what the humans had called her. He would just call her...well, he didn't know what. Nothing fit. Ah well. He could deal with that later. He refocused on Aoibheann. "Where you...come from? Others with...wings?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 4:03 pm
Aoibheann understood Black Beauty's answer, but the nature of the answer bewildered her. She'd never heard of humans, she'd never crossed the sea before...but everything else sounded logical for a normal kirin...but it didn't explain why Black Beauty had been unable to speak. She shook her head slightly. She'd get back to that question. Black Beauty had some questions of her own that she should answer.
"I live with my family, that way," she said, pointing her head to the southwest, toward home. "My mate, my three sons, my two daughters, and one of my granddaughters have wings, but not all kirin have wings. Those of us who have wings are called aririn." It was a safe bet that Black Beauty did not know what aririn was, and she was beginning to suspect that life with these human-things robbed the kirin who lived with them of their gifts as kirin.
"Are there any kirin living with you here and now? I don't think you can swim so far on your own." She definitely wanted to meet any friends of Black Beauty's, to help them if she could, and get more answers to her questions about the kirin who had lived with whatever these humans were.
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Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 3:30 pm
Beauty's eyes widened at her explanation of her family. He thought he had sons and daughters, being a stud stallion, and the various mares brought to him were somewhat of mates...but to have only one mate? And know all of your children, and grandchildren? It was amazing to him. So amazing, and so new. He wondered what it was like, to know all of your family, and have met them. He'd never met his own foals...the thought saddened him for a moment, until he finally perked up. Perhaps, since he was wild now, he would be able to meet his own children, maybe even have his own mate! The fact that they almost all had wings was amazing, too. Perhaps one day his foals would be able to fly like birds, their father proudly looking on.
But then she asked if he had any companions. Oh. What should he do? Yes, she seemed friendly enough, but she was a stranger, and the chestnut mare was all he had. His stallion instincts kicked in, to protect his family, his herd, no matter how small. He had to protect her! So to reply, though in some far corner of his mind he was somewhat sad to do it, he said "No others. Only me." Then he tried to go back to the topic of her family, trying his own horse smile, the way she did. "You have...a large...family." He twitched; somehow, that sentence had sounded the best of them all, the closest to Aoibheann's.
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 3:38 pm
Aoibheann cocked her head. "You're sure there is no one else you have seen since arriving in this land and that there is no one you're with?" For such a clueless stallion to be alone seemed beyond her belief. "I won't hurt your loved ones, and I won't intrude upon your privacy if there are others with you, I'd just like to meet with any and help them if I can. If there's someone whom I can help, I want to help them, Black Beauty, and no mother in her right mind would ever threaten the happiness of others unless it was to save her loved ones." This was true, and Aoibheann was a very proud and devoted mother, for all that she seemed gentle and easygoing. She would still fight like a wild cat for the sake of her loved ones.
She smiled at his comment. "Yes, I suppose so, though not as large as some. I only have two or three foals at a time, and I have heard that there are some mares who have as many as four or five or six foals at a time. You do have a family of your own? You don't seem to be less than a few seasons old, so I presume you've had a number of foals of your own, yes?" She definitely wanted to hear about his family, as she loved hearing about families. She was a natural mother, after all, and she'd find out about his family one way or another, and help his family. Surely any family he had here was as much in need of help to survive as Black Beauty himself had been.
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Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 10:55 pm
Beauty's ears flicked back as she spoke again. She sounded so kind, like she truly didn't want to hurt him, or the chestnut mare. Should he give in? His mind said yes, but his instincts--his new stallion mentality, protecting the herd--said no. What should he do? He took a few steps to one side and pawed the ground, then paced the other way, his tail lashing. He didn't know what to do...take her there, or still say there was no one? Sadly he didn't realize that his pacing was a dead giveaway that there really was another kirin with him; he just didn't think of that. He glanced up at her again, the pretty blue-green and tan mare, and pawed with his white-socked front leg. He glanced at her eyes for just a moment, and saw nothing but kindness in them, before he looked away. "I...I guess. There is one...chestnut. Don't know name."
Averting from that topic, he perked back up at her mention of a family. Her questions, though, made him droop again. He had foals yes; at least, he thought so. He just didn't know any of them. The humans had made him breed with the mares, probably thinking him the best of the stallions, but he never saw those mares again, except next season, perhaps. His tail swung again; not lashing, but just a sad swing. "No...no family. Just mare I washed up with. I met mares...two-legs made me breed. I think I have foals. Not sure. Never met, if I do." His head dropped a little. After hearing of her kindness and being around her family, he almost felt guilty that he had never even met his own children.
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Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2009 8:19 am
Aoibheann nodded, satisfied that she'd been correct in her assumption that he was not alone. The refusal to discuss her meant that he was protecting her, so some sort of stallion instinct must have kicked in to protect his mare, his herd, his loved ones. She opted not to ask him any further, since he might feel that was threatening the chestnut mare's safety. Aoibheann could work out that much of the stallion psyche.
She was not startled that he had a lot of foals, just startled that he'd met their mothers briefly and never the foals. There were stallions like that here, but they were rare and chose mares discreetly. To have someone else choose for you, to breed with so many mares met in passing that you would not have normally chosen to breed with, and never ever getting to meet any of your descendants...this seemed cruel beyond measure to Aoibheann. "I'm sorry that you have not met your children," she said quietly and sadly. "Children are a wonderful gift, and I hope you and your mare have children together whom you can keep and love and care for, if that is your wish, to have children together."
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Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 4:59 pm
Beauty's ears went back as Aoibheann spoke again. The feeling of pity in her voice...it made him sad, even upset at the humans. Why had they never let him see his foals, nor their mothers? Why would they do such a thing? At the time he had thought nothing of it, but now...now it just seemed wrong, and cruel. At least they hadn't been on that ship with him. At least they weren't dead. That was all he could think of to make him feel better. And at least he had the chestnut mare. Her comment of having foals with her, though, made him look up. He even chuckled a little. "I don't think she like children. She...bit cranky. Sar...sarcastic, too. I not sure if she would want foals." He shook his head a little, quietly laughing at the thought. Her with foals! Hah. That would be something to see. He looked back up then at the winged mare. "But...your family. May I...may I see? Or is it too much to ask?"
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