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 Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 8:50 am
 Gemmae woke feeling relaxed and well-rested. The sunlight falling onto her was the clear light of morning, as opposed to the golden light of afternoon or the reddish tinge sunset would give. Up here in the mountains the air was fresh and crisp, with a stronger hint of the coming winter than down below in the forest. The purple uni shivered a bit at the thought - the last winter she'd spent in the mountains had been incredibly cold and unpleasant.
Still, there were things to be done. She had to warn the head of the herd's guardians about Fregit and so could not afford to appear indolent today. Gemmae wasn't looking forward to discussing the snakelike stallion, but a good night's rest in safety had done a great deal for her peace of mind.
She left the shelter and entered the bright morning light, looking around for the bright red alpha of the herd. If sight alone failed she could always call out, but she had a feeling the other mare would be somewhere nearby.
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 1:43 pm
Yei Umeko was not nearby, true to form she had risen early and went about her daily routine as though nothing was amiss. She deviated only briefly to drop in unannounced (as usual) upon her new Head of Security and had drifted off on her merry way soon after. She'd been deliberately vague on the details, she hadn't really been inclined towards the relentless lecture she was bound to receive when he had woken completely out of his slumber. It had been a hasty retreat to say the least and the stallion in question was only faintly aware of a few things - the first was that he was now doublebooked for his meetings, he was aware that his secretary had performed admirably as of late and this wasn't her fault but it still made things a tad difficult. The second was that he was expected to meet with a new herd member, the third was that she had something very important to tell him and the forth?
...For some reason he couldn't quite put his hoof on, he was faintly aware that he probably should have had the Alpha's head for this. Three hours sleep was all he had been permitted and this did nothing for his spirits. That being said, not one to stand an individual up for any sort of meeting, he had gathered his composure and splashed his head into the ice cold stream until he was most definitely awake. His eyes were bloodshot and it was in times like these that he was rather thankful for the glowing set of eyes he possessed - no one can see such tiredness when all they saw was light.
It was with a weary sigh that he had parked himself at his Alpha's teepee, it had been the location she had specified and while he had no idea of what to expect, he sincerely hoped the visitor wasn't quite as overbearing or as exasperating as the red mare. That being said, the day a mare as exasperating as Yei Umeko was born the world would end, either that or she'd dominate it and make everything her adoptive pet, child or perspective stud to be matchmade to the next pretty, single mare that she saw.
He didn't have to wait long for the visitor to reveal herself though, it seemed the Alpha had timed everything to perfection. His gaze shifted to the purple mare and for a while he merely regarded her, assessing her form from head to toe. She was scratched and bruised, she was also very tired but it appeared Yei's ministrations had at least renewed some of her strength. More importantly she was not a face that he recognised and he knew exactly who she was meant to be - vague as Yei enjoyed being around him, there were some things that were obvious.
"You have something to discuss with me," he voiced coolly - a statement, not a question.
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 9:05 pm
"Oh!" Gemmae was startled as the big stallion seemed to come from nowhere, her only warning to his presence being his words to her. Or, rather, she wasn't sure they were to her until she'd glanced around furtively and seen no one else nearby and close enough to be addressed. So then, this was the head of the herd guardians.
"Y-yes. Yes, I do," she replied. She hadn't exactly expected an interrogation session right after waking up. But, she had been steeling herself against this since yesterday and couldn't possibly back out now. The purple mare swallowed to buy some time to regain her composure.
"I need to tell you about a Soquili who will almost certainly follow me here."
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Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 1:44 am
He lifted his brow in reply - when it came to interrogation he often found that a more expressive face brought about better results. That being said, his methods varied from soquili to soquili and were affected by the circumstances surrounding his need to question an individual. In this case, the mare wasn't in trouble and nor did she pose any significant threat but she had brought something with her. While some stallions would have bombarded the mare with questions, he preferred to let his face do the talking. Suffice to say, with his lips pursed into a thin line and his brow lifted it was evident that he was not one for small talk and a slow start would not be appreciated. A part of this impatience was most likely down to a lack of sleep but no one could really blame him in that regard!
As it was, the stallion waited expectantly for the mare to continue, ill inclined to interrupt her now. Admittedly, if she dragged the meeting on longer than was necessary and really strung the issue out then he would take the lead and push her for the answers. She was fortunate in this respect, agitated through lack of sleep he may have been but he was still logical and well mannered enough not to do anything untoward at the moment. However, many would have mentioned that they did not appreciate his level stare - there was always something so unsettling about a calm individual in the midst of what could be considered a bit of a crisis.
Shifting his weight, he resisted the urge to roll his shoulders or to shift from one hoof to the other in favour of a more dignified stance - the next time his Alpha opted to place such things in front of him, he was going to order her to talk to his secretary and make an appointment. Suffice to say he was ridiculous tired and he would have welcomed the opportunity to colapse in a heap in his own little grove. Unfortunately, such pleasant experiences would have to wait until after his series of meetings, it was definitely going to be a long day.
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 11:03 am
Gemmae had been thrown off balance when the big, strange stallion appeared as she was looking for Yei, but it had faded quickly - a good night's rest and a hopeful outlook were providing reparations. She was confident that this Soquili could keep Fregit away from her and anyone else living in the herd lands.
He might be getting impatient with her silence, but Gemmae was simply trying to organize her thoughts to present the most concise description possible, the better to get this over and done with. She really didn't want to be grilled and she was sure that the stallion would do so if he thought he needed to.
"He is a stallion, a little older than I am, and not as big as you." If she'd been a more militaristic individual, she would have felt compelled to add a 'sir' to the end of that sentence before continuing. "His coloring is shades of green on his back, light with crack-like markings on top going darker and into a blue on his legs and some purple. He has no hair, just purple feathers on his head, his back and his tail. He wears tribal jewelry and his necklace has a skull on it. His yellow eyes seem to glow and if you crossed a Soquili with a snake, really, that'd be him. He even has fangs and a long, thin, forked tongue."
Gemmae stopped to catch her breath, ducking her head to hide the fact that a bit more of the whites of her eyes were showing than usual - she didn't have to be so afraid anymore, the mare chided herself. Still, invoking the memories so deliberately in order to describe Fregit so precisely had been...unpleasant, to say the least.
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 2:43 am
Sylph was almost compelled to point out that very few individuals in the Kawani province were as big as he was. Such was his mood this morning, sarcasm reigned supreme and it took all of his self control to contain it. Suffice to say, the morning's meetings and the meetings that followed in the afternoon would be a rather tightlipped affair. So long as no one said the wrong thing to him he suspected his patience would hold out and he wouldn't offend anyone. Intimidation was a guarantee in his current mood but he wouldn't send anyone away spitting feathers (as entertaining as the prospect might be on occasions). His lips pursed into a thin line as he maintained his silence and after a while his wearied form was rewarded with something he hadn't quite expected.
He was aware that he was to be warned of something, but he had a habit of stereotyping females and he held little confidence in their ability to be descriptive when it was needed most. Oh, they could probably describe the latest hair style or fashion accessory to the very splinter of the vine or an attractive male down to the very last strand of his hair but when it came to something vitally important? Well, it usually took him more than a few hours of grilling to get them to answer the damn questions properly! They claimed men were vague, but when it came to answering a question directly they seemed rather well versed in sidestepping the entire issue and wandering off down a rabbit trail.
He did not need to be privvy to the information that they met a certain stallion on the same day as his target. Nor did he care if they had a date that evening and should they put pink or yellow flowers in his hair.
Did they understand this?
Rarely.
However this mare had stunned him and while he recovered quickly to listen to her description he did have to applaud her level of detail. He could almost picture the stallion in his head. Granted the image was probably not accurate but the features she had discussed were very particular and there were few soquili in the Kawani province that would match them. Rest assured he was in want of no further information regarding his appearance after she had placed so much in front of him. Unfortunately for her though, when it came to keeping watch on specific targets he preferred to know as much information as possible - it was important to get into the head of a threat, to understand the potential reason for their behaviour.
"You have my thanks for the rather detailed description," he murmured. "However, my responsibilities require that I am aware of everything and while your description is very good I need to know why he is here. What do you have that he wants?" he enquired.
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Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2010 12:54 pm
She had hoped, briefly, that she'd be off the hook after giving the best possible physical description of Fregit (and really, she could hardly do aught else - his image was burned into her memory like a brand). However, it seemed that the head of the herd's guardians took his duty a bit more seriously than that. She couldn't really begrudge him, given that he was one of the reasons she had fled here in particular, but the uni wasn't happy about having to bring up more memories.
She swallowed once, twice and looked up at Sylph, meeting his eyes.
"I am what he wants."
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 6:40 am
If Sylph had possessed the ability to facepalm then he would have done so - Yei certainly knew how to pick her little lost puppies. Instead he regarded the mare in absolute silence as she offloaded her last confession and then heaved a deep sigh. He sucked in a breath after that and permitted his nostrils to flare as he dwelled on the most appropriate way to express how ticked off he was. He hadn't had any sleep, he had been dragged out of his bed to deal with a security risk and it wasn't just a case of it being something easily dealt with. Instead of a traditional treasure hunter he had a stalker on his hands; if there was one thing he hated it was the overzealous and fanatical types. Why? Well if he was to be frank about it the little beasts never learnt their lesson.
Ever.
"I should not have been surprised," he murmured stiffly after a considerable amount of time had passed. He was doing his best not to appear less than thrilled, but with a lack of sleep weighing heavily on his shoulders it was proving to be a rather challenging task. He rolled his shoulders, shifted his weight and it almost seemed as though he was going to deny the mare entry based solely on the information she had provided. Really who could have blamed him? There would have been a lot of herds and soquili that would have tossed her to the side and informed her that she was not their responsibility...the risk was too high.
"Very well," he sucked in another breath and cleared his throat. "If you are to remain safe you are not to leave this territory at all, consider yourself anchored. More importantly, you must ensure you are never near the borders at any point," he instructed and lifted a brow. She would be bound to the territory and would be protected there alone, if she chose to leave then she was no longer his responsibility and he expected her to recognise this. "If you are able to follow these simple instructions then you will have our protection, failure to adhere to them for any reason will void the agreement -" he hesitated as though dreading to ask the question, gods forbid she actually had a reason but he still needed to check.
"Additionally, is there any reason why you would see the need to leave now that you are here?" he enquired softly.
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 11:05 am
The purple mare watched the stallion as he thought. There was little else to do, given how long he was silent. She thought, perhaps, that he might demand she leave, even though Yei had allowed her to stay. She wasn't sure who had the final word in such a matter, especially considering the risk of Fregit.
Finally, Sylph spoke again, though she got the feeling that the first comment was more for himself than for her. When he addressed her in full, the uni paid attention, meeting his gaze.
It could be considered harsh, what he asked of her. But it was no more than what she had expected. Gods all knew that she wanted to be nowhere where Fregit could get to her. Still, she couldn't help feeling guilty. She knew she couldn't have possibly told Namid where she was going or why (the former in particular - she'd had no clue until meeting Fenghuang), and Namid was not one of those gifted humans who could understand Soquili. But she had left without even trying to seek out her children, let them know what was going on. She...had panicked. And run.
While considering these guilty feelings, Gemmae had dropped her head down to think. Now she raised it again to face the guardian once more.
"There is the fact of my children," she answered just as softly as he had asked. "I'd be a damn fool to want to go to them myself, but I left without even telling them goodbye." She paused, eyes a bit damp, but no tears overflowed. She loved Canace and Calor dearly, but was not prepared to sacrifice her life and safety just to see them again. She'd come to these lands to find safety, and she wouldn't throw it away carelessly.
"If I could get a message to them, telling them where I am...that would be a kindness."
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Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 1:40 am
He was going to kill her - Not Gemmae, but Yei. Not only had she given him a stalked mare, she had also ensured that said mare had children that could very well be targetted and attacked to draw the mare out of hiding. If Sylph hadn't enough work by now, his Alpha was making certain that he was buried underneath as much of it as possible. If anyone could see him by the month was out under all the paperwork he'd be astonished and that was saying something when a creature took his height into consideration. Unsurprisingly his face was a picture in these moments and what had been unreadable was definitely not happy. Was he going to change his mind, decide that it simply was too much work and he'd had enough of it all? He would have been well within his rights to do as much considering that Yei had unwittingly handed him something that would give any other stallion a mental breakdown!
...Alas, he didn't.
Instead the stallion sucked in another deep breath to control his temper and summoned up what remained of his patience. He was fairly certain the mare would protest, inform him that her children could care for themselves (or their mates could) but he'd heard it all before. He'd also seen the consequences of overconfidence and having to watch a parent discover their child dead, gored and mutilated wasn't as wonderful an occasion as most might think. He grimaced, his eyes narrowing just a little and shook his head slowly; it was going to require more resources than he'd ever spent on any other soquili to keep this mare safe - if she didn't do as she was bloody told he would hand her right over to the bloody snake himself. Jaw tense and neck decidedly stiff, he regarded the mare once more with some form of renewed patience and spoke.
"What do they look like?" he enquired coolly. It was an abrupt and rather cold reply but at the very least it indicated that he wasn't going to throw her to the wolves regardless of how tempting the idea might have seemed. Tired on not, he still had a good head on his shoulders even if he wasn't that happy about it at this moment in time.
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Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 6:31 pm
Gemmae watched Sylph carefully. She had no real idea what was going on in the big stallion's head. It was entirely possible that he would refuse to have anything to do with her children. The mare fretted inwardly. It wasn't that she wanted him to welcome the children into the herd here - though she wouldn't object if that's how things turned out in the end - she just wanted them to know that she was alive and where they could find her if they truly needed her.
The pair were grown and she was certain that they didn't need her directly in their lives anymore. Wasn't that why they'd both up and left months and months ago?
Ah, it wasn't that important why they'd left. What was important was making certain that they could find her if they needed her. If the herd's guardian was inclined to be so helpful.
Gemmae was considering resorting to prayer when Sylph spoke again. It wasn't the most encouraging tone of voice she'd ever heard, but it was the right question. Sighing a little with relief, the uni described them for him.
"Canace, my daughter, has a purple hide with great, gold wings. Her long hair is fiery in color and literally at the ends. My son Calor has a deep ruby mane and tail, and his coloring moves from purple on his back to red, cream and finally white socks." She could have been more descriptive, but she was certain that Sylph didn't want to hear a mother waxing eloquent about her beloved children. She'd given a more detailed description of Fregit because she wanted the crazy Soquili nowhere near here. Her children were welcome, in her book, to join her here, but she would not force them in any way.
Children needed to be free of their parents to grow. But they needed to know that their parents would always be there for them.
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Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 6:11 am
If Gemmae's children had desired to become a part of Islagiatt then it would have been up to the Alpha. Sylph Forcas could only approve or disapprove of a soquili based on the thread they caused to the territory. There were occasions when he would veto any attempt to enter the herd as it caused too much danger but for the most part he was merely there to liase. Yei Umeko had decided that Gemmae was welcome to take refuge in Islagiatt and while Sylph didn't appreciate the extra work he was grateful that the mare had chosen to co-operate with him to what could only be described as perfection. She hadn't delayed in her replies, she had been brutally honest and had even answered his more uncomfortable questions.
...More importantly, she hadn't requested that he watch over her children either.
He listened to her descriptions of both her children and nodded slowly. It was yet another thing to be grateful for, she had been completely honest with him again. She hadn't attempted to wax poetry about her beloved children (as certain mother's were prone to do) and instead she had given him concise descriptions. They would be suitably easy to find, provided he didn't send anyone colour blind they would be located fairly quickly. He would ensure that these messages were delivered in as subtle a manner as possible as well, there would be no soquili their to pursue either son or daughter but there would be a scout of some form. Whether it be avian, feline or something else remained to be seen, he'd dwell on that later.
"I will ensure that your children are informed of your whereabouts as quickly as possible," he confirmed quietly and pursed his lips. Well, he could give his thanks to the spirits that this meeting had been quick. "Is that everything you wish to tell me or is there more you wish for me to know, or that you feel you should know?"
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 11:04 am
Gemmae heaved a sigh of relief, both mentally and physically, at Sylph's words. Her children would be able to find her if they needed their mother. She was a bit embarrassed that she had never taken the time to tell them anything about her past prior to...meeting...Moltres, but she hadn't wanted to worry them. She had, at that point, still had hope that she had left Fregit far behind.
And now, here she was, safe, with a capable group of guardians on the lookout for the snakelike horse so that he would not pass into their herd lands and the chief of those protectors asking her if there was more for her to tell him or more she wished to know.
The purple uni smiled up at the large stallion. "Know that you and those you command have my thanks and gratitude. Yei Umeko may have given me a place to stay, but it is you and yours who make it a safe place."
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Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 2:19 am
Sylph gave his head a simple shake in response to the mare's remarks, it was true that Sylph and his guards now ensured the safety of these lands but up until recent years it had been only a dedicated few. The mates of the mares who lived upon the slopes had made it their duty to ensure the security and safety of their families. It had started off as Azumoth, Grencia, Blais and Crusadour, put as the herd had grown and more friends and family had chosen to join them - it had become paramount that a better system be found. In the years to come it had been the duty Ambroise to keep tabs on the guards whiel Seresai had adopted a more diplomatic role, her people skills significantly better than Ambroise's. Alas, when Ambroise's engagement had been announced and alternative was required.
The result?
Sylph had been summoned back to his home from the vast reaches of the lands to the west. Separating from the herd he had kept tabs upon on behalf of his father, he trekked his way back to the Kawani Province and was greeted with a new list of duties. They had a plan of course, not a detailed one and the moment he had stepped over the threshold he had been tasked with finalising it and hammering out the details. It had been lucky for the patriarches of this mighty herd that he had always had some sort of idea in mind and he was quick to act!
"If it was not for Yei Umeko, this place would not exist. If it was not for her mate and his comrades, this place would never have been safe," he pointed out smoothly and gave a curt nod of his head. "I will inform my men of your gratitude though, I appreciate the sentiment on their behalf."
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Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 8:24 am
Somehow, it didn't surprise Gemmae to hear that this place, this herd, existed thanks to Yei Umeko. The Alpha was a mare of great belief and faith, from what she had seen.
She smiled and nodded to Sylph again. "I shall have to thank her again, it seems."
The conversation that had been of the utmost importance since she had woken up this morning, seemed to be over and done with. "If that is all you need from me...?" she asked, though it was he who had the duties and she who was, at least for now, a guest.
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