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 Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 9:54 pm
 Night was at it's brightest at the time of the full moon. It sat there in that blanket of dark blue, nestled by it, fat and round. Perhaps that's why the stars twinkled on nights like that, envying the moon's position, blinking to catch the attention of that embracing sky. Inteus shook out his mane and began to walk once more, that was enough gazing at the sky for one night.
He started his walk around the pond, having done this so many times before, he wasn't really paying attention to where he was going. More than anything, he was watching his hooves hit the ground, making a soft 'clip' with each step. He had spent many a full-moon out here gazing at the sky, and it never got old. But time would always come when he felt like walking again, and so he went. Around the pond once, twice, then he stopped at the flat rock that extended into the water. This was his favorite spot, this is where he would clean his newest treasures, and here is where he now dipped his muzzle into the water to drink. Calm, Inteus gulped down mouthful after mouthful of the cool water, thinking he was alone out here, well... as alone as one could be with a skull tied around one's neck, anyway.
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Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 6:07 pm
 Thanos was beginning to find himself spending more and more time away from his herd. They often frustrated him...although he wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was their need for constant guidance. Or maybe it was just their nature to be like that. He didn't care what the reason was. All he wanted was to get away from them for a good amount of time to think and reflect on things. So many things had happened since they left Hell and he was often confused as to what to do next. He was thankful however that Thorn was there to watch the herd at times like this. His brother certainly was helpful...though not the smartest horse around. Not like he was smart either, relying on rats to do most of his thinking for him. That would change....hopefully."Why must me suffer more time with those pathetic excuses you call a herd?" War complained as they went along. "They are his responsibility whether he likes it or not." Peace retorted."We should send them all back to Hell, we don't need them any more." "Shut up!" Thanos snapped at them. "I would like some quiet...for once." It was hard enough to think without them bickering about this and that. If it wasn't about the herd it was about the lands or...whatever it was they fought about. More and more often Thanos had just learned to ignore their bickering. Unless he was trying to think. Then he almost couldn't ignore it...since it interrupted him so much.
They walked in the light of the moon, no real destination in mind, just away from the herd. Tonight was an important memory restoring night and be damned if he was gonna let his rats interrupt this. No, this time would be different, he would at last remember why he had gone to Hell. He continued on, seeing the moons reflection in a nearby pond. Ah the perfect spot to be alone and think. He trotted towards the pond but then realized a little late as he reached the waters edge that he indeed would not be alone. He spotted the other horse standing on a flat rock in the pond and instantly knew his memories would once again be interrupted and put on hold.
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Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 11:45 am
A few more gulps satisfied his thrist. He brought his head back up, water dripping from his muzzle, just as a stallion made it's way toward the pond at a trot. Inteus just stood there watching as the other drew to a stop on the opposite side of the pond. He knew there was something odd about this black stallion, but at first he couldn't make out what, his eyesight was good, but it was his mind that was at ends. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, it just couldn't be possible!
No, no... that can't be right! He must just have white markings... along his legs... and his face... but... No way!! At this point, the black stallion stood at the water's edge and Inteus was all but gaping at him. What he had been seeing was true! But how?
Unable to restrain himself, the stocky Fjord took two steps back to get out of the water and then began a slow trot towards the stranger that was too good to be true. It was only until he had made it half way to the other that he remembered his manners, so hard he had been visually-interrogating. He cleared his throat and then spoke boldly, "Bright night, sir," This was his way of greeting another stallion, at the time of a full moon, that had the aura of power. He could see that this other was a born leader, and had the sense to respect that, at least until there was a reason not to. Inteus drew to a stop a respectful distance away, stomped a foot without really thinking about it, and shook out his mane, as if it were going to help clear his mind of the whirring questions inside. At least he wasn't staring anymore.
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Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 4:44 pm
Thanos watched as the other stallion approached, his head tipped to one side looking at him curiously. He had recognized the look on the others face, is was a mixture of fear, disgust, and confusion. He had seen that particular look far too often since he had left Hell. Was it really that hard for other to accept his appearance? Who knows. When the stallion spoke he had no idea what to say...bright night? What did that mean.
"It has bones around it's neck. Does it kill?" War asked in an almost excited voice.
"One can only assume that he does indeed kill. But why would a horse hunt other creatures? Horses are not predators by nature."
"Then he must be evil!"
Thanos looked at the stallion, then at the moon, before returning his eyes to the stallion. "Yes it is a bright night." He replied. Maybe that's what the stallion had meant. It was hard to tell. Although he was interested about those bones, even without the rats pointing them out, he would have asked about them. "What are those for?" He asked as he gestured towards the string of bones.
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Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 5:28 pm
Inteus let his gaze wander along the stranger's coat, starting with the gash in his neck, through which Inteus assumed that was a... windpipe... Eyes widening in fascination, the Fjord brought his eyes back up to the other's face, and what a face it was! Most of his skull was exposed, the skin missing from almost all of it. And his eyes! They looked like tiny red fireflies stuck in a black orb of nothingness. This was definitely turning out to be an interesting night!
Inteus realized that he was being spoken to, and had to repeat the question to jumble his thoughts into responding, "What are they for? Oh.. well they're not for anything, really. I collect them. Skulls and bones, that is. This one around my neck," he lipped the top of the skull to indicate it, "Is my greatest catch so far. I doubt I'll manage to find something more difficult than this. It was a wild boar," He spoke of it proudly, as if it were perfectly natural for horses to kill things and keep their bones as treasure. He was fidgeting with the skull around his neck, trying to restrain himself from asking one of the many questions he burned to let out. Instead, he introduced himself, hoping that by being polite, perhaps he would be able to get this stranger to accept him, if only enough to answer a few of his questions. "My name is Inteus, by the way..." He took a step or two closer, "How... how... Ahem. Sorry, I never stutter, but you... your bones... They're on the outside... I just... they fascinate me... What happened?"
Inteus had never seen an animal in such a state that was still alive. Confusion was his leading emotion, just barely overtaking curiosity, as his eyes played over the black one's coat, along which, for a moment, he thought he saw something scurry, but his eyes must have been playing tricks on him.
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Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 5:47 pm
Thanos took a closer look at the indicated skull. "Collect them huh?" He said more to himself than the other. "So you are a hunter then?" He asked. I mean how else would the stallion have come across these bones. He highly doubted that he just happened to wander upon a dead animal and decide to take its bones. Of course that could have been just what had happened.
"He kills!" War exclaimed loudly. "I like him. We shall be sure not to destroy this one in our wake."
"He seems...interesting." Peace added, not really sure of what to make of the stallion quite yet.
Thanos forced himself to listen to the other stallion over the rats talking. "I am Thanos." He told the other. "They weren't always like this. They were inside where they belong at one point. But then..." He trailed off for a moment having lost his train of thought. What was I talking about?
"Why you look the way you do." Peace said without even thinking about it.
Oh yes right that. "Well then I died." He said quite plainly. He didn't elaborate beyond stating the facts. Not like he could have expanded on the answer anyways, he really couldn't remember most details outside of what the rats told him and the occasional tidbit of a memory that taunted him every now and then.
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Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 6:33 pm
"Of course! It would have been a huge strike of luck had I just chanced upon a dead boar, but no. All of my treasures are part of something I killed. Sometimes, it's as an act of kindness, to put something out of it's misery, but more often than not, they were my prey. I don't eat them of course!" Because that would be absurd! Horses don't eat meat! "I just hunt them for their bones. Mostly small things like rabbit and birds." Having gone on for long enough, Inteus shook his mane out of his eyes, and allowed the other to introduce himself and answer his question.
He listened patiently to Thanos' explanation, and though it was vague, he kept quiet... until the other said, "You died?" He asked in disbelief, but he was right there in front of the draft! How could he have died? "But... you're alive now, aren't you?" The dun wasn't sure if there would be an answer to this question, but it just spewed out before he could stop it.
He shifted his weight from one leg to the other before taking another step toward Thanos, but not directly at him, more to his side, and for the first time, he noticed the state it was in. Part of his... intestines?... was hanging outside of his body, and the skin was missing from a large portion of that area. Before Inteus could stop himself, he stretched his neck forward a little to take a closer, still respectfully distanced, look at this amazing creature. He breathed a soft, "Woah...." He had never seen the inside of another horse before! Not to mention, one that was still alive, or... at least walking!
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Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 6:51 pm
"He would be an interesting addition to our cause don't you think. He hunts for fun." War said as she scurried up Thanos' neck to side atop his head. Perched between the stallions ears to get a better look at this one.
"Yes that is what we need, more horses to kill things for us." Peace said sarcastically.
How interesting, Thanos thought. He hunts for pleasure and then displays the pieces of his victims on his neck as trophies. As the other stallion took a closer look at Thanos, he in turn too a closer look at Inteus' trophies. They certainly looked interesting enough, no wonder the stallion proudly displayed him.
His head tipped slightly in thought. This one was so different than any other he had encountered so far. Not disgusted by his appearance but more fascinated by it. How odd. Wait, he said something didn't he? His head snapped up a bit as he came out of his thoughts. "Yes I died. And I am alive now...in a matter of speaking." This creature seemed to be absolutely fascinated with death. This worked well for Thanos since he was a walking dead, for lack of a better way to put it. It was a...relief to encounter someone outside of his herd that didn't mind his appearance. He was certain that even some of his herd members were quite put off by his looks. Did it matter? It's not like he could do anything to reverse it...could he? Hell had been harsh on him and yet it didn't bother him...for the most part.
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Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 8:10 pm
Look at those ribs! I mean... but... I wonder how he still functions... with all of those holes in his skin... As he thought to himself, his eyes wandered over the remainder of the black stallion. In addition to the other missing and exposed parts of him, there was also half of a tail bone and most of the back legs visible. Again it made him wonder as to how this horse was staying together instead of falling into pieces, but he supposed that one does not disappear all at once...
There it was again! That movement! His ears instantly perked up and his eyes darted over to where it had been a moment ago. It wasn't there, but he let his gaze run up to the stallion's face, and instead of just one pair of eyes looking back at him, he saw two!
Inteus took a step back and tilted his head to the side. "Is that... a rat? I mean... is it yours?" He looked at it staring back at him from atop Thanos' head, and couldn't help getting the feeling that it was scrutinizing him. But rats can't do that! He shifted his weight again mulling his thoughts over. Weirder things had happened tonight...
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Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 8:38 pm
It seemed that Thanos had found common ground with this stallion. His body fascinated the stallion much like the other stallions bone collection fascinated him. His ear flickered a bit as War sat between his ears. "Yes that is a rat." He said quite nonchalantly. "She is mine...so is the other." He shook his mane gently to show off Peace, who was half hidden in the long tendrils of black mane.
War watched this other stallion with her beady little eyes. Then she crawled done Thanos' face to sit on the tip of his skull, her head reached out as she sniffed the stallion.
Having been exposed from his hiding spot Peace crawled back under Thanos' mane. "What did you do that for? He didn't need to know I was here."
Thanos snorted at Peace. It was so odd for the male rat to be in a bad mood. He must be tired. "You're not afraid of me are you?" He finally decided to ask the stallion. It seemed like such a sily question. Obviously Inteus wasn't afraid of him. Right? Well he supposed one could be scared and intrigued at the same time. Anything was possible in this world.
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Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 9:04 pm
His brow furrowed as a second rat was revealed and quickly scurried back into hiding. Hmmm... why would rats like a horse? He thought to himself, but he supposed weirder things have occurred so instead of asking aloud, since it really didn't matter, Inteus took a step closer so that he could stretch his neck forward and sniff at the rat that had shown interest in him.
Pulling back away from Thanos and the rat, he thought over the stallion's question a moment, and then responded quite cheerily, "No. No, I don't think so. But... most other horses don't see animals with parts that are missing... often... if at all. With my hunting... I've seen many animals missing skin and muscles, but you're the first to be up and walking in such a state!" He hadn't meant it as an insult, if anything, he would have seen it as a compliment and a true show of strength. "Do you feel? Does it hurt?" His eyes lit up and he looked hopeful for a moment, but then realized what he was asking, and shook his head, "I mean no disrespect, of course. You don't need to answer my questions. But you really are fascinating! I mean..." He had lost any words that should have ended that sentence, and so trailed off into silence.
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Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 9:36 pm
After being satisfied by her investigation of Inteus Was returned to her spot between Thanos' ears. "To not fear death is a good trait in a warrior." She told the stallion idly.
"Death is unavoidable." Peace called out from his hiding place in Thanos' mane.
It felt...nice...yes that was it nice, that for once he didn't send a horse screaming in terror. Not that he didn't enjoy the look of panic on a horse that saw him for the first time, but it got old very quickly. "Yes well years in Hell seems to have a negative side affect on ones body." Thanos told the other stallion. Most animals would not survive long if they found themselves in a similar state. Yet here he was, living and breathing.
He shook his head. "Doesn't hurt. Though I'm sure I wouldn't care if it did." Did he mind the questions? No not that he believed. Questions led to answers, answers caused him to think. Thinking led to the possibility of unlocking long forgotten memories. In fact come to think of it, that was what he had come out here to do in the first place. To think and hopefully remember. "Your questions are fine. They will help me."
"So...how long have you...hunted things?" If Inteus could ask questions surely so could Thanos. That's how it worked right? To answer a question with a question. His brows furrowed in thought.
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Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 9:53 pm
Years in Hell? This stallion had returned to the land of the living from Hell? Huh... He nodded along to Thanos' responses. So he doesn't hurt... but did that mean he didn't feel at all? Inteus wasn't sure if the leader before him was quite ready to share information like that, and so let it be, making a mental note to ask him sometime in the future.
His turn to answer a question, "Well... as long as I can remember I've been chasing things... and I don't remember how I came to actually killing things... but ever since I was a colt I remember being morbidly fascinated by by dead things." He tilted his head a moment, considering this, but before he could think of anything else to say about himself, he blurted out, "Hell? How did you come back from Hell?" He thought about the rats and wondered whether they had been with him there or not, and he wondered what Hell was like, and whether it was the only path after death.
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Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 1:48 pm
"One who is fascinated by death and kills for pleasure. I like him." War said from atop Thanos' head as she cleaned her whiskers.
Thanos thought for a moment. How did he come back from Hell? It happened recently and yet the memory seemed quite faded. Obviously something happened to cause him to he in the land of the living once more...but what was the something? His half tail swished in thought. "How I came back?" He repeated the question quietly, hoping it would spark his memories.
His eyes went blank for a few moments as his overly decayed brain worked hard to recover that particular memory. He could recall the odd detail, like how he met his rats, and what happened after he traveled through the barrier, but...wait the barrier. That had to have been how he got her. His eyes rolled back to look at Inteus again. "Well there was a barrier between the two worlds." He began somewhat hesitantly. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell this stallion, it was just that his thoughts took a bit to form. "...and it was weakened recently."
Yes, that's what happened...but what else did he need to say? Something about his herd maybe? About his brother Thorn? "So...my herd traveled through the barrier." He continued slowly. "And...uh...here I am." He stomped his foot lightly as if to say, and there you have it.
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 12:49 pm
"Hmmm... a barrier?" he muttered softly, more to himself than anything. He had never really thought about Hell being that close to the living world. In truth, he hadn't really much about the after-life at all. He had thought about death... and he was alright with it. It happened to everything after all... but now that he had met this stallion... he wasn't so sure... Well, it seemed like Thanos didn't know how he got his chance to come back, so perhaps they would figure it out eventually, perhaps not. Either way, Inteus was not scared of death, and would face it head on when the time came.
"Oh? You have a herd?" he asked politely, or at least what he thought sounded politely, as he was rather blunt at times and didn't particularly care for male's feelings. Now mares and foals were a different story, they would see his softer side, but males he thought should be able to take whatever was thrown at them. Then a thought slid into his mind and a gleam of hope sprung into his eyes. His voice could barely contain his excitement, "Are they... Are they like you?" He began walking a circle around the larger, darker stallion, sort of forgetting about any usual manners. They had already gotten through those, anyway! "Did they cross over from Hell, too? Did everyone get little rodents to keep them sane?" As he spoke of the rats, he leaned closer to where he had last seen the male rat and snorted softly, as if he was expecting it to come rushing out in response. He wasn't sure what he thought about rodents... they were very small and easy to kill... but he didn't see a point to it anymore. They just got smushed under his heavy hooves, leaving them useless as dead things.
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