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 Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 2:12 pm
Ends: January 3rd, midnight CST! This is a basic rp contest, except for a few minor details. Only partners may enter the contest, so one person will not be keeping both horses. As partners you may consult with each other about your entry, as its only one entry per group, and even write it together if that's how you want to do it. Remember, only one entry for the two of you, and you may only pair up with one other person. Submit your entries in this thread only, do not post them in the main thread or pm them to staff members. These are the prizes you will be going for: Prompt:Ah, winter is here and the snow has finally fallen. However, in some herds there are several traditions that go on during the winter season. This mare is performing one of said traditions by extending a bit of mistletoe toward a stallion, as she had been taught to do while growing up. What is this tradition? What does it mean? And of course, how does the stallion react? [b]Username:[/b]
[b]Partner:[/b]
[b]Response:[/b]
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2009 6:44 pm
Username: She-Ra of Etheria
Partner: JetAlmeara
Response:
Shylah had always felt a special fondness for this time of year, perhaps because the patterns on the branches of the snow dotted trees, matched the blanket on her rump, or the way the snow crunched under her hooves as she walked through the frosty air, or the way the icicles sparkled in the early morning light when you woke up in the morning, maybe it was a little bit of all those things. Regardless of the reasoning the spotted mare had always looked forward to Winter...and the Solstice celebrations.
Especially this year. This year she was finally old enough to take part in the pairing ceremony and she had been nearly quivering in excitement when the Elders had called her into the thicket. They had sequestered themselves in there for the better part of a week along with the Elders from neighboring herds, together they had been asking the Spirits for guidance and help in choosing the perfect partners for the herds youth. For her.
It was something many young mares might have a problem with, this lack of control over their future, but Shylah like her name implied was loyal to the Spirit Gods and trusted the Elders to choose the perfect partner for her. Of course she hadn't expected them to give her his name. Maponus.
It certainly hadn't been expected...yes he was handsome and by all accounts a good and pure follower of the ways. But he wasn't the one she had expected and she was embarrassed to say she'd stood there for a few moments blinking somewhat stupidly at the Elders when they'd told her, why they had practically had to force her to take the ceremonial mistletoe. But this wasn't the Elders first gallop and one of them had assured her the Gods had spoken true. She would soon see one particularly ancient mare had told her before nudging her out of the thicket and off to seek him. Maponus.
Maponus. The name rolled about her mind in a never ending chant, a chant which seemed nearly in time to the sound of her hoof beats in the snow as she walked towards him - his white splashed tawny coat was hard to miss.
Standing at the edge of the clearing Maponus had watched as those who were to participate in the pairing ceremony gathered. He knew them all by name, for their herds often gathered during important celebrations. Part of him was excited to be here, and yet another part of him wanted to just leave and never return. He was nervous. What if the Spirits paired him up with one he could not love? Well, he doubted they would do that, but one could never be certain. The Spirits did work in mysterious ways. As each mare was called into the thicket he wondered if she would be the one who would become his. And each time they emerged they would meet up with another young stallion.
Then he spotted her. The one he hoped would be his. Caoimhe. A beautiful mare whom lived to the south of his family’s herd. Oh how he hoped beyond anything that she would be given his name. How could she not be given to him? After all their coats complimented each other’s. His was tawny, while hers was a dark dun. Movement caught his attention for a moment. He watched as Shylah, a dappled appaloosa mare entered the thicket where the Elders waited to give the word of the Spirits.
Once again his eyes moved back to Caoimhe. His hooves shifted in the snow as he watched her wait for her turn with the elders. The way she held herself was just awe inspiring. She was a born leader. She was – his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of crunching snow. He looked up to see Shylah coming towards him, sprig of mistletoe in her teeth.
He quickly looked to either side of him. Surely she was intended for another male, but to his dismay he was the only one left standing in this part of the clearing. No, he thought, this is wrong. Eyes darting to Caoimhe as she entered the thicket. There must be some mistake, why would the Spirits match him with Shylah. Turning his attention back to the mare as she approached, his maw fell open a bit as he stared at her in a state of disbelief.
It wasn't hard to miss the look on the stallions face, obviously she hadn't been the one he was hoping for. She could relate to him there, but the choice had been made and it was out of both their hands now, the Spirits had chosen. He couldn't refuse her could he? As far as she knew no one had ever dared to defy the Spirits or question their choice, Maponus wouldn't be the first...he couldn't be! It would be unbearable and she would be forever mateless, cast aside...ruined! The Spirits only chose once...
Maponus was a good stallion of the way she tried to tell herself, attempting to sooth her fear's before they caused her hide to tremble. Trust in the Spirits, they wouldn't have sent you to him if it wasn't meant to be she told herself firmly and with that thought a look of determination flickered into her eyes. She would see this through. She didn't really have a choice.
There wasn't anymore time to think about it, she was now but a pace away from the tawny steed and lowering her head she set the mistletoe directly in between them, right in the middle as she had been told - so that their souls could be properly connected when she said the words. No time to hesitate or think, no turning back - not now, not ever - and raising her head the spotted mare placed her pink eyed gaze on the stallion before her, mouth opening almost of its own accord to deliver the phrase.
"Ye are Blood of my Blood, and Bone of my Bone.
I give ye my Body, that we Two might be One. "
Her part done she kept her gaze on his. It was all up to him now...
He watched as she set the sprig of mistletoe between then. Well there was no turning back now. Lifting his head he met her gaze with his own and listening to her utter those words. Now it was his turn. For no more than a split second he hesitated before saying his part.
“I give ye my Spirit, ‘til our Life shall be done.”
His sides heaved in a deep sigh as he finished. She was his now, as he was hers. Bending his head he picked up the mistletoe with his teeth and turned, leading her out of the clearing. They walked in silence, only the snow crunching under their feet.
Once at their destination he laid the mistletoe on the ground. Using his hoof to hold it still he carefully plucked two berries off the sprig and with a glance at Shylah chewed them up quickly. Their taste was bitter, making him shudder slightly as he swallowed them. He took a step back and lay down in the soft snow. His eyes moved to her. Now she would need to do the same. The berries would help them enter the Spirit’s dream world.
His eyes began to droop. The berries worked fast on this night. As his vision blurred he looked towards his mare. Had she taken the berries? He wasn’t entirely sure. Things were moving far too fast for him right now. His head felt heavy and it moved softly downwards until it too rested on the snow.
Slowly his eyes opened again. As the world came back into focus he glanced around. He was still in the thicket but everything seemed so dull and there was a fog that clung to the ground. Getting to his feet quickly he instantly regretted that move. His head swam and he struggled to stay upright. He took one cautious step and then another. His hoof seemed to hit something. Looking down he saw the shape of another horse through the fog.
The stallion’s hesitation and sigh were telling and Shylah was painfully aware as she followed him that he wasn't very happy with the Spirits decision. But he'd gone through with the ceremony anyways and that was a good sign. It proved that he was indeed a stallion of the way…and that was important to Shylah, she couldn't imagine sharing her life and raising future foals with an uneducated heathen.
As Maponus ate the berries and lay down Shylah separated two berries for herself before burying what was left of the mistletoe under the snow where they would lay. This would ensure their souls would know where to return to when their trip into the Spirit world was finished and it was her duty to ensure it was done properly, mares were the cornerstone of the family after all, just as it was his duty to go first into the spirit world, a symbolic gesture of his duty to be the protector and keep his new family from harm.
Shylah patted the snow down over the mistletoe to make sure no wind would come and blow it away before lowering herself to the ground beside the already traveling stallion and chewed the berries herself. It was important that they only took two each...more and it was unlikely they would return from their journey her mother had told her, less and they would not induce the proper state of consciousness and their journey would fail.
The berries taste made her wrinkle her nose slightly and she chewed and swallowed quickly in a hurry to rid herself of the taste. Like Maponus it didn't take long for the berries to affect Shylah and though she wasn't sure how much time had passed before she opened her eyes, she didn't think it had been very long.
Maponus stood above her, looking down at her and not wanting to keep him waiting she struggled to her feet, wobbling slightly as she tried to gain her balance and orientation. Everything was the same - and yet different. She wasn't sure exactly what they were supposed to do at this point, each journey was different her mother had said and private, something to be shared only by you and your chosen.
"Should we walk maybe? To the meadow?" Yes that sounded right, somewhere along the way perhaps they would see what they were meant to see.
Maponus leaned against the mare for a moment to help her gain her balance as his eyes moved around. Once she seemed to be steady he took a step away. His head swiveled around as he took in the dull world then turned back to Shylah as she spoke.
“Yes I suppose we should.” He said as he led the way out careful to move slowly as to not lose her in the fog.
They moved along quietly for some time before he recognized where they were. It was the meadow they had gathered in to await their partners in the pairing ceremony. The fog was thinner here allowing them to see a bit more. At first there was nothing to see, or least there were no other horses in this dream. Of course he wasn’t really sure if they were meant to see any other horses, then he heard it, a faint sound. Glancing back at Shylah he motioned with his head. “Come on this way.”
The two traveled quickly up a small hill, the sound was getting louder now, and there was no doubt in Maponus’ mind that it was the sound of horses. He put on a small burst of speed to reach the top of the hill and set his gaze upon the valley below. His maw dropped open at the sight.
Horses were scattered about the large meadow, some standing and some were laying down. They looked so thin and ragged. Then he realized the sounds he had heard were not friendly calls, but cries of help. The herd’s were being ravaged by some sort of disease. Then he remembered about Shylah. Spinning around as she reached the top of the hill he tried to block her view but he knew it was too late.
Shylah kept close to Maponus as they walked through the swirling fog - she wasn't sure what would happen if they got separated in the spirit world, but she couldn't fathom it being good. Picking up the pace as they went up the hill she followed his tawny rump as he suddenly put on a burst of speed, reaching the top just as he spun about with a terrible look on his face.
By the way he moved she was sure he had tried to keep her from seeing what lay below, to protect her from whatever the Spirits had chosen to show them. But that wasn't the way it worked here - when you were meant to see something the Spirits made sure you saw it, and nothing Maponus did - despite his best efforts would have kept her from seeing the horrors below.
Her eyes widened in shock, the herds were so strong, how could they be brought to such a state…and why? Why had the Spirits chosen to show to them this? Were they paired together only to die? A strangled cry escaped her throat and she buried her head in Maponus' mane.
"Why?...why would they show us this?" she asked the tawny stallion - he might not be the one she would have chosen to spend her life with but he was the one here sharing this with her now and while she couldn't quite grasp the reason for it - there had to be one! There just had to, Shylah couldn't believe otherwise.
“I…I don’t know.” He told her as he nuzzled her softly. The Spirits could be cruel at times but even this seemed a bit beyond their usual ways. He shook his head as he looked out upon the meadow filled with dead and dying horses. A sudden gust of wind pushed against their backs and he glanced behind them before taking the first hesitant step forward. “Come on, I think we need to go down there.”
He led the way down to the meadow slowly, careful to avoid walking too close to any of the horses. Not like he expected to get sick from them, after all they were in the Spirit world. No words could be spoken between them as they moved along the meadow. Even if they had wanted to say something, there just wasn’t anything to say.
Coming to a sudden stop he looked at a horse who lay on the ground, the life that had once filled it’s eyes was now gone. Then he noticed the color of the hide and felt a lump in his throat. “Mother.” He whispered softly. The winds began to blow again, pushing more and more fog into the meadow. He stood between the wind and Shylah protecting her from it. Soon the meadow was so thick with fog he couldn’t see past his nose.
His shoulder rested against Shylah’s, as it was the only way to keep track of her. He wondered what would happen next. Surely they couldn’t wander around in such a thick fog. This answer came with another gush of wind. Closing his eyes against the harsh wind he waited until it died down before opening them again. The meadow was now clear of fog. In fact the snow that had been there was also gone. His eyes moved quickly about, the horses were gone as well, all of them. The lush grass under his hooves told him that they were now standing in the summer, or at least the Spirits wanted them to see what the summer held after such a harsh winter.
He moved forward, glancing back now and then to make sure that Shylah was still with him. A small amount of movement caught his attention and his head snapped up. He stared at…himself. He squinted his eyes. No not just himself, but Shylah too. They had somehow survived whatever had killed the herds. He turned his head to look at Shylah, the real Shylah who had followed him into the Spirit world.
“So this is why they showed us those horrible things.” He told her, as he looked back at the future them. “To let us know that together we shall endure.”
Shylah was glad that she hadn't seen anyone she recognized in the dead or dying, admittedly she had tried to keep from doing so, not letting her gaze settle to long on any one fog blurred hide as they walked amidst the fallen.
This was a very selfish however and the chocolate mare instantly felt shamed as she heard Maponus' quiet words. "I'm sorry." She told him - though it might be silly to say sorry for an event that hadn't happened in reality yet, her beliefs told her they would and nothing else seemed appropriate. Her words were nearly blown away with the sudden rush of wind and she huddled against the stallions hide as it blew furiously against them, blinking them open again when it died down.
The change of season didn't bother her much - this was the Spirit world after all and if the Spirits wanted it to be summer then it would be summer, but what else could they possibly want to show them? She almost didn't want to know and hesitated for a few moments before following Maponus as he started forward again. She too caught the movement and turned towards it, starting slightly as she recognized the two of them - older maybe, but definitely them, their hides we unmistakable even from this distance. "Perhaps…without each other we too would have perished" she whispered to the stallion though her gaze was still enraptured by the sight of their future selves.
"And look where we are standing!" She continued, ear flicking as she heard what sounded like...other horses? Somewhere in the trees, was it possible that she and Maponus would not only survive...but survive to lead? Her gaze couldn't catch sight of any more horses but the sounds of them filtered back to her and she turned to Maponus "Listen! Do you hear them too?" She asked him, but before he could answer the meadow went dark, like the sun itself had been extinguished, not even the moon and the stars were visible…just a deep empty chasm of blackness that made her shiver. It was impossible to tell which way was up and which way was down, even the ground beneath her hooves seemed to have disappeared and it felt as though she was falling.
The eerie sensation lasted for only a few moments before the world started to come back into focus again, through her own slowly opening eyes she realized as she saw they were back in the snow, laying in the thicket beside their buried mistletoe. Their journey to the Spirit world was over and she turned to nudge Maponus.
"Maponus! Maponus wake up!" She said softly, like a true steed he would awaken after her, guarding her soul as it made its way back to her body.
Maponus’ ears swiveled as he too heard the sound. With his gaze turned to Shylah he went to speak to her, to tell her that he did indeed hear them as well. But suddenly she disappeared into blackness. “Shylah!” He called up but his voice was consumed by the sudden darkness. He felt the sudden sensation that he was falling and he flailed his legs out in an attempt to stop it.
A soft voice snapped him back to reality. His eyes opened to see Shylah lying next to him. The cold against his body told him that he was once again lying in the snow of the thicket. His breathing was deep, as his mind raced over the vision the Spirits had sent to them. Though the thought of what would happen made him shudder knowing that they would survive made him glad to have her at his side.
He stood slowly and helped Shylah back up on her feet. For a long time he just stood there staring at her not able to say anything. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts he stepped closer to her. “We will endure.” He told her softly as he nuzzled her before leading her back to the where the herds were gathered. They would not speak of what they saw again, for it was not their right to tell others what the Spirits had shown them. What mattered was that they would endure the hardships that lay ahead of them, and for that they were happy.
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Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 10:29 pm
xD; Aaaaand the winnings go to Jet and She-ra! Congrats you two, and I really appreciate the obvious effort you put into your entry. I enjoyed reading it and I thought it was a very interesting concept.
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