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 Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 4:15 am
All boring to her, as it was nothing new. Or challenging to the mind. After all, she could squirrel away information about being a mother, but it was of no practical use until she was a grown mare, and even then it might not be ever used in a real situation. So she'd slipped away, managing to get away with only the smallest of warnings about not going to far etc etc. As it was she was eager to see that which she'd been warned the most about, her Kalona relatives. Telling a filly with a quick and inquistive mind about those had been a large mistake..she smiled as she trotted about, nosing at the new shoots that were slowing growing, and hoping against hope that she would stumble across something or a someone interesting.
She sloshed along in mud for a time, covering her gleaming white hooves in dark brown, but at least she knew her mother wouldn't ring her ears over that. Chatura glanced skywards when she disturbed a few birds, and then paused to look around, listening to her surroundings intently as well.
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Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 1:20 am
He was under strict instruction from his parents this afternoon, he was in a foreign land after all and as a consequence what existed beyond his parents' sight could be potentially dangerous. His father had instructed him that he was to go no further than the river while he was in the Kawani Province. While they were visiting Rosie he was expected to follow the rules no matter how curious he might have become. For the first few days the foal had found this rather difficult and had struggled to contend with the apparent limitations placed upon him by his father. He had assumed that said parent was being overbearing and inconsiderate towards his growing mind but it was with a world weary sigh that could only be achieved by a foal, that he recognised his father had a point. This was a considerable feat for a foal so young to say the least and he had been rewarded with additional trust from both parents.
...This didn't mean he could stray beyond the river though.
Thankfully he had found interest in a great many things in his immediate vicinity and each was taking a considerable amount of time to investigate. He had spent the last few days marvelling at the plant life that existed in this province, it was so different from his home but lamentably grey. His sister and parents had informed him that the foliage was 'green' but no matter what way he regarded it, no matter what time of day it might be, all he seemed capable of viewing was varying shades of grey. Once upon a time he had been vaguely annoyed at the notion that there was something wrong with him. His inability to appreciate the flowers in the same fashion as his parents and sibling had caused a touch of bitterness but after a while he began to observe and obscure and unique beauty that only he was capable of seeing. It made him feel special, he and the world had a secret that no one could ever understand.
It was with a great amount of gratitude that he regarded the thawing grasses - they were far easier to navigate through as he waded back and forth in a sea of grey. There wasn't as much of a bite to the air as there had once been and his parents had informed him that spring was on the approach - it wouldn't be here for a while but it would be here in due course. It was this revelation that had brought magic and wonder to his eyes once more, for every day as he explored the lay of the land he came to realise that new plants were being revealed. Not to mention, he was beginning to hear new sounds as well and while he wasn't aware of who they belonged to, it seemed they were born from the approach of spring.
Truly the world was a wonder!
Alas he gave another soft sigh as he pressed on through the grasses, his movements sporadic as he paused momentarily or swung to the left or the right to inspect something of note. All in all, it seemed that this morning hadn't revealed anything new so to speak, but he still had much to inspect from the previous day. As he continued onwards he remained oblivious to the rush of water nearby, a tell-tale sign of the river. Given that it wasn't in his immediate line of sight, he didn't consider it to be terribly interesting just yet...
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Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 4:16 am
Chatura trotted along, pausing for a moment to poke her noise at a small white thing that was growing out of the ground at the base of a tree. She wasn't sure if it was edible or not...and after a moment of searching the knowledge rattling around in her young brain that she'd managed to collect so far, realised that it was a mushroom - something she'd been told not to eat unless her mother was with her to check if it was poisonous or not.
She wasn't hungry enough to go back and fetch Marut, and besides that would put paid to the wandering. She left the tree and carried on moving, her hooves taking her in a lazy arch back towards where the river neared the Village. She soon heard the running water, and trotted straight towards the sound, emerging from the overgrown bushes into the open with only the smallest of hesitations.
A few steps later and she was at the water's edge, peering into the flowing depths, trying to see if there were any life in there of interest. A tentative dip with her nose made her gasp at the temperature and she shook her head, rubbing it against her leg to bring warmth back to her extremity before peering back in, her rear hooves stamped firmly in the soft mud so as not to slip.
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Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 4:48 am
He hadn't been there long and at first he hadn't noticed the filly was there. Her faded blue coat had blended quite easily with the water which to him, contained very little depth. It had only been the stamping of her little hooves that had caused him to still and he had crouched low (as his father had demonstrated to his sister before) to avoid being seen. It was from his position in the sea of 'grey' that he observed her and surpressed the urge to giggle as she quickly came to the conclusion that the water was cold. He should have been grateful of course, this meant that he didn't have to test it for himself! However, when she stomped her hooves it was evident that she wasn't going anywhere soon and a flicker of disappointment emerged from his stomach - he came to the unfortunate conclusion that he wouldn't be allowed to inspect the area for himself, if someone else had already beaten him to the punch!
He gave a slight swish of his tail, flicking the grass away from his flank as it tickled his thigh and shifted his weight. He had never been and never would be terribly good at stealth. Well, he certainly didn't excel at it as a foal but he had heard his mother muse over the possibilities that he would develop an 'infuriating' ability. He wasn't sure what that ability was quite yet, but in later life he would discover he had the ability to appear behind someone at just the right moment and more irritating, they wouldn't even hear him! Ah, many ninjas and assassins would have given anything for such an ability but it was highly likely he would become exasperated with it.
Maybe he would wear a bell around his neck?
This was irrelevant for now, of course.
Alas as aforementioned he was horrendous at stealth in his current state and it would have taken both a blind and deaf soquili to fail to recognise his existance. No sooner had he swished his tail than he had shuffled, pattered his hooves in an anxious manner and glanced over his shoulder as if debating the best route of escape. There were some things the colt would certainly need to work on as he matured, one of these being his ability to take decisive action when it came to escaping. Sure, he may be able to choose what he wanted for breakfast in a split second and the difference between one bird and another but escape routes, back up plans and so on were just a bit hit and miss!
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Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 8:38 am
Chatura stiffened, her body tensing up as she heard the aproach of someone. Something? She looked around, not seeing the colt straight away, but as she made another pass with her eyes..there!
He was quite strange, certainly to her eyes. He was a pleasing colour, nothing peculiar about that, and he had wings on his back, which she knew was also quite a normal trait for their kind, as her Grandmother had them. But the head wings? That was new.
'Hello.' she said quietly, shifting her weight from one front hoof to the other, deciding whether to move forwards or not to introduce herself properly. She decided to make a couple of steps towards him, before stopping and looking at him again.
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 7:43 am
His wings quivered just a touch as he was discovered and he continued to regard the filly quietly. As she assessed him, he performed much the same action. His eyes swept over her patterned form and while he noted she was relatively pale, her blue coat did stand out against the grey. All things considered it was quite similar to the water beneath her hooves and he could identify that she may not necessarily have been bright but her coat would stand out in comparison to most. His lips creased into a wry smile as he regarded her, canting his head to one side as he drew his conclusions and discussed various things with his own mind. To clarify she was a brighter blue than he could see and she would have much more staggering markings if she wasn't so faded.
Conclusion?
...Well she was really quite a pretty thing and certainly astute given how quickly she had spotted him. Satisfied with his findings he righted his head and allowed the wings behind his ears to raise slightly as she broke their silence. Separated by the river he could note that he was safe from her and vice versa if something should happen to go awry. The irony of this was not lost on him, given he had failed to find an appropriate escape plan a few moments ago. Evidently he worked better when not under pressure but given his father wasn't far away he should have felt safe and secure long ago!
Now where were his manners...?
"Good morning" he replied with a surprising amount of enthusiasm. He took the opportunity to draw himself out of the grasses and in to full view again (as manners encouraged) but he made no attempt to cross the river, hsi father would deck him if he so much as tried.
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Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 2:10 am
Chatura had noted his own interest, but she thought that hers might be the greater, for wasn't she ten a penny around here? She knew she was a nice colour, pretty patterning carried from her mother and given an individual spin by nature, but other than that she was just a normal grounded. She knew of her diluted blood, but there wasn't nothing that spoke outwardly of it because she was so very far along the line from her Great-Grandmother's influence.
She looked down at the river, wondering if it was shallow enough to ford at this point, and what his reaction to her crossing it straight away would be. Would he skip away like some wooded spirit as she crossed? Maybe it was better to get to know each other from across the flowing water first. Besides, she'd already worked out that it was breath-takingly cold.
'It's a fine day isn't it?' she offered, that was innocuous enough. She added with a smile.
'The water's fair cold if you were planning on crossing..or even drinking.' she warned.
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Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 1:28 am
He hadn't been tempted to do either, he'd been fed and watered at breakfast by his parents and the likelihood of him swimming in this season was slim. Perhaps the grounded enjoyed swimming but he would have been weighed down by his wings and that may have proved disastrous. Alas, his smile grew pleasant as he regarded the filly with polite interest. She had definitely taken a shine to him through her own curiosity but he was rather glad she hadn't tried to come closer for a number of reasons. The primary cause for concern was safety (for both him and her), the second was that he wasn't entirely sure what he would have done if he came nose to nose with a stranger so soon! His parents might have been nearby but the little colt rather preferred to have them watching him properly at such moments.
...Yes, it would be safe to say it was rather shy.
"Very nice," he replied politely and to emphasise his point he gazed upwards briefly. His eyes fixed on the grey canopy above his head and he took note of the sunlight breaking through the vulnerable gaps in the leaves. He found it pretty in his own abstract and unique way, he could only hope that others appreciated their view of such a thing too. "A little nippy, but that could be because it's warmer at home..." he mused. It should have been evident at this point that he had a very mild accent, an indication that he wasn't from these immediate parts but came from close by - close enough to speak the language properly at least!
"But I wasn't planning of swimming," he murmured and furrowed his brow, "My wings are too heavy, I'd get stuck," he explained.
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Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 3:55 am
Chatura fidgeted on the bank slightly. She really did want to cross the river, and get a look at his different wings up close, but she was sure that it wouldn't do her little body any good to dip it into the cold for however short a duration it was. Maybe she could pursuade him to wait whilst she travelled down river and looked for a shallower place to ford..maybe.
'It'll be nicer in spring, so I'm told by my mother at any rate.' she smiled, obviously they were both winter foals and so had no idea what they more clement seasons would be like until they experienced them, but she was eager to see the woods and meadows come alive.
'I suppose you would. So swimming is out. Can you yet fly?' she asked, edging her way along the bank a little, but not so far as to leave his view.
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Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2010 1:39 am
His home didn't receive snow very often, the valley was sheltered from the worst of the weather and as such, he would be confident in saying that the filly was probably more adept at enduring this type of weather than he was. Despite the fur lined scarf that lay around his neck, he just couldn't get warm at all. A lack of a winter coat tended to have that effect on a creature though and a small part of him wished that he'd either been graced with more fluffy scarves or a much 'fatter' coat. Alas, he had been provided with neither and could only fidget with discomfort as the cold nibbled at his more sensitive regions - really, if he'd wanted to fly he wouldn't have been able, his wings were too stiff!
"Well, I would certainly hope it gets milder," he smiled in an agreeable manner and allowed his gaze to trail after her as she pottered to and fro along the otherside of the bank. He wasn't entirely sure what she was up to, but it looked as though she was putting serious consideration into bridging the distance between them. His stomach gave a flutter of apprehension, the painful shyness threatening to rear it's ugly head and make him recoil away. Worse still, a tiny niggling part of him couldn't help but worry if she fell in - would he be able to yell loud enough?
...Oh dear.
Nevertheless when she broached the question about his wings he did take the opportunity to unfurl one and examine it for a few moments. It quivered from the chill of the winter air, definitely not impressed with his decision to remove it from the warm embrace of his side. Suffice to say, they were a rather puny set of appendages and definitely hadn't grown sufficiently for him to take flight. It'd be another few years before they sprouted and he was able to take flight which was a bit of a shame, he would have quite liked to explore the sky now rather than later.
"Alas no, I do not think I can fly with them... they are too small right now," he replied with a touch of melancholy to his voice.
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Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 8:23 am
Chatura bobbed her head back and forth, looking along the stream, but also turning her attention to the colt so as not to be rude. She edged further along, but still within talking distance and with a little more peering was sure she could see a place a way down where the channel was narrower, somewhere she could cross without getting turned into a foal-sicle.
'That's a shame.' she nodded, looking at them again, then his head wings, curious as to what part those would play when he was able to be aerial. Balance?
'Do you have winged parents, or a winged parent..'
'I'm Chatura by the by..' she added, realising that they'd been conversing without having given their names, and she waited for his in return.
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Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2010 5:08 am
She was definitely coming across, there was no doubt in his mind about that. He didn't need to be a genius to spot the tell tale signs as the pale filly pottered back and forth along the shore line. Now and again she would inspect a particular area, dismiss the idea and look elsewhere. Evidently none of her initial finds were proving shallow enough or narrow enough to cross. A small part of him was very grateful for this, but the other part was rather intrigued. In a manner of speaking this filly was reminding him of his sister just a little, granted Babes was a bit more fool hardy and pushy (in a nice way) but this filly seemed to be just as sure of herself.
...Could she make the jump?
He made a small bet that she probably could and sucked in a breath through his teeth as though he was preparing for the inevitable. Let her not fall in, he couldn't swim very well and he wasn't sure how quickly his Papa could reach him. Baltidos was fast and strong but would he be fast enough to catch a baby in the rushing tides? One might have accused Solstice of being a pessimist but but there was logic behind these thoughts!
"My mother is an Angeni," he responded without much hesitation on his part. "Of Flowers, she likes flowers..." he explained and overed a small smile. She was covered in flowers, nurtured them and murmured sweet nothings to them. She marvelled at their beauty and so did the rest of his family - such colours they seemed to have but unfortunately he had never been graced with the pleasure of seeing them. Ah well, he could admire their shape, their vulnerability and their scent which was special in it's own way.
"Oh...I'm Solstice, but my sister calls me 'Sol'," he introduced himself after a short while before offering a smile. He wasn't one for etiquette at this age but he would probably become a little more aware of it at a later stage.
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Posted: Wed Mar 31, 2010 7:01 am
'An Angeni?' she queried, her head moving so that she could see the spot which she'd picked out as a possibly place to ford the water..or hopefully be able to do a clear jump across from.
'Please to meet you Solstice.' she bobbed her head and then gave him a grin.
'So if I move downstream and cross the water, are you going to stay here?'
She had wondered if he was still talking to her because there was a barrier between them, she was no great shakes as yet at reading body language, but he did seem even to her youthful eyes a little bit tentative.
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Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 4:21 am
Would he stay there? It was a valid question and one that required careful consideration. While she posed no immediate threat to him and seemed harmless, he couldn't confirm or deny this. He'd heard that looks could be deceiving and even the smallest, most pleasant individual could merely be a mask for fatal surprise. For all he knew, she could transform into a demon before his very eyes and eat him for breakfast - a touch on the dramatic side and highly illogical but stranger things had happened to some individuals he had heard of!
Alas, logic prevailed and he regarded her closely for a few minutes and then shook his head. He'd stay, his instincts weren't bad and he was fairly certain he would be safe. Common sense had prevailed and he wouldn't be bolting any time soon - or rather he wouldn't be bolting unless and accident occured and he needed to get some help. This in mind, the colt pursed his lips and sucked briefly before speaking. "No, I won't run away," he confirmed and then tilted his head to the side, his unruly forelock flopping over his eyes as he did so. "Although are you sure you won't fall in? I don't think it's very safe and I'm not big enough to pull you out," he warned with a wisened expression.
"But in answer to your question, an Angeni is a guardian of sorts - I think some soquili call them 'angels' but they're there to protect certain things in the world, like flowers or um... sheep," he shrugged just a touch. "Least that's what my mother has told me, they have eight sets of wings! One pair on the head, pair on the legs and two pairs on their back..."
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 8:39 am
Chatura raised a brow at the delay in answering - did she really look that menacing? She supposed she could have just been really girly and acted all dumb, but that wasn't her. When he finally answered she gave him a warm smile in return and trotted to the point she'd zeroed in on as being a possible crossing point.
'I promise I won't blame you if I fall in and get swept away.' she said, flicking her tail as she looked from him to the water. She could see the muddy bottom really clearly from where she stood, and she put one hoof in, shivering as the cold water touched her flesh. It was bearable though if it only touched her ankles and so she waded in, sucking in her breath as all her hooves were covered by the cold, flowing water.
'C-cold..' she chattered as her hooves sunk a way in the mud. She pulled herself forward and finally was clattering out onto the stones of the far bank.
'So they protect parts of nature? And eight? Goodness, they must be expert flyers.' she looked at Solstice, properly this time as she was near him now.
'But you only have the two sets, because?'
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