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 Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 7:00 pm
There was a certain peace to wandering by one's self, Daliu admitted as she strolled along. Granted, she enjoyed herself immensely when traveling with the half sisters that had joined the herd that gathered around Tashika's Teepee. The Kiwani maiden was always kind to them, tending their hurts and greeting them fondly with attention and treats. It was the way she had about her that made them stay close, made them offer her their backs and carry her where she requested.
Not that she needed such a herd to do so. Sibalto -a stallion that would tell tales of living and then traveling over the sea to arrive in this land- was always first to Tashika's side. He had only ever been within reach of two-leggers, had no reservations about her ascending his back. If Sibalto was elsewhere, his son or grandson could offer her aid... If she needed to go far, two winds were near to bear her... And still more ground-walkers... And then Daliu herself.
Still, they stayed and enjoyed the company of the woman an each other... And so even though her sire was gone and her mother having troubles and her sister skies-knew-where, Daliu was content. She had a family. And wandering with them was always entertaining, but sometimes it was nice to travel by herself and experience new things, meet new Soquili, without the elder mares hovering like protective parents.
"Not that I don't love you, Shara and Masque... But really." The purple mare snorted as she picked up a trot and left the woods for an open meadow. "I'm no foal... I want to make friends and have fun."
And so she wandered.
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Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2010 4:36 pm
 Bright red hooves picked their way out of loam, crushing meadow-grass. The trees that flicked his ears parted to the open air as the stallion stepped out of the forest.
He didn't often worry about friends. Cornick had them: in the trees and fields, in sky and soft earth. The animals were a bit trickier to pin down, but he called them acquaintances. Two-leggeds were not his favorite sort of people, but he got along with them on the whole. It was actually other Soquili that gave him the most trouble, surprising as that was. He preferred his own company and its relative isolation to any extended meetings. He didn't have any longtime contacts; he wasn't well known among his own kind.
Not that any of that bothered him much. Cornick had his friends.
So thinking, his eyes lifted, gazing across the meadow for the first time. It was one of his favorite places, this far out - so quiet, and no one to bother him. Or... so he thought. His great head dipped, and the stallion snorted as he noted a Soq-shaped spot on the horizon. Thrusting his head back in irritation, Cornick lifted his heels and cantered toward the intruder. Maybe she had simply gotten lost.
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Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2010 6:53 pm
She was glad when the forest gave way to sun and flowing breezes of an open glade. She'd raced through this area more then once, and was looking forward to the chance to do so again. However, just as Daliu was gathering her legs beneath her to surge into a flat-out gallop, she noticed the approach of another Soquili from across the field.
Well, that's something new... The indigo coated mare mused as she realized that her plans for a run were all but destroyed, at least for the moment, until she knew what the stallion wanted or how he was going to react.
She knew this land was home to no herd, so she hadn't been too worried about trespassing on any claimed territory. Tashika made her home on the edge of the river, set against the foot of the forest. There were, after all no herds exceptionally close to Tashika's teepee, so she'd never really had to worry about encountering too many strangers. The few she had met were usually more then a couple hours worth of wandering away from her homelands...
Perhaps I should have... She mused to herself as she maintained her trot, keeping her legs gathered under her as she made a faint turn and considered the approaching stallion warily. It wasn't unrealistic that a lone stallion -or mare- would claim territory, in fact Daliu herself had a glade near the Shaman's home she considered her own... But she hadn't realized someone had come to the area since her last visit.
Another quick turn, still she kept the stallion in her sights.
No harm in being friendly just in case, she could always run later. "Greetings and Good Day..." She murmured kindly with a faint smile. "I was not aware others wandered in these parts..."
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Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 1:07 am
At first, Cornick's expression did not waver - it remained set in annoyance, watching the mare who would disturb his peace. She approached him with purpose; it was obvious that she was not, as he had so hoped, some misguided creature. He snorted as the gap between them closed, and cursed his poor luck.
"Good day to you as well, madam." He turned as she did, pulling in his stride to match the easiness of her trot. "I wasn't aware, either. I've never seen you about - are you lost, by chance?" The stallion's carmine eyes flashed up at and over her a few times. His features softened slightly as he did; he looked only to see what he was up against, not to offend. And what Cornick saw, to his surprise, was that she looked capable enough. The color of wine sat well on her, and the shine of the markings by her hooves was even sort of... intriguing.
His ears flickered the thought away. Certainly, she seemed more capable than others he had come across. Silly things they were - male and female alike - who he had to lead back to their meadows and pastures by the mane. He had never claimed this territory as his own, that was true. But it was still one of his places, in a way that was completely irrational and hard to explain. He liked it. And capable-looking or not, the last thing he needed was to share it with some fragile mare.
So he stared at her steadily, awaiting an answer to his question. There was still that fleeting hope that she was lost.
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Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 9:17 am
Well, Liu... She mused to herself as she considered his expression out of sky-colored eyes, head at a slight tilt and ears flicking here and there, always aware of her surroundings, though she doubted there was anything to be worried about, beyond what she had already found. He looks as though you just stepped on his tail and crushed his favorite flowers all at once, perhaps while stealing the same apple from the tree that he himself was considering.. How the devil do you propose to fix offending a complete stranger just by existing?
The question prompted a soft laugh, though she knew it was probably not the best idea to laugh at such a question, it was simple reaction. Sunlight warmed her indigo coat, her markings soft white against the dark of her hide and the sun's golden rays. "Nor have I seen you.. But no, I am not lost.. In fact, I'm a fairly frequent visitor to this place, once a moon or so... It is far enough out of the way that usually there is no one to disturb the solitude..."
Her trot slowed to more of a floating stride, mane and tail bannering in the soft wind of her movement. She would have stopped, but as he did not seem keen on her presence, movement seemed ideal. To stand was to claim the space, to perhaps challenge him enough to earn true displeasure. Tweaking the tail of a strange stallion was not on her 'to-do' list for the day...
Or really ever, if she had the choice.
"I wonder, are you?" She returned, the question innocently uttered but there was a spirit of challenge behind it. She was no one's empty headed idiot, Daliu had fire of her own.
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Posted: Sun Mar 21, 2010 9:05 pm
What a strange reaction! Cornick's eyebrows lifted, nostrils flaring in another, fainter snort. It was the rare creature who would laugh in the face of his annoyance. "I am not lost at all." The stallion's reply was curt - slightly miffed, as if the prospect of him being lost was something completely ridiculous. His voice slowed to a deep drawl as their pace slackened yet again. "I visit this place often as well. Its solitude is welcoming. Apparently, a little more welcoming than I imagined."
Pricking his ears forward and toward her, Cornick came to a slow standstill. His posture facing the mare was an answer to the challenge in her tone. At least, an answer to the challenge he thought he'd heard. This Soq, though just as pretty, did not act like the other foolish-minded mares.
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Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2010 7:35 pm
His stiff response made her want to laugh. 'I am not lost at all'... It was so like a stallion to come up with that for a reply. Whether he was or was not, it was not as if he'd admit it. Not that it mattered if he did or not.. If he did wander so regularly to this place and did not wish to share it, she simply would go elsewhere when wandering... It was no hardship. She had other groves, and if he wanted to lay claim to this place, it was not as if she could stop him anyway.
"Usually it is much lovelier in the early morning when there is no one to interrupt its stillness." She replied softly, flicking her tail. "But it just seems to be luck -whichever way you wish to take it- that we've not met before now..."
She gave a faint shrug. "At any rate.. If my presence is displeasing to thee, I can go.. After all, you were here first today, and this place seems to mean much to you... I can promise not to disturb you again..."
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Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2010 11:29 pm
Cornick watched her for another few moments, ears pricked forward, before his voice lifted in a low wicker of amuse and disappointment. He lowered his head, keeping his ears on her but closing his eyes. The stallion's mane rose and tussled as he gave himself a scolding shake.
The amusement in his tone was entirely for her - it had been a while since he had been challenged by anything, much less anything like herself. The disappointment there was for himself. Territorial one may be; distrustful, that was alright; but it was downright rude to chase a rightful lady from green pastures, and he was sorry to realize that he was far out of line.
"I prefer it in the evening, when the fireflies light up the air." His head lifted. Clearly, he was attempting to remedy his past behavior without showing sheepishness - which definitely wouldn't befit a strong, wild Soquili stallion. Whether it fit him or not, he really did feel quite sheepish. "If you would forgive me for saying, I doubt you'd believe the sight.
"It is odd that we've never crossed ways before. But this is not my clearing. I can't chase you from it."
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Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 12:48 pm
The mixture of emotions behind the sound made Daliu tilt her head, confusion gleaming in her blue eyes. Still somewhat bewildered, and unsure if she should just leave as she had stated she would, Daliu watched the strange stallion lower his head and give himself a shake.
Well, what on earth was he doing? His words caught her by surprise, made her glance around. She'd never been here to watch the fireflies dance, though evening and night were her favorite time.
"I prefer to be at the river when evening falls." She replied softly. "With the fireflies and the stars gleaming..."
Her markings gleamed against her dark coat. "That is a sight I enjoy, though I will take your word that this clearing has great beauty at the same time."
Odd? She supposed so, but she had a tendency to wander where her hooves directed. Which meant as far or near as she wished, at any time of the day or night. The mountain range was splendid at dawn, with the wind Soquili she called friends performing great aerial displays, dancing and diving through the winds.
"There are many beautiful sights that I have seen, and still do not believe. The world is full of such things, as long as one is willing to look."
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