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 Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 8:13 am
 The sky was painted multiple hues, consisting of brilliant shades of reds, oranges, and yellows. The sun was setting in the horizon somewhere, and soon the stars would poke through such a dazzling display of colors. This was the time of day she disliked the most. Dusk. It was pretty, sure enough. Dusk and dawn rivaled each other in beauty and capture, but dusk led to night, and it was the farewell to the day that made Merciette sad. The daytime and sunlight made the mare feel relatively safer. It was when night fell that she felt unsafe, a victim to her fears of what lied in the shadows of the encompassing forest. "Oh night, though you bring many rest you only bring me discomfort." She spoke quietly with a hint of humor, her icy eyes staring at her own in the reflection of the pond before her. In the water she saw the reflection of the sky above, and through it a few small fish still out for a swim. She moved her hooves gently as she strolled along the water's edge, careful not to tread on the minnows. They swam out away from where her hooves landed, but they often came back playfully to swim around. She smiled sadly, knowing very well that once night fell they too would flee off or so she assumed, since she would find it hard to see them under the light of the moon. Night. The thought brought a frown to the mare's face. Persephonix was nocturnal. It was his time to move, if he was. She doubted he would rest for long after his chest wound. Merci sighed and turned to the forest, casting a wary look on the shrubery. She had kept refuge in these parts for too long. Tomorrow she'd have to move again.
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Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 8:45 am
The bright colors of the sunset weren't something that Deidren particularly welcomed. The light had a habit of giving his normal silvery hair a dye job. What was normally pale as the moon would take on the appearance of being on fire. He rather disliked the sunrise for the same reason. It did signal one thing he didn't mind though, the coming of a blanket of shadows. It made it considerably easier for Deidren to move around because, even though his hair lit up like a star in the moonlight, it was easier to move about unnoticed. Black on black, he had found, was a lot harder to spot than black on a bright backdrop. He just had to put up with the sky bleeding colors into his mane and tail until the time when the sky would turn dark.
Aimlessly he plodded along waiting for the sun to go away. His ears twitched at every sound, the birds rushing to their nests, rabbits scurrying to their burrows and someone talking.
Wait.
He came to a stop and realized that he really hadn't been paying attention to where his feet had been carrying him. When he finally begin to notice things he saw what seemed to be a mare many yards away just...walking in the water? His red eyes gleamed in the fading light as he stared at her. "What the hell is she doing?" He muttered to himself. Girls were weird.
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Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 9:08 am
Merciette had been on her own long enough to know when something was off. As she walked along the water's edge with gentle steps, she couldn't help but shiver. This feeling... Was one she had not had the displeasure of having in a while. And she knew very well what it was.
It was that creepy feeling that someone somewhere was watching her. Her steps began to slow down, only taking a few more before she completely stopped. The minnows that played amongst her hooves swam away now, as if picking up on her worried vibes. Merciette was like a deer in headlights now, just standing still. Her eyes looked about frantically, praying that they would find an owl or some kind of animal just staring at her.
Alas however, she didn't, and the mare moved to walk back on land where if she needed to run, she wouldn't be slowed by sand, mud, and the fear of stepping on a poor finned creature. Merciette wasn't the kind of Soquili who stood there stupidly and yelled out to see if anyone was there. That was just an invitation for her icy eyed brother to swoop in and catch his prey. No. She would remain silent.
Maybe it was just a feeling brought on by paranoia. If anything however, that scared her more - she'd rather have a reason to feel this way than her own fears being the reason.
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Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 9:23 am
And she became stranger still. First she slowed down and then froze like a rock. Then she came out of the water entirely and Deidren couldn't keep himself from wondering what the hell was wrong with her. Had she been bitten by some sort of ferocious pond dwelling creature. The idea seemed utterly ridiculous. It was a pond. What could possibly be living in a pond that was dangerous?
He considered just leaving and turned away to do so. It wasn't his problem if some evil fish or snake had taken a liking to her taste. It just wasn't his problem. But he also got the feeling that if he left now somehow Malcolm would find out and he would never hear the end of it. His eyes narrowed unhappily at the thought. Oh the irritation it would bring him.
Deidren growled angrily and forced himself to turn back around. That stupid stallion caused him problems or at least that's what he told himself. "Hey! Weird mare over there! You're okay yeah?" He called while trudging his way closer. This was dumb. He should have just left.
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Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 12:07 pm
Merciette never really considered herself to be weird.
Then again, she never considered her much to be anything or anyone besides a thorn in Persephonix's side.
Thus when the stranger's voice broke through the once welcomed and now eerie silence, Merciette didn't know how to respond. It certainly was not her brother - his favorite name for her was "rat", and that at least calmed the mare. A small smile graced her lips as she sighed, relieved. Oh heavens, it wasn't him. But now... She had this to deal with. Merciette stared in the direction of the voice, watching the stallion trudge his way ever so closer. She took an instinctive step back and bit on her lower lip, conflicted.
What was she supposed to do? She had been running for so long... Conversation and the comfort of company was something she desperately desired. However, company had a tendency of leaving forever... and company also had a tendency of leading him to her. She grimaced at the thought and her predicament. What a cruel choice, she mused, her awkward sense of humor allowing her to smile lightly as she decided to respond, "It depends on your definition of okay, sir." She tilted her head, her brow furrowing as she analyzed the stallion coming her way.
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Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 12:52 pm
He still couldn't figure out the point in doing this. Malcolm was all for helping random people. Personally Deidren thought this was a stupid practice and was probably just annoying to a lot of people. People like him.
However, as he drew closer he could see her step backwards. His eye twitched slightly. It was not the first time he'd gotten this reaction from strangers. He was a bit larger than your average stallion and his eyes had been compared to blood before but this was the first time someone had moved in such a way like they wanted to run even though he wasn't trying to get them to leave. He sighed a little irritably but kept moving towards her.
The moment she spoke her words threw him for a bit of a loop and he stopped. It was a fairly straight forward question that only needed a yes or no answer. With a yes he could leave with a no, well he'd be forced to figure out what was wrong. He grumbled a little. She was making this whole 'being friendly or nice to strangers' thing very difficult. "Okaaay...let's say my definition of 'okay' is not injured or about to be injured...how's that work for you?" He was completely unable to keep the attitude out of his voice.
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Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 6:59 pm
He kept advancing, and for every few steps of his Merciette made sure to take one back. His eyes were the color of blood, and his size! He was as big as her brother, maybe even taller. She couldn't tell, but there was something about the stallion before her. Though his tone was less than friendly, he didn't appear dangerous. If anything, he just seemed a little miffed.
And as soon as she realized that, she connected it to his being irritated to her. Her ears flattened against her head and she frowned, casting a look back at the water. "Then according to your definition," she paused to take a step back and to look at him, her eyes reflecting hurt, "I am not okay. However, it would be in your best interest to pretend that I am so and move on." With that Merciette turned away from the stallion, beginning to walk in the opposite direction.
Walk, not run. If anything, that was a good thing. At least at this point she didn't fear the stallion. She just didn't want to be a burden.
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Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2010 9:23 am
He noticed that he hadn't really seemed to make much progress on getting to the mare. He knew that he had moved and it seemed that she had as well. He frowned. Was he really that scary? Deidren noticed that her ears were back and that she was wearing a frown to match his. He would take that as a yes, he really was just that scary. Then his frown turned to a scowl as she looked away from him. Irritating female.
He entertained the thought of rushing towards her to get close. It would have really only made things worse so the mare had picked a perfect time to turn, look at him and give him an answer.
It sure as hell wasn't the type of answer he'd been expecting. This mare was just full of surprises like the fact that she was now leaving even though, according to her, she wasn't okay. He stared at her retreating form with a look of utter disbelief on his face. He tried to puzzle things together.
She was a girl. She was clearly timid. She was not okay and yet here she was telling him to act like everything was fine and leave. The pieces of this puzzle just weren't fitting together. That, for whatever reason, irritated him and he started to follow her.
"You're crazy. If your not okay then you should let people help you stupid." It probably was not the most convincing argument of the century but it was all Deidren had.
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Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2010 5:29 pm
She was beginning to wonder if he was of that one sort of Soquili.
The ones where something just didn't quite click in their heads, ones that needed to be tended to gently. His tone was unpleasant to listen to and from the sound of his steps, he following her as well. Maybe he was just of the same sort as her brother, that sort just being mean.
Because being addressed to as "stupid" was much akin to being called a "rat". Merciette sighed, shaking her head as she continued to walk, only slowing to a stop after she actually though over what he said. With a hint of grace, the mare turned abruptly around to face the stallion. She looked straight at his face, still biting her lower lip.
He wanted to help? Well, it was a little hard to tell from his tone and actions... But... The spark of hope and happiness that surged through the mare was one she couldn't deny. Somebody who wanted to help. A small smile pulled at her lips, though it was a sad one. Of course he'd want to help until he knew what was really going on... Until his own life was endangered.
"I'm helping you by not getting you involved. Though I thank you, kind stranger, for showing interest in my cause... If I have interpreted this correctly." She looked down with a shake of her head.
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Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 11:15 am
A dark brow twitched upward as she started shaking her head. Was he annoying her or did she think that he was stupid too? He didn't get much time to consider this before she stopped and whirled about to face him. One ear twitched to the side and his eyes darted the other way to check for something that he may have overlooked as dangerous.
Nothing.
The simple conclusion that he was drawing now was that she had stopped for him. The fact that she was staring right at him only supported this and he too came to a stop.
He stared back at her until her worried expression shifted to a smile that could never truly be counted as one. At that time she spoke and it didn't take long for Deidren to snort and turn his gaze skywards almost impatiently.
"Look lady," He started just staring into the heavens, "Don't thank me. Okay?" His eyes slid back down to look at the pale mare though his head remained still. He hadn't done anything deserving thanks. He wouldn't accept those words unless he actually did something, besides, it wasn't like he was actually doing it for her. Was he? "You're not helping me with anything. You'd be helping me if you'd just let me help you already, got it?"
With a stubborn look plastered over his white stained face he lowered his head and turned to look directly at her. He wasn't sure if what he was saying made any sense to her because it sure as hell didn't make any sense to him. She was a very unusual mare though, so maybe she could translate crazy in her head easily.
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 11:04 am
Merciette stared at the stallion with an unreadable expression. She considered him thoughtfully for a few long moments, before a small, genuine smile pulled at her ivory lips.
Aggressive. Proud.
That was what she got from him and how he was presenting himself. Despite this though, the determination and the agitation he showed on not knowing how to help her revealed something more - that he was a kind soul, even if he didn't appear so at first.
Merciette took a slow, gentle step towards him and moved her head so as to move her mane to the other side of her neck. "Kind sir," she started, gazing into crimson eyes, "You continue to offer assistance, yet you do not know my plight." Her smiled widened, but it did not meet her eyes.
No, now it was a little sad.
"You offer help to me, a stranger. You do not know the beast that follows me, that haunts me. You do not know of the trials I have been through to stand here as I am. Yet, if you persist, you will know, and I fear you will not be as of much help as you - or I - wish to be."
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 11:35 am
Nothing about the situation screamed "success" to Deidren. The way this was going there didn't seem to be any clear path to a success with her. He still didn't even know what the problem was. At least she was no longer retreating from him. In fact she'd come a little closer. That was a start right?
His eyes met her's as she spoke. There was something very wrong with her eyes. For a color so bright they looked so dull like she had already given up. What exactly she had given up was unclear to the stallion but at this point he'd be damned if he couldn't find out the details. She couldn't just be a normal mare with lit up eyes and a bubbly voice. No, the fates had to make his challenge difficult. For a brief moment his eyes flicked up to the sky to silently curse the beings that seemed to hate him so. Then he shifted into a very relaxed, even bored stance as he looked at the mare again.
"I'd know if ya'd tell me..." He muttered under his breath as she continued. Within seconds he'd gone very tense at the mention of a beast. The rest of her words fell on deaf ears as he quickly scanned the surrounding area his ears alert. His jaw clenched and he fought back the urge to snarl very much like a beast himself. To him, that word only meant one thing.
"Is it a wolf?" He demanded drawing himself up to his full height. "I'll kill it." The snarl had surfaced on his face as he growled out his vow. If there was one thing in the world that he truly couldn't stand it was wolves.
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 11:48 am
His stance had changed at her words. To Merciette, it seemed like he was finally realizing the severity of her situation... Until he started talking about wolves. He was snarling and standing taller, and if he was not speaking kind(ish) words to her prior she would have been rather frightened. At the sight though, a dainty laugh emitted from her throat, and she closed her eyes as she shook her head.
How innocent. How innocent, to believe it a creature of the forest.
Her smile was still set upon her lips as she reopened her eyes, looking at him with raised brows. "If only it were a wolf, if only." She looked skyward for a brief moment before letting her head loll back into place, "This beast is... I suppose one of our kind. Heaven be damned if he is,"she whispered the latter, grimacing slightly.
"He is big, like you. Horned with large, bat-like wings. He is... He is my terror. My constant fright." As she spoke of him, her brows knitted together and her face mirrored that of a scared filly. She began to take a few steps back, watching the stallion cautiously.
Now she was beginning to fear she had said too much. If he did not wish to help her, what if he ran into Persephonix and spoke of her? Her ears flattened against her head at the thought, regarding Deidren with frightened eyes.
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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 12:11 pm
"Ehh..." His fury was slowly fizzling away as she laughed lightly and shook her head. It wasn't a wolf then? He didn't much like that he was being treated like an ignorant child by her. He scowled quietly at her as she looked skyward. It wasn't really his fault that he has such strong prejudices against the little hairy beasts. He did his beast to stop fuming as she lowered her head but his eyes were still narrowed slightly in a bit of a pout.
One of their kind? A soquili? His head tilted slightly at this information an eyebrow raised. It sure as hell wasn't unheard of. Even he'd suffered long enough from another of his kind. It would be a bit harder to deal with one of their own kind that was for sure. a good kick to a wolf's head or chest would stun it long enough to stop it and from there it would be easy enough to crush it's skull.
This would be harder than a wolf and the next bit of information solidified that information in Deidren's mind. It would be much much harder than a wolf.
"A kalona?" The words left his mouth just above a whisper and were deadly serious. "You got mixed up with a kalona?" His voice was louder and perhaps even more serious than before. He'd had dealings with a kalona before. A wicked mare. She had been smallish but was still a nasty bugger like they all were.
After a long silence while he thought he snorted and shook his head. "Well s**t...that is a bit of a problem." He muttered actually sounding slightly amused. In an odd sort of way he was. It felt like he was being tested in the dumbest, hardest was possible. But...there was no way he was backing down.
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