|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2010 7:54 am
Chatura didn't know how long the Kalona mare had been tracking her..stalking her? All she knew was that suddenly a very aggressive looking Soquili dropped to the ground in front of her, wings folding away and tail flicking as though the mare was an agitated feline. She watched as the mare flicked out her tongue, a disturbing long thing like a lizards, that run across pointed teeth and across the Kalona's nose.
'Hello.' Chatura managed, staying still, not making any movements at all that could be construed as attacking or fearful, though she would be foolish not to be afraid and indeed her heart was still pattering quite swiftly away in her chest. 'Hello..' Aranea replied, not entirely surprised that this silly mare hadn't run screaming, there were a few that tried to make conversation - as if that would do any good! She'd even had a deer try and talk her out of her dinner, fancy spending your last few moments pleading for your life instead of dying properly. 'I suppose you wish to plead for your life..' she said with a little sigh. She'd so hoped for a chase this time, it always got the appetite going and plus it was fun, especially toying with your prey, making them think that they'd managed to evade you and then pouncing. 'No..I s-should be?' Chatura stuttered inadvertantly, realising that her quest for knowledge had led her into the jaws of what Kalona were known for. A killer. She still stood her ground but was more on the alert than ever, muscles straining for when the other mare attacked.
'I only wanted to..I only want to talk to you.''Talk? I really don't talk with my food..' Aranea lunged forward, pivoting as she did so, slashing out with her tail at Chatura. She would have gone straight for the kill, but this one she wanted to have fun with. Chatura gasped, pushing backwards but not quite fast enough, her shoulder getting sliced open by the Kalona's tail point. She winced but didn't let it stop her, backing swiftly up and then turned on her hooves as fast as she was physically able, high-tailing it out of there.
She would have taken this moment to mentally scold herself for not backing away as soon as Aranea spoke, but her stupid stubborn quest for knowledge had meant she had been reckless. And now wasn't the time, now was time to concentrate her every ounce of energy on escaping. She heard a mirthless little chuckle not far behind her and risked a glance backwards, seeing that the Kalona had taken to the wing. She skidded to the left, changing direction and headed for the tree line, reasoning that flight would be harder in there and that the mare would have to land, losing valuable seconds in pursuing Chatura. That was the hope at any rate...
Panting hard, Chatura ran under the trees, pushing herself around branches and ploughing on, changing direction every so often to try and lose the Kalona, although as she was still leaving a trail of blood it was probably a futile attempt. Slim hope piled onto slim hope, as she also realised that she might very well blunder into the path of another hunter but she clung to the knowledge that predators didn't often share their hunting grounds. So it was a clung-to hope that this was the case today as she carried on running through the trees...
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 5:56 am
The even pace suddenly stopped as the stallion paused, head lifting as both ears swiveled forwards, listening attentively. Storm grey eyes roamed the trees, seeking the cause of the faint but growing rumble of... hoof beats? Slowly the stallion turned to face the ever increasing sounds of someone scrambling through the forest, for he knew 'that' sound well. Someone was in flight, the only question was... was it wolf, bear.. or worse? Flattening his ears he took a deep breath, he couldn't just walk away, even now, even after all that had come to pass recently.. he couldn't just turn away. Shaking his head he wondered what it was that made him stand still, waiting for those hoofbeats, instead of doing the decent thing and getting himself out of there. Rolling one shoulder, the old wound still obviously bearing the shape of a skinwalker's jaws, the stallion took a breath and readied himself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 3:53 am
Chatura stopped for a brief moment, winded by a strong slap in the chest from a low hanging branch. She coughed, frantically trying to get her breath back as she could hear the sounds of pursuit not far from her. She pushed onwards again, tired but determined that she would escape with her life, and at least more answers. That was one thing, despite blundering into this situation she had found out more about Kalonas.
Which will be a great comfort when you're a meal I'm sure.. she scolded herself for thinking about that right now and picked up the pace again, her ears twitching as she strained to listen, glancing back swiftly to see if the other mare was close enough to see.
She stumbled as her gaze went forward, managed to just about right herself and swerving around a small group of trees virtually ran into a large blue shape that had been standing there. She uttered a small noise of surprise, and fell back on her hind legs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2010 5:55 pm
Despite having known what, if not who, was headed his way, the sudden appearance of the blue-coated mare startled him. Stepping swiftly to the side to avoid a possible collision, certain she would end up the worse if such happened, he noted the blood staining her soft blue coat before swinging to look behind her, guessing the predator was not far behind.
"Stick behind me, no matter what. As soon as I distract it completely, escape."
Striding round the mare, he faced the direction she had come from, head tossing back as he scanned the skies above as well as the forest around them. It had to be here soon.. who.. or what, was it..
Powerful legs braced as pricked ears swept urgently, where would it come from, how would it attack? Would it go for him or the mare behind him?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 4:36 am
'What..I?' Chatura managed to get her mind working again after the flight from the Kalona and the shock of virtually running into this large blue stallion.
'No, I mean, thank you but this was my mistake, my fault she's hunting me.' her purple eyes met his dark ones and she gently shook her head.
'I can't ask you to fight my battles, I don't even know you.' she had gotten shakily to her fight, turning to face where she had come from. A little way from where they stood she caught a glimpse of a black shape and stepped back, brushing against the male and starting a little.
She gnawed at her lower lip; logically it was the right thing to do, to take his help for his larger frame would handle a fight better than hers but she wouldn't get someone else hurt because she hadn't noticed the signs of something tracking her. She watched as the Kalona mare stepped out coolly in front of them, eyes darting between them, tail swishing slowly. Too late now..
Aranea paused at the sight of the stallion, her prey had a mate? It was cause to make her pause a little, she would have to split them up again, chase the mare away from this larger male. Although he wasn't a Kalona, nor did he appear to be much of a fighter, there was a certain way his was standing that made her believe he if not the mare would put up a fight.
'Your boy won't stop me..I might make him watch me kill you though.' she sneered, her tail swinging more now, the tip still coated in Chatura's blood. She could see the mare was scared and likely to bolt, when that happened she would follow on wing as the trees were thinner here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 4:36 pm
For the briefest of moments, as the young mare chattered in her nervousness, the heavy blanket of darkness lifted slightly from the stallion's shoulders and the smallest of smiles crossed his muzzle. "You didn't ask." He replied, grey eyes meeting hers, steady and calm. He seemed unruffled by the approaching threat, yet the great body was held still, waiting and ready.
Ears shot forwards at the rustling of the undergrowth just before the shadowy shape stepped into view. Shifting, solid hooves sending up little puffs of dried leaf litter, the stallion settled storm-grey eyes on the kalona mare.
So.. it was one of them. He lest favored predator. Skinwalkers were at least predictable in their thoughtless savagery, but Kalonas were a whole other ballgame. The only thing predictable about them, was their lust for flesh.
Frowning as sleek ears pinned back against muscular neck, the stallion bared blunt but powerful teeth. "You will have to deal with me first." The low rumble of his voice retorted darkly to the kalona's sneer. Without taking his eyes off the predator, the stallion shifted slightly, putting himself more firmly in the way of the kalona's attack path to the mare behind him.
".. When shes distracted, and only when shes distracted.. slip away very quietly, and slowly." Cloud murmured low under his breath, too soft for the kalona to hear, and barely loud enough for even the mare at his side to catch.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 12:55 pm
Chatura almost shot back the words 'He's not my boy!', but that would accomplish nothing apart from making her look more of a fool than she already was. Why was he doing this?
'Then deal with you I will, bring you down and let you listen to that one scream as you breathe your last..' Aranea replied, her gaze locked on the stallion, her long tongue flicking out, carressing the pointed teeth in her mouth. She only wanted to eat the mare, the one who had thought to speak with her - he was just in the way.
'Please, I have to help, I can't let you do this.' she replied in a low but urgent voice. If she was going to be Kalona fodder than she didn't want her last act to get this brave stranger hurt.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 6:48 am
One ear lifted slightly from where it had been flattened against the strong neck of the stallion, angling back towards the mare for a moment. "I know." Shifting, one front hoof slowly scouring the ground as the stallion prepared for the attack.
"If you stay, do not get near her head."
The stallion was well aware that it was not just the kalona's teeth that were dangerous, but they were the part most likely to bring death.
Shoulders hunching, the large body of the stallion tensed, waiting for the predator's attack. Knowing he could not leave the mare behind him or the creature would just go around him.
"Trust me.." He murmured, glancing back for a brief moment, meeting those stunning violet eyes of hers. Whoever she was, she could not die here today, not while he lived, and there was breath in his body. She had that aura of life to her still, a passion for something that he had lost. If his flesh and blood would keep that energy with her, then the kalona could have it.
He did not plan to die this day, but he was not afraid of it. He had wasted so much of his life, the spirits had told him so in no uncertain terms, that he knew he could not quibble if this was indeed his last day.
Flattening his ears once again he dug one powerful hoof into the rich soil, snorting darkly at the Kalona. "You mean, you will try." He growl back, white teeth flashing in the gloom of the forest.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 7:11 am
'Watch her tail also..' Chatura offered, her voice a whisper as her throat had gone dry and tight with her nerves. She had no intention of going near those teeth, and the weird long tongue gave her the heebies as it was. She could imagine it slithering over her before the Kalona sunk its teeth in..she repressed a shudder and bought herself back to the moment swiftly.
'I do.' she met his gaze for a moment, the words slipping unbidden from her mouth. It was as though something flashed between them, despite the current situation..or maybe bought about because of what was happening. She looked past him to the Kalona and yelled out a warning as Aranea struck.
Aranea snorted, not wasting her energy on further retorts and kicked upwards, her wings snapping open as she did so. She gained height quickly, and dove towards Chatura, causing the mare to fall back as she landed behind the stallion. She lashed out with her tail, trying to rake the backs of his hindlegs, at the same time she slapped Chatura with her open wing, sending her reeling back even more.
She hissed at the stallion as she struck, ready for him to retaliate if her first strikes missed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 8:18 am
A nod of his head was the stallion's reply to her warning. He had seen the blood decorating her shoulder from the slash-like wound. That was no fang or hoof mark he knew.
That brief moment as her eyes met his, that soft, single acceptance of her faith in him, rocked him to the core. It was as if her words were not heard, but felt. The warmth of her voice flowing over him, though him, chasing back the chill that had settled within him since that fateful day on the plains.
Perhaps that was why he reacted just a fraction slower than he should have when the kalona launched, allowing the creature to get behind him. With a scream that was more enraged and protective than a stranger's should have been, the blue stallion spun round, dirt and bits of the forest flying up as sold hooves dug into the soft earth. The movement ruined the tail's strike, though a line of blood welled up on one muscular thigh where the tip sliced blue hide.
Utter fury possessed the stallion as he dived for the Kalona. Head snaking forwards, jaw wide as blunt but powerful teeth sought the dark hide of the creature. Pale hooves gleamed, slashing the air, seeking the solid mass of the kalona with crushing strength.
The stallion may have lacked the fangs and wings of the one he fought, but he was no youngster at his first battle and knew how to fight with what the Goddess had provided him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 8:42 am
'No!' Chatura saw that the attack had wounded him and she struggled back to her hooves, getting another quick swipe with a wing in the face for her troubles. The Kalona obviously didn't want her helping - well, what little help she could offer - in any way. She winced at the scratches to her face, blinking watery eyes as her sensitive nose had been caught.
'Please..watch out, be careful..' she murmured, her heart catching at this perfect stranger risking his all for her - why?
Aranea had smiled, watching the blood well from the cut, even letting forth a sigh at the scent. Her pleasure was pushed to one side as she met his lunge, dodging his useless grass eating teeth as she threw her weight at his, but getting struck by his hooves instead which caught her shoulder and jarred one of her forelegs. She spat at him, aiming a bite at his neck, her pointed fangs flashing as she went for him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 6:58 am
There was no time to check on the young mare as she was driven back by the fiend he faced, all his effort put into avoiding that lashing tail and those evil fangs as the Kalona went for him. Seizing her momentary distraction after his strike he shoved forwards, crashing his broad chest into the slighter frame of the predator, using his bulk and pure strength to try and overwhelm her.
As those fangs streaked forwards, the blue stallion roared, his own head slicing forwards, jaw wide as he stuck, aiming to catch the soft flesh of the creatures nose in his teeth. Even blunt teeth would damage so vulnerable an area.
His heart was pounding, blood surging through powerful frame as the sheer violence of fighting for his life, for the mare's life, sent adrenaline streaming through him. In that moment, his past, his future. none of it mattered. Only living through the next moment, seeing the mare to safety, meant anything.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 6:20 am
(( I'm so cruel to my Soqs XD ))
Aranea thought she had the upper hand for a fleeting moment, a thought that was dashed as the stallion attacked again with his teeth, teeth she had dismissed as being a weapon she should not fear. She squealed in pain as they latched onto the soft flesh of her nose, her eyes tearing up almost immediately.
Through watery eyes and blurred vision she could see her attacker, and she battered at him with her wings and hooves, trying to get him to let go of her nose without pulling back from him and injuring herself further.
Chatura could only watch, but with no satisfaction. She didn't want the Kalona to get hurt any more than this stallion who had come to Chatura's aid, but she knew that she didn't want to end her days in a Kalona's stomach so fighting was the only option.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 10:49 am
That squeal of pain told him he had got his mark, yet the fury of wings and hooves raining down on his head forced him to keep his eyes shut tight, lest he loose one on those wickedly clawed wingtips. Blind and deaf from the kalona's attack he hung on grimly, tasting blood though having no idea if it was hers or his own. Bracing against her frantic pounding he lashed out with his front hooves, hoping that their very closeness would give him a solid hit despite the fact he couldn't see her. He could certainly feel her, the weight, the fury, the pain as one wing ripped through his ear, forcing a grunt of pain to escape around the trapped flesh of the creature's nose.
This could not go on forever, he would loose his hold sooner or later. He could only hope, as he lashed out wildly with both front legs, that he either injured her enough to chase her off, or proved to be too much trouble and she would go find easier prey than him and the pretty blue mare.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 11:05 am
Aranea's nose was slick with blood now, and finally she managed to get loose from his blunt teeth, revealing a tear from one nostril to near her mouth. She was in pain, and moving her mouth made everything hurt, so with a final kick out at the stallion, and a half-hearted swipe with a wing, she backed away, retreating to lick her wounds.
'I'll get you..' she muttered. Another time, she would come back for the mare when she wasn't being protected.
Chatura watched the Kalona go with mixed feelings; she was relieved that the stallion had managed to fend off the mare with the minimum of injuries to himself and the mare, but she was upset it had come to this, her attempts at research had left her fleeing for her life, a stranger injured and the subject retreating with a wound that would cause her to seek some sort of revenge.
She bowed her head, looking at the ground, feeling the full weight of her guilt and naivete.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
