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 Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 8:25 am
She'd lost track of the time that had passed since her rather horrendous accident. She still had niggles and twitches that would take many years to work themselves out. The little kinks that had appeared despite the careful ministrations of the colonial humans. They had taken good care of her, saved her life and ensured she was mobile but there were just some things she couldn't expect them to cure. For example, when she walked too far her limbs began to scream at her and she had a permanent limp in her right hind leg.
...In short, she was lame.
A unicorn could have cured the injury outright, a Kirin probably could have toyed with her pressure points until the tension was released. Unfortunately, her stubborness had prevented her from visiting either and as a consequence she had to endure the unnecessary discomfort. She had her reasons of course, if news got out that she was alive then she would be in very dire straights indeed. Her family would come under fire from her grandfather and it would be entirely her fault - after all, she had been the one who had failed.
Alas, with the exception of the rather uncomfortable ache in her leg she couldn't complain. Her life was pleasant enough, she had her aunt who had respected her decision (despite protesting) to remain hidden. In essence, Eponine had become like a mother and confidant to her. When Equinox wasn't in the colonies, she was conversing with her aunt... although the appearance of the little foals had put a spanner in the works to a degree.
Equinox wasn't very good with children. In fact, the mare positively sucked at it, she was too serious and too strict. She was a kill joy who seemed to 'suck the life' out of all their games with her practicality. Suffice to say she'd come to the conclusion that she'd never be a mother and if she'd ever had the benefit of being an aunt, then she'd probably connect with the foals better when they had reached adolesence. Skip the baby years and go straight for the teenagers, it seemed like a reasonable approach to her!
She wasn't even good with human children, but thankfully her new bonded human kept them away from her for the most part. To be frank, he wasn't a great fan of them either.
Great minds and all that.
This afternoon her limp was especially bad and rather than strain it further her human had given her a pat on the neck and motioned for her to entertain herself. As a result the mare had given him a fond whicker in farewell and had promptly limped off to find her aunt. She had another individual to visit of course, Solemn the supposedly 'reformed' Skinwalker but she had to be in the mood for that. She was still skeptical that he was truly reformed but he did provide her with a superb cover story despite going against her better judgement.
Unfortunately her aunt was proving rather elusive and with a small sigh the mare carried on slowly. She was hungry and rather than search on an empty stomach she had confirmed that she would probably be better suited to tracking Eponine if she had eaten. This in mind, the mare had slowly turned and was now hobbling in another direction, her nostrils flaring as she sought out the scent of water.
Where there was water, there was always food.
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 8:36 am
 The sunset stallion was kneeling to drink after a good long run, being careful to not drink too much. He'd been running much farther afield than usual, but it wasn't as if he was tied to his birthplace after all. With his mother vanished, his father a rare sight indeed and his sister gone long before his mother there simply was no reason to remain in that area.
Today he was simply enjoying life - the refreshing water after a good run, the afternoon sunshine on his hide. All the day needed was a pretty mare to make things complete.
That was when he heard something moving towards him. There was something off about the sounds, as if all was not quite right with the creature. Preparing for the worst (but still hoping for the best!) Calor rose and turned to face the stranger.
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 8:47 am
She probably sounded like an aged soquili, her hoofsteps uneven and heavy. There was a time when she had been good at stealth but that had gone into the ditch at around the same time that she'd fallen from the cliff. She still had rather unpleasant memories about the incident, flashbacks that made her wake up and sigh in exasperation. However, she didn't regret anything in that respect, the fact that the foal had come out safely was enough for her no matter how cliche it might have sounded. If she'd really turned into her grandfather's ideal mare she wouldn't have been able to live with herself.
Nevertheless she had grown used to it in the last year or so and the hobbling was just a part of her. She was slower than normal, not nearly as swift as she had been. She'd bet all her oats she'd fall if she tried to gallop and to be honest, she didn't really want to try it. All in all some would have said it was a bit of a miserable fall from grace but in the back of her mind she kept telling herself at least no one will know who you are.
Which was true, they wouldn't.
Drawing in a small breath the mare began to hum softly to herself, a nonsensical tune that had no true rhyme to it. There were no lyrics, just moments in which she went up and down the scales. She was unconcerned with the soquili in her immediate presence, she'd seen him, but males had a habit of wandering off fairly quickly when they realised she wasn't a giggler. Given his trussed up turkey appearance - seriously, he looked like a parading cockrel, she'd say he was going to be one of those.
No, her immediate concern was food and her eyes seemed to develop a glow of satisfaction as she caught the scent of the water and the rush of it in her ears. Immediately her tongue felt heavy and she willed her legs to move just a touch faster, scarcely affording a glance in the stallions direction she lowered her head and promptly gulped down water from the stream.
Mmm, but what to eat.
She did have to take a few moments to inspect what the area had to offer. Did her eyes deceive her or were those blackberries behind the turkey?
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 8:56 am
The stallion's eyes had lit up when he realized the stranger was a mare, a very pretty one. But his open expression fell again as he realized the mare was completely ignoring him, though she had to know he was here. As he watched her in confusion, it dawned on him why her movements had sounded so strange - she was injured! Or dealing with what was left of an injury.
He was torn. Obviously she was ignoring him, which he didn't like, and he thought he could probably help her...somehow...but he wasn't sure she'd want that. What on earth could he say to her!?
Well, she was humming to herself. He didn't recognize the tune, but then he wasn't a great lover of music. Perhaps he could use that as a...as a starting point.
"That's a pretty melody," he told the stranger. He spoke softly, hoping that he wouldn't drive her off the way he suspected a louder, more prideful tone would.
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 9:06 am
The turkey was talking, her expression clouded considerably at this. She wasn't a great fan of males due to their obsession with chasing tail, she'd never really understood the 'sport'. The gigglers seemed to enjoy it immensely, but then again, months down the line they had screaming midgets beside them and an expression of pure loathing on their features. Heh, she was at the very least smart enough to avoid this game but unfortunately she had been raised in a manner that meant that she couldn't be completely rude. Unfortunately for her, she was going to have to speak back to him.
...And say what?
She wasn't great at small talk either, in fact, she rather sucked at it.
She'd been so obssessed with proving herself to her Grandfather as a child that she hadn't really develoepd the same social skills as her siblings. She'd run herself into the ground, exhausted herself... In short, she hadn't had time to make small talk and discuss the latest news with anyone. Her skills lay (or once lay) in her physical strength and intelligence, not in her ability to chatter idly about the weather. Even then she would struggle, she never even took note of the weather other than to confirm it was hot or if it was raining and that wasn't exactly difficult, since her coat was either dry or damp.
She let a small sigh escape her lips, lifted her head and regarded him for a few moments. Her brown eyes narrowed as though she was decided the best way to address him. She could make a quick remark, a jibe of sorts but what would this do for her? She wasn't in the mood for an argument and that really would be deliberately rude. He may be a turkey, a parading cockrel, but that didn't mean she had to treat him like dirt.
...Even if it was probably going to lead up to that.
"Thank you," she replied coolly, figuring that the politest approach was the best. "Though it's really nothing of note," she added as an after thought before leaning her head a little more to the side. He really was stood in front of something, she was fairly sure it was blackberries as well. Ever the direct mare, she fixed him with another one of her stares, "Could you move one step to the right? You're in the way of my food."
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 9:19 am
Calor had the sinking feeling that meant the stranger mare was sizing him up...and finding him wanting. He'd only just met the girl and already she was worse than his mother! Well, maybe not worse. He doubted that she was thinking of him the way his mother would. Or the way his sister would. He could only hope that she would at least be polite.
So that prayer, at least, was answered. She was polite as she completely brushed off his coment and focused in on something else as he barely got out the words "You're welcome" before she started talking again. Something behind him. Totally confused once more, Calor craned his neck around to see what it was that had caught her attention. Ah, blackberries.
"Of course!" he replied hastily, taking not one but three steps over, making sure her path to the berries was totally clear.
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 9:32 am
Well, he was considerate enough to do as he was told at least. Turkey or not he had some element of intelligence and it was a point for him in her scorecard. With a slight nod of thanks she gathered herself up and bustled forward, hobbling over to the berries to inspect which were ripe and which would require a little longer. Alas, given the current season very few of them were truly ripe and she had to admit defeat. This afternoon she would not be blessed with the berries themselves, she would just have to make do with the leaves. In autumn she would come back and pluck the berries from their branches but she wasn't a great fan of the bitterness at this time of year.
Sweet was her taste of choice.
A shame it didn't match her personality, eh?
"Thank you," she added after a few moments, her mother's voice chiming up in her head. Something to do with manners again, he'd done as she had asked and he should be thanked for it. He hadn't even stepped a foot out of place yet, really she was being just a touch hard on him. He might look like a turkey but what was it that they said, something to do with looks being deceiving and all that jazz? She plucked a leaf from the bush as she dwelled on this before eyeing him up once more - he really did look like a turkey, no matter what angle she looked at him from.
"You're new here," she stated bluntly. Definitely not one for tact in that respect, why bother easing in to a subject when ten minutes later you'd just end up on this one anyway.
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 9:43 am
He watched her curiously as she examined the berries before settling on the leaves. True they weren't ripe yet, but they were still nourishment that she was turning her back on. Calor himself didn't particularly care how his food tasted, as long as it did the job. But he didn't say anything, just watched the mare with her single-minded determination to get what she wanted. When she remembered to thank him, he again said "You're welcome."
She really was different from all the other mares he'd met. All of the others had been independent, yes, but not so proud of it that they would barely deign to notice his existence. Her attitude was intriguing and made him curious to learn more about her.
So when she spoke again, he was a bit surprised. Not at the subject, but that she'd actually spoken. Made some kind of attempt at conversation instead of interacting with him only because it was necessary.
"I am," he agreed. He paused. He could say more, now that she'd given him this opening. He took the chance. "I suppose you're not?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 9:51 am
She probably did come off as arrogant, proud and otherwise inconsiderate towards others. She had her excuses of course, her reasons for shying away from the public eye. No need to get repetitive or to delve into them with a stranger, particularly when she couldn't read their thoughts. If she came off as cold and aloof then so be it, it only helped to obscure her tracks further. That being said, just because she didn't say anything didn't mean she wasn't aware an individual was there and there was a good chance that she was listening to everything they said.
Still, small talk had never been her strong point and even with her aunt she struggled to make any significant conversation. Eponine often led the conversation, asking her questions and directing her to talk about her day. Had she been eating properly, had she been getting enough sleep? On more than one occasions her aunt had even encouraged her to consider finding a unicorn to look at her leg. In short, Equinox had never had to take the initiative in conversation since the only family she had recognised that she wasn't the best at it.
Any time she opened her mouth, it was usually to express sarcasm or dry wit - no matter what she did she generally made other soquili uncomfortable.
"No, I'm not," she replied simply. She shrugged her shoulders loosely and continued to pluck the leaves from the top of the bush, the most fresh and juicey of the leaves. Perhaps she was simple minded in her pursuit of her food, but would he honestly have appreciated lame attempts at conversation? If he was one for discussing the weather for an hour they were in for a few problems.
...Well they were probably already experiencing problems.
"You are in the wrong place," it came out of her mouth before she could stop it; worse still, it kept going. "Turkeys and gigglers reside on the plains."
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 9:58 am
Calor winced at the abruptness of her response. He'd thought all mares liked to talk until meeting this one. But her savagely short response was almost painful. Because of that he was so intrigued by her. He didn't think she'd just grown up this way because she wanted to...or wait, maybe that was what happened? It wasn't how a normal mare would be, that much he was sure of.
Then she spoke again and he gaped and blinked as he repeated the words over to himself trying to figure out what she was saying. Wrong place? Turkeys and gigglers? Then the sense of it hit him. And there was only one way for a young stallion to respond.
"I am not a turkey!" he responded indignantly.
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 10:19 am
It took him a while, in which time the young mare observed him with some form of fascination. His expression seemed to scrunch up, he mused over her words and all the while his features kept shifting and changing. When he had finally understood the weight of her words his features took on an entirely different expression and at this point he really did look like a turkey! His chest puffed out, his cheeks very nearly did to and did her eyes deceive her or had his nostrils flared as well? She'd clearly hit a nervous and without knowing it, the stallion appeared to be posturing in front of her. Unfortunately she seemed to forget that everyone puffed up when they were indignant, not just the turkeys and gigglers. Hell, even she did it.
She lifted a brow at his response and deliberately looked him up and down for a few seconds. She paused at his fluffy hooves, then proceeded to move up to inspect his braided mane and jewels on his neck. Combine that with the gleaming coat and the rather bizzarre nose and she was fairly certain that she hadn't got the description wrong. He was too well kept to be a fitness freak, he didn't stink enough to be a ruffian and he hadn't adopted that happy medium that said "normal" either.
"You are a turkey," she confirmed and turned round slowly so that she could face him. She shifted her weight away from her lame leg and nodded at his neck. "You are trussed up like a parading male - you think the beads and well kept hair are normal?" she gave a small snort and shook her head. "You will find no gigglers here, they all sit on the plains where your sort like to put on their displays."
"Though I do wonder," well she had already started to insult him, why should she stopped now that she was on a roll. "Do you dance, sing or merely seduce with a waggle of the brows, turkey?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 10:33 am
Calor was quivering with...rage? strain? something, at least, as the mare clearly looked him over again. And then she said it again! Called him a turkey! As she spoke the sense of "gigglers" finally made it into his brain and he realized she meant the flirty other mares, the sort he'd seen and smiled at so prettily. Well, he'd already known she wasn't like them. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Certainly none of them would have called him a turkey!
But he couldn't help thinking that they would have laughed at that description and thought it apt.
But still! And she continued with this insult! "I am not a turkey!" he repeated with vehemence. "I am no bird with wings that should carry me in flight, I have four hooves and not two claws and two wings, and so what if I wear jewelry and keep myself well-groomed? Better that than to look like...like a harridan!"
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 10:45 am
Yup - she'd definitely hit a nerve and unusually it made a smug smile flick up onto her lips. For some strange reason, successfully provoking the turkey so that his feathers were ruffled seemed to be rather satisfying. She didn't generally goad others for entertainment but she'd never had a real chance to try on a turkey before. Gigglers just took immediate insult and called her every name under the sun before making reference to her limp (yawn), they were too dense to get the insults she cast twards them subtly. They had never really grasped the concept of veiled insults, but implying they were easy was always picked up so very well by the males beside them...
She wasn't really a mean spirited mare but honestly, how often could you find entertainment like this? They really did puff up as they lost their composure. It was a shame he didn't have proper wings to puff up so that he seemed like a fat mother hen but alas, she couldn't have everything her way. The opportunity to continue this line of conversation was simply too good to miss, she hadn't had this much fun in quite some time.
"Turkeys don't fly," she pointed out delicately, her voice the perfectly mixed to be sickly sweet with just a touch of a drawl to it. It was an art form to say the least, to coax her voice into sounding so very polite while pointing out the inaccuracies of his remarks. "They bounce and if you truly do fit the description then your trot is very bouncy indeed," she continued in the same lofty tones. Her eyes narrowed just a touch as her brow lifted provocatively, any giggling mare would have used it for seductive purposes but her's was used for something entirely different. She was daring him to prove her wrong, now if he could make a turkey really fly she'd salute him.
"And you do have wings, they are positioned on your head making you ever more suited to bouncing, it means your head can bob just like aforementioned turkeys," she continued. Her smug smile was deepening and her eyes seemed to glint with both mirth and satisfaction, oh who would have thought it would be so much fun?
"You may lack claws but you are the very definition of a turkey, you are a brother to them and echo their courtship displays and mannerisms to perfection," she added, rolling her eyes at the fact that he had taken the name 'turkey' quite so literally. Then again, perhaps she had given his intelligence too much credit and he couldn't spot the parallels.
"But if harridan is the best you can come up with in terms of insults then that aspect of your turkey-ness requires more work. If you're going to fit in with the gigglers and gobblers you're tongue is going to have to get a little quicker, Mr Turkey." she cooed softly.
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 10:58 am
If asked, Calor couldn't have said whether he was angry or frustrated with the stranger mare - whose name he didn't even know! He was certainly insulted by her continuing to compare him to a turkey, a fat bird that existed to get fatter and then die, feeding the carnivores who lusted after it! So insulted that he refused to even consider that she might be right in any way.
But what gave her the right to point out his inability to fly? That had always been a sore point with him, and nothing his groundbound mother said had ever been able to change it. In a secret place deep inside he was relieved that she was only pointing it out as fuel for her turkey argument, but it still hurt.
He opened his mouth to retort, paused, and closed it again. The mare was smart. Smarter than he was, and certainly faster of mind. Allowing whatever words came to mind to simply explode out of his mouth wasn't going to do him any good, as he'd just seen. So he had to take things a little slower and actually think about what he said.
"Turkeys may not fly," he responded, the words sharp and hard-edged as if he bit off each one as it left his mouth, "but they still have the bodies of birds, which I do not. The miniature wings that sit on my head are only superficially like those of birds and my gaits are as smooth as the water flowing just over there."
He disdained to respond to her last comment about his failure to insult her and the gigglers and gobblers. He could worry about other Soquili when he was around other Soquili. But they weren't here right now. It was just Calor and a stranger mare who seemed determined to destroy him with her words and for her amusement.
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 11:05 am
"You are really not very good at recognising parallels, are you?" she drawled and lifted her brow higher. Satisfied that she had won her argument and his responses were flagging, she went in another direction and dragged the unfortunate male after her. In the future he would probably retreat the moment he realised he was in the presence of an aloof mare, but until he ran away he'd simply have to get used to her. She was having her breakfast after all and she'd walked a considerable distance, she wasn't going to move again...it wasn't good for her leg.
"I am well aware that you are not a turkey in the sense that you are not a bird, if you were then you would squabble at me," she continued coolly. "But you are in every respect, a mirror of their antics and showmanship," she seemed to explain herself as though she were talking to a small child. Having concluded that he simply couldn't keep up with her thought processes, she would take him by the hand and carefully guide him over her insults so that he was absolutely clear of them.
Yes, she was rubbing his nose in it a bit.
Just a touch.
However when he made reference to the water she deliberately limped over to the stream, lowered her head and regarded it as it lapped, bobbed and meandered around obstacles. It was anything but 'smooth', it was as jaunty (if not more so) than a turkey's, clearly he hadn't been observing it properly.
"Your reference to smooth water would only have work if you had been placed beside a lake on a calm day," she replied at last and lifted her head again. "The flow of this stream is even more jaunty - are you telling me that you are even more excitable than the bird you hold with such distaste, Mr Turkey?"
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