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 Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 5:56 am
 Macchi aimlessly trudged along the beaten path. To fill the empty void inside her, she had taken to traveling the land by herself. Now, she was on her way to the mountains, and hoped to walk for a couple days along the foot of the intimidating mountains. Nothing scared her, and this was a dangerous quality that led her to be careless when traveling. But right now, nothing mattered to her. She had her misery, and that was the only company she needed.
When she wasn't feeling melancholic, she thought about the father she'd never met, or her mother who abandoned her and her brother. She thought about her dear brother who she'd been separated from. Maybe one day she'd run into someone from her family? She remember a distant childhood memory of her grandmother and grandfather, and wouldn't mind living with them. But, she didn't even know where they lived. As for her brother, he was history now, and she doubted she'd ever bump into him.
The path she was on seemed to stretch forever, and she wondered when she'd finally make it to the mountains. She sighed heavily and let her body fall gently to the ground. She decided she'd take a small rest.
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 6:15 am
 Anya was on the prowl for winged males to bring back to her sisters--she figured that since they liked being high up, she might find one or more in the mountains.
She was wrong. Already in a bad mood over her lack of success, Anya trudged down the beaten path, hooves clip-clopping against the ground loudly as she walked. Things had not been going well lately, she thought to herself...and then she spotted another mare, lying by the side of the path. What was wrong with her?
Raising an eyebrow, Anya flexed her talons against the dirt, considering. Had it been a stallion, she would have interrupted his quiet thought time and dragged him back with her--but it wasn't, it was a female. A sister in gender if not in the clan.
Hmm. Maybe she would turn out to be a proper mare, not one of those weak 'oh, I need a male to be complete!' sorts that Anya couldn't stand. Chuffing internally at that, Anya decided to approach, only making noice when her talons hit a rock.
"Are you hurt?" Anya asked the other female doubtfully--she could see no mark, no bleeding wound, no reason why she would just be lying there, still as death. She wasn't actually dead, was she...? Oh, no, there, she was breathing. Well, that was something, at least.
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 6:42 am
Macchi heard talons hitting the path, but paid no notice. Whatever it was, maybe it would leave her alone. When the thing approached her and asked whether she was alright, she opened her eyes and raised her head slowly.
What she saw terrified her. Standing above her, leering at her was a frightening mare with big, glowing eyes and wings on her front legs. Her initial fright wore off when she realized that if she'd intended to attack her, she'd have done it already. This thing definitely wasn't a kalona, but she'd never seen anything like her, so decided not to try her luck in case she might end up as dinner. Although... she thought. It would be an interesting way to die. Maybe momma will actually feel bad about leaving me then. Somewhere inside, she kind of didn't want to get eaten, but that feeling was overpowered by feeling useless and without purpose.
"Yeah, I'm fine, I guess." she answered, laying her head back down. Her heart was beating frantically. Please don't eat me... she caught herself thinking.
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 6:49 am
Anya noticed the initial look of fear that flashed across the female's face and smirked lightly, although she was a little bit impressed with how she kept her composure--most wouldn't have, outside her sisters.
"Then why are you just...sitting there?" Anya asked. She supposed that she could just be tired, but..mm, no, mare's intuition told her it was something else. Then again, she didn't really care.
Anya's ears flicked back into the feathers that made up her mane, her claws absently scratched the brown earth beneath them. This mare seemed so despondent, it bothered her. Mares were the dominant gender--it was no wonder stallions thought they were in charge, with mares just lying about all over the place, all alone!
"Get up. Something might think you're dinner." Anya commanded, her voice showing a slight bit of irritation at this mare. What did she have to be so upset about?
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 6:58 am
At the word dinner, she jerked. Maybe she wasn't crazy after all. Maybe there really were other soquili who wouldn't mind eating her. I knew coming to the mountains was a bad idea...
It became apparent to her that the mare wasn't going to eat her, so she decided that she wouldn't mind having some conversation with her. Before answering her initial question however, she wanted to know if she was actually in danger.
"Wh-whaddaya mean... dinner? Are there actually others who'd eat their own kind?" she'd heard stories before, but she'd dismissed them as fairytales intending to frighten young foals into not straying too far from their parents. Despite her dull aching to be released from life, she felt that she was too young to die quite yet.
"I was just lying down because I was sad. I don't want to get eaten. Were you just kidding? What are you? Are there others like you that will eat me? Do they live in the mountains?" All of a sudden, she couldn't stop herself from asking all these questions. Now she was sure if it; visiting the mountains was a huge mistake.
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 7:08 am
Before Anya could answer the other female's question, the floodgates opened and she just wouldn't stop talking.
"Shut up," Anya snapped, stamping a foot in irritation. "Of course there are others who would eat their own kind, have you not heard stories? A mare cannot be caught off guard, whether or not she's...sad," Anya said the word like one might say the name of a particularly disgusting disease.
Then Anya realized the girl had asked what she was, and she felt a small smirk coming back to her lips. "I, my girl, am a Harpy," Anya straightened her shoulders and let the feathers on her neck fluff, enjoying how even this dim light made the jewel around her neck gleam. "Have you not heard of us? What cave have you been living in?" she snapped, tossing her head. "No, I will not eat you," What a ridiculous question. "No, I do not live in the mountains, I live with my sisters. My flock."
Anya narrowed her glowing eyes at the mare below her, almost suspiciously. "Why were you...sad?" It might not have looked it, or even sounded it, but Anya almost cared. Almost.
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 7:25 am
"A... harpy?" She tested out the word, and liked the way it sounded. The mare seemed nice enough, although she did have a rough way of showing it. Macchi almost felt as though she should actually explain herself to this stranger. All of a sudden she felt somewhat ashamed of being so careless.
"Well..." she started. When she heard her voice now after listening to this harpy speak, she found herself so dull. This stranger must see me as someone so weak and pitiful, she thought, and the thought was quite unnerving. She wanted to be cool and interesting like this mare!
"You see, I wasn't always this..." she searched for the right word. "dull. I used to have at least somewhat of a zest for life. But that was ages ago..." she sighed heavily and decided to tell her why she was so miserable. "You see, my mom was a stupid, reckless little kid when she got knocked up. And her love interest at the time was just as immature as her, and ran off as soon as I was born. Then, my mom decided she was too cool to be taking care of kids, and left us - me and my brother - as soon as we were able to walk by ourselves. I lost my brother a little while back, and since then I've been wandering around searching for anyone who will take me." she finished. I wish I could go to my grandparents... They seem really nice according to momma's stories.
"So thats my story. And I feel I've justified myself enough, and if you'll excuse me, I'm just gonna lie right here and wallow in self-pity." she let herself drop again. There was no elegance left in her movements, but her coat still twinkled with youth and strength. No matter how good the cover art was, she was empty on the inside, rendering her useless if she were a book.
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 7:41 am
Anya blinked. Then blinked again.
That was it?
"Oh, you poor little filly," Anya chuffed, shaking her head. "Don't wallow, it's pathetic. Stand up, and go find the people who made you unhappy, and make them unhappy. How dare they do that to you! Please, grow up and make them regret leaving you," Anya rolled her white eyes; she could tell that there was some strength in her, but she wasn't using it. Anya hated that.
"You're a big mare now, you don't need your mommy and daddy there to take care of you, and you certainly don't need your brother," So she was the type who let males rule her life...if not romantically.
But then Anya paused, and considered what she would do if she got unwillingly separated from her sisters and couldn't find them. While she certainly wouldn't lie down and die about it, she might react kind of how this mare was.
"What is your name?" Anya asked, sighing heavily. It was going to be a long day...but maybe something productive would come of it.
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 7:59 am
She listened carefully to what this mare had to say. She seemed to have everything figured out for herself. She was so... confident.
On some level she wanted to argue that she really wanted to get to know her parents, and that she loved her brother and wanted to be a part of his life, but she was inspired to try to build some confidence and let go of some things that wouldn't change. Who knew, maybe one day she'd be confident enough to stand up to her parents. That is, if she could ever find them.
"My name is Mah-kee." she answered, trying to appear stronger than she could bear to be right now. "And I'd go and make them unhappy, but I can't find them! Wouldn't you be miserable if your friends or family left you?" she asked. Maybe this mare didn't know what it was like to have no one. "I don't have any friends." she stated boldly. She realized that she wanted someone to talk to and make her feel needed. She didn't care whether it was her family or not.
"And what's your name?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 8:07 am
Anya hid a smirk of satisfaction as the mare finally spoke with conviction, with the spunk that Anya had thought she had. Sometimes, all anybody needed was a good kick to the head to get it back on straight for them--and Anya, as always, was more than happy to be the one to deliver that kick.
"My name is Anya, Mah-kee," Anya drawled, a faint sly smile lightly her features--she was teasing the other mare now, just a little bit. "If you're meant to be in their life, you will be. Until you know for sure, get over it," Anya chuffed lightly.
"I do not have friends either. I have my sisters," Anya answered with a roll of her eyes--this girl was acting like she was the only one in all of the world that had ever been abandoned by her parents. She was not. "And yes, I would be miserable, but I would not let that misery bring me to my knees,"
Any considered for a few moments, then looked carefully back down at the mare. "Come. Walk with me. You say you would like family...well, my flock is the best family one could hope for--they will not abandon you as your real family--if you can call them that--has," Another few moments of thought. "I am going back home now. Follow me if you would like,"
With that, Anya turned and started walking back down the path, away from Machiato. Anya wasn't going to do everything for her--the mare would have to stand up and follow what she wanted, if what she wanted was a friend.
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 8:20 am
Macchi wasn't a big fan of Anya's teasing, but she didn't complain. It made her feel like someone cared for her enough to tease her. It was pathetic really, but she enjoyed the attention.
When she began to walk away, Macchi was faced with a choice. A choice that could change everything. She could stay here and possibly get eaten or wither away in her own sorrow, or she could follow Anya and possibly make a friend, or maybe even more. She decided to take a leap of faith and plunge into the unknown. Why not? I have nothing better to do. Before she could change her mind, she sprung up, sending the dust from the worn path flying about. She shook her coat and sprinted after her.
"Hey! Wait for me!" she called at Anya. "I'm coming with you!"
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 8:36 am
Anya grinned to herself, turning her head to look back at the girl as she galloped to catch up to her.
"That's a girl," Anya said encouragingly, chuckling some as she caught up. In spite of herself, she was glad this young (because no completely adult mare would act so) mare had not disappointed her. In fact, she even found herself wondering if she might make a good sister some day, despite not being a Harpy--there were others in the Flock who weren't, and they were always looking for company...
Of course, the Queen would have to be consulted, but before anything they had to get home, and it was not a quick journey.
"It is a fair distance away, my home; we've recently moved," Anya explained as silence descended upon them. Her face darkened, thinking of why exactly they'd had to move--nature, it seemed, had been against them, taking an impossible number of their sisters from them. Her Queen had been right to choose a new nesting ground, but Anya couldn't help but miss their mountain home.
Shaking her head to clear it, she glanced back at her new...friend. "Are you up for a walk?" She arched an eyebrow and grinned teasingly--she could see that this girl was up for it, Anya just wanted to make sure that Machi knew she herself was up for it. Sometimes, that was half the battle.
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 9:03 am
Macchi found that she finally had a purpose. For now, it was to follow Anya to her home and see if she could become a sister too. It sounded like just the right thing for her! If she didn't have family, why not make one?
"I'm up for it!" she excitedly trotted beside the Harpy. Although she seemed intimidating to her at first, Macchi was warming up to her. She couldn't help but wonder whether or not they were now friends, but wasn't sure how Anya would react to her asking this boldly. After all, she had much to learn.
"Why did you have to move?" she asked when she noticed Anya's face turn somewhat solemn upon mentioning her flock. She wondered why. Maybe this mare understood what it was like to lose someone? She quickened her pace to keep up with Anya, and wondered whether Anya could actually fly with the wings on her legs. She also wondered whether her flock only consisted of Harpies. Nevertheless, she kept silent, waiting to hear from Anya about some of her past.
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 9:14 am
Anya chuckled some as she answered--yes, definitely young, but that was alright. The Flock could use some new, energetic blood, after all.
"That's good, Macchi," Anya nodded, feathered tail flicking behind her as she walked. She paused only for a fraction of a moment when Macchi asked why they had moved--it was a fair question, Anya supposed, and one she had set herself up for.
Though how much to tell her...
Mm. Well, this girl seemed to be interested in joining the Flock, and becoming one of her sisters, so Anya supposed she would find out anyway; not that it was some big secret, just that it was something Anya didn't particularly like to think about.
"Because the water in our mountain home dried up and took the plants with it, as well as the herbivores that ate them. Then the mountain itself seemed to attack us, destroying our home. So we walked and walked." Anya left out the part about where they'd had to kill a male or two--not that it particularly ruffled Anya's feathers, but she had a feeling that it might ruffle Macchi's. "But we lost many before we left. Too many sisters gone."
There was silence for another few minutes, Anya reflecting on those who had gone--she missed them, every day. "But! Things are looking up now, mm?" Anya said with a faint smile back at her; she was no Oracle, but she couldn't help but think that maybe she had been meant to discover Macchi in her moment of need.
Eh. Or maybe it was just chance...but even so, Anya couldn't help but think that it was a good chance: a new sister was always a good thing.
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Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 9:33 am
Macchi listened intently and let the silence linger after Anya finished. So many questions ran through her mind. The most prominent being how could a mountain attack? She didn't ask, she just wondered, because she'd find out soon enough hopefully. And oddly enough, she wasn't scared off by the fact that there were carnivores in Anya's flock. As long as there were herbivores too - so that she could eat - she was beginning to accept the fact that others ate creatures of their own kind.
She could see the mountains in the distance, and stared in awe at their sheer magnitude. She definitely did not regret traveling all this way to see the mountains, and wondered whether the Flock lived near the mountains. Again, she knew she'd find out soon, so she pushed all the questions out of her head.
She turned to Anya, and examined her a little more. Her feathers were large, and exquisitely beautiful. They looked soft. And the way Anya walked made her look regal and powerful. She couldn't help but wonder whether Anya was a herbivore or - well clearly she hadn't taken a bite at her, so maybe she just ate boys? She joked to herself. (( -pun!- ))
"When did you join the flock? And did they make you take some kind of test or something?" she asked, wondering how far away their nest was.
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