[PRP] Twinkle, twinkle little doe (Vladimir & Maisie)

[Kesmi]

The night, or lack there of as the sun was caught amidst the clouds of the oncoming storm. It messed up his sleep when a crack of thunder rattled the trees and scattered the prey beasts to scamper over his hulking scale coated body. Narrow glowing red eyes squinted into the dim light of the gray day, one that promised rain, but only brought noise and the chatter of critters. Talons clenching on air, the beast rolled to its muscled legs and heave his bulk from the ground. he should have been sleeping, wished he could have still been sleeping, but it seemed that the heavens wished other wise.

"Blazted vreaturez of the day." The mutant hissed, his voice deep and husky. "I zhould be zleeping, but theze thingz have their own ideaz." Longs ears pitched themselves backwards against his frayed mane. One that showed years of neglect and ill nourishment. A thick growl rumbled in the pit of his throat before turning his back to the angry sky that rumbled its own growl. "Rumble all you like, juzt leave me be."

Talons sank themselves into the moss covered grounds he glanced to the small creature that crouched shaking on the ground before him. The goat had been there beside him through it all, from the swamps and onto this new land. The growl in his midsection let a lip roll in his frustrations. "Come on, we leave thiz plaze. For better cover." Much to his displeasure, the mutant headed away from his 'shelter and into the darkening day, unknown to him that today he might meet someone... Unique.  

[Marzipanz]

Yesterday had been rather cloudy and the breeze was a tad bit stronger than the last so it was only safe for Maisie to assume that today would be no better. Little did she know though that it would worse ten fold. The angry looking cloud rolled in across the sky, cracking their thunder and lighting up the land with blinding white light. The storm startled her to say the least but it wasn't anything to be deathly afraid of. She just needed to find a nice little hide away for herself. A cover over head so that she wouldn't get her boat soaked when the rains decided to pour down. It always interested Maisie the way things seemed to magically work in this world. Like how gallons upon gallons of water could be carried across the sky in something as delicate as a cloud.

She wandered her way around the familiar forest, a place where she spent most of her time idolizing mother nature, and soon enough she spotted the perfect place to protect herself from the rainfall. A cave with quite a spacious interior. She wandered inside, out from the icy gusts of wind that promised a chilly night. At least she'd be safe in here. So she plopped herself down, just near the mouth of the cavern and watched as little animals scurried about, trying to find hollow trees and such to house themselves in.

Maisie was just getting ready to lay her head down so that she might sleep through the storm possibly, but something caught her eye. A massive shadowy figure wandered the trees just outside of the cave. The fragile body of the mare shiver and shook with her usual reactions of fear. She eyed the beast closely, knowing that it was not a native woodland creature, that was for sure. The longer she seemed to stare, the more familiar the beast grew and then it hit her like a ton of bricks. That stallion from the other day. The one who's name she hadn't caught. Her eyes flicked down to the fawn pelted goat who trailed behind it. "Yes, it is him. No doubt about it..." she stood up from her spot on the ground and approached the entrance of the den.

"Excuse me," she called out to him in a slightly startled voice. "Are you looking for a place to stay? A place to keep dry?" She glanced over her shoulders, trying to calculate of they'd both fit in the cave and she decided that there was just enough for the two of them. "There's one more spot in here if you'd like," she used her soft tone of voice, just in case he wasn't in the mood for socializing. Although, judging from their last meeting she was sure he was a kind male, with only a frightening exterior.

 

[Kesmi]

Talons scraping loudly upon the rocks in his path, the mutant looked, glaring over towards the call of the mare. This was where he had stopped, letting the blistering wind tear at his hide and mane, his thick tail flicking behind him just about throwing the goat off its own hooves. That long black serpent like tongue flicked into the air, tasting it. It tasted spicy, the storm was making the air have that certain tang. It made his own skin tingle. Long ears flicked as the goat bleated in surprise as the thunder rolled and the creature stumbled to lay under the mutant.

With a half hiss, half growl, he looked over towards the mare once more, it was only now that the rain started to fall drop by tiny drop. "Ze rain doez not bother me zo much. Itz more the creaturez that flee from it that bother me." He looked to the goat, "Though ze znack might not like what iz to come from the zky." His gaze once more going upwards. Indeed the goat was slowly crawling towards the cave, shelter away from the impending storm and everything else. The growl ceased in his throat as taloned foot after taloned foot he started walking as well. Thought it certainly wasn't his 'choice'.  

[Marzipanz]

Maisie saw a threatening glare shoot in her direction and instantly as his eyes fell upon her she laid her ears back, giving a frightened sort of pleading look. She went from warm and welcoming to distant and timid in a split second. Perhaps it wasn't safe to assume he was the same male she had met along side of Rainart. Maybe, now that she was by her lonesome he didn't have reason to be kind to her. Yet, he began to complain about the critters more than the actual whether itself. He didn't mind his skin getting soaked and pruned from the moistness? He didn't mind the muck and mud that gathered around hooves, or in his case, talons? Still, as the sweet looking goat neared the cave she leaned out and nuzzled it as it stepped inside, "Come in, little one. Keep warm." She ushered the bleating goat to the back of the cave where it'd be most cozy.

She actually stayed back there however, keeping close to the goat for a bit more warmth and also because she was trying to make enough room to give Vladimir a good amount of space between them. She didn't want to be touching the glaring, annoyed male. It could possibly mean loosing a ear or hoof to those sharp looking chops of his. For a while she stood, until her legs grew weary and she collapsed onto the ground, right beside the goat, wanting to comfort it and yet not knowing how it would react to her. It seemed like such a distressed creature. "Do you not get sick from this weather? I know... that when I stay out in the rain... I usually get the chills for days... or nasty coughs." The pitiful attempt at conversation was sort of making Maisie wish she had kept her mouth shut, but the silence between them was nerve wrecking.

 

[Kesmi]

Vladimir gave a hiss like growl as the goat crawled its way into the cave before picking itself up onto its hooves and scampered to the back where the rain wouldn't get to it. Crouching by the back wall, its almond colored eyes watching the entrance where its master would be entering. Already it could hear the clicking of the talons against the stone and its ears flattened back against its soaked coat.

Turning his head to one side, Vladimir watched the doe huddle near the goat. With a lip rolling back he merely turned around and placed himself in the entrance, nothing was getting in or out without his say so. A long and tattered ear twisted back to listen to her talk. Him get sick? Perhaps he could, but living in the swamps were disease was all too common a problem he had grown accustomed to the cold and wet. It was how his hide grew to be tough to keep out the chills that would stricken anyone else and it kept the biting pests at bay as well. Shaking the water that clung to his fraying mane, the mutant gave a short, one the expelled what water dared stream into them.

"No, it takez more then this to get me zick. I came from a plaze where zickenezz was common, too common. Moztly it was from the peztz that buzzed about. But my hide iz too tough for them to get under. Scales too tightly together. Unlike you creaturez, with your fur and frail zkin. I bet you wouldn't zurvive a month in ze zwampz." He took a look back, one glaring red eye sizing up the doe. "You would be lucky to have only chillz and coughing. The dizeazez from ze zwampz cauze a lot worze thingz." He looked away again, watching the small animals scatter outside as another earth shuddering clap of thunder rattled the tree branches. "Ztormz weren't zo bad, too many treez and water. Couldn't get a good ztart."  

[Marzipanz]

Maisie watched as the goat reacted so strongly to the beastly stallion that nestled himself by the mouth of the cave. It seemed to the purple hued female that he was wanting to stick to the cold rather than huddle up with them in the back. Perhaps that was for the best though. Maisie couldn't exactly find herself relaxing to well if he were within a certain distance of her. Her eyes flicked back down to the goat from time to time, watching his frightened eyes remain locked on Vlad. "Shhh," she hushed the tiny goat and nuzzled him, "Be calm."

The golden orbs that rested in her skull darted up to Vlad as he responded in his usual accent, lacing it with a bit of malice maybe? Perhaps it was taunting. She couldn't exactly pin point the emotion behind it. However, the words did bring her down slightly. "I agree... I probably wouldn't last a week..." she commented, hanging her head slightly and thinking how useless she was. Sometimes she had trouble finding a decent bushel of berries to feed her. It was hard enough for the mare to forge for food already. She couldn't imagine the horrors of doing it in a cold, disease infested swamp.

"My name is Maisie, by the way. I don't believe we've ever introduced ourselves..." she felt silly for asking for his name now, but what else was she suppose to address him as? Mister? Hey you? Maybe a name might make her nerves settle a little bit more as well. "So you just... wander around... with your lovely little companion all the time? Do you have anybody else to keep you company?" She didn't know why she was so full of questions. She was a curious little doe today.

 

[Kesmi]

Talons scraped themselves over the ground, making their scraping sounds as a glowing eye looked back towards where the female lay beside the pathetic sack of flesh that followed him around, laid. A long ear flicked back at she spoke to Grunt, this pulled a snort from him as he looked away, back out into the wet and colt. His scaled like hided twitching in what could have been cold, but he didn't bother show that it bothered him. Resting his head on an outstretched talon, he just watching the rain as it fell, dampening his mood.

"Vladimir" He answered when she poke of introductions, "Ze goat iz Grunt, though I callz him znack." Vladimir shifted slightly, placing his hind talons off to one side, as he were going to stretch out and take up the entire cave entrance. "And I don' have anyone elze. Juzt zt goat. It keepz me company, mozt ze time. Other timez it flee then come back. Never know what it thinking, juzt have a mind of itz own."

The goat shifted a little, placing its head under a forelimb, almond eyes closed, soaking in the warmth from the doe. Its own fawn colored coat still a bit soggy, but slowly drying out, it would be dry by the time its master thought to move on. With a gasping breath, Grunt pulled its head back from where it lay and look over towards the mutant. "Master good to this one, Others try eat, but master come and eat them... Most time. Other time just scare or wound, sometime wound enough to die. Master have moods, and this one know when to leave and when to stay." Its voice was low as if afraid that it will be hit for speaking.

Vladimir heard the goat, but wasn't in the mood to administer punishment, he would leave that for later. When they were alone, it wasn't too bad to speak, no, the goat could speak outside his presence, not within it. He enjoyed the muteness of the goat, the only sound being the soft grunting that came from pain in its side. An ever lasting injury that will never heal. "We move here, we move there. No ztopping for anything, but to eat. Mozt time weather don' zlow uz down, but today zeemz different." Shaking what was left of his mane, Vladimir lifted his head and looked back once more, giving a stern look to the goat, whom in turn cowered again and covered its face.  

[Marzipanz]

Maisie watched closely as the massive lizard like stallion extended his body, hogging up most of the cave and Maisie did her best to scoot on back against the wall, keeping the goat pressed against her though, of course. The cold wasn't having much luck getting in anymore since Vladimir did such an excellent job with blocking out the gusts of wind and such that threatened to come inside. The combined body heat and hot breath from all three of them was acting as a small heater, slowly warming the place. It wasn't until Vlad spoke his name that Maisie turned her full attention back onto him after zoning out for a moment. "Vladimir? What a ... charming name you have." She tried not to let the foreign-ness take a hold of her curiosity. It was nice so she'd leave it at that.

As soon as the goat was given a name she smiled down at it, "Grunt... such a silly name, but it has it's cuteness about it...." she leaned down and nosed at the goat's ears gently. Her eyes flicked back up to Vladimir though with a small sting of upset emotions. She never exactly got angry, but there were times where she would get, irritated enough. "Snack? You call him a snack? Hmph, that's not very polite at all. What if I called you a snack, hm?" She didn't raise her voice, or even add any venom to it. That wasn't in her nature, but her eyes depicted signs that she was bothered by this.

She felt her body relax though at the suddenness of a gentle low voice coming out from the furry bundle by her side. Her eyes turned down to Grunt and watched him oh so carefully as he spoke. The voice of an abused creature caused her heart to sting and old memories of her younger days came flooding back. Her eyes grew wetter and her body trembled all the more. She lowered her head, "Still, he doesn't have the right to harm you..." she spoke under her breath, hoping Vlad wouldn't hear her. She quickly turned her eyes up to the male and huffed, completely unsatisfied with the reasoning behind it. She still had a calmness about here that never seemed to leave unless she was frightened. She was no longer scared of this beastly stallion though. She did her best to hide the on coming tears she had though, not wanting to seem weaker than she already was.

 

[Kesmi]

Vladimir sneered at the doe as she scooted back away from where he had laid. Like he had mentioned before, the cold didn't much bother him. Swamps were known to be a lot colder then this place. An eye narrowing as she started snapping at him for what he called the goat. "Atleazt it keepz the other predatorz away. They know not to touch it." his husky voice rumbled with what could have been a growl from deep in his throat. "And you would be more of a meal, then I would. I doubt you could eat me, you don't zeem ze type to harm zings."

Vladimir looked away once again, his head lowering to lay upon his talons. Perhaps he could get some sleep now? Though he doubted it, not with the mare behind him beating down the way he did things and how things were labeled. Really, was it so bad to consider something his snack when really it was something that helped him get his own meals. Heaving a sigh, one that shifted his position, ears flattening back against his skull, trying to block out everything around him.

Grunt stared at Maisie, its eyes wide as she seemed to be challenging its master. Ears flopping at the sides of its head, Grunt looked back to its master wondering just what its master thought. Apparently not much as it seemed the Mutant refused to move from where he lay, which meant that Grunt could relax, some. 'Don't make Master mad Miss. He never hurt this one, so no need to scold what's not there. Besides, I don't mind.' The goat smiled up at the doe, though the corners of its mouth quivered a little.  

[Marzipanz]

The talk about Maisie being the better meal left her with a rotten taste in her mouth and a squint to her eyes. Her expression best reading terrified. She had never before been labeled as a meal before so of course this new vision of death startled her to say the very least. "You're right. I-I could never. Y-you... you though... Would you honestly c-consider eating another of y-your kind?" Her words were a struggle to get out, let along form actual sentences. How could this stallion ever eat one of his own species, but then again he didn't exactly appear to be one of her kind. He seemed to be a breed all his own. Maisie was a simplistic girl though. She considered most to be like her and deciphering differences wasn't her strong point. She wasn't judgmental or discriminating in any way.

Maisie watched the great beast lazily lounge, though there seemed to be a heavier atmosphere around them now. The silence was only proof of the tension. When the scaled stallions familiar chimed in gently Maisie reluctantly tore her sight from Vlad to lay them on the floppy eared goat. "I ... I suppose I did get a little carried away with myself. My sincere apologies," she mumbled to the goat more than to the stallion who she still feared. Though, she wasn't proud at all to admit her weariness about the beast of a male.