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 Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 2:47 pm
 Zephyra was bored. That about summed up her day, flawlessly. She had done her usual workout, flying as high as she could, as fast as she could, and landing and taking off repeatedly. Afterwards, she had cooled off and found a lovely patch of shoots for lunch, followed by a short nap to rest her wings. Now, she was following a group of butterflies, which usually amused her. Yet, she still found herself bored and restless. Out of the corner of her eye, a shiny object moved in and out of sight. Curious, she moved closer to investigate.
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 2:55 pm
 The mare was quiet as she gently padded through the forested earth. Her mane flowed behind her, tail held high to avoid snags and leaves and twigs as she enjoyed the simple company of nature. She hadn't seen Chara in a while and as much as she missed him, it was gratifying to be alone somewhat. She missed being by herself with her own thoughts. But she had to admit, having someone around to chatter with and to fill the void of boredom never hurt. Her collar and cuffs gently shimmered in the rays of light that struck through the canopy, her silver eyes glowing as she took in the life around her. Everything seemed so peaceful here. She'd have to bring along a loved one to share the experience!
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 3:03 pm
Upon closer inspection, the shiny object turned out to be jewelry worn by a beautiful white horse. Zephyra mentally kicked herself for not noticed the red mane and tail, which should have been much more obvious. She would have to be much more careful about her surroundings, if such a flashy horse had been able to come so close without her realizing it.
Zephyra watched the horse quietly, trying to determine if she would be a threat. After a few moments, though, it seemed that she was just enjoying the nature, with no ulterior motives. Zephyra walked louder, purposely snapping a twig or two, to let the other horse know her presence. Still, one couldn't be too sure, so she kept an ear out for something amiss, paying close attention to the mare.
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 3:11 pm
The mare had been paying naught one bit of attention to her surroundings. Her nostrils flared as she caught the scent of something sweet...could it be a type of food? Her thoughts drifted to Dark's barn and the goods she often brought home for her and the others. Could it possibly be found out here?
Her mind was wandering again when a sudden snapping sound brought her back. She stumbled a little, ears swiveling a top her head to listen ever so closely. Her eyes watched around though she was positive it was nothing. But then, when another twig snapped, she realized that it was something entirely on purpose. She turned her frame to see what appeared to be something out of legends - the prettiest azrein she had ever seen. Her wings glittered in the sunlight, hair luxurious and ever so mesmerizing, her red eyes reflecting a sort of curiosity about Nailiah. She was quite stunning, a beay to look at it seemed. "Hello..Are these your woods?" Nailiah called out. The last thing on her mind was intrude a spirit's home.
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 3:26 pm
"Hello yourself," Zephyra replied. "My woods? No, of course not. One can't own the woods. That would be like trying to own the rain!" She looked quite amused by the idea, giggling. "How can somebody own trees that have been here for so long?" She snorted again. With a look at the mare, she straightened back up. "My name is Zephyra. I was following the butterflies, when I saw your shiny accessories, and began to follow..." She trailed off, smiling in admiration of the other horse's red hair. On closer inspection, it was long and bright, standing out even more so against the mare's pure white coat.
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Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 11:08 am
Her ears flicked forward listening to the laughter of the fae. It sounded gorgeous...like bells. So beautiful and pure. The mare's eyes glowed a gentle silver, standing there just taking in Zephyra in. It was strange how she felt this way about another female. She was so relaxing to speak to. Wonderful even. Her markings blurred together with such beauty that it could be mesmerizing. Her eyes seem to hold a sense of interest, a sense of curiosity. Much like Nai's own.
"I imagine they couldn't be anyone's woods. It would be too difficult to rule them all. But it is strange how a King could rule his entire kingdom. It is a pleasure to meet you, Zephyra. I am Nailiah, a member of the King's Herd and linked to Dark." The mare chose her words carefully still figuring out who was what in the land. Since the Six attacks were getting ever so closer, it seemed as though anyone could be a friend - or enemy. Her ears perked as the female spoke about her bands. She grinned a little. "I suppose I have Dark to thank for that. She found them at a market and thought it would be nice for me." The mare flicked her ears, tail waving gently and ever so slowly. This air was peaceful...with a certain enjoyment.
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 5:38 pm
"Then Dark chose very well. They are quite eye-catching." Zephyra complimented the other mare. Nailiah's own relaxed manner slowly calmed Zephyra, and she began to warm up to the other mare, waving her head very slightly side to side and swishing her tail. "I'm not sure what dark is, except the time of night when the sun is no longer in the sky. Or when you close your eyes. But it has good taste." Something about Nailiah's previous words caught Zephyra's attention. "What is a King, and how does he rule if it's so very strange? And what is a kingdom? Can you eat it?" Zephyra had never heard of the strange terms coming from the other mare. As she began asking one question, five more popped up in her head. "How does a horse rule, anyways? Is he a stallion that protects a herd from danger in return for female attentions?" She lowered her head and shook it in an attempt to stem the unnatural flood of curiosity that consumed her.
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Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 10:59 am
Nailiah gazed toward the fairy mare with compassion. She had a sense of a naive being that just made Nailiah want to coddle her somewhat. With gentle eyes and a motherly voice, Nailiah set out to answer the female's questions. "Well, let's start with the first. Dark is in fact a time of night and what happens when your eyes close. But, Dark is also the name of my chosen. Dark is a human female. Well..a king really doesn't do it for attention more so than the love of his people. At least, that's what King Azreth is like. Let me start from the beginning though. A king is a ruler of a land and all that is in it including people and animal alike. He keeps them safe from other attacking forces and foes while keeping order among his people and protecting them. The Herd I am from belongs to King Azreth - a human male. He is also bonded to one of our kind, Valdien - a stallion. They protect both humans and azreins alike showing that we can have a partnership between us. A beneficial one. Humans and azreins have been bonding together as of recently. There are those who do not wish to bond and would even go as far as killing others who do not share their views..."
Nailiah's voice held a hint of sadness at the last part, her eyes seeming to grow distant. "But in any case, there are also those who would not get between the war of the Bonded and the Six, the azrein who oppose or linking to humans. But that doesn't stop either side from trying to recruit them to their cause. As much as I might be strange for this, I don't believe that those who do not wish to be involved should be forced to get involved. A little neutrality is good for a lot of things." Her eyes were warm as she looked toward Zephyra. "I know this is all a lot of information. Does any of it make sense to you?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 8:36 am
It was a lot to take in, especially for a horse that spent all her time eating, sleeping, and flying. And still, she had even more questions for the mare. "So, you're saying that there are these... humans." Zephyra recalled an image of a short, upright animal going to and fro. She had watched them going about their business in her younger days, wondering what they were doing. But she had never gotten close enough to talk to them. "They can bond with us? What does that mean? Is it scary? Does it hurt? If it's beneficial... why are there horses that will kill over it?" She shook her head, alarmed. "It sounds like something that I don't want any part of. I don't want to be part of someone else's fight. There's nothing so important that it's worth killing for, or getting killed over." Even food wasn't that important. "Does the King force you to fight?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2011 6:54 pm
Nailiah gave a warm smile, though it was a sad one all the same. War was complicated and the simple answer would never work. There were too many pieces of the puzzle that had yet to be found. She was quite happy to answer the female's questions. "Yes. Humans walk upright on two legs and often have hair only on their heads with flat faces and hands that split into five digits. Their hands are quite useful in tasks since they have thumbs. At least, that is what Dark told me." Her tail flicked as her ears laid flat against her head for a moment in thought before perking upward again.
"Yes, humans can bond with us. It's a completely mental process and it only hurts if you or your chosen are in pain. You feel what your chosen feels. It can be beneficial since you're helping your human and your human helps you." Nailiah had to stop to answer the next question. "There are azrein who believe humans are no good and only use us. They simply want to cause pain and discord just because. They firmly believe in their cause as I believe in mine. The King does not want us to fight. He'd rather us not do any of it. He'd rather protect us. But there are those who want to fight for the King because they love not only him, but what he believes in - a world where azrein and human can benefit from one another. A world where the two of us can be one and live in peace and harmony. It's an amazing world, but it's a vision that needs hard work to get there. I fight because I share his vision. And I'd die if it meant that the vision would be complete. I doubt Dark would want me to go that far, but I want to get my point across."
Her head tilted fondly over to Zephyra as she gave a reassuring whicker. "But, you do not have to be involved. It is completely up to you. Do not go into something with half a heart. It's important that whatever you're doing, you believe in it all the way." Nailiah thought that was the most important part to bring to Zephyra. She needed to understand that there was a world outside of her forest. And as ugly as it could look, it could also be beautiful.
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 10:20 am
Listening to Nailiah as she explained Bonds and the war, Zephyra couldn't help but notice the passion in her voice. She was a little jealous that the mare had something and someone that she could believe in, to the point that she would risk herself for them. It gave her a glow, a certain vitality and assurance that Zephyra had rarely seen. It seemed that there was a world out there that Zephyra had never seen or heard of before. On the other hand, the idea of getting pulled into a war was terrifying. But it seemed as if the King didn't like it either, and didn't force others to fight for him. Zephyra found that very important. What good was a leader if he hid behind everyone else?
But the bond still intrigued her. "What is a Bond, exactly?" Zephyra asked. She still couldn't understand what it was, why it was good or bad. All Nailiah had mentioned was that she could feel what her Chosen felt. "Can you feel both good things and bad things through the bond? Or just pain?"
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Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2011 2:48 pm
The mare flicked her tail in thought. What exactly is the bond? She had never given thought to it herself. It was strange...as if only one could experience a bond, but not describe it. Well, she'll have to try sooner or later.
Nai cleared her throat, "Well...the bond is anything and nothing. You don't have any sort of physical string to you, but it's more like imaginary. It's like another part of you that you can't describe, but all you know is that it's there. And it's important. And now that you have it, it would be strange to not have it anymore. You don't even want to think about it. You can feel good and bad things which does mean pleasure and pain, yes. Your bond also feels the same things. When you're sad, your bond is sad. When you're happy, your bond is happy. And vise versa." Nailiah studied Zephyra a little noticing her child like nature coming in again. It was so enjoyable to see that. But it made Nailiah worry. What if she ventured from her forest and lost that innocence? Seeing that happen to her would hurt Nailiah more than anything.
But did the mare already speak to much to pique her interest? Did she want to travel? Nailiah only knew that sooner or later the war would reach her forest. And that time, would she have someone to lean on? Or would she be swayed and taken into a world that was much more chaotic than her forest? Nailiah wanted so much to protect Zephyra. But part of protecting was also guiding. Oh boy what did she do now...
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Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2011 10:59 am
This bond thing seemed to be a difficult thing to describe, Zephyra noticed. She leaned down to munch on some grass as she listened to the mare, thinking everything over as she chewed each bite. Bonds didn't seem to be too scary, but it would be strange to feel what something else felt. But Nailiah seemed to be so happy when she talked about her Chosen. Why was the thought of a bond so interesting to Zephyra? Did she want a bond with a chosen? For that matter, what was a Chosen like? She straightened back up and look at Nailiah, speaking before the thought had even completed itself in her head. "I would like to meet your Chosen. If that is ok?" Belatedly, she realized what she just asked, and flicked her ears nervously. What was she thinking? Chosen were humans! Zephyra didn't know anything about humans. What if this Chosen was a terrible monster that collected wings and ate horses and fought viciously with long teeth and claws and...
And her imagination was running off with her again. Looking at Nailiah, Zephyra didn't think her Chosen could be bad if Nailiah was so nice. Besides, she had a feeling that meeting Nailiah's Chosen was the only way that she would be able to come to any kind of decision. Zephyra calmed back down, watching Nailiah to see what she would say.
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 12:57 pm
The mare felt the uncomfortable silence and realized that she may have said too much or scared away the poor fae. Nailiah didn't want to harm her in any way and if she didn't feel safe in her forested home well...the white mare doubted that she could ever forgive herself. What came out of Zephyra's mouth, however, was a total surprise. "My Chosen? You want to meet her?"" Her ears flicked as the thoughts in her mind began to twist and turn with confusion and yet piqued interest. It would definitely be an encounter that Nailiah would want to see but not at the expense of this child-like, pure souled mare. "Well..only if you wish to. Shall I bring her to the forest or shall I bring her to another area that will not threaten your home?" The mare tilted her head, her hair cascading like a red waterfall, ears perked forward awaiting on answer. "Please be sure about this, Zephyra. I'd rather not make you uncomfortable..."
[Has Zephyra met an Evil Aligned or another Neutral Aligned Azrein yet? Just kinda curious to see what all she would be thinking about after this encounter.]
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 1:33 pm
Zephyra was touched by the motherly concern Nailiah exuded. She hadn't felt such protectiveness over her for a very long time, being alone and fending for herself for most of her life. It was a nice change. "I'm certain about this. More and more often, I've felt this odd energy, as if there's something I'm supposed to be doing. I started exercising more and training, but it didn't help. I'm not sure what it is... but I want to find out. If you'd like, I can follow you to her." She was curious as to what might be beyond her forest. Though the thought was rather scary, Zephra felt safe with the mare. She said as much, touching noses to the other in fondness. "It would be my pleasure to go and meet her."
It only took a little bit of gathering her courage, but she stood before the mare, ready.
[No, she has not. I need to find a 'nice' evil-aligned horse (a.k.a. one that manipulates through talking rather than physical action) for her to meet and see the other side of it all.]
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