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 Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 5:19 pm
 Terra's wings beat swiftly. She was in bat form tonight and loving the feel of the wind underneath her wings. Her mind was working - recalling the meeting with the first member of her extended family. Tinkerbell. The mare with the bleeding ears and ringing bell that signified someone nearby was going to die. The pink & white mare had been extremely hostile. It wasn't even because of her breed. The questions that she had asked had apparently offended the mare as she wanted to forget about the carnival.
She did give her a general direction to travel in and that was what Terra wanted most of all. The batwalker finally had something to go on besides rumors and whispers on the breeze. She would find Barker Hook. She chittered softly as she flew - the landscape below ever changing. Oh yes ... she would find him indeed.
A few hours of flight and Terra could sense the impending arrival of dawn. Without much preamble she angled her flight towards the ground and landed with a soft thump in a pile of snow. Terra shivered before swiftly changing to her larger form. It would do her no good to freeze as a bat if she could avoid doing so. She'd go on for a little longer and then find a place to seek shelter for the daylight hours.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 5:48 pm
 Night was easily Pirata's favorite time and as morning drew closer the blue mare found herself somewhat wearied to see it go - gone would be the nicely muted shades of darkness and soon would come the bright glaring tones of daylight. It was irritating really that hard light on her multitude of eyes but she persisted as necessary.
As though picking up on their mistress' growing agitation the spiders on her back began to drum their feet along her hide and pausing in mid stride Pirata swung her head around to murmur a few soothing words to her precious pets. "We shall return to the cave soon my dears" The blue mare promised the beasts "There to whittle away the hours until the moon rises again...perhaps a tasty snack will come along for you to capture" She hinted in a chillingly quiet yet cheerful voice. Yes that would be some nice entertainment - Pirata did so love to watch her spider work their magic and trap their pray. Perhaps she would let them play with that brown slave mare she kept for a little while..or make the mare fetch a critter to torment.
Yes..probably the later - it was far more amusing to make the other mare capture another victim then to let her be the victim herself. Lost in her thoughts and plotting the dark mare nearly missed the shadowy form on the pathway ahead of her. It wasn't until her spiders began to crawl about excitedly that she took notice. Well hello there..what have we here? A strangely winged creature with large ears of a type she had not seen before. Curious she moved closer.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 9:54 pm
Terra's ears twitched as she stood silently in the middle of the path. She had actually noticed the mare coming in her direction and had frozen on the spot. This was interesting. Terra took a second look at the mare and noted the 'bugs' that seemed to be crawling over the mare's skin. Some vague memory flitted through her mind and the batwalker actually looked puzzled. Had she seen this stranger before? If so ... where would it have been?
Shaking her head to clear the memory away Terra flared her wings and took a threatening pose to barricade the passage so that the mare would have to stop. Her gaze narrowed before her voice came out in a soft whisper. Though soft it was still filled with menace. Terra didn't like mysteries and she wanted this one solved right away. "Who are you?"
She kept her wings open as the words floated in the silence of predawn. Terra watched as the bugs, no, arachnids crawled over the mare's back. She'd have to be careful of this one.
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Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 2:15 pm
Pirata eyed the mare before her warily as the other spread leathery wings and took on a threatening posture, flicking her fading ghostly tail Pirata remained silent as she gave the mare a quick once over. Now that she was closer it was easier to see the pelt that lay across her back - a skinwalker then, a bat one - and upon her chest that oh so familiar blooded moon stood out starkly against pale fur.
Pirata had a similar mark although hers was neatly tucked away on the inside of her leg where it wasn't so obvious.Pirata had spent a good deal of time forgetting about the carnival and her ties to her former self, life before the carnival simply no longer existed to the blue mare and she wasn't entirely sure she welcomed this intrusion of the past into her present.
Of course it did not look like the batwalker was simply going to stand aside and let her pass either. Snorting slightly and narrowing her abundance of glowing blue eyes Pirata pondered her choices while her spider bared their fangs and drummed their feet in response to their hosts agitation.
"It wants my name dearies..shall we give it?" Pirata murmured quietly to her spiders, ears flicking back as though to listen for a response from the arachnids although her eyes remained firmly fixed on the mare before her. 'Yes..yes I believe you might be right" She answered herself a few moments later and advancing a few steps she cooed a quiet response to the mares question. "Pirata Noctis, but it is rude to ask without giving back"
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Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 2:45 pm
Terra continued to watch as the spiders crawled over the other mare's back. How could she stand to just let them do that. Their tiny fangs caught and reflected back the light that was just starting to show over the horizon. Terra knew of the dangers that spider venom could present. She did not recognize what sort of species these spiders were though. That could pose a problem if this meeting turned sour.
As the other mare took a few steps forward Terra maintained her position in the center of the path. She could feel the other mare's eyes observing her form. What did she see in front of her? A predator? Something that was not to be trusted. If she saw these things then she was smart indeed. When the other Soquili gave her name Terra experienced that moment of vague familiarity again. "Pirata Noctis," she parroted the name back into the stillness that followed. "Why does your name spark something of recognition in my mind?" Terra let the question hang before she spoke again. "As for my name, I am Terra Stryker."
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Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 4:27 pm
"Perhaps" Pirata started, once it became apparent that the batwalker wasn't out simply for another meal - skinwalkers could be so very untrustworthy when it came to such things...and they always had ulterior motives. Sneaky beasts..although the chaos they caused in their wake was amusing enough for the blue mare to have some respect for them, even as she kept a close eye on them in careful wariness at the same time. "Perhaps" She repeated "It is due to the mark we share" She motioned with her muzzle towards the batwalker's chest.
The other mares name did not ring any such recognition in Pirata's memories...but that was not entirely surprising given both her experience at the carnival and her own attempts to forcibly forget it. Still Pirata did not believe in coincidence's and the odds of finding some random creature with the blood moon mark on it was pathetically low to her estimation - it simply made sense they both must have spent time at the carnival and if the other creature recalled her it was possibly even at the same time.
One of the spiders she carried with her, made its way up the side of her neck and along her cheek, stopping only to caress the blue mares muzzle with several of its legs. "No pet..I do not think this one is food" Pirata told the spider in a quiet voice. "She would be rather hard to trap I think" she continued on as she regarded the mare, a tone to her voice that made one wonder if she had made a joke...or believed she had truly answered the spider.
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Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 11:11 pm
What luck? Another carnival escapee?
Terra's mind whirled with questions that she wanted to ask the other mare but she stilled her tongue. The last time she had started asking questions she'd upset the one she was questioning. Terra had to be more keen this time around to ferret out the answers that she sought. There was no indication from Pirata that warranted her continued stance so Terra relaxed just a little. Her gaze drank in Pirata's form hungrily. Here was more proof that the carnival was to blame for the misfortune that had befallen her.
"Well. This is certainly interesting. I wonder if the familiarity is because of what you say is true. There must have been a small window of time when we were both a part of that carnival of freaks. I must admit my surprise. I did not think so many had escaped from the tight grip of the Barker. I myself was fairly lucky."
Terra watched in silence as Pirata's 'pets' seemed to be communicating with her. It was almost shocking to hear Pirata respond as if she understood the spider that now crawled along her face. The batwalker hid a small shudder of revulsion. While she hunted insects in her smaller form just seeing them as she was - it sort of gave her a case of the heebie-jeebies. Shaking off the feeling Terra once again tried quieting her mind. To think that Pirata believed that she could be trapped so easily again was laughable. She had no plans to be anyone's victim ever again.
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 7:32 am
"Escape is such a strong word" Pirata cooed at the other mare, shaking her head to send the spider back to its previous perch in her mane so that she could better see the batwalker in front of her - despite the mares more relaxed pose Pirata was not nearly foolish enough to relax entirely around such a beast. Skinwalkers, as she had already reminded herself, were highly unpredictable.
"I was not a freak when first I went to the carnival...but certainly was changed by it, though I think perhaps I ought to thank them for it in retrospect" The mare mused seemingly mostly to herself..or perhaps to the spiders again - it was sometimes hard to tell with Pirata. Re-focusing on the mare in front of her she snorted slightly "But such things are in the past, and the past should sometimes be left exactly where it is"
Despite her words however Pirata found herself somewhat curious about the batwalker and her story - she said she'd been lucky and escaped...which was a good deal different from her own story and while such things did not always interest Pirata it did not seem like the batwalker was keen to let her go on her way - or rather Pirata was not keen to test and see if she was. "They planned to keep you then?" She questioned the mare to see if she would share some of her own story.
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Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 12:01 pm
Terra watched the other mare with a suspicious gaze as Pirata related her experience with the carnival. So it sounded like she had not really been a part of the carnival proper. But something had still changed from her visit to the hated place. Terra didn't remember anything but the carnival. There had been flashes of light, screams, whispered commands, pain, hunger and the feeling of icy manacles encircling her hooves. They had been afraid of her. Terra snickered quietly as this realization came to pass. Why else would they have kept her chained down?
Terra's head snapped up at Pirata's next words. The past should have stayed in the past. "The past is where I need to go to find answers to my questions."
She fell silent again before eying the strange mare and her "pets". It was disturbing to see the spiders being allowed free reign to crawl wherever they pleased to go. Terra averted her gaze before snarling softly. "They planned to keep me. If I had not escaped I'd still be in that forsaken place. Those fools thought that they were all powerful for holding onto me for as long as they did," here Terra gave Pirata a knowing smile. "But they did not factor in the possibility that I could free myself."
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:20 am
Pirata mused over the other mares words for a few moment - so it sounded like the batwalker was not simply curious about the carnival and the experiences had within...but was actively seeking something from it. Pirata had never returned to the carnivale after her transformation, indeed though she recalled staggering back in that direction she had never gotten to it and once her transformation was complete she'd forgotten why she'd been going back in the first place and abandoned the idea.
"I see" She told the mare "I suppose that if one desires answers they must look where they are likely to be found" and it seemed like it was the past in this case, although Pirata still thought this was a rats nest that should not be disturbed. "It is an unfortunate tale to be sure..or perhaps a fortunate one as you did manage to free yourself...but what is it you now seek? Surely you do not desire to return after such effort was made to escape"
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 5:54 pm
Terra watched Pirata carefully. "As I said before I seek answers," the batwalker flared her wings in a non-threatening manner before continuing, "and revenge."
The mare gave a dramatic sigh. "I cannot remember anything but waking up and realizing my freedom was fleeting. I was made to perform night after night. There was one moment though when I had an inkling of an idea and began to put it into motion. But I need to go back to get my absolute revenge on the leader himself. Once I am sure that I am free from his grip maybe I'll be satisfied."
Terra shook off the uncomfortable feeling that traversed her spine before piercing Pirata again. Her red eyes took in the spiders once again before she shuddered. "Do those creatures on your back not bother you?" Terra was trying to change the conversation now.
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 5:58 pm
Ah..Revenge..revenge was as good a reason as any Pirata supposed to go searching for the carnivale again, it did not sound as though the mare before her would be able to move forward with her life and future without wrapping up these threads from her past. It was somewhat of an alien thought for Pirata who thought so little about such things, the future as far as she could see was far more entertaining then the dull existence she had led before the Carnivale.
"Bother me?" She questioned in a surprised voice "No, not at all - they are responsible for who I have become, the fortune teller tried to tell me but my former self paid no attention to her words, it wasn't until the cactus split and the spiders bit that I realized what she had meant, the spider's venom coursed through my veins - it killed who I was and transformed me into what I am...now we are linked, and they are useful creatures, they warn me when others are close, spin webs to keep things trapped or bind together a shelter. No they do not bother me..they are as much a part of me as perhaps your alternate form is to you" She answered the other mare after a few moments to ponder her words.
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 4:03 pm
Terra listened in quiet concentration as Pirata explained the general story behind her own transformation. It was definitely a tale to consider remembering as it dealt with probably a powerful member of the carnival. Her gaze locked on one of the "useful" creatures as Pirata called it. The arachnids seemed to be almost necessary then for the mare to thrive. If they caught prey and made shelter they were indeed things to be treasured.
But thinking like this would be Terra's downfall. She couldn't rely on anyone now. Her showdown with Barker Hook would come sooner or later and Terra wanted her mind to be filled with intelligent plans; instead of foolhardy sentimental feelings.
Growling softly Terra inched a little closer to the mare. Pirata was right about one thing. Her pelt was indeed useful. It, plus the corpse powder, that had transformed her, had torn open new doors leading into various future paths. Her gaze narrowed in thought. The batwalker idly traced her claw in the dirt at her feet. It was time to figure out if Pirata could be of any use to her. "I must admit the idea of something foreign crawling around would take time getting used to but it is time I do not have to spare. Tell me Pirata have you heard anything of the carnival of late? Where it might have stopped last? Which direction it was heading? As I said I need to find it to find answers."
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 5:46 am
Pirata considered things for a few moments, this mare before her was unknown and generally as a rule Pirata did not offer help to those she didn't know, mostly because she simply did not care to waste the time doing so - and yet she had the feeling that the batwalker was likely out to cause some sort of chaos..and Pirata did so love to help spread that around the land. It was amusing to watch from afar and while it was unlikely she would be present when this chaos hit - it would none the less amuse her to perhaps hear of it someday...or just to know that it had occurred.
And on the other hand - there was nothing wrong with having those of power owe you something. Pirata would not come right out and say so of course, she doubted the mare would agree to the debt but someday perhaps Pirata would see her again and someday perhaps would be able to remind her of help once offered. Of course to offer help one must have some sort of fact to give and so the spider mare spent a few minutes sorting through the rumors and words that had reached her lately through She-ra and the rest of her minions. In the end she focused on one - it was peculiar enough to be relevant.
"I did not return to the scene of my transformation and so have no idea where the carnival might have gone - however..." And she let her words trail off for a few moments to pull the walkers attention in "..there have been rumors not to long ago, rumors of strange foals born to normal parents, weird mutant creatures with oddities unlike anything in their heritage. The parents were said to have seen or visited the carnival. Perhaps you ought to seek out one of them"
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 5:00 pm
Terra studied the other mare carefully. She was wondering at what cost this information might come at but she did nothing to voice her opinion. Taking a few minutes to think of this new possible direction Terra grimaced. Having to track down seemingly regular folk would be daunting. Her mind flicked back to when she'd left her note of revenge scrawled on the side of the wooden structure from before. She hadn't paid much attention then but maybe it was possible that the magic that had graced the carnival still permeated the interior.
That was something to think about. Terra's gaze focused back on Pirata as she harrumphed silently. It had been interesting to at least interact with this mare but Terra had places to go and things to see. Without even a thank you she took to the air and transformed into her smaller bat size. The sunlight burned her vision as she risked a short flight away from Pirata and her pet spiders. This encounter would be one she would remember for a while. She flew on. The world was passing beneath her with every beat of her leather wings.
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