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 Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2012 10:25 pm
 Paradox flew slowly over his forest, his wings feeling like someone had replaced his bones with lead. It was well past dawn, and he was usually asleep by now. Accustomed to darkness, the sun hurt his eyes and bore down on him, the heat draping heavily across his back and suffocating him with its warmth. He didn't know how anybody stood being awake in daylight like this. The world was just so much more bearable at night.
But he had good reasons for being awake. He had left a mare sleeping in his hollow...and he was going to see if she was still there. If she was, he would probably leave again, as much as it would pain him. But if she wasn't...well he was exhausted. He would sleep in the darkness of his rock-shelter and try to forget she had ever existed.
He knew it wouldn't be easy. He could still feel her against his side, still taste her blood in his mouth. His fangs ached at the memories. Which was exactly why he had to leave her be. Next time, when darkness fell and his bloodlust rose, he might not just take her blood. For that matter, he was hungry now, damn his Kalona blood. He hadn't taken enough from Mei to satisfy him for long. She had collapsed the night before mostly due to exhaustion, and was probably back to full strength after resting all night. Lucky diurnal alicorn.
Even though he was burning with hunger, he could not hunt now. Hunting was poor during daylight, when his prey could see him coming. He would have to wait until darkness fell. He could wait that long. Besides, he was exhausted. His bloodlust would be quiet, or at the very least quieter, until he got some rest.
Speaking of rest, he was nearing his outcropping of rock. He circled silently, searching for Mei. He didn't see her, but he decided he'd rather be safe than sorry. So he landed on top of the rocks, resigning himself to sleeping with the sun in his eyes. The rocks stood above the treetops, lending no cover from the sun. But there was a small hollow in the topmost rock that could hide him if Mei went out flying later. He settled there, draping a shadowy wing over his face to block out as much sunlight as he could.
He was almost amused. His little experiment had worked a little too well...
But then again, was it even an experiment anymore?
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 6:43 pm
...Maybe.
She couldn't tell. She was new to this... thing... called "love." She had hoped with all her might that she hadn't been dreaming, to no avail. Paradox was most assuredly gone. Mei didn't want to acknowledge that he'd probably just pretended with her, just to get to her to have her flesh and blood... but she had doubts, if only because he had left her alive. He'd saved her. He'd sheltered her.
"...He... left..." She fought hard, but in the end, she let go. Tears spilled, and she raced out of the hollow, taking off into the air almost gracefully. The sunlight sparkled off of her tears, and she dashed forward into the skies with all her might. She had to escape. She didn't want to know this pain building up inside her. If she left it all behind, she could forget. However, no amount of running, crying, or even her beloved flying could help her forget. Paradox was too wonderful, predator though he might be. She had felt a different kind of closeness with him; that feeling of "belonging" which she had been searching for.
She had looked north to south, east to west, and she had found it with Paradox. And Mei Xiu suddenly realized she would never forget him. After all, he had broken his way through into her heart, and there he would stay. When she blinked her eyes dry, Mei didn't recognize the skies. She had left so quickly, she didn't know where she was. Despair hit her hard, and tired from her mad craze to leave, she glided lower and circled into a gentle looking clearing. Exhausted, Mei checked her surroundings. She was lost again, and Paradox wasn't with her to guide her to safety this time.
Mei was alone.
"Paradox!"
Her shout of sadness echoed, reflecting her loneliness.
"Hullo, there!" he called, hoping he didn't startle the mare. She seemed to be focused deeply within her mind on something. As he drew closer, he saw tear streaks, and then nearly backed off when he saw her horn. She was a mare of healing abilities, though it seemed she was limited. Of course, he wasn't sure. Walking closer, he saw that she looked exhausted, and was probably about to faint then and there. In which case, it's quite important to catch her attention and make sure she doesn't get attacked, then, isn't it? he thought to himself. Because of the lack of presence of any males around her besides himself, Honovi took it to mean the mare was all by her lonesome.
Well, she wouldn't be for much longer.
"Are you lost, pretty one?" He was being bold, but at least he was truthful. Honovi didn't think he meant anything by it, anyways. Of course, then again, he was also the epitome of "male," which is why he worked long and hard to sharpen his antlers and his hooves, why he practiced daily to keep alert and aware. Even while he watched the mare, his ears swiveled to and fro, listening for even the slightest hint of danger. He could protect himself fine--after all, he was also quite fleet of hooves--but with a mare to protect, he wasn't sure how well the fight would go... He didn't like handicaps, but he'd deal with it if it happened.
"My name is Honovi. May I ask what yours is, pretty one?"
He really was just trying to be polite, here!Regardless of how cautious he had approached, the stallion(?) still startled Mei. When she looked up, she saw a stallion who held himself proudly, but looked at her with kind and worried eyes. Did she really look that bad? "Oh... hello," she responded, rather dully. Usually she was excited to meet new friends, but even at this male's presence she couldn't bring herself to enjoyment of new things like normal. When the stallion introduced himself, Mei nodded her greeting. "...I'm Mei Xiu." Honovi kept called her "pretty one" but she certainly felt more like "ugly, abandoned one" right now. Which, of course, then made her think of... Paradox. I miss you and I've only known you for a short time.
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 9:16 pm
Paradox couldn't sleep. The damn sun was in his eyes, and his mind refused to rest. He kept thinking of her--how she fell into that pool, or how she couldn't see things halfway in front of her face sometimes. She was so vulnerable in his eyes, and he had never had to be protective of someone before.
No, he couldn't think about that. She was nothing to him, nothing! It didn't matter what happened to her. He shuffled uncomfortably, his wing blindfold slipping from his eyes.
Maybe he would find her--just to make sure she got out of the forest okay. His forest was a veritable maze... Yes, he would find her. He wouldn't let her see him, though. No, he knew the deepest shadows of his forest. But...he felt responsible for her. What if he had taken more blood than he thought and she was weak and near disaster?
No, no, she was probably fine. And why did he even care? He had washed his hooves of her.
But then she shouted so loudly, her voice so full of sorrow and brokenness. With a cry that loud it was easy to find her location--she wasn't far off either, sheltered near that clearing about a half mile off. Worse, she had called his name. The sparks of guilt in his icy heart burst into a torrent as he realized how deeply he had hurt her. He hadn't thought of her as heartbroken, hadn't realized that his leaving would be emotionally devastating for her. All he had cared about was selfishly defending his cold heart from her warmth.
But he had done this for her too. He could kill her, and she didn't seem to understand how dangerous he was. She stayed when she should have run. This pain she was feeling was for her own good...wasn't it?
Regardless, if she had landed in his forest again--and she must have flown to get to that clearing, all the trails were dead ends--then she must be lost. He decided to find her and follow her, just to be sure she found her way...and didn't fall into any of the traps he had set in the forest.
He flew as silently as he could, his hooves feet from the treetops. He ducked down into the shadows of the forest floor as he neared the clearing, landing softly as he searched for Mei. And found her, too, not long after he started looking. The scent of blood still clung to her somewhat from the night before. It was almost too easy. She was alone and full of sadness, and it was his fault.
He could do nothing about it but watch, the scent of blood toying with his hunger, the tears on her face toying with his heart.
But then she was less alone, as some strange male strutted in out of nowhere. Who did he think he was, some hero rescuing a damsel in distress? Paradox's eyes narrowed in instant dislike. He called her lovely names, the flirtatious Cerynei. But he hadn't spotted her puncture wounds, the marks that made her Paradox's. She had danced with darkness--she would never fit completely into his world of light now.
She was his, even though he had let her go, and this arrogant stallion was getting on Paradox's nerves.
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 8:43 pm
For once, Mei found that it was annoying to have company in her presence. What made her think that way, of course, was the fact that she simply--for once--wanted to be left alone. Her mother, Mocha, once said that sometimes a mare has to have time to let the tears flow, and then she has to pick herself back up and keep going. Mei decided she probably might be able to give up on Paradox... but things looked a bit grim, because this stallion--Honovi?--was making her rather uncomfortable. "Um... My name is Mei Xiu. Could you stop calling me 'pretty one'?" Compared to Paradox, this stallion obviously didn't know what he was doing.
...At all.
However, the stallion had attempted to be kind and probably was concerned because it probably was very odd to find a mare all by her lonesome instead of with company. Mei was used to being with company and being alone because she traveled so often, but--wonders of wonders--Mei felt--for once--utterly alone. Not even Honovi's presence soothed her, though it probably should have. In the back of her mind, Mei found herself curiously wondering what type of stallion Honovi was... She'd never seen his like, and she couldn't think of any familiar names of what to call his kind. She had never met his sort before... but he carried himself in what seemed a "gallant" and "proud" way. His mannerisms attracted Mei, but not like... She stopped herself.
"So... Honovi... how can I help you...?"
Honovi stood at high alert. He felt something watching them, but he couldn't pinpoint it, and finally, Honovi let the feeling go, thinking he was probably being paranoid. "My apologies, Miss Mei Xiu. But if I may be so bold once more, you are quite lovely." How he managed to say that without blushing was something Honovi felt rather proud of, since he tended to be somewhat awkward with mares. The feeling of being watched returned, and Honovi decided he would just be aware. Danger lurked in every shadow and place not obvious to the ones who didn't know where to look.
"Ah, forgive me, Miss Mei Xiu. I heard your cry of anguish earlier. It caught my worry and curiosity, which led me here. I was hoping I could help you. Perhaps you could enlighten me?" He hoped that through being polite Mei Xiu would open up to him and he could then sweep in and play hero. He loved playing hero, and rescuing damsels in distress was something he hoped to make a hobby of, although the real reason was his instinctual demand for a herd telling him to gather many females and birth many children... He was, after all, a lone "prince" searching for certain things to feel complete in life...
...And he so did love challenges. Mei Xiu represented his first challenges in the form of wooing females. Not his favorite, but he needed the practice and if he won Mei over, things could proceed smoothly from there.
He hoped so, at least.
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