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 Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 8:14 am
 Aquitaine walked out from the woods into the large meadow with it's dry grass. There hadn't been much rain lately so everything was dry and turning brown. The grass crunched under her hooves as she continued forward, her dragon rumbling unhappily at the constant sound. The land had changed since the last time she had been in this area, yet she too had changed. It had been some time since her family had cone this way on an outing to let Aquitaine and her brothers see where a lot of other Soquili called home. It had been a strange and exciting adventure for her and now after all this time she had wandered here without thinking about it. It was funny how things like that happened.
Coming to a stop Aquitaine let her eyes survey the changed landscape. Where once there was green grass and flowers in every direction now there was only brown grass with the odd clump that clung to life. Even behind her the trees had changed with the lack of water, their leaves were curled up and some had turned brittle. It was odd how much this place looked different. Then her eyes settled onto the mountain in the distance, with it's jagged peaks, scrub brush and little life. Even now it made a chill run down her spine. How could anyone live up there? But someone did. She remembered meeting that colt, Agave, out here when she had been a young filly. He had been so strange and yet Aquitaine had tried to befriend him. His mother had been teaching him all kinds of horrible things, like how to fight without honor, how to craft poison using plants and generally how to be a bad influence on others. Standing here now looking at the unwelcoming mountain Aquitaine wondered what ever began of Agave. Was he still under his mothers control? Did his trainer still beat him if he wasn't quick enough or tough enough? Letting out a sigh she lowered her head and took a mouthful of semi-green grass as she thought about her last visit here.
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Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 9:06 am
 Agave was trying to get back home as quickly as possible, he hadn't even bothered to stop and wash the drying blood from his front hooves, nor stem the bleeding of the various wounds he himself had received during the fight. His mother he knew would be anxious to find out that he had expanded her realm by one more valley to the south - and any delay in telling her that news meant consequences.
Of course in his rush he had not been prepared to find an intruder so close to the mountain stronghold - it was a miracle really that the mare hadn't been spotted..but he had spotted her now and bursting from the brush he galloped towards her - intent on driving her away or perhaps capturing her as a prisoner. It wasn't until he got quite close that the patterns on her body jostled his memories..though the memory that came to mind was of a foal not a mare...still that long slender tail and those patterns on her hide could only belong to one. Throwing up his head he struggled to halt his charge, skidding to a rough stop. "Aquitaine..what are you doing here?!?" He hissed at her "You shouldn't be here! Get out of this meadow!" He encouraged her, moving forward to try and crowd her back into the tree's while looking around anxiously.
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Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 9:18 am
Aquitaine had not imagined that in one moment she would go from being alone to having a large green male come galloping towards her. Was this another one of the minions of this land? Fear gripped her for a moment and she took several quick steps backward as the stallion came to a sudden stop. It wasn't until she heard her name that she took a good look at the stallion. What had only moments before been a large menacing stranger was suddenly the foal she had met all that time ago all grown up. Before she could even say anything he was yelling at her. His words and actions had her scared and in response to this her dragon rumbled a challenge. "Agave? Is that truly you?" Ignoring her own beast Aquitaine noticed the blood dripping from several wounds on Agave's hide. "You're hurt!"
It was not quite the reunion she might have hoped for, him charging up bleeding while trying to force her out of the meadow. Had his mothers grip tightened even more since she last saw him. Yet she couldn't help but notice he wasn't attacking her, he was almost protecting her, trying to get her away from some danger she could not see. Much as she didn't want him to push her around there was a true sense of urgency in his words and so she had little choice but to continue her backward retreat never taking her eyes off of him. "Agave, tell me what's going on." She couldn't explain why she was here, even she didn't know, she had simply wandered and ended up at this forbidding mountain.
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Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 9:38 am
" Yes its me and never mind that!" Agave told her in an unintentionally rough voice when she mentioned his wounds as he rushed her into the tree's. Thankfully she didn't resist much and once they were safety out of the open Agave circled around to peer back out into the meadow. No signs of any of his mothers minions could be seen and he visibly relaxed, though his hide still twitched here and there with anxiety as he came back around to speak with her
"Sorry" He apologized "Sorry..but you can't wander around in the meadow like that, They'll see you...and then I'll have to take you in and I don't think you would like it up on the mountain" He explained, though it really wasn't much of an explanation. It wasn't until now when he had calmed down slightly and turned back to look at her that he noticed the beast with her however and he stared at the dragon "What is that?!?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 9:52 am
She couldn't help but cringe as he yelled at her once more. He's just trying to protect you, she kept telling herself, though it was hard to believe it based upon his harsh tone of voice. A she backed into the forest her hoof caught on a root and she nearly fell over, but by some miracle she kept her balance until the trees concealed them both. She watched as he checked behind them, back towards the mountain, his hide twitching. Her breathing was heavy, as if she had been running hard, but Aquitaine knew it was fear that was causing it. She had known the mountain was not a pleasant place but suddenly being forced out of the meadow like that had been terrifying. It would see it had changed a lot more than she had first realized it. Finally he spoke again, apologizing for his actions. And as he went on to explain why he had done so Aquitaine wasn't sure if she felt relieved or even more fearful. What would have happened if it hadn't been Agave who had came across her?
"I didn't know!" There was definitely a tinge of panic in her voice. How was she to know a place she had visited as a foal which seemed fairly safe was now a dangerous place to be. Aquitaine closed her eyes for a moment to swallow down the emotions that were plaguing her in this moment and when she opened them she swore for a second she saw Agave as a colt once more like he had been the first time they met. Only that flash of memory quickly dissolved into the present. "They? You mean your mother and trainer? I...don't want to end up there with them." She opened her mouth to say more but was only interrupted by his question. Aquitaine glanced back towards the dragon and then to Agave. "That's a dragon head." She told him all too calmly and then went to change the subject. "Agave, what's happened to you? You come running at me covered in blood and injuries, and I know not all of that blood is yours. Don't tell me you are still under your mothers control." She had to help free him from his mothers control, but feared he may be too deep in. Yet that fact he had saved her instead of capturing her told Aquitaine that there was still good in him and that was all she needed to work with.
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Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 10:12 am
He was frightening her..Agave could see that he was and yet he wasn't entirely sure how to do anything else. Not anymore, fear got results and he needed results even if, deep inside, he hated himself for using it. He tried to tone it down a little bit..make his voice sound a bit more soothing. "Yes..yes of course you wouldn't know" He tried to sooth her "But things have changed around here..its not just the mountain my mother controls now but many of the lands around it. All the herds are under her control..slaves or driven off as the case might be" He shared, peering back out through the trees.
"Your safe with me though...if anyone comes I'll tell them that your mine, that I've claimed you. they might try to fight me but no worries I've been trained well and as long as your act like a proper mare they won't hurt you and then I"ll just sneak you off somewhere when they leave..tell them that you acted up and I killed you or something so that they won't go looking.." He went on though it was unclear at this point if he was saying this to her or simply planning out a contingency plan in case they were discovered.
Shaking his head slightly Agave came back to the present conversation more clearly, recalling that she had asked him some questions "No..no it's not all mine, it's from a herd to the south. I took over their valley today for my mother" It seemed somewhat pointless to say that yes he was still under his mothers control at this point.
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Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 10:27 am
All those herds, all of them, gone or enslaved. A shudder ran down her spine. There had been so many Soquili living in these parts the last time she had been here and now they were gone. It was terrible news and Aquitaine felt a great sadness for those who had been forced from their homes by this evil mare. "Those poor herds." She whispered, not exactly directing it at Agave. She could not imagine what it might feel like to be forced to leave, though after Agave's attempts to get her into the forest where they could hide she oddly did. It had been a frightening experience and to have it encompass an entire herd, Agave's mother must have some very powerful and dangerous allies on her side.
Hearing his next words made her shake her head. How could he possibly think she was safe in his presence? Even with his plans should they encounter another it did not guarantee anything. And if she was not truly safe, then neither was Agave. Aquitaine went to argue the point that as long as she was here neither of them would be safe, but that was when he explained the source of blood. He had attacked another herd, because his mother had told him to. She gasped in horror and took a few quick steps back. "Agave how can you do such a thing?" Part of her wanted to run away, escape this living nightmare. Yet this was her friend standing before her, whether he realized it or not, and he needed her help.
With a sudden boost to her confidence Aquitaine stamped her hoof down and gave Agave a very stern look. As if to accentuate that her dragon growled at the stallion, his red eyes focusing straight into Agave's. "You listen to me Agave. You have lived under your mothers control for too long. I know that what you truly are and what she wants you to be are two different things. And don't try to argue with me about that, I know it's true. Why else would you be trying to save me from her instead of delivering me to her as the next slave?" She took a bold step forward. "I know you are better than this, better than what she had made you. You must break free from her bonds, be who you truly are inside. I can help you. Please let me help you." She almost begged him to let her help. It pained her so much to see him forced to be something other than himself. She knew he wouldn't be able to do it on his own, even if he did manage to escape his mother he would need someone there to help guide him back to the right path, and she would be that individual, he just needed to listen to her first.
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Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 11:05 am
"How could I?" Agave gaped at the mare - did he realize that what he did was not pleasant, of course, did he know he was hurting others? He'd have to be blind to think otherwise. "How could I not?!?" Yes he got it..she felt badly for all the displaced ,wounded and enslaved, he really did..but well if they'd been stronger then this wouldn't have happened to them. It wasn't an excuse but it was a valid reason to his way of thinking. Granted his way of thinking was skewed slightly by his upbringing.
When she stamped her hoof and demanded that he change his ways Agave almost laughed even as she shamed him and her dragon growled - something that might have been more daunting if Agave didn't deal with creepy vicious minions everyday in the form of his mothers spiders - not at the humor of what she said but at the sheer absurdity of what she was saying. "Leave? I can't leave! You don't now anything Aquitaine, I've seen now, the type of herd you must have come from, I know why you didn't seem to know what I was talking about when we were foals. I didn't understand then but I do now. I can't leave - she'd hunt me to the ends of the world and do you really want her spreading her influence any farther then she already has? No..I'm trapped Aquitaine, it's to late for me..but not for you...not if you leave" He assured her.
"Come on, I'll take you to the edge of her territory and then you can run..run as far away from here as you can get and never come back"
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Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 11:22 am
Part of her wanted to argue with him, to tell him he did have a choice, that he didn't have to do what he did to appease his mother. Yet she did understand his situation more than he might believe her. If he didn't do these things then who knows what would happen to him if his mother or trainer turned on him in their anger. He was strong, she could see that, she knew that, but everyone had their limits and Agave likely never hit his before. It was best for her to just let this small thing slip, for now.
"Of course I didn't seem to know what you were talking about when we were foals. I had never met anyone like you, and I haven't since then, but I could see even then that you were already being controlled by your mother. It was the only thing I truly understood at that time." And now he was even deeper under that crazy mares influence and while she could still see good in him she wondered how long it would be before his mother crushed that very last part of him and put him completely and utterly under her control. She knew that even wanting to help him she could not stay here. He was right, it was too dangerous for her and this may be her last chance to escape before his mothers other minions found them. With a heavy sigh Aquitaine shook her head. "Fine." And then because she seemed to have one last small amount of courage left in her she stared at him hard. "But I will not run until you do one thing for me. Promise me, truly promise me, that is you ever free yourself from your mother than you find me. Go to the ocean, it's where I live, find me and I will help you. Promise me that Agave, right now or I will stand here and let her take me as her prisoner, something I know you don't want to have happen."
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Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 11:31 am
Agave was getting more and more nervous the longer he stood here arguing with her, his mother would send someone out soon to find out what had happened to him and when they discovered that he and his patrol had dealt with the herd, that he had left to come back and report to her but hadn't arrived yet well..she would know that something was up.
He would have to do something to appease her suspicions and well he doubted it would be a nice thing. He didn't tell that to Aquitaine though. Rather he pushed his muzzle into her for a brief minute. She had been the only actual foalhood friend he'd ever made..even if they had only met once. It was a sad thought really when he considered it in that light..but he simply couldn't bare to think about her in his mother's grasp. She was unique enough to keep from being killed outright - he could look at her and see that but she was also kind enough that his mother would hate her.
"I promise" He told her "I promise that I will and if I get the chance somehow I'll try..but..but don't look for me Aquitaine, the chances are slim. So very slim" He warned her before his gentle muzzle push became more forceful "NO lets go..we have to go now!"
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Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 11:46 am
Aquitaine expected him to fight her on this, argue until she finally relented and was once again forced away. But to her surprise he didn't and she was even more shocked her he pushed his muzzle into her, and not in a violent sort of way either. She stood stock still trying to figure out what was happening. His words meant the world to her. Even if the chances of him escaping were so slim that it was next to impossible she knew that she had his promise and that meant everything to her. But before she could say anything he was shoving her and yelling to get moving. She was no idiot, they had spend a long time standing here talking and ever moment they wasted brought her closer to possible capture.
So she allowed him to escort her, quite quickly, to the far side of the territory. Not once did she look over her shoulder fearful that she might see someone coming after them. It was all she could do not to let the panic of being caught paralyze her. If they made it to the border without interruption she would be safe...and Agave, well she could only hope he would be okay. She ran along not truly paying attention to her surroundings and nearly stumbled when he called for her to halt. They had reached the edge without issue, now the last bit relied on her running fast and hard. She knew time was against them but she took this last moment to turn and look at her friend. "I promise I won't look for you, I now know it's too dangerous." And then she stepped forward, and whispered in his ear. "Remember your promise Agave, I will be there to help you. Take care of yourself...please." Pushing her muzzle into his she gave him a quick nuzzle and then turning she raced off, afraid that he might see the tears rolling down her cheeks.
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Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 12:13 pm
Agave watched as Aquitaine ran off, a deep part of him wanted to follow her, to leave behind the life he led now so filled with blood and violence. He wanted to see her ocean, live somewhere were rocks and cliffs weren't the norm...never see a spider again. Perhaps if he had not been given a taste of kindness as a foal from his nanny..perhaps if he hadn't gotten a glimpse of what life could be like elsewhere through his meeting with Aquitaine..perhaps then he could have been happy leading the life he was now. Maybe then his life wouldn't seem so very wrong.
But it did..and there was nothing he could do about it...and it would only get worse if his mother found out how he really thought and so squaring his shoulders he turned away from the path Aquitaine had taken and headed with determined steps back to the mountain.
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