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 Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 10:54 am
 For days he had been traveling, coming from his jungle home back to the beach where he had ran away as a foal. It had not been an easy trip, during the long hours of walking each day he often thought about the various encounters that had eventually led up to his tear filled flee through the jungle. It was a part of him he had long thought buried but each step he took the memories resurfaced. However, unlike when he was younger, Cergen did not cringe at these thoughts but instead wondered what, if anything, he could have done to change his fate. Should he have stood up to those who had laughed at him? Yes, but he wasn't sure if that would have changed anything. Should he have returned sooner? Absolutely. There were so many unanswered questions about his family, whether they were still around or not, and of course the filly who knew, who had undoubtly grown up into a beautiful mare. No matter how much he thought on the events of the past one thing was clear, while it had isolated him from everyone he knew, he was glad to have grown up alone in the jungle. No, not alone, he had Clever Hands. And doing this had made him stronger and gave him new perspectives on life.
But now the day had come when he finally reached his old home. Could he call it his home? He had left as a foal and had been gone five long years. It was home, not his jungle home, but still a place he could call home. The sun was starting to set, he only had a short amount of daylight left until the beach would turn dark, except for the silvery tendrils of moonlight dancing across the sand and surf. Standing just inside of the trees, out of sight, Cergen brought his hooves to a stop. The beach was only a few feet away, and while his heart raced with both fear and excitement, he knew he was doing the right thing. A soft tug on his mane pulled him back to reality and he glanced back at his monkey friend who was busy fixing his mane. "Thank you friend." He was so glad Clever Hands had come along with him, it had made the journey more tolerable that he could often talk to the monkey, even if Clever Hands never said anything back except for a few chirps here and there.
Slowly his eyes shifted back to the beach and Clever Hands leapt from his back, settling down onto a branch above the stallions back. Cergen took in the view of the beach, it looked the same as the day he had left, soft sand leading the way down to the endless water of the ocean. But he had not come back just for the beach, he had come back to see if his family was still around, to let them know he was okay, but mostly he came back to see if that filly he knew was still around. His eyes scanned the beach hoping to see her. Please be here, he thought to himself.
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Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 11:04 am
 Another brilliant escape! Atlantis thought to herself as she galloped down the path and onto the beach, the heavy sand slowed her briefly..until she made it to the wetter grains closer to the water, but that was alright, it gave her a chance to peek behind her and make sure she wasn't being followed. A quick glance confirmed her earlier thoughts..no one was coming, she had, as always, gotten away cleanly.
Slowing to a trot she moved down the shoreline, head held proudly as she clutched the small bag she carried firmly. Unwittingly she passed right by the stallion hidden in the trees but her thoughts were far to preoccupied with the loot she had managed to acquire to notice him and the crashing waves were enough to cover any sounds he might have made to alert her. Continuing down the shoreline she angled her path back towards the heavy sands and the trees beyond, stopping only long enough to make sure the water was washing away her tracks before she continued on wards.She had to get her treasure safety stashed away before the sun came up and the beaches more nosy citizens awoke to see what she was doing.
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Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 11:16 am
The sound of galloping hooves caught his attention and Cergen swung his head to see who was coming. His eyes narrowed as he gazed upon a mare, and after a moment he realized it wasn't just any mare, but the mare he had come home for. As she moved past where he was Cergen caught his breath, so had grown up so beautiful, now he was cursing himself for not staying as a foal, for he had missed out on seeing her transition into this beauty that trotted across the beach. She was already past him before he shook himself out of his stupor and stepped out from where he had been standing. He took a moment to glance in the direction she had come, wondering why she had been running, but he saw nothing coming down the path behind her so he figured she was just running for the heck of it.
He watched her move across the beach, to where the water washed up on the sand and then away once more. He never thought about what she was doing, or why she was doing it, Cergen just wanted to go over there and talk to her. A quick glance behind him told him Clever Hands was staying put but intensely watching the stallion, he could have swore he saw the monkeys head bob as if to say 'Go on, this is what you came here for.' That made him smile and so he turned and followed after Atlantis. He had to trot to catch up with her, but his long powerful legs closed the distance fairly quickly. Still he was several feet away from her when he finally called out to her. "Atlantis." Anything else he might have wanted to say was lost to him as he was once again struck dumb by her beauty, she had such a delicate frame.
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Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 11:24 am
Atlantis was mentally congratulating herself for another successful heist when out of the blue someone called out her name. Startled she dropped her bag and whipped around to see who it was, letting her tail fin shield the bag from view as she did so. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she prepared to tell off one of the nosy locals for sneaking up on her - one of them must have woken up early for once - when the words died in her throat and her eyes widened slightly.
The stallion before her was well..he was handsome there was no doubt about that! And there was something about him, something almost familiar...and she gasped as the stallions name surfaced in her thoughts. "Cergen?" She questioned in slight shock - the pattern on the coat certainly matched but this definitely wasn't the gawky little colt that had run off all those years ago. She certainly hadn't been expecting to see him ever again in point of fact..everyone thought he was dead and she blurted out this fact without really thinking about it. "But ...your supposed to be dead!...I mean..everyone thought you must have died when they couldn't find you.." She explained.
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Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 8:59 am
Cergen waited as Atlantis studied him, he could see a sense of recognition in her eyes but it still took a moment for her to say his name. When she finally did he couldn't help but smile, it sounded so good coming from her. And considering he had been gone for five years, not to mention left as a colt, he was thoroughly impressed she remembered him at all. "Yes, it's me." How badly did he want to step forward, to close the gap between them and give her a nuzzle. But he remained where he was, out of respect and because after five years he wasn't sure if she had a mate who would take offense to him talking with her let alone touching her. Of course that thought completely vanished at her next words. They all thought he was dead.
He should have expected something like this. He had run away at such a young age that even he had doubted whether he could survive in the jungle alone for more than a few days. Honestly if it hadn't been for Clever Hands he likely would have starved or been eaten by a predator within the first month. But even that did not soften the blow of knowing that everyone had considered him dead. That would certainly explain why he had never seen anyone looking for him. Oh they obviously had at first but had likely given up hope of finding him alive after a few days. But that fate had not happened to him, for he stood here on this very beach very much alive and quite handsome if he could say so. "I had run so far, I doubt even the most determined of souls could not have found me." He had run to the point of exhaustion and pushed on even from there until he had collapsed mid-stride. It was a miracle he had survived but now standing her looking at Atlantis it had all been worth it. "But I am back now, and I cannot say how happy I am that the first face I should meet was yours. Oh Atlantis, I thought about you nearly every day that I was gone."
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Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 7:27 am
Atlantis was still in a bit of shock to be honest - I mean it wasn't everyday that a foal who had run off and never been found returned home out of the blue like this. With a wary look around - to ensure that no one else had yet seen them - she left her treasure where she had dropped it so that she could circle the stallion before her. He had certainly grown up well, strong and muscular with flowing locks of mane that any mare would be proud to have for herself.
Yes indeed...he was a fine creature. Atlantis liked fine things of any sort, but it wasn't until he spoke of her that she considered the possibility that she might make this stallion a part of her collection. Imagining the jealous looks from other mares when they saw her with him was enough to make the bejeweled mare giddy. Deciding to play Coy she ducked her head slightly at the stallions comment "You..you did?" She asked softly "It was so long ago and with what you must have gone through out there..alone..why I'm surprised that you even remembered me.." She went on with mock humbleness. Of course he would have remembered her, she had been the finest of all the fillies in the herd and her good looks had done nothing but help her in her current adventures. Still most stallions liked the coy and humble types and since she wasn't entirely sure what this grown up Cergen was like she'd play it safe, it was obvious he was enamored with her and she didn't want to scare him off by being brash or overbearing.
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Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 4:53 pm
Cergen stood tall and proud as she circled around him giving him an inspection. He knew he was handsome, no longer the lanky awkward colt that he had been all those years ago. Time in the jungle had not hindered him one bit, in fact he liked that think that had it not been for the years in the jungle working hard to find food and shelter and keeping himself clean he may still be that awkward foal but just in an adults body. Thank goodness that hadn't happened. Of course if it had there was no way he would have ever come back. But fate had been kind to him and while life in the jungle hadn't been perfect or exceptionally easy it was better that what he had remembered the beach being as a foal.
"I did." He said as he lowered his head, placing his nose under her chin to lift her head back up. Once she was back to looking up he puled his head back so that he might look in her eyes again. "I needed something to keep me going out there, and when I thought of you it always brought a smile to my lips. You were kind to me as a foal when others were not, it is hard to forget someone like that. And now...." He took a step back and admired her beauty. Cergen was lost for a few moments simply staring at her. A firm shake of his head snapped him out of it. "You are more beautiful than even I imagined you would be. I count myself lucky that you are the first I have seen since coming home." Her comment about being alone finally snapped through his stupor and he smiled. "Oh I wasn't completely alone out there. A monkey befriended me as a foal and helped me survive, I really owe my life to him. He's over there," he pointed towards the trees with his nose, "hiding in the trees." Turning his attention back to her he shook his head slightly and smiled, but that smile turned into a frown when he thought about all those years he had missed here, that he had missed with her...which got him thinking after all these years surely a beautiful mare like Atlantis would have a mate. "I hope there isn't a stallion in your life Atlantis, for I fear he will need to be removed from the picture."
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Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 10:45 am
Well wasn't he a confident fellow? Atlantis thought to herself as he lifted her head back up and then calmly spoke of removing any other stallion she might have in her life. For a few moments she toyed with telling him there was indeed someone else - see how he would react, make him work for it...but there wasn't and while she was sure she could pull the con off for a little while it would quickly grow tiresome.
He was right however..she had been kind to him as a foal, sticking up for him when the others were cruel...but she'd never really liked cruelty, at least not for cruelty's sake. At least have a purpose for it if you were going to do it. IF she'd know just how handsome he was going to grow up and be she might have tried harder. Oh well...perhaps if he had stayed on the beach he would not have turned into such a fine stallion. In any case..being kind to him as a foal seemed to have pre-disposed her to be nice to him as an adult and she cast away the thought of teasing him in such a fashion. "There is no one else." She told him truthfully, making her voice seem somewhat fluttered, as though her heart was all aflutter with his words. It was..but only because she knew how close she was to acquiring him as hers...and he had to be hers. He was far to handsome for some other mare to possess.
The thought of a monkey however made things a bit difficult - monkeys were troublesome beasts, they made a horrible racket if you disturbed them in the woods, she'd even seen them throw things are others passing by. All in all she prefered to avoid them whenever possible but she cast her glance up and kept the annoyed look off her face, plastering a pleasant smile there instead. "Oh how marvelous! Isn't he the cutest thing?" She stated in absolute joy. Rotten little mongrel...she'd drown him in the ocean first chance she got.
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Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 7:12 am
He wanted to speed up time just so he could hear whether she had a mate or not. He would do something if there was a stallion in her life, he wasn't sure what at this time but after seeing here today his childhood crush had grown ten fold. When she finally muttered those words that there was no one else in her life Cergen nearly jumped with joy. It was a shock to know such a beautiful mare was without a mate but it made this all the more easy on him. "You won't be alone anymore Atlantis." He said confidently before stepping forward and giving her a nuzzle. He would be in her life now, he would protect her, love her, cherish her, spoil her rotten, he would do anything for her. Slowly he pulled his head back too look into her eyes once more. He felt whole now, like all those years in the jungle were simply a stepping stone for this day.
As she spoke of how cute Clever Hands was Cergen let out a slight chuckle. "He was cuter when I first met him." He said in a joking quiet tone. Then turning his attention towards where the monkey was he called out to him. "Clev come on over here!" There was a few moments of hesitation, likely the monkey was trying to figure out what he wanted before Clever Hands jumped from the tree and raced across the sand. Once at the stallion he took a moment to shake the sand from his hands and feet before climbing up onto Cergen's back. "Clever Hands, I want you to meet Atlantis. She's the reason we left the jungle." Turning his attention back to Atlantis he smiled. "I call him Clever Hands because well..." There was little need to explain why as the monkey began to untangle some of Cergens mane, carefully using his small comb. It was a few short moments later that the monkey looked up at Atlantis. For a moment he just looked at her then he held up the comb and let out a chirp. Clever Hands was proud of his comb and the job he did with Cergen's mane. The monkey leaned over to look at Atlantis closely then chattered something before looking at Cergen. The stallion looked back at the monkey and let out a laugh. "Never touch a mares mane Clev, they are very particular about it. Besides," his gaze moved from the monkey to Atlantis. "Her mane is perfect just the way it is. You cannot improve on her beauty."
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Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 8:04 am
This was almost to easy, she'd barely had to do any work at all! It was her favorite type of con..effortless, simple. Of course the fact that he seemed to have been longing after her ever since he'd run off into the woods all those years ago certainly helped, but she considered that part of her victory as well. Clearly she had done something in those early days to try and string him along as an asset and now it was coming back to benefit her. All to easy.
And while she chafed at the whole implication that she needed looking after, that she wouldn't be 'alone ' anymore thanks to his knightly presence she none the less put on a grateful face and returned the nuzzle he offered her. Had to keep up the act right? And it would be worth it in the end when she could parade him around in front of the other mares of the herd. Not only would she have the most handsome stallion but the most intriguing one as well with his story of growing up alone in the jungle, sustained only by thoughts of her beauty. The others would be so very jealous.
Of course there was still that monkey to deal with but..well she would just have to make do with it for a while, until she could come up with a way to cleverly get rid of the beast. "Ah yes..I see, well, at least he does a good job on it." She stated with a smile, eyeing the comb the little beast was waving about for a few moments - but it was not jeweled or otherwise ornate so she lost interest in it fairly quickly giving a pleased (if somewhat smug) smile at the stallions comments about her hair "Why thank you Cergen, that is very sweet." She paused considering fora few moments "You have not yet spoken to any others in the herd? Were you planning to today? I could come with you if you'd like...for moral support.." She gave him a sympathetic encouraging smile, she was sure it must be hard to consider returning home after so many years away..though in truth all she was concerned about was being seen with him right off the bat. Before some other mare could try to lure him away.
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Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 8:55 am
With his services not needed at the moment Clever Hands decided it was time to leave these two alone. He wasn't sure what to think of the mare but he could tell that Cergen was fond of her and so he would be fond of her too. With a chirp he gathered up the comb, jumped off the stallions back and raced off into the trees. The beach didn't have much food for him so he would do some foraging while the two Soquili chatted about whatever it was they were talking about. Cergen watched his friend run off, knowing that the monkey wouldn't go far. With Clever Hands off in the jungle once more Cergen returned his gaze to Atlantis.
It took him a moment to remember that there were others who lived here, the rest of the herd. His focus had been solely on Atlantis since returning that he had all but forgot about the others. "Oh." He was somewhat caught off guard by her question as he realized he hadn't given any of the others any thought since seeing her. "No, I haven't see any of the others yet. I think I would like to see them." He then smiled widely at her. "I would love it if you could come along with me, it's been so long I fear I might not remember everyone's names." Plus he just didn't want to leave her any time soon. "You can help reacquaint me with my old home and it will give us more time to catch up." It would be hard to see some of the members, mainly those who had teased him enough to have him run off in the first place, but the fact that he had survived and turned out as he did should be a slap in the face for them. If they hadn't changed, well then he just would ignore them, there would be no more running away from his problems, not now since he finally was with Atlantis after all this time. "And my parents...are they still around?" He asked her finally, the one question he had wondered about all along and the one he was most afraid to have answered.
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Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 7:18 am
Atlantis watched the monkey run off with a blank face, she didn't want the stallion to see that she was pleased to see it go - filthy creatures monkeys, no matter how useful it might be. Once it was out of sight she returned her attention to Cergen and batted her eyelashes at him sweetly. "Oh everyone will be so very surprised to see you!" She gushed in a sappy, excited voice that mentally made her want to drown herself in the ocean. "And I don't think you'll have any of the troubles you did as a foal - why your far more imposing then any of them" She stated with a smile.
It was true...clearly living in the jungle had done the stallion some favors - perhaps it was the harsher lifestyle or the different foods but he had grown a good deal stronger looking then any of the other colts in the herd - or maybe she was just biased. Whatever. At the question of his parents Atlantis had to actually stop and think for a moment - to be honest she didn't spend much time actually paying attention to the herd. It was just a convenient place to run back to and hide in until she found her next mark. Were they still alive? when was the last time she had seen them..the last time she was here she was pretty certain she had at least seen his mother and his father only a few weeks before. "The last time I was home they were, come on I'll take you to the herd." She offered, turning to pick up her treasures before motioning him in the proper direction with a sweet expression on her face.
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Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 6:43 pm
The corners of Cergen's mouth lifted in a slight smile. "Coming back from the dead, how could that not be surprising to everyone." He let out a bit of a laugh but even so he had to admit that deep down he was a bit worried about seeing all those old faces. They were the ones who had been the cause of his unexpected departure from home. They were the ones that had kept him in the jungle instead of returning after his tears had stopped. They were the ones...no, he told himself, all of that is in the past and he had put all of that behind him. The jungle had been a blessing in disguise, making him stronger, forcing him to work for a living and as a result he was the stallion he was today, strong, handsome, confident and forgiving. And forgive them he would, for while their actions had hurt him then he was better for it now. He would walk right up to them and thank them, well perhaps not, but he wouldn't ignore them because of what had been done.
Though everything stopped for a moment when he heard that his parents were still here. It's something he had been dreaming about, seeing them again it was the only other thing that kept him going in the jungle, thoughts of them and of Atlantis had been his courage and grounding force on days when he didn't think he could take anymore. And now...he would see them again after all this time. His stomach did a nervous flip. Would they approve of the stallion he had become? Of course they would, he had survived and seeing him alive would be enough to bring them happiness. "I can't wait to see them again...I had been worried they wouldn't be here." It would have been a hard thing to swallow to hear that his parents were no longer here, even Atlantis' presence wouldn't have made that easy. But luckily that wasn't the case and after waiting for her to pick up a bag he paid little attention to he began to walk at her side down the beach. "Everything looks exactly as I remember." He cast a glance a smiled at her. "Well, almost everything, some things are far more beautiful now." He fell silent for a moment before speaking again. "Though I don't remember you being so..." What was the word he was looking for? He looked at her again and lost his train of thought. "I feel as if I have died Atlantis...tonight feels too good to be true. I fear I might wake up and find this all a dream. Tell me it is real, that you are real, and what I feel right now, when I look at you, isn't just a dream."
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 8:54 am
In all her time as a thief Atlantis could truthfully say that no stallion had ever talked to her the way that Cergen did - and she had made many stallions fall for her over the years in her quest for treasures. Being beside Cergen was thrilling in many ways and she had to remind herself the reasons that she was doing so...it simply wouldn't do to go falling in love with him now, previous experience had proven to her that actually caring..made it so much harder to use someone later on. She did not want to make that mistake again.
Still, turning her head to glance at the stallion, she couldn't help but feel a small spike of pleasure at his words and she swung her back around so that it was securely resting on her back. Easy enough to do now that they were just walking.. "It is real." She told him with certainty, after all if this wasn't true then her treasure wouldn't be either and she had worked way to damn hard for it for that to be the case. To prove her point she reached out and gently nipped him on the shoulder "See?" She teased him with a flip of her forelock "If I wasn't real I definitely couldn't have done that...or this.." She finished before swatting him with her tail fin. "But what were you saying earlier? You don't remember me being so..." She prompted him with a smile, hoping that he might reveal whatever he had been thinking before his thoughts had vanished.
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 9:16 am
He was looking at her with a giddy smile when she said it was indeed all real. Good, because he would be sorely disappointed if this all turned out to be some very vivid dream that his mind decided to make up on him. The n** to the shoulder sent a tingle through him. That was definitely real, dreams often lacked the physical feelings associated with things such as that. But it wasn't until she swatted him with her tail that he knew without a doubt, not that he would ever doubt anything she said, that this was truly real. A great weight lifted off on his shoulders at this revelation. He really was home and Atlantis was by his side and she was taking him to see the rest of the herd including hi parents.
Her question brought him fully back to reality. What had he been trying to say when his mind had wandered. He stared at her as they walked, his eyes glittering in the sunlight, his forehead crinkled slightly in thought. He had no clue was he had meant to say earlier. "Beautiful, kind, thoughtful, all of the above. Though I don't remember what it was I had meant to say." He admitted with a chuckle. The sand crunched under his hoof, it was a foreign feel to him after all these years and it would take some getting used to. But then again it had been a huge adjustment living in the jungle so he didn't think it would be too much of an issue. His eyes lifted to look towards the rolling waves of the ocean that lapped at the other side of the beach. He missed those waves, the rivers and ponds of the jungle could never compare to the awe inspiring view that was the ocean. "Bashful." He said after a long pause. "Maybe I just don't remember you being like this when we were foals, or you've changed since then." His eyes moved back to her and his smile widened. "It doesn't matter though. The way you duck your head while talking is cute." He reached out touching his nose gently against her neck for a moment before pulling it back.
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