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 Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 11:45 am
 Prism stared long and hard at the spot where the small basket was tucked safely under the bushes. He still couldn't believe it, he was a father. He had never thought that a single night with the mare Poppins would result in such a thing, let alone three baskets. He wasn't ready for fatherhood, didn't think he ever would be, yet here he was staring at his child tucked safely inside the wicker basket. He let out a sigh and shook his head. After finding out about the baskets he offered to take one, to relieve some of the burden from Poppins. He had no idea how to raise a foal, they were energetic things and he...was quite the opposite of that. Even Dendro didn't know yet, the mini stallion he had spent the entire winter with and most of the summer was clueless as to why he had left and not yet returned. Best that he didn't know, Dendro wasn't the most pleasant to be around so best to keep him in the dark. If he could just make it through this, raise the foal to adulthood then he could return to his old life of lazing about.
Wandering a short distance away Prism cropped at the grass, his mind fully distracted by the thoughts of what it would take to raise this basket. He knew nothing about foals, nothing about caring for them. Perhaps...perhaps he should just return to Poppins and tell her that he had made a mistake, that he wasn't father material and that she will just need to raise them all herself. No, he gave his head a solid shake. It wasn't fair to her just as much as it wasn't fair to him. She still had two of his foals and that was a lot for a single parent to handle. He could do this, somehow with the help of Spectrum, he could do this.
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Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 11:46 am
 Things were going perfectly, but then again Alti was somewhat used to failure now and then. The main failure that still haunted her after all this time was the worthless spawn that she had helped bring into this world. It had been the stallions fault, for she knew well her heritage of pure Kalona blood, yet even that did not remove her ire after all these years. It was also the one thing she had kept from Jormungander. They were too busy attempting to build up an army of their own kind to bog him down with such details. Besides she had told herself that that mare was not her child, any ties between them were broken and therefore mentioning it to Jorm was useless. With a frustrated snort Alti landed on the ground before folding her wings at her side. They had fed not long ago on a fat elk that had been an easy kill for the pair.
Glancing over at Jormungander before gazing out at the area they found themselves in Alti couldn't help but let out a frustrated sigh. It felt like they had been searching for too long, and their success rate had been abysmal at best. There had been a few along the way that they had recruited, but they were not enough and some were not even full Kalona. The one thing they did have was a base of operations, a meadow and forest not far from here served as such. It had a prime location, with plenty of prey, a nearby river and good grounds to work and train and army. But there in lied their problem a lack of an army. Her eyes settled on the pale coat of a Cerynei stallion some distance away. She had little desire to eat the beast but perhaps a good chase would lift her spirits some. "That one seems distracted. Perhaps we should help him with that." She said to Jorm with a grin on her lips. The only help they would offer was testing out the stallion legs to see how far he could run before he had no more left to push himself onward.
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Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 12:07 pm
 Jormungander was hardly in a good mood - lately not even a good kill was enough to raise his spirits. He had known for a long time of course that pure Kalona..those without any hint of the taint from other species were in decline but upon meeting Alti his spirits had been rekindled. That flame was beginning to die however and he was beginning to doubt that enough Kalona even existed anymore to pull off this ultimate dream. Their ultimate dream.
He was keeping such thoughts to himself for the most part however and Alti did not seem to notice his ill mood - probably because it really wasn't all that different from his typical mood. Landing behind the mare he gave a snort at the sight of the pale beast. Look at his bright colors and fat body...it was apparent even from a quick glance that the Cerynei was hardly an active creature. "To bad we already ate..he's a fat one, fat on an easy life. I agree we should teach him a lesson...how far do you think a fat Cerynei can fly? There is that ravine not to far off that we could test our theories on." He suggested, somewhat cheer by the thought of such an experiment.
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Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 12:24 pm
It was a disgusting and yet inviting sight. A fat Cerynei who clearly didn't use a muscle in his body regularly. The chase would likely be a short affair, the beast may even tire before he reached the ravine that Jormungander mentioned. But still perhaps such a pointless chase would both give them an opportunity to work out some of their frustrations. He hid his well, but she knew that he too suffered from similar thoughts and disappointments that she was dealing with. Soon they would need to make a change in their tactic, they may just need to fulfill a discussion they had had a while back when they had found their perfect base of location. If they could not find Kalona to built an army with, then they would just need to produce new strong Kalona blood between them. But now was not the time. Eying the fat Cerynei Alti smirked at Jormungander.
"I'm more interesting in how he will land at the bottom then how he will fly." She told him, her tail lashing behind her. The mare was suddenly eager for the chase, to see panic the in antlered stallions eyes, to watch his desperate flee from the ferocious pair. "Shall we?" She questioned but did not wait for his reply, he would be ready, she knew it. With a snap of her tail Alti charged towards the pale stallion. They could have flown in, but this was not for the kill, at least it wasn't initially, if he died then he died, right now she just wanted to feel her blood pumping through her veins, to feel the earth beneath her hooves, to smell the fear of her prey.
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Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 12:25 pm
Prism was too deep in his thoughts to notice the pair of Kalona arriving and landing a distance off. Still he cropped at the grass, his tail twitching now and then as he tried to think of a solution. Each option he thought of always had a negative side. Much as he didn't want to be a father he did feel this odd respect towards the life he had helped to create, and because of that he was finding it hard to find a reason to return it to Poppins. He would raise it. He would become a good father through trial and error and hopefully his child would love and appreciate him for that. He let out a sigh and took another bite of grass. Then he heard them, a set of hooves coming hard and fast. It wasn't all that strange to see others race across the meadow but these were coming right for him.
Lifting his head Prism's eyes widened at the sight. A pair of Kalona were coming straight for him. His eyes shifted to the hidden basket and then back to the pair. He didn't want to abandon it, to leave it to them yet deep in his heart he knew that if he ran towards it to try to protect it he would bring harm to it. The Kalona were after him, they likely wouldn't even see the basket where it lay under a bush. He wasn't a runner, but he also certainly wasn't a fighter. One Kalona was tough but two would be impossible to defeat. He had but one option, one that left him sick to his stomach. He would have to run, if he ran he would draw them away from the basket. Surely it would mean his death, but this would be the ultimate sacrifice, to give up his life to protect his offspring. He hesitated only a fraction of a second more before turning and racing off. His muscled complained after only a few strides but he ignored their complaints, his underused muscles, his pounding heart and straining lungs would have to carry him until he knew his basket was safe, thena nd only then would he allow exhaustion to stop him, to allow the Kalona to catch him. But for now, he ran, harder and faster than he ever had in his life. Another life was counting on him and he wouldn't let it down, even if it was likely unaware of the events currently happening.
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Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 12:40 pm
"Indeed, the landing is always the best part of such events." Jorm agreed, the thought of taking part in such a fun little chase sufficient enough - for the moment at least - to chase away the ill thoughts of just a little while ago. Alti didn't even need to ask if he were ready, he was off like a shot only a split second after the brown mare.
At first it looked as thought the stallion was stupid as well as fat when he stood in place staring at them before fleeing. However once they had him on the run the game was on and he swung wide, leaping over the bush that hid the basket without even a glance. The little foal within would likely never know just how close it had come to death. Instead the Kalona stallion and his mate raced after the pale father, reveling in the thunder of hooves over the ground. It was too bad really that the Cerynei was hardly a decent chase..he was already tiring but Jormungander kept up the pressure, driving him along with Alti towards the ravine. If they pressured him enough Jorm was sure the stallion would make it..weather or not he then turned to fight or tried to jump was anyone's guess, but that was also part of the excitement..they would either get to slay him when he turned to foolishly try to save his life like the cornered animal he was..or he would throw himself off the cliff in a panic the way buffalo did when the two leggers hunted them. Either way it would be a good way to end the afternoon.
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Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:16 pm
Prism's lack of muscles didn't help his flee, but like any animal in a desperate flight he could run further and faster than had he simply wanted to race across the meadow. That thought didn't give him any comfort however, given the situation he was quite unhappy and definitely afraid. He chances a glance over his shoulder, something that many would agree is a foolish thing to do while fleeing the enemy and yet almost everyone did it at some point. Not far behind him was the female of the pair looking at him with blood lust in her eyes. Her well muscled body was carrying her effortlessly through the trees, driving him onward with little effort. But he did not see the stallion. That should have told him something bad but Prism's mind was faltering much like his body was. Desperate to escape he veered left hoping to get away from the mare.
But like everything in his life on this day it was not to be. The stallion was coming at him, having cut wide to try and drive him in a certain direction. He had little choice, run head on into the stallion, which would likely prove fatal, or start heading back towards the mare which again would likely be the end of his life. The Cerynei stallion had little choice, he altered his course, stumbling momentarily when his hoof caught on a root and swung back the way he had been running, close to the mare. He couldn't yet see the ravine in front of him, for there were still a number of trees in the way but they were approaching it quickly. Soon he would realize how futile his running had become but for now there was still one thing on his mind, save his basket - if he managed to survive then he would worry about other things after.
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Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:17 pm
It was far to easy. Yet the simplicity of the chase gave Alti an elated feeling. It was hard for Kalona to feel happiness, at least true happiness as many of the lesser breeds saw it. Yet it was in moments like this, when she and Jormungander were chasing prey that an odd sense of happiness invaded her senses. Seeing the stallion glance over his shoulder, a foolish move indeed, seeing his widened fear filled eyes brought Alti such joy that in these moments she forgot all about the frustrations she had been feeling earlier about the lack of her kind. She left out a laugh, not the happy carefree laugh of happiness, but one laced with evil, one that told the stallion she had saw him looking, and that she was feeding off his fear.
When she beast veered to the side she did not alter her course. There was no need, she knew Jormungander was there to divert the fool back. And sure enough only a few short moments later the pale hided Cerynei was back in front of her. She could see his labored breathing, see that even though he was still desperate to flee his steps were slowing. He may not reach the ravine but she would not stop until he fell, be it from exhaustion or from a fall into the ravine. Blood pumped through her veins, though the chase was easy and she barely gave her running an effort Alti was steadily closing the gap between herself and the stallion. A quick glance to her side she looked towards Jomunganer and gave him a satisfied look before her gaze returned to their prey. Chase it down, make it feel fear, make it fall. That circled in her mind as her cloven hooves dug into the ground carrying her effortlessly towards the cerynei and his certain doom.
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Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 7:08 am
The chase was a primal thing, the elation of it was the ingrained and beloved trait of all predators and Jormungander reveled in it, to smell the fear wafting from the fleeing stallion was almost as good as the thrill of an actual fight. Although in this case Jorm was quite sure that the flight was more fun then a fight would have been, the pale Cerynei probably couldn't fight his way out of a pile of leaves.
He was tiring already, Jorm saw the stumble and a small part of him waited for the fall so that he could pounce..but the stallion managed to gather himself and move on. Well..the ravine would be more fun then a simple kill anyways. To encourage the stallion to put a bit more effort into his flight Jorm picked up the speed just a touch and bared his fangs at the stallion, snapping at his flank in the hopes it would drive him onward. Catching sight of Alti he could see the thrill of hte chase in her eyes and while no Kalona could truly love - that wasa trait of the weak and the stupid...they could appreciate and Jorm certainly appreciated the wild cunning of his partner in crime. The trees which boarded the ravine were quickly approaching - any land based Soquili would be advised to start slowing down right about now but Jormungander wasn't worried..he and Alti need only leap with wings unfurled to save themselves...to glide and watch as the Cerynei fell to his doom below.
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Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 8:08 am
If Prism had have known the two Kalona's intents he might have tried to turn their chase away from the ravine. But he only saw two things right now the need to keep running to survive and most importantly get these Kalona as far away from the basket as possible. He wasn't sure how much more running he could do, but out of sheer determination he kept going, of course the male Kalona snapping his teeth at his back did help him find another burst of speed on.
It felt like only a few seconds, though surely it was longer than that when Prism came bursting through the trees to see what lay ahead. Panic gripped him, the Kalona were right on his tail and now there was a ravine just ahead. How could he have been so foolish to forget that it was here! Cursing himself and his distracted mind Prism wondered about his chances if he tried to turn and fight. Two of them, one of him, they lived to kill, he had lived to be lazy. Nope, there wasn't a chance for him. But the ravine could kill him as well. Neither option was good and Prism momentarily put on the brakes, sliding on the rocky surface as he began to close in on the ravine. He had run as far as he could, no matter what this was his end. He glanced over his shoulder once more, seeing the lust in both of their eyes. No, he wouldn't give them the satisfaction of killing him, he had, hopefully, saved his basket and now it was time to end this. Stealing himself, Prism's ears lay flat on his head as the stallions cloven hooves grabbed for purchase and he ran those last few feet before leaping from the edge of the cliff. Pain exploded through his body as he first crashed to the rocks some ways down and then began to painful and tormented rolling towards the bottom. He didn't make it all the way down before he blacked out, though his body, now covered with blood continued to roll.
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Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 8:09 am
Alti couldn't help herself, she let out a laugh as Jormungander snapped at the Cerynei's backside, pushing the tiring beast to run more. This chase was coming to an end, a few more strides and they would break through the trees and then the ravine would be there. Her wings, though still pulled against her sides were ready for when they would reach it. Though now that her blood was coursing strong through her body she wished for him to turn and fight, give them a satisfying end to this chase.
The ravine she could see it now. The trio came through the trees fast and though as grass gave way to rock causing the footing to be less than ideal she had no issue pressing on with the chase. Now was not the time to lessen their grip on the stallions fear but to increase it. She pushed hard, adding strength to her stride coming up behind and slightly to the right of the stallion she hissed at him. To her surprise the stallion began to slow, not in the tiring fashion but actually attempting to stop before he reached the ravine. Alti too slowed, for if he chose to fight she wanted to be on him quickly. And then he sped up again and flung himself off the cliff. Unfurling her wings Alti leapt into the air, watching the initial crash and the unpleasant cracking sound that echoed up from the Cerynei's body gave her satisfaction. Even if their teeth and hooves had not caused this stallions death surely the fall that they had caused him to have would. Her eyes roamed over to Jormungander and she gave her mate a pleased smile. "A fitting end for the lazy beast." Her eyes returned to the tumbling stallion, his previously white pelt now stained red.
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Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 8:42 am
For just a few seconds Jormungander through the Cerynei stallion might have a bit of a backbone after all, and he checked his own speed to meet the stallion in battle should he actually turn to fight. From the corner of his eye he saw Alti do the same - and no doubt the Cerynei, who glanced over his shoulder realized that they were ready...and chickened out of death from battle..which, Jorm reflected, would probably be a good bit slower then the fall down the ravine would be, as he flung himself over.
With one leaping stride Jorm followed the stallion over the edge, wingbeats to his side let him know that Alti had done the same and winging in a spiral he turned his gaze downward to watch as the stallions pale form rolled down the rocky side with sickening thuds. Lovely...the perfect end to an imperfect day and one less weak creature in the world. Turning his gaze to Alti as they beat thier wings to gain altitude and leave the stallions broken dead form behind he gave a low chuckle. "Indeed, at least we made him work hard for a brief moment of his miserable life."
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Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 9:19 am
Alti made a satisfied sound as she watched the Cerynei stallion's body come to a stop at the bottom of the ravine. She watched it for a moment but it did not move. Of course it wouldn't the beast would have died during the fall, she could only hope that he felt extreme pain as he crashed and tumbled only to be finally taken at the bottom by death. Had they not eat recently then perhaps she would have descended to feast on the carcass, but that had not been the intention of the hunt. It had merely been to let off some steam and relieve their frustrations. "A fate we will soon spread to all the other lesser beasts in this land."
And so they returned to their initial cause and that brought forth an issue to Alti's mind, something she had been thinking on for a while now and after today's hunt she felt it was time to bring it up. "Come, there is something I wish to discuss with you." Wheeling away from the ravine Alti's strong wings carried her easily through the air. She headed back towards where their base of operation was. It was time to see to the next phase of their plans, at least an altered version of it and she knew Jormungander would agree even if it wasn't the fastest way to do so.
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