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 Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 3:19 am
 Jarl had found himself wandering near the bank after a nice long rain. It was a good time to find mushrooms and moss to nibble on, and they made a good treat on dreary days. He nosed along the ground, mindful of the beasts that lurked in the water pretending to be logs. Oh, no...wait. That one was a log. No matter, it could still be dangerous. Better to keep an eye on it anyway. The stallion paused, trying to remember what he'd been doing. Oh, right...moss and mushrooms. He wondered if the human who made him stew sometimes would ever put some mushrooms in it. Why, for that matter, had the human stopped coming by latley?
He considered this as he watched the log blink slowly. It was starting to get a bit chilly again, and would rain again soon. The stallion was considering heading back to his shack, but that would mean crossing by the bridge that was falling down. He could cut across the swamp water, but that blinking log troubled him. Jarl stood there, chewing on some moss and thinking about what he wanted to do. Rain didn't bother him, but he had his stuffed fish out today...and Moe smelled funny when he got wet.
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 3:51 am
 "Where am I?" Odila asked, her gray tinted eyes scanning the swamp. Odila had wandered very far from home and there wasn't any way of getting back, however, she wasn't sure if she wanted to go deeper in this place. Odila's land had been mostly covered in sand with very few places that could support forests, let alone a swamp. Needless to say this mare was not accustomed to the mud, smells or things that lurked within it's walls. Despite having gotten a feeling of dread the mare pressed on in. How else was she going to get over her anxiety? However, the deeper she went the more she was starting to regret the decision. It was hard for her to navigate and even harder for her to tell if danger was nearby.
Finally, the mare came to a halt so that she could catch her breath. How far had she walked today? She didn't remember being this out of shape. . . "Oh.." The mare said to herself, realizing now that it was because she had gotten stuck in the mud more times then she could count. "At least the odor isn't as bad." Odila said, her head raising slightly to look around. Maybe this place wasn't so bad. She imagined not many would venture in here on account of how hard it was to get. . . Well wherever she was. "I think I turned right a while back. Or was it left?" Odila asked herself. Her heart started to race once more. "It's okay. I will eventually reach the other end of the swamp." She tried to tell herself.
Deciding it was time to move on the mare once more began to lift her feet to walk, only her legs wouldn't budge. Before when she had gotten stuck she had been able to pull herself out, however, she was far more worn out then she had been the last time she got stuck. There was no way she was getting out of this alone. "Please come out." Odila urged her legs, but to no avail. Her whole body shook from nerves. For a minute she thought she was going to pass out but thankfully for her she didn't. This situation was not looking good for her and there probably wasn't anyone around to call to for help. Meeting a stranger while she was in this state probably wouldn't be good for her health either. Tears formed in her eyes. Something had to give. Either the mud or her fears. Odila had to go with her fears as that was the only thing she could even attempt to control. "HELP!" The mare yelled a few times. It was like sending out a signal to all the creepy, crawling things. Not to mention probably the few dark creatures that lurked here.
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 4:07 am
Jarl looked up, his ears twitching and a mushroom cap fell out of his mouth. He decided to stick it out and resume his meal. Moe would just have to smell bad if it rained. Now, someone had gotten lost in his swamp...hopefully it was not one of those fish people. They were such pests, with their slithering about and head frills. Was that a female voice...and did the log blink again?
He stepped over to the bank of the water and watched the log move away, then turned to the screams. The stallion figured he better go rescue the damsel. They seemed to be in distress all the time...in his swamp. He thought on this as he made his way toward the voice. He paused briefly to hear another voice, then shook it away from his head. No, he must not get distracted. Someone was lost...and they would have to talk to him if he rescued them.
Yes, that would show the voices. He could ignore them and talk to this new person. Hopefully the new person was real and not another ghost voice. Jarl was hoping the voice was also not meeting the log that kept blinking. That would be bad. This made him hurry a little more, watching his step as he went.
The stallion paused when he got close, seeing a mare stuck in the mud. "Hello? Are you stuck? You seem to be stuck in that quick sand....and you also seem to have spilled pea soup on yourself. Did that happen when you stepped in the quick sand? Do you see any logs near you blinking? They aren't really logs, they just pretend to be..."
He moved closer, turning to extend his tail out to the mare. "You might want to grab this, it won't hurt. I will have to pull you out of there, or you'll sink even more. Also, don't squirm so much, missy...it makes you sink faster. Just hold on and move when I pull...."
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 4:19 am
In the midst of her yelling out to whoever could hear her Odila hadn't noticed the stallions approach until he started talking. Then she shut up pretty quick. The mare tried her best not to make eye contact with him but this wasn't the time for her to worry about what he might do to her. At least not yet. "Yes, I'm stuck." She sniffled, the tears still managing to stay contained in her eyes. Odila was beyond scared right now for so many reasons. How had she managed to get stuck like this? Now she was dependent on a stranger to save her. Who knew what they would want in return. "Pea soup?" Her tone was more questioning but it still clearly showed just how scared she was.
"I don't know what a blinking log is." She added before she pulled back a little when he put his tail close, only to realize she was indeed sinking. "I'll hurt you though if I do." Odila said, admittedly more concerned with just how she would repay him back for getting her out of this and possibly injuring him with her teeth when he pulled.
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 4:27 am
"It'll hurt less than those teeth," Jarl indicated the 'log' that was smiling at her. "If you sink lower, he and his buddies are going to get you. Then I'll have to listen to your cries for years to come..."
He sighed, looking at the alligator. He wondered if he could stomp it before it became too much a problem. But, would he have time to save the mare too? And would he be able to smash it with out ruining it's eyes? No sense in wasting a good meal...what was he doing? The stallion seemed to space out a moment, then twitched his head and looked at the cerynei. "I don't want to stomp on it. I'm not sure I could fight it off and help you out at the same time. So, hurry up and grab on...then we can go have some nice stew. We can pick mushrooms to add to it...."
He'd forgotten that she didn't know him. Jarl thought maybe he was confusing her with another mare he'd seen in the swamp before...with those colors. Or did she have branches growing out of her? This mare didn't. He held his tail out again for her. "I don't have time to get my two-legger servant here to help before you sink too far..."
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Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 5:25 am
Odila had no other choice but to temporarily swallow her fear and allow him to pull her out. "I don't even know what it is." Odila's voice shook as she looked over at the creature in question. Where had her day gone wrong? It appeared she was going to die in this swamp one way or the other. Unless maybe she could allow herself to trust this stranger. Maybe if he was just going to do something horrible to her she couldn't really complain in this situation anyways. An eye for an eye, so to speak. With a slightly frustrated sigh the mare did as she was instructed and essentially bit onto his tail. She tried to be as gentle as she could when she bit onto his tail so he could pull her out but it was teeth after all.
When she heard him mention stew she of course had no idea what he was talking about, but when mushrooms came up she understood he was talking about food. Thankfully her belly didn't rumble like it could have. "Mushrooms sound good." She replied in a jarbbled voice due to his tail being in her mouth. Even if it was simple, the thought of living until dinner and not being alone gave her some comfort. Although, she still wasn't sure about this stallion. Odila was a bit over cautious sometimes. Okay, so maybe she was all the time.
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 10:06 pm
Jarl didn't even wince at the teeth, the skin on his tail was fairly thick and slightly scaly. He started walking away from the quicksand, mumbling about the stew, "Oh, yes. There should be carrots and some cabbage, and possibly potatoes. Grimsby better have put in some barely as well...yes, tasty barely. And spider's eyes. It's not a good stew with out them."
He chuckled to himself a little, still walking away from the muck, and obviously forgetting he had some one attached to him. "I will certainly have to bring some mushrooms home. Moe, don't let me forget now..."
The stallion turned to look at his stuffed fish, which had fallen off his back. Instead his blue eyes landed on the cerynei holding his tail in her teeth. "Oh, hello. Why are you biting me? I don't think I make a good meal...if you're hungry, my two-legger is making some stew....have you seen my fish?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 8:30 pm
At first Odila thought the stallion had talked about the "stew" as if in an attempt to calm her by distracting her. Until he turned himself and asked why she was biting him. Did he really forget? Or was this some kind of trick. The mare was beginning to feel that it was better to stay in the quicksand. At least then she would know how she ended. Maybe taking a chance with the blinking log would be better then following him back. In either case she had to tell him what he was doing. Or had been doing. Odila released her hold on the tail and instantly felt herself getting pulled back in, this time a little deeper then she was before. Her eyes showed her distress and her body shook from her fear but she tried to keep her voice steady. "You were helping me get out of this quicksand and get away from the blinking log over there." She winced a little as she felt herself being pulled in once more.
"Y--Y--You started--t--t--talking about stew and how we could pick mushrooms." Her gray eyes were filled with tears but she kept them at bay. "I didn't see a fish on your back." Odila said, worried what a fish would be on his back for. Hadn't he tried to talk to it before? The trip into the swamp was really was a bad idea. Everything that could have gone wrong did. "You talked about things that go in a stew." Odila finally added. Maybe if she got him to remember what was going on he would help. Odila liked living. At least most of the time. Right now, not so much.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 9:51 pm
Jarl blinked, then nodded. "Right, stew. I bed you're hungry, best get you out of there."
He held his tail down for her again, "Quickly now...you're sinking fast. Then we can go and get some mushrooms for the stew. I know where some nice white caps are..."
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 10:51 pm
This time Odila didn't dare consider the alternatives or worry about what was awaiting her. Instead she grabbed tightly onto his tail with her teeth. Hopefully he wouldn't forget this time. "Don't forget." Odila said in jumbled words as she clung to his tail for dear life, hoping that the stallion could just stay focused long enough to get her out of here. Then he could forget all he wanted, she wouldn't even care. "There's your fish." Odila fibbed, her head nodding a bit towards the direction in which he had come. Surely it was over there if it existed at all. So maybe it wasn't so much a lie. But if he had something to focus on that would enable him to still pull her out it would be better.
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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 11:24 am
Jarl walked away from the quick sand, pulling the mare out. He made his way to where she'd indicated, looking at the ground. "Don't forget? Don't forget what? Moe....? He's not here."
The stallion looked back at the cerynei, his eyes full of concern. "He gets scared when he's all alone. He's just a little thing. Will you help me find him? He's yellow and has three eyes...."
At the word eyes, the kelpi seemed to space off a little. He blinked then shook his head and looked at Odila. "Who are you? Why are you out here? Don't you know how dangerous it is in the swamp? There's pits of quicksand and gators...and the voices...the ghosts..."
He glanced around, seeming to have forgotten he'd just saved her from quicksand. He looked back at the mare, "Are you hungry? You look like you could eat..."
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Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 8:08 pm
Odila was never happier in her life than when Jarl finally pulled her out of the quicksand. Of course, she had never been that close to death before either. Her legs shook and she tried with desperation to just keep herself calm enough so she could walk. When Jarl turned around her gray scanned him. Something was really off about this stallion. How could he forget things so quickly? Who was Moe? Maybe it was his friend? Odila cleared her throat but her voice still came out a bit shaky. "I'll help you find Moe." She replied softly, but thankfully loud enough for him to hear.
When the stallion spaced off and forgot all about his friend she tilted her head ever so slightly. She took in a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. "You saved my life." Odila said, taking a few wobbly steps towards him. She wasn't sure if he would be able to remember long enough that she wasn't harmful and how could she be? He had saved her life. Odila had been scared of the stallion but she found herself warming up to him. It was most likely due to his horrible memory problems. "I'm Odila. I got lost and found myself stuck in the quicksand." She lifted a hoof and pointed at his tail where her teeth marks were. "You pulled me out with your tail." Odila looked at him a bit curiously, wondering if he would remember this in a moment. Did he forget things by the amount of time that passed? Or was he just easily distracted? "I am hungry but let's find Moe first. Is he your friend?" She paused, maybe she needed to limit her questions to keep him focused. "What is your name?" Odila asked another question anyways.
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Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 10:57 pm
"My name? My name is Jarl. There are those that call me "Swamp Eye", but I'm not sure why," the stallion replied, looking at the ground as if searching for something. "Odila...Odila...it's very dangerous in the swamp. What made you come out here"?
He paused and looked away, toward a stand of trees. "No! You shut up, I'm asking the question...wait your turn, Marg!"
Jarl looked at the mare, "He is so impatient sometimes. You'll have to excuse him...he followed my from my house."
He once again seemed to glaze over, as if in thought, then looked at Odila. "You said you were hungry, and that you would help me find Moe? Alright...let's find my friend first...then go and get some stew. We'll have to pick up some white caps on the way. Do you like mushrooms?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2013 12:34 pm
"Swamp Eye?" She asked as she mulled over his name and what would be best to call him. The mare knew right away why they called him Swamp Eye though. "I'm new to these lands and found myself wandering in here without to much thought being put into the idea." Odila replied honestly. Had she have thought a little more about this plan she might have avoided coming in here. Getting stuck in the quicksand had not been a pleasant experience. "Marg?" The mare whispered so that he couldn't hear, her ears pointed up as if she was trying to listen for whoever it was. Then the mare realized Jarl seemed to talk to things that weren't there, which made sense because she wasn't sure just how all together he was in his head. However, Odila actually didn't seem to mind too much. Jarl was a nice stallion and he had saved her life after all. "Ok. . ." Was all she said in return, with a smile. "Mushrooms sound delicious." She grinned as she walked steadily towards him. "Yes, I'll help you find Moe. Let's retrace your steps."
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2013 12:52 pm
"Trace my steps? Why would we do that?" Jarl blinked, looking down at his hoof prints. He sighed and picked up a stuffed fish that had three eyes and somehow tucked it into his grass skirt. When he was finished, he smacked his lips. "Eeew. Moe...you're filthy. Where have you been? You know you just had a bath."
He looked at the mare, "If you come to the swamp, you should be prepared for anything. Even ghosts. Especially noisy, loud mouthed, busy-body ghosts who have nothing better to do than pester people." This last bit seemed directed elsewhere, his blue eyes looking away. He returned his attention to Odila, "And spiders. Big ones."
The stallion started walking, looking at trees as he passed them. "My home is this way...and the mushrooms. Do you like white caps...um....whoever you are?"
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