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 Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 12:35 pm
 Sometimes it was just too much. Sometimes the breaking took over and traveled into her heart. Would she aways be like this? What if one day she crumpled into a billion pieces and fell to the ground to be swept up by the hooves of another? She hated having to be so careful. It wasn't fair. She hated that others thought of her as a fragile little creature, or were afraid of her. She had met a few with odd things about them, like her...but none of their physical attributes seemed to be ailments or disabilities, like hers.
And the visions...those were another story. They had started recently, causing her to fear that she was going to be like her mother. Plagued with nightmares and being unable to sleep...was that what she had to look forward to? Why had she been cursed with two things? The breaking was bad enough, but the unnerving visions on top of that? Too much. Just too much. Why had the tunnel given her these things?
Risti looked back to where her family slept, knowing now was a better time than any other. They could not answer her questions any more than she could. She wanted desperately to bring her siblings with her, to wake her mother and to tell her to come along. But she felt this was a journey she must make alone. They wouldn't mind, wandering was in the family. She had been showing signs of restlessness already, she was sure they wouldn't worry too much.
She blew kisses their way, and then she turned to go, slowly trotting at first and then moving into a silent gallop until she was gone in the night.
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Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 9:46 am
 The beach had been quite this morning allowing her to easily wander off. Agave was busy fortifying their home, something she really didn't think they needed to do, but it made him feel better if he could make them safer and more protected, so she did not argue when he said he would being do so. Instead she simply smiled, told him not to work too hard while she would go and gather herbs. He had frowned slightly at that but he had agreed to let her go off on her own. So she had the day to herself and Aquitaine was looking forward to wandering the meadows and forest looking for herbs and just getting away for a while. She loved her home and Agave but like everything she occasionally needed to step away and have time to herself to do something different.
She moved along through the meadow she knew well just passed her home and was able to gather a number of commonly used herbs quite quickly. But it was the less commonly used herbs she was really interested in, though her stock pile certainly was large enough that gathering them today wasn't a priority, mainly she just liked the act of gathering and ensuring her supplies were constantly full since she relied so heavily on herbs for healing.
Once she reached the edge of the meadow were grass gave way to trees she glanced back towards the beach, while she couldn't see it for the trees that stood there making her home, she felt a peace flood over her knowing Agave was there. Turning she moved into the trees and kicked into a trot. There was a meadow on the far side of these trees and that was her initial destination, once there she would look around for herbs but after that she had no real plan in mind. Perhaps she would simply wander around, searching out a new area she had yet to explore. A rumbled behind her caught her attention and a moment later she saw birds flying overhead, whether the dragon had scared them into flight or he growled simply at the sight of them she would never know, with a shake of her head she moved forwards coming out of the trees a while later and slowing her pace now that she was in the larger meadow.
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Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 4:56 pm
She bursted forward from the trees, sending birds flying and crashing into the open of a clearing. And in the distance...was that the beach? She looked at the ground to see fine grained sand in between the blades of grass and she looked back at the trees awkwardly. Had she traveled that far already? The beach stretched out before her endlessly and she felt a sense of accomplishment as the slight breeze kissed her face. But her journey was far from over. Surveying the area, she tried to decide which way to go next.
A dark blue blur of movement going back into the trees told her that she should go to the right, and she took off at a gallop in the direction of the other. She wanted to see the beach, wanted to know what it was like, but she had all the time in the world to see it since she was here now. She had barely met anyone outside of her siblings, and she was eager to know another face more than she wanted to see the beach. What was the point in seeing it alone, anyways?
For the time being, the cracks in her body stayed dormant and did not break any further. She was grateful for that and hoped they would stay strong when she met this other she was quickly approaching. There was no worry in her mind that this other would harm her, though there probably should have been. But she was young and relatively carefree and couldn't help her curiosity.
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Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 8:56 am
The rumble of her dragon was the first warning. Though it wasn't till his growling became more insistent and he started to sound like he would scream out a challenge that Aquitaine knew that something was following them. Her mind quickly went back to the skinwalker attack that happened a few months ago and her heart thudded with fear. Not wanting whatever it was to get too close before seeing it Aquitaine hit the breaks, skidding to a halt and turned to face whoever or whatever it was. In those first few moments she told herself to be calm and focused on her breathing. If there was to be a fight coming then she needed to have her mind clear and her body relaxed yet ready.
A flash of yellow before her told Aquitaine that it was a Soquili, but that did not eliminate Skinwalker. She waited, ears swiveling listening to the approaching hooves and the rumble of her dragon. The other finally fully came into sight and Aquitaine felt a wave of relief wash over her, it was not a skinwalker. Yet the mare was running blind and the closer she got the more upset the dragon became. His growl grew louder and it began to bounce off the trees. There would be no stopping him until the other stopped, telling him to be quiet would only anger him more. Aquitaine took a couple of steps back in an attempt to put a bit more distance between them, though the other mare was moving much faster than she was. "Don't come any closer...please!" She called out to the mare, wanting to bring her to a stop before she got too close. On her back Aquitaine could feel the dragon's head vibrating as his growl continued low, red eyes focused on the approaching mare. His jaws opened and closed slowly and she was worried that any moment now he would scream.
And then the sound came. The mare had gotten too close for his comfort, especially since she was running and simply not walking towards them and her dragon let out a scream. It was an eerie sound that even after all this time unsettled Aquitaine greatly. The scream was as much as a challenge to the other as it was claiming Aquitaine as his. Aquitaine could only hope that it didn't frighten the other off as she stood there waiting to see what would happen next.
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Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2013 9:19 pm
Risti skidded to a halt at the screech. She stopped so hard that most of her weight went onto her back legs and she could hear them creaking alarmingly under the sudden pressure. She stopped just sort of the other mare, she hadn't heard her warning to stop, only the loud spine tingling scream. She blinked at the blue mare, more curious than frightened.
Had the noise come from her? She wondered how anyone or anything could emit such a sound. She knew nothing of battle cries, or warning sounds, or challenges. She could go to the desert and look a rattlesnake straight in the face with nothing but curiosity for its odd tail. She peered around the mare with extreme curiosity to see if her mane was similar to a rattler's tail. What she saw did not frighten her, in fact it was almost a little comforting. Her sister's tail was a snake, and foal she had met when she was young had an alligator tail. The dragon had all the comforts of home for Risti, even if it had released that awful noise.
"Does it eat meat?" she asked, her curiosity begetting introductions and interrupting all the usual formalities of a meeting. But she knew little about formalities, and therefore they were easy to overlook. She didn't expect an answer, she was envisioning feeding strategies for the dragon mane in her own imagination, without any explanation. Her tail flicked behind her energetically, showing the other mare that she was friendly so that she wouldn't have to say so.
She listened to the growl of the dragon mane and stepped back a little after realizing how close to the other she was. She could have easily attacked her. Perhaps that was the plan: rope her in with an interesting mane and then swallow her whole...but no, that wasn't possible. She examined the mare's face now, trying to see if her jaws were big enough to eat another whole. No, definitely not. But she still could have attacked her. She made a mental note to be more careful, she knew not everyone with a screeching mane was friendly. She still didn't know if this other was friendly...Becoming a little more cautious and serious, she straightened and nodded at the other. Time for formalities.
"What is your name?" she asked, trying to seem as serious and protective as possible, "and you...do you have a name?" she asked, leaning over slightly and peeking at the dragon mane.
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Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2013 12:06 pm
Aquitaine couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief when the mare came to a stop. Any closer and her dragon might have gone to the next stage of anger and protection, which oddly enough meant lashing out and unless the other mare was close enough that would result in Aquitaine being bit. Of course at the same time Aquitaine felt relief she was also curious. What had that sound been when the mare came to a stop? It had almost sounded like an odd creaking and yet how could that be?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the others question. Do it eat meat? Her gaze swung to the dragon head tangled in her hair while she pondered what an odd question that was. The dragon was still growling, but at least he didn't appear to be ready to attack at any moment...not yet at least. Slowly her gaze returned to the other mare. "No...he doesn't exactly eat anything." It was in that moment that Aquitaine realized that she had never given much thought to her dragons lack of appetite. Was was it that he didn't eat? It likely had to do with him being nothing more than a head tangled in her long mass of hair yet she had never previously acknowledged the fact that he did not eat. Giving her head a slight shake Aquitaine refocused her attention on the other mare.
"I'm Aquitaine." She told the other in a pleasant tone giving her head a slight dip in greeting. "And he....well he's never like any name that I've picked out for him so he has none." The growling increased and Aquitaine took a step back putting a bit more space between her and the other mare. While still not looking entirely happy the dragon at least stopped growling now, though kept his eyes trained on the other mare. "He doesn't like others to get too close." She explained with a slight smile. "And what is your name?" She paused for a moment considering her next words. They might sound a bit rude but she wanted to know. "And why were you running after me like that?" Or was the other running from something and she just happened to be heading in this direction in her haste? Considering that option Aquitaine glanced behind the mare but saw nothing coming so refocused on her.
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Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 6:11 pm
If she were to be honest with the other, she would tell her that she had no reason for running after her. When she thought about it, the action seemed foolish and childlike. "I was...curious," she said, giving a half shrug in hopes that the explanation would suffice. As she became accustomed to the taunting sound of the ocean behind her, she began to realize her original intent for leaving home. She had to find out who she was and where she came from. It was time to stop being a foal, it was time to be more careful, time to find answers, time to grow up.
"It's nice to meet you Aquitaine," she said, nodding her head in a sort of bow, "My name is Ri." She knew her mother rarely gave her full name, and it seemed like a wise choice to Risti when talking to strangers. She supposed that was a nice place to start if she was going to be more careful from now on.
Her eyes came to rest once again upon the dragon mane, and she wondered if Aquitaine felt as different as she did. "Are there others like you?" she asked, hoping the answer was yes. Perhaps there was a place that she could fit into in this seemingly perfect world. Maybe there was a place that others didn't care what oddities others had, just like she didn't. But even if there were such a place, she still had to know where she had come from. She wondered if there were others like herself, wondered if maybe those others were freaks even among freaks.
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Posted: Thu May 09, 2013 1:48 pm
Aquitaine couldn't help but smile at that. The mare had been curious. Well that was much better than others who were frightened or angry when they saw her for the first time. Curiosity was quite a normal thing to experience in life, she was and still often got curious over things that were new to her. "Nothing wrong with being curious." Aquitaine said with a slight laugh. "Though next time you might not want to rush after the thing that grabs your curiosity. You never know what you might run into." Had the mare run headlong into danger because she had wondered what something was Aquitaine wasn't sure if she would escape. But that had not been the case this time and perhaps the mare would listen to her advice on doing just that.
"Well, it's nice to meet you Ri. I take it you are not from around here?" Aquitaine knew a lot of the Soquili that lived close to her beach side home, and nearly all of them knew her as well. But then again there were plenty of Soquili that led a more nomadic life than came and went like the tide of the ocean. On top of that new families and herds were always claiming lands to live in, though from her experience that happened further away from the ocean where the lands were rich with grass and trees and there was plenty of water to drink.
Ri's question broke through Aquitaine's thoughts and the blue mare paused to think. Well she her brothers were like her, and she had met a number of others who were in a way similar to her, though each had a uniqueness that really set them apart from one another, but in the end they were oddities among the normal Soquili. "Yes, they may not be abundant but I have seen a few like me, though quite different at the same time. For example I am the only one that I know of with one of those." She said motioning to the dragon head in her hair. "Though my brother has something a bit similar in his tail. My other brother has no such trait but if you were to see him you would see a family resemblance of sorts. Though we look very different from our parents." She paused for a moment before continuing. "With myself, my brothers and the others I have met nearly all of us seem to have one thing in common and that is our origin. Always born late fall and there is always a mention of a tunnel being visited by the parents before hand." Aquitaine stopped suddenly, wondering if Ri would even want to hear of such things. The mare was curious yes, but would she want to know every detail Aquitaine knew about being different?
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Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 4:17 pm
Risti's ears perked and her tail flicked as she listened to what the blue mare had to say. Her stance was calm and catlike as usual, until she heard the word "tunnel" escape Aquitaine's lips. She became tense and the cracks in her skin suddenly appeared and rippled all along her body. She was born in the late fall as well, and she had heard her tormented mother whispering the word before. What relation did this have to her? She hung on the other mare's words, but when she stopped speaking Risti frowned. Perhaps this mare was not eager to share about herself and her family. They had only just met, Risti could understand not wanting to give too much away to a stranger.
She thought in detail about what the mare had said about her own family. Why did they not resemble their parents? Where had the dragon head come from? She looked like her mother...and had some resemblance to her father even...but the breaking in her skin was entirely original. Where had that come from? Her mission to find out came rushing back to her and she looked at Aquitaine with curiosity. Were they linked somehow?
"My sister has a snake for a tail...and my brother has tentacles in his mane..." she commented, as if it was nothing too serious. She wasn't usually one to give away her family's characteristics, but she wanted to know what Aquitaine had to say, wanted to know what she had to tell. "What is this...this tunnel?" she asked, unable to hold back her curiosity.
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Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 5:33 pm
For all the things and oddities Aquitaine had seen in her life, watching Ri's skin suddenly crack like that took her by surprise. Though she knew her eyes widened at the display it was not out of fear, disgust or any of negative emotion, it was more like a sudden realization that Ri and herself had more in common than she had first believed. True, she had noticed Ri's cat tail when the first started talking but that had not struck her as something odd or a clue to her also being a tunnel child. But those cracks were a sure sign. It seemed that every single Soquili that had come from the tunnel was uniquely odd, like snowflakes in winter but far from regular.
When the distinct features of Ri's siblings were given Aquitaine knew that this family had come from the tunnel. She nodded at this additional information, accepting it as normal much like Ri announced it as a normality.
However, answering Ri's question would not be all that easy. "I don't know exactly what the tunnel is. From the others I have met and spoke with we all have some similarities. Our parents had all visited the tunnel, most often it was in the fall but I had heard of and seen one case of it happening in the spring. After going to the tunnel those couples would find themselves expecting but the children different from their parents, sometimes barely resembling them and above all else each exhibiting some kind of mutation." Her gaze moved back to the dragons head nestled in her mane before returning to Ri. "The location of the tunnel is unknown to me and most who might know where it can be found refuse to talk about it." She paused hoping this information was what Ri was looking for if it wasn't then Aquitaine wasn't sure she could help, that was practically everything she knew about the tunnel so far. The why and how of it all were still the biggest mystery.
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Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2013 4:19 pm
Risti's thoughts flickered back to some ruins she and some friends had investigated in her younger days. Back then, they had innocently wondered if it had something to do with their oddities. She tried to remember what they had discovered that day. The first time she had seen the ruins she had felt uncomfortable. Perhaps this was the "tunnel" Aquitaine spoke of. Or perhaps it was connected to it somehow. But another fact perked her interest.
"I was born in late fall..." she mumbled under her breath, "Aquitaine, do your parents know where the tunnel is?" She hoped it would give her a lead to go off of. She knew her own parents might have had some ideas, but her mother was fragile, she wouldn't bother with it now just as she had avoided doing so when she was younger. But perhaps they didn't know, and neither did Aquitaine's parents. What would she do then? The wheels in her brain turned furiously as she began to piece the puzzle together.
She looked up with a smile for Aquitaine, grateful for the help she had given so far. She wanted to prod her for more information, but she was sure she knew little more than what she had divulged. "Have you ever gone looking for answers, Aquitaine?" she asked curiously, eager once again to know more about the mare.
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Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2013 5:28 pm
Aquitaine gave her head as nod as Ri confirmed what she had been suspecting for a little while now, that Ri was in fact a product of this tunnel. There were enough visual facts to confirm it, the cracking skin was the largest of them, but knowing that Ri had been born in the late fall was what truly brought it to light. And, since Ri mentioned a brother and a sister, that was three more individuals to be added to a growing list that had come about due to the tunnel. Aquitaine wanted to help them all, in whichever way she could, it would take days, no weeks possibly even months just to see each one, even more time to find out what she could do to help them as well as learning what else she could about this growing situation.
Ri's question brought her back to the presence. "They did know where it was, but it has been moved...at least twice since then. During the summer there was this festival on the beach, a bit of the ways down from where my parents and I live. Well my father went to see what was drawing so many Soquili to the beach and that's where he saw the tunnel. Now, he told me that it didn't look exactly like the one he and mother had went through in the previous fall, but then again it had been decorated by flowers and other summer things. He was certain thought that it was the same tunnel." She paused thinking back on what else her father had told her, there wasn't much else to tell...except for her own experience. "But then I saw this stallion, one who was visiting the festival, we spoke for a while and then he went to see a friend. I saw him again a short time after the festival had ended, not only had he ended up having foals, and yes he and his friend had gone through the tunnel, but his son exhibited great difference from both of his parents. They weren't as extreme as what you or I have, but it was certainly similar." Thinking on that encounter again got Aquitaine's mind spinning. She began to pace a bit, thinking things out. "If in fact it was the same tunnel, and I believe my father when he says it was, perhaps it has different properties when used at different times of the year. As far as I know it's the only time it has been used in the summer, all other foals from it were during the fall." There was a connection for sure, but without knowing how the tunnel worked and why it even existed it was hard to know what that connection was.
Aquitaine realized that she had gone off on a tangent, and yet Ri seemed truly interested in finding out more about the tunnel as well. "Anyways, the tunnel was moved after the beach festival ended and I haven't seen in since then. I'm not sure if it went back to where my parents first encountered it or somewhere else." Aquitaine nodded at Ri's question. "No at first, I didn't question anything when I was younger, but as I grew older I wanted to know what had happened to me and to my brothers. When I started encountered others who had come to be in a similar manner I reached out to them, most struggled with how to cope with their differences and I have been trying to help any that I can. I know what it's like to struggle with being accepted by others based upon looks alone. But I'm rambling again. The point is Ri that I have sought answers, but with each small answer that I gain new questions pop up. I try to learn as much as I can from others whenever I can, since I think it will help me in aiding them, but most of my focus is on helping them."
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Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2013 5:38 pm
The idea of a hopping tunnel made Risti's heart fall. She would never find it if it kept turning up in different places. How was that even possible? It must have been magic, she knew that. But despite the fact that it seemed impossible, she still wanted to see the location that Aquitaine's parents had been to. Perhaps it would give some sort of clue as to the next location, or perhaps it had returned to its position as Aquitaine suggested.
Her ears perked at the mare's response. Help? "How can you help them?" she asked curiously, her voice cracking a little. Acceptance was one thing she always gave to others, but every now and then the favor wasn't returned. Most of the time others were simply curious, as she had been curious about Aquitaine's mane. But it still hurt to be different sometimes. She looked at Aquitaine admiringly, hoping she could be blessed enough to get some of that "help." And now that she knew there were others she wanted to help as well. But she needed to find out more about it first. She had to know more about this "tunnel" business.
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Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2013 6:04 pm
Aquitaine couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "Now that question is a lot harder to answer. Why don't we walk a bit while I try to explain that?" She pointed towards the direction she had originally be traveling in when Ri had come running up to investigate her, Aquitaine really didn't have a destination in mind, but walking and talking had a greater appeal than standing and talking, especially over such a difficult subject.
"Before I answer your question I'll give you a bit more background on my experience. I grew up in a very loving family that never acknowledged that myself or my brothers were any different than anyone else. Oh we knew it, since we barely resembled out parents but it wasn't something we ever thought about. But as we grew and began to see more of the world it became clear very quickly that not only were we different but in being so we were also not accepted by others. That nearly crushed me as I wanted nothing more than to be among the others and enjoy this world we live in. With the encouragement of my family, and a mare who I met when I was younger who passed on a great deal of wisdom to me, I decided to not just stand by and allow myself and others to be judged by our looks alone. So I made an effort to educate anyone I came across, if they would listen of course, that just because I looked different didn't mean I was different on the inside. But that was only the first step."
The left the forest and came into a large meadow. Aquitaine often came here to gather herbs or to simply enjoy the peace of it all. "Finding others that were similarly effected, hearing their similar stories of being judged and cast out of society made me realize that if no one stood up for our kind then we would be ostracized forever. I knew well what it was like to struggle with being accepted, to learn that being different isn't a bad thing, so I reached out to those like me, like you. Now I can't help them all, for even those who are kindred in our ways reject help, often times they fear that no one can truly help them, but I do what I can. Each case is different, sometimes its an encouraging word, others it's sharing my experiences with them to show that they aren't alone in what they are going through, and in some cases I have helped them to tame parts of them, like how I managed to get him, she motioned to the dragon head in her hair, "to stop attacking me constantly and work with me, not against me." She paused for a moment to allow Ri to absorb all of that. It was a lot of information to give but Aquitaine offered it freely, and if Ri asked for help she would gladly give it or at least try to. "My main goal is to educate what I will call for the time being the 'normal' Soquili that differences are a part of life, that even they are different from each other, they just don't always notice it. That judging one based solely on looks is a horrible thing, yes some look as evil as they are inside, but that they must give the other a chance. And for those of us who make up the mutant portion of the population, I want them to know that there are others out there, that we aren't alone, that we each struggle in life be it from our looks, our creation or anything else. Most of all I want them to know that I am here to help them, and perhaps in time there will be others as well." Aquitaine smiled and gave her head a shake. "Some may think I'm crazy for taking on such a huge task, but I think it's an honor to not only do so, but to see the changes in those I do help."
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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 10:57 am
Risti nodded and followed the other mare, stepping lightly as usual to avoid breaking herself. She listened with great interest, as a student listens to a teacher. The fact that there were others out there, others like them who were lost or confused, was both comforting and bothersome at the same time. There were others who didn't have the slightest clue what was going on with their bodies or even minds. She thought again of her mother, who hadn't exhibited many physical traits of the tunnel but who had horrible nightmares. Risti supposed that made her mother just as fragile as she was. She felt a pang of guilt for pulling away from her. But perhaps she could help her now. Maybe she could help others like Aquitaine did. "I don't think you're crazy," she said to the older mare, admiration in her voice, "I think I'd like to help you...you don't have to do it all on your own."
Just knowing that there was a way to help, that there was a way to educate "normal" Soquili was enough help for her. She still wanted to know more about the tunnel. But perhaps finding others like herself and questioning their parents would get her some more information. She still wanted to know why it did what it did. But in the meantime she could help. She could give others the information Aquitaine had passed to her, or she could refer them to her at least.
She looked around them in the meadow, taking in the tranquility of the place. Even the bugs seemed to be calm here, only the waves of the ocean could be heard in the distance. There was a question that had been lingering on Risti's mind throughout the whole conversation, and she was sure of the answer but had to ask all the same, "Is there a cure?"
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