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 Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2013 1:46 am
 Pipara gave a soft whiny of pleasure as she raced across the open land. She had managed by some miracle to sneak out from under her rather protective and over baring older brother. While she understood that it was just the two of them now and he didn’t want to lose her, it was starting to stifle her spirit. It felt good to get out, to race across the land, her halter jingling as she did so. It would be a few hours before she would notice the darkness in the distance. She had seen it several times before but never actually been there, as her brother simply hadn’t allowed it. She slowed to a slow canter, should she go for it? Kalev wasn’t here to stop her this time, to chase her back to where it was safe. She slowed to a stop, and for a long moment she did nothing but stare, her hoof pawing the ground below her. She tossed her head finally, would harm could it really cause if she went? Surly the place couldn’t be that dangerous right? Besides it would make for something interesting to tell her brother, a right kick in the face. She had gone somewhere she hadn’t supposed to go and there was nothing he could do about it. Especially if she brought him back something, she couldn’t wait to watch how his face would turn red with agitation. With that in mind she sat off, bolting across the plains until the solid ground began to give away to mushy ground and the trees grew gnarled and black. Though this didn’t stop her, though the look of the place was clearly far different from what she was used to. Her harness jingled merrily as did her saddle, as she trotted through the murk. Seemingly unaffected by the rather dour air around her, as she traveled deeper she began to notice that her hooves kept sinking further and further into the ground. She found it to be quite intriguing and for a long moment just stood there splashing in the murky water, watching as her hoof sunk deeper and deeper each time. Unaware of the danger she had placed herself in.
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2013 1:56 am
Living where they did made him glad he was born with the claws that he had. While it made him a bit of an oddball in the family, he was no worse off than his siblings or other relatives. They all had some easy form of travel through the thick mud and murky water....some easier than others. He smiled to himself as he dug his claws into the thick mud and flexed them several times before moving on. His mind wandering again to the thoughts of his sister and how those dainty little cloven hooves got her around as fast as they did.
The sound of splashing quickly brought Amani out of his thoughts as he paused to listen. It didn't sound like a gator rolling around with something it had caught...it was individually spread out, much like the sounds a foal would make when playing, or another when running. He laid his ears back and followed the noise, preparing himself for a fight.
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2013 2:50 am
Pipara gave a soft whinny of amusement as her hoof sunk into the muck and as she pulled it out it gave a soft sucking noise. Her feathers now covered in muck and gunk. She seemed relatively unphased by this however. She wasn’t much paying attention to her surroundings, and that could possibly be her downfall. Her ears flicked slightly, her subconscious catching on a sound in the distance.
It wasn’t until the other was nearly upon her that it registered as something that wasn’t quite right. She turned rather quickly the merry jingling of her saddle sounding awkward against the fear in her eyes. She stumbled back a few steps her hooves sinking into the murk and mud. She was a large girl, heavy from her heritage as a draft. Horses meant for pulling heavy things, not for walking along murk.
She sunk rather quickly though she didn’t seem to notice her eyes focused on the other. She seemed quite worried. “Ah… don’t hurt me?” She asked softly her eyes closing as if she was expecting a blow. The bright and mud splattered female looking so completely out of place that it was almost comical, and would have been had it not been such a serious situation.
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2013 2:58 am
The stallion stood at the edge of the thick line of gnarled tree roots and bushes that grew native there. He honestly was wondering if he should believe that he was seeing the bright and innocent looking mare before him. Though it wasn't the first time someone came through that stood out as badly as she did.
His eyes narrowed slightly and for a long while he said nothing, preferring to stare her down in hopes she'd un-stick herself from the mud and be on her merry little way. When he realized she was making no motions to run from him at all, he decided that fun was to be had. Especially since she didn't seem to be much of a threat, despite her body size.
"You're here seeking fun and enjoyment? What a stupid thing...fun...that water will eat you alive if you dance around in it for too long." He called out to her softly, smirking to himself. While it was only partially true, with the gators attacking even swamp residents bigger than they were, he really knew she was under little danger at the moment.
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2013 3:13 am
Pipara stayed with her eyes pressed closed for a long moment until she realized that she wasn’t going to be struck. With that realization she slowly opened her eyes to look at the other. She could only stare for a long moment, her ears flicking forward. He was quite an odd looking character, not bad, just odd and it instantly drew her attention.
He had clawed feet! It wasn’t something she had ever seen on another and she couldn’t help but lean forward to inspect slightly amazement clearly written on her face. “You’re so neat!” She exclaimed in a rather bright and cheerful voice.
It was then that what he had said actually registered in her mind and she gave a soft squeak looking down at herself. “Really?!” She pulled her hoof from the murk, and began slowly moving out of the mud; though it was a painfully slow process as she was rather dreadfully stuck. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I suppose Kalev was right, and it is dangerous. Though I didn’t think the water would actually eat me.” She stated in a matter o fact tone.
She gave a soft snort at him. “Perhaps, but you will never learn if you don’t explore right? Besides I was enjoying myself and if I ended up losing a hoof for my play… well then I suppose I wouldn’t do that anymore. It would be my mistake to make.” She said brightly before smiling at him. “Thank you for warning me though.” It was hard to say if she had noticed the insult at all.
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2013 3:22 am
Amani huffed and snorted at her compliment towards him. It wasn't something he was used to and as such brushed it right off as her being clueless as to what cool vs dangerous meant in all reality.
"That's right. Eat you. Gobble you right up, not just a single hoof. The waters here are very, very hungry." He said, giving another smirk. "You should have listened to whoever told you it was dangerous. They're smart it seems." The stallion finally stepped out into the water, showing absolutely no fear of it himself, and started towards Pipara.
"Why are you really here? You can't really be so clueless to an area to just treading in to play, can you? You must be here for something!" He stated, getting extremely close to her. "No one is welcome in this immediate area without having permission or knowing what they're getting into."
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2013 3:33 am
Pipara blinked rather wide eyed before looking back down at the water. “Oh dear.” She whispered softly stepping back slightly, lifting a hoof up as if this somehow made a difference. “Well… he’s my brother and he is very smart. Or he likes to believe he is. I suppose he is smart about some things, but not everything.” She canted her head to the side for a moment as if she was thinking before she shook it off.
She watched as he stepped into the water without fear, or seemingly nary a care. It was curious to her and she leaned forward to sniff at him as he did so; though she soon found herself backing her nose up as the other came closer and closer. As he made his way right up next to her she found herself having to cant her head slightly up to see him.
“What?” She asked in a rather shocked tone seeming rather offended. “I’m not here for anything, not really. Just to explore, to learn I suppose?” She stopped for a moment her eyes growing distant as she thought. “I honestly can’t think of any other reason I would be here. I just wanted to see this place. I have never been here before, Kalev wouldn’t let me. I finally got the chance to see it for myself and so I came.” She gave an awkward roll of her shoulders.
“Why are you here?” She asked leaning over to bump her nose against his shoulder area. “Why aren’t others welcomed? I’m really honestly not from around here and I suppose you could say I really am clueless about the area.” She said with another awkward roll of her shoulders. “Whoops.”
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2013 3:40 am
Amani snorted again and looked away from her to gaze around their surroundings for a moment. Being tied up with such an innocent little girl still meant he couldn't let his guard down completely lest something sneak up on them. That was the last thing he needed at the moment.
He returned his gaze back to her and shook his head. "Most who come through here and get lost at least have some knowledge of what they're getting into..." He sighed and backed away, going back out through the water and pacing around for a bit to listen to the sounds of the swamp around them.
"I live here. I have every right to be here, as does my family. Were momma to find you out here, you'd be at her mercy instead of mine. She's helped foals...I know she has...but you're just a bit bigger than a poor, lost foal..." He stopped to give her a look, sizing the mare up and down before him. He began to wonder if she had any fight in her at all. If not, her brother must be the brunt force of everything to keep them both safe in such a terrible world.
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2013 3:53 am
Pipara gave a soft giggle and shook her head. “Yeah just a bit bigger than a lost foal for sure.” She stated in amusement looking down at herself. “I honestly had no idea, it just seemed like such an interesting place and… well I just wanted to see it for myself ya know? I want to see the world, everything it has to offer.” She stated in a rather whimsical tone before looking up to him as he backed out of the water.
“Regardless, I’m sure your mama isn’t a bad person. I am sure I would deserve whatever harsh words she would have to offer. What with me just wandering into her home uninvited and unannounced.” She gave that same strange shrug. “I do apologize though; I didn’t mean to cause such a fuss.”
She gave another bright smile. “Hey! What’s your name? I totally and completely forgot my manners.” She said shaking her head. “I’m Pipara, Pipara Kook, but you can call me Pip.” She stated pulling herself from the water. “I can’t believe you live here, that is so cool. My brother and I come from the mountains up north. It’s strange not seeing any snow.” She mused more to herself than him. Her rambling seeming cheerful though it was known to grate on people’s nerves.
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2013 4:08 am
"It's not all the interesting here." Amani stated after a moment of silence, having been considering what she was saying to him. "As you can see it's nothing but mud, water that will eat you, trees that come alive at night...which leaves their roots all exposed like this...and various other things. Gators are my favorite." He said, giving a nod to the area around them.
"And they look just like branches and logs, floating in the water~" He laughed to himself, having encountered quite a few growing up.
Asking for his name seemed to halt every thought process in his head. No stranger had ever asked his name save for one, and that was only because he intended to learn from and stay close to that mare. No...no one had reason to know who he was. Visitors knew him as a nameless face in the swamp while they were getting healed or whatever they may needed from his family.
Why did she want to know so badly...?
"Amani." He stated after a long period of silence.
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2013 4:44 am
She gave a soft snort and moved to stand near him, not overly close but within safe distance of him. “Well I would say that is pretty interesting!” She chimed in, prancing from hoof to hoof. “I mean it’s far more interesting than where I come from.” She gave a slight nod of her head.
“Nothing but white as far as the eye can see, with the occasional needle tree and lots of rocks, and you are up really really high and if you aren’t careful you can fall and break something.” She said with a sage nod before blinking and looking up at him.
“What are gators?” She asked curiously her head titled to the side as she looked up at him rather mesmerized. “Amani? That is such a pretty name!” She exclaimed with a bright smile at him.
“It’s really very nice to meet you Amani.”
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2013 4:50 am
Pretty? She thought his name was pretty?! What was he? A mare? He snorted and huffed heavily at her comment about his name, not really appreciating it much. "My name is not 'pretty'! If you're going to comment on a pretty name, do it to a mare." He turned away and flexed his claws in the muddy water, trying to hold himself back from flying at her in a rage and attacking.
After what seemed like ages he started walking away and towards a much larger, open area of water. Water that was deeper than the majority of the swamp, despite all the tall grass sprouting forth from it, and a lot darker as well. "Want to know what a gator is? Then follow. Don't stay in the water too long...it's still hungry for you."
He smirked and disappeared beyond the gnarled tree roots and looked out across the open water before him carefully. Perhaps if he was lucky a gator would get her out of his hair. Then of course someone would hear her cries and more than likely several members of his family would come running to see what was going on.
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2013 5:00 am
Pipara was quite taken aback by his sudden anger. It wasn’t something she was accustomed to dealing with, at all. For a moment she took a step back from him, the bright gold of her eyes, like butterscotch disks, welled with tears that threatened to roll down her nose. She wasn’t sure what to say and her feelings were honestly hurt. Perhaps she should go; he didn’t seem too much care for her presence.
“I… I… I’m sorry.” The quiver in her voice was painfully obvious, but it was also clearly not out of fear but out of true sorrow. She was sad, and even as he vanished into the trees she didn’t follow at first. She hung her head; she wanted to see what a gator was but honestly after that she should probably go. He seemed agitated with her existence, and as ditzy as she could be, she was painfully aware of when people didn’t like her.
She fell silent and walked after him, simply nodding her head as he spoke until she came to stand slightly behind and to the side of him. There was no excited exclamation this time, no bright happy banter or anything of the sort. It was strange, as normally she was quite bubbly, the only sound made was the light jingle of what she wore. A merry sound even in the strange sadness that hung around her.
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2013 5:06 am
Amani sighed and looked back at her as she approached. "Stop sulking. You look weak, pathetic even. Nothing a male would ever want." He told her, turning his attention back on the water and watching for a break on the surface. Or at the very least, movement on one of the opposite banks. He was glad that the gators didn't usually leave this area. It meant his family was safe from them for the most part and it meant they were easy to find and pick free whenever they needed hides or teeth from them.
Hmm...that wasn't a bad idea actually. Being in the area, he might as well tear one apart, at his own personal risk, as opposed to just walking away with nothing for the day other than the memory of the mare with him.
"....going to catch one." He murmured, moving to start walking slowly around the edge of the deep water.
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2013 5:14 am
Pipara’s attitude changed rather quickly going from sorrowful to shock in a matter of seconds. Her ears flicked forward and her eyes widened and the look on her face was one that was amusing. It was like she had heard the most ludicrous thing and couldn’t quite believe it.
“What…” She asked rather abruptly her ears falling back against her head. “Who says I want to be something a ‘male’ would want.” She stated in a bit of a huff. “Forgive me for being sad that I upset you. Goddesses forbid I show any sort of emotion.” She gave a soft snort and turned her nose up for a moment.
“Besides, I might look like this, but I’m bigger than just about everyone else I have ever met. If it came down to it, all I would have to do is sit on my opponent.” She said with a matter o fact tone, as if Amani was clearly dumb for not knowing this. It was true though, she was quite large and any of the smaller breeds would be hard pressed if she just decided to up and sit on them. “There aren’t many males who could handle so much mare at once… pitiful.” She stated and from the way she did it, it was as if she was quoting someone, which she very well might have been. Her mother perhaps? Maybe a sister? It was anyone’s guess.
“… Wait what… you are gonna catch one?” She asked suddenly moving forward towards the edge of the water.
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