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 Posted: Sat May 04, 2013 8:02 am
 The flutter stallion tumbled from his perch on a tall flower, spreading his wings to glide and land softly on the ground on small hooves. A moment later though and he was considerably taller than the grass blades, though not as big as some stallions.
He looked both delicate and fairly feminine, the long tresses of mane and tail and the butterfly wings did little to help first impressions but there was a glint in his eyes that spoke of more, a thirst for something bigger than just idly flitting amongst the flowers as his mother and father were happy to do.
Wings spread, he turned to face the sun, absorbing the warmth with a small sigh. Like his parents he too favoured the more pleasant days, and he travelled further and flew swifter when the sun was beating down on his back, but he would suffer a colder temperature, and without too many complaints (though he may gripe inwardly). He wanted to explore the mountains, but knew that he would have to be tougher in both mind and body before he tackled them.
So for now he was on the move, spending every day pushing his strength and stamina as far as he could. By days end he was always bone tired, and his wings would droop as much as his nodding, sleepy head but he felt that he was travelling further and further in the daylight hours.
Today though was a scouting day, and a chance to work on other skills; observation and desciphering tracks. He'd flown through the area once before, and seemed to remember seeing some well travelled dirt paths on one edge of the meadow, and figured he would start over there. Flicking mane from eyes and closing wings against his side, he clipped slowly in the direction he thought he remembered the paths being, his ears and eyes alert for anyone in his vicinity.
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Posted: Sat May 04, 2013 8:34 am
 Lys's profession was not for the faint hearted and she was never surprised to find that when she arrived at every scene, it was devoid of any form of life. No birds sang, no critters scuttled about in the foliage nearby, there was nothing. For all intents and purpose she walked upon cursed ground and no one dared look, let alone touch what rested there. Today was of no exception, she had received word from Tempest of the latest victim and while he sought to pursue the individual at fault, it was her responsibility to investigate what remained.
Thusly, she found herself in this particular reason and she would have been the first to note that this particular scene was a little different than the others. Granted there was still a dead body in the centre and unfortunately the 'ritual' had been a success as the markings had been etched into the corpse, but it had been rushed. More importantly, this particularly victim had been dealt with very close to the boundaries of the forest, in fact, it was in a clearing and in broad daylight.
"She's getting braver," she murmured, sucking in a tight breath as she picked her way over some of the beaten soil and torn earth. Every now and then she bowed her head underneath the lower branches, slowly circling the 'crime scene' before her. To any other this would have been stomach churning, but her bloodline had provided some advantages and that was a steel stomach - that and she'd seen victims in far worse a state.
Unaware of the approaching flutter, the reasonably tall (yet lithe) mare continued with her investigation, eventually approaching the corpse to lift one of its legs with her own hoof...
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Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 4:01 am
Ears, and eyes were on alert..but it was his nose that warned him that something up ahead wasn't quite right. There was faint hint of..well he wasn't sure what it was, but it wasn't pleasant. He'd never smelt anything like it that was for sure, his was usually a world heavy in the fragrance of flowers.
It lured him onwards though, a sort of dreadful curiosity making him carry on what he thought was the source of the smell, a ripple of cold dancing across his back despite the warm day. The unknown made him want to pause, but his nature was pushing him on; he wanted to be brave and adventurous, but he guessed you could be foolhardy too.
Fragment kept on going however, the scent getting heavier, and as he approached where he knew the paths to be, he saw movement and caught sight of the mare. That caused him to stop, he needed to assess the situation before him, in case she was the source of whatever was laying heavy on the air.
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Posted: Fri May 24, 2013 4:43 am
Fragment's hoof steps were considerably lighter than most and in her concentration the mare failed to hear them. It was fortunate that she had a nasty streak and was fully competent in combat, whether she was jumped or not she would be likely to defend herself. However it was unlikely that the flutter would assault her and as such she would be forgiven her transgression - the fates were 'kind' in that respect.
Unaware of his existence she continued to survey the area and the corpse, lifting legs, mane and head as she gathered the facts. With the exception of the victim being in the open, the rest was fairly normal, all the ritual markings were the same and that dust was strewn across it. She'd taken care to gather a sample into her pouch but she wasn't so foolish as to 'smell' it herself - the skinwalker always seemed to use it and she'd heard stories before; strange rumours, it would have been unwise to test in an uncontrolled environment.
"Time of death, approximately six hours ago. Multiple lacerations sustained, same ritualistic markings as expected from source. Female, approximately three years old," she licked her lips and dropped the corpse's hoof, moving around to the other side to inspect the victim more closely. "No unusual features though...peculiar."
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Posted: Sat May 25, 2013 7:32 am
So far the mare hadn't seen him, and at the moment Fragment was unsure as to whether that was a good thing or not. His wings opened and closed slowly as he debated what to do; he could slip away whilst she was occupied with whatever or..well, he'd come this far and he wouldn't be very adventurous if he did just that.
So he took a couple of steps forwards, catching the end of what she was saying, his brow wrinkling along with his nose as the smell got by increments worse. What was she talking about?
'Err..' he said, probably not the greatest of first things to say, but he was feeling seriously off-kilter right then..and what was that at her hooves?
'Is that a body?' he blurted out, eyes rounded, but that would certainly explain the smell. It didn't however explain what she was doing to it, or what she had been talking about before he had spoken up and announced his presence.
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Posted: Fri May 31, 2013 2:41 am
Ah, a visitor. She hated visitors; they always had questions that she wasn't capable of answering. Alternatively they would ask questions and then be horrified by the response. It always left her between a rock and a hard place and if she was entirely honest, she didn't like being near any of those places to begin with. Suffice it to say that the mare already knew that this conversation would not go well, he had asked the fabled question and she was not one to mince words or hide the truth.
He wanted to know what this was? She would tell him.
Would she catch him when he swooned? Probably not.
"Yes, it is," she replied smoothly, turning her head just a tad to catch sight of the smaller stallion. He wasn't extremely tiny, but he was definitely a flutter and she could only surmise that he could shrink further if he chose to. "Dead for six or so hours if you must know and..." she clucked her tongue and admired the ritualistic markings on the corpse.
"At the paws of a skinwalker no less, so if you live nearby I would suggest evacuating until it has been confirmed the predator is no longer in the area..."
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Posted: Sat Jun 01, 2013 8:48 am
'I..umm kind of didn't.' Fragment said, though the body did hold a morbid fascination, a strange pull to see what had happened but at the same time the thought of seeing what exactly had ended the life, how the poor creature had died was a bit too much in one go.
'..oh. What's a skinwalker?' he asked, his original question bitten off before he could form it. He was going to ask who, or what had done it, but she'd offered the information without preamble, only leaving him with new questions.
'Other than deadly. I mean, if you don't mind telling me..' he added, not wanting to seem completely naive, but he'd truly never heard of them. His butterfly wings quivered as he fanned himself, feeling slightly hot, flustered at the situation.
This mare was very matter of fact, and the smell was getting to him - yet she was unusual, striking in appearance. He wanted to know more, and didn't at the same time. So it was in two minds that he asked, and waited for an answer, though his nose was yelling at him to move away.
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Posted: Sat Jun 01, 2013 9:03 am
Did he live under a rock? Lys was momentarily speechless as he queried the identity of a skinwalker. To Lys's knowledge the vast majority of soquili knew exactly what they were and fled in terror at the mere prospect of encountering one. It was both intriguing and concerning, if he were the only one with such questions then she could handle that but if his kind were all oblivious then...
It was an advantage to them, perhaps they were too small to find? Nevertheless in the event that they were discovered they would be completely defenceless.
"Skinwalker are monstrous, bestial creatures that spawn from the depths of hell," she stated after she had regained her ability to speak and shook her head. "Ultimately they have one purpose in life, to kill... though they all appear to have different methods and aspirations. In the case of this one, she thrives on sacrifices and as such, her victims are all subject to the same ritual," she furrowed her brow and shook her head.
"You would be wise to run from them if you find one, they will not hesitate to remove you from this world."
She paused.
"If you're going to faint I would suggest you move."
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Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2013 2:49 am
Fragment's life until he had become an adult had been mostly one of beauty and pleasure, lazy days in the spring sunshine, and just enjoying being one with nature. His parents knew nothing of the harshness of the world; if they were human, in another time and place they might be known as 'hippies'.
So he listened as the mare spoke, paling at the thought that there was something that bad in the world. He was sure his parents didn't know that there was that sort of a threat to their idyllic existence in the world..but then they may have known and just hadn't spoken of it, he knew neither of them liked to think of 'ugly' things.
'Are there many, are they so common that I would just wander into one?' he asked, questioning the mare further on a subject she seemed to know well. He shook his head.
'I'm fine.'
And he was, not that the smell was easier to bear, it seemed his curiosity and that part of him that sought out adventure had come together and were urging him to find out more. Especially about this most unusual of mares.
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 2:34 am
She didn't quite buy in to his reassurances, but so long as he didn't collapse nearby and destroy the evidence then she would be satisfied. It was somewhat amusing to observe that so few had the necessary stomachs to contend with this line of work, but every now and then it did get exasperating. Why approach if you couldn't cope with it? Curiosity was one thing, especially in a sterile environment, but in a live environment it was a little different!
Nevertheless the mare was silent for a few moments before shaking her head and promptly dismissing her own irrelevant thoughts.
"They used to be extremely rare, you would have been hard pressed to find one," she replied and glanced back at the body, her jaw soon tightened and she let out a whistling sigh. "However their numbers have grown by a startling amount over the years, almost as if corruption is seeping out a wound that cannot or will not close."
"Suffice it to say that you are more likely to find one now than a number of years ago."
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Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 4:11 am
Fragment himself still wasn't sure why he'd come over, the smell really should have been enough to keep him away, but if he was going to be as bold and intrepid as he hoped to be in life, then he would have to push himself to do things that were far outside what might be called his comfort zone.
He gave a little unconscious shiver at her words; it was like some terrible story told to foals to make them behave, but by her accounts, and if she was to be believed (though her tone and behaviour certainly seemed believable), it was truth, not fantasy, and a frightening truth at that.
'That..that's not good.'
Which was a lame thing to say, he knew that, but he was finding the world was a bigger and more challenging place than he had imagined.
'You seem to know a great deal about them. Why is that?' he asked, curious about that as well. He wanted to know why she was examining the corpse, and what she doing next, there had to be a reason behind it all.
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Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 4:19 am
A small part of the mare was impressed by his reaction; he had received the information well - granted he was disturbed by it, but he hadn't balked or scoffed in the way that others often did. It was a rare moment when she afforded a half smile, casting her gaze back towards the victim for a few moments. It was only when he asked her how he knew all these things that she hesitated, her jaw hardening again as she considered her options... after all, these questions never went well for her.
Then again, she never lied either.
"My mother is one," she replied softly and cleared her throat, returning her attention to her investigation, "In fact, this is her handiwork... Unfortunately, her style is very recognisable." she could only assume that he would have disappeared by now, or at least he would be making a swift exit now that the truth had been unveiled. Either that or he would be foolish enough to assault her but her teeth weren't just for show, the mare could gut him with ease if pushed.
"Then again all religious zealots have a signature, that's just the way they are," she grimaced.
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Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 11:03 am
Well, whatever he had expected in answer to her question,it certainly wasn't that, but then he really couldn't say exactly what he had expected as an answer!
It was then that he noticed her long fangs for the first time. He was far from being an aggressive Soquili, and couldn't really fight beyond kicking with hooves, and his only other defense would be to make a hasty flight retreat.
Fragment also realised that so far she had done nothing to make him think she meant him harm, so he stood where he was, wondering how best to answer.
'Okay. So..your mother is a killer. She does stuff like that.' he nodded at the corpse.
'But, you, you don't kill?' he asked, wondering what he would do if she confirmed that she did do the same as her mother.
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Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 11:13 am
"I'd kill for self defence," Lys responded without a trace of apology and she saw no reason for guilt either. If any individual attacked another she would have expected to be able to defend herself even if it meant their death. No ill deed came without consequence and any who assumed it did were fools...now if Fragment was disturbed by that then he wouldn't last very long at all without protection!
"However I am not like my mother, I do not kill for pleasure or in order to appease some corrupted, religious idol," she clarified, wrinkling her nose in distaste at the thought. She appreciated that the stallion that had hired her was the religious sort but even he had boundaries, and vitally, he didn't expect her to fall in line with his beliefs. His instructions had been clear - find a weakness in her mother's methods and by doing so, she would find the 'redemption' she felt she needed.
...Yes, an opportunity to point out she had helped destroy her mother so her genes were irrelevant.
"My job is to help stop her, but as you can see it does involve less pleasant duties."
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Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2013 12:20 pm
'Self defence? I can understand that.' Fragment replied, his wings slowly opening and closing as he thought about what she said.
'I mean, in theory.' he added, having not had to defend himself physically in any way in his life. He wasn't sure how good he would even be at doing so, he felt that he could likely land some kicks, maybe use his teeth? But killing. That was a big thing to get his head around.
'How will you do that?' he asked, confused by her reference to a "religious idol", though he didn't want to outright ask her about it as he felt he was already coming across as fairly naive, compared to her at any rate.
'I mean, you seem very capable, but from what you've told me..well, they don't sound like easily stopped creatures.'
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