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 Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 10:53 am
He had been away for quite some time, even the gods had probably forgotten of his face and more notably, his reputation. Suffice it to say that within the last few years he had put himself to shame somewhat, focusing more so on securing his friends' happiness than pursuing each and every attractive and delectable female that wandered passed his gaze. He'd been very noble in certain respects and had even managed to secure multiple engagements but now...well now was a time for him.
He'd bade his friends farewell, gathered his wits and had promptly journeyed back to the fair lands he was so familiar with. His goals were no more complex than breathing - he intended to seek out fine dining, delightful company and settle into his usual way of life. He had no reason to delve into the depths of any one else's love lives, not unless his friends screwed up so beautifully that he was required to fix things again.
...He sincerely hoped they didn't, he'd already fixed things twice.
Alas, the red male cast these thoughts from his mind as he sauntered across the plains, casting his gaze here and there as he sought out a potential spot to call home. He wasn't fussy himself, but to bring back a mare... well, he would have to ensure she was comfortable. With that in mind he supposed he should aim for something bouncier and warmer, eh?
He gave a snort and turned ever-so-slightly, adjusting his direction so that he was on course for the forest.
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Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 11:52 am
 Anushka tip-hoofed along for a while, scurrying through the long grass, her winglets folded tightly against her body. When she was sure she was out of sight of both her parents and her siblings, she straightened a bit more, slowed down and just strolled along, her stubby tail swishing as she walked in the sun.
It was a lovely day again. Her mother, Aishwarya, had said a few times since she and her brother and sister had emerged from their baskets that they were lucky to have been born in the summer, as it meant they got to enjoy the best time of year when they were young. Anushka had to admit that it was pleasant to be out and about when every day was long and warm.
She caught sight of a butterfly once again, following the randomly flitting insect, watching it intently and then catching her hoof on an unseen root, she tumbled to the ground, rolling over and landing in a heap of gangly legs, and slightly squashed wings. She giggled from the ground, and lay there for a while, watching a few white, wispy clouds that were drifting high in the bright blue sky.
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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 2:33 am
She was not the 'female' he had been hoping for.
No sooner had he strode purposefully towards the forest than the fates had laughed at him and placed a female in his path. Tumbling with very little grace into his line of sight, the tiny filly, all wings and legs then proceeded to zone out. Evidently children were easily amused for the child was utterly distracted by the clouds, or at least this was what he could surmise. He cast his own eyes skywards, a silent 'ha. ha. ha' sent to the heavens, before promptly regarding the Angeni, his brow raising.
Well she didn't seem to be inclined to move, yet he wasn't all that inclined to move around her either. It was in this moment that he reminded himself that he was older and as such, entitled to more respect than the child. Suffice it to say that if her parents weren't going to teach her those manners, then he would. Fortunately he did have tact when it was required and he wasn't about to traumatise her for life...someone else was bound to do that later.
"You are going to have to move," he stated in a very frank tone, his eyebrow lifting. "Or at least stand up before you get eaten."
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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 12:24 pm
Anushka was tracing a shape in the sky with one hoof when the stallion's shadow fell over her, and she wriggled crossly, moving so that she could see him.
He was big..and red. Pointy horn. Quite interesting. She wriggled more until she had righted herself and got to her hooves, shaking loose grass from off her pelt and out her winglets.
'There. I moved.' she said, squinting up at him, her head tilted to one side, one ear flicking.
'You gonna eat me? Why would you do that?' she asked, confused. She'd been warned about the more dangerous Soquili types out there, but he didn't really fit any of the physical traits her parents had described.
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Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 11:34 am
"Personally I wouldn't waste my time on you, you're all bone and no meat," he replied, his expression perfectly unreadable as he peered at the filly. Evidently she didn't appreciate being interrupted, but then again he didn't much appreciate it when others tumbled in front of his path either! Ah, but who was he to grow angry at a child, they were all obnoxious by definition were they not? He distinctly remembered quite a few of them being a royal pain in his backside...but they'd all turned out to be decent when they grew up.
"But you are small enough for a hawk to eat, or a wild cat or even an angry boar," he leant down and lifted a brow, taking a few moments to assess what she was - an Angeni by the looks of it, or damned near close to one. No one could ever be sure of the purity of another soquili's blood until they had asked nowadays.
"Where are your parents anyway?" he pursed his lips and lifted his head again, stepping round the filly with considerable easy. "I suspect they might be of a disagreeable mindset if they found you out here on your own, no?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 4:18 am
Anushka's face wrinkled up at that. Was she underweight or something?
'What do you mean?' she said, holding a leg up, examing it. Sure it was a spindly, knobbly limb, but then her siblings looked much the same. Wasn't that normal for a foal?
'Aren't I meant to look like this? And I bet you looked the same.' she retorted, her bottom lip jutting out slightly. It was a good thing he was a nice looking stallion, otherwise she'd have just stomped away by now, well after calling him mean and stinky or some such witty remark.
She followed him, turning as he walked around her, wondering why he didn't do that in the first place, noticing the unusual tail as he did so. Well, unusual to her young eyes as she'd never seen one so far.
'They are nearby.' she said, which was only a slight untruth. If she had to run, she could possibly reach them in a few minutes, but she was definately out of sight right now.
'Won't mind.'
Of course her mother would mind, but that was a thought that made her feel guilty, so she skipped over it.
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Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2013 5:08 am
He gave a chuckle as he regarded the filly, one who seemed to be very full of questions indeed! A typical kid in that respect, he should have known better than to expect them to accept one answer...and more to the point he should have known better that she would lie. 'Nearby' to a foal, if he was right in recalling his own memories, usually didn't mean they were close enough at all. He had been fortunate to be raised by very relaxed parents but nowadays... Well he'd met a few of those mothers and he knew better.
He didn't much care for those mothers, they were never any fun.
"Actually I was a broad kid," he replied at last and tilted his head to the side. His tail gave a small flick and then coiled around his hind leg. "Strong, meaty and less..." he lowered his gaze to her knees and gave a teasing wink. "Knobbly - you look like you'll fall over your own hooves at any second, you're all leg and wing, there's nothing else to you," he pointed out with a wry smile.
"Not that it would be a bad thing, I find it quite funny when kids get tangled up in their own limbs," he pointed out with a grin. It was at this point that he tailed off and glanced behind her to where he assumed she had come from.
"So..." he began after a few moments of consideration. "Is this 'nearby' within yelling distance, or is this 'nearby' more of a My-parents-would-totally-kick-my-skinny-butt-if-they-knew, kinda thing?" he enquired.
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Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 2:44 am
Anushka jutted out her lower jaw again, he was such a big meanie!
'I don't belieeeeve you.' she said, poking her tongue out at the stallion, which had her mother been around would have resulted in a severe scolding as she was cheeking someone who was meant to be her elder. But he started it!
'I bet you were just as knobbly, and what else should I be? I'm little, I have to do growing, so that's why there's nothing to me.'
Her voice wobbled a little as she spoke. She knew she wasn't a beauty like her mother, but Aishwarya kept insisting that she was only a filly and she was sure to sprout wonderfully when the time came. Anushka only wished that the time was now.
'Huh..well at least, at least I don't have a pointy head!'
It wasn't the wittiest retort, but that was undeveloped as well. At his question she looked sheepish again.
'Umm..' was the reply, coupled with a few kicks at the ground would give all the answer he needed.
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Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 2:52 am
"Ha!" he let out a bark of laughter that soon became a genuine chuckle. "So it's a my-parents-will-kick-my-skinny-butt 'near', then."
He'd forgotten how entertaining petulant kids could be and he couldn't help but lift his tail and pat her gently on the head. She was definitely adamant that her opinions were correct and despite the fact that he had actually been a bulky child, short of time travel, there was no way he could prove that. However, he was talking to a child here and when it came to kids...anything went.
"Oh sweetheart," he lowered his head and lifted a brow, an impish grin flickering onto his lips. "If you want proof you're going to have to travel back in time to see my former, child-self," he pointed out. His head tilted to the side as he regarded the filly and then he grinned just a touch more. "But the only way to do that is to make friends with a very powerful Angeni who is capable of teaching you such skills," he added. Admittedly this part was a lie, but he knew there were Angeni out there with a grasp over the unusual domain.
"As for my 'pointy' head," he flicked his tail around to poke at the tip of his horn. "This pointy head could save your life some day," he pointed out quietly.
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Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 4:20 am
'Heeeey.' Anushka complained a little at the pat on the head, squinting up at the tail and then shaking her mane out when it had moved. She wrinkled up her forehead as he spoke and then with a slightly mulish look replied;
'Maybe I will then! And then I'll see how knobbly you were.' she said, a tad taken aback by him calling her sweetheart. Where had that come from? Wasn't she all too skinny for that sort of name?
Looking up at the finely pointed horn she looked puzzled. Save her life?
'How? And, why would I need saving? What's going to happen to me?'
The filly didn't quite get that it could be used as weapon and wasn't just a sharp head decoration.
'I mean..and how, I won't know when I'm going to get in trouble. I won't see you every day after all. You're not going to follow me around just in case are you!'
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Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 6:07 am
The tiny filly liked to take things very literally, then again he had to remind himself that all children did. Add that she was petulant, mulish and coddled, and you had yourself quite an interesting mix. No doubt her parents had doted on her and spoiled her rotten, to the point that she now presented Persaeus with an answer, response or retaliation for everything - good grief. He'd forgotten how children could be, particularly when he hadn't been exposed to one for quite some time... In fact, the last time he'd encountered a pair of children, he had been required to heal them after a skinwalker attack!
"Well," he released a sigh as he considered how to respond to the filly, his lips pursing in thought. "I wouldn't say that I am going to follow you around, I have far more things to attend to. Following around females, especially knobbly little ones like you, is a waste of time," he pointed out wryly and chuckled.
"However there may come a time when you hurt yourself, whether it be through an accident or because someone dislikes you," he didn't elaborate on that one given that she was far too young and he would prefer to shelter children for as long as possible if the opportunity arose. "When that happens, finding someone with a horn like me could save your life," he explained.
As if to prove his point, he lowered his head and pressed the horn to a leaf that had received multiple holes from feeding animals. As his horn began to shimmer and glow, those 'wounds' began to seal up, leaving the leaf whole again.
"It may never happen, but it is always useful to know where you can turn to if you need the assistance."
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Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2013 12:27 pm
'Like what? What things to you have to do that are more important than protecting a little filly like me?' Anushka asked, curious and slightly petulant to boot.
'Dislike me?'
Well that was a silly notion, she couldn't possibly think of a reason anyone would have to dislike her. Maybe she was a teeny bit skinny, but disliking her for that? Weeeird.
'No, I think everyone will like me. I am sure of it.' she said with a nod.
She looked puzzled at first as he poked his horn at a slightly bedraggled looking leaf, eyes rounding and mouth dropping open as he performed what looked like, like..magic!
'Cooooooooool!' she said, staring up at him with shiny, slightly worshipful eyes.
'Do it again, do it again!'
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Posted: Sun Aug 04, 2013 11:44 am
Of course, the filly had obviously been raised with the view that everyone would worship her. Her parents, whoever they might be, had catered to this opinion and it was already echoing in her young and exceedingly naive words. Alas it wasn't Persaeus's responsibility to correct her and while he had no doubt that at some point in her life there would be someone to loath or harm her, who was he to provide a warning? Children at this age never heeded warnings, they simply smiled, nodded and then attempted to kill themselves in multiple different ways.
Alas, let her parents deal with the agony they had created for themselves, he could only hope that it wasn't fatal agony. Ah, but who knew what the future held? She could end up merely being wounded mentally, or she could be permanently disfigured by her stupidity if she kept that view up! Oi, but wasn't he becoming an awfully jaded stallion? He gave his head a quick shake and cleared his throat, dismissing the thoughts from his mind.
"I have business matters to attend to, deals to make and alliances to strike," he did provide any further details and nor would he even if she pride further, instead he simply lifted a brow at her reaction to his horn and shook his head. If he catered to her notions he would end up healing all the leaves in the bloody forest and he simply didn't have the patience for that!
...Let her find another unicorn to do that.
"As much as I would like to, it isn't appropriate for me to disrupt the balance of nature," he replied politely and shook his head. "Unfortunately, those leaves need to remain where they are."
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