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 Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2013 2:12 pm
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Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 1:30 pm
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There was a gentle breeze blowing on this delightfully sunny summer day providing a welcome relief from the blazing sun above. Cheveyo found himself counting his blessings as the herds location higher in the mountains certainly offered them a touch of comfort not offered those in the valleys below. Those poor souls were likely baking in the heat, cursing the weather..even as his little herd reveled in it. There was certainly a great deal to celebrate, the foals had grown large enough to leave the care of Lapin's grove behind and move into the larger meadow with the rest of them and Mercy was coming home to visit!
Cheveyo had not seen his adopted daughter in a good long while...but he was happy for her, from all reports her time with Ironforge had done the mare good and he was not surprised that she had elected to stay in the shaggy stallions herd longer then they had expected her too. Honestly, when he sent her off, Cheveyo had expected her to come home after only a few weeks. Mercy had never seemed like the strong and capable type...more so the delicate family flower, far better suited to life in the sheltered meadow then the harder world beyond.
But the mare had surprised everyone, and while Cheveyo, as any father would, found himself fretting over her safety - he couldn't help but be proud of her. Why when he had been a younger stallion he had desired to be a Knight himself! Ah..but dreams change with time and casting his gaze over the vision before him - the foals frolicking happily in the grass, the herd bustling about gathering supplies for the feast they were organizing for Mercy's return, a low level background of chattering and laughter assuring him that all were happy - well it would be hard to regret the decisions he had made in life. Yes..life was good here in the Little Meadow, Life was in fact..excellent.
"Chev!" Eversong called out as he approached the smaller stallion, his somewhat irritated mate trailing along behind him. "Chev...can you please tell Jarita that purple flowers will be just fine? I swear I have scoured the entire mountain and simply can't find any pink ones." Eversong stated, a slight plea in his tone as he flicked on of his large wings aside to reveal the gathering of purple flower's to the smaller stallion.
Honestly he wasn't even sure why exactly the flowers were necessary...but Jarita had wanted them, something about proper decoration and 'matching' and other such mareish terms that he had truthfully begun to tune out after a few moments...but if Jarita wanted flowers then he would get her flowers...he just did not see the difference between these pretty purple ones, which were growing in abundance and this mysterious pink flower Jarita had described to him.
Jarita huffed slightly as she trailed along behind Eversong, honestly she wasn't even sure why she had to argue this..she had sent the stallion out for pink flowers and he had returned with purple ones. Obviously he needed to go back out and find the proper ones. The ones she had requested in the first place..otherwise well..it just wouldn't be right! "Those ones don't match!" She huffed at the two stallions. If Cheveyo had a mate then she would understand..but as it were Jarita was sure that the males less then detail oriented attitudes would work against her in this argument. "I wanted pink because Mercy has pink on her, I wanted it to match..she dosen't have any purple on her and I know very well that there are pink flowers on the mountains! I've seen them!"
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Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 1:31 pm
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Eversong rolled his eyes slightly, though he was careful not to do so in a way that Jarita would see. "Of course dear..I'm sure that you have..but you don't recall where..do you know when you saw them?" He asked, clearly perplexed about the whole ordeal. He had looked all over the blasted mountain, had even ventured lower into the valleys in his hunting and though he had found blue,white and orange flowers there wasn't even a hint of pink anywhere to be found. The purple - which was quite pale and honestly verging on a shade of pink anyways in his opinion - had been the closest the stallion had been able to come up with.
"Well I don't know exactttly." Jarita responded in an exasperated voice. "Sometime this spring I'm sure." She went on flippantly. Really why did that even matter. There were purple flowers and there were pink flowers..and her lug of a mate had brought home the wrong ones. An easy fix really and she supposed why he might have thought these were the ones she had been talking about...they did look similar to what she had described..excepting the fact that they were lavender not pink.
"Some..sometime this spring...?" Eversong stated, turning his head to regard the mare beside him. These pink flowers she wanted had likely died off a while ago, spring bloomers that came and went as the heat of summer came upon them. "Sweetie.." He stated to explain and then paused because he knew..just knew that stating this himself would have him sleeping on the other side of the meadow for a week. Turning his head back he gave Chev a pleading look, hoping that the smaller stallion would be able to pacify the mare in such a manner that would not get him into trouble.
Startled from his thoughts at the voice of Eversong Cheveyo shifted his stance and looked over at the approaching pair - although they had not begun as members of the herd, but friends, visiting often but never staying for more then a few days....the two winds had become a permanent fixture after discovering that Jarita was pregnant...Cheveyo had expected the two to continue their wandering ways after their foals had grown..but while the children had left to see the world before them these two had stayed behind seemingly happy to settle down here with their smaller friends.
Inwardly he had to chuckle a little bit at the couples bickering, no one who knew them doubted that the two loved one another..but once in a while everyone might wonder just what it was that had drawn them together in the first place. This argument over flower color was hardly the strangest he had heard from the couple Letting his gaze flicker over the purple flowers he caught Eversong's look and gave him a sly wink before turning to Jarita.
"They are not quite as pink as Mercy." The stallion agreed "But they match me quite well and I think if we added some white and pale yellow flowers to the mix the off shade won't be quite a noticeable." He suggested, knowing that simply telling the mare they would be fine wasn't going to work. No Jarita needed something else to think about and making her ponder a mix of colors rather then a single shade might just do the trick.
Jarita opened her mouth to object to the stallions suggestion but then paused as her mind mulled it over..a variety of colors would make the arrangements more interesting and she supposed that given such a change it wasn't entirely necessary that the flowers matched Mercy exactly.
"Well..I suppose they do match you." She finally allowed, comparing the flowers pale purple to the stallions purple shades..true his might be a touch more grey but as Jarita had never seen grey flowers they were as close as possible and that was good enough. "And some pale yellow ones might kind of match Mercy's paler hair and hide." She went on as she further thought about it. There were even some herd members who had white on them...yes, yes she supposed that a mix of colors would work just as well as the damnable pink flowers that Eversong couldn't find.
"Of course this means that..."
"Yes..yes I know..it means you need me to go out and look for some more flowers." The stallion stated and although he sounded slightly resigned to his fate he none the less gave Chev a grateful look. "Thank you Chev..for your wonderful suggestions" He told the smaller stallion as he turned about with Jarita in tow. An ear flicking as he listened to the new instructions he was being issued...at least this time he recognized most of the flowers he heard her speaking of and those he did not he vaguely recalled seeing something like it in his previous search. The flower hunt shouldn't take nearly as long this time around
"Oh..you know me so well!" Jarita stated blissfully to her mate, happy now that the emergency had been resolved and turned to follow her mate, pausing only long enough to toss over her shoulder "Yes! Thank you Chev!" Before bringing her attention back to Eversong, her voice fading away as the could walked back across the meadow. "Now We are going to ne..."
Shaking his head slightly Chev turned his attention back to the rest of the herd. Where it looked like Syrrin was attempting to talk Poe into something.
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Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 1:52 pm
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"Poe..I promise that it's not going to storm and ruin Mercy's homecoming." Syrrin told the little mare, attempting as best he could to stay patient with her..he had been trying that lately, to be a bit less prone to yelling after becoming a father. But with his sisters? It was hard sometimes... So.Very.Hard. Especially with Poe who was so jittery that Syrrin honestly wondered how she even managed to function.
Ever since the herd had spotted a bit of heat lightning the night before Poe had been convinced that it was an omen of some sort..that something terrible was going to happen and ruin Mercy's homecoming. Her latest theory was that it was going to be a storm..but before that had been a plague of locusts and a flash flood. Syrrin wasn't sure which theory was more insane but he grit his teeth and attempted to lay the latest one to rest. "I mean look Poe..it's bright and sunny and warm..what could possibly go wrong?!" He asked her, motioning with his muzzle towards the center of the meadow where the foals were playing happily and the rest of the herd seemed busy doing other thing. Things that were probably more fun that trying to placate Poe. Where was his mother when he needed her? She was normally the only one who could talk Poe down off her crazy cliffs when she crawled up on them...and was that Synder wandering towards the woods?
"Synder!" He shouted "Poe just a second okay?" He told his sister "Synder don't you dare step out of this meadow!" He yelled at his daughter, hoping she would listen even though he wasn't right beside her.
Why would nobody listen to her? Something awful was going to happen! She just knew it! The lightning last night had been horribly scary..others in the herd had called it pretty but as far as Poe was concerned it was a sign of something gathering. Hadn't anyone ever heard the expression 'A Gathering of the storm?' ...Sure at first she had thought maybe it would be a flood..the result of the storm that must be happening where the lightning was (and no don't tell her that it was only 'heat' lightning and there was no storm - who ever heard of lightning without a storm?!?) And then she had thought it might be locusts..she was sure she heard the humm of a million insect wings in the woods earlier on. But now? Now she was sure..no she was positive that the lightning was just the begining of some horrible storm, it had probably torn up the area it was over last night and come nightfall it would sweep over the meadow and kill them all. Just fry them up like bugs on a hot stone!
But Syrrin wasn't even paying attention to her, he was too busy yelling at his two tailed daughter who was likely plotting to kill him in his sleep...I mean she had predator characteristics so it stood to reason she was a predator..though no one would listen to her about that either.
"Syrrin! Syrrin you have to listen to me!" She told the stallion stamping her tiny hoof - carefully less she break her leg on a hidden rock - but her brother was focused entirely on the foal.
Synder thought she was being incredibly sneaky. She had lured the other foals into playing a game of tag, a game which had them all running here and there all over the big meadow, dodging the adults going about their work and filling the meadow with the happy laughter of good obedient little foals. Surely with all of that going on and all of the adults busy with Mercy's homecoming feast - no one would notice her slipping off into the woods.
So far she and her siblings had not been allowed to visit the stream by themselves..oh they had been brought there under the watchful eyes of an adult but Synder wanted to go there by herself and it was such a short journey through the woods..she would be able to slip off, visit the stream and be back before anyone even noticed it! Glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one was paying attention she slunk towards the treeline,..was that something in the woods? Something glowing?
Before she had a chance to peer closer or investigate however her father's piercing shout made her cringe and scuttle back towards the rest of the foals, the mysterious glowing thing in the woods all but forgotten as she rushed to keep from getting into trouble. "I wasn't going anywhere!" She bellowed back at her father "I was just playing with the others!" She insisted. Making a huge show of letting herself be 'tagged' by Blossom before rushing off after Pembrooke.
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Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 10:31 am
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"Oh I'm sure that was all you were doing." Syrrin muttered to himself as Synder yelled back at him, Rather then let his daughter know he was on to her tricks however Syyrin just shouted back a cheerful sounding "Okay Honey!" Before turning most of his attention back to Poe. He did continue to keep one eye on Synder however...the little filly was a bit of a troublesome creature, good hearted..but troublesome.
"Poe I am listening to you.." He told his sister with an exasperated sigh "But really..I think your worrying over nothing, even if it did storm..I really don't think it's going to cause the trouble you think it will. We'll just eat under the trees." He pointed out. Turning his head to try and keep his children in view while also trying to make sure Poe knew he was indeed still paying attention to her.
Poe sighed,her brother was treating her like she was one of his foals..which granted was better then the old way he used to yell at her all the time...but it still wasn't what she wanted. Poe wanted someone to take her seriously for once, why couldn't the rest of the heard see the danger they were constantly in? It seemed like every other day she spotted the promise of some terrible event to come...it was just luck that, so far, the herd had managed - even without listening to her - to avoid these disasters.
But luck ran out eventually and unless they started listening Poe was certain that that was going to happen sooner rather then later. "We can't eat under the trees if there is a storm!" She stated aghast, eyes wide and voice trembling in fear at the very thought of his absurd suggestion. "Tree's attract lightning Syrrin!"
"Well the cave then." Syrrin went on his attention still only half on his sister.
"The cave will flood, it's underground, all the water runs into it" Poe stated, now she wasn't sure what was worse..being hit by lightning under the trees or being trapped and drowning in the caves.
"Poe....look if your that worried about it, go talk to mom okay?" He finally told her "I have to go and chase down the foals." He went on, making a big show of hustling off towards the playing foals. Syrrin wasn't sure how much more of Poe's excessive worrying he could take before he snapped..it was probably best that he left while he still had a bit of patience left.
"Syrrin! I don't know where she is!" Poe tried to yell after her brother - but given that she was Poe and her version of yelling was little more then the average talking voice of everyone else she was pretty sure he hadn't heard her. Dratted foals..she was trying to save all of their predatory little lives and here they were drawing everyone's attention away. Someday..someday the herd would regret not listening to her warnings! Turning about she scurried off - carefully watching the ground of course - to look for her mother.
Synder was pretty sure her father had bought her story about only playing when he shouted back a happy sounding answer...good, she would only have to catch Pembrooke or another of the foals and spend a few moments actually looking like she was playing before attempting to sneak off again. He father would probably be distracted by then.
Being as distracted as she was with thoughts of tricking her father Synder wasn't doing the best job of chasing the other foals..and Pembrooke had managed to escape somewhere. It was while she was looking for another target that she noted her father hustling in her direction. "Deer dung!" The foal muttered..maybe she hadn't done as good of a job convincing him as she thought she had. Of course he might not have spotted her yet, he was still a ways off and only headed in the general direction of all the foals. Before he laid eyes on her for sure Synder darted off towards the group of foals..if she could just tag one of them before he got here then she could follow the rest around while they were being 'chased' her father wouldn't punish her in front of the others and if she put him off long enough she knew from experience that he would probably forget about it.
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Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 10:43 am
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Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 7:30 am
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Synestra had only been half paying attention to the exchange between her father, Eversong and Char. At her side was Pembroke, one of her grandsons who, much like his father, was often content to side and quietly watch things instead of running off all crazy like Syrrin (and his kids) had a habit of doing. Funny how the children of her children reflected their parents ways so much. It made her wonder what Poe and Lapin's children might be like when they had some. No, don't think about that. Much as she wanted more grandchildren, heck she still wanted more children of her own, the herd was a bit crazy at the moment with so many foals. Plus her daughters had shown no interest in making a family - Poe especially. So she didn't worry about it.
Turning her attention from the winged pair to her two children, Poe and Syrrin in the distance, Syn could tell that whatever was being said was upsetting Poe and Syrrin was of course ignoring it. With a light sigh she nuzzled Pembroke with her nose. "We can continue out lessons later." Pembroke, like both his parents, had a deep love of nature and Syn ahd had to learn much about it while raising Oloneric and now she was passing some of that knowledge onto his children.
Pembroke had been listening to his grandmother tell him all about how it was important to respect the trees and animals around them. It was something similar to what his parents had told him and his siblings but he didn't mind hearing it again from his grandmother. Of course grandmother added something to the stories that his parents didn't, she told him about places she had traveled to way before he had been born, sometimes before even his father had been born, and it helped to show Pembroke that the plants and animals and everything else weren't just important here but everywhere. He liked that and while he kind of wanted to see these places his grandmother had visited at the same time Pembroke was too young to really understand how far they would need to travel to get there, plus he just really didn't want to leave his parents or herd.
But grandma was distracted at the moment, her story was occasionally interrupted by her looking over towards the large winged pair of Soquili and his great grandfather. They were talking about flowers, which Pembroke liked, but the way they were talking about them kept the colt from saying such a thing. Plus he had been taught never to interrupt others unless it was an emergency and telling the adults he thought the purple flowers were pretty was far from an emergency.
But that wasn't the only distraction grandma was dealing with. He had watched one of his cousins race off towards his other siblings. Oh no, he thought, she's going to try to get them in trouble. So when his grandmother announced that the lesson was over for now Pembroke let out a sigh of relief. Grandmother would save his brother and sister from the terrible Synder. "Okay Grandmother." He said getting to his feet and shaking out his pelt.
"Come on to your mother then." Syn gave him another nudge with her nose and began to lead the colt towards Whisper.
Everything was buzzing in the herd as they got ready for Mercy's visit. Whisper was looking forward to see the mare, especially since she had only see her once before. But now that she was a part of this family Whisper saw it not as a friend returning but as a sister. Everybody was doing their part to get things ready for the mares return. She was busy keeping her on the foals, well most of them. Pembroke was with his grandmother and Syrrin's two kids - well Whisper had to admit it was hard to keep track of that pair. She tried to help out as much as she could with them but with three of her own to look after, albeit they were quiet well behaved foals, she didn't have the time to constantly chase Syrrin's foals around as well, especially since they either ran together or ran in opposite directions.
Speaking of running foals here eyes trained in on Synder making a beeline for her two foals. "Be careful children." She called out to her two foals and began to move closer. "Synder please slow down!" She called out to the bigger, but not all that much older, foal. A glance behind the filly brought a slight bit of relief of Whisper, Syrrin was coming after his foal, hopefully he could wrangle her in a bit. The last thing they needed was any of the foals getting hurt before Mercy got her. She wondered how much Mercy knew about the happening in the herd since she left for training, if she didn't know about the foals it would be quite the shock seeing all five of them.
Pembroke was coming up behind his mother just as scary Synder was almost at his siblings. He cringed a bit, much like Aunt Poe would do, and waited for the inevitable impact to happen. His siblings were about to be crushed by his cousin all because she probably wanted to go off on some crazy adventure and not stick around to help the others out. He didn't want to interrupt his mother, not when her focus was on his siblings and the fast approaching filly. Pembroke even closed his eyes. He did not want to see what would happen when Synder reached his brother and sister.
"Whisper, can you look after Pembroke, I need to see to Poe." Her daughter looked nearly distraught even at this distance.
Whisper turned from the racing filly to look at Synestra with a smile. "Don't worry about it Syn, thank you for looking over him while you could." She bend her head down and nuzzled her son before looking back at Syn. "Go see to Poe." Turning she returned her attention to the three foals and Syrrin coming in. She could only hope that Synder slowed down and that Syrrin wrangled his unruly daughter in a bit. Much as she tried to be a mother to the girl, to both of Syrrin's foals for that matter, they seemed determined to do their own thing and ignore her as much as they seemed to ignore their own father.
He felt a nudge at his side and nearly jumped until he realized it was his mothers touch. Reluctantly opening his eyes Pembroke leaned into Whisper and absorbed the warmth and softness of her small body. "Is everything going to be okay?" He finally asked. Between the earlier crisis with the flowers (which seemed to have been resolved), Grandmother needing to help Poe and Synder being wild as ever and this mysterious visitor coming soon Pembroke wasn't sure what to make of all of the chaos.
She turned her attention away from her other two foals, who had heeded her warning and were starting to move closer to her, to look over at Pembroke again. "Of course everything will be okay Pembroke. This is a very special occasion for the herd. I know it might seem a bit chaotic at the moment but everything will work out and you will get to meet another member of the herd when she arrives." She paused to glance up at the other foals before continuing. "I think you will like Mercy quite a bit, she's very kind and loving and is a part of this family."
Synestra hurried towards her daughter knowing that any extra time wasted in getting there and finding out what was wrong would only make the situation worse. "What's wrong Poe?" She asked in a calming voice now that she was close enough that she didn't need to yell for her daughter to hear her.
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Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 9:30 am
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Blossom had been ecstatic with herself for catching Synder earlier on but gave a little squeal and turned to run as she caught sight of the other filly barreling straight towards her and her brother. Turning to dart away and preoccupied with watching out for Synder the little filly barely managed to avoid running smack into her mother and Pembrooke and only by some miracle did she manage to avoid Synestra as well as she went towards Poe.
"Synder's going to get us!." She stated in a high pitched voice filled with either excitement or fear..honestly sometimes it was hard to tell with Blossom. "Pembrooke you better run!" She went on as she danced in place. It seemed excitement was ruling the day at the moment. The dainty foal might not be much into play fighting or rough housing but she had no problems with tag..tag was safe enough in her mind, even if the other foals were a bit bigger then she and her siblings were.
"Mom you should play with us!" She encouraged Whisper. "I bet you could beat Synder." She went on, darting about to hide behind her mothers tail and peeking out at the larger filly still coming their way. Really she ought to be running off but she was hoping her mother would be enough of an obstacle to keep Synder from catching her. Synder wouldn't be able to run as fast around mom or she'd get fussed at for not being careful. It was a good plan to her tiny foal mind and she could only imagine how frustrated Synder would become have to -carefully - run circles around Whisper unable to catch her..it would be hilarious!
Well..only if Pembrooke played along..otherwise Synder would just tag him. "Peeembroooke..." She urged her brother, trying to wheedle him into playing. "come on..she's going to get you..." She told him in a serious sounding voice. "You don't want her to win again do you?" Synder always won the game they played - well at least the physical games. She was just bigger and faster and stronger then the rest of them..with the exception of her brother Symric anyways, sometimes he could give him a run for her money in those sorts of contests. It was a matter of pride as far as Blossom was concerned, once, just once she'd like to see one of her siblings beat the larger foals at this sort of games..though she wasn't entirely sure if her brother's felt the same way. Sykes just spent his time following Lapin around and Pembrooke was more interested in plants and learning. Whisper liked learning too..but she also sometimes..wanted to win. "Pembroke!" She tried again "Come on! You know great grandfather says its just as important to stay active as it is to learn about things!" She said, switching tactics in an attempt to get her brother to play along.
Synder was positive, absolutely positive that she was going to catch one of the other foals, Blossom was predictably hiding behind her mother and Pembrooke had reappeared in the same area..she had been sure she'd seen him on the other side of the meadow beside grandmother earlier but he was here now and that put him back in her sights.
Of course as she barreled towards the other foals, Whispers warning ringing on mostly deaf ears..she was just playing tag! Really the adults were so fretful sometimes! She caught sight of someone else in the corner of her eyes and catching a flash of black she darted after her brother instead, Symric was closer and he wasn't being protected by a worried adult. He was a much better target and now Whisper could rest easy. Stretching out her neck as she bore down on her brother's fleeing form she tried to n** his tail and 'tag him'
"aww..she went the other way..." Blossom sulked as her masterful plan to frustrate the other filly went down the proverbial stream. All that planning and thinking and attempting to get her brother to play completely wasted!
Thankfully Poe had only gone a few steps when her mother's voice came to the rescue and giving a cry of relief the mare hurried - carefully- to her mothers side. "Oh mother! It's dreadful! Something horrible is going to happen I just know it is!" She stated in a dramatic tone. "At first I thought it was going to be a locust attack..I was sure I heard a bunch of insects in the woods..but then I recalled that lightning and htought it was going to flood the stream and wash us all away..but now...now I know what it is and it's terrible mother! Terrible!" Poe went on, eyes wide as she tried to convince her mother of the serious nature of this problem.
"We have to call the whole thing off! Take cover immediately!"
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Meanwhile..in the woods...
Pirata peered through the leafy underbrush, her spiders skittering too and fro at her feet, eager to be off and yet held back by their mistress' desires. Look at them..just look at them! Pirata thought to herself disgust wrinkling her muzzle as she watched the herd in the meadow before her. They were all so happy..and oblivious! It was disturbing and the spider mare was starting to think that all of her careful planning was completely unnecessary. That this little herd was going to be the simplest take over she had ever accomplished. She had taken great pains to slip her troops through the forest, using the condors as scouts and edging her forces slowly, painstakingly into the herd's territory..until here they were right on the herds doorstep and non one the wiser.
Oh she had thought for a moment that the one energetic cat tailed foal was going to ruin everything..had been preparing to send her spiders out to grab her as soon as she set foot in the woods and gave them away but she had turned back by a shout from farther away, Presumably a parent warning her not to wander. Pirata mentally cackled to herself as she considered how close that parent had come to loosing the foal and never known it.
Well..he would know it soon enough! Still there was a slight problem...the herd was scattered all over the meadow, running about doing who knew what, she needed them clustered together to make things easier. Well that was why she had brought Kalioky along and nudging She-ra to keep lookout she turned to let her eyes search for the newest member of her forces.
"Are you ready little dark heart?" She asked the pale mare, voice sickly sweet with anticipation. "You know the plan?"
Syphax was excited..this was the first time that her mother and Commander She-ra had allowed her to come along on one of these little mission's. Well..not such a little mission Syphax corrected herself, her mother owed this herd vengeance and that made this mission far more important then the silly little skirmishes along the Mountain's boarders. Pirata had made sure to make this point clear to all of them before starting out..absolutely nothing must go wrong or there would be hell to pay in the end.
Not that her mother's forces really needed the reminder, all of them were well versed in what happened when you crossed Pirata and those within the inner circle..such as she was..well they were not going to be the ones to mess this up, they were far to skilled. It was always some lesser minion who foiled a plan.
When the grey cat tailed foal had come towards them Syphax had - wisely - grabbed hold of Cassava's mane, getting a good grip on him before he got any notions of chasing her. "Stay here." She told him in a quiet firm voice, though she waited until the cat foal had left before releasing her grip. It was interesting however to see that this herd had strange Usdia..much like Cassava in it. Yes very interesting..if there was a strange foal then it was likely there were others in the herd with similar differences. Something to ponder on later perhaps...not that she needed a new pet. Cassava was more then enough to keep up with some days.
When her mother turned to speak with Kalioky - on whom this entire plan hinged Syphax felt a quiver of anticipation spiral through her body. they were so close now..so close to her chance to really prove herself, oh it was true she didn't have a major role in this endeavor..she was just to keep the herd in line along with Cass, the spiders and a couple of guards while She-ra, her mother and the rest of the forces saw to blocking the meadow off from all but one approach.
Yes it was a simple task..but an important one and Syphax was determined to do it well. "Now remember Cass.." She told the Usdia beside her "We are supposed to keep them all together and not let any of them get away." She reiterated..because while Cass was a good fighter - having received training just like she had - and was good at following orders- most of the time-..he also had a tendency to well..forget them, or get distracted.
"But..and this is very important Cass...not until mother tells us too! We don't want to let them know we are here until then." She concluded, eyeing the stallion to try and see if he was paying attention and understood what she had been telling him.
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Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 10:20 am
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Synestra tried not to sigh as Poe explained what was bothering her. Of course it was something like that. Stepping forward she nuzzled her daughter. "Poe, please don't worry. Everything will be fine, we're just all excited and it's making you worry. Now why don't you come help me." A distraction is just what Poe needed right now.
Pembroke let out a squeak as his sister came around to hide behind their mother. Now Synder would not only collide with Blossom but with him and mother as well. They were all gonna get hurt. Giving his head a shake Pembroke looked at his sister. "No, she'll get me for sure there." He was convinced that if he moved away then he'd be safe. But Blossom was persistent in her want to play and while Pembroke foresaw a violent crash in his future he nonetheless sighed and hurried over to his sister.
But it seemed his decision had come too late as Synder turned and ran off the other way. "That was too close." He told Blossom before giving her a slightly playful nudge.
"I am playing Blossom." She told her daughter with a light laugh. Though in reality she was playing the role of protector of her children and she still had to worry about Sykes who was still in Synder's line of sight. Even so she playfully flicked her tail so that it gently whacked Blossom. Even with danger lurking in the form of their faster and older cousin Whisper knew the importance of keeping her children happy and so she would do what was needed to see to that.
Oloneric has been checking on things. Mostly doing a small patrol while the others finished the last of the preparations. The meadow was safe as always so he came back to where the rest of the herd was. He saw a fairly chaotic scene, Synder was running around like crazy, as was her brother, Whisper was taking charge of their three children, his mother was talking to Poe who in turn looked overly concerned and his grandfather was moving something though he couldn't quite see what. A smile came to his lips, it was so good to have all the family here, well almost all of them, Lapin was off gathering herbs and Mercy wouldn't be here for a little while. But soon they would all be together again and it would be great to catch up. Trotting over to where Whisper and the foals were he nuzzled his mate and then his two sons and daughter. "Looks like everything is about ready."
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She-Ra had been watching the happy gathering and felt a knot of disgust in her belly, but also one of delight, for soon everything would come crashing down on this little herd and their smiles would be wiped off of their faces. At Pirata's nudge She-Ra nodded and stepped over to the few winged guards that were under her command. While everything hinged on Kalioky pulling off a convincing performance and drawing all the Soquili into one spot there were still the two winged Soquili to worry about. And that was why the most important thing was dealing with them. If they others scattered they could quite easily be rounded up, but they could not afford to let those winds go. "Remember," she addressed the winged guards, "we are to stop those winds at all costs. I'd prefer if they didn't make it off the ground but if they do then do what you much to bring them back down and remove their flight feathers." That would ground them for quite some time and make them more manageable for Pirata's mostly ground bound army. Once she received acknowledgement from the guards She-Ra glanced back at Pirata and nodded once more, letting her master know things on her end were ready to move.
Cassava had been watching the herd with interest. There were so many like him...well not entirely, they were more like Kalioky, but this was the most Usdia he had seen in one spot in his entire life. He was of course distracted by all of them. He had a hard time keeping himself where he was, he wanted to go out there but it would ruin Pirata's hard planning and the one thing Cassava didn't want to do was break any of Pirata, or Syphax's, orders. So he forced himself to stay still and quite, watching the others move about and interact. He didn't quite understand what was going on but it seemed vastly different to what happened on the mountain.
When the cat tailed filly came racing their way Cas' ears perked up and his muscled tensed. Chase! That was the one thing going through his hear and just as he went to spring forward he pull a constant pull on his hair and turned his head enough to see Syphax holding him back. He almost almost let out a whine, a plead for her to release him and let him 'play' with the kitty pony, but he kept it quiet and returned his gaze to the filly as she turned and ran off another way. That saddened him greatly but when Syphax released her grip on him he stayed where he was, as ordered.
Kalioky had been looking forward to this more and more as the army drew closer to the herd. And now it was almost show time. They had stood and watched the herd for long enough now that they had seen each member it was time to more. She tore her gaze away from the herd and nodded to Pirata. "I am ready. I will draw them into a single location and your army will sweep in to capture them." Now it was all riding on her. With a last glance over the army hidden within the trees Kalioky went to make her move. But it wouldn't do to come out of the trees where the army was, instead she followed the tree line for a short distance and came to a spot where she would be in clear view of all.
She waited for a moment, mentally cataloging where each member of the heard was. When she looked to one of the condors who had followed her over here. "Do it." The condor had an evil glean in it's eye...which seemed appropriate as the bird moved closer to her and peeked with it's beak and scratched with it's claws. Kalioky had to bit the inside of her mouth to not let out a cry of pain. Finally she shook the bird off before he got a little too carried about, she needed to be injured not crippled. Taking a deep breath she prepared to come out of the trees not far from where one of the trails that leads into the meadow could be found. She didn't need to fake her limp as she came out of the trees, blasted condor would pay for this later. "Help me!" She called out, looking distraught and covered with blood. "Can someone please help me?" She continued on for a few more steps, moving a bit closer to where the army waited and then fell down letting out a bit of a cry.
Cas hadn't entirely been paying attention, he was too busy trying to listen to what Pirata was saying to Kalioky but Syphax's voice pulled his attention back. He lifted his gaze to look at her. He nodded his head slowly, at first making it seem like he really hadn't heard or understood what she had said. "Understand. Keep tiny ponies together, don't let tiny ponies escape." His ears perked forward looking for some sort of odd praise for getting it right before adding. "Cas do what Pirata and Syphax tell him to, because he's a good..." he paused for a moment thinking of what word he was supposed to use. "...soldier."
Yes, he was a soldier, an important part of Pirata's army and most importantly one of the few who shared her last name. No other soldier, not even She-Ra could claim to be the adopted child of the great Spider Queen Pirata. But it appeared Syphax had more to say and so he ignored those glorious thoughts and turned to her. "I know." He told her in a voice that sounded more irritated that he wanted it to be. They always kept telling him the same thing over and over again, acting like he didn't pay attention or was stupid, he wasn't either of those things, at least not in his mind. "Stay hidden until Pirata says to move. Then keep tiny ponies together and not let any escape. Cassava understands this." Though it would be hard for him to resist chasing that cat tailed filly if she did indeed flee at the sight of the army, he would do his best to stay focused and complete the task he was given.
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Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 10:12 am
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Poe let out a long suffering sigh at her mother's suggestion, no one listened to her! They all thought she was crazy and ignored all of her warnings. Poe knew what her mother's suggestion to help was..it was just a way to try and distract her from what was coming. "But mother..." She started to argue, her voice almost whining in dismay " You don't..." And then she heard it..the voice of a stranger calling out for help. Poe nearly jumped out of her skin and wheeled around, no matter that it was all the way across the meadow the splash of red on the little strangers body could be nothing but blood. "You see!" She all but shrieked "I told you something bad was going to happen, there are probably vicious predators in the woods! They are likely fleeing the storm and now they will kill us all!" She wailed, trembling at the thought while her eyes rolled, she sidled closer to her mother, sticking to her side like sap had stuck her there.
Blossom was slightly disappointed when Synder veered off to chase her brother instead..but her disappointment didn't last long and she giggled as her mother flicked her tail at her, dancing backwards to avoid it. "Missed me!" She teased, reaching out to n** at her brother's rump for the bump he'd given her earlier.
The sudden appearance of someone from the woods had her playful manner fleeing however and she paused, ear pricked in a strange mixture of curiosity and wariness. "Whose that mama? What happened to her?" The little filly asked, edging instinctively closer to her mother as she did so. Even Synder had paused in her chase Blossom noted from the corner of her eye.
Syrrin didn't know who the stranger was or what was wrong with her but at the very least the distraction had let him catch up with his daughter and give her a scolding look. "You know you have to be more careful around your cousins." He told her sternly though his gaze was fixed on the stranger more so then his wayward daughter. He found himself torn between going to help as he knew he should and watching after his daughter..however when the mare toppled over he decided that she wasn't much of a threat. "Come on, we had better go and see if we can help." He told his daughter, picking up a trot and heading towards the stricken mare.
Synder rolled her eyes slightly at her fathers words, clearly there were more important things going on here, did he really think this was a good time to give her a lecture? Surprisingly it appeared not because after only that one stern sentence his attention had turned towards the stranger..and even more surprisingly he hadn't sent her off to Whisper for safe keeping! maybe her father was finally starting to see that she was growing up a bit, that she could handle things like this..that she could help! Emboldened and proud by this thought she drew her head up and flicked her tail proudly before scurrying to catch up with her father.
Cheveyo couldn't help but smile as he watched the herd, they were an eccentric group his herd, all of them different and quirky in their own way and yet they were family..even Eversong and Jarita were seen as such and he wouldn't change it for anything else in the world. This place was magical in it's own way and Chev would be forever grateful for finding it all those years ago.
The little stallions peaceful inner reflections were brought to a dramatic and shattering close however when the stranger staggered out of the woods. Of all the things Cheveyo had thought might happen today - this had not been one of them. But such thoughts were quickly shoved aside and the little stallion burst into action, it was clear the little mare needed help and bolting towards her he rushed to her side, the thunder of larger hooves from off to the side told him that Jarita and Eversong were heading back towards him as well.
Skidding to a stop beside the mare he looked over her quickly, the wounds seemed fresh but not life threatening as far as he could tell - that was a relief, he was sure that with a bit of patching up she would be okay. "What happened?" He asked the mare, of course he was worried about her health but for the safety of the rest of his herd knowing what had happened was his first concern.
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Yes..yes it was all going exactly as planned, the little mares performance was quite convincing and Pirata mentally reminded herself to congratulate her when next she had the chance. Perhaps a promotion of sorts was in order. Peering through the trees she watched in silent glee as the little ponies started to gather around the stricken Kalioky. Yes..it was a wonderful thing this 'compassion' that could be used against them so easily.
The two larger horses within the group were the only two that Pirata was truly concerned about, the smaller ones could be easily overpowered but those larger ones would have to be seen to first. She had given orders to have them quickly incapacitated, flight feathers torn away to prevent flight. If need be she would have her spiders bind them in silk but that would keep the beasts busy for some time and she would rather use them as a threat to keep the rest of the herd in line.A glance to her side showed Syphax and Cassava ready to move and she turned her gaze back to the gathering ponies, her muscles tensed and ready. Soon..as soon as they were all together she would give the word.
Syphax nodded slightly to Cassava as he repeated the orders correctly, Lowering her head she whispered in his ears "yes...soon, soon Cass and we will prove mother proud." She told the little stallion knowing that such a phrase would further instill the little horse with a need to perform well. Cass, like her, seemed determined to prove himself to her mother and she was more then willing to use that desire in order to make sure he did the very best that he could do. Syphax was well aware that if Cass failed her mother would see it as a failure on her part too..as she had been the little stallions closest companion for nearly as long as she could recall..if it wasn't for the size difference everyone would truly believe that he was her brother rather then an adopted companion.
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Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 10:58 am
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Synestra was about to tell Poe to relax...again, when a stranger came stumbling in from the forest. For a moment the small grey mare was frozen in shock. Poe had always been paranoid about bad things coming to the herd, or worried about getting injured or other things that never happened, but this time, this one time, her predictions of something bad happening had come true. It had to be a coincidence and yet Syn stared at her daughter for a moment before turning her gaze back to the new comer. The yellow usdia was still a fair distance away but even from here Syn could see she had been hurt. But Poe was still going on about new dangers coming. "Poe, please calm down. This...isn't as bad as it looks." But even Syn wasn't sure of that. "We better see what is happening. What a time for your sister to be off gathering herbs." With a nudge of her nose Syn tried to encourage her shy, paranoid daughter to come along as she headed towards the injured stranger, trailing behind everyone else.
The peace of the day was suddenly shattered. Whisper couldn't help but let fear fill her as she watched the stranger stumble and fall. What was happening? The meadow had always been safe and now someone was coming in, covered in blood calling for help. Hearing Blossoms question the mare soothed her daughter with a nuzzle. "I don't know Blossom. She appears to be hurt." Her eyes darted to Pembroke and then Sykes. "Boys come over here." Not that they were all that far away but she didn't want them getting lost in the confusion of the herd going to help this stranger. She gave each of her children a small nuzzle to reassure them before looking at Oloneric.
"We might need Lapin." She said to her mate, knowing Olo's half sister was off gathering herbs but surely they should be able to find her easy enough if the stranger was injured bad enough to need a healer, and by the look of the blood and the way the mare was stumbling she would. "Come along children." Whisper didn't want to get close to the stranger, she didn't want to upset her children by the sight of blood and an injured Soquili, but seeing the rest of the herd moving over there Whisper felt it might be safer to be closer to the rest of them. She would make sure they stopped far enough back that the children couldn't see too much.
Pembroke stood frozen, partially out of fear and partially because he had never seen the herd take off like that before. His mothers soothing voice brought him out of the temporary stupor and he didn't hesitate to get closer to her, taking in her warmth and security of her presence. Pembroke looked to his father standing besides them, his eyes on the herd as they hurried to assist the stranger. "Is she gonna be okay?" He asked his parents before getting even closer to his mother.
Before his mother had a chance to answer his question she was telling them to get closer. He didn't want to, but he wasn't about to be left behind either, so he dutifully followed his mother, along with his siblings, as they edged closer to the stranger covered in red. He could see the others were already over there talking to the stranger, she was small like them, which made it not as scary as it could be, but he still had no desire to get much closer. He was happy when his mother finally stopped, they were closer to the rest of the herd again but far enough off that they couldn't clearly see the stranger amid the legs and bodies of the herd members.
Oloneric wanted to rush his family back to the trees where they lived to keep them away from what had just walked into their lives. But he knew he couldn't do that. Much as he wanted to keep his children safe and free from fear and danger their entire lives he knew it would be a lie. One day danger would find them and they would need to know how to properly deal with it. He gave each of his children a nuzzle as they gathered around Whispers sides, watching with a shaking head as Syrrin led his children toward the hurt stranger as if it was a completely normal thing to do.
"We'll find Lapin if she is needed." He assured his mate. Then he looked down at Pembroke. "I don't know, but we will do everything we can to make sure she will be okay." He helped Whisper usher their kids closer to where the herd circled around the stranger. When Whisper halted a good distance away he faced his family. "You three stay with your mother. I am going to see what is happening." He hated leaving his kids sides, even though they wouldn't be that far away, but he knew Whisper was with them and that they would be safe with her watching closely over them. He edged closer to the herd and got his first close up look of the hurt mare.
Kalioky might have laughed if it didn't hurt so damned much as the herd, fools that they were, came racing to her aid, falling into a well planned trap. She would have to deal with that condor later, he had gone way too far with his part of getting her to look hurt. It would take days, possibly weeks for some of these cuts to heal fully. It first she tried to get up, to get closer to where the trap would be sprung but be damned if she couldn't. Curse that bird. Oh well, at least it was a truly convincing act, even if she really was injured enough to barely be able to stand.
Before she knew it she was surrounded by a number of concerned looking faces. She looked up at them, letting her confused looking gaze sweep across them, in truth she was counting, making sure they were all here. They seemed to be, since she could see the one mare and some foals standing further away. Good, they all came. "I..." She started and then winced and laid her head back down. Gotta not rush, need to make this look perfect and give Pirata time to get her soldiers in here. "I was....walking...and..." She closed her eyes for a moment, as if finding the strength to continue her story. "...these birds...they just came swooping in...started peeking..." She let out a sob, and shook her head gently, as if reliving the story was too much.
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She-Ra grinned as she watched the small mare stumble out of the forest and draw all the herd to her. She herself was good with such acts, but it had been decided one of their own kind would be more effective and She-Ra hadn't disagreed with that. These small breeds weren't always open to the larger ones. Kalioky certainly was proving her worth in Pirata's army, but she wasn't sure how long the mare would remain useful. Her gaze flicked to the winged guards standing in the trees beside her. They would be the critical key in grounding those winds in the herd. Everyone was nearly in the spot where they could finally reveal themselves. "Be ready." She whispered to the guards and they nodded, eyes intent on their winged targets. She could see Pirata in the corner of her vision, as soon as her master nodded all hell would break loose.
Cassava couldn't help but nodded enthusiastically at Syphax's words. He wanted nothing more than to prove his worth to Pirata, in fact it was his whole life, if he wasn't good enough to be in Pirata's army, and more so to be considered his adopted son, then he had nothing. His muscled bunched under his pelt, excitement thrumming through his body. The tiny ponies were so very close now he could almost taste them. His eyes stayed on the kitty pony, she was the one he really wanted to go after, but he would do his job and round them all up. Maybe if he did a real good job Pirata would let him make the kitty pony his play thing...as a reward for his help. The thought made him smile awkwardly, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.
He couldn't wait much longer though. His body was coiled up and ready to go. He glanced up over his shoulder up at Syphax, she looked relaxed but ready. Cas wished he could be more like her, but the excitement of seeing so many other tiny ponies had gotten the better of him. "Now?" He whispered to Syphax in a hopeful tone, but he would not move until she said so. He just wanted to make sure he didn't miss the signal, his short legs meant he would need to run his fastest in order to keep up with his life long companion. With his gaze bouncing between Syphax and the herd before him Cas was more than ready. He would round up those tiny ponies so fast Pirata would be proud of him. He would be the best soldier ever. And then he would play with the kitty pony. His body shook with excitement, if the signal wasn't give soon he would probably keel over from it.
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Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2014 5:51 am
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Attacked by birds? How unusual...it certainly wasn't typical behavior, perhaps she had wandered to close to a nest or intruded upon a feeding frenzy, the wounds he saw on her pelt could only have come from some of the larger species...eagles,vultures and the like. He had never heard of them attacking a Soquili before though...and it was worrying considering how many vulnerable tiny foals the herd had at the moment, the mares wounds were painful but not overly serious, they would heal alright..but those same wounds on a tiny foal would be quite devastating.
"Never fear." He told the wounded mare in a kindly voice. "We will see to your injuries and you shall soon be right as rain." He assured her before lifting his head to look over the gathered herd. They had all gathered rather close, except for Whisper who stood off a little ways - no doubt to keep the foals from being frightened by the injuries, the face that he most hoped to see however was not present..no doubt out gathering herbs still.
Furrowing his brows slightly the stallion considered, with such potential danger in the woods he was not keen on Lapin wandering about unprotected..but neither would it be a good idea to send someone off alone to fetch her. Very well then..he'd calm the herd and then organize a small group to go in search of their healer. "Everyone calm down." He told the milling herd "It seems we might have some rather aggressive birds in the woods..so I don't want anyone wandering to far from the meadow until we have investigated further.." Scanning the herd again he nodded to Eversong and Syrrin, yes the two of them should be fine together. "Syrrin..Eversong...I will need the two of you to go and fetch our healer, tell her of the wounds and make sure she brings enough supplies." He instructed before turning back to the others."If a few of you could support our new friend here we can help her to the stream, the cool water will numb her pain and wash her wounds." Yes..for now that would do fine, when Eversong and Syrrin returned with Lapin he could then send out a party to deal with these unusual birds.
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Pirata had waited as long as she could, the little ones seemed to have gathered together as closely as they were going too and by the sounds of it, if she waited any longer they whole group was going to split up...that wouldn't do at all! No if she were going to enact her plan then it must be done now.
No sooner had the small pale leader given his instructions then Pirata was giving a sharp motion to her minions. It was time. "Mind the mare with the foals." she told them at the last moment, frowning because the dratted mare had continued to stand off from the rest "I don't want to loose the foals." Foals made excellent bargaining chips.
Her spiders chittered in excitement as her forces began to move and Pirata cooed at them sweetly "Don't worry my pets..you shall soon have your fun, go with Syphax now and do your duties." She bid them with slight nudges before turning to the portion of her army that remained still and silent behind her.
"Go." She told them, watching as they split to swiftly flow through the tree's, turning she followed the portion splitting right, subduing the herd was the job of She-ra and Syphax, she meanwhile, along with the portion of the army flowing through the trees to surround the meadow, would ensure that it was completely cut off from the rest of the lands. How convenient that the dratted mare's family had chosen to live in such a secluded place to begin with, only a few pathways lead to the little meadow and when Pirata and her crew were done there would be only one. Just as she planned.
This was the moment that Syphax had been waiting for! At her mother's nod she glanced once to She-ra as her mothers spiders skittered up her sides before charging forward, Cas, she hoped, would charge forward with her. At her mothers parting directive Syphax made a beeline for the stand offish mare and her foals, with her long legs it should not be to hard for her to chase the mare down if she chose to run. "Make sure the foals don't get away." She directed Cas, knowing that there were too many of them for her to keep track of on her own. The spiders would help however and the Condors flying overhead had been directed to watch for escapees and drive them back. Syphax had often wondered at her mothers wisdom in choosing to align herself with the foul scavengers but the large birds had certain proven their worth on this mission.
The thought of wings had Syphax's thoughts turning briefly towards the two large winged Soquili in this herd but she could not afford to dwell on them for long, She-ra and the winged guards would see to them she was sure..she and Cas had to keep the small ones together.
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Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2014 7:50 am
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Look at all those stupid concerned faces around her. This mission was far too easy. Hell, she probably could have walked in here uninjured, called out friendly like and they still would have come running. But she had taken the chance on getting injured to ensure they were lured in. This herd was full of fools just like nearly every other herd out there.
She listened to the lead stallion speak. Come on, come on, when were the soldiers going to make an appearance. She was tired of laying here looking weak, though admittedly she would have a hell of a time standing up and moving thanks to that damned condor. And then she heard it, the pounding of heavy hooves that was the sign Pirata had given the signal. Kalioky smiled then, a vicious smile and let out a laugh.
"Go! Make sure they don't take to the air!" She called to her winged guards as they burst through the trees at Pirata's signal. She-Ra was running full tilt towards the two large winged Soquili. With her were some of the winged guards under her command, four more had taken to the air and quickly worked to block any possible escape. "There is no use trying to run." She snarled at the two winged Soquili as she and her guards closed the gap on them. It was all too easy. Once the herd was subdued they would lie in wait until that mare Mercy came along, then the real fun would happen.
It was time! Without a moments hesitation Cassava took off at a run after Syphax. An oddly canine sounding howl escaped him as he raced forward. A gap grew between them, but he ran as fast as his legs could take him. He had learned quickly that if he let himself get too far behind no one would come to fetch him, so he could run hard and fast when needed, doing as good of a job as he could to keep up with the much larger members of Pirata's army. Excitement thrummed through him as he circled to the other side of the tiny ponies.Tiny ponies! Tiny ponies! TINY PONIES! He really, really wanted to give chase to the kitty pony, but he focused on the mission, on his orders. He needed to get the tiny ponies together, he and Syphax needed to do that. He snapped his teeth as he closed in on the group of ponies, his tail was snarling and growling, it's own jaws snapping at the sight of the ponies.
He caught sight of the kitty pony amid it's family and his ears perked up. Cas let out another growl and continued to circle around them, helping to herd the ones on this side closer to Syphax and the spiders. His tongue lolled out of his mouth as he ran those silly tiny ponies down. He was in his element and nothing could make Cas more happy that he was right now...well maybe a big bone would make him happier, but this was pretty good right now.
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Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2014 10:05 am
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Poe had a brief moment of satisfaction upon seeing her mother's reaction to the mare's sudden appearance..and if she wasn't so incredibly worried about the disaster she was sure was coming she might have been able to enjoy that satisfaction, might have been able to whisper an 'I told you so' or something along those lines.
But there was hardly any time for that because before she could say anything more her mother was urging her closer to the strange hurt mare. Poe dug in her heels. "Mom! Mom I don't think we should!" No they ought to be running in the opposite direction! Why couldn't her mother ..or anyone else for that matter see that? The stranger was already wounded..why did the rest of them have to risk being eaten?! However the longer she fought about it the farther away her mother was getting..and the rest of the herd...which made Poe horribly aware that she was suddenly the most vulnerable and surely to be the next one attacked. With a squeak of terror she skittered after her mother, torn between wanting to stay away from the stranger and not wanting to be left alone. Her grandfather's comforting words and command of the situation did very little to reassure her.
And for good reason...because no sooner had her Grandfather stopped speaking then the entire meadow erupted into chaos. Just as she had always predicted..although once again there wasn't much time to think about I told you so's because the horrors coming out of the woods around them stole every thought she'd ever had.
Poe froze, stark terror upon her face for a split second before she bolted. It was probably the fastest Poe had ever dared to run before, but in the face of such danger the threat of a sprained or broken leg had been shuffled a fair distance down the immediate problem list. She was even to frightened to scream...Poe just bolted madly towards the woods, veering sharply just in time to avoid a howling horror with a nightmarish snapping tail.
It took Blossom a few moments to register that the danger in the meadow had suddenly jumped up a great deal..at first she thought perhaps the Soquili charging out of the woods were coming to help..that one with the pretty golden armour hardly looked scary..well until Blossom got a better look a her eyes and Poe went careening past in blind terror. "Momma!" The little filly shrieked, all but trying to climb up her mothers side in order to escape the strangers with their angry looking eyes and strange features. Unlike Poe who fled in a blind panic, Blossom was far to young to even consider attempting to leave her mothers side and escape and could do little but try stay as close as she could to the safest thing she knew..her family.
Synder had been curiously trying to get closer to the wounded mare as Cheveyo spoke, the oddity of a bird attack was enough to get her past the squeamishness that might otherwise overtake her in the wake of blood and open wounds. Since when were birds dangerous? In fact she was so absorbed in trying to get a better look at the stranger and her wounds that she didn't register that things had changed until she heard Blossom shriek behind her. Snorting she whirled around to see a bunch of strangers attempting to encircle them all.
Ever her fathers daughter - and not always the smartest for it Synder darted towards Whisper and the other foals, "Leave them alone!" She yelled with youthful bravery, Rearing up and flailing her legs at a large black and pink mare who seemed to be covered in skittering crawling forms..spiders the little filly suddenly realized, a revelation that made her want to gag and yet she bravely tried to keep herself between the wretched large Soquili and the younger foals..even if her legs did tremble as she struck out.
Syrrin nodded towards Eversong and had been about to ask his Grandfather where Lapin had gone to gather her herbs when everything seemed to explode at once. His first thought was for his children of course, but upon wheeling to see them he caught sight of Sykes in the middle of the herd, scared but seemingly alright..and Synder..foolish, brave Synder attempting to save Whisper and the foals from a far more powerful adversary.
"Synder no! Get away from her!" Syrrin yelled at his daughter. "Whisper..." He started to yell instructions, his eyes seeking a route of escape but meeting only the bodies of the enemy and his words died away. Grimly his gaze settled upon his brother Olo. There was no escape, not with the foals to consider. They would never make it to the woods on time.
Of course he would help fetch the healer, there wasn't any question of such things for Eversong and he returned Syrrins nod with a confirming one of his own only moment's before the pounding of hooves and frightened shrieking took over. Eversong jerked his head up, wheeling about to see what was happening. His movements were hampered by the scrambling of his smaller herdmates but he saw enough. Pouring from the woods and the trees were an enemy that had come from nowhere , condors filled the sky, diving and darting as they helped their four footed companions corral the herd.
Corral...not injure..not kill..the stallion suddenly put together as he watched the attackers dart in and out, feinting and snarling but not killing as they surely could have given the number and size advantage. "Cheveyo!" The large stallion thundered "They are trying to capture us." And then before he could think anything else Jarita's form was pressing against him and he shoved her away so that she would have the room to do what he commanded next. "Fly!" He told her in desperation, Opening his wings he surged towards the sky to attempt the same. "We will bring help!" He called to the smaller herd, hoping they would not think he and Jarita were abandoning them in their time of need.
Jarita was startled by the sudden arrival of an army, where had they come from? How had they managed to hide from the herd? Of course...the herd had been busy lately..running to an fro in preparation for Mercy's arrival, a distraction that seemed to have come at a terrible cost. Eyes wide and with no knowledge of how to fight she pressed against Eversong unsure of what to do.
She was astonished when he shoved her away, a small cry of despair escaping her as his safety was taken away...never would she have thought he would betray her in such a fashion..but no, his next words managed to penetrate at long last and unfurling her wings she followed him in an attempt to make it to free air, powerful downbeats of her wings attempting to pull her upwards. Of course..of course Eversong would have a plan, how could she have doubted him?
Cheveyo was as astonished as the rest of his herd when the chaos reigned down upon them..but unlike the majority of them the smaller stallion knew something of such attacks, having spent enough time by Ironforge's side to recover his wits quickly. But it soon became apparent that he had still reacted to late as Eversong called out what he was already starting to suspect.
This was no pillaging raid, no marauding band of rogue Soquili seeking to steal winter stores or take over territory..no this was something else. What exactly he was not sure...but it was enough to give him hope. This wretched group wanted them for something or bodies would already have started to liter the ground. Being taken captive was not a pleasant thought but it was better then being outright killed. It was chance for future escape and Cheveyo would cling to that hope even as he swallowed his pride in order to keep his herd as safe as he could.
"Fly!" He called out to Jarita and Eversong knowing that they, of any of them had the best chance of escape, or summoning help, and mentally he cheered them on as they took off before turning his attention to the rest of his herd. "Everyone to the middle! Don't fight!" He called out, attempting to be heard over the din of shrieking and crying. They might not understand his order..but he would have time to explain it later..hopefully..and fighting would only get more of them wounded. If he was right and he prayed to all the Gods that he knew that he was...then surrendering now would give them the chance to fight later. Mercy would come soon..and Lapin was still free, if Jarita and Eversong escaped as well..there was a good chance that help would arrive before to long. Before the worst could happen. He hoped.
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Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2014 6:50 pm
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Syn felt as if time slowed for a few moments. The herd was gathering around the injured stranger, they were all coming together to help and the next thing she knew there Soquili rushing into the meadow and none of them looked all that pleasant. Her heart thudded in her chest as the monstrous Soquili began to race towards them and it only took a quick glance to see hat they were surrounded, that escape wasn't an option. And then the craziest thing of all happened, Poe took off running away and after watching her for number of heartbeats Syn watched her shy daughter run right past one of the Soquili trying to pen them in. Part of her was glad to see Poe escape the danger, and yet in doing so the young mare put herself in even more, since these strangers would likely not accept escape.
"Poe!" Syn shouted and while she wanted to stay with the others her maternal instincts kicked in and the grey mare raced after her daughter. Her only concern right now was getting Poe safely back even if being captured by these scary looking Soquili wasn't the exact definition of safe, at least they would all be together. She kicked out at the small Usdia helping to round them all up with the strangest tail she had ever seen and raced after her daughter. "Poe come back!" She knew Poe wouldn't come back, not when they had to face this but what else could she say at this moment to bring her daughter back to the relative safety of the herd.
Whisper felt her world crashing in on her as all those Soquili came pouring out of the trees. What was going on? Panicked as she was Whisper knew that she had to stay brave for her children who were even now showing their fear, and rightfully so. "Shhh." She tried to sooth Blossom as the filly scrambled at her side. Using her head she pushed her daughter towards the ground, and then did the same to her two sons, luckily they were still small enough where if they laid down she could stand over them and act as shelter or in this case protection. "Stay close to me you three." She wasn't sure if she could truly keep them safe from the monsters that were surrounding them, but at least if they were close she felt that they would be safe.
Her gaze lifted up to see Synder standing between her and the larger Soquili. A twinge of pride ran through her as she saw the older foal was trying to protect them, but that also put Synder in a dangerous situation. "Synder, please get over here." If she didn't have her own children to worry about and protect Whisper would have gone over to herd the foal closer. But it seemed that Syrrin for once showing signs of proper parenthood. "Syrrin, get here away from them!" Whisper didn't think she had to tell the stallion that but it simply slipped out. Why was this happening? The small mare feared so much for her children but could do nothing to save them from seeing and experiencing what was happening this very moment. All she could do was protect them to her best ability and lowering her head she gave each foal a nuzzle and quietly murmured soft words to them to keep them as calm as possible.
Pembroke had been sticking close to his mother when suddenly the air was filled with heavy hooves, yelling and shrieks of fear. At first he wasn't sure what was happening but something deep within him to Pembroke that it was not good. As he watched the Soquili race towards them he stared in fear, he had never seen such creatures before. He wanted to cry and yet his voice seemed to lost in his throat. His sisters cries brought him back to the immediate area around him. "Mommy! Daddy!" It didn't matter that he was practically pressed against his mothers side, he still felt the need to call out to her and his father. His safety depended on them and he knew that. "Blossom!" His head spun around to look for his sister and he saw her trying to crawl up onto their mother. Then his mothers warn nose was pushing him and his siblings down towards the ground and her legs stepped over him, her body shielding them from whatever was out there. His body shook and his mind was reeling over what was happening but laying here pressed in close with his siblings with his mother standing over them and his fathers legs and voice flashing into existence Pembroke felt a bit safer.
Terror filled Oloneric's heart as he watched the meadow fill with evil looking Soquili. Escape wasn't an option, even if there had have been a clear path out amid the large Soquili as they encircled the herd he had his family to worry about. Olo turned from the injured mare, knowing now by her laugh and the larger Soquili moving in that it had all been a trick and she had been a part of it. The small green stallion hurried over to his mate and children. Whisper was standing over their children, protecting them as best she could. "Synder!" He called to his niece as he approached this group. He snapped her teeth at her, not in anger but to try to get her close to the others, to where they were likely the safest. Olo wanted to get to his family but Synder was also family and he would not leave her standing here even if she was trying to protect his mate and children. Tossing his head he angled towards the filly attempting to corral her towards Whisper. "Whisper." He called as he got closer to his mate. "Stay close to your mother." He yelled to his children, though whether they could hear him over the noise that filled the meadow he wasn't sure. Olo turned to face those that had ruined a perfect day as he continued to get closer to his mate until his side brushed hers and he let out a small breath of relief, at least he was at Whispers side now, able to help protect their children if needed. His eyes lifted to the air above them for a moment and caught sight of Eversong taking to the air, if the stallion could get help then they might stand a chance, but what Olo didn't see were the winged Soquili swooping in to cut off Eversong and Jarita's airborne escape.
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