[PRP] Journey of Deceit [Mest/Kayode/Lazarus/Nellie/Chloris]

[xxx Yuki Bear xxx]

The following is a PRP featuring xxx Yuki Bear xxx's Mest and Kayode, Ryuukishin's Lazarus, and Baby Pandah's Nellene and Chloris.



Please do not post.

 

[xxx Yuki Bear xxx]

It was quiet. The woods were still. Too still.

He had patrolled the perimeter of the woods that served as his group's temporary home for what seemed like months, and never had the landscape been this... eerie. Hot fog rose up from Mest's mouth and nose as he huffed in the cold night air. There was nothing out here. He turned to leave. He had to get back to Lazarus and Nell - Wait. He paused, his trained ears swiveling from side to side. A rustle in the grass behind him and then the bushes to his left caught his attention and he let out a growl.

"Come out, coward. Do not hide if you wish to live," he barked.

He prepared himself to fight, glaring at the shadows around him, when an incredibly small white foal tumbled out from the bushes and stared at him with big round brown eyes.

Oh. He was not expecting that.

He shifted from hoof to hoof awkwardly, feeling slightly horrible for inadvertently threatening a child. He hadn't seen a foal since his head injury, but the pulling at his heart told him he liked them. Darn. He would probably end up taking a bit longer getting back to his companions at this rate. He hoped his Lazarus could handle Nellie for a little bit longer without him.

Baby Pandah

 

[Baby Pandah]

A growl escaped her lips and her tail rose in a striking position. "Lazarus, you idiot. How many times have to told you to keep quiet when we're hunting?" she snapped, approaching him so that she could reach his face with the sting of her tail. Perhaps it was just the little things now that pissed her off about him. Just the sight of his face reminded her what an utter failure it had been to enlist his service. If she could call it that. All he did was give Mest goo-goo eyes and give her trouble. Oh how she wanted to murder him when that look of adoration came upon his face. Mest was hers.

She took comfort only in her plans to have the pathetic stallion killed. It would be soon. She had been widening the hunting grounds, getting them closer and closer to the Vanaras where Lazarus would meet his death. She hoped Chloris would make it slow and painful. "Lazarus, Mest should be here soon. And you will do well to keep your slimy, undeserving self away from him," she growled, lowering her tail. She was no better than him in that respect. They were both pretending they knew him and loved him when really she had never met him in her life. But Lazarus was much too unfit for such a strong, handsome stallion. She deserved him, not Lazarus. Puny, pathetic Lazarus. No matter. He would be dead soon. She would be in control again.

Ryuukishin

xxx Yuki Bear xxx

(Hope this is ok. :3 Wasn't sure if you guys had a certain posting order. Also, I'll be using Chloris and not Isi. ^^ Although we can still throw her in if you want since she's part of the Vanaras.)  

[Ryuukishin]

xxx Yuki Bear xxx

Baby Pandah

((The cycle is Kayode, Mest, Nellie, and Lazarus for now, I think!))

The Kalona's coming had been more frequent as of late. It seemed with each passing day, they saw more and more of the breed in the distance, gathering as if for some great war.

Lazarus shuddered at the thought. He didn't like them, not because of their destructive habits – like Mest, he couldn't care less so long as they didn't bother him – but because of the associations that often came with the breed. He seemed to be spurred from both sides; the non-Kalona saw only his horns and thought him cruel, while the pures looked down on him for his mixed heritage, as if he'd any choice in who his parents were. Nellie, at least, had taken him in and trained him. It was true she could be demanding and even frightening, but it was comfortable relying on someone else again. All she'd done for him, ill-intended as they were, still formed some loyalty within him, and though he turned away when she seemed ready to strike him, he made no move to flee or retaliate.

"I'm trying," he said, his words stressed into a whine. He raised one hoof and inspected it, as if something about it had been the cause of the noise. When no marring made itself apparent, he returned it to the ground.

"Why would I do that?" he said at her next words, appalled and bristling. He and Mest were together now, and though he'd quickly come to believe they truly were lovers, Nellie's demand did well to remind him that it was only a lie – and nothing more.

With a huff, he turned away and trotted off, hoping to find Mest on his return. The large stallion had been gone for a while, and Lazarus hoped he hadn't run into one of those Kalona...  

[xxx Yuki Bear xxx]

His mother was going to be so upset, was the first thought that crossed the small foal's mind as he tumbled through the underbrush of the dark forest.

They had been moving towards safety. From what exactly, he was unsure of. All he knew was that his parents were worried, and that was enough reason to move quickly and silently towards their unknown destination. Kayode wasn't sure when he had lost sight of them. One minute he had been right behind his brother and sister, the next his eye had caught an interesting fungus growing at the base of a tree and had wandered towards it. Being the quietest member of his family, he couldn't blame them for not noticing his absence. His family was very close and loving and talkative, and he was a bit... odd compared to them. At least in his eyes.

Kayode winced as his back leg got caught in a bush root. Being small was advantageous when trying to be stealthy, but when faced with a situation where strength was needed he was out of luck. He tugged a couple of times, cringing as the bush around him shook noisily at the effort. That's when he heard it. The huffing, the voice, the presence of an obviously big and formidable stallion. His hoof slipped from under the root and he rolled unceremoniously out from under the bush. He dared a glance upwards and froze at the sight of the hulking, bone-covered stallion before him.

Was he going to die? He was unsure of the morals of this stallion, but he didn't possess the pelts of the scary creatures his mother warned against that were always evil - so perhaps he had a chance? He watched the grey stallion shift, and tracked his movements with wide brown eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt you, little one," Mest huffed. "So do not stare at me as if I'm going to eat you,"

Though he hated to admit it, the frightened look of the foal was beginning to make him squirm. The look in those sandy brown eyes seemed familiar as well... but he couldn't place it. Mest shook his head. Why was he still getting flashbacks? He should not even be feeling like this - especially with all of the jobs he did for Nellene. He'd taken down a good number of stallions and mares on his missions... but never a child. He supposed that is where both he and his past self drew the line. Mest glanced back down at the foal, who was watching him carefully. He hadn't run away yet, which meant he was injured or lost, or perhaps both.

"Are you hurt?" Silence.

"Are you lost?" Again, silence.

It seemed that this foal was not a talker. Was he old enough to speak yet? Mest was at a loss when it came to younglings. He sighed and slowly lowered himself to the forest floor.

"Get on, I'll keep you safe," he mumbled, gesturing to his back. He waited, keeping a cautious eye on the surrounding forest, until he felt the feather-light weight of the miniature foal settle on the spine of the partial wolf skeleton on his back. Once he felt the foal's movements cease, he slowly and carefully rose back to his full height.

Mest's group was no place for a foal. He'd have to find a herd that would take kindly to a lost little one. With the tensions of the Kalona herd threatening the lands, he was unsure if he'd even be able to find such a herd. He decided to push Nellie to see if she'd travel a bit further out of their usual hunting grounds. This would give him the chance to find someplace for the foal. Speaking of Nellene... what was she going to say about their newest addition?

Mest snorted and started back at a leisurely pace. He'd deal with that when he got there.

Baby Pandah

Ryuukishin

(( I fixed the first post and switched in Chloris! Though it would be great if Mest can dump Kayode on Isi when they eventually get there xD ))  

[Baby Pandah]

Chloris wailed loudly, laying on the ground in agony. It wasn't physical agony, but the pain of a wounded and guilty soul that stabbed at her. Her bear was still with Nellene. Hidden away from her. All the times she had tried to rid herself of it, she thought it would make the guilt stop. But her sister's screams were even more alive in her head than before. Now the screams were changing, as if her sister's ghost was haunting her. You've let her get my bear. My memory is ruined. Avenge me. It was never ending. Chloris thought her skull was going to split, and she hoped it would. But she had to get the pink bowed bear back. Never again would she defile it, never would she try to get rid of it. But how to get it back?

Nellene had those two stallions with her all the time. Chloris knew. She had followed the group for quite some time now that they were here. She was supposed to kill the smaller stallion. But how? She had no trouble killing, but how to do it was another question. That, and she was unsure Nellene would keep her end of the deal. Would she return the bear? Probably not. Then what? Kill Chloris? It was entirely possible that was her plan. She couldn't let that happen. But now her plans to prevent her own death were clouded as she listened to her sister's painful death again in her head, and she laid there hopelessly, waiting for it to end or for life to end her.

----

Nellene's eyes narrowed as she watched him go. Let him leave, let him walk towards his death. She followed slowly, like mist into the silent woods. She had hit a nerve with Lazarus, and she knew it. It pleased her to know that he was feeling guilty. She hoped that Mest would see the shame in his eyes. Perhaps then he would not feel so distraught when Lazarus was gone.

A horrible cry pierced the air and Nellene hissed disapprovingly. It took her a moment to recognize the pathetic sound and then she was glad Lazarus had left. She moved quickly towards the sound, ready to stomp it out of the green mare named Chloris.

"How do I always get stuck with the weaklings? Shut up!" she spat, approaching the green lump on the ground. "Get up, I said get up!" she growled. This mare would do her bidding and then she would be dead too. She decided on the spot that this mare did not deserve to represent Nellene. It would be easier to kill her than Lazarus. She could always just feed her to a skinwalker. "Pull yourself together, you have a job to do," she said dangerously, revealing a pink bow tied into her mane to give the other some incentive. The resulting silence was beautiful to Nellene, it meant she had Chloris's attention and that she was still in control. "He's alone but not for long, go now before Mest reaches him," she snarled.

Ryuukishin

xxx Yuki Bear xxx

((Oh yeah, haha that'd be cute. :3))  

[Ryuukishin]

xxx Yuki Bear xxx

Baby Pandah

Chloris’ cry was long and sharp, but the trees did much to stifle it. By the time it reached Lazarus’ ears, it was small enough for him to brush it off as the sound of one of the forest’s many creatures. Ah, but even the rustling of leaves seemed dangerous, now that he was alone. His training with Nellene and his time with Mest had done much to restore some confidence in him, but though he did not panic, he still pressed a wing tighter against his lantern. It comforted him, and reminded him of days past when he’d his own family to care for him. But that was a long time ago, and he knew he couldn’t go back. Not with what he’d done, and the ones he’d left behind...

“Mest?” he called, senses straining to find some sign of him. They weren’t very close to the lands the Kalona were ravaging, but it was very possible some might follow their same route. If he’d had his way, they would be going away from the herd, rather than near it, but it wasn’t he who decided their path, was it? Giving a delicate sniff at the thought of Nellene and her tyrannical ways, he continued his search.  

[xxx Yuki Bear xxx]

Kayode had never been up so high off the ground before. He peered around from his position on Mest's back. This was certainly an interesting situation. The small foal was somewhat sure that he was not going to be eaten. He had not seen any fangs or sharp teeth on the big stallion that would indicate he was a carnivore, but the blood, skulls, and bones that littered him were a bit disconcerting. Kayode wondered if he would ever see his family again. He hoped they were safe wherever they ended up. For now, Kayode would have to give himself over to the mercy of this stallion, and hope that he would come across his parents and siblings again.

✸ ✸ ✸

Mest's ears swiveled, taking in the sounds of the forest as he walked. He squinted at the trees in front of him. What was that noise? He quickened his pace a bit before the wail stopped suddenly. Huh. A frown marred his face and he turned back in his original direction. It would do him no good to get involved in another's plight at this point. He already had his group and now a small foal to worry about. Glancing back to make sure the little one was still secure, he kept walking back towards home.

'Mest?'

The large stallion's frown was replaced by a grin as his ears picked up the faint call of Lazarus. His small one was looking for him! Mest continued walking, now tracking the sound of Lazarus' voice.

Baby Pandah