[PRP] A Tumultuous Splash (Roarian, Lullaby, & Whiskey)

[xo maho]

This is a private roleplay between Roarian Aloysius Bleauregard (ladyfirefox89 & Mahogany Sunset) and Lullaby & Whiskey (xxx Yuki Bear xxx).
Please do not post without permission.

 

[xo maho]

The river rushed along beside him, the masses of water almost silent, save for the tinkling they made as they rippled over rocks. Roarian looked down at the water like it was a writhing blue snake about to reach out and snap its jaws at him, as though merely touching it would provoke it enough to make it spit poison at him from behind its bared fangs. He knew, logically, that there was probably nothing under the green-brown, murky surface but slime-covered rocks and the bones of old fish, but the fact that it could swallow him whole still made him nervous... Almost to the point of shuddering.

Letting his bangs fall into his face to rid his vision of the unsettling snake-river image now settling into his mind - a python, unhinging its jaw to the point where it could eat him whole, draft body and all - Roary turned away from the water and followed the bending path of its shore instead. His long strides brought him to the green, overgrown places, where the shade of the forest to his right and the irrigation of the river to his left made the grass grow soft and long. He contemplated bending down to sample a few bites, but decided against it... Eating terrified him on a regular basis. His thoughts usually ran along the lines of, What if I cut my tongue on something in the grass? What if I inhale a piece, like how bugs and dust end up in my airways, and I cough to death? What if I eat too much and choke and die? The possibilities for eating-related consequences were endless. Eventually, though, he would stop staring at the grass like a terrified colt, shut everything off, and lean down to snag a mouthful. Berries were good too, but they made him even more anxious: after all, some species were poisonous, and he'd heard that bugs could live inside them. Because of that, he only ate them when another person was with him and they were eating berries, as well; if need be, they could show him which were good. And if the worst happened, well... He supposed they would probably try to resuscitate him. Maybe.

Sighing and shaking his head, Roarian tried to get his bangs out of his eyes, behind the sections of hair that were tied in place, or at least behind an ear. Flicking his head so many times disoriented him, though, and he nearly tripped over his own feet; he always forgot that part when he tried to fix his hair, the dizziness. The worst part was when he lost his hair ties... Usually he had to get somebody's familiar to help put those back in place. For a moment, Roary stood still, still flipping his head every few seconds as he tried to land his bangs in a good place. It was no easy task, and by the time he got his forelock out of his face - and only half of it - the result was verging on ridiculous. The leftmost section was stuck behind his right ear, like a slicked back, crooked combover, with the rest rest of his thick, fluffy hair sticking out underneath it... But when he walked over to the edge of the river and bent to look at his reflection, it all fell back into his face again, anyway.

Oh well, he thought. At least I tried. Now he just had to hope that a strand of it didn't end up irritating his eye and causing all sorts of other problems.  

[xxx Yuki Bear xxx]

Lullaby's head was in the clouds. She had finally found and made up with her sister a few days ago, and she could not believe it. The dark mare frequently told her mate, Alkiear to prod her to see if she was dreaming or not. He'd look at her oddly before gently poking her side, hesitant to bring any sort of pain to his lover.

Whiskey, Lullaby's sister, had stumbled upon Alkiear while the stallion was travelling. Shocked by the amazing resemblance between Whiskey and his mate, he had deduced their relation and coaxed Whiskey back with him. The sisters were tearfully reunited and had barely been able to leave each other's side since.

At this moment, Lullaby was headed back home from where Whiskey had been staying nearby. Alkiear was traveling for a short while, giving her space and time to catch up and spend time with her sister, but he was due back soon and she wanted to be home when he returned.

Lullaby glanced down nervously at the river that severed her path. She had made it across once to see her sister, she could do it again. That time, Whiskey had been nearby to assist her... now she was all alone. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, starting across the large rocks that created a natural bridge on the water. She heard a noise nearby and glanced up as she lost her footing. The last thing she saw before plunging into the water was a blur of a large tan stallion.

Alkiear? she thought before she inhaled a mouth of water and everything went black.

Mahogany Sunset

 

[xo maho]

Roary looked up from beneath his hair as he heard the clunk of hoof on stepping stone, and comprehended the scene unfolding before his eyes as he heard the great splash that dark mare's body made as she slipped, tumbling into the water.

No, he thought frantically. No no no no no no. Running over to the edge of the bank where the mare had fallen, Roary looked for a sign of her, for anything, but there was nothing - no splashing, no muffled screeching, only the rill in the water where her body had cut through the rapidly turning rivulets. Roary's mind was in a panic: what had she even been doing, trying to cross here? It wasn't safe! The rocks were slick, the river swollen and frigid, just hoping to drag someone down into its depths... He gazed at it for a moment, watching, mesmerized, as the fold in the water disappeared. It had only been a few seconds, but the river already showed no sign that it had swallowed her whole. Like a python, his brain added.

That was what snapped him out of it. It's not a python! he shouted back, and no "common sense" answered him again. Just like he sometimes managed to do when he was trying to eat, Roary had managed to shut it off.

The talkative, furtive voice had been silenced, and Roary lunged into the river.

His first thought was, It's dark, oh gods, it's dark, but then he realized that he had shut his eyes. His second was of the chill; no one could last long in such waters, especially unconscious, as his real common sense told him the mare must be. She hadn't put up a fight as the currents dragged her under. There had been only one splash. Though it couldn't have been more than ten or fifteen seconds since she had gone under, Roary knew he didn't have long before she was lost to him. The river was fast and deep, and she had looked rather frail.

Opening his eyes, the stallion took wide, sweeping glances around him. His world had been turned green by the rushing water around him, rocks and mud on all sides but above him. It took him a moment, but he finally spotted her dark form sliding unhindered away from him - though her descent was slow, her body moved almost at the same pace as the river. Roarian kicked his feet, his fetlocks feeling heavy around his ankles, and pushed his massive form toward her. He was getting closer, he could almost reach the end of her tail with his muzzle, and then - Yes! - he closed in on her, floating beside her. Lungs afire, Roary slipped his neck under her ribcage and swam forward, adjusting so that her legs held her snugly over his broad back.

And then it was time to surface. The current was pulling him forward and down, but he couldn't afford to go that way; straining, Roary kicked upward, doing his best to avoid getting his feet tangled in the mare's hair and legs. He didn't want to hurt her, he really didn't... But it was possible that she would come to with bruises and sore follicles. Finally - it seemed hours of hard labor - Roary broke the surface. He took in a gulp of air and looked back, trying to elevate his back to get her head above the surface. "Hey," he said, coughing as water streamed into his mouth from his bangs, but he had to try to get her attention and hope she would awaken. Though he was still swimming toward shore - the one they'd started out upon, it looked like - his hooves had only just touched the bottom of the river, and he was shoulders-high. It would take another few seconds for her to be able to touch, as well, and the current was almost irresistible here. Frowning, he pushed ahead, until they were knees-high instead. Kneeling, Roary laid down in the water (it seemed warmer now, strangely) and waited for her to wake up. Any minute now, he thought, letting her body rest across his back in the shallows. He was tall enough, laying down, to keep her head out of the water, but the position wasn't very comfortable, especially since he'd had to be careful not to lie down on any part of her - if she awakened and tried to move, only to find her hair or a leg stuck beneath him, disaster would strike.

He certainly hoped she wouldn't need resuscitating, like he'd thought about not too long ago...

xxx Yuki Bear xxx

Hope this is okay! >.<; Wasn't sure how long she would stay unconscious, so I had him go through with the whole rescue. Let me know if I should change something! <3  

[xxx Yuki Bear xxx]

Oh gods, how she hated water was the first conscious thought she had as her body convulsed and spewed out the vile liquid that had almost frozen her lungs. Her mind was fuzzy and her vision was hazy, but she was miraculously unharmed, save for a few sore spots. It took her a bit longer to realize that she was draped across something, and still in the water.

"Oh no, no, no," she gasped, willing her legs to move, she flailed against whatever she was on top of, flopping off of it and onto the banks. She scrambled for purchase on the muddy edge and pulled herself up onto land with wobbling legs. Her legs gave out underneath her and she sighed into the dirt. Oh sweet, sweet land.

Movement from behind her, caused her to swing her head back in the direction of the river. Alkiear? No. It was a different stallion, a stranger with somewhat similar coloring. Her frazzled mind finally connected the dots, and she realized that he was what she had been draped over. This stallion that she didn't know had jumped in and saved her.

"Oh," she breathed, her voice raspy from the water. "My savior. Words cannot express my gratitude for your selfless act. I would have died. Are you okay? Oh my," she sighed. "I would help you out but," she gestured to her still-shaking limbs. "I don't think I can even stand right now,"

Her mind was still coming to grips with the fact that she had barely escaped death at the hands of a raging river - again. Brief flashbacks of her childhood fall near her family's home caused her to wince. She should have learned that water was not her friend, but her greatest enemy. She'd have to tell Whiskey to come across to visit on her own. Unlike Lullaby, her twin had no qualms with water.

Mahogany Sunset

 

[xo maho]

Anxiety was just beginning to lurk in the back of his mind again when he felt the mare's body tense, and then warm water splashed into the cool current beside him. Then, just like that, she was floundering around on top of him, giving him a good kick in the ribs. Pain shot through his side. Groaning as she relieved him of her weight, Roary stuck his front feet out and heaved himself into a standing position. He almost fell back down again - the water, cold as it was, had stiffened his already aching muscles. If he had not been blessed with his build... I probably would have drowned along with her, he thought, and his whole body shuddered in protest at the thought. None of that today, though, he told himself, stepping gingerly onto the bank after the mare.

There she was, veritably clinging to the earth beneath her, and Roary couldn't blame her; he would be sticking to solid ground for more than a while himself. That blue-green snake of a river could keep its jaws to itself for now, and it would, so long as he didn't venture anywhere near it. At least I won't have to worry about drowning anytime in the near future, he thought ruefully. Puddles and ponds and rain will be the drinking source from now on... but didn't I hear that you can drown in the shallows, too? He shook the end of the thought from his head: the mare was talking to him. "I am fine, my lady, though I would be hard-pressed to say the same of you," he replied. Though he wasn't exactly fine, sore everywhere as he was, he was in a good deal better shape than she was. "Why did you try to ford the river with mere stepping stones? Surely there is another way across, somewhere shallower?" he asked, but then thought better of it. "Pardon me, miss, I am barraging you with questions and do not even know your name. What are you called? May I help you to rise?"

Roary scanned her body when she winced, looking for stinging cuts or scrapes. When his eyes found nothing, he frowned, but did not say anything. He had already asked her so many questions - any more and he would have his own head spinning, and perhaps hers, as well. He hoped she was alright, but if she had hurt herself or broken anything within her body... There wouldn't be anything he could do for her. For now, though, she was still lying safely on the dirt and grass, breathing and getting a grip. She was so tiny and fragile to him, dainty and delicate, dappled with silver turned dark by the slick of river water.

She has to be alright, he told himself. She has to. If she was destined to die today, she would have been beyond your reach from the moment you leapt into that water after her.  

[xxx Yuki Bear xxx]

Lullaby let out a raspy laugh at her savior's antics.

"Do not worry yourself over some simple questions - I do not mind answering," she allowed a tired smile to spread over her lips. "I am Lullaby. I was coming back from my sister's place... and well, this is the only way across that I could find. I hate water... I really do, but I wanted to get home to see if my mate was back from his trip. As for rising, I think I'm content to sit here for a while until my legs decide to cooperate. What is your name, kind sir?"

She was truly indebted to this stallion. She couldn't imagine never seeing her love again. Leaving his side would be the worst thing, and she shuddered to think of what Alkiear would have thought of her disappearing. He knew of her old ways.

Mahogany Sunset

 

[xo maho]

Roary smiled when he heard her name. Lullaby, like the sweet songs his mother used to sing to persuade his overactive young mind into sleeping. "You have a beautiful name, my lady," he replied. The fact that she was returning, unescorted, from another's home, though, that was troubling to him. What if some terror had befallen her along the way? Were not two bodies better than one in a fight, or against some other evil - like the river? His body had been the only thing that had saved her from drowning... Though if she was returning from her sister's, he doubted that a mare of her lineage (small and dainty as she was) would have been able to do much to save her simply by escorting her, anyway. "My name is Roarian Aloysius Blearegard, but most call me Roarian, or simply Roary."

As he watched her sit there on the ground, just breathing, Roary tilted his head. "Your mate and your sister? Quite a family you must have," he said, thinking of his cousin Westley - he was the only one of his family that he had seen in a very long time, and then only distantly related. But it was not the blood that mattered, he knew; it was the friend he had in him.

That triggered a thought in him. If Lullaby's sister was nearby and Lullaby herself was in no condition to cross the river... "When you are ready... May I escort you back to your sister's home?" he asked. He hoped it wasn't too presumptuous of him - Oh, what if she thinks I'm trying to court her? She has a mate! Will he come after me for trying to escort her?! He shook his head and suppressed a snort at himself, killing the thought. But I'm not trying to court her. All I want is to see her safely home and make sure she doesn't almost drown herself again. "I fear it would be unwise to try to cross the river again, given prior experience." He cracked a small, lopsided smile, trying to cheer her. It would not do for her to go back to her sister both sopping wet and in poor spirits.

xxx Yuki Bear xxx