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 Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 12:39 pm
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Heavy hooves flattened the grass, the sound of clinking armor echoing with each rise and fall of the beasts thick legs. Black tail flicked against the air, cutting it with furious strokes as Rythorn patrolled about the area, dim golden eyes alert for new faces or possible threats. It had been a while since he had ventured this far over into the space he considered his area. Dakota had returned to him just moments ago, claiming to hear descending wing beats though he had not stuck around to catch their owner or to see if they even had landed. No. Apparently that was Rythorn's job.
With a grunt, he made his way to a small pool he knew frequently collected water. A quick drink to quench his parched throat was just the thing he needed right now. However, upon closer arrival, it would seem his familiar's tale were true.
Puffing himself out wider to look even more threatening than he already was, he stomped his hooves loudly. "You there! Who are you and what do you think you are doing here?!" he called loudly, his voice booming with the hints of a temper not uncommon to the guard. |
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Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 12:55 pm
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The cold fluid splashed down her throat, the mare only just realizing how thirsty her traveling had made her. She had fallen so content with quenching her thirst, as well as distracted amidst her own thoughts on just what the hell she thought she was doing, that she nearly missed the approaching hoof beats and clanking of armor.
Clanking armor was something she was accustomed to hearing. All her life, her father wore armor. She even inherited armor of her own as she grew to match his stunning figure with one of her own. It was second nature to hear armor clanking in the background. So second nature, that her mind didn't raise any red flags upon hearing it approach behind her...
That is, until a rather startling sound of a thundering stomp caused her to spook, nearly spinning herself on her hooves, wings at the ready to take flight. Was her father... angry?! with her for leaving?! Wait... Not her father. Not their territory. She was in a new land. Right.
Violet eyes, now wide in slight panic, flashed from behind the mask to the taller and seemingly stronger built stallion not too far away. His stance suggested that she was in fact trespassing on land that he patrolled as his own and she bit her lip faintly. Her wingtips fluttered softly in worry, her mind telling her to flee, but her wings and body were failing to comply.
"I-I'm sorry, I... I had no idea...!" she stammered a bit then looked down for a brief second as if searching for an escape route. "I was only stopping for a drink. I... I've traveled far. I mean no harm. Honest."
Her eyes lifted to him again. He was armored. Much like her father had been. The horn upon his head looked... well... deadly... She wondered if he was evil at all. He certainly gave off that vibe. A strong demanding one that suggested a temper and a undeniable grasp of an authority figure by the way he stood and demanded her reason to be here. Wherever here was.
She found herself cowering slightly and blinked. She gathered up what small bit of courage she had and forced herself to straighten up a bit. "My name is Sallexis. I-I'm just traveling through."
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Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 1:05 pm
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Rythorn's ears pricked to her sudden voice, the stammers suggesting his presence did indeed startle her. Snorting, he stamped his front hooves again, as if requesting her silence. He needed no further explanation. "Just travelling through?" he said, eyeing her. She certainly didn't seem like much of a threat on her own, not with the way she was blabbering on.
But that didn't mean she didn't have a herd hidden in the shadows, waiting to strike at a moments notice. "How can I be sure your words are true? How can I know you do not have a herd laying in wait to strike the moment you flitter those pretty little wings of yours." he snorted again, daring to take more steps closer to shorten the distance. If anything, he could stop her before the rest got to him... hopefully.
And yet.... she had just given him her name? "Sallexis was it? And just what are you travelling from." he added as an afterthought, not yet intent upon revealing his name until he felt certain he could trust her.
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Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 1:26 pm
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Her ears flickered back and forth. The urge to flee greater now that he was closing the gap, yet the urge to hold her ground grew more fierce as he seemed to accuse her of being able to arrange an ambush of sorts.
Her features grew stern with the accusation, her face frowning softly as her ears flew forward to focus completely on him. "An entire herd? Here?" Her head turned a bit. "There's not a lot of hiding places around me for that to be a viable assumption, Sir. You'd see them coming and hurt me long before they'd be able to even touch you..."
She held a point. The field they were standing in was quite vast. The nearest tree was rather thin to be hiding another Soq and was far enough away that even at a full sprint, the "attacker" would be spotted long before anything could be done. To add to that, the skies were clear enough that barely a wisp of cloud could be seen, much less any other flying type of Soq.
Her ears did perk a bit to his words though. He thought she was pretty? Well, at least her wings anyways? That was a new thing for her. Compliments from a Stallion that wasn't family or related in some weird invisible blood line of sorts... Well, that sort of thing had yet to happen to her, anyways.
Her tail flicked softly in the breeze that followed and her eyes fell back to the ground at his next inquiry. "To be honest, I'm not exactly sure myself." she started and pivoted shyly upon her hooves. "I've never been this far away from home before, but..." she blinked, brow seeming to furrow from beneath her mask. "... but I grew tired and bored. Needed to get away, I suppose. I figured I'd try something new. Figured I'd Go somewhere new."
With curiosity peeked, she tilted her head slightly, her eyes reconnecting with his. "Why do you ask?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 2:52 pm
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Rythorn stared at her as she spoke more. Her points were valid enough, where would she be hiding a herd of ponies here? Never the less, it was his lands and he had made it his sworn oath to ensure, at the very least, that any new horse set hoof here harbored no ill intent or danger to himself and the others that lived here.
"Very well then, I shall take your word for now, Sallexis." he eyed her, her mask, her armor and wings. What would a mare such as herself be doing with such armor anyways. And running from home apparently? "A run away are we?" he tutted, circling about her slowly, his armor clinking and clanking with each flex of his legs, his shoulders, hind quarters. His head dipped, his horn tilted more towards her, still in a defensive stance.
So she was out to go some place new then was she. Fine. He would let her have her little adventure, and when she had her fill, he would see to it that she left this place. "I ask because you are in my lands. I would ask of all new comers. Get your drink, have your adventure, but know I will be watching you." he stated, snorting.
His tail flicked as he eyed her once more. Her wings weren't all that was pretty, but it mattered little. "Rythorn." he stated gruffly. If she wasn't smart enough to work out that was his name.... well that was her problem.
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Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 3:18 pm
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Sallexis paused a moment.
Rythorn
It sounded menacing. And his pacing around her set her nerves on edge.... it was almost exciting.
She fluffed her feathers a moment before chancing to lower them into a tuck against her sides. She didn't quiet think of herself a runaway. She was old enough to make her own decisions and what not, but she guessed that since she did little to alert the others that she would be leaving, one could easily call her as such.
"I suppose that's a more accurate term, though not entirely true." she started, then pivoted a bit to turn and look at him directly once more. "My family has yet to know that I have left, but I feel as though I'm old enough to make the decision to leave home without them worrying too much on my absence."
His horn sent a shiver of dread down her spine. How many other Soq had he threatened in such a way before her? How many escaped it's devastating gleam of a gaze? She hoped to never find out the hard way. She swallowed a bit hard but stood her ground.
"Are you... alone in these lands, Rythorn?" she managed to bravely ask. "I can imagine a place this vast could get lonely after a time...?"
She shook her head and lowered her gaze a bit. "My apologies. I shouldn't delve so freely into your affairs. Forget I asked anything." She turned her gaze a bit, thankful that the mask was still upon her face. Otherwise he'd have caught a glimpse of her shameful blush brought forth from her questions.
"If I may ask..." she started again, eyes flashing back towards him. "Is there, perhaps a place I can rest safely for the night? It's getting rather late and I'd rather not fly in the dark..."
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Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 3:52 pm
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"So you left, without alerting anyone of such actions... I'd call that a runaway." he snorted, stopping as she dared to turn and face her. She was quite bold... and he didn't necessarily mind.
However the prying into his life was another matter and it set his defenses high as he stamped his hooves yet again. "That is not something you are privy to know! You may rest in my cave if you must. It is not far and I can keep my eyes on you." he said, glaring at her. In fact he almost insisted upon it as he turned his head and began rearing her in the direction he wished, all about forgetting that she had once come for a drink.
"Make haste mare. I do not tolerate idle chit chat." he snorted, rearing up and lashing his legs at her, though far from actually striking her, his display should have been threatening enough at the very least. If she was so afraid to fly in the dark then the moment the sun rose, he would see to it that she left. He had spent this amount of time alone, he was sure he could continue in such ways.
Besides, it wasn't as if a pretty thing like her would stay with a brute like him longer than permitted.
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Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 4:10 pm
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Her muzzle skewed a bit at his bit of a tantrum began to show. "Jeez... I said to forget I asked..." she half mumbled, much like how a teenager would say it while rolling their eyes.
She jumped a bit as he reared at her, her figure bolting a few steps forward for fear he might actually strike her. The distance between them before would have made it an interesting trick to get done, but she still didn't want to take any chances...
"Ok! Ok!..." she whinnied softly, mostly in fear that she may never see the light of day again. "I'll go, just..." her figure visibly shivered. "Just don't hurt me, ok?"
Wearily, she turned, walking slowly at first in the direction she was being ushered in. Her head turned, checking to see if he was following her. He was... His hoof falls were heavy enough that she could hear if his direction changed.
Her thoughts now swam. What trouble did she get herself into? Was he truly an evil stallion and she was being led to his home to become his next meal? Her heart sped up as she shivered again. Her uncle's stories of his brush of death with a skinwalker did little to aid in her imagination. Was Rythorn a skinwalker? Did he mean to maul her in her sleep?!
Her ears fell flat, worried that she very well may never wake up again. Perhaps she could stay awake all night? Or pretend to be asleep and attempt to sneak away later that night?! But it would be dark and her vision was limited in the dark. Still, there'd hopefully be a full moon to give her a little bit of light...
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Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 4:33 pm
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'Yup! I'm doomed!' she mused to herself.
Her wings folded tightly against her sides to prove that she had no intent to go against his wishes. She turned as directed and chanced a glance behind her. He was close, but keeping his distance... He was smart. And damn good at sending fearful little shivers down her spine and out her small wings.
Looking forward again, she spotted the cave ahead.
This was it. This was going to be her end. Now she was silently wishing she had at least mentioned a soft farewell to her family. Let them know she would be gone for good. Panic radiated through her as she moved onward and she chanced a second glance back at him.
However, something didn't settle right with her. Sure, he looked menacing and had the right attitude of a killer - as far as she was concerned - but he had revealed to her something personal. His name.
In all her Uncle's stories, the evil never gave out their names freely. Rythorn had. She stopped her forced march, pausing a few feet from the cave entrance at his words. To him, it may appear as though she was aprehensive to step foot into his humble abode, but her confidence was rising.
'Try to Flee and I will hunt you down.'
The words alone sent another shiver of fear down her spine, but she steeled herself... sort of. She turned her head with a mostly calm gaze. "No you won't..." she half whispered. She managed a half smile, though still fearful for the most part before turning back to the cave and wondering in.
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Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 6:57 pm
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"I-I-...!"
She was cornered, pressed as far back into the cave as she could manage. The cold stone wall in the back pressed harshly against her side. Perhaps a bit too harshly from the sudden and panicked action, but she hadn't noticed the crushed wing yet.
"I said that you wouldn't!" she stammered. "B-but I wasn't implying it as if I was daring you, I swear!" she nickered softly in an almost squeak of fear. She tried to shift her body weight, only slipping near painfully as her legs shook beneath her. Hooves scraped on the floor as her figure fell with a loud thud of her body hitting rock. A few clanks followed as her armor did as well.
She cringed, now feeling a sharp pain in her wing, but for the moment ignored it.
"Please. If you truly wished to hunt me down, you wouldn't have given me your name. You wouldn't have said I could 'have my adventure' in your territory before you even considered allowing me into your cave." She shivered, obviously scared crapless to be so bold in this moment.
"You're... You're just a lonely Stallion who doesn't know how to react to a scared and helpless Mare who has no idea what the hell she's doing..." There, she said it.
She continued to shiver a moment before she lifted a limb, kicking off her mask.
"If I chose to have run then - and I very well could have - you wouldn't have caught me. I can fly. You cannot." The sudden pang that ran through her wing told her it'd be a while before any flying would be done again, but she once again ignored it and hoped that her wing wasn't too visibly disheveled to allow him to retort back on that.
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Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 7:33 pm
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If she wasn't scared before, she totally was by now. She'd seen the fires of hell reflecting in his eyes, the ember laden stare of death. She felt the very ground quiver beneath her from his mighty hooves as he stomped the ground.
.... And now, her ears rang with the crack of hoof to stone so close to her head....
She was at least thankful that she had yet to pee herself!
Yet, in his fit of anger, he purposefully missed her head and left her to cower in her small corner of the cave. After a few moments, she remembered to breathe. Morning? Yeah, she could do that.... But that was still more proof that he wouldn't hunt her down... not that she'd dare voice that now...
She let out a shaky exhale and shifted slightly, only now taking note of the pain radiating through her wing. She turned her head slightly to investigate. She flexed it a bit, but cringed. It was sprained. She wouldn't be flying anytime soon, but she was thankful that her hooves were still in tact.
Violet eyes pivoted back towards his figure in the entry. Was he waiting for something? Searching for someone? Was she wrong in assuming he was all alone?
She sighed, collected herself and attempted sleep. Though light as it was, she managed to doze off after some time.
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