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 Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 12:03 pm
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Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 12:09 pm
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She had felt as though someone was following her for some time; had felt as though someone kept watching her and was keeping her… in a sense, safe. She hadn’t seen any Kalona or Skinwalker around in quite some time, and it was different than she was used to. She shifted some, her wings folding tight against her back as she glanced around the area. Well, at least it was quiet. She smiled softly, her ears pinning back, before perking. Israfel was a lovely little mare, and she would do whatever it took in order to ensure she, as well as others, were safe. Tilting her head lightly, the Angeni moved forward through the trees. She opened her mouth, and after a moment, began to sing.
Israfel had always been told her voice was one of the most lovely things. And despite there not being an audience to hear her, she didn’t mind singing to herself. She flicked her tail as she moved, her body easily moving through the trees. She was socked not many creatures were out and about at this hour. It seemed shockingly quiet… But it left her time to consider all that was happening. To try and figure out if someone was in fact following her.
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The first time Douma had heard the little mare sing, he had been in one of his many secret places, enjoying the peace. The first notes that shattered the silence were beautiful. He had never heard so beautiful a sound. It had been enough to capture his attention, a feat that was difficult at the best of times. There was little in the physical mortal realm of the here and now that could compare to the feel of the earth's heartbeat. The feel of pure life flowing from everything around. But that song, that was nearly as wonderful...
He got up, and sticking to the shadows that were his friend decided to follow the sound and see just who or what it was. Cerri would approve, a voice in his mind whispered, trying to make friends, and leaving his solitude... When he reached the area the song had been coming from, he looked around for the angel – it could be nothing less, no mere mortal could produce such divine sound – but was slightly disappointed to see the small mare. She was nothing special. A mere nobody.
He had prepared to leave, disgusted, when she opened her mouth to sing another song. And he was entranced.
But he couldn't just approach her. He wasn't one who was overly friendly, and able to approach anyone and speak easily... to make friends. Normally this fact didn't bother him- he didn't need anyone outside of his family- but in the moment he disliked that about himself. He wasn't able to interact with others, not easily, but he needed to somehow meet her, to have this angel be a part of his life...
So he did the only thing he knew how. He followed at a discrete distance, keeping any threat to the mare at bay. Keeping her safe. Keeping others away. Whatever he could do. And his reward was the songs she would sing at random times. And it was enough.
Apparently though, he must have slipped up. She was starting to act like she heard him, or saw him... This wasn't good. He was no where near ready yet to reveal himself, if he had the choice, but it seemed that Fate had other plans. He took a few deep breaths to steady his nerves and center himself. If Fate would force his hoof, then he would go where it led. But he would do so on his terms.
A ray of sun made it's way through the canopy of the forest. Stepping just so out of the shadows, the light hit his armor, glinting slightly. Just enough to draw attention to him if someone was on alert and looking for something out of the ordinary...
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At first, Israfel wasn’t certain what she was going to do. The feel of someone following her was frightening. She shifted lightly on her hooves, her wings folded tight against her back. The long rainbow streaked hair seemed to shift along her features with each step. She debated on running, on fleeing the area and taking to the skies. But what if whomever was following her was hurt. She glanced around curiously, unable to see anything, before breathing out a small sigh and continued forward, her ears now pinned. She had to keep herself calm. If anyone was around that could hurt her, she could easily run away… Take to the skies… right?
Breathing out a sigh, the mare steeled herself. She wasn’t going to let herself be frightened. Lifting her head, she shook out her mane, her feathers fluffing a bit, before settling down. No way. She was going to be brave. She was going to be fantastic. And no one would be able to hurt her. Not if she had anything to say about it. Tilting her head about, she stared for a moment, before spotting something farther away. She frowned some, tilting her head, bright blue eyes flickering along the shadows. Something was there… something was moving. She took a half step forward, before letting out a gasp. The Angeni took a step back, her hooves scraping at the ground somewhat as she stared ahead of herself.
Israfel had never seen someone like this before… She had met creatures with animal tails and creatures with critters for their friends. But never before… The stallion before her had what, she assumed, was metal plates along his form. What was this? What kind of metal could form in such a way. Her eyes flickered back up toward the rest of his features; bright green, glowing eyes, and a long horn. The tail that accompanied his body proved to inform Israfel that the stallion was of Unicorn decent. Israfel gulped down the questions that moved into her mind, before she shifted some to take a half step back, her muscles quivering lightly at the sight of him.
Was this who was following her all along?
”U-Um… Hello…” Israfel murmured, uncertain as to how to approach such a stallion.
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He felt a slight twinge of something... she was acting afraid of him, before she had even seen him. A common reaction, but one that still caused him some upset. He was far from the monster he appeared at first glance, but only his family had been able to look beyond until now and likely farther into the future. She shouldn't be afraid, not of him. He had kept up with her keeping her safe from the distance, even if she didn't know.
As she stepped closer, and gawked, he took the time and opportunity to give her a once over. To take his time and really see her. See beyond the glimpses he had snuck while she was sleeping or otherwise occupied. He had seen that she was fairly small -petite- and dark of pelt with lovely light mane and tail with hints of other colors. But now that she was closer, and he had ample time to look without staring or being rude, he could see her true color -black, deeper than shadows, with scattered markings, her mane and tail were like an iridescent rainbow. In a word she was lovely. Though appearances weren't important here.
He wouldn't have cared if she were ugly. Hearing her, some part had claimed her as his. Even if she didn't know it. He had been enchanted by her voice. Another larger part was relieved that she wasn't ugly. He waited for her to come closer, wanted her to make the first move. To not frighten her away. He truly wasn't the monster others might see him as.
He wasn't sure what to say, did not know how to speak to others, having had little experience. But she wasn't just anyone else. She was special. So he would make more of an effort than normal. His voice was pitched lower and softer than normal as he responded with a simple, 'Hello.'
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Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 1:57 pm
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For several seconds, Israfel wasn’t certain what to do. She almost danced on her hooves, nervous and scared. Her ears flicked back somewhat, before she shifted a bit, feathered wings folding tighter against her back, like a shield to those around her. He wasn’t… reacting, violently. In reality, he was just standing there, observing her. And she wasn’t certain what to say about that. He seemed relaxed, honestly, as though nothing was wrong. But if he was the one hunting her, than he had no reason to be scared. She glanced around once more, as if searching to see if anyone else was about, before her eyes fell back on the stallion clad in metal plates.
Tilting her head to the side, the Angeni shifted once more. She took a half step forward, as if to take a closer look at him. Was he some form of war horse? Or perhaps a fighter? By the way he appeared, he could win against any battle, really. She flicked her tail lightly behind her as she watched him, and it seemed almost as though she was even more uncertain than before. If he was a fighter, what was he doing out here. Her eyes lingered at his hooves for a moment, before she peered back up toward him with a curious air to her form.
”Well… Were you… um… Were you following me?” She asked, her voice soft. She wasn’t certain what else to ask him. If he was, she could question it, if not… than she accidentally accused him of something, and she would apologize. Flicking her ears back, Israfel peered over him with somewhat scared, and yet very curious eyes. She was finding him interesting, even though they hadn’t talked but of a few words.
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He might have appeared calm, collected, at ease, but it was rather far from the truth. He was just good at hiding his discomfort. Though to be fair, it was more the armor than anything he did. He continued to watch, cautious, prepared to act and disappear at a moment's notice if it seemed things were going poorly. Or if he needed to take a second to compose himself.
He shifted back and forth ever so slightly on his hooves, uncomfortable with the question, not knowing how to answer it without sounding like an absolute creeper. And sure, while he might have been following her, it wasn't like he was a stalker or... well, okay, maybe he was a stalker. But this was the first and only time he had ever done so. How could he answer?
He kept his voice low, more out of habit than anything. 'I heard something... it was so lovely... I just had to... was that you?'
He stammered somewhat, not knowing or able to string a full thought together in a sentence. How he wished it was his sister he was speaking to. Or someone who could understand him without having to be spoken out fully.Clearly, interacting with others was not his strong point.
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Israfel shifted uneasily in front of him. Her ears flicked back for a moment, features shifting to a rather uncertain look. What was it he was doing? He seemed just as frightened as she was. The angeni blinked, her bright eyes flfickering along him. She still wasn't certain about that... this... metal that covered his form. Wasn't it heavy? Or uncomfortable? The mare tilted her head somewhat, before taking a half step forward, her wings shifting along her back. If she needed to flee, she could take to the skies... right?
The question made her ears perk though. Lovely? Was he saying he had heard her voice? Israfel could feel slight warmth in her cheeks. Anytime anyone described her voice, it made her blush with embarasment and a sort of pride. She shifted on her hooves again, before peering curiously up at him from under her bangs. She flicked her tail lightly, before nodding her head slightly.
"I... I guess it could have been me. I sing quite often, sir." She said, voice soft. "Could... you maybe hum a bit of a melody? Then I would be able to tell if it was me."
The mare shifted once more in front of him, her ears flicking back for a moment. She shifted some, trying not to move too close to him, as now she feared scaring him off. He seemed rather shy, now that she had heard him speak. She didn't know what to do about it, as Israfel usually met people who were rather outgoing... and this stallion seemed so uneasy in the light..
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Tossing his head slightly, listening to the metal plates slide against each other, he let out a breath in more of a snort. He was shy, yes, timid in some ways because his thought patterns were so different than most, and he had been misunderstood at best jeered at and belittled by many... He was different than most, yes, but difference wasn't necessarily bad. Being different did not make one a monster. He was far from being a monster...
As the mare shifted again, it drew his attention. He started to feel more like himself, less clumsy with words, and more confident. He was more than he had shown himself to be. His demeanor changed slightly- he stood just a little taller, more proud. His eyes becoming just a little sharper, clearer, gleaming with intelligence.
Though he had a pleasant enough voice, Douma was not one who liked to perform for anyone... even Cerridwen had difficulty getting him to sing for her or tell stories. He just wasn't one who enjoyed the attention it brought to oneself... he started to sneer somewhat, though his armor masked the expression. He quickly got his expression back under control.
This little songbird was innocent and lovely, and he would claim her as his treasure. To do so, he would need to gain her trust. To gain her trust he would have to break his cardinal rule. He would have to sing- well, hum- for someone other than himself. Someone not his family even.
'I...I'm not much for singing or --- humming,' he warned. ' Don't expect too much.'
He wracked his brain, trying to think of a melody she had sung while he watched over her. Perhaps the melody from earlier that day. It wouldn't be too stalkerish or creepy... and she had sung it more than once so it was clearer in his memory. A melody he would be unlikely to butcher too terribly.
He took a breath and started out humming under his breath, barely audible to begin with – but as he became more comfortable he started to hum a little bit louder.
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Posted: Wed May 21, 2014 10:18 pm
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Though she wasn't certain what he was going to do, Israfel watched quietly. She still wasn't certain what he was doing here, what he wanted... To protect her? To just... listen to her sing? She knew people loved her voice; heck, she hadn't met anyone who didn't love it this much. But still... It was... It was odd that someone would... Would go to this length to hear her voice. She tilted her head, ears flicking up lightly as she watched the stallion in the odd metal clad clothing. She watched him with bright eyes, before seeing the way he hesitated. Her ears flicked up lightly as he began to hum, and she smiled rather brightly.
That was one of her favorite tunes! Israfel's tail flicked some, and her feathers seemed to fluff up a bit at the way it sounded. She hummed softly along with him, before moving into singing, her voice soft and calm. "It's the Circle of Life, and it moves us all~. Through despair and hope, through faith and love. Till we find our place, on the path unwinding~ ♫" She smiled as she stopped her singing, before taking a half step toward him, and then stepped back again. No, no. Don't get close. Israfel, not everyone liked to be close to people. Especially not physically. She smiled sweetly toward him, before nodding her head lightly at the stallion.
"That was me, yes! You are very good at memorizing tunes, sir!" Israfel said gently. She smiled some, and fluffed her wings a bit, before tilted her head lightly to the side. She lifted one hoof, pawing lightly at the air, before lowering her hoof some, and took a half step forward. She flicked her ears up, before her voice dropped to a gentle tone. "Um... I'm Israfel. May I know your name?" She questioned, her eyes locked on the stallion, blinking a few times.
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As she stepped closer, he prepared himself mentally. He wasn't used to having others invade his personal space – at least others who weren't family, and not since he was a fairly young stallion. Then she stopped, and he felt a dichotomy of emotion, relief and disappointment. And he wasn't sure which was stronger, and which he wanted to feel more.
Having been told – more than once, by Cerridwen and others – that his attention was kinda intense... focused... creepy. At best it was disconcerting and worst, well no one yet had told him what it was like at worst.
He found himself wanting to get close to the songbird. Israfel, he reminded himself. Her name was Israfel. Whatever her name, he found he wanted to get closer to her. To get to know her, and allow her to get to know him. He wanted her, so he would make the effort.
He listened to the song, mouthing the the words silently, committing them to memory. It was an amusing song, and perhaps it might one day be coaxed from his lips... He shifted his weight from hoof to hoof somewhat discomfited at her remarks.
'Thanks.' His inherent shyness and difficulty articulating his thoughts and feelings didn't allow him to speak much more. 'And... Douma. My name is Douma.'
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Posted: Sun May 03, 2015 5:55 pm
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Israfel wasn't used to people being this... shy. He seemed so pulled into himself; so uncertain of himself. And because of that, Israfel felt as though she should keep as still as possible and not startle him. Her tail flicked lightly behind her, soft rainbow colored hair falling behind her before going rather still. Her wings were folded tight against her form so that she appeared smaller. She didn't want to startle him more. He was adorable, at least in her eyes. It was rare for her to see someone this nervous and uncertain around her. Perhaps he wasn't used to Angeni? Or maybe he was just not comfortable around other people? Israfel wasn't certain, she was rarely certain about other people. She knew she needed to take caution around Skinwalkers; they were dangerous and could easily take her down. She wasn't fast, and she had little endurance. They would easily catch her and rip her to shreds, leaving just her feathers behind to remember her by. And that wouldn't do!
Israfel shook the thought from her mind, her ears pinning back for a moment. She glanced back at Douma with bright blue eyes. Douma. He was adorable. She couldn't get that thought from her head; and she tried not to laugh toward him. That would be rude, right? And she wasn't the type to allow that. She wasn't rude, at all. And it wouldn't settle well with her to be that way. She tilted her head, her hair falling from her face as she analyzed him. She needed to approach this carefully and not scare him away. She found he needed help; even if it wasn't hers. Maybe he just needed a friend. And Israfel liked the thought of being someone's friend. She fluffed her wings slightly, taking a small step forward, before just lifting a leg as if waiting to see if he would allow her to continue forward; to stand closer to him so that they could talk without having to strain ears to hear more. She didn't want to have to shout to be heard, and he didn't need to do that either.
The Angeni dipped her head slightly, as though showing her greeting to him. Though they'd been talking for a short amount of time, it still meant something to her to greet him properly. She sent him a bright smile, her eyes light as she let out a soft breath of ease. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Douma!" She said in a sing song voice. Her mind started to try and figure out where to go from there, and she settled on asking about the armor on his form. "Are you a knight or warrior, Douma?" She asked curiously.
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Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 4:10 pm
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Had Douma known what was going on in the mare's mind he would have been confused – no one he knew or had met would consider him adorable, well, no one except Cerridwen, but she was his sister, so she didn't really count-, embarassed – because really, what self-respecting stallion would want to be considered 'adorable'? - and a myriad of other emotions that would be disconcerting and cause him to get all defensive. But as it was, all Douma was aware of was the intense scrutiny of the bright blue eyes. What was she looking for? And what did she see while looking at him?
Douma was curious about this strange mare. She seemed bright and friendly, not afraid of him -wwhich was a bit of a novel concept really. With his size and the armor, he seemed to strike others as intimidating, and his usual gruff demeanor – gruff and standoffish because he really didn't know how to connect with or talk to others – didn't help his case all that much. So he was used to being alone, alone was easy. Alone was safe. But there was something different here. The mare was different. He found himself wanting to make an effort. Wanting to get to know her. Perhaps she might be a rare being he could call 'friend'.
He watched her lifting a hoof slowly, moving closer to him. It was uncomfortable to him, the thought of anyone close, because so few in his life had wanted to be near. Outside of family anyway...
He shifted weight from hoof to hoof, armor scraping against itself, but he made no move to pull away. He made no move to step closer, either, but he didn't pull away.
Was he a knight or a warrior? He pondered the question. No doubt, his father would prefer it if he were either. A knight would be someone of honor, who lived according to a set of rules and morals, protecting those who were innocent and weak. He would also like it if he were, but for the life of him, he couldn't be assed to assert himself on behalf of others. Why should he waste the energy and effort on those who wouldn't thank him for it? If he were to be a knight, he wouldn't let himself be used by others, he would find one being he deemed worthy and dedicate himself to that one being completely. And as for a warrior, all a warrior was was someone who fought. He didn't do either for a living... hell, he didn't do much except wander in the shadows, but that really didn't say much about him.
'Neither. I'm, well I guess you could say, I'm a wanderer.' It was probably polite for one to say more, but he didn't know niceities, and conversation for him was always seemed stilted and ungodly awkward. 'What... what about you?'
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 9:51 pm
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Israfel hadn’t expected this to last this long. Usually with stallions like this they fled her presence. Something about her being “too good”? She had a feeling that being an Angeni could be good and bad in these lands. There were some dark beings out there, and they liked to show themselves at the most random of times. Israfel had learned to ignore them, but she so wanted to help everyone, and that meant everyone, to the path that they needed to be on. Her voice could help some, but they had to be able to move on with themselves as well. Her tail gave a small flick, causing the hair to cascade down against her flank and the back of her legs, before she decided she needed to stop moving forward so that the stallion wasn’t getting overly uncomfortable.
The Angeni tilted her head lightly toward him. A wanderer? So he traveled. That was fun! She liked to travel; liked to meet new people and get to see new lands. She liked to be able to take note of how people moved and how people reacted. She liked to know what was going on in the world around her. Even though she knew she shouldn’t be nosey and interfere in everyone’s life, she also knew that she wanted to help however she could. And for that, sometimes she needed to be a little… naughty? Her head tilted to the side at the thought, before she shoved it back so she could focus once more on the stallion. On Douma. He seemed like he was uncertain of her being so close, so he took a small step back, wings fluttering some, and then folding lightly against her back and side. She wasn’t going to make him uncomfortable if she didn’t have to.
She realized after a moment that she had yet to answer him, and it made her flush under her fur. She shifted some and beat her wings a bit to get her feathers settled, before folding them against her sides again. She sent him a gentle smile, and let her ears swivel toward him. She nodded her head some with a small giggle, lifting a hoof for a moment before putting it back down onto the ground. ”Oh! That is a wonderful thing to be, though! I believe I’m in a similar method as you are, Mr. Douma. After all, I wander around as well, since I’ve got to travel to help people, right?” She said, head tilting, and then she realized she was rambling. She laughed gently and dipped her head some, sending him a shy smile. ”Sorry, I’m rambling… Um… Where are you heading off to now? Just… anywhere?” She asked curiously.
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