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 Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2014 6:50 pm
Who is Wishing?:  Tell the wishing star a little about yourself: The mare had heard of the star as a foal through a stranger mumbling to themselves as they were hurrying along, unaware of her presence. Often she dwelt on its existence, and on whether the powers the stranger had raved about were true. The wishing star, he'd said. The wishing star will find my sister for me! Surely, by the spirits. it will!
She had asked her brother, Hadriel about the star, but he wasn't much help. No sense in dealing with magic. His rasping voice rang clearly in her head. But I hear that those who call to it ask for more than just siblings.
The ghoul perching on her shoulder cackled, as if it could tell what she was thinking. Nobody can help you. Nobody can saaaaave you. Nobody would want to! With a flash, the being fled to the graveyard on the mare's back and rattled on the gate. They're going to get youuuuuuu!
Tears welled up in Cenotaph's eyes as she looked at the star. "Please," she whispered. "I just want somebody who can understand. I want someone who doesn't look at me like I'm the saddest thing they've ever seen. I want someone who cares because they like me, not because they feel bad for me." The ghoul made its way into her mane and pulled out her hair, causing her to let out a distressed shriek. "It's not fair!" With this, she bolted back into the cover of the forest, too terrified to stay any longer in the open moonlight. What does your persona or your soquili leave as an offering for the wishing star? When she first arrived at what she assumed was the star's totem, she noticed the small offerings left by others. She frowned, unaware that it was expected of her to bring a gift. Sighing, she eyed the ghoul making its way up her leg. "Can't I just leave you?" The ghoul howled with laughter. "Well could you at least be useful for once?" She motioned to the trinkets she had wedged between the posts in the fence growing from her back. Once again, the menace laughed before retreating into an opening in her flesh, causing her to wince. "Yeah, thanks for the help." Cenotaph struggled for a few moments, arching her neck as far as she could in an attempt to reach her spine. After a few tries, she nosed at the fence which caused an item to roll down her back and clang off of a stone nearby. She examined the item and frowned. It was a small metal ring which belonged on her brother's breathing apparatus. When she was a foal, she'd been pulling on it playfully and the ring came loose. Hadriel hadn't noticed and she snatched it up for safe keeping.
Reluctantly, she used her lips to pick up the ring from the ground before laying it gently not far from the other items. "I hope this is enough..."
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Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2014 8:49 am
Soiled claws struggled their way through dense mud and rock, desperately attempting to free the body they were attached to. After a few moments, a body burst through the rubble, and the mare gasped for air. The muddy figure looked around frantically. She was... Alive? But how? In fact, what had happened?
Her breaths were shallow and rushed as she looked around again. After a few moments she calmed herself and took in the situation. "Okay," she whispered quietly to herself. "I just... Woke up and came out of the ground..." She sighed and shook her head. This wasn't good. The mare surveyed the area again. In the distance there seemed to be a totem or altar or something. Maybe that could give a clue?
The Soquili stretched her legs and examined the claws on the end of them, wiggling each toe for good measure. She looked herself over for any possible damage, but found nothing but mud. What did happen? Her head pounded and flooded with questions. Maybe somebody at that altar could help.
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Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2014 9:05 am
As the mare approached, she could see several others. For a moment she smiled, relieved, until she saw one mare in particular. She was on the outskirts of the clearing, and she seemed to be arguing with something. Herself, maybe? This caused her to reexamine the other Soquili. They all were acting so strange. Or at least, she thought they were. She wasn't entirely sure what was normal, but she was fairly certain that waking up in a mud pit was not.
Each of the beings, Soquili as well as other animals, seemed to be looking up at the sky and pleading for something. They'd leave something, look up at the sky and ask for a family member or a friend, then hang their heads low and leave. After seeing several others do this, she looked up to the sky to see a brilliant star. How could a star solve somebody's problems? She watched the others some more and thought aloud. "Why am I here?"
As if in answer to her question, the mare on the outskirts fled in a wild panic. Her screams could be heard for quite some time before the mud-caked Soquili decided she should follow. Surely that couldn't be good, and nobody else seemed to care enough to check on her.
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Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2014 9:27 am
It was at this time that she found out her claws were less than wonderful for running. They dug into the ground with each stride, which caused a bit of discomfort to the mare. Regardless, she pushed on, determined to help. Not long after she'd begun, she caught up to the distressed mare, but tried to stay hidden. Her white eyes glowed brightly and appeared to smoke, giving her away in the darkness. The other mare shrieked and caused her to wince before stepping forward.
"It's okay... I heard you screaming and wanted to make sure you were all right."
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 7:23 pm
Cenotaph stood, frozen at the sight of the other mare. Beneath the mud-caked, dirty hair and pelt, something about her seemed familiar. She shook as she stared at the smoking eyes, her breath becoming heavy. After a few moments, she noticed the smoke coming from her back. "W... What are you?" She couldn't help but think of the horrid ghoul who lived alongside and inside of her. The thought horrified her.
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 7:35 pm
She thought carefully about the startled mare's question. Her brows furrowed and she frowned a little, unsure of how to answer. "Honestly? I... I don't know... I mean, I woke up, and all I can remember is being so scared. I was... I was in the ground. And I don't know how I got there. I looked around and there were all of these creatures looking up at a star and asking for things, and then I heard you scream, and I just... I just came to make sure you were okay. I don't know why, I just had to." She was becoming very confused, and she clawed at the ground a little. Her mind was flooded with questions, and none of them had any possible answer that would make sense. After a moment, she looked up at the other mare. "So... Are you okay, at least?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 7:46 pm
Cenotaph couldn't quite place why, but she felt somewhat at ease around this mare. As she listened to the mare speak, her breath steadied and her shaking lessened to the occasional tremor. "You mean... You came from the star?" Her eyes looked hopeful and she began to cry. "My wish was answered?" For the first time in a long time, she wasn't checking her shoulder or her back for a shadow. She smiled meekly through her tears and sighed, seemingly relieved. "I'm Cenotaph... I have this little... Thing that lives..." She paused. "Well, the thing is... I don't think it's alive. It's like. A spirit... Or something. My mother, she has many of them. But hers aren't like mine. This one... He's mean. He scares me. He makes me see things that I don't think I'd normally see. He... He does things." For another moment, the ghoul remained out of sight.
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 7:55 pm
The mare's confusion only grew. Came... From the star? Did that mean that she wasn't real? Or that maybe she didn't really belong here? How could a star suddenly just make her appear? Maybe this mare was crazy... Or just maybe, she was right. "Well... Hello, Cenotaph." Her mind flooded with more questions as she tried to comprehend what her new acquaintance was saying. She couldn't quite understand. Something living on her that isn't living? She certainly didn't see anything. Perhaps this mare was delusional. After a few moments, she felt rude and felt the need to introduce herself, at least. "I'm..." She paused. Who was she? Suddenly this whole star thing was starting to make more sense than anything she could come up with. "I'm unsure of what my name is..."
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 8:09 pm
Cenotaph frowned a little, not quite understanding why the mare was less excited than her. Surely this had to be big for her, too. Of course it was! She'd just found her purpose! "Well... I could give you a name if you wanted?" Without waiting for an answer, she grinned. "How about Chista Wakan Catori? It means, "fair star spirit." I think that fits you perfectly, don't you? Now let's go get you cleaned up. All that mud can't be very comfy." She nosed at the mare, something she'd never been bold enough to do to another Soquili before. "There's a river not far from here, and even though it might be a little cold, it'll get you clean pretty quick."
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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 12:32 pm
She dwelt for a moment at the strange new name and simply nodded her head, unable to think of a reason to argue with the calling. "Chista Wakan Catori..." The name was broken and something she'd never heard of before. "But it seems awfully long, doesn't it?" She was amazed by Cenotaph's persistence, and allowed her to push her forward. Her claws dug into the ground uncomfortably with each step, and she had to focus on her walking to prevent it. Every time she'd lift them, they would curl and she'd step on a bent toe. She could only imagine how much the water would sting, but it would be refreshing to get a drink. Her lips felt cracked and were covered in mud, and her mouth tasted of it. "Could you tell me more of this thing that lives with you? If you don't mind, of course." She looked up to the mare, hoping not to strike a sore spot.
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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 12:46 pm
Cenotaph giggled, something she hadn't done since she was a foal. "Well that's what nicknames are for, silly! How about Chista? Or Wakan? Or Catori? Or we could make it even shorter with Chis or Wak or Cat!" The glee in her eyes at this meeting was evident, and she felt like a child again. She hurried along as she made way to the spot she had spoken of. When the other mare asked her more of her ghoul, though, she stopped. The smile on her face faded and as if on cue, something began moving beneath her skin, appearing as a moving tumor just beneath it. "Oh dear. He must have heard you." Her face grew warm and her legs began to shake from nervousness. "Well, you see. When I was in my basket, I think it found me. It found a way in. And it whispered to me. It said kind things. It warned me of dangers. At first I thought it was a friend. I thought it was just trying to help. But the more I listened, the worse it got. The things it said seemed more like taunts... And I never knew if I should believe it. Because sometimes, it's right." Her eyes began to water as she spoke of her tormentor and she winced as it moved about just below her skin. "See, that's the scary part. I don't know if it's trying to hinder me, or protect me."
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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 12:54 pm
The mare's brow furrowed as she listened to her new friend speak of the spirit. She tried not to jump at the unsightly bump beneath her pelt, and thought maybe she understood. Chista pitied the mare. How could somebody go so long living this way? But she seemed okay now, at least. "Have you tried talking back to it? Will it converse with you?" She frowned a little, unsure of how she could help. "I mean, surely there has to be some way you can stand up to it... Or maybe even ask it what it wants." After a few moments of silence, curiosity got the best of her and she pressed her nose to one of the smoking gashes on the other mare's leg. "How'd you get those? I think I have some too..." She looked at her back, which had eerily similar cracks in it.
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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 1:00 pm
Cenotaph frowned and shook her head. "I tried talking to it once... Tried to make a deal. I think he bit me." She sighed, but tried to perk up. "But it's okay, because the spirits brought me you." The ghoul finally showed itself, creeping out of a crack on her shoulder and bolting for the cemetery on her back where it rattled the gate. She tried her best to ignore it, but winced a little. "I'm pretty sure I was born with them. I mean, I've had them since before I can remember. Everyone in my family does, really. Maybe that's the spirit's way of telling you that you were supposed to find me." She smiled hopefully, not wanting to scare the other mare.
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Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 2:21 pm
Chista's brows furrowed as she dug into the soft earth with her claws. "It bit you? Really?" She frowned and watched the ghoul wrench on the protrusions gaping from the other mare's back. "That... metal. And those stones. Did they grow from you? Were you born with them? Were they placed there?" The curious mare brought her nose close to the cemetery and blew at the ghoul, causing it to retreat. "That's right, get out of here." She seemed to ignore the mare's comment about her being meant to find her, and continued to examine the black stones. "It's just... Such an odd thing to be coming out of a living being."
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Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 2:44 pm
Cenotaph nodded at her new friend's question. "Yeah, it bites sometimes. Usually when I try to tell it to go away or it hears something it doesn't really like. And it pulls my hair, and shakes that gate across my back. I've never even done anything to it." She smiled brightly when Chista caused the ghost to flee. "See? Nobody's ever gotten him to do that before." Her smile slumped a little when she was asked about the small graveyard on her back. "Well, it kind of just started out as some bumps on my back, you know? And then they got bigger and started coming out, kind of like when you're little and your teeth are starting to grow, and eventually it just ended up being this, I guess." She didn't really like to think about the pain that the graveyard had caused growing up, but she was excited that the mare had shown interest. "Y'know, Chista, your eyes are kinda weird... They look like they're smoking, 'cept, the smoke isn't black or gray or anything like normal smoke. It's bright white."
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