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 Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 6:53 am
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Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 7:15 am
Spring was in full force in the Kawani lands, the days rapidly becoming longer and hotter. Amitorlin was on the hunt for the ripe berries and fruits that would finally be ready to harvest in the meadows. She stepped lightly, her kirin hooves light and friendly against the ground. It was important to her to make sure when they were harvesting berries that they wouldn't take anything that would permanently damage the plant. Baskets hung from her back as they stepped into the meadow, her nervousness beginning to build up. She hardly ever left her herdlands, but at least she wasn't alone.
Candy was pleased as punch to be accompanying Amitorlin on his mission. Unlike the shy kirin, this young lady loved to explore and meet new faces. While she was primarily looking for food and such, she was - like always - also on the look out for medicinal herbs and the like. She trotted with an enthusiastic spring in her step; trotting out into the meadow and seeking out those tell-tale spots of color. She took a deep breath - spring was by far her favorite season despite being born in the darkest of winter.
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Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 8:49 am
 Ever since Ashling had begun to venture from her mountain home, she had a hard time staying put. She knew it was risky to leave the rocky cliffs when it wasn't snowy or raining, but ever since having seen some new faces, smiling ones who didn't balk at her strange appearance, it became a little... addictive.
However, when fires had raged across the Kawani lands, Ashling had nearly been sent back into forced isolation and nervous panic. She hadn't helped start them? Had she? She kept second-guessing herself, trying to make sure she hadn't wandered too far into the dry grasses or flammable materials. She didn't think she had... but the nightmares came. The guilt for problems in the past, and the worry about the future.
She hadn't dared step hoof out of the mountains in months. Not until the rains came once again, and she felt like she would go crazy from the isolation. She found a way, traveling in the shallows of the riverbed, and she'd see where it led her. Today.... it seemed to a beautiful meadow!
 Nocturne had been finding excuses not to return back to the tangled forest of the shadow herd. She had left when Taraxippus had put out the call to arms, refusing to participate in starting a war. She had traveled, met a friendly mare, and now, even though she had set to go back to her home, the protective, hidden trees.... every time she turned back to face the forest her stomach churned. She wasn't ready to face him, to be ostracized again even among the monsters. What if they didn't let her back in? But yet, how could she condone what was going on ? She knew that the war that Taraxippus was starting was probably going strong now. Maybe she could slip back in.... but how would she feel if she were there when he returned? A coward, a traitor.
No.
She headed east instead. Risked being spotted by someone who would fear her. She almost felt like she deserved it. A beautiful meadow stretched out before her and she saw a few colorful mares had gathered. Swallowing her anxiety, she forced herself forward.
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Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 9:40 am
It seemed just her luck. As soon as she was beginning to relax with the help of her outgoing companion, two figured emerged in the meadow. While they didn't look threatening per se, they were certainly enough to give Amitorlin a pause. She tensed up at their approach, and tugged on the long braided tail of her companion in warning. From what she knew about Candy Striper, she might run right up to them!
She did her best not to judge.... after all the protector of their very own herd was quite a frightening looking stallion himself, though he was very nice. You can't judge a book from its cover, but it still made the mare uneasy...
"We can come back later," she said, her voice barely audible over the ambient breeze of the meadow. She gave a gentle but insistent tug on Candy Striper's tail. Her muscles were tense and ready to run... just in case.
Candy Striper, on the other hand, was pleased as punch to see more Soquili gathering in the meadow. She gave a little whinny of excitement and, just as Amitorlin had predicted, started to head off in their direction. She felt the little tug on her tail and looked back with a creased brow at her more timid comrade. "Come back? Why? I think I see some lovely berries just right over there!"
She caught the worried express on her friend's face and it dawned on her exactly why she wanted to leave. "Oh, I see..." she said, unable to keep the disappointment out of her voice. "Don't worry, I"m sure they're fine."
Ignoring the tug on her tail, she stepped forward. "Hello there!" she called out towards them.
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Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 11:59 am
The water was up to Ashling's knees as she made such a splashing, a little delibearately as she decided she was going to have fun with herself.. or at least try. The steam - as usual- rose like mist from the edge of the water.
She almost didn't notice the other soquili in the meadow she was so enraptured with the splishing and the flowers that had managed to emerge after the fires. But a bright flash of color caught her eye as she saw three mares - two bright and cheery, and one very dark. Danger didn't even enter her mind.
"HI! Hello!" Her tail waved as she held her place in the river. "I ah, if you wanted something to drink, don't let me stop you!"
There it was. She could read it all over the colorful mare's face: fear. Her ears lay back, but this time she swallowed hard and didn't stop, didn't turn around like she had in the past, didn't fly away or hide in the shadows. She had a right to be in this meadow.
What if she had been born pretty or colorful like that mare? How different would her life have been?
The other mare, though - a unicorn - brown and pink seemed...cheerful? Nocturne's eyes narrowed at the mixed messages. But silently, she went over to find the river. She was thirsty. But there, coming from the river was yet another mare. This one was different. Fire and a ... stony hide?
She paused, looking before the three and feeling more than a little like a fish in a net. She froze.
"I... ah.... I..." She stuttered,mind trying to deal with stress.
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Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 12:17 pm
She was right. Before she could argue, Candy was off and introducing herself. Part of her wanted to go back home, but she knew she couldn't leave Candy Striper alone. So she just held back and stayed quiet, letting Candy get her enthusiasm out of her system.
"Oh thank you," Candy said to the mare in the water. She looked on, fascinated by the water seemed to be boiling around her. She hadn't really intended on a drink, but now that she thought about it, a drink sounded nice.
"That's a cool trick," she said. Cayden flew in hard and fast to the meadow. He landed, shaking out his wings as he did so. He had been gone some this area for many months, and now he was back and ready to mingle. He took an inventory of the meadow so far, and saw a healthy gathering of mares. He liked that ratio.
One little kirin girl was hanging back near the tree line, while two others were having a conversation by the lake. Then there was a dark stoney mare who seemed a bit flustered. "Hello there," he asked cautiously.
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Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 12:39 pm
"Oh thankyou!" Ashling said bashfully to the pretty unicorn. "I wish it were a trick, but thank you anyway."
Nocturne squeezed her eyes shut and breathed. In. Out. In. Out.
One... Two... Three...
More were showing up, and Nocturne felt increasingly fenced in and uncomfortable.  A slender kalona mare positively slithered out of the trees as she surveyed the spring flowers and gaggle of insipid soquili that had found their way to the meadow. Such trivial creatures. Had there been fewer of them, maybe she'd have some more fun. But of the bunch, there was only one stallion. Less interesting all the more. Although there were two rather ... strange... looking mares. She watched warily for a few moments before deciding there was no threat. Her tail flipped up, coaxing her dark shadow from the woods and giving him the all-clear.
"This is a good place to find what we need," she purred to Warlock, "Plants that have grown from tragedy, from the rampaging fires. They will be very effective in the spells and potions." She didn't care who listened.
Following after Disnia but by no means in any sort of deferential manner was a large kalona. He stepped out into the sunlight, squinting briefy before wandering further out into the open and surveying the gathering. Kalona were seldom welcome among others, but he didn't care if they stared. IF they raised issue with him, he would visit it right back on him. He wasn't ashamed of what he was, wasn't scared of their fear. He felt powerful. In control.
His eyes visited the tangled herbs that Disnia mentioned. "Yes, that is excellent."
He lifted his head as another stallion landed in the clearing. Curved horns seemed to indicate perhaps some kalona in his lineage, but if so, it was watered down...
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Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 2:20 pm
Cayden blinked as the mare began to slowly rock, and his eyes widened uncertainly. "Ohhh..kay," he said after a moment. "I'll just... leave you be."
He took a few steps back and gave a snort. What was up with her? He took a few mouthfulls of green spring grass before two others made their way into the meadow. His ears swiveled forward as he watched them, but waited for them to approach him; apparently today wasn't his best day for trying to initiate conversations.
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Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 2:35 pm
Disnia nodded to what looked like a cluster of tangled leaves. "Coltsfoot," She identified to Warlock. "Usually a medicinal herb, but many medicinal herbs have a dual purpose in the right concentrations. And grown in the right conditions, such as the misfortune of the fires, it can be particularly portent. We should gather a good amount of this. It has been quite some time since the wildfires have been as bad as they were this season.
She looked up, flashing Warlock a winking glance before interposing herself between him and the only other stallion in the meadow. "Why hello," She purred seductively, enjoying this game, and brazenly flirting right in front of her mate. They were far from a conventional pair.
Warlock nodded to Disnia and began to gather up some of the coltsfoot, and a few of the other herbs he could identify that grew in the meadow. He knew Disnia, his pet very well. She had a very different... skillset... than the stallion possessed. She knew how to use her wiles to finangle valuable information. He was not jealous, he knew how thoroughly he possessed her. She was his pet, after all. His minion. And in a strange way, the kalona had a note of respect for her and her indepenedence... in a strange way.
She was his prize, a direct recognition from Kalona. She had been sent to him, after all. He would not clip her wings. She might flirt with other stallions, but she followed his commands.
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Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 2:52 pm
Cayden swallowed and let his eyes wander over the pink and purple mare, a lop-sided smile spreading over his face. "Hello," he said, his voice low and smooth. He tossed his thick orange mane over his shoulder and sauntered over with his head high and confident.
"Lovely day today," he said, looking around the meadow, giving a quick glance to the large, imposing purple stallion that she seemed to have come with. A lover? Maybe a father..
..yes, he'll stick with father for now. ]
Dulii loved the feel of the sun on her wings as she circled outside the meadow. She saw several Soquili milling around and having conversations below her, but she was on the lookout for certain plants, not friends. Not that she was against making friends of course; and she really needed to find somewhere to settle down so she could perfect her cultivating techniques.
She caught the sight of some coltsfoot and she began to spiral down, landing close to a massive purple Kalona. "Good day," she said politely, then began to nose around the coltsfoot looking for some great young specimens.
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Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 3:37 pm
Warlock narrowe his eyes as another new arrival approached and showed an interest in the coltsfoot that he had been cultivating. He didn't disguise his irritation, as in his mind he had already laid claim to the herbs. However... she was no simple regular, or even a unicorn. She was a hippogriff. Not to be trifled with. And if she was interested in the herbs, perhaps she knew something of the arts. He bit back on an aggressive comback, but slowly lifted shining, scrutinizing eyes to her. "I don't believe I offered them to you."
 Beltane wandered into the populated glen with a wide smile. It had been a very, very long time since he had felt as at peace in the world around him. The fires had challenged his beliefs, at first making him question whether he was a bad omen, if the Fire that he had been associated with, he had accepted as his totem was wrong. Or if, at the very least, it had been angered.
But he felt like he, too, had gone through a change along with the lands. An epiphany and understanding as to what good fire could bring, even if the cleansing was a difficult trial.
And almost as if rewarded by the spirits themselves, it was after this epiphany that he had come to find the fiery bird familiar, Tein-Eigin.
The field was beautiful and just another example of the beauty that fire could bring about with a little patience.
He couldn't help but overhear a conversation, however, and walked over to the birdlike mare, unlike anything he'd seen before, and a glowering stallion, "It looks like there is plenty for two..."
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Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 3:47 pm
]
Dulii's smile faded from her face and she looked up at the stallion, raising a very skeptical eyebrow. "Excuse me?" she said, her lip curling in distaste. She was perfectly fine being polite, but if someone was going to be rude to her, she had no problem being rude right back. She didn't even seem to care that he was Kalona; rather by lack of experience or lack of common sense it was hard to tell.
She looked up from her examination of the youngling coltsfoot and the feather's on the back of her head raised like an agitated cockatoo. She opened her mouth to say something else, when a handsome stallion trotted up. Damn straight there was enough for two. "Yeah!" she said, agreeing with him.
She snorted and took a step closer to the stallion, giving him a small smile and a nod. She didn't know why he was standing up for her, but she appreciated it nonetheless.
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Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 5:53 pm
Before the Kalona had a chance to respond to the lovely avian mare, Beltane stepped up alongside her. He was awfully large, and Beltane had been raised with stories of horrors and demons that lived outside of the elusive cerynei herd. And although in his travels, most of the soquili Beltane had encountered were genial enough, his fellow certainly seemed to fit the stories...
"There is another patch not to far from here if this...." Beltane tried to find a word that wouldn't rouse his ire more, "... stallion... isn't willing to share. Even though there is more than enough for two."
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