|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2015 3:39 am
[This is a private self-roleplay with Teh Cheryl & Polar's herd.]
It started slowly.
The first winter was a mix of dream and wish and memory. It was just Orchu, who no one could remember as anything but their strong yet silent leader, who was but the barest of thoughts, warm and snug and buried within layers of wicker and cotton. The first snow of the season had come, the barest flurries of ice swirling in the crisp mountain air. Each flake glimmered in the firelight, dancing and weaving in the night sky. “Wait until you see, little one,” a soft voice had said, muddled through the layers of warm fabric, “Wait until you see.”
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2015 11:07 pm
The second winter was calm. The herd had grown. In a short year it had gone to Orchu, tall and strong but still young, to a group that could actually be call a true herd. Auri had enfolded herself in, galloping her way into Orchu’s trust and friendship, her heart shining of gold that could be seen even by the blind. Demon was next, who despite the pomp and arrogance, held himself to be true and loyal. Then Orchu’s daughter, Nora, was born—who added to their ever increasing number with Orion and Mocha tumbling their way into the clearing, fresh and fierce and kind. Avaru and Damascus meandered in as a pair, disparate in appearance and personality but bonded together by something unknown, whether it friendship or animosity.
Despite the chaos of the year, despite the tumbling and fighting and loving and excitement, the first snow of that year was calm. A fire blazed in the center of the clearing as it did every night as the nights grew colder and came earlier. The sun had long set, and Nora was curled next to the fire, flanked by Mocha and Orion on each side. She nuzzled each in turn, fretting over Orion’s mane and Mocha’s soft coat. Orion fussed at being treated like a foal but basked in his mother’s affection while Mocha simple smiled sweetly, leaning herself against her mother and sharing the warmth of their bodies. Orchu and Auri stood as sentinels, standing side-by-side exchanging quiet words while Rami and Lux tussled playfully at their feet. Damascus was found in his customary lazy sprawl, limbs haphazardly stretched against the cold grass with one eye on the twinkling stars above. Avaru stood nearby, nibbling absently on the grass, his eyes darting anxiously between everyone.
It was Demon who stood up as the snow began to fall, who craned his head up toward the sky to watch as the flurries started to sprinkle down into the clearing, drifting to and fro like miniscule feathers falling from the sky. It was Demon who gave the smallest whinny of happiness, who flicked his tail to signal is delight, and who smiled up up up into the sky at the first snow. Moir lingered on the outskirts, half-hidden in the shadows, studiously ignoring the lot of them.
But it was Nora who started to sing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2015 11:15 pm
By the second year their numbers doubled, growing larger than any of them ever dreamed. It was easy to forget how large their herd had become, as everything came and went to their own beat, visiting mates and children or off exploring for daysweeksmonths at a time.
But still, on that first snow, by chance by luck by fate, they were all together. And again it was Demon who gave the first holler of joy, Nora who started the low hum with her children. But it was Cera who dropped the holly, Eury who brought the ribbons, and Imperio who started to dance.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2015 11:20 pm
This year started just like all the other, but now less by chance and more by choice. Each of them had looked up at the sky that day, stared up at the grey clouds that covered the normally bright blue winter sky, felt the shift in the air, the barest hint of moisture and the slightest caress of a breeze.
Each of them looked up at the sky and then started their slow way home.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 1:25 am
Whatever it was, he loved loved loved it. He came back down on all four legs, feeling the strain of his muscles from standing in such as unnatural position from him. He took a couple of deep breaths, amusing himself for a moment as he watched the each exhale create a plume of vapor in the air. He blew out an extra time just for fun, watching the cold vapor slowly scatter around him. Having regained his breathe, he started to shimmy again, offbeat to the tune that Nora and Auri were humming. What he especially loved, about the winter festivalpartywhatever was all the dancing, the moving, the shaking, the shimmying. Imperio loved to be in motion, he loved to feel the sweat on his back and the brush of his mane and tail as he tossed himself around. It was freeing in a way that he didn’t quite comprehend.
He danced on other days. Danced when he was with Keahi, prancing around her to music she didn’t hear. He danced with Orion in the mornings and evenings when they met, bumping and jostling each other. He danced with sweet, shy Cera, nudging her this way and that way as he kicked his feet up.
But the dance of the first snow. This one was special. This was the time for him to dance with his first family, the ones who found him and loved him beyond regard. This family, bound by thin threads of blood and ropes of choice, is the family he dances for.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 5:36 pm
Shiranai’s neck was stretched over her mother back, eyes closed in contentment. Nixsi craned her neck down to watch the gentle rising and falling of her daughter’s chest and gave a playful, gently n** to her ear, watching it twitch slightly. Nixsi giggled softly in amusement at the movement, enjoying the various twitches from her normally still and silent daughter.
Nixsi loved all of her children so very much. She rarely saw some of them, those who had moved away shortly after they were old enough to talk or those who spent most of the time with their father. She visited them often enough but she selfishly wished she could see all of them and her dearest Kai everyday like she did Silhouette and Shiranai. She wished she could share this night with her other children.
But, she thought, as Silhouette looked up at her with his soft, gentle eyes and even softer smile, she was glad she could at least share this with these two.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 7:44 pm
However, it was getting a little colder, the wind had picked up and the snow fall was faster than it was before. She eyed the herd, eyes flitting from one to another before landing on Nixsi cuddling with two of her children. Nixsi was always kind to her (though Nixsi was always kind to everyone). Cera had always felt closest to the mare, them having joined the herd within days of one another. In those early days, when Cera had been so scared and too shy to say much of a word to anyone, Nixsi had been the one to start their conversation. Nixsi, sweet and kind Nixsi, had been the one to join Cera in the flower fields and talk about everything and nothing.
So Cera, still shy but much less scared than she had been all those years ago, went to join her friend for the night.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2016 5:38 am
Nixsi gave her son a nudge as she saw Cera shuffle over, her head only slightly dipped downward. She already knew what Cera wished for before she even say the other mare’s soft, beseeching look in her eyes. Silhouette, bless him, shiffled over, making enough space for Cera to gracefully wedge herself in the pile.
Nixsi nudged the mare in greeting, bumping their noses together affectionately. Despite being the same age, Nixsi always felt protective over the other. The poor dear was always so skittish, especially around strangers, and it made Nixsi want to wrap around her and keep her safe. “Come join us, my dear,” she said, lightly, motioning with her head to spot that would sandwich the pink mare between Nixsi and her son. “It is quite dreadfully cold, after all. We wouldn’t want you to catch something.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2016 8:23 am
Cera responded to Nixsi’s nose bump, feeling a tingle of affection for the mare sweep over her. She felt bad for having displaced Silhouette out from the curled up form of his mother, but she knew that Nixsi would be hurt if she left now. Cera gracefully folded herself down, pressing her side up against the pale blue mare’s, reveling in the warmth that emanated from the other and the orange glow of the raging bonfire. (She could still see the remains of the holly branch, half hidden in the flames, she had brought with her, a branch that she had carefully pulled from the tree once she saw the first hint of snow as she did every year.) Sihouette shuffled in a little closer in response, ever faithful, to close the gap between the bodies and offer her shelter against the wind with his larger bulkier frame. Cera offered a tentative smile to the stallion in thanks and giving his neck a slow, shy nuzzle of affection in return.
Cera had watched Silhouette and Shiranai grow up, from baskets and into their young adulthood. She had always loved foals and had always loved to watch them play. More than once she had offered to babysit for Nixsi and Kai to have some time alone, more so when Silhouette was born than his younger sister. She used to take him out to the valley and watch him play in her favorite flower patch in the spring. He used to bring her all sorts of wildflowers from the surrounding area, burying her in a rainbow of flowers that he’d then, oh-so-seriously, carefully weave into her mane and tail. Her eyes twinkled at the memory and, feeling bold, tugged lightly on his mane before resting her chin against his flank and closed her eyes, humming in tune with Nora and listening to the breathing of her family.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2016 1:15 pm
Imperio finally took a moment’s rest, his chest heaving steadily as he gulped down deep breaths. He could feel the sweat dripping down his neck, having tired himself out dancing. Orion had collapsed long ago, heaving himself dramatically onto the ground before crawling himself into a tight wedge between his mother and Auri. Imperio had continued to dancing, kicking and bucking alone and out of sync with the music. Sometimes, others would join him for a spell—Crème who despite herself had joined into the festivities or War with Admiral looking disinterested on from the sidelines.
Now that Imperio had stopped moving, he could feel the chill of the cold winter air against him, send a shiver down his spine as it hit his soaked skin. He could see his own breath as he breathed in and out deeply in an attempt to calm his heart. He amused himself for a moment, blowing out air and watching the vapor form and disperse. He let out a happy knicker as he blew out another time, his time flicking upward in happiness.
It was a good night, he thought, with a grin as he started trotting toward Orion with an upbeat sway. It was a very good night.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 29, 2016 12:25 am
Nixsi continued to hum, contently, as she nuzzled her son, She missed all of her children, scattered as they were but she felt lucky that she was able to see Silhouette and Shiranai as often as she could. They were both long grown into adults, but she couldn't help but dote on them when they allowed it. Shiranai, quiet and solitary as she was, allowed it and returned it with her own brand of reserved affection. Silhouette too, allowed her careful and affectionate nuzzles, though she knew he enjoyed it more than he cared to admit. Her son always attempted stoicism and reservation, but she knew him well. Despite his often blank façade he kept, she could read the affection in his eyes and how he’d lean ever so closer to her each time.
She hummed her favorite lullaby, the one she had invented when she was first pregnant with Silhouette and Seimei. It clashed with the upbeat vocals that Auri and War chirped from across the bonfire, but it was low and sweet, barely heard against the backdrop of Imperio and Orion’s cantering about. She gave Silhouette another sweet nuzzle, burying her nose into his mane and letting the hairs tickle her eyelashes. She bit down softly on a few stray strands and groomed them back into place, unmindful of her son’s embarrassment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 29, 2016 1:24 am
He manfully bore his mother’s attention now, though, despite the growing blush that creeped to his cheeks. He leaned in slightly to her touch, enjoying the feeling of her soft nose brushing against the side of his head affectionately. He could hear her humming their lullaby, the one she used to hum to him and Seimei when they were young and the one that always made his heart soar a little because that song was made for them, him and his older sister. When Shiranai, Sestos, and Seraph had been born, their mother had created a new song for them. This song, though, this song was for him.
He finally turned to his mother and smiled a soft, shy smile that was made only for her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 29, 2016 2:03 am
Cera nickered in amusement as she watched Nixsi with her son, with Silhouette trying so hard to be manfully indifferent against the loving and obvious affection of his mother. Nixsi had always been so free with her affection, with her family and her friends. Cera had always envied the mare for her ability to be so comfortable with her emotions. The mare gave her affections so freely, even to strangers that it was a wonder that no one had taken advantage of the sweetheart before.
As she watched the pair, she knew that if anyone ever tried to harm Nixsi, now though, Silhouette would raise hell. The stallion was so mild-mannered most days that it was easy to forget he was there. He came off as stern and laconic to most of the herd that most didn’t realize how passionate the stallion really was. He had been such a sweet foal, she recalled. He used to follow her down to the valley in the spring and summer and chase butterflies around the valley while Cera lounged in the field of wildflowers. He had even insisted once, she remembers fondly, of picking wildflowers for her that he then painstakingly wove through her hair.
As he had grown older, he had gotten more serious and less free with his laughs and smiles, but Cera would always look at him and remember.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 29, 2016 2:14 am
Nixsi loved her son’s smile. He offered it so rarely nowadays that she worried for him. As time had gone on, he had become progressively more serious. Gone were the days of him following her and Cera down to the valley, where he would spend the day frolicking through the flowers or getting muddy as he played in the stream. Part of her worried, sometimes, that maybe it was her fault. Silhouette and Seimei were still foals when she became pregnant again and were still quite young when their three younger siblings were born. Silhouette had been protective of his younger siblings, Shiranai most of all as she had been the youngest and frailest of the three. She hadn’t noticed it at the time, but she wondered if she and Kai should have waited until Silhouette and Seimei were grown before they had more children.
Silhouette had stopped his adventures soon after his younger siblings were born, Nixsi recalled. She had been exhausted for several days after, curled up around the baskets while the rest of the herd had hovered around the four. Silhouette had scarcely left her side during the time, curling up worriedly nearby, his gaze shifting between herself and the three foals safety ensconced in their warm, safe baskets. He hadn’t left the baskets unattended even after Nixsi had recovered her strength, nosing them closer together nervously and keeping watch over them even from the other side of the mountain top clearing the herd called their home.
Nixsi had found it endearing, proud of her son for taking such care over her siblings. Even know, she feels an extra burst of affection for her wonderful, wonderful child. But, she thinks, as she looks at his rare and small small smile, she wonders if maybe she should have waited.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 29, 2016 2:24 am
Silhouette tentatively bumped his nose against his mother’s neck, her eyes having glazed over for a moment as she got lost in thought. He wondered for a moment what she was thinking about, but did not speak up to ask. It was not his business and he would respect his mother’s privacy, despite his own curiosity. His mother did not often spend her time daydreaming or get lost in her memories—she had always been so grounded in reality and the present.
He loved her more than he could ever describe.
He wondered if it was a side effect of having rarely seen his father growing up. Kai had visited as often as he was able for he knew Kai loved his mother deeply, but their herds were never particularly close to one another and Kai was no more willing to leave his herd than his mother was to leave theirs. It was a curious arrangement, in Silhouette’s eyes, but not an uncommon one. Even Imperio’s mate Keahi lived down the mountainside, closer to the forests and the valleys as opposed to the frigid mountain top. Other than Shiranai, actually, he rarely saw his siblings though his mother would sometimes speak of them in passing. He knew, though, that even she rarely saw her children except for him and Shiranai.
Silhouette was almost ashamed to admit that he jealously hoarded his mother’s attention when he could. His mother was always so free her love and affection that there was always plenty for everyone.
But, but…
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
