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Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2016 6:45 pm
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Another day
Winter had hit the Kawani lands hard this year. Frost permeated the soil in early November and was threatening to linger long into spring. The days were cold even when the sky was clear and the sun shone brightly, and when the sun set at night the cold refused to let some rise the next morning. Straterra had no such luck and rose with the first rosy fingers of dawn. She blinked as the first rays of light hit her frozen face, taking a moment to let her mind catch up with reality. Be it from the deadening cold or the deep, dreamless sleep that she had woken form, her face felt heavy and her limbs weak, causing her to stumble from her dusty wallow to the pitcher of water. She punched through the icy surface and woke herself further with the freezing water. It did nothing. Even the icy berries that she crunched through haphazardly did nothing to wake her. Straterra lingered in half sleep still, stumbling angrily from one morning routine to the next. Water to clean her face, berries to fill her stomach, kick the dried grasses and leaves back into the shallow ditch that she'd worn in a pitiful semblance of a bed. All without truly thinking.
Another day.
Straterra hated mornings. The colors reminded her of her sister. Ambien looked like dawn, and even acted like it sometimes. The dawning of new life. She even had the soft color of dawn all over her body. Morning made Straterra ache for her lost sister, so she chose to hate everything about it. She turned her face away from the rising sun and began her slow, tired way back to her wallow to lay. Nothing else to do. She set her head on her hooves and huffed, sending plumes of snow glittering and swirling around her face.
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Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2016 9:09 am
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He hated winter Wholly, truly, deeply loathed it to his core. He was not a cold-weather soquili, yet his family chose to remain in this godforsaken place each season. He often questioned the wisdom of such a choice, but his whimsical mother would simply smile and wander away, seemingly even more spacey in winter than in the warmer months. He sighed heavily and rose from his slumbering place, shaking off the dirt and bits of moisture from he dew. He decided to talk a walk to warm up and watch the sun rise, which was about the only thing good about early mornings. He strolled down by the river, letting it guide him in his aimless journey as his eyes swept unfocused across the snow-covered land all lit up with the colors of the rising sun. It was truly lovely and he tried to soak it in, to experience it rather than simply see it. That was a lesson his mother taught him, whether she had meant to or not. He smiled to think of the diminutive mare. What an interesting twist for him and his sisters to be granted such a mother and father as they have. The spirits certainly had senses of humor.
As he rounded a bend a sound drifted to his ears. It was an unmistakable crunching sound, like someone smashing through ice. Curious, he altered his course towards the sound. It wasn't long before he spotted a mare going about her business. He was awkwardly close now, and he felt it would be rude not to say something, as surely she had spotted him or heard his crunching footfalls by now. "Hello there," he called, affecting a friendly tone with a smile. "It's a lovely morning, isn't it? A bit cold for my taste though."
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Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2016 10:38 am
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The only hint that Straterra gave that she had even heard the stallion speaking was that her ears swiveled around to meet the sound. She continued with her work, mechanically kicking empty baskets into a pile by a dead bush with her back hoof while she trampled snow down into a thin, compact sheet before covering it with mulch to aid in traction. Maybe if she just ignored him, the stallion would go away. So she worked, doing and redoing chores to keep herself busy and send a clear message to the stallion that he was not welcome. As she worked, Straterra's temper began to rise. There was a reason that she lived so very far away from everyone one and everything. She made it a point to keep to herself, even when trading and requesting services from the familiars in the area. She certainly stayed away from humans, who seemed either incapable or unwilling to communicate with her in any sensical way. And yet here was this stallion, standing in her home. He couldn't have just stumbled into her, this was planned. Who was he? What did he want?
As her temper began to rise, her actions became more and more violent. she kicked items, which turned into flinging them. She flattened her bed down for no reason, which quickly turned into trampling the dead leaves and grass into dust. She began to grunt as she worked, hunching over to turn bestial in both form and function. Finally, when she could not see for the crimson in her eyes she picked up the clay water vessel between her teeth and hurled it against the bulk of the stone that marked the western end of her dwelling. Ice and shrapnel flew to the left and the right and into Straterra's face, marking her with several thin red lines. She stood there for a long moment, remains of the vessel between her teeth, breathing hard. It was another long, quiet moment before she let it slip to the ground and coldly demanded "what do you want?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2016 11:05 am
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Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2016 11:14 am
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Straterra snorted and cruched the remains of the claw vessel underhoof. "Home hardly," she muttered, grinding the shards into the dust. "It's just a place to lie at night." And she hadn't really destroyed it... there wasn't much to destroy. Just dead plants to cushion her just slightly while she slept and moldering baskets to hold the meager food stores that she bothered to keep. Can't really destroy a ruin...
Her temper flared again at the stallion's outrageous accusations. Civility? Manners? She whirled to meet his face, pale eyes ablaze in fury. She approached him too quickly and forced herself into his space. "My problem," she mimiced with a sneer, "is that I neither asked for nor want your company and yet here you are. Manners and civility? How about not barging into someone's territory without invitation." She pressed into him further, using the force of her temper to drive him away. Normally it worked, and good thing too. If it ever came down to brute strength, Straterra might not stand a chance, malnourished from self neglect and sleeplessness. Not that she noticed the hollows in her own cheeks not the ribs that protruded from her sides.
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Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2016 11:35 am
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He didn't even flinch as she charged, unafraid of the skinny mare. However imposing she thought she was, he was a large stallion - and also a predator. She couldn't hope to frighten him. In her unkempt state she wouldn't even be worth hunting, let alone fighting. He was irritated at her attitude, and perhaps a little curious why she was this way, though he wouldn't admit to that. His practiced predator's eyes were examining her and despite her malnourished state he couldn't help but notice her graceful curves. He tried to refocus his mind on the matter at hand.
"Territory?" He sarcastically looked around as the desolate plot of land. "Oh yeah, no I see why you're upset someone would intrude here. Not only is it super remote and hard to stumble into accidentally, but it's super nice too. Wouldn't want reckless rogues wandering around wrecking the place." He snorted with amusement, turning his attention back to her, locking eyes with her almost in challenge. He didn't plan on budging just because she was irritable.
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Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2016 11:49 am
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If the stallion wasn't going to budge, then neither was Straterra. She stood right where she was, nose to nose with the stallion. She gritted her teeth as he spoke, not out of offense for what he said about her home, but out of rage that he was still here. He knew where she lived. He saw how she lived. He admitted that it was hard to find accidentally and yet here he was, demanding her to act with civility in her own home when he had imposed himself on her. The impudence. The absolute gal--
Her mother's voice in her mind. Straterra's eyes widened by miles and she recoiled in on herself. She brushed the debris out of her way, now regretting the loss of a water vessel.
"What do you want," she repeated, defeat clear in her voice as she tidied up the mess she had made. She may not live in a palace, and her belongings may be in less than mint condition, but she hated to live among clutter. So she stacked the baskets neatly now and tried her best to fluff the dead leaves of her bed. "Manners and civility, and yet here you are, unwanted and unwelcome, imposing yourself on me and to what end? You even said that there was nothing here for you, not even convenience."
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Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2016 11:58 am
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He couldn't help but admire her grit, but was relieved she stood down. He was a stubborn stallion and he certainly was not going to do it. Still, the sudden change her expression, while sudden and gone as quickly as it had come, hinted at something deep inside her. He took another look around, really seeing everything for the first time. She wasn't just some a*****e alone in the wilderness, she was running from her demons out here. He felt somewhat guilty for being a jerk, but not enough to apologize. Instead he silently started picking up her things as well, helping her to put things right. "I wasn't here looking for any convenience, or anything at all. I was taking a morning stroll and stumbled upon you." He bit is tongue before reminding her that she had been the one instigating this rude exchange. "Why do you live out here alone?" He decided to ask instead.
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Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2016 8:41 pm
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He accepted her silence without complaint, himself not a fan of idle chatter. He let her guide him on where things went and went about trying to clean things up. It wasn't too bad a spot, if a bit sparse on food sources - for him anyway. He didn't know how the grass-eaters survived in winter. He barely tolerated it himself and was perhaps on the leaner side, though was still impressive in his stature. She was tired, he could see it. There was something deep inside her that was troubling her, but it wasn't his business to pry.
"Ironically enough I came out here to gain some solitude myself. My family lives not too far from here, and my sisters were working my last nerve. I needed some peace." He shrugged. He was loyal to his family, but he enjoyed having breaks from them. More and more lately, it seemed. He craved something else, something he couldn't quite place in his mind. "Where does your family live?"
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Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 9:20 am
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Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 11:20 am
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Fatal Irony It would give him a reason to hang out with her! 8D Did you wanna wrap up this RP here, though?
Straterra followed his eyes and nodded in something like approval. It did look better, even if not ideal. Then again, did Straterra really have an ideal for her home? If she could even call it that. Maybe he wasn't so bad. He didn't talk much, didn't demand much. Straterra might even be able to pretend that he wasn't there at all. That was ideal company for her. Perhaps he could stay... it would be beneficial to have another body around to keep things tidy, maybe even keep boredom and her own demons at bay with the simple act of being there. Maybe.
And then the stallion began rambling on and on about family. So much for being welcome. Straterra felt her lip curling involuntarily as he spoke, and she fought herself to stay calm. Like he knew anything about her or what she needed or wanted. Her tail flicked in annoyance, waiting for him to stop speaking. Not trusting herself to remain civil if she spoke (since he did help her clean, she felt he wasn't deserving, at this moment, of her venom) she only shook her head at his offer, adding in a slipped, "I have no intention of being anyone's burden."
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Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 9:10 pm
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