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 Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2017 5:08 pm
 Kinak had left his sister and the graveyard to forage. He hadn't been eating enough for his bulk the last two days and it was beginning to effect him. He also saw no sign of his mate. Had he been abandoned? Had Nash truly run off to never return? His shoulders felt too light without his hunting horn, which his sister took. Unable to call for Nash, Kinak had dedicated himself to sulking. Which he proved to be good at.
The dry grass growing around the thick trees was bitter and sharp against his tongue. But the giant made do with what little he had energy to find. He used his small antlers to dig the grasses up from their sweeter roots before consuming them. It took a long while before his belly would stop its noise. Looking up, dirt covering his mouth, he saw a flash of red. His eyes narrowed at the specter of a stallion. The gravekeeper was making sure his grounds were safe. And he happened to cross the path of a moody giant.
"Hey! You better not be watching on me!" Kinak shouted to get the stallion's attentions. He was his sister's good friend so he wouldn't do anything to him. But that did not mean Kinak himself was super happy with the male that attacked Nash. The warrior that chased his little Nishka off was now alone...with him. Would he get the same treatment? No, or he would have already. But why was he still here and not moving off? Kinak approached him slowly.
"What brings you here...warrior?" the giant huffed not bothering to puff himself up. He had forgotten the other's name and there was no recovering that pride now.
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Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2017 6:55 pm
 Life was distinctly at an uneasy tipping point for the crimson stallion. Never in all his life would he have imagined that his home would be housing a despised beast. A skinwalker. Granted one that had not yet acted like a skinwalker as he thought it should. It didn't help that his mate favored the beast, and was willing to give it a chance. Veslo was positive the skinwalker had hoodwinked Tove, her brother, and his own mate; despite all the warnings he'd provided. It was as if those warning had simply flown out of his mind. He, meanwhile, was still waiting for the proverbial ax to fall.
The stallion wasn't comfortable staying at home anymore. He only went back when he absolutely had to. The graveyard had been neglected badly the last few days. He didn't want to be predictable though. It could open himself up to attack. He kept his guard constantly up as well. Veslo stalked through the trees. He hadn't obviously run into the skinwalker since that first day, but he kept getting the feeling of eyes upon his back. It gave him the heebee-jeebies, and he started at any small sound.
A deep unexpected voice startled him easily, although Veslo tried not to show it. He turned, peering between his forelock to see Tove's brother amid turned up snow. What was his name again? Whatever. He curled his lip in distaste. "Why would I bother watching you? It's your so called mate that I'm concerned with." And making sure that same mate didn't murder the small life he'd put together. Although, now that he thought about it, that was almost a good idea. Surely the skinwalker would come to see his "mate"?
"Vigilance," he replied crisp and promptly, with a bit of an air of superiority. The title the giant stallion gave him, almost caused him a bit of amusement. Veslo had never ever considered himself a warrior before. He had no special training or skills. He was only doing as he felt he should, protecting those who couldn't or wouldn't protect themselves. "And what are you doing out here?" He eyed the turned up snow suspiciously. "Digging graves for your mate's murders?" He had every right to be suspicious. Perhaps the skinwalker had made a slave of this large stallion.
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Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2017 8:05 pm
Kinak sneered, a tight smile splitting his face. He could feel an ancient giant rage bubble up from in him, ready to defend the honor of himself and his family. He tossed his head, his posture changing. He loomed over Velso showing his heritage.
"Yes, this one is for your sense of humor. Hold on while I dig one large enough for your ego," snorted the giant beginning to carve a hole with his hooves.
He circled the red stallion, making sure to bop him with his braided tail as he pushed past him abandoning his hole. He plodded off a little further.
"I was looking for food. I do not wish to bother the females with my meager needs,"he huffed. Looking out past the treeline, a great sigh escaped him billowing frost into the air. He squinted as if trying to see where Nash could be hiding. He didn't want to believe that he had been left. Nash couldn't have. Not after all this time.
"Your mate...she worries about you," the giant rumbled not turning to look Veslo in the eye. He was not a threat after all or he would have attacked him already. "She is tired. And worried. Still you do not come home to her. What makes you different than Nishka at this point? You attacked him and did not care about harming me. And you bring worry to your house even now. Just as Nishka makes me worry. Other than him eating birds and not grass...what makes you...no us...what makes us different?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2017 3:06 pm
The crimson stallion stood his ground against the bigger giant. This was his home, his responsibility! He would do whatever was necessary to protect it. Even if it meant his life, which he really hoped it wouldn't.
"So the fool can mock me. Go ahead. You won't stop me from doing what I feel is right!" His yellow eyes narrowed with anger. Veslo kicked at the offending braid as it smacked him. While he would much rather have kicked the larger stallion, he restrained himself. This stallion was at least a guest. At the mention of food, he took a practiced glance around where they were. Not even he would touch this, except in the hardest part of winter.
"You don't know anything." Clearly this stallion needed someone to look after him. At least he wasn't bothering his mate about it. Veslo almost snapped when he mentioned Char, but closed his lips as he was told she was worried. He was worried about her too. She and Tove stayed so open to possible attack by the beast. He was afraid of what he'd find any time he did return home. His imagine did not paint a pretty picture.
"Because he is a killer. I presume you have at least some dignity since you aren't a skinwalker. Until you prove otherwise of course." He was willing to believe most soquili had no desire to harm his family or friends. Kalona he knew could be trouble too, or not. It depended. Skinwalkers on the other hoof, there was no leniency. They killed for sure pleasure.
He consider the questions without looking at Kinak. What made them different? "Never in my life would I kill another except in self defense." Velso couldn't swear that he'd never kill another. If a skinwalker attacked, or anyone for that matter, attacked what he held dear then he'd do his best to end the threat permanently. "I bet you can't say the same about your mate. They are natural born killers. That is all they know, and do."
Now he turned to face the giant, slightly puzzled. "Just how did you meet him?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2017 9:29 pm
Kinak laughed, a bellowing sound coming from deep inside him. It took a few minutes for the stallion to calm himself enough to answer the questions presented to him. He looked at Velso, his expression twisted between a sneer and a more grim look.
"Who says I am not a killer? If you claimed to be a giant I would kill you on the spot. I have not met of their lot that was good enough to allow to survive. I hunt them as much as any skinwalker would. I have felt blood under my hooves, heard the dying rasps of giants, seen the light fade from their eyes. And I enjoyed the challenge of bringing something that large to their death. I am more a monster than Nishka. But I have not seen a giant in a long time other than the frost I let go in the north so nobody would look at me as a killer. Not even you it seems. Nishka kills small animals to live. I killed for killing," Kinak admitted quietly, "The trees on my back slow me down. Keep me from becoming a monster. The where small now they have taken over my back. And they are heavy with my sins." He drug a hoof against the ground. The haughty air around the giant seemed to disappear. He looked at the red stallion with watery eyes.
"I found Nishka starving and alone. He was young. I was prepared to kill him. To stomp the life from this little cursed thing. But the way he looked at me, that helpless gaze...I could not. He was after my bonded mouse, not me. He did not get her. She ran and I now look for her as I did my sister. Which I am glad I have found. But it was Nishka that smelled her. I watched him grow and now we are mated. I look for Checkerberry, my mouse, and he looks for the answer behind the gem on his leg. Not all skinwalker have gems, but the ones we have heard about have been more...chaotic than evil. It must be why he does not attack others. Don't you think?" Kinak lumbered off a little bit to lean against a tree, tired. He grinned at Veslo waiting for his judgement.
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2017 1:56 pm
The bellowing, what he took for laughter, startled any birds nearby into silence. He snorted at the stupidity. "I don't claim what I am not. Obviously," the last word held more than a drop of sarcasm. While that creature traveling with him and Tove did. "See?! You have your experiences that tell you those giants, although you look like a giant to me so could possibly be one that which you hate. So I give you the benefit of the doubt. But you are not willing to trust my experiences when I say they are evil!"
"It is as though you can't or don't want to believe me." That's really what annoyed him. All his warnings completely tossed by the wind by those he held dear. Velso wondered silently at this admission of murder by the stallion. Was it true? There was no way for him to tell. It was uncomfortably like the situation with the skinwalker. Despite him knowing they were evil, yet everyone saying he wasn't. Which was true? There was irony here, and it left a bitter taste in his mouth. Should he trust his mate and friend Tove? Did they see something in this skinwalker that he had blinded himself to?
He was started by the mention of a gem on the skinwalker's leg. Velso hadn't had time to notice details when he'd first attacked. Only that it was a skinwalker. He shifted uneasily from hoof to hoof as he thought. "But have you met other skinwalkers with and without this gem? Only having one to judge is no way to judge at all." It was his only defense at the moment.
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Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 4:45 pm
A dark look shadowed the giant's expression. A low rumble escaped him. He glared down at the red stallion the air around him seeming to grow cold with something akin to hate.
"I did not kill because they were dangerous. I killed them because they were loud, and arrogant, and stupid. The only giant I have let live so far showed something more down to earth...he didn't piss me off. That is all. Do not think of me as anything less than one of those arrogant bastards as much as I hate them," he growled, "I am more than glad to have hunted my father and saw his death for myself...though my sister does not know. I do not have the heart to tell her the truth of my nature. She makes me happy with the way she dances and smiles...I have seen it in Nishka too. He was excited to be part of a bigger family than just myself..." Kinak deflated going back to his normal tired looking self. His gaze softened, a sorrowful gleam in his deep blue eyes. He shrugged off the tree moving closer to where he had been digging for food.
"The time will come when she learns what I am. I just hope she does not hate me for it," he sighed. Using his antlers again he began to dig for more roots. He only raised his head when Veslo asked about the gem.
"Honestly? I have only heard stories of gem bearing walkers. I have seen a few without. They seem mad by their own blood. Nishka...he is not mad. Not in that way. He is just thick headed. Once something is in there it gets trapped. Like the idea running away was best way," he answered before going back to root collecting.
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Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2017 11:05 pm
This stallion was weird. Veslorurn felt decidedly uneasy around him. But he felt no less uneasy around the skinwalker either. It just showed him that he couldn't or shouldn't judge a soq by its hide. Then what should he do? There was no way he could tell. So now what? The crimson stallion watched the other warily and closely. If what he said was true, then he was just as dangerous as the skinwalker. Yet he was Tove's brother.
"And what of us? What if we annoy you? Are you simply going to kill us too?" Could he accept one and not the other? Could he accept both? This isn't what he'd expected to learn from the stallion Tove called brother.
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Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2017 1:53 pm
Kinak looked at veslo, tearing a strong root from the ground and he raised his head. He chewed loudly, his lack of manners apparent. A grin spread across his face. He swallowed the half chewed root before answering.
"If I wanted you hurt," he huffed, "I would have hurt you when you went for Nishka. If I wanted you dead, your blood would color this ground now, away from the females. To you, a friend of my sister, I am harmless as long as you do not strike her or my mate. A warrior's promise to another guardian." He nosed around a little more before tiring of looking for more roots and tubers. With a yawn, he walked past veslo close enough to feel the heat of his form. He found a patch of moss and began to cut it with his antlers.
"For a bed. Since it looks like I must stay and continue waiting for Nishka to stop running. Tove said give him space. She took my horn so I cannot call him. And I am tired," the giant shrugged pulling free his new moss pillow.
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Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2017 8:30 pm
It...... wasn't the answer he'd expected. Veslo didn't want to admit he wasn't sure what he expected as an answer. Did he want to shun them both or possibly accept them? The one who admitted to murder wasn't the one he'd have expected! However, he'd heard the threat there. He couldn't take any violent action against the skinwalker lest he be struck down. Which would upset the females, he was fairly sure, but the damage would be done.
Him? A guardian? Veslo had never considered himself in that category before, but it seemed somewhat fitting now. The crimson stallion turned as Kinak moved from hunting tubers to digging at moss. "And what guarantee do you offer that if I leave your mate alone he won't come after mine? Or even Tove for that matter?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2017 10:20 pm
"My word is not enough. Fair. Fair," Kinak chuckled as the cut moss settled across his flank between trees, "If Nishka goes mad and attacks Tove, who would be attacked before you and yours because she is too gentle, I will kill him myself. And then I will leave." His smile was warm but there was a coldness in his eyes. He had promised that to Nash already. But the Skinwalker stayed.
Sighing deeply with a shake of his head,
Kinak playfully bumped Veslo as he passed him again facing the graveyard.
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Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2017 10:27 pm
Veslo closed his eyes for a moment. For the first time since he'd laid eyes upon the skinwalker, he felt a sense of peace. Maybe he couldn't defeat one, but Kinak surely could. And while he'd rather not lose Tove, at least the giant promised to rid them of the skinwalker should he prove..... troublesome.
"Deal." He hoped his eyes as the larger stallion bumped into him. He felt no hostility this time. "C'mon you big lump. Lets get some real food into you." No guest of his would need to scrounge tubers while he lived here. With a toss of his head, he plowed into the snow heading for those secret places where there was still decent food to eat.
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Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2017 10:44 pm
Kinak's ears perked at the mention of food. He liked roots and potatoes but mint and berries were his favorite. He was curious though.
"If Nishka returns, will you chase him now?" the giant rumbled. He followed veslo at a respective distance, but not too far that they could not converse. He was happy that the red guardian was seeming to calm down.
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Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2017 10:51 pm
The crimson stallion glanced back over his shoulder. "I have your bond on his good behavior. I will give him a chance to prove himself above the common beast he appears as. Plus it would make my mate happy." He added the last a bit sheepishly. Perhaps he had been judging a bit harshly. Now he could change that and give this other a chance.
Veslo led through the trees as the snow drifts began to ease. It made walking easier for him. Inside there was a grove, it held grazing and plants that did well in winter. "This will be much better than tough old roots." He knocked a bush with his hoof to clear the light layer of snow from it.
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Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2017 10:56 pm
"Yes it is," chuckled Kinak, "Thank you. This...will make everyone happy I think." He partook from the bush careful not to eat the whole thing. He was still a giant in the end.
END
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