|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 7:14 pm
It had gotten cold these past few weeks; breath misted into the air in small, warm tendrils and frost coated everything in the chill mornings. Nighttime was especially cold, and Khairi had been forced to seek the company of his human in an effort to stay warm.
This morning he'd woken early, while dawn was still just a faint light on the horizon. Well, it would have been if the clouds hadn't sat thick and heavy in the sky. Snow had fallen overnight, blanketing the mountain and the lower forests. It was beautiful...
And cold. Freezing. The blue stallion shivered slightly, but the cold had brough him awake and he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep again. Besides, he rather enjoyed being the first one awake to view such an untouched world.
With careful steps the stallion glided away from his teepee and his snoring human and passed beneath the evergreen branches of the mountain pines. Silence was as heavy as the snow on the branches, and he reveled in it.
Who needed words? They only got in the way, after all. Khairi sighed, sending a plume of mist into the frosty air.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 7:24 pm
Cold cold cold, so very cold. And even though Safi looked wintery, bearing the snowflake marks and frostbitten color scheme he did, that didn't mean that he enjoyed the cold. In fact, on days like today he could never be sure if his nose and feet were their regular shade of blue or the blue of cold!
Of course, it was his own fault for being out and about, but how was he supposed to know that it was going to snow when he'd headed out wandering the night before? Ah well, at least it wasn't a total loss. He had his wings, after all, and at the moment those self-same wings were snugly wrapped around his body like a big feathery coat. Only downside was that he couldn't fly like this, and consequently he was crunching his way along through the snow rather than soaring through the air.
However, crunching through snow had its perks; for one thing, it sounded really cool. Like right now, for example, he could hear the crunch of snow so loudly that it was almost like he had company!
Crunching along through the snow, he stopped for a moment to get his bearings...then tilted his head to one side. Strange; he still heard crunching in the snow! Glancing down, he noted that his feet certainly weren't moving...therefore, he must not be alone after all! But where was this other early morning riser, and what were they doing out in this cold?
"Hello?" Best way to find out was to talk, after all!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 8:15 pm
Snow crunched underfoot, echoing in the still, muffled woods. It crunched a little too loudly... a cheerful voice called out and confirmed his suspicions. Someone else was out here, and he would most certainly ruin the peace of the morning.
Instantly his good mood evaportated. Khairi flicked his ears backwards and paused, considering just leaving for a moment. He could run north, into the mountains, and hope that his unwelcomed company would leave him be. But a small part of him was almost thankful for the chance to see a new face, meet a new person.
It would be a welcome change. With a sigh at his own stupidity the stallion glanced irritably in the direction of the voice and then set off through the snow. Although he hadn't been asleep for long, the snow had fallen thick and heavy; it was up to his withers in some places, and by the time he was in view of the other stallion he was completely wet.
What a great start to the day. Khairi narrowed his eyes and glared at the other soquili as though it was his fault. Which he knew it wasn't, but still.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 8:22 pm
Well, maybe the other stallion (which Safi could tell it was by the time Khairi had come into sight) didn't look very pleased to see him, but then, it was just silly to imagine that he would have floundered his way through the snow if he wasn't the least bit curious. Safi couldn't say why the other stallion had floundered along so far to give him a dirty look, but why let the details get in the way of a good new meeting?
Besides, it wasn't the first dirty look he'd gotten lately, and he liked to think that he was getting used to them. You never knew the reason behind strange looks, after all; maybe it was this stallion's method of greeting!
Still, there was no reason for the other stallion to go to all the effort in this meeting, consequently as soon as Khairi came into view Safi floundered off through the snow towards the blue shape, waving a wing in greeting. "Good morning to you, fellow traveler; what brings you out into the snow this early in the day?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 8:58 pm
Khairi flicked his tail. He was wet, cold, and there was a decidedly cheerful stallion plowing his way through the snow towards him. Waving a wing somewhat akwardly, too...
Khairi squashed the smile before it could begin and forced himself to remember how Death had wings too, and how it was -freezing- out here. Definantly nothing to smile about here.
But he supposed he could be polite and respond. Icy and sarcastic could still be polite, if not cordial...right? "I felt a sudden urge to be wet and cold, boy." Right. That sounded good enough. He eyed the stallion, ears flickering uncertainly. "But I could ask the same of you. Not many come this far up on the mountain."
At least, not too many that he'd seen. It had been only him and Ohanzee for as long as he'd been on this side of the mountain range.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 9:12 pm
Ignoring the somewhat snarky tone the other stallion was using, Safi continued to smile as he waded along through the snow. The blue stallion sounded grouchy, but why had he come over here if he didn't want to talk? It was more likely that he was grouchy due to the cold, or the snow, or the color of the sky or the fact that it was early morning and maybe he hadn't gotten to have a good breakfast before starting out, or some such similar bit of logic. In Safi's experience, it was hard for many to be cheery in the morning...which begged the question of why those that hated being up got up, anyway.
Well, he wasn't about to launch into a discussion on sleep habits; that had about as much excitement as a tooth ache. Moving onwards!
"If it was wet and cold you wanted, I'd think that a plunge in the lake would have suited your purposes much faster and with less hassle, unless you prefer your wet to be disbursed over time and your cold to be more numbing." Without batting an eyelash, Safi managed to rattle off a response that was totally serious to Khairi's obviously sarcastic remark...serious until Safi's trademark grin returned and ruined that image. Ah well, why be serious when you could be otherwise?
"And you probably could ask the same of me, which I'm going to save time and assume you did. I went out for a wander last night and foolishly decided to 'camp out', forgetting the fact that it tends to snow from time to time up here in the mountains. But I hadn't been this way for a while, so it seemed like a good idea yesterday." Folding back his wings, he dusted off stray bits of snow from his back; nevermind the fact he was already snowy, no point in getting moreso! "I take it you're a frequent prowler of these parts?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 3:12 pm
Khairi blinked. He was slightly taken aback by the younger stallion's returning shot, and he couldn't stop the wry grin that began to spread across his muzzle. His lips twitched and he coughed.
"As much as a dip in the lake would be both cold and wet, I fear it would be frozen by this time of year." He lifted a hoof from the snowy earth beneath him. "Not that 'dry' land is much better right now."
But he couldn't deny the beauty of it. Dawn must have been fast approaching - the sky was lightening quickly (as much as it could with it's heavy cloud cover). Snow had started to fall again, drifting in heavy flakes towards the earth. Khairi shook out his mane and stomped a hoof in an effort to get his blood flowing again.
"Camp out here?" The stallion laughed. "Not a wise choice, boy." But since he seemed to be well aware of that, Khairi let it go. "Yeah, I live up a ways on the mountain side, me and a young two-legger colt."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
