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 Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 5:45 pm
  Amoena lay outside the teepee looking at the tiny tree covered in strings of decorations. She could here sound of her mother and Bandit sleeping inside, they’d be hurting in the morning. Of course, that was why she’d always avoided the humans’ liquor. Getting bored with guarding the tree from birds she stood and stretched It was dark now anyway, would bird came out after sunset for berries?
She poked her head into the dark and warm home to see how everyone was doing, they were fast asleep. “Good…” She whispered under her breath. She took note that her mother’s bandages were coming undone again before turning to race away from the village. After a day of her family’s fun it was time for her to get out, she’d see to her mom’s bad leg when she returned.
Sprinting into the night air she could feel stronger. The cold air woke her up and made her blood pump like fire through her veins. It was times like this she could take on anything. In fact, she felt the urge to take on the first thing she found. Slowing to a trot she glanced at her surroundings, there were only a few trees scattered about covered in the snow. She ran to the first one and started kicking at it from different angles. At the rate she was going the wood wouldn’t last long. Then she’d have to switch to bolting up and down hills to burn off this feeling.
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Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 6:04 pm
Well, obviously high energy ran in the family...though Safi had to admit that it was utilized in different methods by the different members.
He wasn't exactly sure why he was in this area; maybe it was nostalgia, or the desire to see some of his familiy members again; it wasn't like he saw either of his parents or his brother much, after all...and through Kwahu he'd gotten a keen sense of what it felt like to have true family. Well, Kwahu wasn't the only one of the new generation.
Consequently, he'd been roaming the area near Luna and Amoena, enjoying the woods and the cool of the evening. It was nice and peaceful out here...or it had been, until the sound of hooves against wood broke the calm of the night.
It hadn't taken long for him to follow the noise to its source, but for a few moments he was happy to just stand and watch as his niece attacked a tree. She was so much bigger than when he'd last seen her...an adult, not a foal. How time flew. But after feeling sentimental for a few moments, he decided it was a good time to speak up.
"Amoena, what did that poor tree ever do to you?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 6:26 pm
Breathing heavily the tall sky colored mare paused her attack hearing a familiar voice. "I know you..." She murmured turning around to see who was there. Even through the darkness she'd recognize that coat anywhere. "Uncle Safi..." She smiled slightly tossing her head about happily letting her braids hit her in the face a bit. She wanted to move to great him but that tree was still begging for punishment.
Turning around quickly she leapt up and brought her front hooves crashing into the tree snapping it at the trunk. Grinning at the crunch she turned and ran to great her uncle. "It didn't do anything...I was just bored." She beamed and tugged on his mane as a greating. "So what brought you here after all this time?" She asked eying him suspiciously. She was yet to meet a person that just happened to be where she was. No people were always after something weren't they?
Her breathing was beginging to slow again but she could still feel her blood rushing about. The feeling of needing to break something or just burn off energy was still strong. "Wanna race?" She asked pawing at the ground. "I've gotten a lot faster." She grinned in her cocky little manner as though nothing could beat her ever and she hoped her uncle was up to it. "Unless...you've gotten to old?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 6:41 pm
A half-smile quirking across his muzzle, Safi straightened up from the tree he'd been leaning against and gave Amoena an affectionate nuzzle as she nipped at his mane. "Well, I'm glad to know I'm not as forgetable as some might think...Niece Amoena." If she was going to do that, then why couldn't he? Being called uncle always made him feel old; though that had never stopped Kwahu from doing it.
At her question, he bowed his head slightly; the last part sounded an awful lot like an accusation, but he probably deserved such a question. "What can I say, sometimes life gets the best of us and keeps us from seeing things we'd like to." That, and he'd thought that Luna hadn't wanted him around her daughter too much...but he wasn't going to raise that point, not right now. "Hopefully you never get bored around me; you'd kick my a**. Just like you probably will at a race!"
Laughing, he shook his head at her crack on his age. "I might be old, but you would beat me even if I were younger. Only reason I outran you last time was I had wings on my side; ask anyone who's ever raced me, they'll tell you I suck!" Not that that meant he wouldn't race, of course. "But if you feel like one-upping your poor old uncle..."
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Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:03 pm
Amoena shrugged away a bit at her strange title. 'Niece Amoena' it just sounded strange to her ears but if he wanted to play that game. "Here's this...I'll let you use your wings and give you a head start. That sound fair to you Uncle?" She asked tossing her head to the side wearing that grin of hers. Ever since she had beaten Shadow it hadn't seemed to leave her face. Whether it was just a mask or that she just got some satisfaction in his pain one would never know.
She trotted over to the broken tree and tested the air before plotting a course for their race. "How bout this old man...we run to the woods where we first met. First one there wins...you wanna pick what we win?" She asked walking in a circle around the broken tree getting a bearing for her directions.
This would be a great stress relief from her and with any luck she get some treat out of hit. Maybe a sparring match with her Uncle with no holds. She wanted to get better and finally fight something big that wasn't stationary. So far her best opponent had been an angry fox. Though that didn't say anything about how Shadow was but that would remain a secret. Her pride was at stake here.
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Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:20 pm
"I'd probably wind up losing anyway; so we'll just stick with a one-on-one equal sort of race; no wings, no headstarts, just a regular race with regular rules." As he spoke, Safi sauntered over to the broken tree, scoping out the suggested course as he did so. It didn't seem too hard; granted, it was dark, but it wasn't like there was much to trip over. He could probably manage that.
"Well, it sounds like a good idea. As for the prize...we'll leave that open to debate. I don't like to gamble, after all; and remember that you are talking to an out of shape and somewhat lazy stallion when you're doing your plotting. I could get knocked out with a feather."
Given her energy, it was obvious that she was up for something physical; well...he wasn't very physical. Anti-physical, if you would. Mice were better fighters than he was. He was a lover, not a fighter. Ok, that last one was a stretch, but it got the point across, right?
Wait, what was he supposed to be doing? RACING! "Well, what are we waiting for?" Smiling broadly at Amoena, he made a big show of stretching out each leg and his wings, creating at least an illusion of energy.
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Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:34 pm
Her grin broadened at his sudden energy and how he didn't set the terms. That meant she could probably pick the prize for her self and she liked that thought. Watching him stretch made her consider doing the same but she felt to ready so instead she simply bowed her head preparing to bolt. "For someone who's lazy you seem pretty eager uncle." She said tilting her head to the side.
She didn't actually know what they were waiting for. At this point she was waiting for him but he made it sound like he was waiting for her. She shook her head guessing that some sort of signle was needed. "Take your mark...!" She finally bit out into the night air focusing her self once again on her goal. "Get set...GO!!!" Without a second thought she sprung from her spot and charged.
The wind blowing from behind her lifted up her mane and tail and made her feel as though she were flying. She grinned at the sensation and let her eyes close imagining that she was running on clouds instead of snow. It was something she had always wanted, but something she would never have. Her eyes flashed open with a new determination. That would be great, such an advantage in a fight.
Looking over her shouldar she smiled at her uncle. "Come on old man! You better catch up cause I thought of what I wanted and you'll have your work cut out for you!!!"
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Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:45 pm
He was unquestionably going to get smoked; lucky for him that he had absolutely no ego and very little conceit. "Well, maybe I'm just a doting uncle." Why else would he be prepared to race when in fact that was something he sucked at? This would be interesting, all right..
And with that in mind, he took off running as fast as his legs would carry him...which wasn't nearly as fast as Amoena was running. Damn she was fast. Obviously from her mother's side, because as far as he knew Kohana wasn't much better at running than he himself was.
Still, that didn't mean that he couldn't enjoy himself! "Just because you say it doesn't mean I have to do it! I never agreed to any prize, after all!"
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Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:59 pm
That stopped her right in her tracks and she spun around to face him still several legs behind her. "What do you mean? There has to be a prize!!!" She cried nearly forgetting she was in the middle of a race. "I can't even have a little sparring match with you?" She stuck her lip out in a fake pout for Safi to see before turning to sprint further ahead. It seemed even with her stop he wasn't much competition.
She practically jumped to the top of the second hill where she could see her destination just a few meters away. Although, with no prize it almost didn't seem worth it. Almost. She took a deep breath and ran full out till she reached the edge of the trees only a bit winded. All the running around she had done searching for the one called Shadow had done wonders for her stamina.
Her uncle, however, really must have been as lazy as he said as he was still lagging behind. "Come on uncle!" She shouted stomping into the ground impatiently. "We have to talk about this non-existent prize!"
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Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 8:09 pm
And now she was just being mean. Well, two could play at that game. As Amoena stopped to harrass him, Safi had slowed his speed. Once she had finished, he all but gave up, sauntering along at little more than a hurried walk. This was more his kind of race!
"Patience, Amoena; if you'll recall, this was your idea; that means that I am just going along with it. Can I help it that you happened to pick something remarkably unsuitable for me? I'd say that, under the circumstances, expecting a prize is downright cruel." Especially if said prize was a sparring match. "You'd be better off sticking to trees; they'd be a better opponant than I am!" As his friend Ladius had constantly told him. So he didn't fight; was that so wrong? "You have until I get to your tree to figure out an alternative prize, one that I can actually manage."
As he ambled along, Safi took full advantage of the opportunity to admire his niece. It was strange, seeing her in the moonlight; her colors were exactly those of his brother, and in a way it was like seeing teenaged Kohana there smirking at him. Not that Kohana ever really smirked; that had been more his department. But Kohana had usually won...
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Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 8:21 pm
Amoena snorted and trotted in a quick circle flicking her tail in annoyance. Patience wasn't something she had a lot of especially when it came with a bit of a scolding from her uncle. "Okay okay...no prize then..." She muttered defeated lowering her head to better show her distaste. She needed to find someone better suited to racing her then her relatives. They seemed only suited for talking and sorting out problems if that.
As he got closer an idea came to her head as she saw his wings. Perhaps it could be better then a sparring match if all went well. "Actually, I just got an idea..." She said moving away from her tree and down to him finding that there was no point in continuing if he was only going to walk. "I want you to teach me how to fly..."
She knew she was being foolish. One couldn't fly without wings, but that was what she wanted and she would work hard to get what she wanted. She had wanted to take on Shadow and she did. Now she wanted to fly, and if only for a minute she would. She was absolutely determined to make it so somehow.
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Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 8:30 pm
"To fly." Safi repeated Amoena's request rather calmly as he strolled up to touch the goal tree, but he was inwardly rather intrigued by the idea. To fly, huh...flight without wings seemed a bit complicated. "Well, I managed to teach your brother to fly, so theoretically I ought to be able to pull the same thing off with you. Granted, your brother has wings and you don't, so I'm sure that you can appreciate the intrinsic difficulties."
As he spoke, Safi had started to circle Amoena, as though trying to determine whether or not she actually could pull it off. From a physical standpoint, he knew that the request was ludicrous; but then, she herself had to realize the absurdity of her request, so she must have understood that herself. "So, what sparked this request, if I might inquire? Or is the speed demon's thought process too complicated or secretive to share?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 8:42 pm
She bit her lip listening to her uncle speak. So he couldn't do it or at least until she managed to grow a pair of wings. Imposable. She looked at the winged stallion and gave a slight smile shaking her head. "I'm not that fast, you're just slow..." She took a deep breath trying to decide how exactly to explain her most recent desire.
"Well...it's just. You know that feeling you get when the wind is blowing through your hair?" She asked closing her eyes able to imagine the feeling as she describe it. "It makes me feel powerful. Like I can do anything and that would give me a huge advantage over Shadow...he still needs to be punished..."She was practically growling as a Kalona would before her eyes flashed open.
She laughed a bit realising she must sound nuts but that was the truth. She wanted to break that stallion or at the very least force him to make her mother happy. She looked at her uncle then asked what she feared the answer of. "So...can you do it? Can you teach me to fly?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 8:51 pm
...Well, certainly a powerful answer; and actually, Safi could very much understand the desires Amoena was articulating. He loved flight; absolutely adored the feeling of the wind blowing back his hair, the sensation of being one with the wind as he either sped through it or allowed it to carry him along like a leaf. It had been a great boon in childhood, and one thing he'd always had as an asset...
But Amoena had no wings. HOW could he teach her to fly without wings? He couldn't. There was no way around the fact that wingless Soquili couldn't fly. But more importantly...who was this Shadow? Was she so old that she was worrying about guys already? Damn, that made him feel even older...but why did she want to beat him? And did he even want to know?
Hell, of course he wanted to know. He ALWAYS wanted to know. Genetic weakness.
Stepping closer to her, he reached out and patted her shoulder with a wing. "Before I say anything, Amey...who's this Shadow, and why do you want to punish him? Sorry if I'm meddling, but I don't want to be a part of anything that I don't know the details of." That, and that look in her eyes when she mentioned him... "So, how about we have a little story time?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 9:01 pm
Amoena study her uncle curiously. He looked as though he was going insane and then that name. She hadn't remembered saying it but she must have for Safi to be saying it. "Shadow is..." She paused not entirely sure how to answer that. It seemed the only way to say it was to spit it out. "Shadow is my enemy...he hurt my mother. She's broken now and I'm going to make him fix her. If he won't...well..." Her eyes darkened and she stomped into the ground leaving as hoof print in the frozen earth beneath the snow.
She looked at him trying to find his reaction that she knew she wouldn't like. Her mother would hate to know what her daughter had become so it was safe to assume her uncle would feel the same. She didn't want to be a disappointment so she decided to shift away once again. "Can I fly? I'll do whatever it takes."
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