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 Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 6:30 pm
 The winter sky hissed in protest as black wings cut through it. Undaunted, their owner dove towards the vast plains below and landed running. Powerful muscles carried her onward, swiftly as she could muster but never quite swift enough, burning under her skin with prolonged exertion.
There would be no rest until she returned to her tree.
The dark Reya mare's breath clouded in the air as she galloped along beside the edge of D'ob - the wind caught the little puffs of steam and carried them away too quickly for her to notice. Though she herself could not tell, this was faster than before. Always just a little faster. Some day the power of her charge would rival her father's strength...and then there would be a reckoning the like of which Eden had never seen.
Her face contorting into a snarl, Melantho urged her flagging body to provide another burst of speed. Some day, some day soon, vengeance would be hers.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 6:39 pm
Howl shuddered slightly as the Winter breeze cut through him like a knife cutting into butter, despite the coat drapped on his back and shoulders.Lowering his head, he started to graze on the sweet grass the D'ob provided him when he heard the loud hoofbeats of a Nequus approaching him. Lifting his head up, he saw a dark form heading towards him. Canting his head slightly, he took a few steps backwards to avoice a collision with the Nequus.
He sighed as he had entered D'ob territory. He often avoided it due to the many mares who wandered behind him, making cat-calls to him, begging him to become their mate. He didn't like being tied down to just one mare. HE loved to flirt with as many mares as he could, yet when they started to fall in love with him, that was when he pulled the rug out from under the mares and left them brokenhearted.
Gazing at the approaching black Nequus, he wondered why he/she was out this late. The only reason why he was out this late was to avoid the mare's [and sometimes stallion's] gaze and cat-calls.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 6:50 pm
The oddly-coloured stallion wasn't quite in her path. For a moment she thought about carrying on and ignoring him, but something about the multicoloured coat - and the strange, loose skin - soon piqued her curiosity. Not that she'd let him know that, of course.
As she came closer, it became apparent that the stallion was in fact wearing garments. Like a human. How very unusual. Perhaps they kept him warm in the winter, but...how could he scratch his back? Or do very much at all with his coat, for that matter? And that was without even thinking about other natural necessities... Still, no matter. He was just another stallion, and therefore just another Nequus. She fully expected at least one comment about her colouring, her physique, her race or her temper, and was in the mood to settle for none of the above. Whoever this stranger was, he had better tread very, very carefully.
Skidding to a halt in a spray of melted snow, Melantho stood and stared the stallion down with bright amber eyes, breathing heavily, silently daring him to remark upon her.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 6:55 pm
Howl noticed that the Nequus had suddenly stopped in front of him, spraying cold snow on his head and neck. Shaking the snow off of him, he gazed at the Nequus curiously. This was the first time he had seen this breed of Nequus and he was impressed with her. Bowing gracefully, he bent one foreleg and let it touch the ground. "Greetings, Fair Maide. I am called the Wizard Howl, but you may call me Howl. What is your name, my dear?" He canted his head to one side as he stood up straight and waited for her to answer his quesion.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 7:07 pm
Had he just called her a Fair Maide? Melantho blinked in astonishment - she hadn't been called Fair in a long old time - but soon came to the important parts of his high-flown greeting. Howl. Was that as in "howl of anguish" or "howl of laughter"? Or a little of both? Well, never mind. There were some parts of his introductory address that had rankled, and she set about correcting him in her customary blunt fashion.
"I'm no fair maid, sir," she said icily, tossing her mane as she approached, "and I'm certainly not your dear. My name is Melantho. What imaginative parents I had." Because the name essentially meant "black".
Strangely, after a moment's pause, she found herself wanting to fill the silence. Those blue eyes were disturbingly knowing. "That coat must keep you warmer than mine does me," she remarked, indicating the brightly-coloured garment, "but does it never get in your way?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 7:30 pm
[Fair Maide was supposed to be Fair Maiden. somehow forgot to add the 'n' -kicks her hands and keyboard-]
Howl bobbed his head in shame as she corrected him. "Sorry, Mistress Melantho. Indeed, your parents must have known what they were doing when they named their beautiful daughter," he said in a chipper voice, ignoring the fact that her own voice sounded very cold and distant.
He shook his head at her question and he ruffled the wings under his coat. "This is merely decoration. It doesn't keep me that warm at all. I'd rather avoid cold areas, but something was drawing me to this area." He nodded his head and gazed at her curiously. "Why have you come here? Surely not to escape your many male admirers."
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Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 9:03 am
It was strange but gratifying that Howl should think her beautiful. And as for the male admirers... Melantho gave a short laugh, not as bitter as it might have been, and stretched out each leg in turn. "Hah. No. I've no admirers that I know of - save, apparently, you." She gave him a little smile at that. "I came here to train. My turn of speed is sorely lacking, and my stamina's been damaged by a run of illnesses. The importance of such abilities has...how shall I put this...increased considerably of late."
The black mare shook her mane again, shivering with the cold now that her muscles were cooling down. "And it had to be winter I chose, didn't it?" she sighed, rolling her eyes at her own apparent stupidity. "Couldn't've stuck it out for a little while longer...no. No, I couldn't've stayed. He was trying to marry me off to some complete stranger - I'm not about to stand for that, and the poor soul he chose certainly wasn't expecting a she-daemon like me."
She wasn't fishing for compliments. It was just the honest truth: compared to the gentler, more malleable mares that seemed to surround her she was a veritable virago. No stallion in his right mind would choose her through an arranged marriage. If she got to like him after a long acquaintance, perhaps, but not as a total stranger.
"Anyway, he's after me. My father, I mean. I've seen his soldier-stallions from the old herd asking around after me - he wants me back under his hoof where he thinks I belong." She scowled at the invisible presence of her sire, hating the sight of that dapple-grey stallion more than anything else in the world. "I'm training so that I can beat him."
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Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 11:48 am
Howl nodded his head as he carefully listened to her words. He had never known his parents, so he didn't know what it felt like to have any 'love' like that. Shaking his head slightly, he adjusted his wings beneath his coat. "From what I've heard about parents, that's just the thing the do. They always want to please their children, even if it does seem a little harsh."
Canting his head to one side, he observed the femme in front of him. Despite her hot-headed nature, she really was quite beautiful. Maybe this time Howl might settle down with a femme of his own...or maybe not. Maybe this might make his admirers go away for good. Whateve was on Howl's mind tended to be bad ideas, not good ones.
Flicking his tail slightly, he gazed around the area cautiously, to make sure that no other Nequus had followed Melantho. "Looks like no one followed you this time. Heed my warning-always watch your back. You never know who or what is going to be out there." He bobbed his head at her before turning slightly. "If you seek training, why don't you train near the mountains? They are good for building statima and strength."
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Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 12:32 pm
Please their children? Had he been listening at all? And who was he telling her to watch her back? She'd been a fugitive of sorts for long enough to know! Melantho snorted. "The mountains, eh?" she said sharply. "You think that's possible for me? You think I can go wherever I like? You think that because I'm on the run from a father who never tried to please me, not one day in his life, I can just charge off into the sunset and leave everything behind? I have a friend to take care of. He's injured - he could never make such a trip. And my father knows he's allied with me. If his soldiers ever found Aku, they'd kill him on sight!"
Fighting to bring her temper under control, she pawed at the ground with one hoof. It was a horrible habit, not least because she had learned it from her father. "...You see my problem?" she said, a little more quietly now. "If I could just run away properly I'd be better off. As it is I'm left dodging from pillar to post just to keep out of their sight."
Thinking of it, she'd better warn him about them.
"...As a friendly warning, Howl: if you see them, don't approach them. And don't let them approach you if you can help it. The power goes to a lot of their heads - they don't act as Nequus ought. Not by a long shot. Some of them would beat you just for looking at them in the wrong way. And if you see a tall mare with them..." She fought the shudder. "...run. Just run for your life, because it may well be your life you'll lose if you don't. If she's the one I think, the mare who runs with the stallions...she fights for pleasure, and even complete strangers are targets to her."
Not that she had the luxury of being a stranger to Clytaemnestra.
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Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2007 4:01 pm
Howl narrowed his eyes at the femme's outburst. His flirty nature seemed to vanish at her harsk comments and he turned his body slightly so that it was facing away from her. He pinned his ears back against his skull as he gazed at the Valley he was in a few moments ago. He didn't know what ticked off the femme, but it was something he had said or did.
"No, I don't see your problem.You are just scared of someone who can't and doesn't control your life. Maybe if you were a foal, I would understand your father's decisions, but you are an adult. You can come and go from your father's lands as you please. Don't let him bother you or control your life. You have freedom by your side. Don't forget that," he told her, a hint of harshness in his voice,
He flicked an ear slightly as she gave him a warning. He bobbed his head slightly, heeding her warning. "I will keep that in mind if I ever spot any of your father's croonies. I highly doubt they will think twice about spotting me. I've learned to hide my trail from my enemies. This femme sounds like trouble, though. Her I will avoid like the plague."
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Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2007 9:12 am
"If I were immortal and invulnerable, sir, I should have no fear," Melantho said flatly. "As it is, I have learned courage. I have not, however, let that courage replace common sense. My father has a large herd and a strong militia. They are after me. They will either return me to his control or they will kill me. I should rather the latter of the two, but neither will come to pass if I can possibly help it. For now, I am weak. I cannot face even one of them, let alone more. Until I can fight them, I must run, and hide, and train. And...I will not let them have Aku. Never. Not while I live to defend him."
She sighed, looking across the darkened valley. "If you hear tell of Clytaemnestra," she continued, voice soft with something that might have been nostalgia, "I would be glad of the information. She is...she is the one. The mare who leads the stallions. The mistress of might, the tyrant of terror, the lady of the Styx - the one who has sworn to bring me back into my father's fold. She and her followers, vicious war-stallions all, are the ones from whom I must constantly flee. I despise it, but...she is stronger than I. Far stronger. She...always has been."
There was a time, not so few summers ago, when she had admired the patched mare's glossy coat and smooth, sleek white mane. Now, the sight held only fear and sickness for her.
"If she comes for you...run. Do not try to fight her. Few have survived her first onslaught, and near none have lived to tell of her power."
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Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 2:21 pm
Howl nodded his head slightly, listening to her words carefully. Howl felt the same way when he was running away from his own enemies until they grew tired of chasing him. He still kept one ear pricked back in case they wanted to pick up the chase again to attempt to kill him. He hadn't trained in a while and he knew that he would have to start training again if he ever created more enemies. When Melantho mentioned Aku, Howl flicked his ears slightly. He didn't really know why, but the mention of Aku made him a little uneasy. "Is this your child?" he asked her, blandness in his voice.
Hearing her mention her stalker's name, he nodded his head. Memorizing the mare's name, he turned his body back around to face Melantho. Somehow he knew he would meet this strange mare and would either have to fight her or somehow escape her grasp. "I will heed your words and find someway of escaping her grasp if I ever to run into her. Somehow I know our paths will meet. Don't ask me how I know this, it is just instinct."
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Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 6:12 am
"Aku? My child?" She snorted, amused. "Hah - no. Aku is a dear friend of mine, a brother of a sort. We both understand what it is to be persecuted for a black coat, and we've been fast friends since we were scraps. He's a Rit. And he's hurt, hiding out in the forest wherever he can until I can bring him food. Strange, a Nequus hunting for meat."
She turned her gaze to the horizon once more. It was time to go. No more dilly-dallying about with strange stallions - she'd warned him, sounded him out for information, and that was all she had time or patience for. "I must run on, Howl," she said distantly. "The night is young yet, and I have far to go. Aku needs me, and I must continue my training. I wish you luck. And as to your 'instinct'..."
A last glance in his direction, eyes stern, sincere, but not unkind.
"Pray you are wrong, wizard Howl," said the dark mare softly. "Pray to all the gods that you are wrong."
With that, she turned and galloped into the distance. She did not look back.
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Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 12:49 pm
Howl didn't really see why having a black coat was so bad. He flicked his ears slightly as he watched her gaze up at the horizon, as if looking for something. Shrugging his shoulders, he bowed his head down slightly at her as she said that she had to go. Deep down inside, he had wished he had gotten more time to talk with her, but his instincts told him that the idea wasn't a very good one.
Ignoring her last comment, he turned his back towards her, knowing exactly what he had said might indeed come true. Flicking his tail for the last time, he trotted away from the forest line, not even bothering to look back to see if she had left him. He knew she would be gone, too.
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