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 Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 10:27 pm
 Long days tended to bleed into longer nights; at least, that was the way that things seemed to go these days. Elizabeth wasn't exactly sure how long it had been since she had started off on her 'tour', but one thing was certain: she was ready to be home.
Home...
The word had such a pleasant ring; even thinking it evoked memories of a campfire, apples, and a two-legger whose smile could light up a starless night. Yet she had left that home behind, and for what? Adventure? If days and nights alone in the wilderness could be called that, perhaps. Being terrified, cold, hungry, lonely...there had been moments when all of the above seemed appropriate.
She was not a wild Soquili, and if she would have realized that sooner, life would have been much more pleasant. As it was, she has once again turned her step homewards, eager to resume the life she had held in the past. But it would be many more days before she made it back, and she had long since realized that she was not meant to travel by night.
It was night now; a bright night with a full moon and a dazzling array of stars to keep her company. She had even found a perfect placy to sleep, a little dell by the river where she felt safe enough to curl up and give herself over to sleep...
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Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 10:41 pm
Ariston found himself bathing in the starlight, and he soared pleasantly and silently over the dark land. He enjoyed such moments, although they were always better in the presence of a female. Either way, he gleamed at the way his hair felt as it drifted behind him. It had been some time since he was able to fully be this comfortable, and he was thankful for it.
In the lapse of a few silent moments, he felt his lips hum delicately to the beat of the breeze. Although it felt foolish, he couldn't resist, for the scenary was too beautiful to be ignored. Seeing everything at peace made him forgot about many moments filled with either drama or rage. They seemed so worthless to him now, and he reconsidered why he would ever waste such time.
He continued forward, focuscing on simple glimmers here and there on the land below him. A river was apparent in front of him, and he made a quick turn so he would be able to land near it comfortably.
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Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 11:03 pm
Sleep was pleasant. Sleep was nice. Sleep was one of the best darn ways to pass the night...
And yet for some reason, Elizabeth couldn't fall asleep.
It made no sense. She was tired; she had the soothing sound of the river to lull her to sleep, and a very comfortable place to sleep. So why couldn't she fall asleep?
Sighing softly, the mare shuffled around a bit in her grassy nook. Perhaps it was the way she was lying. Or perhaps it was the wind. Well, breeze would probably be a better word, but it was the same principle.
Finally though, she came to the annoying but inevitable conclusion: she simply could not fall asleep. "Bollocks!" How was she supposed to travel the next day if she couldn't get any rest??
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 7:51 am
As Ariston was closer to the ground, one of his senses picked up, and it was his favorite kind of sense. It was definitely the smell of a female, and this shocked him for a second. He could never complain about running into a female, but at the same time, the ones he usually found were his familiar night lurkers. The smell he noticed was a different one though, and he was of course curious and interested.
He landed almost silently, only because he didn't want to startle to sleeping creatures around him. The stars above him gave out a bright guidelight, so he was able to see the area around him well. His white body erased the darkness that covered him, and he finally saw the glare from the river.
He quietly stepped over clumps of grass until he was standing and staring at his beautiful self in the river. 'Perfect.' he told himself, and he smiled at the mirror in front of him.
No matter where he went, he could always find the guidance he needed from his glorious reflection.
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 3:40 pm
For a few long moments, Elizabeth lay quietly in the grass, willing herself to sleep. Finally, though, she sighed again and rose to her feet, a graceful action in spite of her fatigue. Obviously if she couldn't fall asleep this way, there was something that still needed to be done. Mayhaps she had something on her mind? That had to be it, since she wasn't hungry and didn't have the uneasy feeling that she was in danger.
Or maybe she was just thirsty.
The sound of the river, which had been acting as lullaby, now drew her attention in a different way. Tilting her head to one side, she considered the idea for a mere moment before trotting up from the little dell she'd been nesting in, heading straight for the water...
...Only to stop as soon as she reached the top of the hill. Something didn't seem quite right, and it didn't take her long to figure out what that was, not this night.
The white form stood out from the surrounding darkness like a beacon. Hair like spun moonbeams blew lightly in the breeze, accentuating the whiteness of the stallion's body. And stallion it was; big, brawny, and much too close.
Elizabeth's mind was reeling. How had she not picked up on his approach? A second look drew her attention to his wings, making her realize that he must have flown in. Well, that would explain things, but that still didn't-
Wings. Eyes widening, her gaze flew back to those wings, finally noting with horror their shape. Those weren't the bird wings of a wind, nor the thin wings of a flutter. Unless she was wonderfully mistaken...she was staring at a kalona.
Her first instinct was to panic. From everything that she had ever heard about the breed, kalonas were brutal and vicious. If she had wings, then she would have had at least a little advantage. But since she was grounded...
At least he hadn't seemed to have noticed her. She had come up behind him as he stared at the water, so with a little luck, she'd be able to get away without him noticing her. Consequently, she quietly began to back down the hill, eyes on her supposed foe. Last thing she needed was to be surprised!
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 6:37 pm
Ariston felt as though he was being watched, so he hoped the mysterious female was near him. Scoping the area, his wings drifted silently next to him. It was always a hit or miss feeling, and luckily his was in the mood for some fun.
Though, at the same time, it was quite late at night, and he wasn't at full energy. He had a couple of options, some being silly, and some being natural. He wanted to see who was lurking around him, and wondered if she would ever appear.
Biting his tongue playfully, he finally said, "Is anyone there? Well, I know you are there, though it would be nice if I could see you." He wisped his tail into the air playfully, feeling a young sensation pleasure his thoughts. There were so many questions on his mind, who was she, what did she look like, where was she from... The excitment kept him drunk with midnight fun, and he awaited any kind of response.
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 6:56 pm
Elizabeth froze. She'd ben able to take about four steps backwards before the kalona had spoken, and in the course of those four steps had nearly come to the conclusion that she was safe. Now, though, she wasn't nearly as sure.
It could be that the kalona was bluffing. They were a devious bunch, after all, so maybe this was a method of luring in the unwary; after all, what reason would you have to doubt that they were serious? This particular kalona souned like he knew EXACTLY where she was, for God's sake, or else why would he sound so amused?
That amusement suddenly instigated a whole new sense of panic into the mare's heart, one that almost jolted her back into mobility. He sounded amused. And why, pray tell, would a heartless and violent creature be amused at the prospect of someone else being around? Good lord, he must be a positive sadist!
This was not good. She was a decent enough fighter and knew how to use her horn, but she was first and foremost a lady; all of her fighting skills were defensive. And how did one defend against a foe the size of the white kalona? She'd be dead before she could even heal herself!
Well, she wasn't going to die tonight. Not if she could do anything to prevent it! She'd call his bluff, that she would; he wasn't going to get HER to believe him!
So now that she'd gotten her ability to move back, she back to creep back down the hill once again. Only a few more steps, and then she'd be out of sight...
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 7:27 pm
Ariston frowned, only because there was no fun to be at hand, well, at least at the moment. Why was the mare not gracing him with her presence? Right then, he realized it was definitely a mare that he had never met before.
Of course, it would never occur to him that he was a threat. Such things never struck his mind, he could never be a threat to females in particular. Still, he pondered at what he was doing wrong with the situation, hoping to recover himself.
Sniffing the air, he noticed she was still near, though fading a bit. Sighing, he decided to try again. "This is sad. I am not interesting to you, mlady? I wish to at least know why.." Never had a female brushed him off in such a way. Usually, they came to him running!
Still, he was interested in the mere fact that it seemed to be a challenge. It wasn't that he was feeling competitive, he just wanted to understand the situation better.
"This is sad.." He muttered out again, pouting.
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 7:45 pm
Horses were never meant to walk backwards, especially not downhill, especially when they weren't totally focused on their surroundings. Elizabeth was paying too much attention to the kalona, and that showed when she suddenly felt her left hind ankle turning on an unnoticed rock. Biting back the cry of surprise and pain, she was nonetheless unable to avoid the stumble and fall to the ground brought about by her unexpected injury, and the associated sounds.
But she had an excuse for her inattention. When the kalona had said 'mlady', she was suddenly all too aware that not only was he not bluffing, he'd SEEN her. The shock had caused her to step back abruptly, resulting in her fall, and now she was roundly cursing her own foolishness in not impl racing off when she had the chance. She could heal her ankle easily, but that would take a few minutes and who knew what would happen in the meantime?
She'd visibly paled at the mere thought, but quickly marshalled herself. There was a chance that he was still bluffing, and she would stick to that hope. That in mind, she turned and touched her horn to the injured ankle...and waited.
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 8:29 pm
The thump that rang in Ariston's ears made him fully change his position, and he faced an entirely different direction. Whatever had happened to the female did not sound pretty. He trotted forward, but stopped, realizing he may startle her if he rushed too quickly.
"Are you alright?!?!" he rang out, with a worried tone. "Do you need help? Or.. are you still not there?" He really wasn't one who had patience, so a part of him was getting tired of being ignored. Who knew how long he could handle such a game, but at the same time, he worried for the sake of the female.
"Miss? Miss?" He hooves shuffled over various rocks that seemed to be the problem for such a mess. "Goodness, where did these come from?" He eyes looked down at the sight of a slight hill.
Finally, everything (in Ariston's small blonde covered brain) was starting to make sense.
((XDDDDD <3)
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 8:47 pm
Even as Elizabeth was wincing from the obvious fact she'd been found, she was taken aback at the note of concern that was unmistakable in the kalona's voice. But that didn't make sense. Kalonas didn't feel sympathy, she'd been told as much before she ever left the teepee. It must be a ruse.
But ruse or no, keeping silent wasn't going to do any good anymore, not now that he was looking almost right at her. He seemed to think that she was ignoring him, and the last thing that she needed was to provoke him.
Even though she felt as though her heart had jumped into her gullet, she managed to keep her voice calm. "I'm fine, thank you. There's no need for you to concern yourself, I have everything under control." And indeed she did; she could feel the soothing in her ankle as her horn's magic mended the injury and eliminated the swelling; sometimes it was good to be a unicorn.
Unfortunately, being a unicorn couldn't count for much if your enemy was a kalona, and she had inadvertantly lead him straight to her. Well, this wasn't over yet!
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 9:13 pm
Finally, a light and elegant voice awoke from the blackness beneath him. His eyes jumped further and further, until he saw what looked like a unicorn. Strangely enough, he had never ran into one before.
"That is good to hear, and I believe you in this. Though, are you sure you don't need some assistence? This hill looks awful." He imaged himself taken such a fall, and his back legs winced as if in pain.
He wondered what her next move would be, and where he was standing, the view and stars were quite lovely. "Why don't you join me up here? It is lonely star bathing myself." He felt a light grin develop, and he anxiously awaited to see her face. The only thing that lightly sparked occasionally was what looked like a horn. He wondered if his own looked as lovely as hers, and he oogled the beauty.
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 9:36 pm
He sounded so sincere, it was almost touching. Only almost, though, because she KNEW that there had to be an ulterior motive. But why on earth hadn't she been warned about THAT aspect of kalona character, this character manipulation? It was lucky for her that she had been able to identify the wings correctly, or she would be believing that she'd just met her first decent stallion. Just her luck.
Still, as long as he was being civil, she would be the same. Her ankle was almost fully healed, if she was any judge, so she just had to demure a little bit longer. A pity, actually...no, the pity was that she hadn't lit out of there before he'd found her!
Horn still touched to her ankle, she nevertheless managed a slight shake of her head, unaware that he actually couldn't see her. "I assure you, Sir, I have everything under control. My own inattentiveness set me back, nothing more. And while your offer for companionship is both kind and flattering, I was actually on my way to bed. It's late, and I'm rather tired, so I doubt I'd be very pleasant company." A slight lie, which was permissable under the circumstances. And she WAS tired...even if she couldn't sleep.
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 9:50 pm
"On your way to bed, that is no fun." He stepped back a few steps, hoping she would finally come approach him. "I still haven't even been able to get your name." His wings fluttered quickly, only to let off some of the annoyance he was currently feeling.
"Is there something that.. is making you not want to approach me at all?" He felt a churn in his stomach, and he frowned, only because he didn't know how to react. "This uh, has never really happened to me before, I am not sure how to react or what to say." He scoffed, feeling his chest swell up. "I am quite uncomfortable."
Wisping his tail up, he turned his head away, only so she couldn't see any signs of glaring. How could a female not want to aproach him of all creatures? Maybe she wasn't worth his time, then.
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Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 10:11 pm
For some odd and inexplicable reason, Elizabeth was suddenly annoyed. He sounded annoyed, even irritated, and what right did he have to take that tone with her? He didn't even know her, so what right did he have to try and act all indignant? Well!
Lifting her head from her ankle, she carefully rotated her foot, testing for soundess. But once she had ascertained all was well, she paused. Retreat was obviously not an option, not with him looking at her...if she was going to face him, then she wouldn't handicap herself anymore. That in mind...
Tossing back her curls, she rose to her feet and carefully and deliberately climbed to the hilltop, rotated to face the kalona, and adopted a demure but firm stance. "My apologies if my behavior distresses you, Sir, but I'm afraid that I can't understand WHY it should be otherwise. You are a stranger to me, a strange male at that, and it is mere common sense to assume the worst of everyone that one encounters in such circumstances. Since I don't know what sort of character you are, is my behavior so unusual? And as for introductions, I have always been taught that it's the height of impropriety to ask such things without first supplying one's own name."
There, she'd done it. Stated her piece, and likely managed to piss him off as well, but there wasn't a single untruthful word in what she had just said so he'd just have to deal with it! And if he tried anything, she'd just gore him, damned if she wouldn't!
Or that was the idea, at least. But thoughts hatched in relative safety had a way of seeming extremely unlikely in close quarters, especially this sort of close quarters. And seeing this kalona from the back was completely different from seeing him from the front...
He was huge. She'd never been around a stallion this tall before, and her whole bloody herd was stallions! Were all kalonas this big, or was this guy just a fluke? And what was up with that mane? It was so shimmery, silky, and light...it was gorgeous, the sort that a mare would die to possess, but what was it doing on a stallion? And what was up with those chains?
Looking at the chains suddenly brought home another realization to the mare: she didn't have her gown. The last ripped shread of fabric had been lost some time ago, and she hadn't yet made it back to the teepee to get it replaced...
Good Lord, she was in the presence of a stallion and didn't have any clothes! She was completely naked, and even the knowledge that 99% of the Soquili population went about unclothed could stop the blush that raced like wildfire across her face. This was NOT happening!
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