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 Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 8:41 pm
 Hoofbeats thundered through the air as sharp dark hooves drummed upon the ground, swiftly carrying the raccoon-colored stallion they supported across the plains. Heavy breaths snorted through his nostrils, mane whipping behind him like a shadowy silken banner as he ran. Helaku didn't have an idea of where he was going, nor did he care, as long as he could leave this feeling behind, this feeling of...age. Helaku was starting to feel old. He saw so few Soquili he recognized, and fewer still seemed to have interest in speaking to him. They were busy pursuing their own interests, chasing their own dreams. He missed seeing Soquili he knew. Hell, he'd even be glad to see Tetyawna right now. Flattening his ears, he surged onward, faster, faster, faster. He wanted to see Olathe. He wanted to see someone, anyone who'd speak to him for a moment. Who would talk to him simply to talk. So wrapped up was he in his thoughts and the sheer speed of his run, he paid little attention to whether someone was actually nearby or not.
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Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 9:16 pm
A placid trip around the greenery was all she needed. Purple hooves had imprinted on the ground, a reminder to the earth that the mare was content in her spot, staying still until obliged to move. Time was frozen, here. Her mate was off somewhere else--a good thing, possibly--she needed rest from the daily tasks of watching over her own children. Friends were taking care of them now--they'd be safe, they'd be safe. Safe. The word echoed in her head. It was the word to describe her position in life. A mildly blissful smile coated her features. A good mate and happy foals... What else could one ask for?
The mare was so lost in thought that she did not realize the sound of thundering hoofbeats escalating in volume. To the destruction of her tranquil grazing, she shouted sharply, "Hey!"
A flicker of irritation mixed with surprise came over the mare until she looked towards the perpetrator. Almost at once recognizing the features--the long, silky black mane, the not-as-long patterned tail, the raccoon-like covering, and the vague resemblance to Dyre--the mare attempted to cover up her harsh previous greeting, "Helaku..!" The hesitation near after her utterance of the stallion's name identified her obvious confusion of the situation. She had only met the stallion one other time--a while back, when she participated in a reunion with her mate's family.
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Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:43 am
The sharp exclamation was just what was needed to cut through Helaku's thoughts, jerking his attention to the here and now as he skidded to a halt so fast that his hooves threw up a fine spray of soil. Ears flicked towards the source of the voice, his eyes following nearly immediately. With his adrenaline high and blood pumping, reactions were quick, crisp and alert. Recognition dawned, and his expression brightened a bit at the sight of his brother's mate. He'd last seen her heavily pregnant, and it seemed now she was no longer so. The thought that he might now have nieces and nephews both cheered and dismayed him. "Aye," he replied with a dip of his head. "Maize, if I recall correctly?" It was good to see even a vaguely familiar face, and he felt a sense of duty to know his family. It just didn't seem right, otherwise.
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Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 8:13 pm
The stallion's grinding halt brought a soft smile to Maize before she stepped closer. A simple nod signified Helaku's precision to her name, and she was glad that she had been remembered by family she had rarely seen.
"What brings you running around so wildly?" she so calmly asked. It wasn't like Maize to add a note of urgency to situations, though she did feel concerned. Something was odd about the stallion's movements previously that made it seem like he was running away from something. Though she could be wrong, her intuition often proved otherwise. "Got somewhere to go?"
A hint of subtle humor coated her last words. By the way Helaku was running, it looked like he was going nowhere -- and fast.
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Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:25 am
Caught. Helaku gulped as his ears flicked back, and he gave a slightly sheepish grin. He knew his reaction had likely given it away, that he had something to hide, but he wasn't sure he wanted to give this issue words. Not yet. "Not...in particular..." he said slowly, mind racing over what words felt safe to say, safe to reveal. "I just...felt like running."
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Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 3:00 am
Turning her head and blowing disapprovingly at Helaku's ambiguity, Maize began to slowly shake her head. "But the wind does not seem to be with you."
She was there to give advice as well as help whenever needed, but it was not her place to gouge out the affairs of others. She was now sure something was up with her mate's brother, but perhaps there had to be some sort of... enticement to get him to speak. Helaku was family; without question, family cannot be abandoned. She had to learn that the hard way with two particular sons of hers...
"Excuse me for disturbing your 'running', anyways," Maize spritely chirped. "But you really shouldn't be running like that -- what if you ran into someone -- what would..." She thought back, remembering the vibrant blue mare she had also met with Helaku. "What would Olathe think if she saw you? Most mares find it distempering when males don't mind their manners," she added with a touch of tease.
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Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 9:25 pm
Helaku's ears fell back just a fraction more. "She...would be worried," he finally admitted. Heaving a heavy sigh, he decided it would probably be easier to just spill it already. "I've just been...feeling almost...old, lately. Many of those I knew as a foal and a young stallion are mothers and fathers now, some even grandparents. It's unsettling."
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Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 1:44 am
Maize's own ears lowered guiltily. She did not mean to lessen the spirit of the stallion, but her mention of his mate seemed to do so. But as soon as she opened her mouth to apologize, Helaku's confession had caught her. "...Old?" she repeated.
The large influx of foals running about lately as well as newly-bonded parents hadn't really presented itself as a issue to Maize--though, it could also be the fact that she was a contributor to it. She herself was only limited to the knowledge of a few stallions and mares, and she was one of the only ones with foal. She knew her own father was a grandfather now--he didn't seem so affected by it, and just one other friend was a grandfather. The foal of her friends and the foals' foals simply did not mean anything to Maize, except perhaps new life coating the earth.
"You're feeling old," she repeated again, "As unsettling as it may seem with the outburst of foals, it is... irrational to feel that way, Helaku. In fact, you should be thinking the opposite. If everyone were becoming parents and grandparents and you weren't, should not they be the ones to feel old?" She laughed at her last remark. Giving birth to her three sons did not make her feel old -- in fact, it almost rejuvenated her, shifting her world by giving her a new appreciation and approach to life. Though new responsibilities were laid on her once she became a parent, they were far from being burdens.
"Come, Helaku, will you walk to the river with me?" she motioned towards an invisible path with her head, "As long as you still run the way you used to run, your youth is definitely not lost." She hoped the calm and soothing properties of the water would quell Helaku's anxiety.
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Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 1:52 am
Helaku's ears splayed sideways in an almost comical manner as he thought over Maize's words. She was right, of course...he was being irrational. Well, he rarely made much claim on rationality anymore. "Perhaps the irrationality is a sign of senility," he joked, gold eyes sparkling mischeivously as he nodded his assent to her request.
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Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 3:03 am
"Perhaps," Maize joked in return, eyes half-rolling to his cynicalness.
She gave a flap of gust to start her surprise run towards the bustling stream of water that would've been in sight within a few strides. "I'm sure you're not too old to run a race with me, Helaku?" She flashed a smile to him within a few steps of her run.
Ah, the river was a wonderful place for many things. Her first encounter with her mate, for one, and since then, she mused to herself, the river has been a place of new beginnings. Water was, after all, the element of life itself. A new beginning may be what Helaku needed--a new view to life, and she hoped she would be able to guide him in that direction.
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Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 7:01 pm
"Too old to race? Never!" With a wicked grin, Helaku launched himself into a run after Maize. It had been far too long since he'd enjoyed a good race, and it felt good to stretch his legs over the open plains. Tail flagged in his usual fashion, he was a grey streak over the grasses as he thundered along. The adrenaline started to burn away cobwebs in his psyche that he'd been disgusted with for some time, and some that he hadn't even known was there.
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