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 Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 5:18 pm
Dark hooves snatched at the ground and flung it away again, carrying the short-maned creature onward. The Reya, a mare, was breathing hard and her eyes were wild with the thrill of speed and with the stinging wind, intensified by her pace. The vicious gusts howled around her and plucked at the muscular tails that streamed behind her.
On and on still the Reya galloped, muscles moving smoothly, seemingly tirelessly under her dark pelt. Then, suddenly, the wind died down and a grin spread across the dark creature's face. She skidded to a halt and reared up on her hind legs, striking at the cold night air with her hooves.
"Beat ya!" she informed the abated wind triumphantly.
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Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 5:38 pm
It was the rythymn of the Xla'lanin's hooves striking the ground. Little effort was wasted, but it was clear that he wasn't exactly at ease on his feet. His soft eyes darted about as if in some hurried fashion, and he complained to himself all the while.
"Oh this land, its so very bitter. I don't think I'm liking it at all," he said, giving a little hop of discomfort. His ears were in constant rotation, refusing to believe that the world wasn't out to get him, for of course it was.
"That rock," he said with an inquisitory smile. "It reminds me of home, in the cliffs, yes, with all the nasty, nasty words." He wasn't particularily bright, persay, but he had a knack for knowing things. He could assess the most of the situation, provided he wasn't in it, you didn't tell him the importance, and you granted him lots of time to unmuddle that brain.
Xla was named innaproprietly, one could say. He was not the young warrior his heritage had branded him as. In fact, he failed so badly at life the royal family sort of took him in as a guilty conscious. It wasn't until after a stay with them that some use was discovered.
In his constant thoughts he bumped lightly into a passing Reya, and gave a little start at his clumsy mistake. "Oh dear I'm very so - "
As his head rose, his demeanor quickly changed. Xla'Lanan was used to the people of home, with tears streaming down their cheeks for eternity. This one might have been easily mistaken, but the brindles were certainly not there. None of the herd had wings like that.
"Oh," he said, his voice filled with a little bit of acid. "Its one of you folk." His eyes narrowed. "Dally along now, before I make mince of you."
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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 9:54 am
So caught up in her victory over the sky had the dark mare been that she hadn't noted the approach of the stranger. She felt as much a fools as he seemed to when the Jala cannoned into her and, as he apologised she opened her mouth to do the same.
When his eyes came to rest on her however, his manner changed and with it the Reya's. Keres didn’t know what the words disdainful braggart meant but if she had she might well have applied them to the brindled creature before her. Pink eyes narrowed and the muscular creature pawed lightly at the ground, wings held slightly unfurled as she looked down on the smaller creature.
"An' what," she said slowly, deliberately, "might y'all mean by 'one o' you folk'? Now ah didn' come here lookin' f' a fight, pretty boy, but if you wanna dance ah'm game." Muscular tails cracked menacingly and the short-maned mare tossed her head to emphasise her horn. "Ah'd sure hate t' have t' make a mess of that pretty hide y' got, stranger," she said, giving the distinct impression that this was not in fact the case.
Why had he changed for apologetic to sneering so quickly? Was it because she was coloured like the fruit killers, did this male have something against Reya?... Well, whatever his reason, if he was going to judge her on her outside then his outside was going to get a good kicking. Keres gave a rather unpleasant smirk and waited for the other Nequus to respond.
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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 4:02 pm
Xla'lanan clicked his pink tongue lightly upon the roof of his mouth, shaking his head to try and descern what it was the Nequus was saying. Her education must have been sorely lacking. but it was to be expected.
"Yes, you Reya like to strike out. Just like the goddess herself, permanetly dipped in bloodbaths. Couldn't take the jealously," he rambled, tutting lightly, clearly uncaring of her words. "Yes, just like Reya, cluck. . . to bad you don't have nails, and I don't tear." He snickered lightly, and moved his way around her, obviously not to be daunted.
"Wait until the Queen hears of this," he muttered to himself. "Perhaps we'll take her in as a slave." He seemed pleased by this idea, a grin coming over his teeth, and he paused to look back at her, his little smile going.
"Ugly bugger," he said, as if she weren't there. "Far, far out of proportion. The prince would not have use of her, I should think."
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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 4:18 pm
What in the name of all that's green?... This guy is totally off his nut! Queen's an' slaves and rambling off an' on... Why'd ah have t' run int' him? The night was goin' so well too. Ah coulda’ raced some more or had a nice graze but no, mister snooty hooves had to show up. Perfect. The fact that the Jala was making her feel dumber and rougher than she did by default wasn't exactly making her any happier than the threats and insults already had. He's puts one more hoof wrong...
Keres snorted at the brindled male and gave her head another toss, pink eyes wide and angry. "Ah don' know who this queen an' prince o' yours are sunbeam but at this rate you ain't ever gonna see 'em again t' tell 'em about me," she growled. "Ah'll be no Nequus' slave, now nor never an' if you so much as suggest it again ah'll pierce y' proud throat an' make y' chest as red as y' back. We clear on that, blue eyes?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 4:42 pm
"Ah yes, the child legends are true. Temperamental. Fear, I'm glad I'm not a mare, or I should have been raped by now!" he cried in dramatic disdain, rearing up and coming down upon his feet to add some sort of fruity spark to his act.
"Jala weeps a bitter grave upon my face!" he told her softly. "Let legends ring true." He pittered about in a circle, as if it helped his brain compile things together. His lips smacking together as he did so, adding to his complete idiodicy. Xla'Lanan wasn't trying to be 'scary', but whether he was simply to little of a coward or too much of a fool to run, it couldn't be certain. The red certainly didn't appear to be budging in a hurry.
"Ay, she's so wide," he said, peering about her body. "I don't think she'd be going to our little place, besides. Tut, a shame she's not younger." He paused. "You haven't got any siblings, have you? Young ones?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 4:56 pm
"No," Keres snapped tersely, surprised to find that she was annoyed at being considered too old for whatever it was. She was sure she didn't want to partake but having come so recently to full marehood herself she was left wondering if the Jala really was looking for little foals or if she just looked old.
The little act hadn't impressed her any either; what kind of creature did he think she was? "An' ah don' give a Rit's s**t about your weepy marks or your damn legends, though y'all probably guess that already." Not that she'd let him know how much the suggestion that she'd do such a thing had wrankled so much. The Reya found herself lowering her head as she stopped speaking, eyes seeking a target. It would be so satisfying just to stick him here and now...
Yet much as he was pissing her off he hadn't gone far enough to warrant it yet. Had he? Well he'd insulted her but lots of people did that, if she attacked everyone who insulted her she’d be forever steeped in blood. But then most who insulted her had the sense to scurry along when she threatened them, removing the chance and the inclination to strike out. This one showed no chance of leaving and the Reya found herself wanting a real reason to hurt him more every second. Perhaps she could find something worth hurting him for if she probed a bit.
"What'd y' be wantin' with such young Nequus in any case?" she demanded, head rising a notch; still threatening but no longer indicating an imminent charge.
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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 5:39 pm
Xla'Lanan was clearly dissapointed by this fact. The mare was of no use to him now. Temperamental ones could bring an uprising, and he certainly didn't want that.
"Ay, your the legend," he told her. "Reya's the truth." It was a crackpots statement in heaven.
He gave a little hiccup for a laugh and trotted off, seeing no point in staying.
"Fall painfully of the earth," he called back gleefully. "It shouldn't be too hard, just go towards whence you came!"
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Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2007 7:08 am
Keres stared after the strange Jala as he trotted away, her jaw all but hanging slack in disbelief. What the hell was that about? She was the legend? The truth? Back where she came from? Why did he want her to go to the Ice Mountains? The white-bellied creature was clearly mad.
Keres shook her head and turned away from him, not gracing his words with a response, and sprang into the air. The sooner she was away from the nutter the better. As she beat her vividly coloured wings against the night sky a fresh surge of wind caught her and bore her up higher. The short maned mare shook her head to herself and increased her speed and altitude. The sooner the disturbing stallion was put from her mind the better and the best way to forget things was always to go faster.
The Reya mare snorted to herself as the wind plucked at her again and a slow grin came over her face with the perceived challenge. Y'all wanna go another round? Alright; ah'm game.
Increasing her efforts still further the horned female gave an internal whoop of exhilaration as she was swallowed by the night. The strange stallion and his stranger words were already being pushed out of her mind and within a few days she probably wouldn't place any importance on the encounter at all.
Whether or not this was wise remained to be seen.
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