|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 10:53 am
 As the afternoon drew on, Shikoba found himself atop a cliff high in the mountains. The mountainous areas were by far his favourite, as he could come here alone, and usually remain unbothered. Also, with his ability to fly, he could reach places that couldn't be reached by foot.
As he laid there alone, his front legs dangling over the edge of the cliff, he watched the clear blue sky and sighed. The strong wind whipped through his long mane, but it didn't bother him. He loved the way a fresh breeze felt. He closed his eyes as he leaned forward slightly, catching the high mountain breeze.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 11:05 am
 Man, it was sure windy. Even with his wings folded tight against his side, Safi could still feel the threatening pull of the wind, doing its best to fling him bodily over the side of the cliff.
Oh well, such was the way of things in mountainous regions. He knew that, and that was directly linked to his avoidance of such regions, as a rule. Well, that and his definite preference for the woodlands. There was just something fun about trees, at least in his opinion.
But today found the icy colored stallion far out of his comfort zone, wandering along a somewhat narrow mountain path. Why? Why not.
True Safian logic there, alright. Smiling ruefully at himself, the stallion gave a short laugh. "Safi, you certainly are a strange one!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 1:34 pm
Shikoba opened his eyes, as he thought he heard a voice among the loud rush of the wind passing his ears. He looked around to either side of him, but couldn't find the source of the voice. Perhaps he had just imagined it. It was easy to think you've heard things with the wind blowing loudly in your ears. He returned his gaze forward, and tossed his head, pushing his mane out of his face. It didn't help much, though, as the wind just whipped it up again.
He turned his head again as he heard something else. He could swear he heard a snort, or somebody speaking again. He stood up, puffing up his wings, and looked around to find the source.
"Hello? Who's there? Come out!"
He made his voice sound as big and commanding as possible, wanting to seem as though he could easily stand up for himself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 5:03 pm
Safi was used to talking to himself, but getting an answer without first uttering it was rather different. Had he been in one of his more fanciful moods, he might have spent a great deal of time musing on that concept; unsolicited self-responses. However, he was NOT in such a mood today, and it was coomon sense that dictated his response.
Said response was a wide grin, the realization that he wasn't alone coming as an interesting and definitely appreciated bit of news. So there was someone else up here, dealing with the rage of the winds, eh?
Either that, or he was hallucinating. Somehow, he had his doubts about that one, though...
So it was with a cheerful grin that he called out a response, his pleasant tones being carried off on the wind as well. "Safi's here, and why don't you come out? 'Cause I don't happen to know where you are, thus making coming out a great deal harder."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 6:56 am
Shikoba turned in the direction that the voice came from and still could not see who it was that was speaking. He moved forward a bit, searching for the source of the voice.
"Well, I don't know any better where you are! Speak again, I may be able to follow your voice"
He was cautious, not sure if there was evil behind the voice. He didn't know who or what was speaking, and it could end up being dangerous. He listened closely as the wind continued to rush past his ears, straining to hear anything else from the creature that had stumbled upon his resting spot.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 3:46 pm
Fair enough. He couldn't see the other, the other couldn't see him, it was remarkably like a game of Blindman's Bluff. Or it would be if he knew what Blindman's Bluff actually entailed. Regardless, he was now officially amused, a fact that was evident in his tone when he replied.
"Well, one can always hope for such, but at the same time we have to hope that neither one of us blows away. That'd be a sad ending to this little non-meeting, woulnd't you say?"
So speaking, he continued up the path that he was currently treading, figuring that the higher he got, the easier it would be to see what was around him. Besides, the voice of the other speaker was somewhat faint; therefore he doubted that following it would necessarily get him anywhere but lost. So, up he'd go and see what he could see.
That certainly made the fact that the other stallion was higher than him a handy one!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 16, 2007 5:44 am
Shikoba heard the other's reply, and thought it was a little bit silly. Of course the wind wouldn't blow a Soquili off a mountain. It wasn't that strong. Anyways, if Shikoba was thrown off the mountain in any way, he could just spread his wings, and make a safe landing at the bottom.
He continued to move forward, searching for the source of the voice. As he rounded a corner, he saw that the ground sloped upwards a bit, and he began to climb. When he got about half way up the slope, he finally saw the shape of another Soquili stallion. He had interesting colours, remenicent of the snow-capped tops of mountains at the edge of a blue sky. He also noticed that he had wings. This was a first. Shikoba had never before met another stallion, let alone one with wings.
He didn't say anything, but remained at his spot half way up the slope. He wasn't sure what this stallion's intentions were, and he wasn't going to readily draw attention to himself before the other one noticed him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 16, 2007 8:23 am
Continuing up the path, Safi grinned as the wind intensified, catching his mane and tail and ruffling his feathers. If nothing else, this little journey would result in an interesting hair style!
However, he very strongly doubted that this would be a case of the very least mattering too much. Ever since he was a foal he'd liked meeting new Soquilis; the only time he'd ever really reined in his travels was when his kids were young, and now that they were grown he had plenty of time to make up for lost opportunities. Granted, he couldn't regret the chance to watch his kids grow up, seeing them blossom from simple baskets to a graceful mare and a dashing (if clumsy) stallion. Parenthood hadn't been an easy road...
Much like this one, actually. But this one was physically underfoot, and he could always fly up it if he was REALLY desperate. He really wasn't, though...
Especially not when the other stallion finally came into view. It was hard to miss him, bright as his mane was and long and streamer-like as the wind had made it. Safi had never seen a stallion with such unusual hair before, and his reaction reflected that. Stopping in his walking, he gave the other stallion a look of wide eyed surprise mingled with honest admiration, then, realizing what he was doing, laughed and started forward again, calling out as he did so.
"Why am I not surprised to see you have wings? One doesn't see a lot of the non-winged variety up here, that's for sure."
Seeing other stallions and other winds was common for Safi, traveled as he was; beyond the hair, this was an everyday occurance!
Discounting the location, of course.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 16, 2007 8:52 am
Shikoba sighed as he got another shocked reaction to his appearance. Not too long ago, he loved the admiring and appraising looks he got from people upon first seeing him, but now he was beginning to find it annoying.
He nodded his head slightly. True, he didn't expect to see regular Soquili up here, due to its high and difficult location, but that's why he came here. To be alone and enjoy the solitude.
But he was actually somewhat intrigued by this other stallion. He had never met a stallion before, and he didn't know what they were like. It might actually be nice to speak with one, maybe learn more about them, and maybe even himself.
So for the meantime, he bit his usually sharp tongue, and decided to be as friendly as he could be...which wasn't saying much. He hadn't had a lot of experience with all that friendly stuff.
"Indeed. The height makes it ideal for our kind. And the solitude is nice"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 16, 2007 9:07 am
"Not to mention the excellant exercise for both leg and wing even getting here."
Perhaps unlike his new conversation partner, Safi was used to random conversations, meeting others, and generally being a social butterfly. It was what he lived on, what kept his life interesting. He'd always sought out the company of others, offering advice or lifting spirits as the situation meritted. Some people are entertainers; he was one such Soquili.
However, that didn't mean that he was necessarily dense. When one met a stranger in an isolated place and said stranger talked about the benefits of solitude, there was a high likelihood that there was a reason for such.
Shaking back his mane, Safi gave the other stallion a wide smile. "And I agree, the isolation factor is nice, if it's isolation that you seek. Hopefully I'm not intruding on such desired isolation; or if I am, just say so and I'll be on my way. Ought to be easy enough on a day like today, after all!" This last bit was accompanied by a conspiratorial wink, as though he were letting the other stallion in on some secret.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 16, 2007 9:22 am
The other stallion spoke in a very strange way. It almost confused Shikoba, and it almost seemed as though he was talking in circles. When asked if he wanted to be alone, Shikoba almost said yes, but remembered that he was trying to be friendly and wanted to meet this stallion.
"No, you're not intruding at all. I just meant that this is a nice place to come if indeed you want some solitude. But it is nice to have company. I've never met another stallion before, let alone one with wings. May I ask your name?"
Shikoba was surprised at how friendly he could be if he tried. Maybe it was his curiosity that allowed him to override his usual attitude. Whatever it was, it was a little strange to Shikoba.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 16, 2007 9:56 am
Not intruding was always a good thing. Safi could deal with that, indeed he could, though if the other stallion was just trying to be polite...well, he'd have to deal with the consequences, wouldn't he?
However, Safi was very pleased with that answer, particularly upon hearing the other stallion's extraordinary confession. Never met another wind, or even another stallion? Good Lord, where was he FROM that there were only mares?
"Well, once again you seem to have thrown me for a loop, friend; never met a stallion before who'd only met mares! If you ask me, that sounds like a somewhat dry existance...but perhaps you've only been looking in the wrong places. Or maybe you even adore mares, which is fine...but maybe lacking in variety. Regardless, I've always been a wind stallion, so I guess you get to see two new things in one shot!"
Grinning, he then stepped back, sweeping back his wings in a bow. "I'm Safi; what's your handle, friend?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 16, 2007 10:35 am
Shikoba was still a little thrown off by the way the other stallion spoke. He thought that the extravagant bow was a bit much, but he didn't say anything. He had to remember to be polite and friendly.
"Well, I've only been in this land for a short time, so I haven't had much of a chance to meet many others in general."
It was true that he had only come across a few other Soquili, and up until now, they all happened to be mares. It didn't seem anything special. He hadn't become particularly attached to any of them. Well, there was one. Aishwarya. His meeting her had been a very interesting. He had discovered feelings that he had never had before, and he still wasn't completely sure about them. Well, this stallion had met mares before. Maybe he knew something about those feelings. But perhaps he should wait a bit longer to ask him about it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 26, 2007 2:35 pm
Ah, so this was a new arrival, eh? Well, either he didn't WANT to meet others or he flat-out didn't know how, since the odds of meeting anyone of the non-winged or non-hermetical up in the mountains was...well, unlikely. Who wanted to try and meet others when you practically had to yell to be heard and fight to stay on your feet?
Oh well. Who was he to talk about strange?
The fact that the other stallion had yet to offer his name in spite of being asked was also peculiar, and a bit standoffish. Oddly enough, it made Safi think of his old friend Indawo...
Maybe these two stallions had exchanged tips!
"Well, I suppose that you've got to begin somewhere, and here is as good as anywhere if you don't know where you ought to go, eh? I'm sure that things will improve as far as the meeting of others goes, assuming that such is your intent. Or do you have no intent?" Another possibility. And a mystery, how exciting!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 27, 2007 10:09 am
Shikoba soon realized that in his though of the other's question, he had neglected to introduce himself.
"Please forgive my rudeness, my name is Shikoba."
He bowed his head lightly before pondering the other's next questions. His wording was still throwing him in a bit of a loop, but he caught up quite quickly.
"I don't really have any intent. I'm just here for now, and if I meet others, that will be nice, but I'm not really going out of my way to do it at this point."
He nodded, and his thought strayed back to the subject of mares. Shikoba had indeed met a few, but they were still quite confusing to him. Maybe this stallion knew more about them.
"May I ask, Safi, have you met many mares"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
