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 Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 1:28 pm
Circumstances had led her to this place, hear'say had directed her feet and only the patience of a saint had maintained her sanity. Her present company had wandered off to explore and in doing so, had left the mare to her own devices. Whether or not this was a good thing remained to be seen but the peace and quiet that solitude provided was something to be savoured and enjoyed.
Allowing her amber eyes to scan the horizon, she gave a slight toss of her mane and moved slowly across the meadows. At such a high altitude the meadows and the long grass remained rather untouched, given their somewhat 'dry' nature they also enabled her to blend in rather well...Honey dapple definitely had it's advantages.
Nevertheless, her lips parted in appreciation of the scenery that she had never come across before. Her herd lived in traditional territory, lush grassland, accessible water but there was nothing 'quirky' about it - one of the reasons she had decided to go for a walk.
...A walk turned into a vanishing act and she hadn't been seen since.
It was all a matter of curiosity, while she was bored of her home she was also curious in relation to why her own family were subjected to such scrutiny every day - all for the sake of an unholy brother with a bad reputation. If she was entirely honest she hadn't believed he existed until her mother had confirmed it.
Now it was more a case of wishing to discover what made him so bad. Her mother spoke little of him, clearly ashamed and yet there was something there, something secret that she refused to reveal.
Never one to let things get in the way of her search for knowledge, Ashura had simply taken matters into her own hooves!
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 2:20 pm
"So tell me tree, what IS it about the sky that you find so fascinating?" Silence. "Indeed, indeed, that is true. There is not much else to look at when you are sessile in nature. Would you like me to shift that branch for you?" Silence, followed by a heavy sigh and the sounds of a large animal shifting in the long dry grass. "Do stop scratching me with those leaves, I'll be finished in a moment." Rustles followed the words, and the dark unicorn stallion stood back from the solitary tree; appraising it with a knowing eye. "Yes yes, that looks like it should feel better." The stallion grinned up at the old tree, then sketched a polite bow before turning and wading out through the dry golden stalks of the meadowlands. "Take care of yourself!" He called over his shoulder, smiling lightly when the tree waved at him with the breeze.
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 2:33 pm
...She'd stood very quietly as she'd watched the scene. She'd known that the soquili in this region were odd but she had never seen anything quite like it. She was fairly certain her eyes hadn't been playing tricks on her, nor had her ears. Yet the question still remained in the back of her mind - had she really just witnessed what she had? Had he been speaking to a tree or something in it?
Flicking her braided tail against her rump, she slowly began to make her way towards the tree. As petite as she was, she couldn't completely mask the sound of her hoof beats as she approached for a better look. Turning to look up, she failed to see anything that could have provided decent conversation and yet...
"Are you hiding?" She asked at last, canting her head to the side to inspect the tree a little more. She made no attempts to hide her voice, speaking as she would to another...a slight hint of superiority in her tone. "Or is that stallion somewhat disturbed?" The last was simply rhetorical in her opinion.
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 2:47 pm
Two slender ebony ears flicked backwards at the distance muffled sound of hoofbeats, and again the stallion smiled as he casually looped back around so he was approaching the tree downwind of the barely visible soquili.
When he heard the tail end of her conversation, his grin widened and he cleared his throat loudly.
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 2:59 pm
It should have been one of those 'oh my lord, don't do that' situations but the mare simply flicked her ears back at the sound of the voice and very slowly glanced around. It was unbecoming of a mare to shriek, jump or stumble when surprised - it was more appropriate to move very slowly to indicate a sense of calm and slight displeasure at the disturbance.
She wasn't really expecting to see the same stallion coming from an entirely different angle though and canted her head to the side in what appeared to be curiosity. That was a rather odd skill, not one she would need herself but certainly one to be observed from a distance and appreciated.
"Speak of the devil," She mused in response and offered a slight smile, "Can I help you?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 3:11 pm
"Me? No, but I may be able to help you." the unicorn said offhandedly, amber eyes bright and focused on the mare in front of him. He had been impressed with her calm; few were tolerant of a stranger approaching from the front, let alone the rear. So he also took a moment to admire her exterior, but he found himself more attracted to the calm aura she exuded.
Yes yes, she could be a worthy disciple.
"I trust you are puzzled by my comrade's silence?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 3:20 pm
Her mother had taught her better than to scream at the sight of a stranger, her mother had always told her that doing such might provoke them and to be calm was the best defence. When calm an individual could think, they could assess a situation and draw conclusions that were not guided by fear or panic... Thus, she had made certain to master this art in every way possible.
"If you are referring to the tree then you would be correct," She gave a small bow of her head in greeting, a sign of polite recognition that he actually existed. Well if he wasn't going to be the polite one then she would, she might even be able to use it to her advantage at a later date!
"I was unaware that they excelled at conversation in these arts." She continued, allowing her gaze to trail over his form briefly. Tall, lean and yet there was something a little off - she almost smelt the trouble.
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 3:27 pm
The amber eyes flickered momentarily... seemed to pulse with anticipation before the stallion shuttered them... hiding the action with a cheerful grin.
"Of course of course! Such is the curse of the unenlightened."
He opened his eyes again and tilted his head up, glancing out her slyly from the corner of his eye. "She is a honorable old tree, with deep roots tapped down into an underground stream that allow her to survive in this dry meadow." Again his eyes gleamed, this time with the light of real devotion and understanding as he looked away from the mare towards the gnarled old oak. "She also has a nice sense of humor... as she wonders why a lady like yourself would have such outrageous colors adorning your hair."
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 3:33 pm
"Methinks it is not so much the spirit of the tree that wonders," Glancing briefly at the teal in her hair she gave a loose shrug. She rather liked the colours, granted the elders had been furious at the act of rebellion but she had deemed it necessary and none would tell her otherwise. "Rather, I am fairly certain that it is you who wonders but seeks an alternative method of asking such a question."
There was a pause in which she flicked her tail against her flank and took note of the oddest glint in his eye. She had seen glints in her time, she knew what a lot of them meant but this one was an odd one - for a start the stallions at home had a damn sight more tact when it came to matters of appearance and not appreciating it!
"Especially when it is so lacking in tact and might be deemed impolite when addressing a stranger," At last her over analytical nature came to the forefront and she shifted easily onto another hoof to relieve the tension in her leg, "...A strange is less inclined to be mad with a spirit after all."
"But if you must know, it is a mark of respect for a relation of mine."
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 3:40 pm
"Strangers? Tact... manners? Rubbish, those are ideals pressed upon you by forces outside of nature. We stopped being strangers the moment we spoke, and Society makes the rest." He nodded to himself, then grinned again.
"As for my honorable companion's taste, she still finds them garish against your lovely coat... I, however, find them quite appealing. You have my compliments."
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 3:48 pm
That was such a cheap line that the mare had to gawk at the stallion for the briefest of moments. Oh he had some nerve! While a part of him desired to insult her taste another desired to compliment it - well he wasn't doing a particularly good job. He might have looked attractive but a man who contradicted himself within a split second of opening his mouth was not someone she would swoon for.
Though he did look rather nice.
However that did not excuse the fact that he had not only insulted her but also her brother's complexion. Her herd had said he had teal in him, so she had dyed her locks teal - now this stallion who had only known her five minutes deemed to call it garish!
"I beg to differ, manners and tact make another individual more appealing and socially capable. To blatantly insult a mare you scarcely know is an affront and I take it as such," Lifting her chin, the mare swivelled her ears round and placed a critical eye on the stallion.
Two could play at this game.
"For that reason, in order for you to make amends I consider it appropriate to bestow my opinion on your form -" She paused dramatically as she admired his physique and then allowed the small smirk to flick on to her lips.
"Your tail is stumpy." She informed him in a completely dead pan manner.
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 3:58 pm
"SOCIALLY capable indeed. That my dear is the root of the problem here. SOCIALLY my tail is stumpy, and SOCIALLY my dear old and gnarly friend finds your coloring garish...."
He paused significantly as well.
"I, HOWEVER, have decided that though your coloring is SOCIALLY unacceptable, it is perfectly ACCEPTABLE when you consider the very nature of my point. That Society's views are IRRELEVANT and go against Nature and The One God's laws."
He paused again, this time the same charismatic grin spreading across his features.
"Thus, my dear, my tail is not stumpy and your coloring is not garish, and we do not have a problem."
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 4:05 pm
Was he mad?
He must have been with an argument like that. To try and understand it was like trying to understand why the sky was blue, the grass was green and why water was wet. To contemplate such things would drive any person mad and would cause them to run about in circles for hours on end with no conclusion or answer in sight - so she opted to simply raise a brow in response to his rant and cast it aside.
Somehow, he had just argued his way out of her insult and had pointed out he was sorry for insulting her. Well, in a roundabout way he had (or so she believed) and so her body language began to relax just a little, she even returned the rather boyish smile with a more pleasant one of her own.
"I am not your dear, I am not your mate so pet names are unacceptable," She made careful note no to mention 'society' for fear that he would launch into another rather incoherent tirade - she did however, make one tiny mistake.
"So if you are informing me that everything society deems acceptable is not...does that mean that murder and rape are completely acceptable?" She enquired curiously.
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 4:17 pm
"Unacceptable.. acceptable... again? Have you cotton in your ears?"
He closed his eyes and shook his head.
"Murder is murder only by Society's laws, since two-leggers murder innocent rabits to eat every day, and you murder young grass shoots to satisfy your hunger. So, TELL ME the difference between a young kalona stallion MURDERING a older spavined mare to eat and a young human MURDERING an old doe to eat? Which one, Society's Champion, would you deem against the law? WHICH ONE CROSSED THE LINE THAT SOCETY DREW?" He drew breath, only to let it out in a huff.
"As for rape, that is outside of society's purview.. as it is a personal matter and is dealt with on a personal level. What you or I might deem rape, the unfortunate might call her just desserts. It is a matter of perception and neither you nor I have any right to judge." He finished the last a bit slower, the energy that had filled him previously deflating.
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 4:24 pm
Snap.
"JUST DESSERTS?!" Her composure was completely destroyed as her amber eyes widened. Her petite form seemed to grow slightly as she pulled herself up and took a deep breath to prepare her next out burst. Just desserts indeed, her mother had been subjected to absolute torture and he was informing her that it was just desserts or a matter that should not be dealt with by society?
"How DARE you," She hissed, shaking her head as emotions of fury and astonishment coursed through her veins, "If society never dealt with such despicable creatures then even more individuals would be raped - a personal issue indeed." She spat, her ears lying flat against her head as she backed away from the stallion.
He was beyond mad, there were just no words.
"It is the responsibility of all to protect one another, rape is personal to an extent but public in the rest. You would let those soquili live amongst you?"
By the spirits!
"What perverted lands did you come from, where such things are approved of or simply ignored. I sincerely doubt you would have ignored it if it had been your own MOTHER!" While his energy may have deflated, her energy had positively exploded at there mere dismissal of a crime she considered to be worse than murder.
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