[IC] =Silencer & Ling's Teepee=

[Foalen]

Catching Grand Dynasty's mood, the tangerine mare's gentle laughter rang out to mix with the staliions as she rode in his wake her hooves making a sticato rythem on the firm ground.

Applejacks nostrals flared as she scented water and she slowed her pace to match that of the mustang. She smiled at his reasurance stepping forward confidently. She loved water and was a good swimmer though she didn't plan on slipping. Striding forward smartly she neighed playfully back to the stallion sure of her footing.

The water that splashed at her legs and underbelly was chilly, but refreshing. It didn't take too long to cross the creek and she almost wished it had taken a little longer. Playing in the water was fun. Even so, Grand Dynasty's surprise was even more enticing. Applejack never could pass up seeing some new place or people.

Kicking the water off of her legs she trotted up the bank to were Dynasty waited with his feathered friend.  

[Silencer Wolf]

"Okay." Grand Dynasty smiled, and nickered softly. "Now follow me." The stallion whinnied to Tuari, and the eagle took off into the air. With some effort he caught a thermal and soared above the two soquilis below, before veering off towards the dense forest before them.

Dynastys tail flicked back and forth as he walked past the border of the forest. It was no different than the forest they had just passed back across the creek, but after a minute or two of walking, the underbrush seemed to grow denser. The air around them grew fresher and colder, and extremely quiet. The plantlife seemed to thicken significantly as the mustang went deeper in, and a forbidding atmosphere seemed to hang in the air around him. Despite this, Dynasty pushed steadily on where other soquilis would probably turn tail and gallop off by now.

A sudden screech made Dynasty jump, but he carried that off as if nothing had happened, especially with Applejack behind him. Instinctively, sharp brown eyes scan the area for a clear patch of ground - ah, there it was. Slipping onto the (short) pathway, Dynasty shook himself off any hitchhiking leaves and twings on him, grinned at Applejack, and motioned for her to follow him.

The air just seemed to be warmer than before. Dynasty took a few more steps and found himself suddenly bathed in warm sunshine. Taking a step aside, he whispered to Applejack, "We're here."

Where it was a dense and hard-to-penetrate forest behind the soquilis, what was before them was something completely different. For one, it looked as if a giant hand from the heaven had reached down plucked out a patch of the forest. Secondly the clearing before them, though not large enough to rival a meadow, was quite big in itself, and just as green as any meadow in the land of soquili - a miniature meadow, perhaps? There was also single oak tree, large and ancient looking as her age, stood at the heart of the clearing, welcoming any visitors to the retreat.

The silence too was broken by a gently gushing sound of a small waterfall to the left of the forest border. A small, shallow little stream ran from the waterfall towards the oak tree, forming a 'C' shaped pond around it.

Just then, a light breeze blew across the clearing, carrying a lovely sweet scent of a sweet, juicy red fruit. Apples, anyone?

(( eh, I'm terrible at describing places. There're a lot more I've pictured in my mind about this place, but... xD;

feel free to add whatever you want as Apllejack explores the place >w>; ))

 

[Foalen]

Applejack had to push her way through the thick vegitation and she couldn't help, but wonder where Grand Dynasty was taking her as she did so. The tangerine mare felt a shiver go down her spine as the air grew colder. Shaking her mane out she watched the mustang closely. He didn't seem to be afraid at all so neather was she.

Being a very trusting sort she continued to follow the stallion's lead as the plant life grew denser and more forbiding. She started momentairly at the sound of something calling out and glanced around to see what it was. But Dynasty was off again and she sped up to catch up with him.

When she reached the short path she copied her new friend shaking off any leaves and debries that might have clung to her coat.

Stepping forward as Dynasty moved aside for her the orange mare stepped out into the light enjoying the feeling of the head on her back. She took a deep breath delighting in the fragrent scent of her favorite flowers. Somewhere in this hidden paridise there was an apple tree. Perhaps more than one. Nickering happily Applejack lifted her head high to get a good look around.

The sound of the waterfall attracted Applejack's attention next and before she knew what she was doing she had already started trotting towards it. As she came near she could see that the sun was making thousands of miniture rainbows as it shown down through the mist created by the falling water.

Stopping at the edge of the little stream she lowered her head for a good long drink. The trip had made her thursty. When she was finished she looked back behind her to see what Grand Dynasty was doing. "This place is amazing. How did you ever find it?"  

[Silencer Wolf]

"Tuari, and him." Grand Dynasty smiled, and nodded his head up towards the oak tree.

To the untrained eye, one could hardly see the small figure curled up fast asleep between a fork in one of the branches. Presently a dragonfly flitted up towards the figure, buzzing around in circles around it before landing daintily on its ear and started cleaning its forelegs. A groan and swipe soon sent it flitting away elsewhere.

"Would you like me to wake him up?"  

[Foalen]

"Him?" Applejack asked in a questioning tone as she tilted her head to look where Grand Dynasty was motioning. "It seems the dragonfly has woken your friend up for you. But I'd love to meet him. It's always nice to make new friends."

The mare smiled brightly at the stallion and hawk thinking how reciently she had met the two of them. She was makeing a lot of friends today. "What sort of creature is he? I can't quite tell from here." The mare lifted her head trying to see around the trunk of the tree to where Dynasty's friend rested.  

[Silencer Wolf]

Woken up by the commotion below, the figure yawned and stretched himself. Bright brown eyes blinked off any feeling of sleepiness that remained, and a hand shot up to scratch at an itching spot on the scalp. Looking below him, the being smiled, reaching out a hand to pet Tuari, who had hopped over to him.

It was then that the figure spotted another creature nearby - a creature so like his buckskin friend below, but in a color and pattern so strange, he had never seen them before. Thinking it a threat, he let out a soft growl, leapt off his branch and proceeded to make his way down towards the ground below, hopping from branch to lower branch akin to a leaping lemur, waking up another creature in the process.

Once on the ground the creature was easier to make out - a young native american boy of perhaps ten or younger, dressed minimally in animal skin.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" He demanded, eyes narrowed, and surprisingly in the language of soquili. The boy kept a steady gaze on Applejack, and his voice had a strange edge and coldness to it - nothing like that of a mere humanling.

Before Dynasty could do anything, a not-too-young mountain lion leapt down from an overhanging branch and stationed itself between the human and Applejack. There were no threatening vocalizations from the feline though it glared intensely at the orange mare, tail waving stiffly back and forth.

A butterfly fluttered by just then, and away went the little cub after it.  

[Foalen]

Applejack gazed back at the boy and the cat for a long moment with wide unblinking eyes. She could tell that the two legger wasn't pleased by her presence. Finally she nodded toward Grand Dynasty. "My name is Applejack, I come from a place called dream valley. I'm here because Grand Dynasty brought me here.

"You've a very nice place here." Turning to Dynasty she wuffled a thank you. "I apprechiate you brining me here, but I can see I am not wanted here. I had a wonderful time. I hope to see you again some day." The orange mare turned gracefully around moving back toward the trail from wich she came.  

[Silencer Wolf]

"No wait!" Dynasty whinnied to the retreating mare. She was his first and only other soquili friend, and now... "You're more than welcome here, anytime..." He whispered under his breath.

"And you're not." Turning to the young two-legger, the stallion shot a death glare to him, before galloping off after the orange mare. Tuari too, glared down at the rude child before launching himself into the air, swooping past the mustang and up above.

The eagle spotted Applejack easily enough from the air, and descended rapidly towards her.  

[Xiao Ling]

Chenoa was galloping in a hurry when she saw two black figures going towards her direction. With that she cantered towards them, hoping to ask them for directions.

"Erm.. Excuse me," said the mare when she caught up to them. "I was wondering if you can show me the fastest way to the lake," she continued, sounding urgent. "I need to get there as soon as I can."  

[Silencer Wolf]

WHOA!

Running in a full gallop, Grand Dynasty had only time to let out a piercing warning neigh before plunging sideways to avoid crashing into the mare who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, her dark coat blending almost perfectly with the darkness of the forest.

Slowing down to a trot, the stallion moved in a half-circle away and back towards the new face to work work off the excess energy in his legs, before turning to the dark brown soquili.

"The lake?" Dynasty echoed, looking past her towards where Applejack must have went. The stallion blew and snorted in frustration at himself for losing a friend so easily - again, then focused his attention on the new face - another mare.

"Oh sorry. What were you saying again?" He asked, looking apologetic at forgetting what she had just said.  

[Xiao Ling]

"Yes, the lake," replied the brown mare, panting heavily. "Can you please show me the fastest way to get there? I heard that the lake is safe to hide from people," she continued.  

[Silencer Wolf]

Hide? People?

"If so, this way." Grand Dynasty blew and whinnied, turning around and going back the way he came, though instead of bringing the mare to the clearing, the stallion led her into another route, one in the direction of Maralah's teepee and the lake, dodging obstacles this time around.

When they arrived, the mustang guided the mare to a safe spot behind the trees.

"You ought to be safe here. Why the hiding, if I may ask? Is someone after you?" Dynasty panted, a little tired out from the earlier chase, then this.  

[Xiao Ling]

Chenoa followed the stallion all the way to the lake and hid under the tree, too tired to move anymore.

"I lived with two-leggeds who looked after me for profits only," replied the mare. "I never get to do things the others can, so I escape. I have a friend who escaped too, he told me to wait beside the lake."  

[Silencer Wolf]

Grand Dynasty nodded symphatically, though in his heart he was somewhat unnerved by the mare's statement. Now that she has escaped, not that Dynasty was unhappy with the deed, her two-leggers must be out looking for her.

Scanning the area around them, the buckskin stallion made sure there were no two-leggers lurking around before turning to Chenoa.

"Well, it's a good thing no one's following you. What's your name, and who, or what is your friend?" Dynasty asked, flicking his tail back and forth and keeping an ear out for suspicious sounds as he waited for her answer.