Cihiru's Teepee

[Cihiru]

05.01 And the Thunder Rolls: Kali, Kestal & Pallaton


Twiddle

The pounding of hooves upon the ground echoed throughout the valley, the spotted stallion flying across the open lands. He threw his head in the air and let out a loud, happy whinny, his mane flowing behind him.

He suddenly jumped into the air, flying over an unseen obstacle, and landed gracefully on the ground once more. As he approached the shallow brook, he slowed to a stop and dipped his muzzle to drink.

wooga Paes

Upstream to the stallion, another was making its way down. But rather-- he was swimming. Soon enough, the palomino stopped at the riverside, barely noticing Kes untill he had caught breath. He blinked, this one had so not been there before. Slowly, Pallaton made his way out of the water, sheking his mane out so it would dry, and attempting to swish a now, rather heavy, tail.

Looking once more, he let out a greeting. "Hello! " He neighed, waiting for the other's answer.

Cihiru

Even the not-so-observant would have had little trouble noticing her. The mare frolicked in the river with almost reckless abandon, throwing liquid up onto the banks and water-logging her gradient mane and tail. It made loud, swishing splashes around her knees, and crashed against her sides in small wakes, but she was blissfully oblivious. Self consciousness had no place in the purest forms of joy; the mare threw back her head and let forth a whinnying laugh as though to accentuate it.

However, even foals and butterflies had only so much energy... And Kali was neither. With a content, but faintly tired sigh, the mare slowed her movements to a mere wading walk, until she pulled to a stop. She peered briefly to the increasingly grey sky, and with a satisfied smile, bent her neck and drank from the crystalline river.

Twiddle

Kestal's ear flicked forward as he heard someone say hello. Looking up at the stallion, he raised a brow. "Hello." He called back, watching him. He must've gone swimming, he thought, taking in the sight of his soaking wet state.

His ear flickered around to his side, when he saw Kali in the river not far from them. He smiled widely and let out a loud whinny, reveling his presence to her.

wooga Paes

Palla too whinnied to the winged mare, before looking back at the cajun. "My name is Pallaton, whats yours? " He asked, before attempting to shake his whole body, wich almost resulted in falling into the water again. He felt a bit dryer though, and that made him content. He dipped his head to drink, amazingly, Palla didn't usualy drink the water while he was in it, wich was quite odd, in his mind, and probably the other Soquili's.

Cihiru

As she lifted her muzzle (and gave her head a delicate shake, dislodging stubborn droplets), the mare tilted her head to gaze back at the brooding sky. Rain was heavy in the air, gracing it with a distinct scent that made her muzzle pull into a gentle smile. It was good weather, she decided; a taste she inherited from her mother. Kali gave her wings a fidgeting rustle as she imagined running through the swaying grasses while the clouds rained down on her, but something else demanded her attention.

Only partially attentive, the mare gave her ear an observant flick. That was a familiar call though; she turned her head to more fully observe its owner. "Hi Kestal!" The mare gave him an ornery grin as she pulled herself from the shallow waters. "How do you fare today, Firefly?" Ah, nicknames. This too was a family habit; where she came up with this one, however, was a mystery to all but herself.

Twiddle

Kestal gazed at her with admiration in his eyes, smiling as he watched her. He wondered what she was thinking about, but knew better than to ask. Shaking himself from his thoughts, he walked over to her and gave her an affectionate nuzzle. He cocked an ear at the nickname, but thought it better not to ask. "I'm very well now." He said with a grin, "Yourself?"

Cihiru

The nuzzle filled her with a warm smile, both inside and out. To adore and be adored was a... difficult sensation to describe, but she transferred it with a nuzzle. "While I am glad to hear it, maybe some day you'll tell me you're feeling down, and I'll be able to do something to cheer you up." Kali circled around him, fixing him with a scrutinizing gaze. "I can't if you're well already!" And she allowed the smile to resurface.

"I am... Content. Wonderful. Excited..." Kali tilted her head thoughtfully, causing her forelock to sweep over one eye. "It's going to rain. Do you like rain?" She certainly hoped so! Her imagination recreated the images that drifted through her mind, adding renditions with Kestal.

Twiddle

Kestal smiled at her and laughed. "But if I'm not well, then you'll worry. I don't want you to worry." He grinned at her and as she circled him, he flickered his tail in her direction, brushing it gainst her side. "Rain?" He looked up at the sky, "I haven't really thought about it before." He said with a shrug. "I suppose so." He looked back over to her with a smile again. "I can tell you like it." He watched her as she cocked her head and he smiled. He pushed her forelock from her eye gently with his muzzle, "I could learn to like the rain."

Cihiru

"I don't have to worry; I can fix anything!" Almost. It sounded good though, and she thought that counted for something. "Yes, rain." Kali gave the air a deliberate sniff, testing the humidity and soaking up the clean, heavy scent. And as though on cue, a droplet hit her square on the nose, followed soon by others. They landed with little 'plop's on her coat, creating dark spots on an already dark (and wet) canvas.

She gave a stifled laugh, the sound muted by the blanket that rained down on them. "Well, I think now's a good time to start." The sun had relinquished its throne by now. That was the best part; she loved the way the lightning played in the clouds, leaping freely from one to another while it graced the earth below with its glow. She'd admire it from the ground though, keeping her wings tucked safely against her sides, for instinct warned against soaring with the darting bolts.

"It's not going to stay there," she warned, giving an amused grin as she tossed her head to further displace the forlock from her gaze. "So! What shall we do now that the rain's blessed us?"

Twiddle

Kestal watched as the rain started to sprinkle down around and on them, andit soon became a steady shower of droplets. He smiled at her, as the droplets played across his coat, making him have dark streaks. "Well, finding shelter is the first thing that comes to mind. "He said loudly, his words blurred by the cracks of lightening, and the duistant sound of thunder.

Shaking himself off, only to be pelted with more drops, he wondered where they could go. The trees seemed the most logical place, though if a tree were to be struck by lighteing it may cause more danger than shelter. He looked over to Kali with a slight smile, "You wanna just stay here and get more soaked then?" He called teasingly.

Cihiru

"Yes, that would be the first to come to mind," she teased, leaning close to n** playfully at his neck. "But it's boring, and ordinary." The two did, after all, go hand in hand. Ordinary was seldom found without boring, and that never did satisfy the ebony mare.

She gave him a devious grin. "Nope," Kali called over her shoulder. "I'll race you." She had already taken off as she uttered this, fully aware she was approving her own figurative slaughter. Her limbs pulled her across the ground anyway, her hooves landing in small splashes. "Last one to uh..." A hasty gaze scanned the horizon, trying to settle on a destination.

Twiddle

Kestal grinned and nipped back at her. "It's also safe, and wise." He said with a grin. Though he could tell this mare was not one to always follow the cautionary route.

As she sped off ahead of him, his instincts kicked in and he followed after her. As he came closer to her, he glanced around as well. "That cliff!" He called over the booming thunder and cracking lightening. He motioned towards a large drop-off, and sped towards it, his long legs stretching out to give him more speed.

Cihiru

"There are multiple ways to achieve safety, and wise is only a matter of perspective," she retorted. Kali snorted dismissively, hardly audible over the crack of thunder that peeled suddenly across the sky. As the rain thickened, so did the clouds, and it was impossible to discern one from another in the solid tapestry hanging above them, except when the lightning illuminated them.

Not only did it bring light to the skies overhead, but the ground beneath it too. It accentuated features that would have been otherwise difficult, or even impossible to see in the relative darkness... Like the cliff that appeared in the distance ahead of them, made conspicuous as the lightning lit its contours. Her eyes must have met it nearly the same time as his, because he made the suggestion as the thought crossed her mind.

"Chaaarge!" she cried, throwing back her head in a brief laugh while tucking her idle wings tighter still. Her speed was still no match for Kestal's, but she boasted stamina, and she so adored the rain (and his company), it did not burden her mind. She was content to run for the thrill of running, and the kiss of rain against her pelt.

Twiddle

Kestal let out a laugh as she yelled charge, and his spotted legs stretched further ahead of him. He could easily gained the lead, but like before, he had them race neck and neck. As the cliff was illuminated by cracks of lightening once more, he blinked and wonderedif this was really the best place to race to.

He planted his feet in the ground as they came close to the cliff edge, but the mud made him slide. As he skidded across the water strewn ground, his legs tried desperately to stop him, but from his former speed it wasn't gonna happen. He let out a sort of cry, hoping Kali wasn't having the same, frighting, problem.

Cihiru

Another flash lit the destination ahead of them - she realized it was nearer than her first impression. The marathon run she had imagined faded quickly with the gusting wind; this 'race' would be of the short and sweet variety. Kali nodded decisively and pushed her gait, matching him more closely.

Until she saw him skidding to a stop, his hooves sliding across the slick surface like ice. "Don't stop!" Was he trying to get himself killed?! "Jump!" she corrected, leaping at that moment to illustrate her meaning. It was a cliff, yes... A tall one, even; she could see ground far beneath her. But it wasn't just a cliff. The deep ravine had a matching wall on the other side, only a realistic jump's distance away.

As she landed heavily on the other side, Kali pulled herself back to the ledge as soon as she could slow her pace enough to safely do so. "Kestal?" The sudden crack of thunder made it impossible to hear anything else; had he made it safely across? Hastily, she searched around her, trying to catch sign of a sillouhette, scent, or other indication.

Twiddle

Kestal watched as she leapt to the other side, but he couldn't make out what she had said over the crack of thunder. He wasn't sure if it was the wisest idea for him to jump as well, since she had wings. He didn't have much time to ponder it though, as he felt the ground slipping beneath his hooves. He took a deep breath and pushed himself hard off the ledge, landing on the other side with a heavy thud. He quickly got up, though he winced as he put pressure on his right back leg. He had smashed it against the side of the legde due to his hesitance. He didn't care abut that now though. "Kali!!" He called frantically over the booms and cracks of thunder and lightening.

Cihiru

This was the reason nature's inhabitants sought shelter during the fiercer storms. The thunder's booms were disorienting, and the sheets of rain still pouring down impaired both scent and vision. She had to rely almost solely on the occasional streaks of lightning to guide her sight, though her ears did perk observantly at his call. So, he had made it. Kali spotted him easily, even through the blurring rain once she heard him; a flash of light only assisted in the process.

The mare pulled herself to him at a brisk trot, and gave his neck a nuzzle. "Looking before you leap isn't always the best course of action," she jested, leaning close to whisper in his ear. "Are you going to be able to walk?" Asking if he was alright was idiocy; the way he favored one leg was obvious. She just wasn't sure what to do if he couldn't. "Let's get you someplace safe." Kali flashed an apologetic smile, but she'd save the sincere sorries for later.

Twiddle

Kestal smiled back at her, nuzzling her affectionately. "I'm just glad you're alright. And it's not bad," He lifted the leg, as if to make his point, "I can walk." He said with a slight nod. He caught her smile, and smiled back, knowing it wasn't her fault. Or at least, he didn't think it was.
Looking around, he wasn't sure where to go. Mostly cause he couldn't see if there was anywhere to go. As the lightening lit the sky once more, illuminating the scenery, he spotted a small cave. It didn't seem like the most relible source, but it was safe, and dry. He motioned to it, "What about that?" He called, even thought he was so close to her, he still needed to raise his voice above the noise.

Cihiru

She nodded her understanding. "Good, because I don't think I can carry you," Kali added jokingly, as though it wasn't obvious. His mobility made the situation considerably easier to work around; at least that wasn't something she had to worry about. Besides straining an injured limb, anyway.

And at the moment, there were bigger problems to concern themselves with. Like what were they going to call suitable shelter. Thickets and caves didn't exactly litter the landscape. Or did they? The mare followed Kestal's gaze as he spotted something, and tilted her head when her eyes landed on the object of his attention. "Care to take a guess at what else might be hiding there?" As the only cave and only natural shelter in sight, she didn't. But desperate times called for desperate measures... And, well, they were pretty desperate. "Add two Soquilis to that list," she commented.

Twiddle

Kestal looked over to her with a smile. He loved her sense of humor. Pushing the thoughts aside, he limped towards the cave, hoping that there weren't any other creatures in there. He didn't mind raccoons or rabbits, mice, any rodents really. But a bear; well that was another story. He didn't want them to have another bear episode like last time.

Pushing those thoughts aside as well, he stuck his soaking wet head into the cave, hoping a crack of lightening could illuminate it's inhabitants to them. As if on cue, lightening struck and illuminated the small cave. They would ahve to duck to get inside; which was good for them. A bear couldn't even fit inside. The largest would be a cougar, and Kestal sincerely hoped there wasn't one inside.

Cihiru

The mare bobbed her head absently and set her hooves into motion, obediently following Kestal's path and pace. The cave was indeed going to provide close quarters... she hoped it was bigger inside than it looked from out here, or the two of them weren't going to fit.

And it was, to her relief. She actually had little trouble squeezing inside; though not petite, Kali wasn't large either. "Kind of cozy," she offered sarcastically. It was okay to be a smart-aleck every now and then, right? She couldn't hide it all the time. "I hope you can get comfortable." This, however, was sincere... And she waited for Kestal to situate before finding someplace to plant herself.

Twiddle

Kestal smiled at her and chuckled softly. He laid down, his face distorting in pain as he did. It wasn't there long though, as he rested his leg against the cold stone. He looked up at her and smiled a little. "I'm fine." He said, though she hadn't asked. He yawned, and shivered a little. Now his worry was them getting sick from the cold, and wet rain. The thought didn't reside long in his mind though, as he yawned again. His body was yelling at him to sleep, and his eyelids felt like they were being pulled down. He didn't want to sleep until she was settled though.

Cihiru

Though she hadn't asked directly, his 'I'm fine' assurance was a modestly comforting reply to her previous comment. Kali took it as an okay to find someplace to rest herself, and settled on a patch of floor... well, much like all the other patches of floor.

"Get some sleep." She would lay and wait, keeping watch for danger as long as she could keep her eyes pried open. The mare was not yet sleepy anyway, so it didn't burden her... and she vowed to persist even after tiredness set in, as an equine with an injured leg faced grave danger.

 

[Cihiru]

05.02 There's a Bad Moon On the Rise: Kali & Kestal


Twiddle

As the morning sun dried the ground, the light contrasting the previous night heavily, the animals began to leave thier shelters and hiding places, glad for a new start, a new day. The aftermath of the storm wasn't too bad; a branch cracked there, a few puddles, nothing major.

As the light played across his face, Kestal cracked one eye open and looked outside of the small cave, watching a few rabbits hopping by. He started to get up, but winced and fell heavily back to the ground. Looking at his leg, he cringed at the sight of his swollen and bruised flesh. Sighing, he tried to get up again, more carefully. He managed to stand up, and limped out of the cave, into the sunlight.

Cihiru

She was anything but a sight for sore eyes. Sure, the athletic, yet elegant figure was there. And her slender face looked innocent as ever, her two-toned eyes hooded by heavy lids. Her posture, however, belied the intentions she'd held the previous evening. Kali had steeled her resolve to stay awake and be watchful, but raw determination could not keep the sand at bay.

So it was understandable Kali woke with a start at the shuffling. Perking her ears in an instant, she tossed a blurry gaze around the cave's confines. And in another instant, her sight landed on Kestal. She smiled softly at him and pushed herself to wobbly limbs, giving a gentle nudge as she pulled herself out of the cave's mouth.

The sun was a welcome sight, and it renewed her smile. "Good morning." The mare looked to him with a questioning gaze, trying to judge the extent of his injury without outright popping the redundant 'how are you feeling?' There were enough physical indications she didn't have to; swelling was bad.

Twiddle

Kestal looked over to her as she woke and followed him out. He smiled softly at her and gave her a good morning nuzzle. "I'm alright." He said, answering her questioning look. Though it was a flatout lie, he didn't want her worrying too much. If he acted like it wasn't sending shots of pain throughout his body, maybe she wouldn't notice. Right.

Now that the sun's rays illuminated the area, Kestal noticed the ravine wasn't a large space to jump at all. He looked away from it, not really wanting to remember it at that moment. "Have you ever been here before?" He asked suddenly, the unfamiliar teritory making him curious, and wary.

Cihiru

Uh-huh. "And I don't have wings." Kali gave the appendages a morning stretch, extending them experimentally before refolding them against her sides. "I'm not blind, really." She smiled sincerely, appreciative of the notion. It was just a shame it wasn't true.

Having assessed that particular situation, she too turned to observe their surroundings in the more revealing morning light. "Not that I'm aware of." They were far from what she knew as home, now. While she did a great deal of wandering, she could only explore so much. And well, this wasn't part of it. "I'd suggest we head back, but I think that's a bit much travel for your current condition." So much so, it wasn't an option. She hoped he wouldn't indicate a desire to do so, but if he did, she'd put a stop to it.

"Sounds like we're stuck here, for a while at least," and in apparent contentment, Kali lowered her head to graze on the still-dewy grasses. "Unless you have another idea?" She paused a moment to glance to him.

Twiddle

Kestal looked around and shook his head. "Nope." He smiled a little to her, and followed suit, dipping his head to munch of the still wet grass. "I suppose we could see if there's anything of interest around." He said, looking to the small cave. "I doubt we can stay in that for very long. I'm sure something will want to get it's home back."

Cihiru

Kali gave a delayed, tired yawn. "How creative." Her tone was, perhaps, more venomous than she intended, but her good intentions rarely faded, and she was too sleepy to care much anyway. The grass she stole bites of every now and then made only a meager attempt to wake her, and she gave up on it after a while.

"We could." Wandering aimlessly didn't seem like the 'safest' nor 'wisest' thing to do though. Not while Kestal's leg was in such poor shape. He was right to harp about safety, so why stop following the advice now?

Because she had adopted reckless abandon long ago, growing up in the relative safety of the quiet woods near the Kawani village. "I can look around, if you want. It's a little easier to see things from up there," she motioned with the tilt of her head.

Twiddle

Kestal raised a brow at the tone of voice she used, and wondered why it was so. He pushed the thoght off though, and nibbled at the grass. "If you think you're up to it." He said, though he wondered if she was in the best condition to fly. He knew she wasn't hurt, but being tired probably wasn't the best sidekick to flight.

Cihiru

She made a small, halfhearted nod. "I'm..." and broke her sentence with a yawn, "fine. Really." Kali smiled for emphasis, blatantly sincere this time around. It wasn't that she was short-tempered; she just forgot to wake her humor. "Anyway, I can fly in my sleep. Don't worry about it;" anything but that. There were better things to worry about, if he felt inclined to bother. And it was best that he didn't; worrying was no fun at all.

"Any last words?" she offered in a far more good-natured manner. The mare paused only briefly, glancing over her shoulder to see if he really did have anything to say before she took flight. And with that, she took wing, lifting herself off the soggy ground with a powerful push of her haunches.

It was a gorgeous morning to be flying, all grogginess aside. The sun was still low in the sky, saving its blinding rays for later, and the only clouds to be found were of the light and puffy variety. A sight to behold, indeed. All it needed was a rainbow and it would have been picture perfect, she thought.

Twiddle

Kestal smiled to her, he figured it was just the fact she was tired that made her a little bit more on edge. He watched as she took flight, not saying a word, always in awe of the scene. He wondered what it was like to fly, though as he watched her he knew it was marvelous thing indeed.

As they ventured through their lands, one of the hunters pulled the reins on his horse back, stopping the dark animal. He pointed to the sky and hushed the other five of his group. "Look!" He whispered harshly to them, as he pointed to the black mare soaring through the sky. The other hunters gasped, a flying horse?! They had only heard of such a thing in legends and myths, a story creature indeed. Well, not anymore.

Kicking thier horses into a run, the six hunters started towards the flying mare.

Cihiru

She wasn't particularly sure what it was she was looking for; 'something interesting' was a rather large boundary to work within. Kali kept alert nonetheless, and settled to search for anything out of the ordinary... though she did struggle to keep her eyes from the surreal horizon, and had to peel them away once or twice.

In between peeks at the sky, the mare spotted the group easily from her vantage point. That definitely looked out of the ordinary, but it was difficult to make anything of it from her height. After a squinting peer, she decided to swoop a little lower for a better look, and descended until she could discern details like... like the halters fastened on their horses.

The sight of them made her raise a brow; it was a fleeting curiosity that disappeared before she realized just what it was. A curiosity that gave way to dread, causing her ears to fold and her raven hide to give a nervous twitch. Something was definitely amiss.

Kali didn't wait around to find out what was bothering her; she altered her path to an arching 'u', darting back in the direction she came. She might have been a little (okay, very) careless, but she knew the smell of danger, and wasn't one to question gut instinct. Kestal had to be warned, and they needed to seek safety of some kind.

Twiddle

Kestal watched her as she zoomed back down to the ground. He could already sense something was wrong, her movement were quick and he could sense her fear. "What's wrong?" He asked quickly, limping to where she landed.

"Hurry! Don't let it get away!" The leader of the men called as they watched her fly to the ground.

Cihiru

Kali landed with a heavy 'thud,' her hooves pulling her to a hasty stop. "No time to explain." She stole a quick glance over her shoulder, ears swiveling nervously. "We have to leave." But to where? There was no forest to be seen; the nearest thing they had to shelter was the cave, and that wasn't exactly ideal. She wasn't sure how deep it was, didn't know her way around inside, and who knew if they'd even be able to get inside before...

The group arrived. "Any ideas?" She was certain he would know now; he had to have heard the human's yell. Kali pushed herself between the group and Kestal, shielding him from view as best she could. "Cause we could really use some about now."

She could hear the footsteps at this point, rustling through the grasses in a rather hurried fashion. They were really out of time to act; meeting the party head-on didn't really appeal to her, but she didn't have much choice in the matter. Not long after Kali caught wind of their approach, shadows pulled into view, and a few humans slung themselves off their mounts.

Twiddle

Kestal wasn't the brightest stallion in the world, but he knew this was not a good thing. If he wasn't wounded they could have leapt over the ravine, and that would be that. But he was, and now they needed a much different, and very fast plan. The first thing that came to mind was the cave; but it was so small, they didn't know if it had an opening on the other side, and if not they would just box themselves in. Time for Plan B.

Watching the two horses in awe, the lead hunter brought out a lasso, slowly approaching the two. He made soft cooing noises and clucks as he did, and Kestal eyed him warily. "We can't trust these people." He whispered to Kali, as if it weren't obvious enough. "Fly away, now." He said, not wanting her to get caught. He pushed her aside, walking in front of her, placing himself between her and the group now. "I said fly!" He whinnied loudly at her.

Cihiru

Too bad there was no plan B. Not really, anyway. And no, 'stand your ground and fight!' didn't count as a plan. That was idiocy, too extreme even for her. What sort of fool planned to be foolish? She certainly didn't.

The antics might have worked on horses. Might have. But they were soquilis, not horses, and the men didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of swaying them. Soquilis carried with them a gift and a curse; the ability to sense human thoughts, emotions, and intentions. That was the source of the fear coursing through her veins; she could feel the dangerous reverence and curiosity. Kestal had to have sensed it too.

"You said what?!" Now was not the time to assert her independence, she chided. The shove went ignored; she merely braced her comparatively meager weight against him. "You should be thanking me," she spat, her jesting tone overridden by urgency.

Kali pushed around him, charging at the approaching human. She reared just short of him, extending her wings in intimidating fashion and lashing at the air with her forelegs. The man scrambled a few steps backward, which satisfied her until she saw two more pull up beside him.

Twiddle

Kestal snorted at her, his ears against his head. "Get out of here! Get help! FLY!" Though his calls were ignored as she ran at the man. Kestal's eyes widened and he ran to her side, ignoring the rush of pain he felt from placing weight on his wounded foot. He winced and cringed but made no movement to stop.

The man eyed Kali with an eager curiousity, he was obviously thinking of the money they could get from this. He spun the rope around his head, about to throw it, when a hoof plowed him in teh chest. Kestal snorted at him as he fell, though the other were quickly circling them.

Cihiru

Kestal's cries fell on selectively deaf ears; she heard them, but they did nothing more than chime retorts in the confines of her mind. What help? The humans I can't communicate with? The soquilis that are liable to fall to the same fate? The friends you don't have? The mare had far too much to say to voice it all, especially when so much of it was too bitterly sarcastic to be appropriate for civil conversation anyway. "Don't do anything too stupid," she warned him with a sardonic grin. Leave foolishness to me, she mused.

It was about that time she thought to wonder where the others went off to. Yes, she was certain there were more. Hiding somewhere, perhaps, ducked just out of view, waiting to pounce. "Get away from me!" she cried at the man who dared approach her empty-handed, and snapped at his arm with her teeth. This was, perhaps, the moment he was waiting for, because it was then he slipped something over her head. Kali felt it tighten around the base of her neck with a tug, and pulled back out of instinct... only to be met with solid resistance.

Twiddle

Kestal looked over at her as she spoke and gave her a slight glare. He ignored it mostly though, as he spotted someone approaching him as well. He snorted and pawed the ground with one hoof, but the man was smart, mean, but smart. He noticed Kestal's injured leg, and with a long stick he smacked the Soquili's wound hard. Kestal let out a cry of pain, his legs buckling beneath him. The exact thing the man had wanted to happen.

The human ran at Kestal and slipped a rope around his neck, evading his snapping jaws and kicks. He then slipped another rope around his neck, and one around his foot. Kestal whinnied loudly, trying to get up, only to be dragged down by the men holding onto him.

Another rope was thrown over Kali's neck as well, by a man behind her, the two pulling at the same time to keep her in place; and on the ground. "Wrap the wings!" The lead man shouted, grinning with vigor. A young man tht looked quite afraid of the angry horses approached Kali cautiosly.

Cihiru

Everything happened so fast, she had trouble making sense of it all. Especially what was happening to Kestal; this was what they called tunnel vision, she supposed. "Kestal!" she called, more to make sure he was indeed still well and with her than anything. And then she heard his cry; it made her wince visibly, and for a moment she closed her eyes as though to block the thought of it.

When she opened them, it was with a new burst of resolve. Kali threw her weight against her vice, turning to face Kestal and lash futilely at his captors. It was a shame the men that bound her held fast; she rather would have enjoyed crushing them then.

Rather than the satisfaction of a bloodied corpse beneath her hooves, she was met with a force that made her legs buckle beneath her - a rather impressive feat. "Don't touch me!" she cried as she eyed the final man to approach. Kali spread her wings again, arching them defensively and thrashing them against the air.

Twiddle

Kestal heard her calls and he tried desperately to stand and aid her. He whinnied and kicked, snapping t them when they tried to get close. "Kali!" He called, looking over to her as the young man approached. He sent an aimed kick at his back, and the young man was thrust foward at her. Instead of collapsing as Kes had hoped, he merely smashed into Kali, her wings then hitting him. He yelled and ran away, droppingthe cloth he had been about to use for wrapping her wings.

Kestal smiled, at least her wings were free. If he could only get those two off of her she could fly away... but she wouldn't. He knew she wouldn't. Another man approached her, and grabbed the cloth, trying to force her wings down to wrap them up.

Cihiru

The collision hadn't really phased her; he was so light, it was rather like an acorn bouncing off the ground. More than anything, it was a relief to have her wings free, if only for a fleeting moment. Kali stole the opportunity to try and gather her limbs beneath her, but her effort to stand was met with more force, and she remained pressed against the ground.

And the moment was indeed a brief one; by the time she established she wasn't going anywhere, another had resumed the fallen's task. This was something that actually terrified her; a fear that wasn't going to be reasoned away. Her wings were her lifeline... her bridge from danger to safety.

Not that he cared. The man folded one wing with brute force, and pinned it against her side with his weight while he attempted to grab the other. "Don't!" she objected, scrambling in one last (vain) attempt at freedom. It didn't delay him; in a dozen blinks, her wings were bound so neatly and tightly, it would have been difficult to tell they were there at all.

Twiddle

Which was exactly what the man had wanted. When they went back into the town, they didn't want anyone thinking of these two horses as odd in any way. Just a couple of wild ones they'd brought back with them.

Kestal however wasn't going to take this laying down. Well, maybe but he'd make a fuss about it. He tried once more to stand up, but the men around him brought him back down to the ground. His leg throbbed with pain, and he feared that soon he may pass out, which was not good for Kali. He needed to stay awake to help her. He forced himself to stay conscious, as the men began trying to get bridles around thier muzzles. Kestal snapped at the ropes as they tried wrapping them around his face.

Cihiru

But not impossible. "How're you going to ans're questions?" the man at Kali's side queried. He still had one palm pressed against her lump-for-wings, and was particularly aware the observant would have been able to discern them. The white feathers were stark against her dark hide, and created unnatural contours at her sides. It didn't take a genius to figure out; just a careful eye.

The same man took another rope in hand; one she recognized as the contraptions she'd spotted around the horses's heads. Before he even had opportunity to try and wrangle it over her muzzle, Kali snapped twice at his hands. The human's grumbling yelp notified his companions of her success, and though he managed to wrench free without taking any real damage, another came to assist him.

Unable to build a course of action to defend against them both, she shook her head frantically, tossing locks of mane in disarray. It kept them for a while, but she knew it was over when a burly hand clasped across her nose and steadied her thrashing. The bridle was soon to follow; first a loop over her nose, and then a tight strap behind her ears. Kali gave a dismayed, almost panicked snort, but lacked the words to say anything.

Twiddle

Kestal heard the fuss beside him, and looked over to see one of those rope things on Kali's face. He whinnied, hoping it wasn't harming her. He then felt a hand clasp over his own muzzle, a rope forced about it after. He shook his head and snorted, snapping at the fingers of the man. He dodged the teeth and glared at the spotted horse. "You're gonna get broken horse, and I'm gonna be the one to do it!" He suddenly grabbed Kestals mane, holding to it tightly in his hand. He forced the stallion's head back, and while doing so slipped the bridle around his head. Kestal whinnied and snorted, violently jerking his head from side to side, though it wasn't helping, the man's grip was too strong, and his head stayed secure until the bridle was fastened around it.

The men grinned and many cheered, thinking victory was theirs. Kestal didn't think so though. He smashed his head into one of the man's legs, causing him to trip and fall, and promptly took a bite from his clothing, ripping the cloth and snorting at the man.

Cihiru

The pain was far more emotional than physical; the ropes themselves didn't particularly hurt at all, except when she wrenched against them... Which was most of the time, actually. There was still the lingering hope maybe one of them would lose his grip, despite the voice that warned her it was only wishful thinking.

And the combined voices that reminded her she was outnumbered roughly three to one. She did have equine strength on her side, but there wasn't much she could do against sheer numbers. Kali recoiled briefly at the cheer, folding her ears tighter still and bowing her head closer to the ground. "Just leave us alone..." she whispered, and the ropes pulled her head up in response.

"You both 'ave far too much fire for yo'r own good," he uttered as he rose from the mare's side, clapping the dust from his hands. Kali reinforced the comment by snapping at his leg as he stood; he shuffled backwards, narrowly dodging her bared teeth.

Twiddle

Kestal looked over to Kali, he was beginning to feel a sense of panic and desperation. He didn't like being tied up, he didn't like it one bit. But as he gazed upon the dark mare, he realized he needed to stay calm, and safe, for her. He stopped fussing, though his ears flattened at the mans response. He smiled as she bit at him.

A blanket was thrown over Kali's back, and the man who did it grinned. "Ah now, there's a solution if ah do say so mahself!" He laughed heartily, the others grinning and cheering once more. Kestal snorted and glared at them. "Now now painted horse, don't hold grudges!" He pet Kestal's neck and was met with snapping fingers. He glared at the horse, waving a finger in front of him. "When we get back to camp, you'll pay fo' that 'orse..." He grumbled, rubbing his now wounded finger. "MOVE OUT!" The call was loud and clear, and Kali and Kestal were forced to thier feet as they ropes pulled them along.

Cihiru

Kali tried to crane her neck as the material settled over her back; she could feel it even through the fabric that bound her wings. Her curious glance was not permitted though; someone tugged her head back in front of her, just before lifting the downward pressure, so that she may rise to her hooves. And she did, gratefully gathering her limbs beneath her and pushing to a stand.

Her instinct urged her to bolt... They must have known it, because their combined efforts forced her to take several steps back before they continued forward. Once the three men finally got the mare in a controllable, forward motion, her gait was a flighty, high-stepped one. It was a shame it belied her grace, because several men took notice. Not that anyone could blame them; the trait was desirable.

"Where do you propose we put them?" One of Kali's ears budged from its tightly pinned position to swivel toward the voice's source. "Can't risk corralling 'em with the other horses, if yeh ask me." They were a danger to both others and themselves, at least until the group knew how they would react. It would be unwise to make assumptions.

Twiddle

Kestal was also forced to his feet, and his instinct was the same as hers. He wanted to run, to feel the ground under his feet as he flew across the land. But he knew even if he somehow escaped the ropes and men, he wouldn't be able to get far on his wounded leg. He limped forward beside Kali.

"We can keep 'em in the stables. They won't botha no one ther'." As the men admired Kali's grace, they pondered Kestal's wound. "Ya think we should just kill this one now?" One asked, looking at the stallion. "Tha' leg is pretty bad."

Cihiru

"I don't think that would be an intelligent decision," one of the hunters commented idly. He had been observing them rather carefully, noting small things like the way the equines glanced at one another, and walked so closely their sides brushed from time to time. "They are obviously attached, who knows what kind of emotional collapse it might cause." He knew none of them cared for their 'emotional stability' though. "She may die of sadness. She might find so much rage you have to kill her too," and he shrugged thoughtfully. "Who knows." After all, hell hath no fury like a woman's wrath.

All this conversation made a new discomfort wrench inside her; empathy warned her something wasn't right. They were in grave danger... a danger worse than capture. Kali would have paused, her limbs frozen with fear and apprehension, but the ropes around her neck and head urged her forward. The mare tossed Kestal a worried look instead, huddling protectively against him as he plodded along. She nuzzled him when constraints permitted, glared daggers when they didn't, and nipped warningly at anyone daring enough to touch them as they progressed.

Twiddle

Kestal looked over at the man saying it was not a wise choice, and he silently thanked the heavens for him. Even though they were captured, he knew tht, if they listened to him, he would remain by Kali's side.

"Not wise? Since when have we done what's wise?" Another man said, looking over his shoulder at the other. "Taking these horses from thier home is not wise, but we do it anyway."

Kestal eyed the men and their mounts. Thier mounts were what confused him so. On more than one occasion, he tried to whinny to the horses. Ask for help. Tell them to stop, that they could go back with himself and Kali and be free. But none listened, he got no response, and he sighed.

Whenever he felt Kali's touch, a new pang of hope spread through him. He smiled slightly to her, trying to let her know it would all be okay.

Cihiru

"Since you have in your possession the only winged horse you've ever laid eyes on." He shrugged and fidgeted with the bow draped over his shoulder. "You may want to start." This was a blatant threat; he let it dangle glaringly, confidant in the knowledge none would challenge him. He could feel their eyes flicking back and forth between them, calculating, and smiled inwardly. Two horses were better than one; it wasn't like his leg was broken.

"Besides."

Kali tossed him a weary eye... he was the only man standing away from them, in an almost hands-off fashion.

"What can it hurt?"

The murmuring amongst them made her wonder what it was they were discussing, but the lead in her stomach reminded her she probably didn't want to know. In this case, ignorance was bliss.

Or it would have been, if not for the ropes, and the force, and Kestal's determined calls to persuade their kin to assist them. "They're not like us." It was hard to tell if her tone was angry or defeated; her voice was soft, curt, and filled with sadness all at once. "Don't bother." Kali tried to reassure him with a nudge on the only spot she could reach - his neck, just behind his jaw. It was the best she could do; 'it's going to be okay' didn't really do the sentiment justice.

Twiddle

The man who had spoken earlier, and had also been the one to threaten and hurt Kestal, shot a challenging glare at the other. He, too, however had nothing to say in retort. He huffed and reajusted himself on his horse.

Kestal looked over to her, not liking the sound of her voice. "We'll get away." He said softly, his own tone filled with finlity, and a hint of desperation. He looked away from her suddenly, his nose in teh air. "Do you smell that?" Something drifted on the wind, blowing directly at them. The scent of meat cooking over a fire reched them, and Kestal contorted his nose against it. They were close.

Cihiru

Kali met his gaze with a steeled eye; her generally joking shine had given way to a determined fire. There was obviously much on her mind, but now was not the time to discuss it. Her heart would have to wait to bleed til later. "Yes," she said simply, snorting in dismay. "Fire." It smelled even more terrible than she remembered.

"Make sure th' stalls ah ready," the apparent leader huffed, jerking a thumb at the man who stood off to the side. He merely nodded and separated himself from the group, taking off ahead.

They wouldn't be following him any time soon. The closer they came to the village, the more stubborn Kali grew. She was not content to follow them blindly, one hoof in front of the other. When the cluster of shelters pulled into view, the mare stopped abruptly, bracing herself against the ground. And as expected, the men pulled against her, goading only a few shuffled steps forward. She gave her head a violent shake, forcing them to tighten their already deadly grips.

"Wha's gotten into 'er?" a man spat from Kestal's side. One shrugged, and another shook his head. "Who knows?"

Twiddle

Kestal snorted, as if trying to get the rancid sent from his nose. He hated that smell, cooked meat. Ugh, it was disgusting. He snorted again, and watched as the man rode away from the group.

"It's like she can understand us." One man said, the young boy who had been afraid of Kali earlier. The others laughed heartily t this comment. "Undastand?! Ahahaha! They're jus' dumb nimals!" More cracks of laughter sounded fter that, and Kestal glared at the men. As Kali stopped, Kes followed suit and planted his hooves in the ground.

"Ah, not this'n too!" One man said, aggrivated by the horses. He smashed Kestal hard on his hindquarters, and the stallion tried to rear, though with his wounded leg he couldn't manage it. He tripped a little, falling into one of the men.

Cihiru

"I can," she snapped, whipping her head around to glare and pin her ears at the loudest offender. He met her indifferently, granting her no more than a dismissive 'shoo'ing motion. Kali snorted again, and gave one hoof an angry stamp.

"I don' care. Just get 'em moving." The men tried pulling her forward once again, more carefully coordinating their efforts.

There was little she could do this time; when her hooves started sliding across the still-moist ground, she gave in. It hurt, and the pain wasn't worth the futile resistance. As she started forward, resuming her nervous step, the mare gave her head an uncomfortable shake.

"Where are we going?" she pleaded, fully aware the humans couldn't understand her. As if on cue though, a different structure pulled up beside them. There was a large, round corral in the distance, with horses circling halfheartedly within its confines. And nearest them, a cluster of smallish box-confinements defined a row. The openings on one side, and the man seated on one of the fences answered her question. They'd made it past the smoking fires and questioning inhabitants.

Twiddle

Kestal cringed and winces as his weight was forcefully put on his hurt leg, he had to catch himself. As the men started to pull them, he followed suit once again and continued to walk. As they passed by the village, Kestal could see small children running out to gaze upon them, as well s adults and elderly ones. He snorted at them and sent a threatening whinny, which made most back away and resume thier day.

As the small brown confinements came into view, Kestal became nervous, his skin twitching constantly. He kenw they would be put in there, but he wouldn't go without fight. He once gain stopped, digging his feet into the ground, pleading with the humns not to put him in there.

Cihiru

Kali had a far different approach on the matter, and glancing over at Kestal caused her to shake her head at him. Maybe they'd reward his obstinacy with more spacious confinements, but she was growing too weary to care. The escape from the pestering and muttering, and the opportunity to rest was more than welcome. If they would only leave her alone, she would be content to go without a struggle. "Let me be," she snorted, glaring over her shoulder as she passed through the gate and into the boxed corral.

It closed heavily behind her, and a man followed the outer gate around to her front. With a hasty hand (as though he worried she would bite him), he loosened the ropes and jerked them over her head; leaving only the halter, which he fastened to the fence's uppermost rail. Satisfied with his handwork, he clapped his hands as he'd done earlier, and returned to whatever it was he did when he wasn't harassing horses. The mare took the opportunity to try and peer over her shoulder; she strained against the ropes to try and steal a peek at Kestal, but couldn't spy much from the corner of her eye.

Twiddle

Kestal struggled as they forced him isnide, in teh stall beside Kali's. They took heed to the man's words about seperating them. Kestal snorted and shook his head, sending kicks to them whe he could. They dodged his hasty throws though, and he ended up inside the small confinement despitehis struggles.

"That one's gonna need a lot o' work." One man said, with a malice filled grin. He loved breaking in the wild horses. He was ripped from hsi thoughts as he felt a surge of pain through his leg. Kestal had kicked him as he shut the gate. He glared at the spotted horse and limped away, as Kes smiled in triumph. He then looked over to Kali, trying to turn his head against the halter. "Are you alright?"

Cihiru

The difficulty was rather short-lived; she had little trouble seeing him once he shuffled inside the 'stall.' "That's what I should be asking you." Kali made a small smile, but it did not mask her fatigue, nor her turmoil. "No," she said plainly, straightening her head to avoid his gaze. Now was the time... The time for her heart to bleed, and she couldn't bring herself to look at him.

"Do you remember when I told you 'I hope that's not a mistake you'll regret later'?" She heaved a sigh and shifted her weight uncomfortably. "This is exactly what I meant." She should not have returned to him when she spied the party to begin with; she should have steered them away. Maybe they never would have found Kestal; she was foolish not to realize it was her that intrigued them. Maybe she should have at least gone and tried to find help. Perhaps there was something they could have done. Hell, she never should have suggested they adventure in the rain to begin with. None of this would have happened if she hadn't. Kestal would not have hurt his leg, they would not have been captured, and they could be off frolicking in the swaying fields.

But she did suggest it, he did injure his leg, and they weren't frolicking anywhere. "I'm sorry." Kali shifted again, flexing her wings as best she could manage beneath the binds and cover. It was as she cast her gaze around she realized all but one of the party had left them. - One was still nearby; the one that had run ahead, and the one that had saved Kestal from almost certain death. He leaned against one of the outer walls, propping his elbows against the upper rail, and rested his chin in his palms.

Twiddle

Kestal watched her as she spoke, and he nuzzled her gently, glad the rope on him was long enough for him to be able to reach her. "Don't be. It's not your fault." He said softly, smiling at her. "We'll be fine." Kestl had seen the man already, and didn't acknowledge his presence, even though that was the one who had saved him.

Looking around, Kes tried to figure out a way out of this place. He loathed more than nything being enclosed in small spces, due to something that happened to him as a foal. He pushed the memory aside, along with the panic rising in his chest. He had to stay calm, for Kali.

Cihiru

The touch should have comforted her; should have chased away her fears with the fierceness of a raging lion. But it didn't. She recoiled, turning away from him as she pushed herself out of reach. The sight of her made the man against the fence frown softly, and and he leaned forward. "Don't be sad, Tahki. It's not your fault," he cooed.

This man did not scare her like the others; he did not fill her with dread, and his tone was sincere. At first, she merely flicked an ear at him, but sadistic curiosity got the best of her, and she turned to peer at him for a moment. What was Tahki? The gesture made him smile gently, even though she looked back to Kestal shortly after. "We will," she confirmed, sleepily bobbing her slender head.

Twiddle

Kestal eyed the man as he approached them, though by his tone he could tell this man was not like the others. He had, aftrer all, saved his life. He nickered softly at Kali, questioning without words if she felt the same as he did about this man. Kes looked back at hm, wondering why he had stayed behind.

Pushing the thoughts away, Kes yawned, his leg still pounding with pain. He wanted to lay down, though the rope tied about his face, and to the stall, forced him to stand. His eyelids drifted down, but he forced them back open, trying desperately to stay awake. He didn't want to sleep in thisp lace.

Cihiru

"I like him," she stated matter-of-factly, looking back at the man as she did so. "He's different." Why he remained, however, was a mystery. He seemed content to observe though; when Kali turned back to him, ears perked forward, he smiled again.

"I'm glad you approve."

Did he understand them? "Do you think...?" The mare left the question dangling uncertainly; she didn't want to sound foolish.

He may not have understood them, persay, but he could read enough of their body language to draw hints here and there. "You must sleep eventually. Don't worry, I'll watch over you."

The man turned from them then, leaning back against the railing as he re-propped his elbows on the fence. "He's right, you know," she teased in the most good-natured tone she could manage, and gave a tired yawn. "You said yourself, it'll be okay." Kali passed the stallion a nuzzle before resigning herself to sleep.

Twiddle

Kestal was still wary of the man, but since Kali liked him, he supposed the two-legged couldn't be all bad. He let his head drift down, though he really wnted to lay down. He tried to, but only ended up tangling himself in an odd position.

Looking over his shoulder, the man blinked and carefully untied Kestal's harness from the stall. Kestal sank to the ground with relief, and the man gave another smile as he looked up at him. Kestal snorted and turned his head away. The man chuckled lightly as the stallion drifted to sleep.

 

[Cihiru]

05.03 Good Idea! Bad Idea: Kali, Kestal & Elan


Twiddle

Kestal stirred in his sleep as he dreamed. His eyes shot open as he felt a surge of pain course through his leg. He stood up quickly, stumbling but catching himself. He looked at his leg, which over the night had gotten more swollen. He sighed and shook his forelock from his eyes. He looked over the sde of the stall for Kali, catching a glimpse of the man who had untied him sitting in the corner, still asleep.

Looking away from the man, whom he was still wary about, he nickered softly to Kali.

Cihiru

The evening had been a restless one, filled with discomfort, nightmares, and at times, fear. She woke repeatedly, sometimes jolting to alertness with a start, and shuffling nervously within the narrow confines. And every time, the man had been there to reassure her. His gentle voice chased her groggy, lingering terrors away, and lulled her back to sleep eventually. She even permitted him to touch her once; that time, it was a careful scratch behind her ears that sent her back to dreams. Uncomfortable though it was, the night would have been far less restful without him.

But he probably would have gotten a lot more sleep without her. She woke naturally this time, cracking a lid to peer tiredly at the rising sun. The morning rays lit the horizon as reliably as ever, hailing a new day and casting an appreciated light on everything its fingers could reach. Including a figure nearby, huddled on the ground and leaning against the fence, obviously asleep. Finally; it was about time he got some rest. Kali smiled softly before turning to the equine greeting her. "Morning, Kestal." The mare gave her head a wake-up shake, tossing her mane about. "Are you doing alright?"

Twiddle

Kestal watched as she woke, smiling to her. "I'm fine." He was glad she couldn't see his leg, that was one good thing about the small confines of the stall. "How are you? Did you sleep well?" He knew he hadn't, he hadn't woken up very often, but his dreams were full of storms, fright, and pain. Shaking the thoguht off, he concentrated on her again.

Cihiru

She was relieved he could still find it inside himself to smile. It was a miniature sort of window to hope, reminding her despite everything, one could still stand and walk again. Figuratively, of course. It was comforting to know nothing could keep them down, if they refused to let it. "Terribly." She laughed; actually laughed. A wonderful feeling, that, even though she really had nothing to laugh at. "Feels kind of like my back is half broken too. I haven't gotten to stretch since... this time yesterday." Kali tilted her head thoughtfully, and sighed a little. "Not that it's anything much in comparison," she added.

Their exchange must have woke the man propped against the rails; he stirred lightly just then. The rustling of cloth and cured leather made her glance over at him, just in time to catch him lift a hand and run it through his disheveled hair (mussing it even more than it was already). Once he finished, he heaved a tired yawn, and peered over at them. The smile he gave as he met her eyes reassured her, this man was certainly not like the others. "Morn'," he murmured to them, pushing himself to his feet. Kali gave him a soft snort of acknowledgment, but she didn't dare linger on him for long, and turned quickly back to Kestal.

Twiddle

Kestal smiled sadly, how he had missed her laugh. He nuzzled her affectonately, his ear twisting over to the man as he stirred. Kes had to admit; this man was not like the others. If any of them were worthy of even the slightest bit of trust, it was him. Kes didn't grant him that trust though, not yet. He snorted in his general direction, and looked back to Kali. "That one," He said, motioning his head slightly towards the man, "Isn't like the others." He saw the man smile slightly out of the corner of his eye at Kestal's snort.

Cihiru

Kali frowned, though only lightly. The nuzzle filled her with a sort of sadness that was difficult to explain. Just something about the stalls... the barrier between them wasn't right; it felt awkward. "No, he's not." She chased the discomfort away with the topic Kestal offered, and smiled gratefully. "He stayed here all night, like he said he would. I'm not sure if you noticed or not." He seemed to have slept a little better, even if only slightly. She hoped he hadn't noticed; it would have meant he hadn't been restless like she had been.

"I hope you don't mind the name I chose. I promise Tahki is a far sight better than it would have been if the others got ahold of the opportunity to pick, anyway." Kali turned to look at the man as he spoke; he shrugged idly. "I'm Elan, by the way," he offered conversationally. "You... still need something to go by too." The mare noticed him gazing thoughtfully toward Kestal, and caught his somewhat bemused smile. "Unless you like being called 'stupid paint' and 'spotted horse'..."

Twiddle

Kestal's ear flickered toward the man, and he raised a brow at what he called Kali. Tahki? What is that? Oh, a name. He was naming them? Kestal wondered why he would, they already had names... But he doesn't know that. He thought, watching the man. He whinnied and stamped his foot at the comment of 'stupid paint' and 'spotted horse'.

The man smiled, yet eyed Kestal. It was as though he understood. "...Well, let's get that leg taken care of anyway." He murmured, peering over the stall door to look at Kes's leg. He cringed a bit at the sight.

Cihiru

Tahki was alright, she supposed. Kali would have been preferable, but she didn't have much choice in the matter, couldn't communicate what her name really was, and didn't have any reason to complain anyway. Tahki really wasn't so bad. "Could be worse..." The mare looked to Kestal and fixed him with an impish grin. "Silly paint." It was not, perhaps, the best time to be fooling though. She could tell he was still in a great deal of pain.

And yet again, so could the man who introduced himself as Elan. This intrigued her greatly; the behavior and understanding was not something she'd come to recognize as typical. Why could he communicate with them where others could not?

The injury looked worse than he recalled and anticipated; hopefully it had not passed the realm of recovery. "That's quite a number you managed," he mumbled to himself, and made his way around to the gates. Kestal's stall opened easily, the leather 'latch' giving in to practiced hands. Elan was careful to pull it closed behind him; it would have been a very poor time for him to take back to the wilds.

Twiddle

Kestal glanced at Kali with a shake of his head at her comment, yet he smiled as well. He still loved that sense of humor, and was glad she could still pull it off, even in this environment. Kestal watched and listened as the man talked, and as he came into the stall, Kes backed up, eyeing him warily.

"Don't worry boy, I'm not here to harm you." Elan spoke softly, his voice smooth and low. "I'm just going to try and help that leg of yours." Kes watched him as he knelt down slowly, carefully trying not to spook the stallion, and grabbed a few bandges and a light greenish salve from his bag. Kes though had no idea what these things were, and he snorted, his ears twirling forward at the man.

Kestal eyed Elan as he started to carefully approach his back leg. "Easy boy, I'm not going to hurt you..." He said softly, as Kes backed away from him, his skin twitching. He glanced to Kali, hoping she could tell him if it was safe or not, since he wasn't sure.

Elan slowly, carefully spread the salve on the bandage, not daring to touch Kes directly yet. As he wound the bandage around his leg carefully, Kes cringed but let him do it, his ears flat against his head. Elan smiled and stood, leaving the stall and closing it securely behind him. "There, you'll heal much faster now."

Cihiru

The mare shook her head at Kestal, ears wilting in sadness toward his mistrust. "Listen to him - I really do believe his words." What had happened to make him hate them all? Here she was, standing against her will inside a small enclosure, robbed of her freedom of flight, and she couldn't find it within herself to hate him, too. The others were free game, but he did not deserve her malice. "Was that so bad?"

Elan had circled around the fence once he left the stall, brining him back around to the side her halter was still tied. She didn't seem particularly bothered by the restriction, but he went to untie it anyway. Kali noticed the man took his time in doing so, stealing glances at her now and then, as though he was using the activity as an excuse to observe her from such close quarters.

This amused her. He was exceptionally meticulous, taking particular care not to spook or offend them, even in situations such as this one... Where it was probably uncalled for. He did not bother her; Kali tried to let him know by pressing her nose into his palm. Elan answered with a pat on her velvety muzzle. Did that mean he understood?

It was a poor time to communicate amends, either way. Their interaction caught the interest of three passersby; men she recognized as part of the group from yesterday. Their expressions shared varying degrees of satisfaction, but they greeted Elan with a no-so-friendly sneer. "'Lo. Tamed the beast already?" The largest of the trio had approached the line of stalls, and leaned obnoxiously over the top of one of the fences. "Must not'o been so bad after all, if you could do it."

Kali refrained from turning to bite him only because Elan had her lead still in-hand. The mare pinned her ears instead, and gave her tail an agitated swish. "Not so much," he warned, his smile fading from his expression.

Twiddle

Kestal watched as Kali let them pet her, and he smiled a little. He finally realized this man was not there to harm them. Looking over at the me that came into the barn, Kes snorted and stomped one foot. His ears flattened against his head as well, but since no one was there to restrain him, he grinned. He leaned over the stall, and bit the man's hand, hard. "AH!" The man yelled and pulled back, ripping his hand from Kestal's jaw. "Damn paint.." He muttered, cradling his fingers.

"That one is crazy." One of the other men said, eying Kes. Kes snorted at him, stomping his foot once again. He wanted to go out there and pound every one of tehm under his hooves. But the fact that he was in a small stall, and his leg was still wounded, didn't permit him to do so. He snorted once more and whinnied. "He's not crazy; he's wounded and doesn't like you." Elan replied, with a slight smile on his face.

Cihiru

"I can't blame him," he added thoughtfully, scratching his chin in an almost musing manner. "Don' tell me what tha' stupid h-" "Ahote likely has more sense than you do," Elan interjected. "So I think I'll make that decision myself; thank you for your concern."

The man huffed angrily at him and shoved himself off the fence with his palms. "A'right, Elan. If yer such a horse whisperer, yeh must have th' mare quiet as a rabbit b'now." He invited himself into Kali's stall and took hold of her bridle, 'politely' forcing Elan to surrender his hold. And he did, bowing his head in acknowledgment, while a voice inside him chimed you don't know what you're getting into.

Was he ever clueless. Kali followed him out easy enough; she was so eager to be free of the tiny confines, she didn't really care about the method. Even more welcome, his first order of business was to pull the blanket from her back and toss it on the ground. The mare shook immediately, sending the dust lodged under the cover flying. Ah, that felt good. Stretching her wings would have felt better; she could feel them twitching against the binds in anxiousness.

But this wasn't stretching; not at all. Rope clasped in one hand, the burly man took a fistful of mane in his other hand, and slung himself over Kali's back. The extra weight hit her unexpectedly; the moment she spent stationary was the split second she was too stunned to move. The following moments were spent with the man clinging desperately with his hands and legs as she reared, using the base of her wings as an advantage to help keep him seated. "You okay?" one of his companions questioned after a minute or two.

In a pristine example of time-honored perfection, he lost his grip at just that moment. The man stayed on her back for only seconds after that, sliding quickly down her spine and landing on the dusty ground with a 'thud.' Kali exhaled a heavy, relieved sigh when she felt him fall, and distanced herself as far as she could before someone else grabbed the rope she trailed behind her.

Twiddle

Kestal stood by Elan and watched as this took place. As the man grabbed Kali's mane and heaved himself atop her back, Kes practically destroyed his stall. He bucked his good foot against the side, his front feet bashing against the door. The hinge creaked dangerously, and Kes would have gotten through if Elan hadn't restrained him by grabbing the lead rope attatched to his head.

Elan watched, shaking his head, and hiding the small smile on his face. "Damn mare!" The now embarrassed man shouted at Kali, glaring. "Elan, ya didn' do a very good job o' breakin' this 'ere mare." He said, trying to put the blame on his companion. "I never tried to." Elan replied calmly, watching the other with a knowing smirk.

Kestal whinnied to Kali in teh mean time, reaching out his neck as far as he could, trying to get over to her. "Are you alright?" He asked, almost frantic.

Cihiru

"She'll be alright," Elan assured, whispering to the panicked equine beside him. "She can take care of herself. Besides," he leaned closer still, steadying Kestal to the best of his ability. "You'll like the ending." The man nodded to the horse as he stilled and turned his gaze back to center stage.

The would-be rider was fuming so fiercely you could practically see the steam streaming off his head and shoulders. He never fell; not even off of wild horses. And he especially didn't let insolent Elan walk all over him. "What else do yeh think yer 'ere ta do?" he jabbed. "I'm here to take care of and tame them - and she's tamer than anyone could expect from such a wild and independent horse," he defended with a neutral tone. "Prove it, 'less I find somethin' else fer yeh t'do with yer time." This was not a hollow threat; Elan knew it and heeded it well.

For a moment, she'd forgotten Kestal was there. His whinny pulled her thoughts back to reality, and she turned to look to him. "I'm fine." Kali had been saying that a lot lately. "I think it looks a lot worse than it is." She tried to approach and comfort him, but a tug on her halter said otherwise. And it was Elan, so she gave the stallion a regretful, apologetic smile and walked back to their caretaker, obedient as the tamest steeds.

"I'm sorry, Tahki," he whispered to her. "I shouldn't have let him do that - but I did, and now I have to show him I can ride you. I won't be able to watch over you if I can't." There was a gentle pleading in his tone; not begging, but a most sincere request for her permission. "I asked yeh t'show she's broke', not remind us yeh like t' talk with horses," he goaded, fully aware it was an impossible feat. 'Breaking,' as he called it, took weeks, sometimes months to accomplish; not a single day. "Will you let me?" Elan questioned, ignoring the man rambling behind him.

It was a lot to absorb; Kali wasn't sure she understood the entirety of the situation. He wanted to... sit on her back, like the loud man had? What for? Whatever the reasoning, he made it sound like something he had to do; for some reason, she didn't want to let him down any more than she wanted one of those other men to take his place. So she nodded at him, bobbing her slender head and nosing at his hands. "I don't mind." It wasn't so bad.

Elan's approach was much gentler, and his form was much lighter. He landed on her back like a feather, just sort of settling into his seat and wrapping his legs around her barrel. He actually expected her to start, at least a little, and had braced for it... And was taken by surprise when she didn't. The mare stood there like a statue, save for the idle flick of her gradient tail. "I'm failing to see a problem here..." He couldn't help but goad; victory was delicious, and securing his lifestyle with the horses meant the world to him.

Twiddle

As the men laughed at the apparent leaders goads and jokes, Kes watched with ear perked. That is what the men who had taken his herd members had done. He remeberd them trying to ride atop the ones he had grown to love and think of as family. As he was lost in this memory, he didn't want it to happen to Kali too, and he forgot it was Elan who sat upon her now.

A large booming noise could he heard as Kes slammed his hooves against the stall, trying desperately to get to Kali. He whinnied loudly, snorting and stomping. Elan watched him with wide eyes, as the other men did, not sure what set this stallion off to rampaging. One of the men tried to gran his lead, and he snapped at the man's hnd, who quickly backed away from the crazy paint.

The leaderof the group suddenly hit him on the rump hard with a folded up strap of rope. Kestal let out a loud whinny of pain, and glarwed at teh man, ears flat against his skull. But it drove him out of his memory and into reality again. He blinked, looking at the marks in teh wood he had made, then looked over at Kali and Elan. He shook his head and looked down, almostlooking as though he was ashamed.

The men eyed him warily, and were still in shock as to the fact Elan was sitting atop the mare with no problem, the horse standing there as if everything were normal. The leader huffed and left, saying he needed to get chores done, and the men followed him out.

 

[Cihiru]

05.04 Relationships, and Other Oddities: Ti'ran & Intrepid


Lethrossen

Intrepid moved along in the forest, he wouldn't be gone long from Rikka. She was probably paranoid he'd stepped away for a little bit. Probably thought he'd run again. Maybe he could bring her something back. Berries? Might be hard to find this time of year. But he just needed to think, and he did that best when he was walking.

It had been decided. He would help her with the two foals, wether she wanted the help or not. Actually, he should probably find out if she wanted his help first, even if he was going to try and force it on her. That was how he could make up for what he'd done... right? Ugh, he didn't want kids. Kids were a hassle. But for some reason he wanted to stay close to Rikka. Too bad that took him about eight months to realize, and still not fully.

He snorted, short tail flicking as he inhaled the nightly scents. His dark gaze flicked up toward the tree branches, trying to see through their web to the sky above. He wondered if the sky was beautiful tonight?

Cihiru

The sky was always beautiful. This was something he'd come to realize through seasons of isolation and contemplation, and insignificant though it may have seemed, it cracked his stoic visage with a faint smile. Whether the sun parted the drifting clouds, or the lightning cracked the crying sky, it was magnificent.

The same could not be said for everything; he'd come to realize this too. It did not plague his mind tonight, however, which he would have paused to appreciate had he become aware of it. He was busy thinking of other things instead... Things like why, of all logic reasoning, had he decided to depart from his sanctuary home and brave the wonders of the land beyond it? What made him turn to such reckless abandon? Maybe he just hadn't thought of it that way, until now.

Regardless, here he was, plodding along in what would have seemed an absent daze if not for the way his ears gave attentive flicks. Was there someone else about? He could have sworn it was the shuffling of hoofsteps playing on the slight breeze. Did he want to call out to it, chancing whether or not it was? Ti'ran pondered for a brief moment before deciding no, he didn't. So he wandered toward it instead, pausing occasionally to reassess his approach.

Lethrossen

Intrepid's thought flitted away, his main foccus now were his surroundings. It was easy to get lost in thoughts, but dangerous to do so at night. Especially in the woods, a prey-beast could attack him any moment.

He snorted lightly, tossing his head a little. Attack him an recieve a few broken ribs or at least a bruise, for sure. He would fight back if that was ever the case. His ears tilted slightly left. Was someone there?

He inhaled deeply, but caught no scent. He surpressed a nervous whinnie, continuing his walk. He listened intently for an intruder. But it could alwasy be another mare or stallion, yes?

"Hello?" His voice was low, as well as cautious.

Cihiru

The object of his approach proved more daring than he; it called out before he had chance to pull it into view. "Hello," the stallion returned simply, stopping abruptly for a moment. This would be the first individual he had an exchange with since he'd set out on his travels; he only hoped he would not make a fool of himself with ignorance.

Having resolved his thoughts, he gave his head a shake to tame stray locks of his wavy mane, and started forward. His steps were light, but quick, and before long he found himself in the company of another Soquili. He first huffed a low neigh in greeting, following it with "I am Ti'ran."

The stallion standing before him was not unlike others he'd seen and heard of... but they were rare, and so he still provided a bit of novelty. It was difficult not to stare, particularly at the lack of horn and... well, fluffy tail. Ti'ran gave his own slender tail a flick, reminding himself of the differences. This served as a distraction too, and broke his fascination.

Lethrossen

Intrepid gave a little neigh back in return greeting, ears flicking as if to catch the name that was spoken. For once he was not sorry that it was a male that had greeted him instead of a female. But he was amazed at the sight before him. What was that horn.. and the odd tail? His markings seemed to glow, something else Trep had never come to see.

He blinked and gave his head a shake, loose strands as well as braided peices falling to either side of his neck. "I'm known as Intrepid.. nice to meet you, Ti'ran." He tried to keep the wonderment from his voice, but he was doing a poor job of it. He wanted to ask the other what he was!

But instead, "Why are you out here tonight.. also on a walk?"

Cihiru

The tone in the other's voice all but made him outright laugh; it would seem he was not the only one having a moment of curiosity. "Same to you. Intrepid, was it?" The name was a foreign one; he wanted to be certain he'd heard it correctly.

"I wish I knew," he answered, overlooking the wonderment until he decided to be forward with it. He could ignore it, if Intrepid wanted to. "Walking just for the sake of walking." There was more to it than that, but he didn't care to share stories of a long and mostly boring journey, nor go into details of his homeland, and his kind. Not yet, anyway. "Yourself?"

To ask such a question and not have motivation himself would have crossed the unicorn as a little unlikely. Surely he was here for a reason?

Lethrossen

He nodded at the other's pronounceation of his name, it was correct. His short tail gave another flick and he let his curious gaze wander a bit left to the horned-stallion, he knew it was rude to stare but he was still amazed.

He listened to the other's reply in a calm manner, walking for the sake of walking. Fair enough, he supposed. What better reason to be out and about anyhow? One should not truly need a reason to be walking during the night. "I myself am just doing a bit of thinking, my mind needs settling." He murmered, but did not elaborate.

He was sure his story of abandonment and then finding the one he'd abandoned only to learn he had new responsabilities could prove to be an interesting one. But he did not feel like speaking of it, nor did he want the other to think him such a scummy fellow. Even though Trep thought himself a bit scummy, to say the least, he did not really want others thinking it as well.

Cihiru

Ti'ran noted the way the stallion glanced away with a slightly raised brow. Staring may have been socially impolite, but he liked to look at others while they were conversing. He might have mentioned it usually, but Intrepid's apparent discomfort made him refrain.

"Settling is accomplished through action, not just thinking." Pondering what-if's and could-be's accomplished only so much. They could form a course of action, but could not undo the past nor weave the future. "Is it because you are not sure what to do?" Granted, he knew it wasn't any of his business. He was also very aware he wasn't in a position to be prodding, as this was someone he'd only just met. But he did seem troubled, and who knew, maybe there was something he could do to help.

Lethrossen

He glanced to Ti'ran's eyes for a moment, before turning and nodding. "Would you like to continue your walk? I should be returning back this way anyhow.." The other had seemed to be going in that direction, but Trep could be mistaken.

Now there was the matter of answering the other. It was almost nice to talk about it with someone else, even if they had no clue what it actually was. But what the other stallion said seemed very smart, action and thought together settled things, not just thought or blind action.

"Oh no, I have chosen what to do. I am just.. I know it was the right thing to do, but my actions prior to it were rather horrid. And I am trying to ease my mind." But part of him knew trying to do something just because it would make one less guilty.. did not work in the slightest. "I have hurt someone, someone who was not very dear to me.. but I think she had it in her mind i was dear to her. I am just trying to make up for it.." He sighed. He shouldn't be sharing any of this, it would probably back fire.

But again, it was nice to say his thoughts out loud for a little bit. Even if they were a bit mixed up and cut off here and there.

Cihiru

"It's no matter." He wasn't particularly sure what direction he was headed anyhow. At this point, it was all the same - away. Away from his home, family, and friends (few though they were). What difference did it make?

He did like to think of himself as wise, even if at times he did throw tact to the wind. Truth was truth, and fact was fact, regardless of how 'fluffily' one said it.

"Your mind should be eased by the knowledge what you are doing now is right." Guilt was an obstinant burden, he knew that. He did not, however, know much of the complications in relationships and false love. That was a whole new world to him; something he wasn't sure he wanted to touch with a stick.

"Have you apologized to her?" Ti'ran never had been one for regrets and sorry, but perhaps there was a time and place for everything. "And told her your current intentions?" One could only hope his word still held a grain of salt with her; if not, he wasn't sure how much Intrepid could really do.

Lethrossen

"Yes, I apologized." He murmered, walking slowly. Though that had been no matter, she'd then asked him to apologize to two baskets. Baskets containing life they'd made together. Though life had not been Intrepids intention.

Gah, he hadn't told her his current intensions, has he? "I still have to work out how to word that to her." He murmered, tail flicking as a light breeze came passed and ruffled at his fur. "It will take a long time.. to fix what i've done." Maybe it would never be fully fixed, either. Maybe there would always be a crack on the surface, proof that the one time beauty was now ruined, even if only a little.

But he was feeling sorry for himself still, and that was wrong. He had to get passed those feelings before he could feel sorry for Rikka, sorry for the nameless two. And then he could move on to fixing what he'd done.

Cihiru

"You keep saying you want to make it up to her - to make her forgive your mistakes." Ti'ran willed his cloven hooves to move forward, carrying a slow plod as he pondered the other's situation. "Make sure it is her interests you have in mind." He was making assumptions again - that had come back to bite him a time or two in the past. He just couldn't help himself; at times it seemed logical to do so.

After all, if one was given only so much information, did he not have to read between the lines? Yes, he did, the stallion assured himself. He had to make sense with limited knowledge. "Tell her what is on your mind; you don't have to plan, nor make it perfect." The ebony equine 'hmm'ed inwardly, absorbing the thoughts the gears in his mind fed him as they turned. "If she cares for you as you think she does, she will know what you mean."

Or at least, that's what it sounded like to him. He hoped, if Intrepid did choose to heed his not-so-experienced advice, it would work out in the manner his thoughts seemed to think it would.

Lethrossen

Ah see? There he went again, showing just how bad he could be. Well, not just as bad. But he was keeping his own interests at heart. He was a very selfish creature, but he was trying to give that up. Maybe, a little.

"Ah, thank you. Perhaps I should do as you say." Inexperience but still very good advice, and Trep did not know the other was inexperienced about such right then. Actually, Ti'ran was reading between the lines and assuming left out facts rather well.

"I am truly sorry, I have been droning on and on. I am sure you do not want to hear of this." He gave a half-forced chuckle, glancing sideways to his night time companion. Such a strange creature to Trep. "I'm sure you'd rather speak of other things." And if he wouldn't then Intrepid would just have to change the subject, because he was tiring of speaking about his personal life right then. Well, speaking about as much as he'd let out.

Cihiru

His ramblings had been accepted rather well; it was his cue to buckle up and hope for the best. He'd done a decent job in the past, rarely pointing others in the wrong direction. But, well, one could never be sure. Life did have a rather large bag of surprises.

"Good luck," he offered rather earnestly. From the sound of things, he might need it. Ti'ran did know of the unbridled fury some mares seemed to carry with them; for all he knew, she might be one of those.

"I wouldn't say that." Droning was sometimes redundant and unimportant, and always uninteresting. Intrepid's ramblings had been none of these, and the unicorn was hardly bothered. Besides, it was something he could write down to the books of past experiences, free for future reference should he need it. "I have nothing else to speak of, as I'd rather not describe every brook and tree I've encountered in the last three days."

There wasn't much for him to discuss except that. He'd had no interaction to reflect on, no riveting tales of adventure. It was just him, the landscape, and everything he left behind. - Something he wasn't too keen on discussing right now. It hadn't occurred to him he was something to talk about, and unicorns were a topic of interest.

Lethrossen

Well he was glad he could entertain the other with his troubles, if only for a bit. "Ah, so you are traveling." Not so much of a question as it was an assumption. Three days since he'd come from some place. What Trep was really curious about though was...

"I do not mean to sound rude.. but where you come from, are there many others with a horn and tail such as your own?" He glanced sideways at the other, his tone light and curious. Well it was something to talk about, was it not?

Trep was actually enjoying this company, for the time being. He hoped his question was not off-putting, though.

Cihiru

"I suppose you could call it that." At this point, Ti'ran was not certain if it was traveling or leaving. Either seemed possibilities at that moment. But time would show him soon enough; it always did.

"Where I come from, 'horns and tails like mine' are typical. To not have them is... unusual and unfavored." Well, the unfavored part could have stood to go without saying. Ti'ran wasn't one to pay heed to things like that though. "Are you implying the opposite is true here?" That was an unexpected conclusion; he would not have figured the world beyond the mountains to be devoid of his kind.

Life did have a rather large bag of surprises though, he reminded. Unpredictable was exciting and interesting; he was fairly certain he wouldn't have it any ot her way.

Lethrossen

Intrepid nodded thoughtfully. So that ment it might not have been fully traveling. Oh well, nothing would come from thinking on it, would it?

"Unfavored?" He questioned, only half realizing he was asking this out loud. Why would something like that be unfavored... Just because where Ti'ran came from they all had horns and 'odd' tails... or because to not have them ment something else entirely?

"Ah yes, it is very rare indeed. At least, I think it so. I have never met another with a horn or a tail such as yours. The strangest thing I have seen before you..." He cut off, realizing how rude that was. He coughed and shook his head a little uneasily. "Excuse me. The thing most out of the norm around here i've seen of late was a mare with wings, and that seems only special in these parts." Meaning it wasn't so rare, even if he'd only met one. He had seen others, perhaps heard tidbits of them.

Cihiru

He should have expected an inquiry. "Unfavored," Ti'ran repeated. Why, however, wasn't something he'd ever really pondered on. It was a 'social norm' one grew to expect and accept as something that just was. "A fear of the abnormal, maybe. Or a desire for conformity. I am not sure why." As far as he knew, it was nothing special.

Or was it? "None at all?" Well, just because this single individual had never met any did not mean they didn't exist. It was a small sample from a whole world of others. But, maybe it was unusual after all. And 'strange'... The word made him laugh inwardly, but it did not disturb his lack of expression.

"I have heard of the wind children, too." He saw them from time to time as well, for they sometimes ventured over his valley home. It wasn't entirely unheard of for them to land and interact either, so to him, winged Soquilis were in fact more 'normal' than those from neither type. "Then it sounds like I am rather strange, indeed."

 

[Cihiru]

05.05 Chilluns': Ti'ran, Pallaton, Kasi, Ch'risa, Rowanoak & Orlando


wooga Paes

A stallion moved along the clearing in an easy trot, followed by a foal. Pallaton was taking is daughter for a nice, calm walk at sunset. He was moving at the river's route, though carefull so his daughter woulden't fall in. He could just help her if he did, but it probably wasen't a good thing for the foal, so soon enough he stopped and waited for her to pass him, it'd be easier to keep an eye on her that way.

The foal was busying herself with her imagination, chasing a nonexistant creature. It had flaps on its side and was moving around-- in the air. Of course the foal was yet to understand those flaps were wings, but for now, she'd just happly chase her imagination, scuttling around as fast as her legs could carry.

dustfeather

Rowanoak, it seems, is looking after the son, who is lagging a little behind. The half-striped mare is reclining gracefully in the shadows of the woods, looking back over her shoulder at a gangly young palomino colt, who is carefully inspecting everything in turn. He seems particularly fascinated by the moving things: a squirrel darting to and fro, a caterpillar on a log. They move. Like the basket did, although not nearly as fast.

"Come along, dear," she calls back to him, and he whisks about after her, not really understanding the words, but drawn by the sound of her voice nevertheless. His tiny tail sweeps back and forth, happily twitching, and he nuzzles the mare's side, going around and giving her tail a shy tug.

Motherhood seems to have mellowed Rowanoak out, for she smiles vaguely and moves off towards Pallaton with a content expression. She doesn't yet realize that there's a stranger close nearby....

wooga Paes

Pallaton looks back to his mate and son with a smile, before quickly looking forward to be asure his daughter woulden't fall in the water. What was she chasing anyways? Weird foal. Gotta love 'em tho, she was rather cute goofing around for nothing.

The foal's imagination adventure ended in a quick shot as one of her hooves slipped into the water, but she managed to keep out of it by leaning forward, and slowly pulling it out. Water was so weeeeeeeird! And and. COLD. And urghf. She didn't want to fall into it.. Or did she? Peering over the edge, she smacked into it with her nose, splashing some of it around, before noticing-- why coulden't she breathe? Pulling back, the foal took a deep breath, shaking her mane out.

Cihiru

It would seem there was more than one stranger about, for another set of hoofsteps soon joined the mesh of sounds. They were soft; careful. As though he who possessed them observed his surroundings meticulously, taking in each and every detail, minor or otherwise. And he did, for each flicker of movement caused him to pause curiously, and flick his gaze toward it with an arched brow. He repeated this motion often, as one can imagine, halting to peer at a drifting butterfly, or a scurrying shadow.

It wasn't long though, before something more pressing met his senses. A voice, carried faintly on the wind, coaxed a flick from his attentive ears, and the equine drew his pace to a stop yet again. It was a Soquili, certainly, but did he want to risk intruding? He could not be sure how kindly this stranger would take to his barging in - Particularly when considering there were foals, as he realized now, peering through the foliage. Young foals, it seemed, judging by the way the one acquainted herself with her surroundings. Couldn't blame her, really. It was a rather strange place they lived in.

But what could it hurt to introduce himself? "Afternoon," he greeted as he pulled himself out into the open. "I hope I'm not interrupting?" The unicorn gave his head a polite bow, looking between the individuals as he did so. "My name is Ti'ran." He was careful to keep his distance, allowing the family their space and then some, but he was close enough not to raise his voice.

dustfeather

Orlando sticks close to his mother's side, watching Kasi play near the water's edge, and eyeing the liquid distrustfully. That moves, too, and there's an awful lot of it. That possibly categorizes it as 'monster' status. But as long as he's close to mother and father, he'll be alright.

Rowanoak's lazy train of thought comes to an abrupt halt as a dark figure arrives.

She's heard of unicorns before...she's heard the legends. But she's never actually seen one, or more than half-believed in them. They were something comforting for a nighttime story, as much as were the monsters. Her first thought, when she comes out of the momentary shock, is for her children, and she takes a minute step closer to Orlando as she watches the dark unicorn, and glances at Pallaton for a brief second.

"Afternoon," she says, her voice cautious but cordial. "We were just out for a walk, and it's a free country, so I'd hardly think you're interrupting anything." Never one for the nicities of conversation, she merely nods, still looking vaguely suspicious. Legends don't normally just jump out at you from the bush. "I'm Rowanoak, and this is my mate, Pallaton, and these are our two children, Orlando and Kasi."

The little colt is staring, fascinated, at Ti'ran, although he sticks close to Rowanoak's side. It's so dark! Like the nighttime. Perhaps this is a nighttime Soquili. But it's not like Momma and Poppa, either. Puzzled, the child wrinkles his nose. Suddenly shy, the colt buries his nose in his mother's flank.

wooga Paes

The stallion nods his hea dpolitely, turning around to face the unicorn. H would have introduced himself-- but Ro got there first, haden't she? "Nice to meet you. " Other than Rowanoak, Palla didn't fint it odd for this one to have a horn-- he met one with wings, sometime he'd find one like this.

But then some movement caught his attention, something had just moved out of the bushes, and then just ducked? He made sure to be in the way if this creature tried attacking any of them, but seemed to calm a tad after noting it was a human. Humans could be threats, no doubt, but they were still better than cougars, wolves and bears. Those had speed and weapons, humans were slow, and their weapons weren't likely to hit. The stallion lets out a slight warning neigh, just to let know he found something.

Kasi, though, was now busying herself with trotting over to Ti'ran, unblinking. Sooo black.. And those pretty teal marking he had-- and that pointy thing on his head! She attempted to talk again, only failing and letting out something in the route of a squeal. Shaking her hea,d the foal lets out a playufll neigh, tail swishing behind her-- would this guy play too?! She could introduce him to her little friend~

Cihiru

He had come to expect this reaction not long after discovering his kind were far more unusual than he originally anticipated. This allowed him to accept it with a simple nod, rather than disbelief, and he merely looked on as the scene unfolded. He noted the mare's protective instinct with an inward smile, and warned himself not to step closer. "One would think not, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious." She could appreciate this, surely, for he heard the reservation in her tone.

"Hello to you, too." Ti'ran eyed the braver of the two foals, neither bothered nor threatening. "You must be Kasi?" This was another assumption, he realized... But surely a relatively safe one. Orlando wouldn't be much of a suitable name at all for a filly, would it? "Pleased to meet you." The politeness did not disturb his rather expressionless visage, but he didn't carry a foreboding air about him either.

Quite the opposite, actually. The Soquili lowered his sculpted head, to peer at the pale filly on more of an even ground. He would have said something additional too, but the stallion's neigh drew his attention. Turning toward the focus of his attention, Ti'ran huffed a questioning snort.

Nel_Zelpher_2005

Ch'risa stiffened, not daring to move a muscle. Apparently she'd been found already. She didn't think Soquili were violent, but what would they do if they thought she was a threat? She hoped that at the most they'd just run away...she stood slowly, holding out her hands to show that she was no threat. Please don't let them leave... she thought.

dustfeather

She inclines her head slightly, and nods, clearly catching the deeper meaning behind the statement. Rowanoak relaxes a fraction: still on her guard, she's more comfortable around this unknown entity than previously. But a unicorn...Several questions flit through her head, each of them sounding rather silly, so she bites her tongue. A unicorn....

The mare's head suddenly shoots up at Pallaton's warning, her ears thrust forward, and she moves closer to Ti'ran...who is closest to little Kasi.

"What is it?" She hisses at her mate, slightly miffed at him for warning her of something, and then not telling her what it is...and, with her head turned around, she doesn't spot the creature coming out of the brush, at first.

Orlando, deprived of his mother for the moment, sticks like a burr to his father instead, picking up on the uneasy tension in the air. His tiny ears draw back to his head, and he bares his teeth, as if ready to fight an imaginary foe, which turns to a squeak of surprise as the human appears. That's something he hasn't seen before! He presses his muzzle into Pallaton's shoulder.

wooga Paes

Pallaton took a small step back as the human got up, an ear twiching back when Ro spoke to him. "See for yourself. " He was rather amused that she haden't seen the human get up, wasen't that hard to spot, really. He woulden't lee from this human-- she was unarmed, a big and pointy stick wasen't hard to miss, and she didn't wield one. Brat wasen't ever armed either, but he still evaded the small girl, because she was quite anoying, though also nice in a way.

Kasi blinks as the unicorn speak-- why can everyone do that? Snorting, she turned her attention to her father, but it quickly snapped to the odd creature. For once, she was startld, and scurried to take cover behind Ti'ran, he was closer than mother, and farther from.. Whetever that was, so it would obviously be her choice.

Cihiru

The stallion could almost see the questions fleeting through Rowanoak's mind, but his attention was too focused on the human to dwell on them. What was she doing, anyway? Ti'ran's gaze flicked toward the girl as she rose to her feet, but he pulled it to the filly as she hid herself behind him. "If it suits you..." he muttered, mostly to himself, as he craned his neck.

He really wasn't sure how to comfort her. A Soquili of his age - old by normal standards - could not avoid interaction with foals entirely, but he'd never spent enough time around the younglings to gather the ins and outs of caring for them. Ti'ran looked on instead, flicking his ears uncertainly as the human extended her hands.

 

[Cihiru]

05.06 Misadventure: Loki, Arida, Neferti & Sheridan


Sayuri_Nitta

Ardia clipped along a worn dirt track along the side of a field, before wandering out onto the grass. It was sodden under her hooves, and she kept her tail up a little to stop the ends from becoming wet. She shook her mane, looking up into the sky as birds wheeled across it. The sun was fairly warm, but the air still held the cold and her breath was visible. She nosed the grass, clipping a mouthful and chewing on it, just standing, enjoying the afternoon.

lilwerewolfgirl

This patch of grass is so tall... it nearly covers 3/5ths of my body! She thought giving a nicker, a butterfly landed ontop of her nose as she lifted it into the air. The reds and golds of its wings shimmered almost translucent as the sun hit it. Snorting she gave it the up draft it needed to once again take to the sky, as free as a bird. Her cloven hooves sank every now and then as she walked through the muddy portions of the high grasslands. Every once and a while one of the would get stuck, when she would use her strength and hoist herself out of the trap.

Everything was fine for a while, the grassline seemed to decrease... but the filly still was hidden. Finally pushing her luck she found her front right hoof sinking in the wet soil. Yanking as hard as she could she nearly stumbled backwards, if she yanked any harder she might of just as well tor the limb off! Neferti let out a silent plee for her, and looked around.

Sayuri_Nitta

Ardia wandered slowly along, occasionally snatching up a mouthful of the wet grass. She skirted boggy sections of the field as she went, her ears turning as she moved. After a while she was sure she could hear some sort of distress call, and she hurried more now, coming across the patterned filly.
'Are you okay?' she asked.

lilwerewolfgirl

The young soquili's eyes lightened softly as someone came. She hadnt seen her before.. maybe she came from behind? Or perhaps she could teleport... the female thought way too much. "Noo im stuck and cant seem to get out!" She tossed head head around wildly trying to remove her hoof. Her horn was zooming around like a dagger, if she hurt someone with it... it was completly unintentional.

Cihiru

This was one of those days where the stallion's more inherent nature resurfaced; a day where the afternoon was his morning. Loki gave a broad, tired yawn, and made a weak attempt to shake the disobedience from his mane. Always obstinate, it remained disheveled in his eyes as he squinted to peer at the surrounding foliage. Beams of light spilled through the forest canopy, blotching the leafy ground beneath it, while a too-alert chorus chimed through the humid air. That was his sign the world was up and around, and perhaps it was just about time he joined them.

Having stretched the lingering drowsiness from his relunctant limbs, he headed off on the day's journey with that resolution. It was a voyage he allowed his hooves to lead, taking him wherever it was they willed. And today, it would seem they thirsted for adventure, for they headed off in a direction he'd never bothered to explore.

A direction that soon proved very... soggy. He found himself wondering what in the world had possessed him to travel there, but a distraught cry forbid him from dwelling on it. Loki's ears twitched as they gauged the direction it had come from, and before long his hooves were following, pulling him near the source. As the filly (and mare, he noticed) drew into view, he huffed a low, required neigh to announce his presence, and strode to their side just in time to hear her explain her situation. "Calm yourself, for starters."

Sayuri_Nitta

Ardia shifted, trying not to let her own hooves sink into the grasping mud.
'It's okay,' she soothed, trying to avoid the needle point of the horn. She looked as hoofsteps announced another's presence, an imposing stallion. She ducked her head in greeting, then looked back at the filly.
'He's right, if you struggle its worse,' she said, keeping her voice calm so that hopefully the filly would calm as well.

lilwerewolfgirl

"How would calming down get rid of my situation!?" She said whining like a nieve child would. She continued to struggle a bit more, that was until her hoof sank even deeper. Without the balance of her 4 hooves her body thretened to topple over, if she did... you the hoof go with her or snap out of place? ._.; Realizing this the filly took some deep breaths. At first she didnt realize there was another soquili around her, this one was male.

One deep breath after the other she patiently tried to calm herself down. Her heart still raced... she didnt like the feeling of being trapped. "What.. do i do?" She asked the elders with pleading eyes.

Cihiru

Loki did not return the polite greeting; not right then, anyway. The filly's panic overwrote any other intentions he might have held at that moment. "It won't, but clear thoughts generally help." The stallion invited himself closer yet, bringing his large form to the filly's side. "Hold still. Thrashing around will make you sink." This was something he'd learned the hard way. The thought nearly made him grimace. But what had he done, back then?...

Oh, right. As the 'lightbulb' flashed inside his mind, Loki ducked his head to more carefully observe the problem. And after he deemed it safe to do so, he rose one pale hoof and pawed gently at the mushy earth around her limb. "Can you pull free, now?" The point near her hoof, at least, was noticibly thinned out, with small trenches where he'd dug the mud away.

Sayuri_Nitta

The foal was panicking too much, Ardia could see. She thought, trying to come to an idea that would help.
'Go carefully,' she said to the filly.
'Pull a hoof out one at a time,' she hovered, blowing air through her nose in worry.
'I could get a tree branch, something for you to grip with your teeth and pull the other end to help if need be,' she suggested.

lilwerewolfgirl

She didnt mind the other comming so close, she wasnt that closterphobic. She watched ever so curiously as he pawed away at the mud. The indentation grew deeper and deeper, she tried to heeve her leg out but it was still pretty deep in there. "Still too deep" >_< " Looking towards the female she gave a nod. "That might help~"

Sayuri_Nitta

'I'll be as quick as I can,' Ardia promised before cantering away towards the distant treeline. As she approached the stand of trees she slowed, casting about for broken branches that might be of use. She kicked about the rotting leaf litter, her hoof knocking against something and she kicked the leaves away, finding a good sized branch. She bent, grabbing it with her teeth and trotting off, the mulchy taste repellent to her tongue but she needed it. Back at the foals side, she stood with front legs apart, bracing herself and proferring the other end of the branch to the filly.
'Grab ob,' she managed, talking around the damp wood.

lilwerewolfgirl

She waiting a bit impatiently as she went for the branch. The duo where so nice to help her out here. ._. She felt so helpless.

Careful not to get her other hooves stuck she stayed still. Finally she came abck with the branch. Reaching her neck roward Neferti clasped the branch in her mouth, ICK! it tasted soo nasty!, and readyed herself. "Wready" SHe mumbled as well from the branch between her jaws.

Sayuri_Nitta

Ardia blinked, her ears folding back as she walked, step by step, inching backwards, teeth gripping into the branch. She thought she felt the filly moving towards her but couldnt be sure and so she just moved on, pulling back carefully, not wanting either of them to get hurt as they tugged against the mud's clinging hold.

lilwerewolfgirl

She did start to move forward slowly. As the mare tugged on her end the filly pulled on her leg. She tugged and tugged until finally with a small POP her leg was free. Not without just though, she twisted it on the way out.

Limping away from the mud-trap she settled down and shook the debree that had collected on her, spitting out the branch. "bleck!"

If it wasnt for the duo, she'd still be stuck. "Thanks you two~ Im Neferti." Her attitude changed completly as she sat, her ancle wasnt touching the ground for fear of pains.

Sayuri_Nitta

Ardia stumbled a little as the filly suddenly popped free. She dropped the branch as well, stepping away from the mushy ground and tugged up a clump of grass, chewing it slowly to rid herself of the damp wood taste.
'Ardia,' she said, shaking her mane as she swallowed the mouthful.
'Is your leg okay?' she asked, noting that she was holding it off the ground.

lilwerewolfgirl

"naw its fine.. i think i just twisted it. Itl heal fast imma quick healer~" Standing up she put most of her front weight on her uninjured leg. "Nice meeting you, i must go now..." Giving a small bow the unicorn soquili trotted off.

Cihiru

Loki had nodded briefly at the suggestion, though he continued stubbornly, pawing scoops of mud away in relative silence. It wasn't a huge help, it would seem, but it sure beat standing by staring, useless as the mare pulled the filly free. He wasn't keen on being useless. In light of that, the stallion gave a triumphant "there!" as the filly's leg pulled free.

"Don't have much to thank me for." His smile was a soft, almost embarrassed one... Fairly unusual on his features. "My name is Loki." He dipped his nose in greeting, and nodded toward Ardia as he finished. "You look a bit unsteady; do you need anything else?"... And then she excused herself, answering his inquiry without additional words. "Well then. Take care."

Sayuri_Nitta

Ardia nodded, watching the filly leave; it was after all young, and if she rested it, should heal fairly quickly. She looked at Loki, amusement on her face.
'Well, at least she'll stay away from muddy places now,' she commented, her tail swishing behind her. She started as another stallion approached as the filly left. Glancing at him she dipped her head, he was very handsome and finely coloured.

Rein_Carnation

A figure moved quite fast among the hills, his muscles moving with his entire form. Mane and tail swaying behind him, shimmering silken black as obsidian. Traveling from the northern mountains where he was staying he was staying, he decided to see what else lied out there. Perhaps even a pretty set of eyes would catch his attention. Pausing his gallop, he danced in place noticing a band of Soquili. With a toss of his head, and a gleaming smile he trotted over. "Hello there," he announced with his head held high.

Cihiru

"One can hope..." But couldn't be sure. Surely she'd have enough sense not to repeat the situation twice though, right?

And who was this stranger? "Greetings," Loki responded, adding with it a polite bow of his head. "Sorry to say hello and goodbye, but I should probably be off as well. Have a good afternoon!" The stallion flashed an apologetic smile before turning and taking off at a gallop.

 

[Cihiru]

05.07 Introductions: Ti'ran, Catori & Sheridan


Farland

Catori swished her tail, the rube and crimson tendrills brushing against the slowly melting snow. Crimson orbs glanced around. For once, she had met absolutly no-one in the lowlands today. but then of corse, she was still at the base of the mountains, her snowy white coat, shineing brightly in the sun, only her mane and tail, and the ocasonal splash of red of green makeing her stand out against the white backdrop.

Small as she was she woke out through the trees, gliting red hooved thudding against the ground as she trotted past a lazily trickeling brook, maveing bubbeled back to life with the slow retreat of winter.

Cihiru

"Hurry up, T'iran," a lupine goaded suddenly. He trotted loops around his much larger companion's stride, swishing his bushy tail as he pulled ahead.

The equine sighed heavily at him, and added a snort to clarify. "What in the world for?" His relaxed amble made his lack of ambition blatant.

"Well, if you want to sleep out in open snow, please, be my guest."

He had a point. The unicorn had been traveling most of a solid day now, pausing only long enough to soothe his hunger. With afternoon pulling near, he'd have to find shelter in the near future if he hoped to have any sleep by nightfall. At least with the slopes of mountains dotting the not-so-distant horizon, he had some hope. "It looks fairly cozy to me," he teased. Even with spring edging upon them, the lingering blanket of melting snow and ice did not boast hospitality.

"Enjoy," A'ier said simply, pushing himself forward with the unicorn trailing lazily behind him.

Shariea

With a slow trot the majestic chocolate Stallion came into veiw. His head held high as he briskly made his way along the shore line of the babbling brook. His long obsidian tail flicked behind him as he eased to a stop, a small snort escaping him. His brilliant brown eyes seemed to glint with a bit of mischief as he glanced around before giving his head a shakde, his wild locks streaming behind him as he suddenly took off at a full gallop.

His hooves guided him surely through the melting snow as he sped on down the shore towards the sound of other soquili. as He rounded the last bend he raised himself into a rear and kicked his strong legs with a wild whinny. Setting hiself down with a laugh he grinned at Catori. "hello there again Radiant one." He spoke softly as he approched her, tilting his handsom head to the left only silghtly. "Going for another playful romp in the water?" he asked.

Farland

Catori swished her long tail in a whip like motion, something she did when she was deep in thought -or currently soaked in water- untill she heard the voices of someone near-by. She stilled, listening, the voices obviously just on the other side of the tree line. her long tail brushed against the snow, rebelious buds of new life pokeing defiantly from above, freed as she snow was brushed away.

Narrowing her eyes she stepped carefully around the side of the trees, her delicate hooves treding carefully on the cold ground, carefull not to get tangeled into the snow. Her ears perked up, her body half visible from behind the trees as she peered at the newcomers, her scarlet eyes shineing with inteligent curiosity.

To her eyes, they stood out in a starteling sight. A worl padding through the snow... and the most curious black creature plodding alone unenthusiasticaly behind. She stayed quiet, not intirely sure if she should say hello, carefully looking over the stallions horn, long tuffed tail, and cloved hoves.

Suddenly she gave a sharp whinny of suprise, leaping out from behind the trees, rounding on Sheridan " I had not inteded to! but it seems you are determined to scare me into fallin in face-first! " she said, a soft grin on her face. " That ro give me a heart attack ' she said, sence she had not been paying all to much attention to her surroundings as usual.

Cihiru

The two of them did indeed stand out, a stark contrast against the light blanket of landscape. Nor did they make any obvious attempt to prove otherwise, for their steps were not cautious, nor were their voices low. Appearances could be deceiving though; the equine, at least, kept himself attentive, while his smaller companion took curious sniffs every now and then.

Understandably, they were very aware the moment another made an introduction. Ti'ran flicked a listening ear, but A'ier did not pay it any heed. At least, not until the startled cry met his tender senses. The wolf turned fully then, pausing his light gait. "Shall we?" he inquired, his tone more or less uninterested.

Ti'ran nodded to him, wavy locks sweeping over one eye with the movement. He offered the introduction as he pushed himself forward, halting just short of physical intrusion. "Afternoon..."

Shariea

Sheridan couldnt help but laugh as his sudden apperance seemed to have really startled the mare. He Shook his head and stepped forward, nudging her gently with his nose. "Now now, Its not like I ment to scare you." he said with a laugh. "although the fright was rather cute in a way. " He smiled one of his dashing grins and stepped back, giving her room around him to get out of the water.

It was then that the sound of the strange horse and his wolf compainion reached his hears. Turning around to face them his eyes scanned first the length of the stallion before noting the dangerous horn atop his head. Raising his handsom head he slowly nodded to the stranger and his compaion. "Greetings." he said before a smile once again crossed his face. He frist nodded to the stallion before glancing down at the wolf and also nodding to him.

Farland

Catori carefully stepped out of the water, shakeing each leg carefully to free it of water before it could chill her fur and skin to greatly. ' Oh, Hello! ' she said, a sweet smile slipping across her white face, still flushed to a light rose color, still not gotten used to Sheridans teasing.

Her eyes were still shineing with a faint curious light as she looked them over quickly, now that she was out of the water, her small frame dwarfted by the chocolate stallion next to her. " nice to meet you, my name is Catori ' she said with another smile, inclineing her head in greeting, her ruby eyes sweeping over the wolf and unicorn.

Wolved did not startel her as they used to. One of her Herd-mates had a young wolf pup as a familiar, and another had a small teal wolf, so she did not still and go ridgest as she used to. But they did intruige her, for she had thought unicorns a simple myth. Though, she herself being red and green with a brught imprint of a candycane on her hind-quarters, she should have learned to think that some myths could be true.

Cihiru

The wolf, who had been lagging behind as Ti'ran stepped forward to greet them, pulled himself ahead now, and received Sheridan's nod with surprising indifference. "I'm A'ier." He gave a bit of a shrug, and tilted his narrow muzzle toward the other. "And that's Ti'ran."

The unicorn gave a sigh, and snorted dismissively at his companion. "Pleased to meet you both." He had been near enough to catch the mare's greeting to the other (and thus her name), but as she had not addressed him directly, he refrained from using it then.

"You are?..." A'ier eyed the stallion questioningly, taking a bold step toward him and flicking his twitching tail. He expected an introduction; he had, after all, provided theirs. It was only polite, and though he wasn't particularly a stickler, he thought it reasonable to meet at least that standard.

Shariea

Sheridan nodded quietly as he listened to the names of each in turn. His eyes turned from the wolf to the black stallion before him. "I am Sheridan, and this.." he said with a nod of his head to indicate the mare. "Is Miss Catori."

He stepped forward and grinned to the horned male in front of him. "Its a pleasure to meet you, Both of you." He remarked with a quick glance at the indiffernt wolf. His long ebony tail lashed about him suddenly with a quick flick. "What brings you Gentalmen this way?" He asked curiously as he moved to stand once more by Catori in a somewhat protective manner, as he really didnt know what to make of the two strangers yet.

Farland

Catori crained her head up to look at Sheridan, wondering why all of the sudden he was getting protective. She turned back to the two others, that sweet and curious look on her face " Pleasure to meet you Ti'ran, A'ier ' She said with a friendly swish of her tail, trodding a couple of steps forward, casting a curious glance back at Shreridan, nipping at him teasingly as she troted past, before turning her eyes to the unicorn before her, obviously curious but feeling it would be rude to just start blurting out questions.

Cihiru

Miss Catori? The formality was the first he'd heard since he left the valley; it made his inward curiosity twitch, though he dismissed it as a personal quirk and nothing more. It wasn't worth inquiring about.

Besides, their mutual curiosity overshadowed his own by far. "Hardly a gentleman," Ti'ran snorted, tilting his nose in the wolf's direction. "I am traveling; observing the lands beyond the valley. A'ier is along for some reason I have not quite figured out."

The wolf returned Ti'ran's notion with a surprisingly tolerant frown, though he didn't offer any light on his motivation for sticking around. Probably because he hadn't quite pinpointed it himself. "I wasn't aware we seemed threatening," he commented instead, as he lowered himself to his haunches.

Ignoring the idle statement, Ti'ran turned his gaze to the mare. "Is something bothering you, Catori?" This was an understatement, he knew. Her reaction was one he had seen a few times before already, but it was the best response he could manage. After all, he wasn't really itching to make an a** of himself, and there was a possibility he misread her expression.

Farland

Realizeing she was stareing, blushed slightly " Oh, no, nothing ' she said, feeling rather rude " I just have never seen a Unicorn before ' she said, her tail swishing slowly behind her.

" Its not often i meet someone new, and its not often that the person in question is so... exotic ' she said, serching for the word, that being the best she could find. Though she lived with a flutter, so she shouldent be as suprised as we was, but he was a very interesting looking creature.

She turned her eyes twords the wolf ' I dont find you threatening... though sometimes its always best to error on the side of caution ' she said, shrugging and glanceing over her shoulder with a grin, twords the stallion who slowly sinked away into the forest mountains, apperantly heading back home.

 

[Cihiru]

05.08 You Don't Say: Loki & Isilme


Cihiru

The afternoon had been a dank one; so gloomy and ridden with rain, it would have been difficult to tell it was afternoon at all, with the lack of sun peeking through the laden clouds. It was a mere glow lighting the earth below them, casting a dull aura just strong enough to keep things visible. The cascading droplets blurred the landscape in the distance, but nothing so drastic it was uncomfortable to travel should one be so inclined. It could have been viewed as a perfect day for lazing too, as the rain lulled worldly inhabitants with its seranade.

And for Loki, every day was a perfect day for lazing. With the weather encouraging him, he scarcely had reason to object. Save for one small detail, anyway. Kali had been gone for quite some time then. Long enough, maybe, to incline him to think her missing. It was not unusual for her to go absent a few days at a time, even more so after she encountered that stallion 'Kestal', but... Well, she generally had the courtesy to at least pop in every now and then. Begrudging though he was, he did appreciate the notion; confirmation of her safety was reassuring in some remote form. They were siblings, after all.

So, she'd been gone a few too many moons this time. It wasn't like her; not at all. And while his carefree demeanor was hesitant to accept it, he was worried. At least a little. And he really should have gone to look for her. After a large, unenthusiastic sigh, the fair stallion managed to coax his limbs into agreement, and he was off at a graceful trot in mere moments. His steps were surprisingly light and surefooted, given the soggy ground beneath them, but the sloshing of his hooves through the damp brush belied reality.

dustfeather

A yell shatters the silence of the gloomy morning, and the sound of pouding hoofbeats can be heard: softly at first, and then getting louder and louder. Whatever it is - and it's hard to tell, for the yell could have been either male or female - is coming in Loki's direction, and at a quick pace, too.

Before it can be clearly identified, however, something large and white bursts through the foilage. It seems, at the moment, to have lost contol of it's nervous system. The creature, perhaps the size of a turkey, darts here and there, like a sparrow. A very large sparrow, with a nastily-curved, wicked-looking beak and fierce talons, and flecks of black on outstretched, pristine white wings. It's so intent upon something behind it that it doesn't seem to notice where it's going: it crashes partially through some stray branches, heading straight at the trotting Loki's face.

Cihiru

Attentive ears perked curiously at the call; audible even over the still-falling rain. Was that a Soquili? One pink-lined lobe twitched tentatively, while the other perked forward in question. It sounded like one... But it was the thud of hooves against the ground confirming his suspicions.

In normal procedure, he would have squinted, and tried to discern a silhouette on the horizon as the strides pulled near. This time, however, he didn't have opportunity to. The rustle of (severely) disturbed brush demanded his attention, and his sculpted head turned toward it, gaze narrowing only seconds later. What was that? He could tell it was avian, of some sort; its ivory form was stark against the stormy backdrop of their surroundings. The way it darted erratically made it impossible to examine further though. And the way it barreled toward him made it impossible to consider trying anyway. Loki ducked just in time, shying away barely soon enough to see the blurred figure shear off to one side.

"Excuse me!" This was more of the 'I'm sorry' variety than the 'how dare you!' sort; his tone was low and sincerely apologetic, despite the lack of verbal statement. He wasn't sure if the other would be within earshot more than a brief moment though, so he left it at that. Besides, the Soquili he'd partially observed was rather near now, and he adverted his attention.

dustfeather

The creature lets out a loud noise of surprise as it barely misses Loki's head, and almost runs right into a tree-trunk as a consequence. It manages to cleverly dip a wing, however, and turns with an air current to delicately but heavily rest upon a branch of the same tree it almost hit. Closer up, it's identified to be a peregrine falcon, perhaps only a few years old, with brilliantly black-barred wings. The rest of the body is white, and around it's neck is a green and blue token. It blinks at Loki, shuffling from foot to foot...it's actions almost sheepish.

"Didn't mean tae near hit you, ye ken," the falcon speaks, in a strong northern accent. Although the words are brash, they are high, giving the indication that this creature is perhaps female rather than male. "Ah'm sorry far that." She pauses, looking suddenly past him.

The hoofbeats have stopped. Right outside the brush that the falcon just recently burst out of, a Soquili mare stands, blowing heavily.

She's a beautiful grullo paint, with white stockings that are partially coated in mud at the moment, and a stripe that runs down her forehead and muzzle. Her expression is wry, laughing; it's one that's typically easy to take a liking to. Only mildly guilty, she shakes out her mane, just watching the two, clearly relishing the bird's plight.

Cihiru

Loki dismissively flicked an ear at the bird's cry; partially distracted, and mildly uninterested, for the moment at least. The Soquili, whom he realized then was a mare, provided a more interesting object of attention (for several reasons). It had been a rather long while since he'd been gifted with the company of another, and even longer since he'd encountered a total stranger. Though it wasn't that he minded, the Soquilis by the village tended to cycle through the same faces day by day. It was refreshing to see someone new. And he made a mental note to get out more; isolationist didn't suit him.

"Hm?" The avian decided to stick around, it would seem, and he took the liberty to assume these two were companions. He also took the liberty to turn and glance at it, denying the other equine an introduction. "I know," he confirmed. "No worries - I'm sorry for being in the way!" He also stole a moment to be surprised with himself. She sported an undeniably thick accent; and he understood it! Good thing, too. It saved him the embarrassment he encountered with Sanuye. And the mare hadn't spoken yet; did she share the speech?

He turned back to her then, damp mane flopping only slightly before it re-plastered itself to his neck. "I'm Loki, by the way. Hello to you both." He glanced briefly at the falcon too, politely addressing her. "Please tell me I haven't disturbed anything too severely?" The stallion offered a sheepish expression, though he couldn't help but notice then... The mare's distinctly mustang patterning. He shared many of the same features; the dorsal stripe and zebra'd knees. He had not, however, met another with them, until then.

dustfeather

The peregrine falcon puffs herself up, settling her feathers together with a dry, rustling sound as she watches Loki unblinkingly. Nothing can stare like a bird, but in this case, it doesn't seem to be meant to be particularly intimidating. In fact, she gives a satisfied little chirp that sounds out of place on such a magnificent bird...but perhaps that's a clue to one of the reasons she's traveling with a Soquili.

The mare, meanwhile, looks torn between amusement on her friend's part, and mild guilt at being caught like a wayward foal. It was clear neither of them had expected to almost run into someone here. The grullo filly shakes her mane out, taking the time to rearrange her thoughts as she does, so when she's finished, she can speak to the stallion calmly. He looked interested in them both, even kind and curious, and she would be doing him a discourtesy by not answering directly. Besides, he looked familiar to her; not in the sense of having previously met, but in kind. He looks like he comes from hardy mustang stock...although he's got a rarer color than she's seen before.

"I'm Isilme," the mare says softly. Unlike the falcon, her accent is less noticable, but it does carry the brief hints of a northerner. "My friend there is Alta," She adds, nodding to the bird, who dips her own head down towards Loki in brief acknowledgement.

"We were just...running," she tries to explain, rather helplessly, in the tones of one who realizes she should perhaps have a better explaination than that, but doesn't. And then, as if she was afraid the avian's apology was not enough, grins wryly at him. "Sorry if we interrupted you."

Cihiru

He was far from experienced in reading avian expressions and gestures, but at least she seemed contended. Or far less uneasy. She had stopped shuffling, anyway, and he noted that a good thing. After all, he didn't care to go unsettling anyone over something as minor as a near-collision. And a little embarrassment never hurt anyone; too seriously, anyway. They'd recover, he was certain.

And he was relieved to hear the mare's voice break what had formed as brief silence; even more so once he realized she had far less exotic annunciation. It wasn't that the accent bothered him, but... Well, familiarity was nice. It was something he couldn't really pin reasoning to, but appreciated just the same.

"Pleased to meet you, Isilme, and Alta." The stallion looked to them each in turn, a characteristic lighthearted smile stretching his maw as he gave both a small bow.

"No need to justify yourselves," he assured, addressing Isilme particularly. "There's nothing wrong with racing the wind. To be honest, I might even be a little jealous. Looked like fun, to me." Loki bobbed his sculpted head, and flicked his lengthy tail fairly absently. "Interrupting me? Hardly. I was just..." He paused only a moment, as though trying to decide what it was exactly he had been doing. "Hoping to find someone."

dustfeather

Some of Isilme's reservations peel away at the stallion's considerate, yet casual manner, and the grin turns into a mild smile, which flickers only for an instant at the last statement. "Call me Issy if you'd like, it's easier. Who were you hoping to find?" She asks, head tipping to the side. "And were you supposed to meet them here? We might be able to find them for you," She says, glancing questioningly at the falcon, who merely ruffles her feathers unenthusiastically. She's used to being treated as an extension of Isilme, rather than as a separate being, and she looks as if she'd rather be mutinously unhelpful.

"Ah might be able tay find yon horsie, ah suppose." says the peregrine gracelessly, listening to the conversation below. "If the lassie or laddie is around hereabouts, ye ken."

Cihiru

"Easier, maybe." Loki grinned anew, reflecting his gentle tone in his expression. "But you'll forgive me if I'm not one to take nicknames straight off? Wouldn't want to go calling anyone something they don't approve of, after all." The stallion paused almost thoughtfully, tilting his head ever so slightly in contemplation. "Issy it is, then!" The comment made his previous rambling sound like absent-minded pondering; and maybe it had been.

"And I had been hoping to maybe bump into my sister." He shook his head at her suggestion though, and followed with an explanation. "It's alright, she's just been gone a while. She does that from time to time; I'm sure she'll turn up sooner or later. Kali can take care of herself." The stallion nodded confidently at the statement, and added a reassuring smile.

"Thank you, anyway." Loki turned to Alta then, grinning knowingly. It was kind of her to act so amiable; he could tell she would have rathered do otherwise. "I appreciate the thought." And this had been intended for Isilme, to thank her for her intentions.

dustfeather

She laughs, tossing her head. "Nicknames are much more fun. I call almost everyone by a nickname...even if they don't want me to. In Alta's case, it's just simpler, since her name is incredibly long...her clan's believes important creatures have longer names." She grins over at the peregrine, who rolls her eyes. "Ach, missy, you're nae important if ye dinnae have a guud long name! Ah'm still wanting tay lengthen yers."

The mare rolls her own eyes in turn, but comes to attention more as Loki continues. Oh...he has a sister around here? She relaxes slightly, but still bubbles will ill-contained curiousity. She's one to ask a thousand questions, and not mind if anyone thinks it pushy. "Is she younger than you, I take it?" His manner seems slightly protective...like that of a big brother. Her big brother Rannoch did the same, and probably would've continued if she had stayed with the herd. "I'm afraid we haven't seen anybody around lately...we've been on the move." She's not sure where they're going to end up, either, so she doesn't bother adding that she'd let him know if she spots his sister. After all, she's not even sure she'll see him again.

Cihiru

"Well, I can admit to that too." Loki had, more than a time or two, coined nicknames on whatever suited him at the given moment. But it was a privilege granted to friends; not just any random stranger to happen by. They were among his ways of showing fondness. "Alta's not her full name?" The stallion had assumed it was. He quirked his head a little, tossing the falcon a sideways glance.

"Well then!" He laughed good-naturedly at the avian's opinion on the matter, and noted to himself he should be grateful he hadn't encountered such a society. Loki wasn't exactly a lengthy name. "Why haven't you?" he queried jokingly, turning more fully to Alta. She did seem the type to do whatever she pleased, when she pleased, and it did puzzle him a little.

Fortunately for Isilme, he scarcely noticed, let alone minded. Questions lended themselves well to conversation, and he did rather enjoy good company. "We're twins, actually. The same age, more or less. I don't know which of us was born first, truthfully." That was an unimportant detail, he realized, but threw it out anyway. "Don't worry about it, I hadn't expected you to, really." He paused, adding "wind soquilis can be a little difficult to track down" for the sake of clarity. The statement prior might have sounded a little offensive without it.

dustfeather

"It's actually Altaandavelantamenalmen," The mare says, innocently enough. She's obviously said it plenty of times before...the word rolls easily off of her tongue.

"Ach, call yon lassie by another name? She'd nae listen to me, an Ah'd be all alone and without a friend tay talk to. She's a crool one, Issy is," the avian responds sorrowfully, shaking her head.

Isilme's eyes roll skyward for some patience, but she's already moved on to what the claybank stallion says next. That he was a twin doesn't really surprise her...but that his twin was a winged Soquili does. Perhaps only one of his parents were winged? She's not seen the two types mingle all that much...and she briefly wonders how it must feel, to have a sibling that could soar, while you yourself were stuck on the ground, all because of fate. "Oh," is all she can think up to say, a little inadequately. "I didn't know there were winged Soquili around hereabouts." Well, she hadn't thought there were humans, either, until she saw the campfires.

Cihiru

Had he not braced himself for an avalanche of a name, this one surely would have taken him by surprise. It was more than a mouthful; he didn't dare try and repeat it, despite the ease Isilme managed it in. "May I call you Alta anyway?" Loki's grin was an embarrassed one, though his voice remained politely even. The mare may have called her that one way or another, but he thought it best to ask anyhow.

"What, you mean to say she'd abandon you just for treating her in the fashion she does you?" This was uttered with a quirked brow and a blatantly jesting tone, as he glanced questioningly between them. "Cruel, maybe, but..." The stallion's expression and speech sobered a little; they seemed more grounded before he continued. "I don't know; are you sure she'd do that?" He really hadn't meant anything profound or even confrontational by the comment (any more than Alta had hers), but Isilme didn't cross him that way.

"There aren't. Not really, anyway." Loki 'hmm'ed thoughtfully, shuffling one ivory hoof through the moist grasses. "Our herd," or former herd, he really should have said "is not established here. They graze in less accessible lands, or so I'm told." And that gentle, lighthearted aura returned to his features. "Not that I'm aware of, I should clarify. For all I know, there could be an entire herd just around the bend."

dustfeather

The avian above gives him a somewhat disgruntled look, but she gets over it pretty quickly...it's unlikely that any other Soquili has called her by her full name anyway. Besides which, he did ask nicely. "Ye may. And ach, she would, laddie-buck. Ah tried mah best to knock some sense in the lassie when she was ought but a little foal, but," here, the falcon spreasd her wings wide in dismay, "...as ye can see for yerself, it was nae guud."

The grullo mare snorts, stamping down hard with a forefoot, as she tries to act injured. "I hope you don't take what she has to say at face value, sir Loki," She quips, her tone pained. "You wouldn't, would you?" She gives him a large, doe-eyed look of adoration.

But she drops the act as he becomes serious, her lips compressing into a tiny smile. "I take it you haven't seen your band...herd, is that what you call it? ...in awhile, then. I've not been home myself in long moons...it's a tough life, being an explorer." But she doesn't seem displeased with her life, or even as if she was having a particularly rough time of it.

Cihiru

Well, he hadn't expected her to be pleased. But she did take it as acceptable, and that satisfied him. He could call her Alta in good conscience, then. And he did plan on it, for it dawned on him he really would like to see them again. Good company, as he'd noted it earlier, was reasonably hard to come by, and he would have been lying to himself if he tried to deny he was fond already.

"You do sound certain, but..." the stallion grinned in a strangely unburdened, apologetic fashion "I'm still inclined to disagree. Stubbornness does not necessarily mean a lack of loyalty." There was a hint of laughter in his tone, and he bobbed his head for emphasis. "You'll have to trust me on that one though; it's the voice of experience."

And Loki turned more wholly to Isilme, for he'd been dividing his attention. "What, sir now, is it?" He laughed again, the sound escaping in the form of a low whinny. "I'm a reasonably good judge of character, if I may say so myself, and-" The stallion paused deliberately, giving Alta yet another apologetic glance. He wasn't in the business of being confrontational, but he couldn't walk the fence on this one. "No, I wouldn't."

"And I've never actually met them." In truth, he was very rarely serious; his tone changed drastically with the adjustment. The soft, low sound was just as suiting though. "Our mother took us away shortly after we were born, and I wouldn't know where to begin looking for them." Not that he'd want to, anyway. The manner their mother spoke of it didn't exactly make him want to go running back to them, begging for acceptance. He didn't want to ask for them to shun him.

He dropped the topic easily though, dismissing it as something he really shouldn't elaborate on anyway. "Is that so?" the stallion questioned in a defiant, but equally lighthearted tone. "You don't seem so poor off to me."

dustfeather

The mare flutters her eyelashes at him in the most ridiculous fashion, as if it weren't something she practiced often, but she'd had the chance to laughingly watch it's effects before. She gives an amused shake of her mane, before dropping the act entirely, grin clear on her muzzle. Alta merely chuckles.

"He's a keeper," she announces to the falcon, with a swish of her tail. "He's smart enough to agree with a lady, even though he doesn't know her at all. And of course it is!" This last is directed at Loki, and she keeps a remarkably staight face as she sweeps him an elegant. "Well met, Sir Loki."

She straightens, and allows one of her hind limbs to lazily rest against the ground ears tipping gently back as she listens. This, apparantly, was not a subject he discussed with any degree of comfort...otherwise, he might have tried to turn it into a joke. So, for once, she doesn't press him on that issue. She does love a secret, though, and if she ever comes by him again, she plans to pry it out of him, one way or another. Being left in the dark is not Isilme's favorite pastime.

"Ah, well, we're dangerous runaway rogues," She says, perkily. "Kicked out of our band for general harassment, having disregard for the Law, leading others astray, and supposedly eating more than our fair share."

Cihiru

She had perhaps not seen its effects on a stallion of his kind, for he accepted it in-stride, granting her antics little more than an entertained grin as acknowledgment. The whole show did seem a little awkward, in a silly sort of way, and it wasn't in his nature to be manipulated in such a shallow fashion.

"Oh really?" he replied, almost deplorably, though he did not attempt to hide his laughter. "If you keep that up, I may feel obligated to call you Lady Isilme." Far less formal, the stallion chose that moment to shake out his always-disobedient mane. "And frankly, that's not a task I'm sure I'm up to." That was a comment he left open for interpretation, though when he said it, he had meant it didn't suit her. She really wasn't much of a 'lady', was she? And that was just fine by him.

"I might have believed you, if not for the 'dangerous' part." Scrutinizingly, and ever-joking, Loki pushed himself to circle around her, and made certain to be as overly blatant as possible. Actually, he didn't doubt she could be threatening, had she wanted. "Everyone should be allowed to 'eat more than their fair share' as far as I'm concerned." He said this from the perspective of one who had never known true starvation, and didn't realize it could have been ill-taken until it was too late.

"As for the rest..." Loki motioned an equine shrug, tilting his neck and head a hint to one side. "I didn't hear a thing." On the chance she had been serious (and for once, he really wasn't sure one way or the other), he did not want to offend.

dustfeather

At that, she snorted. "I'm nobody's lady," She says, rather forcibly, still mildly in the spirit of teasing, but there's an undercurrent that says she miht be partially serious.

She raises a brow as he walks around her, looking rather proud of her image as ruffian. She gives her tail a hefty swish, before chuckling. "Truthfully...I became a bit too much for my parents to keep track of. The band's laws at home were changing, and for many of the younglings...well, let's just say that there were plenty of young ones that didn't want to stay there. Alta and I moved out later than most, I suppose...most of the young stallions had already left the Home Oak, and some of the more impatient young mares, before their second year." She frowns vaguely. She'd like to know what was happening there, but she didn't particularly want to get caught going back. If things had progressed to what her parents suspected, she would not be looked upon kindly by the ruling members.

She quirks an amsued brow. "So I'm glad you're a bit deaf to it, you see. I doubt anybody will come looking for me, but...you never know." She grins, shaking off any uneasy feeling that thoughts of her old home brought back. She glances toward the avian, who's stayed silent at this exchange. "Mm...do you know any good sheltered areas for the night? It's getting later, and I'd rather not be caught out in the open when we stop pestering you and go on our way."

Cihiru

The tone she adopted made his ears fold defensively, though that teasing grin still lingered on his maw. "You don't have to tell me. I can see as much already." Briefly, he wondered what she had undergone to make her feel that way; it was a comment he took more to heart than the others.

Truthful? Well, it was a relief to see there was something underneath the teasing shell, and furthermore, to know she was willing to share even a shadow of it with him. He was grateful for it. "I am sorry to hear that, though I suppose it was the best for you." How hard it must have been, to willingly leave family behind, knowing well she may never have the opportunity to see them again. In that respect, at least he had been with his mother til her final moment; closure was satisfying in its own right. If he hadn't, surely he would have wanted to see her at least one more time. Against his will, the thought voiced itself, escaping as "You miss them?" The way he sheepishly adverted his gaze made it plain to see he hadn't intended to overstep his boundaries, but he was quick to recover.

"Deaf to what?" The stallion's ears rolled forward then, as his grin stretched further still. "Quite an exciting lifestyle, I see! Never knowing what awaits in the next moment. Though, I suppose that could be said for all of us." The following statement made his expression wilt with sadness though, and perhaps this time it was more honest than not. "Well, the forest I call home isn't all too far from here. But I'm not sure I'm obliged to show you the way."

Wait, what was he doing? It was not unlike him for words to just escape before he stopped to think, but this was a bit of a stretch, even for him. "I'd much rather keep you from 'going your way' already." But he wasn't one to second-guess himself, either. Might as well be forward with his notions.

dustfeather

She blinks at him, uneasy, as if the question weren't one she had thought over much...perhaps she hadn't wanted to contemplate it. "I suppose so," she says, in the tone of one was trying to be more certain about this than she really was. She doesn't miss them, exactly. What she feels is...well, truthfully, she's more anxious for them than anything. "I haven't seen them in over a year." A tiny, selfish part of her once hoped they'd follow her out here. But that hope has slowly died with the seasons as none of them have appeared. She's left signs...but none too clear. She has to be careful. She had just begun to understand a little of the politics in the home band before she left, and none of it was good. "I'm sure I'll see them again, someday," She finishes, with the optimism of the very young. She turns the question back on him: "I mean, don't you miss yours?"

But her ear twitches, amused, at his next trail of thought. "It's life," she says, simply. "If it was any other way, we'd all get fat, lazy, and dull."

She'd almost be insulted when he refuses to show her the way to shelter...but she can reluctantly see the reason in it. Besides, he may have secrets of his own that he doesn't want to devulge. Isilme manages a smile, but there's no giggling now. "Well, if you promise to help me find some shelter, I'll stick around for awhile to harass you."

 

[Cihiru]

05.09 You Don't Say Part 2: Loki & Isilme


Cihiru

He hadn't meant to make her uncomfortable. For a moment, he considered withdrawing the comments entirely. She seemed less uneasy as she continued though, so pawing uncertainly at the soggy earth, he ignored it. "Of course you will." It was not supposed to be a hollow comment; his tone reflected his genuine hope that, some day, she would. "Mine...?" Well, that was unexpected. He hadn't thought she'd have any sort of interest in his story (nor his parents) at all. "No, not exactly. Not the same way I'd expect you miss yours, anyway."

The stallion paused thoughtfully, casting his calm gaze to the darkening sky. "Missing them doesn't give me any hope I'll see them again someday. My parents are dead; they have been since I was little." He heaved a soft sigh, and pulled his focus to rest once again on the mare.

"That we would! But some are like that anyway." And he poked his tongue out, in an oddly jovial and playful manner. "I'm sure you know a few also. Not to say you are, of course!" he added hastily, with a lighthearted laugh, despite his sincerest intentions.

"Glad to hear it!" Loki grinned triumphantly, and gave his sweeping tail a swish. "I promise. Follow me?..." He really didn't have much in the way of secrets; he would show her the way to his shelter if she so desired. He wasn't aware of much else in the near vicinity, anyway. "Unless you have some kind of adversion to trees and sometimes tight spaces."

dustfeather

She actually looks grateful for that...but a little wary, too, as if she weren't used to being around someone so willing to agree with her.

The wariness evaporates at his next words, and guilt flashes over her features, followed by awkwardness. "I'm sorry," she says softly, head dipping down slightly from it's formerly proud position, and her ears tipping back. "I didn't know." She's curious to know what happened...but she wouldn't know how to broach the subjet. Besides, death is a realm that she's uncomfortale with in general, having little experience of it. And...wouldn't he see them someday, when he took that journey? It's what she was originally taught by her parents, but that sort of thinking was slowly frowned upon, so she doesn't remember it much.

"Oh, I'm terribly lazy, hadn't you noticed?" She replies absently, yawning.

So it is that she follows Loki readily enough, eager to change the subject and move on to the next discussion. "Not unless there are creatures with large teeth or claws lurking in the shadows," She retorts, cheerfully. "Then we might have a little bit of a problem. Where to?"

Cihiru

He noted her expression as he glanced back to her, and shook his head suddenly, as though to usher away her ill feelings. "No, don't be. Of course you didn't know, and it's fine." It was a reality he was really quite comfortable with; something he'd come to terms with long ago. "Life works that way, sometimes, and I'm long done grieving." Loki gave her a warm, reassuring smile. Though he had never been introduced to the general possibility of after-life 'journeys' and other such varying beliefs, his fond memories comforted him.

"I hadn't, but I guess I know now." And he grinned, continuing with "I just like to think I enjoy doing things in the easiest way possible. Lazy is such a negative way of stating it."

Her following comment made his ears twitch though, and his expression shifted to a curiously quirked brow and mildly bemused smile. "Of course there are. Let me know if you find someplace that isn't - I'd be eager to see it." And he raised his head dramatically, brandishing an exaggerated and heroic pose. "But fear not. I will protect you!" The stallion dropped the act quickly, and gave his pelt a shake as though to shoo the faux mask.

"Really, you haven't much to be worried about, and I'm sure you're fairly adept at fending for yourself. That aside..." He peered across the horizon, hopefully directing her gaze to a blot of trees against the evening backdrop. "To home. Mine, that is."

dustfeather

She's still sorry, and so she's a little more meek than she norally would be when she responds to him again. "It does, but it's still hard." Which feels like an inadequate response to her...since she hasn't had anyone to mourn.

She snorts as he takes in her comment about predators. "Someday there will be," She says, feelingly. She's well aware that the predators have to eat, just like she does...but it's not as if she wouldn't relish a place safe from them. "Huh, white sallion to my rescue, eh? You almost fit the bill, but you're not quite white enough. Maybe we ought to throw you in the next stream somewhere, see if you wash up a bit," She rolls her eyes, but grins, giving a swish of her tail.

Pleased that she's managed to find a spot out of the open, she follows his gaze, then begins moving casually off towards the trees. "Home is where you live. For me, it's a movable home," she says, with a slight grin. "You coming, Alta?"

The avian, it seems, has fallen asleep; she jerks her head, giving a blink and looking balefully at the Soquili, before winging down to rest on her back, and digging into the female's mane with her talons. "Ready."

Isilme reflects. It's at least for one night...and she's been out too much lately. No matter what her attitude, her nerves are strained from being overly-watchful. She even felt neasy when she nosed a fox not too long ago. Although they're usually only a danger to deer calves, the smell was so much predator that she was jumping out of her skin for the next hour's worth of travel.

Cihiru

"It is what you make of it," he said suddenly, retaining his comforting expression. "Besides, a couple of mourning foals aren't going to last too long in the grand scheme of survival. We had to move on." He wasn't quite sure how to read what he saw in her - it was something that seemed uncomfortable, but there was more to it than that. "Don't let it bother you, okay?" he added.

"Well, that comment still stands. Be sure to show me, some day, when you find it." And he did mean when, not if. Idealistic though it was, he too could appreciate the dream. Who couldn't, really? What was there not to like about a safe-haven, away from predators and illness? To wake day after day, never tinged by worry or fear, was a hope he wouldn't mind holding on to.

"Now hold on a second, I wouldn't go that far - I'm plenty white, thank you!" Jokingly, Loki turned his head to give himself a quick glance-over, checking for any splotches of unsightly mud or debris. "Clean, too! Besides," he huffed "who says your rescuer has to be fair as snow?" Despite the overlying defensive nature, he sounded as lighthearted as ever.

"That it is," he stated simply. "I'm glad Alta has decided to join us." Turning after her, the stallion allowed his hooves to resume their much-practiced trek toward 'home.'

dustfeather

If she were a bit older, she might've been able to pin down what was troubling her about the conversation...but as it is, she only has the feeling, and not the reasoning. The "No, I guess not," is given with a faint hesitation. "And I won't," She finishes, with an emphasis on the firmness in her voice.

"And all the stories do, silly. All-white Soquili, blessed of Epona, and all that. Of course, I suppose I don't really fit the bill of the damsel in distress. Too fat, and there's less white on me than you," She says, heaving an overly-dramatic sigh. "Ah, well, at least you're tall," She says comfortably, seemingly unworried at his protests.

She canters lightly after him to catch up, Alta hanging on with practiced ease.

Cihiru

Only just an adult himself, there was still a multitude of facts and reasoning beyond his grasp. Had he a bit more experience with this brand of discomfort, he might have been able to fill in the blanks, for his own reference at least. But he didn't, so he was rather in the dark with it all. And after hearing her fairly listless reply, he decided he ought to let the whole thing go anyway. He really didn't want to go making her more uncomfortable than he had already. "Alright," he answered softly, more to let her know he had been listening than anything.

Tender ears giving a curious twitch, he turned to look at her. "All what stories? They mustn't be very good, if a perfectly fine stallion such as myself can't play the hero," he stated, giving a defensive snort. "Nor do I know what 'fat' you speak of. I never was too fond of white anyway; you're a beautiful damsel if I ever saw one. The 'in distress' part just sounds like a hassle," Loki finished nonchalantly. There was a layer implying his words might have held a shred of truth, but his joking grin made it difficult to tell one way or the other.

"Anyway, I suppose we're here." The forest's edge bad pulled slowly into view, and the leafy canopy loomed overhead then. While the immediate border was thick with tightly spaced trees, they grew faintly more sparse further in, allowing moderately comfortable room to run, so long as one was mindful of the overgrown roots underfoot. With evening edging in, the area was overcast with shadows, but enough light filtered through to grant them sight. "Try not to wander too far? It's a big forest; I'd hate to have to search for you too," he teased, mindful of her previous 'adventuresome' demeanor.

dustfeather

"The lass is chubby," Pipes up Alta from atop Isilme. "Eats tae much ahn runs too little. Ah'm amazed she's going sae quick now, laddie." The grullo mare flicks an amused ear back at her friend, and gives a little buck which almost unseats her. Letting out a noise of protest, the peregrine falcon must spread her wings to keep her balance and stay on.

"I suppose we could make a case out of you being silver and all," she said, giving the stallion a critical look, grateful that the death topic had been neatly avoided. "But it'd help if your sister was golden, I think. But I do agree with you about the 'distress' part. Females are such chores when they panic," She confides, as if she'd certainly never do something like that.

She's so engrossed in the two of them that she barely notices as the entered the forest, but a sudden dimming of the light brings it to her attention. "Aye, I'll remember it." She's not really much at home in the forest, having lived in the open when she was back with the home band. It's always held some special mystery to her. "It's pretty."

Cihiru

"She might leave you to your own devices, if you're not careful," he warned, laughing all the while. It was an interesting friendship they shared; reminded him a bit of his interactions with Kali. Not unfriendly, exactly, but not the saucy-sweet relations one might expect from two so close.

Noting her critical stare, he puffed out his chest in a ridiculously prideful manner. "If that's the case, then I don't have a sister!" Loki cast a suspicious glance over his shoulder, and scanned the nooks and crannies for someone who might not appreciate his dishonesty. "Kali's black, actually," he confessed, pulling his eyes back ahead of him.

"No more so than males when they get it stuck in their head they're right, no matter what. Let's face it, nobody's perfect." Anyway, he was of the opinion flaws only added to unique character. It was the quirks and oddities that made life (and individuals) interesting. The surprises were what kept him thirsting for more. Perhaps that was part of what he enjoyed so much about Isilme.

He was relieved to hear her agreement on that note; he really wasn't too keen on the idea of tracking her down later. There were some dangers here too, and despite his earlier assurance, he did like to be in a position to provide some protection should it be needed. "It is, isn't it? I guess it's one of those things you grow used to over time, until you take it for granted entirely."

dustfeather

"She likes tormenting me too much," the grullo mare retorts with a snort. The truth is, Isilme would be desperately lonely without the peregrine falcon with her on her travels. Like most of her kind, she needs the security of someone nearby at all times, and not to have someone is...unnerving. She's no loner by choice. Oddly enough, the falcon is the opposite, and finds it difficult, at times, to stay with the mare. It's an interesting, and not always harmonic, relationship.

The mare laughs. "Black and silver. Nope, you don't fit the stories, got to try a bit harder. But I agree with you on the stallion thing. Back home, the ones closest to the Lord of the Band were right little..." She seems to catch herself in time from swearing, and hunts around for another word, vaguely aware that he might not appreciate such language. "...gits. Ah, well, suppose they just have trouble measuring up to such perfection as us three. Poor things." From her faintly mocking tone, though, it's clear that she's just teasing.

"Mm. I must admit, I've never spent much time beneath the trees. There's so many different smells, and it's so...enclosed." Despite her previous statements, she is a little bit claustrophobic in such a setting. "Not as much room to run, either. Epona certainly didn't make us for traveling in such places...remember the story with Windrunner and the fallow deer?" She absently looks around, snuffling at the base of a tree, nostrils crinkling uncertainly.

Cihiru

"You're not implying you don't torment her, are you?" Perhaps he was more of the 'do unto others as they do unto you' belief. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and so on. If she pecked fun at the falcon, it was only fair she did the same. After all, how could one expect to be treated with utmost kindness if they did not offer the same curteousy? But he was over-analyzing it.

"I still say the stories aren't any good, in that case." And her following comment made him glance to her with a raised brow, curiosity painted on his expression. "Stallions and lords; gits, was it? It all sounds very interesting, actually. Obviously far different from what I grew up with." He was really very intrigued, and part of him badly wanted to know what could have made her dislike them so strongly. It wasn't any of his business though, and she might not have been one to appreciate prying. Maybe he'd have the opportunity to ask some other time. "You can hardly blame them, you know. Perfection is pretty tough to live up to."

"I could show you shelter elsewhere, if you'd rather...?" Loki suggested, glancing thoughtfully to the shadowed canopy. He wasn't too familiar with what she would consider comfortable for a night's stay, but on the same note, he was fairly certain they could come up with something. He knew the area well enough. "You get used to running in the trees, though. At least, I did. But um," he paused, glancing to her with an expression that said he was really quite clueless on the topic. "I'm afraid I've never heard that one. Would you mind sharing it with me sometime?"

dustfeather

"Ach, the wee little fussbudget torments me ahll the time, she does," crows the peregrine falcon, still hanging on, no longer buffeted by the winds as she had been during Isilme's canter.

"Don't believe a word of it," Issy laughs. "I never put a hoof wrong." Alta merely makes a loud skeptical noise like a snort.

The mare looks up from inspecting a mushroom. "Well, those stories aren't any good. The Lore is, though, and that's real enough." She sounds satisfied. "Well, it was normal enough, until the herd experienced a change in leadership...after that everything got a bit messy. But I was never really caught up in that...only the lead mare and some of the other females were really important enough to deal with the politics of the band, and my mother wasn't one of those. So we pretty much stayed out of it. My dad was kind of different...but since I was a filly I was expected to follow my mother's hoofprints. Another reason why I left. Perfection is tough to live up to, but some folk don't even try."

"No, that's alright, I'm sure it'll be fine," She says soothingly. "After all, it's probably better than being out in the open, because - what?" She breaks off, genuinely surprised, her head snapping up sharply. "But that's one of the really common -" she breaks off, suddenly confused, and stares at him blankly for a moment, a sudden suspicion coming into her mind. "But...but you have heard of Windrunner, right? And...and Epona?"

Cihiru

"So you've mentioned." And she had, several times already. Part of him wasn't really sure which to believe! Another part reminded to remain neutral, regardless. And the final shard was what Isilme had commented on earlier: the lady was always right. That was the shade he tended to side with, for often it was the least controversial.

"Of course not," he defended, giving another laugh. It was quite the opposite of what she mentioned earlier, having been thrown out and all, but that didn't seem to bother him. He had doubted it to begin with, anyway.

Wait, lore? He had thought they were bedtime stories of sorts; those kinds of tales didn't have deeper meaning, did they? Suddenly he realized he might have gotten himself in a bit more trouble than he realized, implying he knew something about a topic he didn't have a clue about. "Messy...?" he said suddenly, worry creasing his features for a moment. In his mind, 'messy' often meant violent, and that concerned him. But if she hadn't been involved in it... That seemed to comfort him, and his characteristic expression returned. "You don't want to follow after your mother?" While he retained some of his joking tones, the inquiry was more or less an honest one; he was actually curious.

"If you're sure..." Loki didn't have much opportunity to continue the thought; the statement she followed up with made him pause in his tracks. "Well, I have two choices here. I can say 'certainly!', and smile and nod. Or, I can be honest with you and tell you I truly don't know what it is you're talking about." He looked a bit sheepish, if anything. "The first is probably the least painful for the moment, but I think the second is best in the long-run. So: could you enlighten me?" And his tone was one that sounded as though he really did want to learn more.

dustfeather

She shook her head emphatically at the question, stomping a forefoot into the ground, leaves crackling beneath it. "No. I loved her, but she was weak-willed, not like my father. He was a Captain," She said, tossing her head proudly.

But Loki's next words confirm her worst fears. She stared at him for a long moment, blank. Not to know the Lore, all the stories she'd been told as a foal...that was unheard of. She's so bewildered that she scarcely knows where to begin. What does he believe in, then, if he doesn't have the Lore to believe in? They need the Lore...else they'd have gone mad from the predators around them. How does he explain the way the world works, the shifts in seasons, life, death...after death?

"Epona is...Epona. She's the Lady of the forest, she created everything, all the animals and beasts...man, even," She adds, stories flowing through and filling up her mind. "She made Windrunner, the first of the Soquili, and...you really don't know this?" Without really waiting for an answer, or expecting one, the grullo mare plunges onward. "There's hundreds of stories about Windrunner and his children...his band was said to be the greatest of them all. He was a golden stallion, they say, with a creamy white mane and tail and a perfect five-pointed star on his head. And he and his mate, Starcatcher, had five children...Whitefoot, Darkfeather, Trueseer, Bankfoot, and Firekeeper." She's floundering badly from subject to subject, wondering just where to begin. "They're part of the great Lore that we're taught as foals. Windrunner was a great trickster, and stole much for his people, but Epona loved him for it anyway, even if she did punish him sometimes."

Cihiru

He wasn't entirely sure he understood what she meant by 'weak-willed'. There was a possibility he possessed traits she could have seen that way, and that disconcerted him. On the other hand, if she meant a lack of dedication to beliefs and an inability to defend them, he could relate. He wouldn't have dreamed of abandoning his morals for anything. "I see," was all he could manage, though it wasn't what he had hoped to say.

Her expression, however, was what he had been afraid it would be. Bewildered, in this context, was not something he considered a good thing. And try as he might, he couldn't come up with something that had even a shred of hope of soothing her. So, he decided, he'd better brace for the worst. An oddball forevermore, maybe.

Isilme's elaboration really got him thinking though; he was rather silent through it all. In truth, none of this was something he ever thought much about. The world and the way it was... Well, he accepted it as something that just was. He didn't have to explain anything; it worked just fine without him trying to figure out just why it worked that way. The lore was curious though; not something that made him shy away due to its strangeness. "I really didn't know. Thank you for sharing though; I think I could stand to hear some of these 'hundreds of stories' some time. If you're willing to tell them, that is."

dustfeather

The bewilderment that's in his eyes is echoed in her own, and it's growing deeper by the moment: a lost and forlorn look, almost pleading. The Lore was taught as a basis of life among her people, and again she can't help but wonder: what does he believe in, if not that? A sliver of unease creeps into her mind.

"Of course," She responds automatically, but it's tinged with confusion. Was there any reason to tell them, if he wouldn't believe them anyway...if he thought them just 'stories'? They really happened, and she's unsure if telling them to him would reduce them somehow. Suddenly, she feels very alone.

So there's suddenly a breath of awkward silence, in which she says nothing, her gaze dropping and casting out to roam over the horizon in a poor attempt to mask her tumbling emotions.

Cihiru

Of course? So simple. Almost shallow; not at all the response he had hoped to receive. He really meant it - he wanted to hear more. To learn of her beliefs, and possibly, form some of his own. To say he didn't know lore didn't mean he wasn't willing to accept any. He was! More than that, even. The prospect of opportunity to expand on what he had thought possible was both interesting and exciting. How he did want to learn more...

The sudden detachment he saw in her troubled him, and he found himself turning more fully to face her, his tone low and gentle as he spoke: "You look as though you're not sure you trust me." He had only called them stories because she did. "Is there anything I can do to change your mind?"

Glancing away from her, Loki paused then. It was a difficult thing, breaking through awkwardness and mistrust. For a moment, he was unsure if he would be able. After all, offending one's most personal hopes and reality was no minor affair. "Would it help if I told you I believe you? That I want to hear them... to know them, not to retell them as simple fairytales when it suits me?" It was a stab in the dark, but his sincerity was obvious.

dustfeather

Her cold nature thaws a little at the words, and Isilme glances over to him, her heart confused. He really sounds as if he means it, and he's been kinder to her than many of the stallions would have been back home.

Her initial shock is slowly ebbing away, but the loneliness remains.

"I just didn't think anybody wouldn't know about them," she says, shamed into a sudden outburst of honesty. "I'm sorry if it seems..." the grullo mare struggles to find words, one ear tilted toward him. She slowly looks back at him, expression tight. "I don't mean to insult you. And...and I thank you for being willing to listen. It's just...hard, to realize that...something that fundamental..." she shakes her head, ears curving back.

She's not sure he fully understands, but that same feeling of shame makes her choke the words down. After all, that's unfair. How can he understand, if he doesn't know and she hasn't told him? But she does attempt to clarify it a little, softening her words. "Epona and Windrunner aren't just myths to my people." They are her people, now, and she feels a flicker of irony at the fact. "They are the basis for the very way we live, the very way we survive, why we have the Captains and Lord and Lady of the Band...because without them, we'd have died out from predators or bad weather long since. And their stories, taught to our foals, teach them how to live, as well. And when you die, you go to meet Windrunner...and if you're very lucky, he'll ask you to join his own band." She shivers at the alternative.

Cihiru

At least she looked to him. That was, in some small way, a step in the right direction. He could not reassure her if she wouldn't allow him to, so it had been a relief too. Still, he was unsure how to handle the whole ordeal - she didn't sound much more open than before. If anything, the air about them seemed a little colder, and her words were just as uncomfortable. Her unexpected apology bolstered his courage though, and he discovered within himself new determination.

"You have nothing to apologize for." That sounded familiar; he hoped its intention would not be lost to redundancy. "I think you should know though... The world here is far different from your home. You will probably encounter many more who are ignorant, like I am. And I am sure not all of them will be as..." What was it he was trying to say? "Willing to listen and accept your beliefs. I just hope you won't be so... taken aback if it happens again."

Not that it meant much. The words sounded shallow to his ears; insufficient at dissipating the discomfort he'd surfaced. He couldn't take them back though, so he pressed forward with uncertainty. Not without taking a good, long pause first though. After all, what was he supposed to say to that? He wasn't ready to accept these Epona and Windrunner as fact, just yet. He wasn't going to write them off as 'myth' either though. And changing the subject, despite how much he may have appreciated it, seemed severely disrespectful to Isilme.

"I don't mean to make you uncomfortable," was all he could manage at first. For a moment, he sorely wished to shine some humor on the situation, but that too struck him as woefully inappropriate. "It sounds to me like you owe quite a lot to Epona and Windrunner, then. I admire your loyalty." The concept of a lord and lady was really quite new to him, but come to think of it, he really wasn't familiar with his own herd's inner workings either. "It also sounds like I'm quite behind the times, and I've a lot to catch up on. Maybe some other time, though."

dustfeather

Her look shifts into something guarded, but for a brief second, her features look bleak, as if the prospect had only just occured to her...and she seemed unwilling to contemplate it. A different world... She just didn't realize how different it was out here. "I do," she says quietly, ears twitching.

But she nods softly at the last. "Suppose we should tuck in for the night, it's getting rather late," She points out, before giving her body a good shake. The conversation has taken a lot out of her, emotionally. But her lips curl into a smile as she looks back at him. "See you tomorrow morning, Loki. Sweet dreams." Perhaps it'll be a new start, and after a good night's sleep she'll feel less unsettled. She has a lot to think over. A little voice tells her that it's unfair to continue badgering him as she's been doing...he's only trying to help, after all.

Alta, it seems, has already fallen asleep on the mare's back, seemingly oblivious to the latter part of the conversation. It's Isilme who will sleep lightly tonight, on guard for potential danger. It's a good system, and allows at least one of them to get a deep night's sleep...something that the peregrine falcon finds satisfying, considering her kind generally live alone and cannot afford that sort of luxary.

Cihiru

At last, he could breath easy. Sort of. Loki inhaled deeply, releasing the breath in a heavy sigh that seemed more relieved than anything. He was glad to finally lay the awkward exchange to rest, even though it had not been fully resolved. They could further contemplate it some other time. Maybe once Isilme had opportunity to absorb more of the reality she'd encountered, stepping away from home. He could understand how that would be hard to swallow. Especially once the foundation she'd built her life around was tangled up in it.

"We should," he agreed, grateful for the change in subject he'd so desperately wanted. Especially when it signed his permission to stop talking for a while, and collect his thoughts. "That you will. Good night." Morning though... Generally, such a statement would make him groan his disdain, perhaps giving his mane a disapproving shake. This time though, he didn't seem particularly bothered. He smiled instead, turning and finding himself a comfortable patch free of offending shrubbery.

 

[Cihiru]

05.10 Rise and Shine: Loki & Isilme


Cihiru

So, Loki hadn't slept particularly well. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable, or even bothered. He just... couldn't sleep, for some reason or another. He'd 'dozed' instead, closing his eyes as he tried to block the pandemonium of nighttime sounds surrounding him. Fortunately for him, it was a relatively quiet night, with only the occasional crying hoot to make his skin twitch. As far as he was concerned, that was good fortune; it could have been a lot worse.

It allowed him to gather his alertness with little more than a lazy yawn, free of the drowsiness one might have expected. This too was a good thing, because he also escaped the clutch of the grumpiness he so often encountered when the sun was just beginning to bless the horizon. Greeting Isilme and Alta with a subconscious 'go away' really wasn't too high on his list of things to do. And while he was thinking on it... where were they? The stallion cracked one blue eye to look for them, and followed it with a curious flick of an ear.

dustfeather

It wasn't an easy night for Isilme, either. She couldn't sleep for a long time, and when she did finally doze off, early in the morning hours, she had fitful dreams of a dark canyon, oppressed by the winter snows.

She woke up a few hours later, shivering and cold, to find Alta already gone, off hunting. The day dawned gray and lifeless, and Isilme slipped away from Loki's side, out to graze in the fields. The routine action calms her a little. After a brief grazing, more to sooth her anxiety than anything, she meanders back toward the forest edge, taking the time to look about. Everything about the forest makes her wary, and intrigues her. There's so many new plants, even, that won't thrive out in the open, but do well under the shadows of trees. Some she can tell are good to eat, others bad...but some baffle her entirely. She'll have to ask Loki about that, later. The grullo mare makes her way back towards where she last left the claybank stallion, and finds him just waking.

She cracks a grin at him, in better spirits than last evening, but something about their previous conversation seems to linger in her smile. "Rise and shine, Loki, ready to greet the new day?"

Cihiru

Once he'd finally convinced his eyes to accept his surroundings, he found the duo... gone, to his slight surprise. Then he recalled most of the world woke before he did, and his expression shifted to more of a bemused smile than a puzzled one.

Hopefully they hadn't wandered too far; the forest was a beast of a maze for those unaccustomed to it. Isilme had mentioned she'd stay near, but then again, he wasn't too sure how much that meant. They had only met the day prior.

Then he heard steps crackling the fallen, dried leaves. Already half expecting Isilme to be the culprit, he turned to inspect it. Loki smiled more broadly once his gaze fell on her; she must have kept it in mind after all. "If you mean shine like a mud puddle on a summer's day, I might be able to manage." Loki took the pause to shake unceremoniously, flinging away remnants of drowsiness, as well as faint bits of dust. "Are you?..." he queried, still grinning.

And he was a little disappointed to see her expression was not quite what it had been yesterday - carefree, almost. Perhaps he had burdened her more than he realized. That couldn't be good, but it was probably best not to mention... Wouldn't want to stir things up all over again.

dustfeather

At that, she does laugh, some of the withdrawn features disappating. "You're crazy if you don't like this weather. It'll got hot before too long, mark my words, and then we'll all be miserable." Actually, it's that much warmer here...the spring rains are coming much faster than they normally would have where she comes from, so she's not sure she's going to enjoy the summer. Hopefully there are a few lakes nearby that she can perhaps hang out at.

"It's a beautiful morning," she says, putting emphasis on the word. She yawns, stretching out a forelimb. "Good morning to be alive on, at any rate. So, anything special in today's plans?" She wonders if he'll go off to try to find his sister, and if she can tag along if he does. Or maybe he has other plans. In that case, she'll scout out the area, get a feel for it, perhaps meet some more of the locals. Although, truth be told, she hasn't yet seen any other Soquili around.

Cihiru

A laugh, however, was a good sign. One he couldn't help but smile at (even more than he had been already). "Now don't get me wrong, I love the weather." And he did; spring was by far the best season, as far as he was concerned. With regular, refreshing rains, and temperature that struck just right, how could it not be? "And yes, it will - but don't worry, there're plenty of refreshments around. A few brooks, and a lake not too far away. There's even a waterfall, if you're willing to venture a ways."

Loki seemed to be pondering something; he made a more purposeful pause than usual. "I didn't think you'd be staying around that long though. Summer isn't exactly around the bend." He had been grateful she agreed just to stay another day or two! And then here she was, talking about an entirely different season; with spring only just beginning.

"No morning is overly 'beautiful' as far as I'm concerned," he snorted. The stallion conceded on the second point though. "But if it comes down to that, any morning is a decent one to be alive. And no, I hadn't gotten that far yet. I wasn't aware I was supposed to have plans... Did you have something in mind?" In all honesty, searching for Kali wasn't very high on his list of priorities. Partially because he hadn't the slightest clue where to begin looking for her, and... Well, partially because he was kind of starting to get used to living without her. Turned out peace and quiet was really kind of nice.

dustfeather

"That won't be so bad, then." she said peaceably, already thinking of summer days in the shore. Oh, yes...she had been planning on moving along. Well, it was bound to be the same even further south of here? Or perhaps she'd go west, or east...maybe someday set eyes on this 'ocean' that Alta's heard tell of.

"Not a morning boy," she observes with a grin. "And no, I hadn't...just didn't know if you had any or not. I generally live life on the wind, take things as they come. I guess that seems to be the norm for lone soquili like us. Back in the herd, we tended to have duties and things." Not that duty wasn't a bad thing, her tone and expression seem to say. But she's better off without them for the moment. "But if you had something better to do, I was going to meander off to find Alta and then go exploring around the place."

Cihiru

"I can't promise how agreeable the landscape is further from here. I hear there's a desert if you go far enough east. Not sure about you, but I know I don't want to be caught there on a mid summer day," he added as an afterthought. If she did decide to venture off, he wasn't about to be held accountable for whatever wasteland lay ahead.

"No, I'm not. Thanks for noticing." He sounded rather good-natured about it though. "Well, so do I, which leads me to believe today's not going to have a schedule. No 'duties and things' here... Unless you consider washing something of the sort." That didn't seem like a bad idea, actually. He wasn't looking quite like his almost-white self; reminders of the dreary day prior clung stubbornly to his fur. He'd have to visit the river and clean up at some point.

"And I can't say I do, but if you want to find Alta, I can find something to do with myself. Or I could maybe show you both around a little, if you'd rather?..." he offered, sounding rather like he wasn't quire sure if it was something he should have said.

dustfeather

"That's the whole adventure of it, though. See if you do have what it takes to do that sort of thing. Of course, it's also just plain silly...but, we'll see." Her teeth flash in a bemused grin.

"Grumpy, too," she remarks, though she's only teasing. She has trouble reining in her laughter again at the washing comment. "Well, I'm glad you're that civilized, anyway!" Actually, he didn't look half bad to her as he was, scruffy off-whiteness and all. But she's never paid a particularly large amount of attention to her own appearance, so it stands to reason she doesn't care much about other soquiis', either. "But I wouldn't object to the tour. I'm not sure when Alta will be back, or where she is...and if we move from here, she'll find us." She trots out from under the trees, and the sun has peeked through enough to stream across her gray-brown back, warming it. "Coming, O' guide?"

She paused abruptly then, tilting a curious ear towards him. "Do you have any friends around here? I guess I haven't seen many Soquili in these parts...but I haven't exactly been looking for them, either."

Cihiru

"I think that's the brand of adventure I'll leave to you." Panting, dry-mouthed and parched in the sweltering desert sands, dunes as far as the eye could see? It sounded nothing like his idea of a good time; bravery nor ability had any role in it. That was just insanity.

"Grumpy?" he pouted, joking offense edging into his tone. In reality, he knew he wasn't the most agreeable company in the early hours; Kali had called him out over it more than a time or two. "Hey now, I don't think I come across like some kind of savage-Soquili. Of course I'm that civilized!" Not that he would have admitted to much more. The tame Soquilis living with the humans had a lot more to boast about than he did. "... I'm just a little scruffy around the edges." Well, Alona had told him he wasn't 'scruffy' at all, but he still didn't believe it.

"I have a few ideas where she might be, if she stayed nearby. But if you're sure she'll find you, I won't worry about it. And yes, I'm coming!" Loki had lagged behind until then, but he pushed himself into motion at last.

"Hmm, let me think about that one," he teased, playing as though he struggled to think up these 'friends.' After a reasonable pause, once he seemed satisfied, he nodded decisively. "Yes, yes I do. Many live down by the village - with the humans - wild Soquilis are few and far between. I haven't seen anyone lately though."

dustfeather

"Sounds good," She says, unfazed. Crazy, yes. But it might be interesting, especially if Alta decided to come with her. She supposes Loki doesn't share her insatiable curiousity of the unknown...at least, not on the more insane grounds, anyway, she adds to herself, amused.

She flicks a tail at him, brow rising. "Well, how would I know? For all I know, you could just be on your best behavior because you're in the presense of a lady." She snorts, stamping down with one forehoof. "And I can do scruffy. It's silly, really," She says, dropping the joking tone, "...how some soquili can spend so long just to make their own selves 'pretty.' Must admit, it's not been high on my list of things to do." And it shows: her mane is a bit scattered, a few burrs here and there, giving her a very 'wild' appearance.

But the next shock is enough to make her stop and snort, this time in disbelief. "Humans? They live with humans?"

Cihiru

"I'm always on my best behavior," he defended, almost looking hurt in the process. "And yeah, it is..." He hadn't quite expected the sudden departure into honesty, but it was an interesting thought; something he hadn't pondered. "But I suppose if you have a lot of time and nothing to do with it, you might as well? Maybe some Soquilis would rather not do 'scruffy'." Loki shrugged verbally, sounding more or less indifferent on the topic. He obviously wasn't too particular about his appearance himself, but he wasn't bothered by those who were.

Besides, it was a good look for him! That was what he used to console himself, anyway. And it wasn't a bad look for her, either. He had taken notice previously, but it struck him again: she really was rather pretty. Disheveled mane and all. It was a refreshing change from the pristinely kept individuals he saw more often than not.

He was obviously taken aback by her following questions though. Was she... offended? "Well, yes. They do it because they don't have herds, I guess. And they like being looked after." Loki was relatively certain there was more to it than that, but did he want to risk approaching it? He wasn't sure how kindly she'd take to Soquilis interacting with humans so candidly. "Some find companionship too. Like a familiar, but... not." His tone faltered slightly as he finished. It was difficult, at best, to describe something he'd never experienced firsthand. After all, he was really no more experienced than she was.

dustfeather

She snorts at that. "I'll reserve judgement on that one and ask your sister about it if I ever meet her. And I suppose, about the time...but if I had all the time in the world, I'd be learning more about it. We're only here for a short time, after all." Her lips curl into a wry smile as she gives a toss of her burr-strewn mane, and darts down quickly to nibble at some grass.

But the news about humans takes her aback, her lips pulling back in a kind of odd grimace. "That's insane. Humans aren't even animals. We can't understand them, and they cannot understand us. And...they're carnivores." Perhaps this last shot isn't that well-aimed, since Alta, after all, is also a carnivore. "But it's more than that...they destroy things they come in contact with. And soquili actually run with them, like other soquili?" The concept equally disgusts and fascinates her, and her poor curiousity is starting to n** at her again. She'd love to see it (from a good distance, of course). "Tame soquili...I'd heard stories, but I'd never...more than half believed them. Tame soquili." Always lazy creatures in those stories, that ended up getting captured. "They get enslaved, and they like it?"

Cihiru

"You wouldn't!" he cried, maintaining his pained expression for only a moment before he broke into laughter. "I'd be surprised if Kali had a single good thing to say about me, actually. She'd probably tell you I'm horrible all the time, 'in the presence of ladies' or otherwise." Loki snorted indifferently as he mulled over the thought, idle comment though it was. It was at least partially true - the two had never been the best of friends. They tolerated each-other as siblings often did, and little more.

And he flicked an ear at the next, both mildly amused and intrigued. "Not all of us are scholars, I'm afraid. What exactly would you like to learn?" he asked randomly, looking to her with a suddenly curious gaze. There were times the thirst for unknown gnawed at his consciousness, but for the most part, he was content to leave things as they were, ignorant to their explanations.

"Someone told you we can't understand them?" He hadn't expected her to receive the news so disdainfully, but that particular comment caught his attention. "Some Soquilis and people... share a bond. They can communicate without words, I think."

As she continued though, he found it increasingly difficult to keep up. The best he could do was start from the beginning, and hope he didn't miss anything in the process. "You will have to meet the Kawani people, some day. They are... different." That much he could tell, comparing his own limited experience with the opinions she projected. "They don't enslave the Soquili. They choose to live with them. Maybe, eventually, you'll have the opportunity to ask one what they think of their companion. I've yet to hear one say anything bad about them."

Loki seemed lost in thought for a moment; his gaze strayed briefly, until he realized and dragged it back to the mare. "I'm not sure the humans are what you expect, but don't take my word for it. I'm no more 'tame' than you are, so really I only have secondhand experience." He smiled then, and pawed absently at the still-dewy grasses.

dustfeather

She seems torn between anxiety to discuss humans more, but manages a smile. "It's a sister thing," She assures him, nodding her head firmly. "We can't say anything good about our brothers, just wouldn't be right. Got to - to be annoying little...or big...sisters. It's our duty." It's not what she had originally been going to say, but she manages to stop in time before she says something foolish, only fumbling lightly over the words. Still, it's enough to make her cringe, inwardly, at the awkwardness.

The next question, too, dissuades her from further talk of humans, and she merely stares at him. "Everything." The single word is said in amazement, as if it were obvious. "About...everything. Life. Our purpose. The soquili of the world...maybe even meet Epona someday, somewhere. Find a new land no soquili has ever seen. It's...it's, well, exciting, really." She's hasty to explain, for the reasoning sounds mildly silly, even to her own ears. Something for a colt or filly to dream up...but a full-grown mare? "Don't you ever wonder what's out there?"

But her eyes narrow at the last comments, and she looks dubious, if not downright disbelieving. Humans aren't animals. They haven't got the decency of an animal, she recalls one scarred veteran talking to her father. It stands to reason they couldn't understand the fine language of the Soquili...nor should they be able to, if they were so low. "I would like to meet them," Isilme adds, however. Not the humans...the soquili. The humans she will view at a good distance. But she's still confused over last night's conversation...what if she's wrong about humans, too? Still...the Lore is one thing, and humans are another. "My people believe that humans are beings that never do anything for free," She finishes darkly. "You give up your wildness, living so close to them."

Cihiru

Well, he was aware of that much already. He knew he wasn't horrible, and he knew Kali didn't think he was horrible, even though it was her preferred thing to say. Still, it was nice to hear it from someone else - someone with first hand experience. The knowledge reassured him, and told him it was, rather than something he made up for his own peace of mind. "Much like it's our duty as brothers to turn a deaf ear, tease only in moderation, and defend and compliment when it's called for?" The concept seemed to amuse him; Isilme's flaw didn't cross his mind.

He couldn't deny the prospect of discovery was an exciting one, but... Well, everything was a lot to learn about. A bit unfathomable, really. "I do," he confessed, bobbing his head a little. "But not to that extent. I'd just like to... see what's out there. I want to experience the world beyond here for myself, instead of learning by stories. But..." he continued with a sigh and a joking smile. "I am as lazy as ever, and I was never fond of wandering alone, anyway. Kali would want to stay here, in the forest."

"Maybe," he commented thoughtfully, looking as though he gave it genuine contemplation. He hadn't considered it one way or the other - Humans doing things for free, that was. He couldn't really understand why they wouldn't, though. The Kawani, at least, didn't seem inherently evil. They didn't cross him like he would expect if they were. No foreboding auras, no harsh words or unkind gestures. Nothing out of the ordinary at all.

"I do think they probably give up something, but I hope you're not implying I am just by living in the vicinity." Loki snorted defiantly at that, though his tone belied his inward grin. "You don't have to befriend them or anything, you know. They're just there... And Soquilis do live with them. I would expect most of the Soquilis you encounter here will have a human companion." His tone sobered as he neared the end. By that point, it finally dawned on him she might not appreciate his regarding it as a laughing matter.

dustfeather

"Yup," She replies with a serious nod. "Except sometimes I think you take the 'deaf ear' part a bit more strictly than you should." Her muzzle quirks in a grin.

"Lazy male," She quoffs, skirting around a puddle that was left from the rains. "Of course you have to have a companion for wandering. Otherwise it gets lonely." It tends to get lonely, sometimes, if that companion isn't your own species, too. Isilme loves Alta dearly, but the falcon's nature makes her inherently independent, and sometimes she'll go days at a time without seeing the white bird. "I don't know...family is important, I guess. But knowing yourself is important, too, if that makes any sense. That's another reason I left home." Not that she's actually found herself out here yet. But at least she can say she's looking.

"No 'maybes' about it," the grullo finishes firmly. "They're human, that's just the way they are. I suppose they can't help themselves. But you ought to be wary of anything that's not an animal. Animals have reasons for doing what they do...even wolves. Humans kill much more than they need to. Insecurity about themselves, I guess. But that makes them dangerous, Loki. Just...keep away from them, if you want to stay free."

Cihiru

What was that supposed to mean? Loki frowned lightly at her teasing chiding, though he couldn't bear to hold the expression long. "You haven't met Kali. She's always right - even when she's wrong."

He dropped the subject easily, picking up the next with a disdainful snort. "Now, don't forget you also said you are lazy. I think that makes us lazy Soquilis." The stallion gave her another good-natured grin. "Not just wandering, though." Unsure how to continue, he stopped for a moment to collect his thoughts. It sounded okay in his mind, but he wasn't really sure how to word it. "It's been terribly lonely just staying here since Kali left. I mentioned earlier, the wild Soquilis are pretty sparse. Most of the others are down by the village, and - you don't need to remind me, I don't often go there."

Her dedicated reasoning amused him; his grin broadened to a softer smile. It was an admirable quality, he had to admit. And a tiresome one, sometimes. In cases such as this one, where unwavering stubbornness was braced against the front lines. "I'm wary of anything that's not a soquili, and sometimes even those, thank you. But I'm surprise you know so much, having so little first hand experience with the humans. Do they talk about them a lot in your old band?"

dustfeather

"Ah, well, females generally are," She responds, dutiful to her own gender. "And I am lazy...I just prefer to be lazy while on the go, thank you very much." But she's smiling.

The smile dissolves into a brief flash of surprise, and moves into a rather thoughtful expression. She hadn't thought he'd be so open with her. She's naturally open, something that's perhaps as much of a curse as a gift, but she also can be loud and obnoxious, which he doesn't appear to be. A bit of a loss as to how to respond, she manages to swallow the noncomittal 'oh' she had been automatically going to say. "Well...we're band animals, you know. Best in a group. It does get lonely if you're alone. Even Alta's not much company, sometimes. Were you...looking for a band or someone to say with?" She's about to ask exactly why he didn't stay with Kali, but some odd instinct tells her to avoid that topic.

"Always. We have stories, you know," She reminds him, in a tone that suggests he pay better attention. "Humans are in some of the major ones." Most of them to do with the evils in the world. She rolls her shoulders back into a shrug. "But I've never actually seen one."

Cihiru

Did he ever know that much. But on the same coin, males could be just as bad. Perhaps it was just natural to want to be flawless? And he did have a broad stubborn streak of his own every now and then. "Lazy on the go," he repeated, mulling it over in the process. "That's a new one, I think. Sounds acceptable though!"

He hadn't thought the continuation would be anything particularly ground-breaking though; her reaction to the words themselves took him by almost equal surprise. "Oh, I know. I was just thinking out loud. I do sometimes wish there was someone besides myself to keep me company, but I hadn't been actively looking for anyone, either." Loki paused for only a moment, tilting his thoughtfully to one side as a grin stretched his muzzle. "But I never could say no to good company, either. I did more or less ask if you'd stay a while," he admitted, a tinge of embarrassment crossing his features.

"I remember. I would still like to hear a few, some day." Straightening himself, the stallion's expression shifted to a quirked brow. "Major? How so?..." It probably sounded naive, but he really didn't comprehend how pivotal stories could have humans as a major role. Shouldn't they have been about soquilis? "I hadn't seen one either, until somewhat recently. I didn't really know anything about them, either."

dustfeather

Maybe the company will be good for her, too. It's nice to be able to socialize with someone of her own kind, for a change. If there are other Soquili about, though...are they just that close to humans that Loki feels uneasy going near them? Or is there another reason why he doesn't bother with them? "I will," she assures him stoutly, trying to smooth over the embarassing moment. "Feathers-for-brains is a bit of a loner, it's nice to have someone else to argue with that'll argue right back."

"They're dangerous, I suppose. Most of our stories deal with danger to the Soquili...and important beings. Man, though dangerous, is also important. They supposedly have an intelligence different from that of the Soquili, and because they stole that gift, they were stripped of all their other gifts and left furless, toothless, and clawless, having to make their way in the world without them. But because they have that ingelligence, they still remain predators. Not as much to us," She added, after a pause. "They seem to go after deer more. Our herd used to be friendly with a few of the deer herds nearby. They're not so different from us, you know."

Cihiru

He hadn't expected such simple news to be such a large relief. And not just an 'oh good!' relief. His subconsciousness was going 'you will?!' with a foal's excitement, and he hadn't realized he was that lonely. But maybe it wasn't so simple. "Glad to hear it," was his response, and he smiled anew at it. "I thought Alta had the arguing part pretty covered, but I can tell she's a loner." He had wanted to say he didn't really think of it as arguing, but it didn't hold true to the jesting tone he was fond of.

Loki should have expected it would have something to do with humans being dangerous, especially when taking into consideration Isilme's opinion on the matter. Still, he was hesitant to accept it; they just didn't seem that way. "I see..." was all he could manage at first; his voice reflected his distraction. Once he collected his alertness though, he regarded the conversation with a renewed grin and understanding demeanor.

"I have to admit, I've never met a deer." Whether that was all he could think of to say, or it was all he wanted to say was left for interpretation... But there was something in his posture that might have implied he didn't think there was much more to dwell on in regards to humans. He was increasingly familiar with the information she'd been taught, and in contrast with his limited experience, he was fairly certain they would not come to an agreement.

dustfeather

She feels oddly comforted by those words, and smiles back, one ear twitching. But she notes his discomfort with the topic of the two-leggers...it seems that Loki is holding his own reservations on the subject, and rather than get into a row, she decides to latch onto the final topic. "You haven't? Well...maybe they're not as numerous here as they are back home. There used to be vast herds of them, there were always more of them than us. They're so tiny, and light on their feet. My people used to consider the albino deer...a rare occurrence, means they're all white, with pink eyes...to be ghosts." She chuckles. "They're not, of course...just different-colored. But their herd structure is very much like our own bands, in general. I had some friends among them...the does, anyway, and one of the older stags. The younger stags were mostly like our stallions...young, impetuous, and terribly annoying. No offense meant to present company, though."

She shakes her mane again, pausing as she comes to the edge of the field, and looking out across it. They've come to the highest point: it slopes down from here, giving a glimpse of the forest from which they came.

 

[Cihiru]

05.11 Rise and Shine Part 2: Loki, Isilme & Kali


Cihiru

He couldn't have hoped for a better reaction. The smile, that was. It was a far sight better than a defiant 'I was only joking', or something equally unbecoming. Not that it seemed something Isilme would do, but his subconscious bracing for the worst often presented unlikely situations. In spite of that, he smiled further still; this was going to be a good day.

"Nope, can't say I've more than seen one a time or two. But more of them than Soquilis? That's... Well, that's a lot." He hadn't meant to state the obvious, but it was a little hard to him to imagine. Almost as hard to imagine as considering a pale deer to be a ghost. "Did they think albino Soquilis were ghosts too?" It was a bit of a random question, in retrospect, but the two seemed obviously connected in his mind. "None taken. Though I'm not going to claim I'm not young, impetuous, and terribly annoying. It's only natural."

Loki grinned impishly at that; an expression that suggested he might have been capable, had he the heart to follow through. Really, he was far too kind though. "Well, Issy, this is about as much of 'home' as you can see from here," he commented as they crested their surroundings. "There's a river not far from here, and the village is much further in that direction." The stallion motioned east with a tilt of his muzzle.

dustfeather

She almost laughs as he smiles further: it just seems to be infectuous. To hide it, she does a cheerful little buck to let out some of the feeling. Her legs seemed to almost feel cramped from being just in the forest for the night...but this, this is wide open space, room to run. She somewhat reluctantly turns back to the conversation at hand, not because she doesn't want to talk to him, but simply because she feels the alluring tug of the wind.

"I've never asked," She says cheerfully. "They think we're a big clunky, though, I think. They're extremely light-footed in comparison. And maybe they did...there weren't any albinos in my band, though, I've never seen one. Not one with the pink eyes, anyway. Our white ones always start out black and fade to white when they get older, so they were never really white to begin with." She laughs at the affirmation, though. "True."

She turned her head back towards the landscape, curiously eyeing it up. It's not so very different from home. But it is warmer. Her gaze lingers out east, torn between faint disgust that humans lived so close...and insatiable curiousity. "Do you go that way often?"

Cihiru

That was a reaction he couldn't help but regard with a quirked brow. It was so sporadic, joyful, and... cute? Yes, cute. Like something a foal might do, bounding across a field, after a butterfly dancing in the wind. It reinforced his smile, willing it to remain on his features a while longer. "You know, you can run if you'd like. And I can too, come to think of it." Clearly an afterthought, the closing comment was added absently following the other.

"Most of us are big and clunky. Especially to something as small and dainty as a deer, I'm sure. So really, I can hardly blame them." She didn't sound as though she was blaming them either, but the thoughts seemed to voice themselves anyway. "I've never seen one either. That's not really saying much though; I don't know very many Soquilis." And he feigned a hurt look at her 'true'. "You're not supposed to agree with me."

"Almost never," he responded cheerfully as he followed her gaze toward the village. "I used to more often... I have some friends that live with humans, as I mentioned. I don't really care for visiting the village though." It wasn't that he was particularly opposed to being near the humans. He'd actually been quite intrigued at first. It just didn't feel right to him; he was much more comfortable in the forest, or the fields bordering it.

"I suppose I should head there some time soon... It's been a while. They probably have mates and foals now, and I should go make sure everybody is okay. I never did take care of the obligatory 'congratulations' or anything. Though I can't say I'm too excited about it - Not that any of this matters to you," he added as he came to realize he was rambling.

dustfeather

She can't help it; it's just a glorious instinct to run in an open field. It's going to be springtime soon, and her fuzzy coat is already losing it's extra insulation against the long winter. She resists the temptation to throw her head back and give a loud 'woo!', largely because Loki will probably think she's gone insane. But she holds herself back while he talks, fidgeting slightly.

She laughs lightly at him. "Well, I'd disagree with you, but I'm feeling lazy at the moment and don't want to bother thinking about a good comeback. And you need to get out more, boy. So do I, I suppose, but at least I know a bunch of soquili...and deer, too." She grins at him.

"We'll have to go sometime," She says absently. "I'd like to see them...from a distance, of course...but, I mean, it'd be fascinating just to see. They have something called fire, you know that? It's like lightning, almost, except it keeps going...and doesn't have thunder, either. I've never seen fire." And they supposedly have other things, too strange to really describe. What's a 'teepee'? And what do their offspring look like?

"We can go check up on them, then! And we can see the humans, from a distance, and I can meet your friends." She pauses, however, as the last words sink in, and a look of surprise crosses her features. "Why aren't you excited? Shouldn't you be, to see your friends?"

Cihiru

If he had realized she'd be so anxious to take off through the grasses, he might have declined further conversation and allowed her to stretch the fidgets from her limbs. But he hadn't expected it, so it left him feeling rather awkward, and maybe a little regretful. His apologetic expression should have said as much.

"Well, that's reassuring, so I guess I can let it go this once." He grinned at her accusation, too. "You lived in a herd though!... With a lot of deer. I think I'm doing pretty well, considering I had neither. Besides, maybe you'll understand once you realize how few Soquilis there are here."

We? He twitched an ear at that, though it caused his grin to widen a little. "Fire smells funny," was his immediate response. And it did, to him. "You've never seen any fire at all? Not even in the brush?" That was a surprising concept, especially taking into consideration the destruction a forest fire left around the forest's edges not long ago. It was on the opposing side though... far out of sight, and mostly recovered by then anyway.

"We could." He really did sound rather unenthused about it all, although he smiled just the same. "I do want to see some of them, yes. But it's hard to go back to something after being gone a long time, I think. Especially once you know things are bound to have changed a lot."

There were more; ideas he wasn't sure he wanted to share at first, but opted to be open with then anyway. "How many new faces will there be? I'm almost certain most, if not all of them will have mates, and foals. That's a lot to catch up on. And though I don't expect they'd mind - what if they don't welcome me?" Loki shifted his weight slightly, and his joking expression seemed to soften a little. "I shouldn't bother you with any of this, though. I think too much!"

dustfeather

Maybe it's because they live around humans. If there's too much natural competition, the herds will undoubtably be smaller. But from what she's seen, there's more than enough area to support them. Fear of living too close to humans? Or did the humans find large groups of the soquili upsetting? From the stories, she gathered that humans were not sharing types, which was odd...the soquili from her old band shared the areas with the deer and other animals quite freely. But the concept of 'ownership' is something Isilme doesn't turly comprehend, and so she just leaves it in the back of her mind as another thing that baffles her.

She listens eagerly, though, to his own experiences with fire. Smells funny...but she shakes her head negatively. "Supposedly there was a fire the summer before I was born, but we hadn't had one since. There's only been a couple in the lifetime of my own mother, and only one of them was serious enough for the band to have to move for a time." She's simply too young to have experienced a forest fire yet.

She flicks an ear, puzzled at this sort of talk. But she relates it to her own life, and she begins to see what he means...sort of. What if she went back to her own band someday, and found her brother had already mated and had children? And her parents, old? And new members that she hadn't met before roaming the band...maybe even ruling it? It is a faintly upsetting thought.

"I bet...it's hard to have things new when you want to remember the way they were, sometimes," she guessed. "I'm sure they'd welcome you, still, but...it might not be the same kind of welcome." The words that leave her lips surprise her a little, but reviewing them, she has to admit they make sense. She would no longer be appreciated as a yearling within her own band if she returned, nor treated as one. The thought disturbs her more, and at Loki's last statement, she stomps a hoof and makes a face at him, but it's in jest, to perhaps lighten the mood. "Peh, you do. I certainly never bothered thinking this much."

Cihiru

The lack of Soquili inhabitants was not something he would have been able to explain, had she asked. As far as he knew, they were just rare. He didn't know any better, after all. And in truth, the thought of vast herds still puzzled him a little, though his own mother spoke of them often. To think, his herd (despite his dislike to think of it as such) was a full band of... wind soquilis. Here, he knew of very few others aside from Kali. The contrast didn't make much sense to him, but looking back on the information he'd picked here and there... Maybe it was an aversion to humans? And yet, few seemed to know they were even there. No, it didn't make any sense at all; Loki shook his head at it subconsciously.

"That's fortunate though. It can be devastating. We had one here, a season or so ago... Toward the end of winter, ironically. I'm not sure what caused it. Maybe the humans got careless with their fire. Either way, it ravaged a good portion of the forest near the village." He wasn't particularly proud to have witnessed even the aftermath; his distaste for it marred his expression, though only briefly.

And Loki hadn't really meant for her to make sense of his babbling. It was a train of thought: something he knew could be difficult to follow. It was idle talk too, and hadn't really been meant for other ears. Keeping that in mind, he was a little surprised at her understanding. Glancing to her from the landscape, he adopted an appreciative smile.

"If you keep that up, I'm not going to believe you never bothered." Perhaps they made more sense than she realized. It was indeed what he had on his mind, albeit with slightly revised wording, and a bluntness he would have found difficult to achieve. "So, is there something you want to do now? Run, maybe? Observe the village from a distance?... Exercise being 'civilized'?" All of them sounded reasonable to him; maybe something would strike her fancy.

dustfeather

The grullo mare listens, resisting the urge to fidget more. But as he's actually seen fire...both contained and wild...that makes it easier to calm down. Interested, she pauses her high-strung dancing from foot-to-foot. "Something that can kill so quickly..." She's still struggling to comprehend it. Nothing in her whole past prepared her for such a monster: quick as the winds, fluid as water, and deadlier than a wolf pack. And hotter than a summer's day...she shakes her head, unable to imagine it. You'd think that humans would contain it better. Still young enough to group together enemies in one large lump without thought for individuality or allowance for mistake-making, it's easy for her to blame the two-leggers for most of what goes wrong.

She casts a wry smile his way, but doesn't comment. Instead, she jumps ahead to his next questions, and tosses her head, eyes brightening in excitement. "All three? We can run to the village...or near to it...and, well, maybe we'll work on the civilized thing later. Can't be civilized all your life, it takes the fun out of everything." Without another word to him, she kicks up her heels and launches herself into a gallop from standstill, headed down the hill. Her dark mane and tail whip around and stream after her, burrs and all.

Cihiru

He was an interesting contrast, standing still as a statue alongside her anxious prancing. There were situations where someone so impatient would have grated on his nerves, but her willingness to push it aside for the sake of conversation placated his would-be annoyance. Loki grinned instead, entertained by the jovial antics, despite the grim topic at hand.

"So quickly... as fire?" He knew she was thinking aloud, but his curiosity wondered what it was she used as comparison. "I don't think anything is quite like it. I have to admit though, I can think of a few occasions where the warmth it provides would be appreciated. Nights approaching winter, before the cold has really set in, can be pretty chilly." And by chilly, he meant downright freezing. Without time for his winter coat to grow in, the fall evenings were a little inhospitable.

And again she carried on with the foal-like antics; he simply laughed this time, as he was unable to contain his amusement. It was fairly infectious, too. "Well, I hadn't expected 'all three' - but if it suits you, I don't mind," was all he had time for. He half expected her to tear down the slope, but he still lagged behind at first. Loki did follow though, propelling himself into motion after the initial dumb-struck shock wore off.

"What, were you planning on leading?" he called good naturedly, tossing his mane as he quickened his pace to pull astride. It was not a short run to the village, but he'd lead her there as best he knew how. Provided he could keep up, that was. While he was well-muscled, he scarcely traveled, and didn't doubt Isilme boasted more stamina than he. What he wasn't sure of though... was what she wanted to do once they got there. Perhaps they'd encounter other Soquilis, and save him the trouble of thinking something up.

dustfeather

"Quick as the wind!" She yells back at him. "That's what we say!" She rolls over the words in her mind, though. Fire, warmth? She supposes she never really considered it's uses before.

But she slows down as she comes to the bottom, which is probably also a smart move anyway: otherwise she would've gone tumbling head over hoof. She drops into a strong, steady gallop from the crazy tearaway gait she had been in before, which makes it easier to talk to him...or, rather, yell. She looks back over her shoulder at him as he quicklky gains ground on her. She flahses him a grin. "We-ell, I was considering it, but I think we'd be taking the scenic route, then. For about the next twenty moons, mind. Eventually we'd probably come upon a village, but probably not the village."

She has a rough, hardy gait, but it actually isn't particularly fast. It's the kind of gallop that could go for quite awhile, provided the user wasn't living on thin rations. She's built up endurance, rather than speed, over the last year.

Cihiru

The way she slackened her pace assisted him in closing the distance between them; he didn't kick into a gallop like a horse fresh out of a gate as she did. His stride was more of a relaxed one, just fast enough to keep up, but as leisurely as his manners. It worked out just fine too - he soon discovered Isilme was in no hurry either (now that she'd settled into her gait). That was fine by him; it did allow for limited conversation, and that was always a bonus in his books.

"If I had twenty moons to spare, I'd be all for it. Sounds like a bit of an adventure." Loki mirrored her grin as he met her expression. "But somehow I don't think that was the goal we had in mind, so it's probably best if we didn't get too scenic."

He took the lead at that, pushing his stride just enough to direct their somewhat haphazard path. As long as they were going in the general direction, the rest didn't matter too much, right? "Were you wanting to meet the bonded Soquilis, or see the village? Our destination is a little different, depending." The stallion had to raise his voice to carry it over the wind rushing past them, but he didn't seem especially troubled by it. And why should he have been? If it worked, it worked.

dustfeather

Feeling much better for a run, she allowed the steady rythme to carry her forward, stretching muscles that just ached to be stretched. Running seemed to touch a primal nerve in her: she loved doing running merely for the sake of running. There was something wonderfully wild and exciting about it.

A ear swivels around as he comes up, and she doesn't turn her head, merely rolls an eye back to watch him. "Thought you didn't like adventures," She said, grin widening. "Or at least not the far-off sort. I mean, within twenty moons we're liable to cross a few deserts. But I concur, as it happens."

She alters her direction slightly as he does, following behind him easily. He'll know the best routes there...and since he himself doesn't seem keen to go particularly close to the humans, she's certain that he'll pull up long before the village. "Hmm?" She'd been zoning out, and his questions bring her back. "Ah...whichever we come to first? Either one, whichever you want." After all, he's being the nice one, here. He's already hinted he might be uncomfortable going back...suddenly, she feels a little guilty.

Cihiru

The clearing about them didn't last much longer; its borders faded quickly to forest, heralded only by a loney trunk or two that stood apart from the others. It was a transition he was accustomed to, but he checked his pace as he kept Isilme in mind. Navegating the underbrush would not be so easy for her. "Watch your step," he reminded. And though his tone was a teasing one, he knew an unnoticed root could be more than a little troublesome. He never would have admitted it, but he too had tripped over one more than once or twice.

"I never said that," he chimed as he flashed a daring grin. "But I would rather leave the desert trekking to someone else. Dangerous I can handle, but certain disaster doesn't quite suit my tastes."

Whichever came first? Well, it didn't quite work that way, but he didn't bother to clarify. They would almost certainly encounter the village first, as he didn't really feel like going out of their way to pull around to the hilly plains, where he generally met other Soquilis. He would have to later, he noted, to try and catch up with friends. "Whichever, then. - And I'm sorry about the forest. We could go around, but it would take much longer to get anywhere."

The soft babble of water flowing over stones was his first true indication they were heading in the right direction. Its source pulled into view not long after; the shallow waters served as a sort of barrier between the wooded landscape and the human village on the other side. "Almost there," he said suddenly, wading between the banks as he managed it. The earth sloped down from here, giving a glimpse of the settlement in the distance.

dustfeather

It's obvious that she doesn't think she can handle it, either, for she eyes the forest warily, checking her pace even more so that she's several paces behind him. The forest does give her some trouble, too...she almost trips over some loose brush, and she seems more edgy in it, suddenly starting at noises that seem much louder in the enclosed space. If she stayed in here for a prolonged period of time, she'd be worn to nerves and not much else.

To keep her mind off it, she retaliates at him. "Certain disaster? Hah, it's a million-to-one chance, and those always work. Epona likes million-to-one chances, I think."

"And the forest isn't a problem, so long as we don't make a habit of it," She says wryly. "I'm a plains beast, not a forest one. This is rather creepy." Indeed, her ears are twitching every which way, towards noises both real and imaginary.

She splashes quietly through the water, but her entire being seems to be focused on the village, which she's spotted...even if it's difficult to see from this view. It's not anything she had imagined...she stares, slowling involuntarily, her light blue eyes narrowed in shock.

Cihiru

As soon as he came to realize Isilme was anything but comfortable, Loki slowed himself further still, taking his steps just quick enough to stay ahead, while giving her plenty of time to find her bearings. He felt blatantly guilty though - the words I'm sorry kept rolling around in his mind, just begging to be spoken. He did bite them back for the sake of redundancy, but he couldn't hide the expression.

And as it were, he too was grateful for the distraction. "She does, does she?" There was a hint in his tone that suggested he might have been a tad skeptical, but it was only well-meaning teasing. "Is it even a million-to-one at that point? Isn't that sort of... reliable?"

"I may have to relocate, if you don't want to 'make a habit of it'." He grinned wryly at the prospect. "I do live here. It is debatable, though." Yes, he would have considered finding stay elsewhere for her. He wasn't all that attached to the location anyway - though he did love the forest.

Loki had pulled to a stop already, more than half expecting Isilme to do the same, if only for her fascination. And all but ready to interrupt her the moment the transfixion began, he left her to stare for a while, being the considerate stallion he was. "You know, we could observe a little closer. This isn't much of a view to brag about..." And really, it wasn't. Teepees were scarecly dots below the horizon.

dustfeather

It's more bewilderment that makes her uneasy. She was eager to come, but for a confusing moment, she wishes she hadn't. It's much easier to continue believing something without checking out the proof of it...and much more difficult, sometimes, to accept that your beliefs must be molded to fit a particular truth. Even with her few years, Isilme's already gained an inkling of this, which is why she's suddenly reluctant to go any further.

But that would be foolish. Loki was uncomfortable before, and that didn't stop her from still offering to take her. Straightening, all senses quickly on the alert for any living being too nearby for her comfort, she gives him a quick, wry smile of reassurance, and then laughs outright at his reply. "Sure it is. But just don't tell her that, or the 'million-to-one' chances won't work anymore!" She likes it when odds are out there occasionally. It keeps her own life on the edge a little more.

"Ah, well, if you can't live a little dangerously, you live a dull life. It's certainly...unique...that you live so close to them, and yet so far apart as well." She didn't mean for it to come across negatively, she just found him different and outside her own experience of other Soquili. "Maybe it doesn't seem particularly exciting or dangerous most days," she adds, glancing at him as if she expected him to automatically object. "But...it is. And the forest is a change for me, and not all changes are bad."

She's kept an ear on the village all this time, like finely-tuned radar, and now looks back at it again, slowing to a halt as he does. They came downwind of it...but perhaps he had planned that. "You can even smell it from here. It's a wonder they don't get wolf-eaten, but I suppose they can defend themselves." And something else, vaguely troublesome, that puts her senses on edge. But she can't quite place it. "And of course we'll go closer," she says, giving him an innocent smile. "I was waiting for you."

Cihiru

Well, at least he was able to bring some humor to a potentially uncomfortable situation; laughter was a cure for all sorts of ailments. He was obviously grateful for her amusement, as his posture relaxed and his expression softened a little. "Of course not." Maybe he could learn to love these 'million-to-one' chances... once in a while. A rare while, preferably. They did sound exciting, if nothing else.

His joking visage cracked at the following statement though, and for a moment he looked as though he wasn't sure that was a good thing. "Well... I hope you'll forgive me if I'm inclined to think changes that make you jump with every step aren't going to be good for your health in the long run. And you did say yourself, you're not a creature of the forest. Besides," he commented suddenly, turning to face her with a freshly teasing grin. "I would hate to see you depart already, just because of some disagreeable shelter. There are other places to stay."

"Most of that is smoke - from the fires. And I suppose the predators are as wary of the humans as Soquilis are." The scent was actually heavier here than Loki expected; he had anticipated a much weaker breeze in the vallies. "If you say so," he replied, agreeable enough. "Onward, then."

The stallion pushed himself into motion at that, his movements somewhat swifter now that their journey had progressed past the forest's confines. He was only a little faster though... It seemed as though he was more interested in taking his time than arriving quickly. Besides, the approach was as good a time for observing as any. Details that would have been impossible to discern previously sharpened to clarity as the village neared, and before long, campfires could be seen burning beneath faint tendrils of smoke. Just when the myriad of scents began to burden the air around them, Loki halted again, pulling their path to a stop outside the settlement's borders. "Here we are, I suppose."

dustfeather

She rolls her shoulders back into a good-natured shrug. "I might get used to it." Once she learned the myriad of smells and sounds in it, of course. But, then again, perhaps it's something you can only get used to if you're brought up to it...and perhaps Isilme is too old now to really get used to living anywhere but the plains. But she's vaguely pleased that he doesn't want to leave, and is willing to move for her, although she doesn't quite understand why...and is hesitant to persue digging deeper to think about it.

"Smoke..." She says, testing the word on her tongue. It's not one she's heard of before. "Smoke...is associated with fire? What does it do?" But she moves obediently into a trot after him, her head up and wary, scenting the wind, as a horse will do if it feels edgy in a situtation. She's all nerves. But perhaps that's another part of Isilme's nature...she has a trim build and appears to get restless easily. Perhaps she's just naturally a high-strung filly.

As they come closer, her eyes and nose have a hard time taking everything in. She is not reluctant at all to stop with him and just take it all in. The colors themselves assail her senses...not like a field of wildflowers, though. This is different. And the textures...she would bet that some of those things would be as smooth as the smoothest rock. Her mind has a hard time with the concept that these items are used for anything, for a Soquili generally owns nothing. "The shelters are strange," she says at last, seemingly needing to start somewhere with her questions. "Where do they find such things?"

Cihiru

Such an amiable response wasn't exactly what he had expected. It took him with vague surprise, and caused him to peer at her with a raised brow. "Maybe, but do you want to?" And he cracked another teasing grin. "I have no particular desire to change your plain-dwelling ways." But he did crave her company; something he understood no better than she did. And perhaps he was no more eager to ponder on it, either.

"Fire causes smoke. Look," he explained, motioning toward the camps with his tender nose. From each bed of embers, grey plumes spiraled toward the sky, illustrating his meaning plain enough. "I don't think it does much except smell bad, though honestly I don't really know. I'm no expert or anything." He was really rather ignorant in regards to the humans, having as limited interactions with them as he did. He did know a bit more than Isilme though, and that seemed enough to suit her.

Unfortunately, his experience could not calm her nerves, and that bothered him some. Loki kept tossing her questioning glances, reclusive concern edging into his features every now and again. It was overridden by amusement though, of the good-natured variety... Both at her curiosity, and his general absence of knowledge.

"They are," he agreed finally. "And I have no clue whatsoever. I've seen them... Well, it's hard to describe everything. I've seen them making some of those -" He was indicating toward a pile of brightly-colored something. At further inspection, it appeared soft to touch, and was obviously pliable. "But I have no idea how the shelters come about."

dustfeather

But her mind has already raced ahead, and she only vaguely registers his response. Instead, she latches onto the claybank male's next statement. Her nostrils cautiously billow in and out as she scents the smoke. It's a very heady smell, masking almost everything else...it's a wonder they can smell anything else coming at them. How did they know when to flee? Surely these creatures had a predator somewhere? And however did they catch their food, if this is what they smelled like all the time? They wouldn't be able to smell anything else!

She sums it up in one statement: "It's very strong." She shakes her head, as if trying to rid herself of the thick air, but to little avail. She'll just have to put up with it when she's around the settlement.

"It's awfully quiet. Are they even in there?" She edges closer to the village, almost involuntarily, wanting to touch, but instinct telling her to stay firmly back. "And...oh. They make them? Like...like beavers make dens?" She's trying to grasp about for any comparison these creatures might have in the animal world.

Cihiru

That did sort of go without saying, but he nodded anyway. "I suppose it is," Loki confessed, as though the statement was in fact a new concept, and he really hadn't put any thought toward it at all. "Maybe they're used to it. Or maybe they just can't smell much." Even if they could initially, it was unlikely they could then... After living in the overbearing air so long! "The Soquilis would almost have to..." Learn to adjust, he meant, but her following comment stopped him short.

It was a puzzling inquiry, and caused him to glance at her with an arched brow. "Of course they're there. Somwhere. I think," he added with a joking grin. "Well, don't quote me on that. I've never actually seen one being made. They could pop out of the ground, for all I know. But yes, I think they make them. Like beavers make dens, more or less..." The odd parallell wasn't exactly an illogical one, so he bobbed his head agreeably. "They make lots of other things. Why not the shelters too?" His reasoning sounded good to him, at least.

"It would seem they heard you." He was teasing, of course, but there were figures scurrying back and forth between the tents then. An individual even stopped and knelt at one of the many sources of smoke, to rekindle the calming ashes. "I don't think they mind though." None paid them any heed; he was certain she'd be grateful.

Something else did take notice though. The dark figure made Loki's ears fold uncertainly as it made its way along a trodden path, and the Soquili could guess from here what he was thinking. 'What is she doing here? Why didn't she tell me? How long has she been here? And why is she here?' Part of her wanted to feel guilty for it. She knew she should have spoken with him; should have let him know her intentions. Her better sense knew he wouldn't approve though, and she hadn't quite braced herself for his chiding.

"You're up early, Loki," she said at last, as she closed the distance between them. The expression she wore was a friendly one, and it was plain enough she knew him. Her carbon copy markings were even more blatant, despite their opposite coloring. It would not have been difficult to tell they were siblings. "And hello to you too! I'm Kali." The introduction was a flawlessly cheerful one, despite the apprehension she felt brewing inside her.

dustfeather

She breathed shallowly, feeling ss if she were missing important scents, but having little other choice. Something about that overbearing scent smells wrong, and she instinctively breathes as little of it as possible.

The second topic gives her pause, and sets her mind working. Beavers making dens...it's a much less alien concept, which sets her more at ease. Beavers making dens, birds making nests...that makes an odd sort of sense. "I suppose that makes sense, if they're so weak to need to make something to live otherwise." She doesn't sound particularly disgusted with them, though...just mildly perplexed. Slow like beavers, perhaps, but quick-thinking like birds, if anything she's heard of is true.

She stiftens, trying not to bolt, as she spots the creatures moving nearby. Her first sight of them! But she can't see them clearly at all...the smoke obscures her vision, and her most important sense, smell, has been effectively blocked. The high-strung young mare dances a little on her toes, edgy.

Her muzzle whips around at the sight of a four-legger. A winged four-legger. She's seen a few in her time, it wasn't unheard of in her herd: but such creatures were usually considered to have the rare gift of flight, a talent which earned them respect and great standing in the herd, no matter who their parents were. What's one doing among the humans? A frown tugs at Isilme's muzzle, and her ears flatten briefly.

And it seems like she actually knows Loki...and Loki knows her, from the look on his face. She focuses on the winged mare instead, though, afraid that her gaze might be too accusatory.

"Hello - " she says cautiously, breaking off in slight confusion. Oh...so this must be Loki's sister. At first glance, they don't really look too much like one another...but after looking between them, she wonders how she ever thought they were anything but. It's the usual odd trick of kinship. Helplessly, realizing her pause might not be looked on favorably, she hastens to add: "I'm Isilme. You must be Loki's sister, then." She offers a faint, tentative smile, very un-Isilme-like. "Pleased to meet you."

Cihiru

At first, the elaboration on the topic wasn't something he knew how to handle. He absorbed it with a cupped ear, giving it an attentive flick and pondering in a brief pause before he tackled the task of a response. "Really, I don't know why they do it. Maybe because they can? Everything needs shelter, I suppose..." Of course they did. Humans were not so unlike them they needed no protection. "Well, really, I don't have any idea."

Kali saved him the trouble of pondering it though. And he knew it was her; he would have recognized her anywhere. It was a sense one tended to develop with his sibling. Something he hadn't learned, however, was deciphering her expression. It was as enigmatic as ever - Vaguely distant, but mostly interested and friendly. He knew there was more, but couldn't make head nor tails of it.

The stallion resigned to greetings instead; it was the best he could do for the moment. "Good morning, Kali." He had been painfully aware of Isilme's discomfort, but the introduction showed little sign of it. "- You can thank Isilme for that."

"Can I, now?" She grinned a devious grin; an I-know-something-you-don't-know expression, the apprehension forgotten. And did she ever... The mare had never been able to shape Loki into an early riser herself, despite her earnest efforts. "Pleasure is mine! And yes, you could say that." If she noticed Isilme's pause, she paid it no heed.

"I was just showing Isilme the humans... This isn't exactly the first place I expected to find you."

But Kali would have none of that. She interjected, wheeling the conversation in another direction. "Are you together, then?" The mare grinned anew, wise to Loki's gentlemanly habits, and fully aware he had never appreciated her poking fun. Hopefully Isilme wouldn't mind much.

 

[Cihiru]

05.12 Un-Pleasentries: Loki & Danzleikr


White Arsenic

He had travelled far, and he was beginning to grow weary. For quite some time, the lone Soquili stallion had not come across another of his kind. Ever since he left his herd, the young brute had found his initial goal was not quite... successful. However, he had finally breached the forest, coming out into a small clearing.

However, that seemed to be in the past. The stallion tilted his muzzle -- did he really smell that? Or were his nares playing tricks on him? Nostrils flaring, the young stallion paused. He could swear he scented other Soquilis, though the smell was so faint that it seemed to be long gone.

Crania dipped, the appy gave a cross between a snort and a sigh.

Cihiru

Ever since Isilme expressed her disdain at the forest element in general, Loki had been spending the more dull moments in life pondering why. To him, it was more or less a natural habitat. After all, he had grown up there. But as he stood back and actually thought about it, he could understand how it might cross one as uncomfortable. The confines were nothing short of claustrophobic in comparison to the vast plains, and the brush could be hazardous and difficult to navigate to those unaccustomed to it. All in all, not the most inviting to an individual from the open fields.

But on the same note, he felt more comfortable here. A race through the forest, weaving in and out of the trunk maze was so much more... exciting than a sprint through swaying grasses! In a way, he felt safer too, though he knew it more accountable to custom than logic. Good sense told him he was more secure out in the open, where he could keep an eye and an ear on would-be predators. And he did understand the reason.

It was just... different here. He loved the babble of the small river not far off, and the jubilant chorus chiming from the birds overhead. Even the way the sun peeked through the canopy and dappled the ground below held appeal to him; something he wasn't going to try and explain. And yes, even the smell of blossoming flowers, crisp foliage, and... Soquilis?

The stallion flicked an ear at the realization, swerving his head around to more attentively take in his surroundings. "Hello," he dared to call out, after he established the identity with more certainty. It was undoubtedly a Soquili. Not unexpected, particularly, but not common either. "I'm Loki." The introduction was offered after he had pulled himself nearer, the form of the other just coming into view. He found himself a comfortable distance off - Not so far he had to yell, but not intruding either.

White Arsenic

Danzleikr gave a start when he heard another Soquili call to him: it wasn't surprising, not entirely... but he hadn't entirely expected it either. Foremost his ears swivelled back and were followed by his head, and lastly, the appaloosa's body followed. His eyes were wide a moment, grey-blue irises swimming in white. Then Danzleikr caught himself, and his posture changed entirely.

Allowing his ears to swivel back, Danzliekr outstretched his head to the other stallion. His eyes glared, and if looks could kill... oh, but the other would be in trouble. One couldn't say this attitude was unlike Danzliekr, though: it was this very willfulness and tendency towards dominance that had caused Danzliekr to leave his herd. That and the fact that he wanted all the females to himself.

Cihiru

While he hadn't intended to take the other by surprise, he knew he would - so the reaction was a rather anticipated one. The initial reaction, anyway. The posture that followed was not. A mostly friendly and agreeable individual himself, he was more or less unaffected, though he was taken aback. It would have been rather like the equivalent of an unwanted shake; he figuratively drew back his hand, nodding curtly instead.

"Suit yourself," he murmured, folding back his tender ears. His better sense told him to turn and simply walk away, but curiosity demanded otherwise. This was the first of this kind he'd encountered; the first to decline his outgoing introduction and outright refuse his presence. Though Loki did not approach further, he did hold his ground, bracing himself against the leaf-covered ground with unoffensive resolution.

The claybank sighed softly, and gave his head a shake that disturbed his gradient mane. "Has someone badgered you a bit too much today, or are you always this way?" The inquiry was spoken with honest curiosity, neither aggressive nor sarcastic. He wore a surprisingly genuine expression, too; one that painted his sculpted features with infalible cordiality.

White Arsenic

Danzleikr snorted at Loki's initial remark. Suit himself? Well he most certainly would! After all, he had come this far to suit himself. Why stop now? However, the stallion was a bit shocked that the other didn't turn tail on him and trot away. And somewhat offended.

Ears still low, Danzleikr raised his head a bit towards the other. Loki's amiable expression made him rather curious, as well. Perhaps he had travelled so far and only came across another lonely stallion who preferred to spend his time trotting through these woods. His eyes were wide once again with Loki's second remark; it was something the appaloosa would have taken offense to normally, but something about the other horse forced Danzleikr's mind to let it slide... just this once.

And also, just this once, Danzleikr didn't have a plausable response. He started to reply, but no words would come into his mouth. Instead he gave another snort. "No."

Cihiru

So, it was like he expected. Prideful might have been a good word to describe the other. And perhaps, stubborn, like himself. And he drew all this from a single snort; a snort he knew meant I will... as it was something he might have done when he was younger. And wasn't that an ironic thought? He wasn't too sure he liked meeting himself, particularly when it was as old and large as he was. In retrospect, it was a good thing he grew out of it. He mustn't have been very good company, back then.

"No?" he questioned, tilting his head ever so slightly to one side. "No which? You haven't been badgered, or no, you're not always this way?" He would probably take offense to this too; it could have been read as mocking if one disregarded his friendly smile and sincere tone. Not that it mattered.

Loki had already answered it for himself, anyway. Any answer other than 'always' would have been disregarded and taken as the latter, as it was the one he thought the truth. Just the other's posture told him this was normal. It was the way he operated; the way he was. And on that note, he certainly didn't want to meet the other when he had been bothered. That must have been a basketful of trouble and then some.

White Arsenic

Danzleikr continued to stare at the other as he regarded him, brows still furrowed even though part of the spiteful glare was gone from his eyes. "Both," he replied in a grunt, giving a snort and hoofing the ground, his head shaking, tossing his mane before letting it fall back against his nape. The last thing 'Leikr had wanted to come across was another stallion. It usually meant bad things -- for instance, this other could have easily been the brute of another herd, and could have taken hefty offense to 'Leikr treading his territory.

However, this other Soquili seemed to be... nice. Danzleikr didn't quite know why he was being so nasty towards the other. After all, Loki had been nothing but nice to him. But then again, the stallion could care less. He wanted his own little world, perhaps with his own little harem, and there was no room for another of his sex. Though it was starting to seem that finding a bruja outside a herd was hideously rare.

"Do you want something?" 'Leikr cocked a brow and twitched an ear, repositioning his posture so that he was standing tall.

Cihiru

Not usually so disagreeable, and nothing had annoyed him? "Well, that's a relief," he observed calmly, nodding for emphasis.

He was still wary, but it was good to hear the edge of venom fade from his tone. "What, I have to want something to say hello?" The stallion regarded him with a quirked brow and a twitch of his sweeping tail. "I had been hoping for some nice company, though I can look for it elsewhere if you'd prefer."

The adjustment reconfirmed his suspicions; he was indeed an arrogant one. Not that he had to force his superiority. Loki would give respect where respect was due. Approaching it in this manner merely lowered his opinion, giving him the impression the other could not command it in any other way.

Maybe that was so. "Do you want something?" he said suddenly, rolling his pinned ears forward.

White Arsenic

Guilt. It was starting to sweep over Danzleikr's mind as the other stallion proceded to speak to him with the same kindly air. Leikr shook his head once again, giving a low snort, though this one was aimed at himself.

"No," he said simply again, and sighed. Tail flicking twice, hoof digging ground, Danzleikr exchanged his posture for a more easy-going one and began to move towards the other Soquili with an easy-going gait.

Cihiru

As the antics continued, Loki puffed a soft sigh. He was never going to make a friend here, with an attitude like that. Most would write him off with a mistrusting glance and little more. But then, maybe that was what he wanted? Maybe he liked being solitary? That hardly made any sense to the pale stallion though; Soquilis were social by nature. He couldn't not appreciate company... at least a little.

"Not much of a conversationalist, are you?" It was alright, he supposed. He could carry a conversation with himself, if it came right down to it. It was just the posture he was unsure of - a discomfort that was soothed away as the other relaxed... and approached? An unexpected turn of events, he decided. Not an unwelcome one though.

Well, while he was feeling generous, it couldn't hurt to pursue further discussion. "Do you have a name?" Of course he did, but it was the most passive wording he could think of. Loki wasn't even sure it was a name he'd be willing to share; he'd been unusually secretive with it already. He wasn't losing anything by trying though.

White Arsenic

Danzleikr continued to step across the clearing towards the other pale horse at the forest's edge. He seemed to sulk a bit at first, but he brought his posture up as he carried along. One ear flicked towards Loki, then both ears were brought up to points over Leikr's head.

"Danzleikr. My name's Danzleikr." He continued his trot til he was about five feet away from Loki, then settled his form a bit on his legs, squaring himself after a nervous flick of his hoof.

Perhaps this other wasn't so bad. Maybe he shouldn't have kept his guard so high up. He just wasn't used to unfamiliar stallions...

Cihiru

Does it really hurt that badly to humble yourself a little? was all he could think of as the approach began. And he chided himself for it, as it was rather negative as far as his standards were concerned. He couldn't help it; the appy looked rather shamed at first, though it was good to see him straighten as he continued.

And he didn't know why he had expected more than a name; more than a reply to his simple question. Maybe it had been wishful thinking that compelled him. After all, conversation was much more enjoyable when it flowed both ways. "A good name," he said simply. It was an aversion from his typical greeting, but 'pleased to meet you' didn't strike him as appropriate.

"A unique one, too. Have you traveled far?" The stallion was obviously new to the area; it didn't take a genius to see that. His guard was foreign to the forests here, as his name was unusual on Loki's domestic tongue. The curiosity caused him to tilt his head thoughtfully and twitch one attentive ear.

White Arsenic

Danzleikr's orbs trailed over the other horse for a long moment; it looked slightly disdainful, although the appy didn't desire it to be so. But for a while Leikr merely stared, which may have caused the other to garner more negative opinions on him. Not that he was entirely aware that the other might be looking at him in poor color.

"Yes, very unique," he replied finally, giving a swish of his tail. "I've been about for a while now. Can't remember how long it has been, but I do know that it has been far too long." He sighed slightly, head bobbing for a moment, seemingly lost in a trail of though til he shook himself out of it a few seconds later.

"Where... where exactly is this place? Are there other Soquili?"

Cihiru

Loki stood resolutely, his posture as confidant and relaxed as his demeanor was kindly. He was a fair looking mustang; rare in color, strikingly marked, and muscled enough to suggest he was capable of holding his own - and he knew it. This other's almost scornful inspection wasn't going to discourage his opinion. He didn't have time to notice Danzleikr was equally (in fact, more so) imposing though, given his distraction with his character.

And what was it that struck him so poorly he had to say 'too long'? Loki loved the area; he enjoyed most every moment here. It was difficult for him to grasp someone thinking otherwise. What was there not to like? "That bad, huh?" he commented idly, his curiosity wilting briefly.

"'This place' goes by no name, as far as I am aware." He'd actually never had need to call it anything, come to think of it. It was an odd epiphany; one that made him wonder if he'd been living here all this time unaware. What if it did have a title, and he just didn't know it? "Of course there are other Soquilis. I couldn't stand living all by myself, all the time. Most are down by the village though." And he motioned toward it with a tilt of his nose.

White Arsenic

The appaloosa flicked an ear, swivelling his head towards the village that the other had indicated with his snout. A village, hmmm? Well that was certainly interesting.

"So this is a place of Soquilis who serve human masters, I would presume?" Danzleikr gave a quick, wicked snort towards the village as he looked back to Loki. "A place where Soquilis let humans on their back like bizarre growths from an old tree?"

Leikr pawed the ground uncomfortably; as much as he had just harassed them, he didn't like being so close to the humans. He failed to trust them at all.

Cihiru

Always the village, he noted with an absent nod an only faintly annoyed snort. That was the only thing they ever took interest in; it had happened several times over now. He could only talk of the humans for so long before he grew bored of it; there was only so much he could say, especially with such limited experience as his.

"Soquilis serve no one," he said nonchalantly, casting his gaze in the direction he knew the settlement to be. "They coexist. The humans care for the Soquilis, and they in turn protect them and keep each-other company."

Loki shrugged at that, and pulled his gaze reluctantly back to the spotted stallion. "And I've never seen a human on a Soquili, though I expect they'd only allow it if they wanted to." Rolling the thought around in his mind, he sighed absently. That was something he really wasn't certain of; he had no proof either way. He couldn't think of anything that would suggest the humans made Soquilis do anything, though.

White Arsenic

Danzleikr snorted and turned his tail on the village, tossing his mane out. "Well, then. I'll remind myself to steer clear of that area." With a casual strut, the appaloosa started away from Loki, tail flicking with slight irritation.

"I guess I'll catch you around, Loki."

 

[Cihiru]

05.13 Reunions and Revelations: Loki, Nagual-An & Hania


EchoLimaFoxtrot

Nagual trotted through the trees. After the past few days, she figured they were the best place to try and run into other soquili. The sunlight peeked through the trees and dappled the forest view.

A butterfly crossed the path. Immediately, the filly stopped and watched it flutter around, and then away. Probably the with the attention-span of a gnat, Nagual was off...her mission forgotten. It was all about the butterfly and the filly giggled and chased after it.

Cihiru

What to do? hadn't been a very prominent question as of late, which was both relieving and surprising to the fair colored stallion. Isilme provided a much-needed dose of humor and company, giving him little time to ponder over the more trivial matters in life. But alas, here he was... meandering through the brush, alone, and bored, and without much of any idea what to do with his new-found time.

A gusty snort signaled his discontent, though the random wildlife carried on as though they scarcely noticed. "I wouldn't mind some company, you know," he muttered as he tilted his nose toward the forest's canopy. The birds nesting there ignored this too, and continued to chirp their melody with total disregard.

Sighing heavily, Loki dropped his muzzle and allowed his posture to slouch a little more than usual. He had been trying not to think of it, but found himself failing miserably: where was Isilme? And why was he worrying about it when he knew well she was a grown, independent mare, and he had plenty of other friends to occupy his time?

Annoyed with himself, and newly discouraged, Loki paused in his absent wandering to take in his surroundings (which he had been ignoring until then, as ill-advised as it was). It was a pretty day; the temperature felt just right, with spring more bravely announcing its presence. The forest here was less crowded too, almost mimicking clearing in the way the trees were spaced so sparsely. There was even enough room to run, but he didn't much feel like it.

Apparently someone else did, though. It was difficult not to hear the sound of crashing underbrush. Loki merely flicked an ear at it, only partially interested at first... Until he saw hints of a form peek between the trunks. Was that a Soquili? His interest piqued, the stallion took a tentative step toward it, testing the faint breeze as he scented it. "Hello?" he called suddenly, sounding surprisingly cheerful to his curious ears.

EchoLimaFoxtrot

Nagual heard the hello through her entrancement of the butterfly. In fact, the sound almost scared...she hadn't realized anyone was around.

When the filly turned to the sound, she forgot about her feet and stumbled to the ground. Rolling head over hoof, she sat up and looked in the direction. Immediately, she spotted the grey stallion.

Standing, Nagual shook out her legs and took a few tentative steps, "Well hello! You scared me, there...."

Cihiru

He felt himself cringe involuntarily as the filly (he realized then) went tumbling. Oops! That wasn't his intended reaction. Perhaps he should have approached a little less boldly; he could tell she had been distracted. Oh well, no turning back. She didn't seem much worse for wear, anyway.

"Er, sorry..." Loki took a few hesitant steps in her direction, bowing his head apologetically. "I hadn't meant to startle you. Are you okay?" He recalled foals were amazingly hardy, but she had just gone rolling across the forest floor... Either way, it couldn't hurt to be polite. Not that he'd approach it any other way.

"I'm Loki, by the way. Hopefully I haven't left too poor an impression." Why was it he always met others through less than ideal circumstances lately? While it did keep life interesting, he had been handing out quite a few apologies. More importantly, he was just waiting for the one individual that took him poorly. He really wasn't too keen on the idea of someone disliking him over an accident; it wasn't his fault. Or was it?

EchoLimaFoxtrot

Nagual smiled broadly, "Well, no harm done! I promise, I am not usually so... clumsy..." Of course, while she said this, her eyes twinkled in a way that explained she has in fact doubted her 'clumsiness' and been proved wrong many times.

By now, the effect of the fall had worn off, for she was indeed like a new sapling.... as long as a limb didn't break in half, it was fine. "Mine name is Nagual-An, and it is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Loki!"

Cihiru

At least she was unharmed. Loki bobbed his head in understanding at that, and offered a welcoming smile. "I'm glad. And I'm sure you're not; don't worry." And if she was, he was none the wiser. The stallion was certainly a pleasing type... Perhaps too much so, at times. But was there such a thing as 'too nice'?

"I see," he said simply. "Well met, Nagual-An." And... he had no idea what to say from there. It was rather unlike him; he generally had a very easy time with conversation. He wasn't quite himself either though; remnants of his prior distress flashed through his mind. Loki shook his head to shoo them, displacing his faded mane with the motion.

Struggling to come up with ideas, he took a stab at something random: "What did I interrupt, if you don't mind my asking?" It was shallow for his tastes. Small talk. But it was something, and who knew... Maybe it would open the door for something more interesting. It was at least better than nothing at all.

Loki took the lulling silence as an opportunity to cast his gaze elsewhere, at the brightening sky that poked through the leaves overhead, and washed the covered ground in sunlight. It would be afternoon soon, he realized idly. And he readjusted his posture then, shifting his weight and resting one limb lazily against the earth.

EchoLimaFoxtrot

Nagual looked around. "You interrupted some-.... Oh yeah! The butterfly. Well, you see. I was just around the forest.... which I have been doing a lot more recently... and then I saw this butterfly. It was really pretty. I chased after it and then" she shrugged, "well, you know the rest."

"May I ask what you were doing out-" again, the filly paused in mid sentence. Her eye had found something in view and she wanted to check it out. Completely forgetting her manners, Nagual walked up and sniffed it. It was a fig that she had had before...sometime in her past. Without another thought, she pulled a piece away and grinned happily. Turning, her mouth full of the stuff, she asked, "Oh my! Loki, did you want some?"

PhoenixGuardianMikazuki

Hania yawned as he trotted out to the Soquili commons area, so to speak, and glanced around. Again, he would have to search around to see if he could find anyone he knew. He hoped he could meet some of his friends that he hadn't seen in a long time, truthfully--maybe he should take a look around.

As he trotted, he spotted a very familiar stallion along with a very familiar young filly. "Hm? Loki!" Hania called, surprised to see one of his first friends. "Oh, and if it isn't the noble young Nagual-An." Hania smiled, and made his way over to them.

Cihiru

He was a little surprised she actually remembered what she had been doing. She crossed him as the sort to get easily wrapped up in whims and drop them shortly after, paying them little or no thought from then on. "Butterflies are very pretty," he agreed, nodding slightly.

The first stab at conversation had been a bit of a flop, he noted with a hint of sadness, but there was some hope yet. "A whole lot of nothing." Loki's tone was a cheerful one, despite the disappointed mood of his reply. "Bored and lonely, you could say. And no butterflies in sight."

And that was random. He tilted his head at her, grinning with a raised brow. "No need to save some for me; I'm fine. Thanks though." In truth, he wasn't too fond of the root. It was one of the many things he discovered as a foal and didn't find very agreeable.

Another voice - a familiar but not-quite-forgotten one - pulled his attention away from the filly. He turned fully toward its source, hoping to spy the Soquili on the other end. "Hello, Hania," the stallion said with a smile as his gaze settled on the other. "It has been a while." A surprisingly long while.

EchoLimaFoxtrot

Nagual giggled, "The more for me!!!" She collected some in her cheeks and then walked back...just in time to hear Hania.

When she turned and saw him, she spat out all her figs. The glinted in his mane and stuck to his fur from all the filly-drool that had encased them. "Noble? Young? I have you know I am old enough to.... okay, maybe I am a little young...." Nagual eyed the stallion, all her pieces of root all over her. She broke down laughing.

The filly started laughing so hard she fell to her knees. Finally, her hysterical attitude simmered down and she had resorted to hiccups. Getting back on her feet, Nagual smirked at Hania, "Oh, I'm sorry... must have been the 'noble' factor kicking in."

PhoenixGuardianMikazuki

Hania laughed and shook his mane a bit. "Thank you, O young noble one," he teased. Sobering slightly, Hania greeted Loki. "Loki. How long has it been? Too long, my friend. How are you these days?" Hania hadn't seen the stallion in ages, and he had sorely missed Loki's stubborn personality.

Loki was a tad stoic, but he didn't mind. It was how most stallions were; he had yet to meet more than just Intrepid (who acted a tad like him) who were more open and friendly. "So then, Nagual, are you not so noble as to greet me in a more nice way?" he asked, eyeing the filly with amusment in his eyes.

Cihiru

'Enjoy' would have been his automatic response... but he didn't have time for it. Nagual seemed to have other plans, he soon discovered. And poor Hania, on the receiving end. "Well done," he said instead. "It could be a good look for you." And actually, it would appear the other had more than figs about him. He had spent some time accessorizing, had he? The roots, though... Part of him did want to laugh outright at the absurdity, but the part of him that was relieved it wasn't him forbid it. He merely grinned instead, holding in his amusement.

Hania seemed to take it in stride. "Too long," he confirmed with a bob of his sculpted head. "I have been alright, I suppose. Well, not alright. - I'm doing well." There was a lot and yet nothing to catch up on at the same time. His life was a rather uneventful one. "My sister disappeared; I haven't quite decided if I enjoy it, or I should be worried. Maybe a little of both. A friend has been staying in the forest with me as well." And was he ever grateful for it. "And you?"

EchoLimaFoxtrot

Nagual stuck her tongue out at Hania, "Well, I would have a more appropriate greeting, but where is the fun in that? It is good to see you, though!"

Loki's tone took a saddened tone. To lose a sister? That was such a horrible thing to have to deal with. "I hope your friend has been helpful... I am truly sorry for your loss, Loki..." the filly bowed her head, not sure of the what response was appropriate.

PhoenixGuardianMikazuki

Hania nipped at the filly teasingly and then looked at his friend in concern. "Loki... that must have been tiring. You have a friend with you? I'm glad." Hania didn't like it that Loki had lost his sister. He wondered what happened to her. He'd never met the mare.

"Who is your friend?" Hania was always eager to meet someone new, though sometimes his stallion nature made him competitive. He'd met so many Soquili's, there were some he could hardly remember ever meeting.

Cihiru

He was so certain in Kali's safety, he couldn't help but chuckle at Nagual's remorse. Hopefully, it wouldn't cross her as offensive, but his amusement was obvious. "She's off doing whatever it is grown sisters do when they don't have to worry about their brothers. It's okay, Nagual."

Was it callous of him not to be concerned? He certainly hoped nobody would fuss over him if he decided to take a leave of absence. "Really, it's nice to have some peace for a while. - I'll go looking for her tomorrow, okay?" This was intended for the filly, in hopes of soothing her worries.

Hania's following question redirected his attention though. "Isilme," he said simply, a new smile lighting his features. "I would be surprised if you've met her. She was just passing through, and sounded rather shocked to hear there are other Soquilis here at all."

EchoLimaFoxtrot

Nagual jumped from Hania in a taunting manner. "Well, I am just not feeling the love here...." she smiled, not taking the words serious at all.

With a both, the filly nodded to the stallions, "I do hope to see you two around... and I wish you all the luck in the world with your sister, Loki! I am sure she can fend for herself, as you've said." She jumped forward and gave her luck to the stallion as an innocent peck on the cheek. With tail held proudly, Nagual ran further down the path to find another adventure.

PhoenixGuardianMikazuki

"Good bye, dearest Nagual-An," said Hania, and then turned his head toward Loki. "Isilme? I... I think I've heard of her. She sounds interesting." Hania watched Loki for a minute, then smiled. "Loki, do you... have a strong interest for her?" Hania was always up for matchmaking, though he didn't do it himself.

He himself had been so unsure of who he'd love for his mate, and Mahiri had been his chosen. He couldn't help it; he loved her more than anything, and would do anything in the world for his fox mare. Shaking out of his thoughts, he waited for his friend's answer.

Cihiru

There was a time he would have been taken aback by such a sudden departure... But that time had long passed. It seemed almost normal now, actually. "Thank you, and take care." And just like that, she was gone. It might have been just as well though; he was now free to focus his attention on the stallion, rather than dividing it and doing his best not to neglect either.

"Really? Well, then I am surprised." In truth, he did doubt Hania's honesty a little. He'd scarcely said anything about her, and it was unlikely Isilme had wandered much while he was unaware. White lies were curious things; harmless, but untruths just the same.

"Wait, what?" Loki's expression shifted quickly, fading from contended to jokingly accusing. There was laughter in his tone as he continued: "Firstly, what in the world makes you ask that?" And he paused before carrying on, his pondering apparent in his briefly distant gaze. "We were fast friends, I think. But I could be wrong - And I've hardly known her long enough to say, anyway." He hadn't meant to side-step the question, but it was a difficult one to answer directly.

PhoenixGuardianMikazuki

Hania smiled. "Ah, I see. Well, I'll no more of that topic. I'm glad to see you are well. Do you remember Mahiri?" Hania had yet to tell Loki the news of him being mated, and especially to the fox mare, whom Hania remembed annoyed Loki to no end. Grinning, Hania pawed at the ground with his hoof, watching and waiting for Loki's expression. His friend's expression from earlier when he had asked about the strong interest in a mare.

Cihiru

The ease with which Hania dropped the discussion disappointed him a little... For several reasons. He had actually been grateful for an opportunity to talk about Isilme; no other listening ears were really available, and it was something he had to admit he did want to discuss, despite his aversion to the approach.

A rather brutal end to what he saw as potential conversation; it was a trade for a topic that could be tender. Loki warned himself to be friendly and cautious; he could see the fondness in the stallion's eyes, and he knew where it was going. It was one of the reasons he had been hesitant to return to his old friends - Was he the only one still without a mate?

"I do," he replied suddenly, smiling softly. "Shall I give you my congratulations, maybe?" He hadn't disliked Mahiri, particularly. She was just too high-strung for large doses. And how ironic for Hania to take her as a mate, if his suspicions proved correct.

PhoenixGuardianMikazuki

Hania sighed with disappointment. "Loki, I swear you can read my mind. But yes, it's her." He smiled, and then mentally noted the split-second disappointment in Loki's eyes. "Loki," he prodded, "I know that it's not my business, but I'd really like to hear more of Isilme. If she's able to keep you happy, that's good. If not..." Hania let the thread hang.

He despised any Soquili that made any of his friends unhappy, whether he knew them or not. "Mahiri's been doing well, and I find it interesting that she has even calmed down a little," said Hania, deciding to stay on topic while yet hinting to Loki to spill his secrets and fillings. Hania was willing to listen; after all, Loki looked like he needed to talk about something, and Hania felt that he needed it now.

Cihiru

He didn't quite understand Hania's sigh... Was it bad he had a pretty good guess at what he was going to say? It was an obvious conclusion in his mind; he couldn't help it. "Well then! I'm happy for you both. I find it hard to believe she's 'settled down' though. Really - It's Mahiri." Loki grinned jokingly in an attempt to lighten what he felt as a suddenly gloomy mood.

"Of course she makes me happy," he interjected, before he had a chance to really think. Well, that sounded awkward. And really, one of these days he needed to learn to contain his expressions a little better. It was a bit of a bother having everyone read him all the time. Whatever happened to secrets?

At any rate, he was glad for the opening. "She's a conversationalist, like I am - I doubt you'd appreciate it much," he added with a soft chuckle. "She talks a lot about beings I've never heard of, too... Hania, do you know who Epona and Windrunner are?" Probably not, he thought with an absent twitch of his tail. "I think it's interesting, anyway."

PhoenixGuardianMikazuki

Hania cocked his head. "I see. Another conversationalist? And you do sound happy, Loki. That's awesome. Epona and Windrunner? They sound like the Soquili gods." Hania had known about horse gods, but he hadn't realized they actually had names. He'd been wondering who his human had been praying to, and she had often said similar named as Epona and Windrunner.

"You even look happy. You're not hiding your emotions too much anymore either," Hania teased, smiling. It was good to see his friend happy. Loki had seemed stiff and lonely feeling before--more so than him when he'd first met Loki--so he was glad to see that Loki was feeling and even looking a lot better than before.

Cihiru

"You say that like it's a bad thing," he replied suddenly, his expression wilting with his mock pouting. Was it really so unnatural to want to talk and explore the nuances life had to offer? To appreciate aspects other than just running and play? It was all well and fun, but he couldn't stand only that.

And Hania knew them too? That was unexpected. "They are." Perhaps his ignorance was more isolated than he realized. It left him feeling a little silly and unknowing. "Isilme says Epona created the Soquili, and Windrunner is their leader." She also said humans were dangerous, but perhaps it was best he didn't mention that part.

"I always was..." At least, he thought he had been. He was a generally cheerful individual, wasn't he? "I don't hide them because I'm bad at it. Don't think I don't try," he defended, poking his tongue out in jest. How disconcerting to realize Hania saw him as something other than what he thought he was...

PhoenixGuardianMikazuki

Hania smiled at Loki's gesture. "I suppose when I first met you, I must admit I thought you were a bit stiff and stubborn. I apologize for that now." Hania loved to run and play, of course, but that wasn't all he did. "So then Epona really is a Soquili god. Or goddess. And Windrunner is whom I often speak to by my lonesome, though I doubt he actually listens to me."

Hania had often prayed to the Soquili gods for his safety when he was young and by himself, but at least he'd been old enough to take care of himself until Miakoda had found him again. "Humans are dangerous if you don't know the difference," Hania suddenly commented, as he eyed Loki. "If you can't tell the good from the bad, they are dangerous in that they occupy your mind constantly, like a nightmare that haunts you. Don't let that get to you.

"Besides, Loki," he added, "I'm not sure whether or not you like humans, but if a Soquili you know advises you and tells you humans are dangerous, you should ask them to explain why. There are bad humans out there, but just as there are good Soquili, there are bad Soquili, so therefore there are also good humans. Life has to have a balance." Hania had learned this when he was young; he'd learned it the hard way.

 

[Cihiru]

05.14 Rainy Days: Loki, Nagual-An, Tetyawna & Isilme


EchoLimaFoxtrot

Nagual walked through the clearing, her head low and ears back to keep as much water out as possible. She didn't like this thick rain very much, the mare had no cover! Today was not a very good day for hunting for her precious berries... it was a day to just find some shelter from the rain. Making it to a little branch in the river, Nagual glared as raindrops splashed in the water, rippling in a confusing mess, "Not the best of days," she sighed under her breath and plunged ahead to walk through it.

Her hooves added to the strange rippling pattern in the river, but she was soon across and making her way to the cover of the treetops.

Chamain

Tetyawna was on her way to take another walk and travel this place a bit more. I can't wait to go.....yeeeeeee!!!! When she looked up to see that it was raining, she felt like she had just been hit by a stick. "Did it had to be today?" Luckily she was dry, since she found a cave to stay in. She waited for any other soquili to pass by and wanted to invite them in.

Cihiru

So, it was one of those days. A day where the earth rested, and allowed the clouds' blessings to rejuvenate it, inspiring new lives and refreshing old ones. Or at least, that's what his mother had taught him. He had accepted it rather eagerly too; the words stuck with him even then, after her time had passed and his had matured. They gave him an outlook somewhat different than most, perhaps, allowing him to smile broadly, despite the water streaming off his coat.

The sight he caught peeking through the treeline only reinforced it - it was a familiar figure, albeit not unchanged. "Hello Nagual-An. Is something the matter?" The introduction was a soft one; calmly offered just as she pulled into earshot, with an accompanying nod of his head. Hopefully she would be neither startled nor insulted. Though she had grown since he last saw her, a disappointed expression was difficult to miss. Maybe there was something he could do to lighten her burden.

EchoLimaFoxtrot

Nagual looked up at the sound of Loki's voice, since her head was currently hanging low. She caught sight of him and smiled slightly. With a slight chuckle, the mare shook her head. While she dislodged some of the rain droplets, the space was quickly taken over by yet more rain. "Nothing is really the matter.... except this horrible downpour. I understand the rain helps give life.... it just doesn't mean I have to enjoy it!" She winked slightly and moved closer to him when she finally was near, hoping he might be able to wind-block some of the rain, or something. Her thick mane clung to her neck.

"Maybe we should find some shelter, do you know anywhere nearby, by chance?" Nagual looked back up at him hopefully, hoping for some relief from the wetness as they kept walking.

Chamain

She have been in the cave for a while now and still no soquili came. Hmmmm.....er.....maybe no one will come. Tetyawna was about to feel down but then she heard voices. The language she can understand, which means this wasn't any humans. Her head kinda poked out of the cave and looked. It was hard to see anything.

Not too far away, she saw 2 soquilis chatting. She squinted her eyes to try and see who they were. Tetyawna gave up and took her head back in. "Oh god...." The mare let the water drip from her head and waited for the 2 to come and find this cave.

Cihiru

And his hopes were promptly crushed. Not quite so brutally as a stone falling on a brittle twig, but abruptly enough he almost frowned. Almost. "Maybe if you called it 'wonderful' instead, it wouldn't seem so gloomy," he chimed. "It is lovely, isn't it?" Loki's teasing was too good-natured to be insensitive - or so he hoped. "Well," he started, straightening his posture a little. "I'm sorry to hear that, nonetheless."

The stallion regarded her with a raised brow as she edged nearer, and mulled over the query for only a moment. "Can't say I do, I'm afraid. This is my shelter." He motioned toward the dripping, leafy canopy with his muzzle. "I'm sorry." Loki wasn't about to tell her, but he was really a bit regretful she didn't appreciate the weather as much as he did. "I suppose we could try to find something, if you'd rather?..."

EchoLimaFoxtrot

Nagual noticed the slight change in Loki's attitude. She was usually the happy and excited one, so she tended to miss a lot of changed. This time, though, the roles seemed a bit reversed. The mare gave Loki a smile, her eyes brightened, "It is lovely, I just wish it didn't make me feel three times my weight. It's too bad it cannot rain without soaking those caught in it." She chuckled slightly.

Looking up at the canopy, some large raindrops splattered her eyes. Shaking them out so she could see clearly again, Nagual chuckled slightly, "Yes, it is my shelter too, although not quite as convenient as I hoped."

In her blurred vision, Nagual caught sight of an opening in the rocks, with a slight orange color inside it. The mare stopped and paused, risking getting the insides of her ears wet by turning all her attention in that direction. She looked back at Loki and smiled brightly, "Would you mind if we made out way over there? There is still some tree cover by that rock opening, it looks like."

Chamain

Tetyana could see a bit more clearly now. Her eyes saw that a mare and a stallion were together. Her eyes widened as the mare looked straight at the cave or her. I think she sees me.... She was about to appear out of the cave but then she remembered the rain and decided it was best for her to stay in it.

Cihiru

Her change in attitude reassured him, though he hadn't been bothered much in the first place. "Must be a mare thing," he joked, wrinkling his nose at her. The burden of a water-logged pelt had never been much of a burden at all, really. And he wondered briefly if it bothered Isilme. That would have negated his teasing, he supposed idly. "Nagual, do you have a human?" It was a seemingly random question, but she could seek shelter with her, if it bothered her that badly...

"Nothing's perfect," he replied suddenly, turning toward her with a smile. "Certainly though, if you'd like." The stallion followed her gaze with moderate interest, settling on the cave before he moved toward it. It was bigger than he might have expected; not at all unsuitable for creatures of their size. He just hoped whatever lay inside wasn't inhospitable. "Away we go, then?" Pushing one hoof forward, he froze mid-step and waited for the mare to follow suit.

EchoLimaFoxtrot

Nagual laughed, her spirits rising with the idea of shelter, and the teasing by Loki, all in good nature. "Yeah, it must be... mares like to be pampered when available," she winked and walked with him towards the cave.

"No, I don't have a human." The mare wrinkled her nose at the thought. "Maybe one day, when I want to settle down or something, but for now I am enjoying my freedom.... even with drenching days like today!" As the approached she could definitely see the outline of a soquili. "Is it just more, or is there someone in that cave?"

Not really waiting for a reply, and excited by the idea of dryness, "Hello! Is there anyone up there?"

Chamain

The mare had spoken to her. Now Tetyawna's eyes were really big and she started to get excited. "Er....yea, do you want to come in for the shelter?" she replied quickly. Tetyawna waited for them to reach the cave entrance before speaking again. "Hi." Her eyes watched the 2. I hope they're nice.....

She motioned with her head to invite them in. "My name is Tetyawna. It's nice to have some others come up here." she smiled happily hoping the 2 aren't afraid of her.

Cihiru

"So I hear," he confirmed, grinning at the prospect. It wasn't unreasonable though - Who didn't like to be treated well? Well, within reason. Though it did depend on the context... But his thoughts were wandering, and he shook his head to clear them.

So much for that idea. It surprised him a little, actually. Nearly all the Soquilis he met initially were bonded to some human or another, but he had been encountering more and more lately that weren't... "That's respectable." Loki noted she was open to the idea, rather than bearing a fervent dislike for people.

"There might be," he commented, and squinted to peer into the shadows. The voice that exited didn't leave him wondering for long though. He flicked his ears at it, and with little reservation, pulled himself into the rocky opening. "Thank you for offering. - And hello. This is Nagual, and I'm Loki; pleased to meet you, Tetyawna." It was forward of him to introduce the mare, he realized, but... Well, it seemed polite at the time.

EchoLimaFoxtrot

Nagual almost bursted into the cave. Her fur and hair dripped water and soon there was a pool of it at her hooves. Shaking like a canine, the mare tried to get some off of her. The action, though, made most of her hair stand on end, except her belly which was clumped together as water continued to drip from it.

Despite it all, she was happy to be ina dry place, if only for a little while. Her eyes brightened even further and her ever-present smile slowly took place on her face. The mare bowed her head in greeting. She turned to Loki and smiled more, "Well, thank you Loki! Such a gentleman, saving me the work of introduction." Nagual laughed happily just for the sheer joy of it.

Pausing, the mare looked at her two companions, "You know... I think that is the first time I laughed today... how strange." Her cheeks turned a slight pink, but she giggled consistently for awhile.

Chamain

Tetyawna curtsyed to both of them. "Nice to meet you Loki and Nagual." She smiled at the stallion. It was nice of him to introduce the mare too. "Your welcome." She shifted to the side of the cave so that they have room. The rain was loud and when they talked, it would echo around the cave.

"Rainy day isn't it? Good thing everything will smell fresh and clean after this." Her head turned to the 2 and smiled.

dustfeather

Someone else enters the cavern...

The mare stops dead at the sight of others, breathing deeply as she inhales the new scents. She immediately spots Loki, but takes her time getting a good look at the others before moving closer.

Her own pelt is soaked from outside, and she snorts and stamps in irritation as the water trickles down her belly, tickling her.

A few seconds later, a very water-logged and pathetic-looking peregrine falcon trundles in after her, too soaking to even fly in. She's rustling her feathers irately, sending water droplets in all directions, and she nearly runs into Isilme's back foot. "Yow! Lassie, ye dinnae think Ah'm happy standing near this drafty entrance? Move yer feet!"

The mare drops her head, and apologetically lifts her foot so that the soaked falcon can pass. The feathered creature gives one look at the Soquili gathered, blinks, and then just finds a nice little space off to the side to get try, taking no further notice of the horses.

"Looks like I ain't the only one who's trying to find someplace dry. Hi, Loki."

Cihiru

He couldn't help himself - He had to laugh at the unceremonious shaking. Just something about the way rogue droplets splattered his already soaked hide, the walls, and anything else in their patch struck his amusement. "Feel any better?" he asked at last, giving her a grin.

And well, at least his intentions hadn't been ill-received. He hadn't expected them to be acknowledged either though, and the attention made him duck his head almost bashfully. "Nothing strange about it. Laughter does lift one's spirits."

"This is true," the stallion commented suddenly, bobbing his head in agreement. The rain did leave behind it a distinct crispness; a new and fresh sort of blanket on the not-always-grateful earth. "And a good excuse to make conversation, in the meantime. So long as one doesn't mind soggy company."

Needless to say, he wasn't really expecting any additional individuals to enter the conversation. It was more than a little surprising when another did - And not just anyone, but Isilme, he recognized immediately. With Alta not far behind, it would seem (and more unsociable than usual).

"You could say that," he responded cheerfully, giving her a smile that would have liked to imply he was oblivious to the falcon's discomfort. "Welcome, Isilme. Meet Nagual-An, and Tetyawna." The stallion motioned to them in turn with their introductions, finishing with "and this is Isilme, as I mentioned." He might have given a welcome for Alta too, but she didn't particularly look conversational, so he thought it best to do otherwise.

"Anyway, I'd say you've come to the right place!"

EchoLimaFoxtrot

Nagual stuck her tongue out at Loki. Even though she was no longer a filly, she did it anyways, lightening her damp mood even further. "Well, actually, I do feel better! Just having the chance to lighten the load is exciting enough." She was about to appologize for getting anyone else wet, but that that doing so would ruin the moment.

"Mm...." she mumbled, licking her lips. "The berries will be plump and juicy after this! How could I forget....?" For a moment, it seemed that the smiling mare was off in a dreamworld, but what brought back by a couple of other voices.

She turned and smiled further at the newest arrivals. "Well, hello! It is a pleasure to meet you Isilme, and Alta," she nodded at them both. "And yes, I believe we were all trying to get out of the rain... except Loki, who only came for the sake of some company," She eyed the stallion out of the corner of her eye, the joking obvious in her voice.

Chamain

Tetyawna stopped staring at Loki and Nagual. "Thank you Loki." She dipped her head at the soquili who just walked in and bent her legs. I think I'm getting use to curtsying. "Nice to meet you Isilme." Her attention turned to Nagual of what she mumbled. "You're making me hungry now. Mmmmm....." The red panda mare started to dream of eating berries too.

She was dreaming happily but then tried to focuss back on the conversation. Tetyawna had just remembered seeing a familiar walk in too. Like what Nagual did, she decided to say hi to the bird. "Uhm....hi Alta." I think that is what I heard Nagual say to the bird....

EchoLimaFoxtrot

Nagual sighed happily, bouncing from hoof to hoof. "I really shouldn't have mentioned berries.... because now I really want them!" The mare peered outside at the rain. Her expression remained wishful. "Agh! I cannot stand it....." With a smile across her face, the mare nodded to each individual, "It was nice to meet you Tetyawna, and you as well Isilme!" She added a wink in Isilme's direction.

Making her way to the entrance, Nagual paused to gather her strength, and warmth. She felt refreshed from her time in the cave. Turning over her shoulder, the mare called out, "Until next time!"

With that, she trudged out back into the rain. This time,however, her head held high and her eyes piercing the slight fog the rain created, trying to catch a glimpse of some bright red berries.

dustfeather

She eyes him for a moment, rather wondering what he had been saying about her...and then mentally shook herself. He's not her brother, she's being silly. Probably just that he'd met her. Curiousity about his friends, however, drives that out of her mind. Were these the ones that lived with humans...or not? They seemed like a cheerful twosome, and the grullo paint moves closer, her hooves clip-clopping against the cavern ground.

As Nagual teases Loki, the mare feels a flash of undefinable emotion, and her ears almost tap backward, but she catches herself in time. To make up for the motion, she smiles at the other mare. "Pleased to meet you too, Nagual, and you, Tetyawna." She eyes Alta for a moment, but seems to come to the same conclusion as Loki...the falcon is probably best left alone.

"Well, company's better in here than out there, and drier, too," the mare says lightly, shaking out her mane. "Storms are not the most conversational of things...they tend to talk too much."

One eye swivels around, and the peregrine falcon regards Tetyawna with that odd, sideways look birds have. "Hi, lassie. Ye another horse from around here, nae doubt?"

Cihiru

"Always the berries..." He was about to say something in typical friendly, teasing fashion, but Isilme's new presence made him think better of it. He... Well, he wasn't sure why. It just didn't seem right to jest in front of her, lest it was with her, so he didn't. "Good luck then," he said instead, somewhat grateful for an opportunity to give a farewell rather than trying to make sense of his reasoning for being here. Especially since he didn't really have any.

"Can't blame a storm for having a few things to say. It's not like they get to talk often," he joked, though he nodded in agreement. "Not a fan of the rain either, I take it? I guess I'm alone in that sentiment." He made a mental note to show Isilme suitable shelter closer to the areas they frequented; this cave wasn't particularly convenient.

But hm, he was surprised to see Tetyawna greet the falcon... And even more so to hear Alta respond. She didn't sound as put-out as he had expected; not that it was a bad thing. He gave her his characteristic welcoming smile, but didn't quite dare to interject. Loki glanced to Isilme instead, regarding her with a raised brow. "Not having a good day?" He had meant the question more in regards to the falcon than herself, but it was open for either.

Chamain

Tetyawna looked at the bird and smiled sweetly. "I'm new here and yes I guess I'm from around here." She didn't understand half of what Alta had just said. When Nagual got up to leave, she neighed and wished her a safe journey. Her eyes bounced between from Isilme and Loki.

Her head was dry again and she was happy that she made a few more friends. The mare wanted to ask something, so she walked a bit closer to Isilme. "Is Alta in a bad mood?" Judging by the bird and how it came in, it didn't seem very happy.

dustfeather

Isilme bobs her head to Nagual, and moves aside so she can leave. She watches the other mare go, before her gaze flits back to Loki and Tetyawna. Her expression turns to slight amusement when the other mare strikes up a conversation with Alta, whose reaction takes her by slight surprise, but not much. The falcon was unpredictable in her whims. She's just glad her companion isn't making life difficult for her.

The grullo mare's brief bad mood passes in the next instant. "True. It's probably like being a foal around adults and then getting released among others of your own age," She says wryly, with a grin. "But no, I'm not a huge fan. Mostly because it tickles. It's warmer here for it, though, and it's much better than snow and hail, so I suppose I'm being a little whiney.

Although she realizes the open meanings the question has, she prefers to latch onto one, as if it was the only one she had considered. "She gets grumpy when her feathers are water-logged, she can't fly that well. So she's grounded somewhere until they can dry out." Her voice is kept low so that Alta can't overhear...but hopefully the peregrine falcon is too occupied anyway. She repeats much the same as Tetyawna turns to her, and eyes Alta as she fluffs up her feathers, preening vigorously, adding: "She's generally not that...um...social anyway, though. It's not in her kind's nature, they're not really much like us."

Cihiru

"Everyone's entitled to a bit of complaining every now and then, as far as I'm concerned." Honest enough in his comment, Loki gave her an earnest smile. He could accept it as a good reason too, to dislike something as wonderful as rain. "I have to agree though, most anything is better than snow and hail."

"I had noticed," he added amicably, responding to the comment about the falcon's nature. To be truthful though, he appreciated Alta's company as much as most Soquilis'. When she was willing to give it, anyway. "And I think she's entitled to her bad days too, even if she is inclined to have them more often." He would have given her a teasing grin, but unpredictable tempers weren't something he wanted to risk just then. The stallion spoke softly instead, trying to sound casual while (hopefully) keeping the falcon out of earshot.

And he turned to Tetyawna then, tilting his ears forward at a comment she'd offered earlier. "How are you enjoying yourself here so far? Suppose the weather isn't making a very good show, but it's not usually so stormy, I assure you." It was a good thing, too. The ground wasn't likely to accept much more water; already the mud was thick.

Chamain

Tetyawna smiled at Loki and replied delighfully. "Oh the weather is fine either way. The rain makes everything fresh, the sun makes most plants grow." It was true that she liked any type of weather. Snow was sometimes a good thing but other times it would just get annoying. Her eyes kept watching the falcon just incase it had heard what she asked.

"Hmmm......Alta's feathers are beautiful." She said instead of whisper. "Is she ever into talking?" The red panda mare asked Isilme and Loki. Her head titled when she thought she saw the falcon turn a bit towards them. Tetyawna wanted to know how this bird was like before doing anything else. Her favourite thing to do was make friends, it gets her excited.

The rain outside started to slow down and a little tiny hole pierced through the grey clouds. Sun light came from the hole and it was bright. It nearly looked like a path way for an angel to float down or something.

dustfeather

Isilme chuckles. "Especially after sitting in several days of it," She agrees. The storms she got back home were bad at the end of winter...they were used to losing several members of the band every year, whether the very young or the very old. But that was how life was: only the strong survived.

The grullo grins, but any more whispering will surely be noticed by the falcon, so she doesn't say anything more on the matter. She listens to Tetyawna, curious, turning her attention to the mare, but feels compelled to answer the question. "Sometimes. Especially if it's anything about flying or hunting or places she's been or someone else's been. She likes learning about the rest of the world, I think." So does Isilme, but the falcon thrives on it, whereas the mare has to have breaks from it. "Forgive me for being nosy, but do you live in a band...or herd, as I guess you call them...around here? I'm new to the area, Loki's been kind enough to show me around a little. Like the human village." Her nose wrinkles at that. She's still not quite sure what to make of it.

Cihiru

Loki scarcely had the same experience; the winters here were tame in comparison, and they were all he'd ever known. "Lucky for us, it never really gets like that here. The snow covers the ground in the winter, but I don't think I've ever seen a vicious storm or anything." He shuffled a little uncomfortably at the thought though. What would a snowstorm spanning multiple days feel like?

"More like she's been kind enough to put up with me," he chimed in, turning toward Tetyawna. He hadn't exactly forgotten she was there, but... It was easier to exclude her than he would have admitted. It was just too easy to talk to Isilme (and only Isilme). Her inquiry was the only thing even reminding him what he was doing.

He hated to barrage Tetyawna with questions, but in light of his realization, he wasn't sure what else to do. So he did anyway. "Have you seen the village? If you don't mind my asking, that is." Hopefully she wouldn't find it too nosy or overwhelming. Loki was more or less grasping for straws at that point.

Chamain

She hoped that she was talking to her so she decided to answer. "No I'm not in a herd or anything." What she meant to say was, that she travels around these places alone instead of in a herd. Her ears twitched at the sound of the rain drops. Tetyawna let a long period of silence pass by before answering Loki's question.

"No I haven't actually. I've heard about it, that most humans live there." She smiled at him and looked up at the cave's ceiling. Then looked down like if she felt embarassed for not seeing the village before. It was not like she didn't want to, it was just that she couldn't find it. Of course she didn't wat to say she couldn't find it. Her head turned back at Loki.

dustfeather

"Must get warm in the summer," the grullo says, wondering how much warmer it actually does get. "But that must be pretty nice. The storms up north could be nasty...to the point where you couldn't see anything but white if you were out in it. And pah, " she adds, sounding cheerful again, "You didn't have to put up with me at all. I'd still be out there wandering, probably in on some forsaken plain with noplace to get in out of the rain."

"Ahh." Isilme looks a little put-out at the mare's response. "I've heard that, too. But I haven't yet seen one...a human, anyway."

Lost in her own thoughts, she doesn't add anything else, lapsing into silence as she listens to the consistant drip-drip-drip of the rain off of the cavern stones. Thunder rumbles close by.

Cihiru

Was she uncomfortable? Bothered by the inquiries, maybe? Silence was so difficult to interpret. "Me neither," he reassured with a smile, just to be certain. "'Bands' aren't very common here. I think most everyone just sort of does their own thing... Some with the humans, and some not."

"It's a nice sort of warm, most of the time. And there are plenty of places around to cool off when it's not. Well, you'll see." This comment had been open to both of them, but Loki turned more fully to Isilme as he continued. "In a manner of speaking, you're still on some forsaken plain. Only difference is a shelter Tetyawna kindly shared with us. And some decent company, I hope! Not to say Alta isn't, of course." The falcon may or may not have been listening, but there it was either way.

"Oh, they do," the stallion confirmed, bobbing his head as he once again divided his attention. "Maybe you would have spotted one if you'd been willing to edge a little closer," he teased, and wrinkled his nose at Isilme. "Follow the river out of the forest - You should be able to see the village from the hills, if you'd like to visit some time." Her mannerisms made him think she did.

Chamain

Tetyawna's ears popped up when she heard how to get to the village. She nodded happily and pretended like she knew that already. Her eyes scanned outside if the rain has stopped. It hasn't but the hole through the clouds have gotten bigger. A sigh came from the mare. She wished to travel today, not be stuck inside a cave anymore. It was fun chatting with all the soquilis, but she still wanted to travel with them.

Her legs started to hurt from staying in one spot. Tetyawna walked around a bit in the cave and acted like if she was checking if the rain would ever stop. "We may be stuck in this cave for the whole day." She looked back at Loki and smiled.

 

[Cihiru]

05.15 Princess: Loki & Princess


Nel_Zelpher_2005

Princess snorted quietly to herself as she trotted through the clearing, stopping every now and again to investigate some new thing. Some plants she would nibble to see if they not only were safe but tasted good, while others she flattened her ears at and moved on. While she was by herself, she wasn't just exploring for the heck of it. She was looking for good places for her herd to stay, to eat, to live. So focused was she on her task that she didn't notice whether any others were in the area.

Cihiru

Loki may not have been a characteristically cautious stallion, but he did tend to keep his wits about him. At least, enough to serve him in situations such as this.

Despite the pandemonium coursing through his thoughts (Will she be okay? Will they be healthy? Can I even handle it?), the gentle crunch of brittle foliage was enough to stir his attention. He merely flicked an ear at first, but when the sound identified itself as steps, the mustang turned his head more fully to what he thought was their source.

It took him a moment to discern the figure through the slotting of the bordering trees, but he thought a welcome due once he spotted the Soquili. "Hello," Loki greeted, friendly enough as he pulled himself toward the clearing.

Nel_Zelpher_2005

Princess jerked to a halt and turned towards the source of the greeting, ears pricked to better catch the sound. "Hello," she said cautiously, looking the stallion up and down. He looked strong enough, and so far he hadn't been outright rude or arrogant. Maybe it was just the first few stallions she'd met that were asses, then.

Cihiru

Well, that wasn't much of a welcome at all. It had been a while since he encountered an individual so tentative. Really though, he supposed it was unfair of him to expect everyone to be openly friendly. And maybe she'd warm up. It was just a hello, after all.

"Name's Loki," he offered, hoping to establish some sincerity. "Were you looking for something?" She had seemed rather distracted at first. Hopefully he hadn't interrupted anything.

Nel_Zelpher_2005

She perked up a little more at the politeness in this stallion's tone. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, if more stallions around here were like this. "My name's Princess," she stated, "And I am looking for something. I've got a herd...it's still small, but it still needs food, water, shelter. Best to map that stuff out in advance, I think."

Cihiru

Was that a hint of relaxation? A good sign, he noted with an almost invisible nod. "Glad to meet you, Princess," was his response, though he couldn't help but think what a name...

And he raised a brow at the following comment. That she had a herd did not surprise him. - She had a commanding posture about her, and it explained the reservation. He was confused by the context though. 'I have a herd' and 'map in advance' flashed as conflicting statements in his mind. So... What was she saying, exactly?

"A good plan, I'd say. Have you found anything hopeful so far?" It was noncommittal, but it saved him the trouble of trying to make sense of it.

Nel_Zelpher_2005

She nodded. "Yes...the herd's fine where it is for now, but when the grass gets grazed down some I've found a couple places we can go next." Princess swished her tail, eyeing Loki. "What about you? Or do you just wander about?"

Cihiru

Well, that was fortunate for her (and her herd). It also inclined him to wonder idly if her selections were anywhere near his home. After all, Loki couldn't help but feel a little curious as to whether he'd be encountering many individuals. He was accustomed to a relatively isolated habitat. "Good," he said simply at last.

But what about him? That question took him a little by surprise, and he blinked a bit too deliberately. "Do I have a herd, you mean?" The stallion tilted his head slightly in contemplation. "Isilme and I live without a band" - it was a term he'd picked up from her - "but no, we don't particularly wander."

Nel_Zelpher_2005

Princess tilted her head. "Hmm...so you have a mate." It was more a statement than a question. "Seems I've seen a lot of pairing up recently." The snort that followed was half disgust, half jealousy. "Lotta males strutting and preening, the ones I can't stand are the ones too arrogant to treat others with respect and the ones too weak to back up their strutting."

Cihiru

It would have been safe to say that was more than Loki bargained for. A lot more. She certainly was opinionated and open with assumptions, wasn't she? "What if Isilme is my sister?," he questioned with a ornery grin. After all, he had been living with Kali at one point.

"And I hope you don't mean to say they are hasty, or that everyone with someone is recently paired?" The stallion hoped his tone was friendly enough to be interpreted as he intended it - unoffensive, despite the negative impression he'd received.

The following string took him back though. Was she getting at something, or just venting? He was a stallion after all, and she wasn't exactly easy to read. "Well, I hope I'm neither," he thought out loud. He certainly didn't strut!

Nel_Zelpher_2005

Princess gave him a sideways glance. "Somehow I don't think she's just a sister...you seemed worried about something when I first caught sight of you. Foals, maybe?" She shook her head. "No, simply saying there's a lot of males competing for female attention. But you're polite enough to greet me, and you seem decent enough. So it's probably safe to say you're neither."