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Home » Search » Roster » Whitepages » Records » FAQ » Guidebook
the woods are lovely dark and full of what?
Open Rainforest Cliffs 
Varuna
Currently championing:
#1
Varuna stretches his muscular wings, flexing them like a young man trying to impress a girl. Only there are no girls here, just the dark and the dusty dry air. 

It is daylight, but this deep into the trees not much of it can be seen, caught in the canopy that looms so high above. It's a typical day for this belligerently feverish season they are having, the likes of which Varuna is not very fond of. He likes rain, a bit of chill to the air, a dampness to keep his coat sleek and wet and shimmering. With the sun bearing down at all hours there is none of that. None at all. It seems to the rainchild that there is no wet thing to be found in the wretched heat, neither to parch thirst nor keep cool. Even his feathers seem to grow brittle, bleached by the light.

He finds refuge deep within the trees. The air is not so dry among the foliage, though the darkness is deep and crawling with phantoms real and imagined. Sounds and shadows and other things that can not be fully made out. The imagination fills in the gaps. Varuna, being a glutton for exploration and all things mysterious wonders at what might lurk where the eye cannot see. He feels his hide bristle with every shape that takes form at just the edge of his sight.

It is easy to feel claustrophobic this deep in the woods. His wings will shift and flutter every now and again as one might bite their fingernails. And still he moves ever deeper, skeletal muzzle probing the deepening shade with a curiosity that he knows might end up coming back to bite him (perhaps quite literally).

Is he brave or foolish? He will find out.
Aei'ith
Currently championing:
#2


Aei'ith had been born about a week or so ago, and Aurelia had already managed to lose her. Alas, this was not surprising. Aei'ith was a curious specimen and wandered away from her mother constantly and when she did, she was never in a rush to get back (despite knowing her mother was probably worried to death about her). Aei'ith knew Aurelia was somewhere around here (or at least she hoped) so she wasn't worried at all about being separated. Aei'ith was brave to a fault. The fact that she wasn't afraid to be separated from her mother was worrisome. All foals should be with their parents because that was how they would survive should there be predators or other dangers lurking nearby. The fact that Aurelia was a simple call away was better than being completely alone, but it still seemed like an unnecessary risk for the newborn to be exploring by herself.

The flaxen filly stood out like a sore thumb in the dark and gloomy forest. She was the bright splotch of color, a flash of orange-brown and ivory. She wasn't even trying to stay hidden. The small tawny wings that sprouted from her sides flapped around uselessly every once in a while, undeveloped and frail-looking. Her wobbly, ivory legs somehow carried her through the dense forest with minimal tripping, surprisingly. On her forehead, the two little bumps where a set of antlers would soon grow strong and proud looked odd and out of place. Her nubby tail wasn't of much use yet, either, just another strange body part that she wiggled around occasionally out of boredom.

As she meandered through narrow slits between big trees, she hummed. She was a child, not an amazing singer, so the hum was awkwardly off-pitch and out of tune, but she still carried on regardless. Aei'ith doesn't notice any source of life (except for the foliage) around her until the path she was on merges with the path another foal is on. Her milky-white eyes are glued onto the other being the moment she notices him. She doesn't think he's noticed her yet, so she begins following him. The child wasn't cultured in the social norms of Riftian society yet and didn't understand that saying hi was a crucial part of any encounter. The tribrid wasn't following the colt too closely, not enough to be obvious, but she certainly not hiding either. She was small, so her dainty steps didn't make an abundance of noise but if he just turned around he would see the brightly colored babe.

And then, violently piercing through the serene quietness of the Rainforest Cliffs, Aei'ith scream-asks a question to the colt she had been following. "You go where?!" The question is said excitedly, Aei'ith eagerly wanting to explore with him. Should he not be able to tell she was extremely young by her looks, her broken speech and slight toddler-lisp would certainly give her up. It wouldn't be a shocker if the boy found her annoying, but she just wanted to learn. She didn't know anything but what her mom had told her (and Aurelia isn't the most reliable source of information) and simply just wanted to know. more.

Varuna
Currently championing:
#3
The yearlings ears bristle as a voice, clearer and more real than the rest, rises from the gloomy dark. This one is not disembodied and unintelligible. It is girlish and unashamed, carrying a tune that doesn't sound quite right.

He flicks his gaze to peer behind him, trying not to make it noticeable that he has spotted her. She is so hard to miss, a blonde little bird twittering amidst the hushed whispers of the wood that swallows her deeper with every step, oblivious to the schemes being dreamt up in the shadows whose jaws gape ever wider. Deciding the small filly is no threat, he continues on, noticing that she seems to be following him.

Varuna grins impishly, picking up his gait, leaves and other sorts of decaying matter crumbling beneath the shuffling of his hooves. The shadows grow deeper, and if she means to follow him, well, she ought to be brave. Does she not fear him? He makes like a spirit and weaves through the trees and brush without words. He must look like a phantom - black as sin, juxtaposed with the low-light forest and the bones glowing white through his muzzle. He plays the part gladly.

Varuna has seen things in the shade he isn't so sure of. He's heard the growling, twisting shadows mock him from their refuge; taunting, coaxing, with voices that beg to come near despite your better sense. Sometimes if you peer in deep enough you might see the glittering of teeth. He often dreams of being dumped out of the sky, sucked through the void with a million eyes watching him. He's not sure if that's a memory or something his baby-mind made up - fever dreams, or an over-active imagination. Wild Azulee is nothing more than a wisp of a memory now. The boy no longer yearns for his mother's teats, no longer fearful of the rift and all its secrets, but curious; daring; reckless. Lonesome.

He is only too eager to lead the babe deeper. She is naive to the dangers that stalk about, but so is he. He's watched the way wolves stalk their prey for long hours, noticing how they tend to go for the smallest, the youngest, the ones easiest singled out... Varuna's not so big when considering the size of his father, but he's begun to grow into himself, and maybe, if something does try to eat them, it will go for the child... especially since she is bleating so loudly.

You go where? Come and find out.

The path winds on, rocky and treacherous. He is careful to place his hooves. Even Varuna is unsettled by what he cannot see but does not hesitate as his heart beats in his ears, keeping the girl behind but not too far behind. 
Aei'ith
Currently championing:
#4


When the boy doesn't answer her question, Aei'ith begins to stomp aggressively as a mini-tantrum behind him. She didn't understand how he just ignored her like that. Still, being ignored did not deter the filly from aimlessly following him. Aei'ith didn't understand that just because he was a horse and not a monster, that he wouldn't act like one. She didn't understand that just because they were the same species (practically) that he wasn't obligated to answer her calls. She didn't understand anything.

A high-pitched bellow escapes her lips as she trudges onwards behind him, curiously wondering why he so adamantly ignored her. Afraid she wasn't being loud enough for him to hear, another squeal-like whinny ricochets out of her jaw. Surely that would get his attention (right?). He continued down his narrow path, Aei'iths tailing him carefully. She often misstepped, resulting in lots of random tripping, but continued on anyway. Every once in a while a frustrated groan would float into the air out of frustration of simply not understand what was happening but always fell silent afterward. He wasn't responding to anything so what was the point of making a ruckus if it was inevitable she would just be ignored?

The babe had no idea where they were going, but she figured if he could go that she could too. Perhaps her desire to follow him was attributed to the fact that most horses had a herd mentality and preferred to be with other horses over being alone or perhaps it was because she didn't know where her mother was so just substituted this colt in. Whatever the reasoning was, she never once thought about not following him. To the young girl, the choice of not following him and wandering around in solitude was not even truly a plausible choice.

The silence felt thick and heavy- as if it was scolding her. Aurelia had once given Aei'ith the silent treatment as punishment when she had acted like a brat. Was this the same thing? Her brow furrows as she tries to remember what she did wrong. Had the tantrum-stomps been the reason for the silence? No, it couldn't be that. He had ignored her before that too. Still moderately confused, Aei'ith decided to stop thinking about it. She couldn't just conjure up a perfect reason as to why she was being ignored, so she just stopped thinking about it and went back to dutifully following him.

When simply following the beast grew tiresome, Aei'ith picked up her pace from an unsteady trot to a strange type of ungraceful canter. Her eyes narrowed in on his tail, her target. With her jaw open she tries reaching for his tresses. They just looked so... yummy. She always chewed Aurelia's tail. Her baby teeth were hardly in yet, so it never caused any damage to her mother's tail, just left it wet with drool and snot. The filly had never tasted another horse's tail yet, so quickly this colt became her target. It was just so different than Aurelia's tail. His was thick and wavy; it mesmerized her.

Varuna
Currently championing:
#5
She does not turn away when he ignores her. She does quite the opposite, growing louder in her protest. Like a scolded baby she stomps her feet, demanding his attention. Varuna scoffs. It does nothing to discourage the yearling's trek onward, deeper. She means to follow him? So be it... She is just a dumb filly still wet behind the ears; he, a headstrong colt with a knack for sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. Perhaps they will both learn a lesson on the trials of courage and adventure. 

Eventually, the babe falls silent, but he knows she is there by the groans that come every now and again and the soft stirrings of hooves. Is she as brave as she pretends? Or does she simply have no where else to go, no one else to shadow? He grows curious of her, peering behind from the corner of his eye. He remembers a time when his belly twisted up with the absence of mother's milk. A time when his wings were too weak to carry him (they were only just getting to be strong enough now). He wandered around like a lost lamb for a time, frightened and alone, 'til a great big shadow scooped him up and called itself father, then went away again.

He feels no pity for her. Has she been left alone in the world as well? He has survived... so far. Will she?

His ears flick at the sound of her gait quickening. He glances back to see her cantering toward him, rather ungraceful on her match-stick baby legs, shuffling through the dark. He doesn't quicken his own pace, but lets her catch up to him, noticing the way she reaches for the tresses of his tail with eager teeth. Bold. And stupid. He waits 'til she's just behind him...

Varuna stops and spins on his haunches, hoping to lash the babe in the face with his whip-like tail before she can latch on. Lifting up his fore-body, he spins around three-hundred-sixty degrees to face her, stomping his hooves and snapping his skeletal jaws in front of her face. The muscles in his jaw bunch and roll about as he grinds and bares his teeth, gnashing them threateningly. They glow milky white under his barely-there lips and puffs of air billow from his nostrils into her face. 

Boo. Scary, yes? 

He won't patronize her with questions of where is your mother? or why are you all alone? No, that means nothing to him. Being an orphan is all too familiar, especially in this place between worlds. In his short life, Varuna has kept the company of ghosts more than he ever has the living. But her ignorance and naivety is so irksome. Perhaps it reminds him of himself. Whatever the reason, he is annoyed by her following him. "You shouldn't sneak up on strangers," he warns, trying to sound menacing, as though he knows a thing or two. 

Is he as frightening as he'd like to think? Ever since he tried to knock over one of the shadow demon's bone lights, Varuna's face has looked like this. He might as well make use of it.
Aei'ith
Currently championing:
#6

As she reaches her snotty snout towards his locks, she is whole-heartedly shocked when he spins around, leaving her small, stumpy teeth to snap shut on nothing but air and whipping her with his tresses in the process. The babe stands numbly for a moment, utterly confused as to why he wouldn't let her touch him. Shocked, really. Aurelia had never reacted like that before, it was perplexing for the infant.

Having Aurelia as a dam came with its own set of difficulties and complications. Being raised by a mare who had no idea about social norms or basic etiquette meant that Aei'ith also had neither of those things. That, added with the fact that she is practically a newborn, leaves little room for normalcy in any her interactions with others. Not knowing what to do with a stranger, she just treated him like she would Aurelia- which was apparently a large boo-boo.

As his body spins around to face the babe, Aei'ith's eyes grow wide with wonder at how he is able to flawlessly move around on his legs so gracefully. She would never be able to do that. She was awkward and stumpy due to her mother's mustang blood, but at the same time lanky because she was so young. Her knees were larger-than-life and her head was unproportionally small, with two buldging milky-white eyes. Her appreciation of him and self-deprication of herself abruptly ends when he gnashes his skeletal teeth at her, the air projecting from his strange glowy snout. When he had begun spinning around, she had halted abruptly to just miss chrashing into him, but she wasn't far enough to feel safe as he gnashed his teeth aggressively at her mere inches away. Her frail legs begin moving madly as she backpedals a few steps away from him, her jaw hanging open in wonder and fear, her eyes outstandingly wide, her tail tucked tightly to her body like a scolded hound's.

Simply watching him, unsure what to do in a situation like this, Aei'ith looks very much like a deer-in-headlights. She is unsure what to do with the threatening creature before her, frozen in fear. Every part of her body is telling her to leave, but she doesn't know where to go or how to get out and she does not want to be alone.

And then he speaks, his voice threatening and un-kind. He scolds her for sneaking up on him and a glint of confusion crosses over her features. Sneak up? She had done no such thing.  The babe had, in fact, done the exact opposite- screamed for his attention. Still, she had been scolded and it felt wrong to argue with him so her gaze drooped downwards to the ground, the excitedness and energy within her waned, and she nodded, avoiding all and any eye contact.

Neither of them moved after this and Aei'ith was not going to be the first. Despite her company's aggressive demeanor and shady looks, she would prefer to be with him than alone in the dark forest. Should he be some sort of monster in disguise, plotting to kill her, so be it. The babe would not fare well alone in the forest, so if it meant she was brutally murdered by the creature, she would take that any day over a lonesome death due to starvation or disease or the scarier Rift monsters.

* * *
@Varuna
(thank you neo for unarchiving <3)

Varuna
Currently championing:
#7
The babe recoils, baby limbs stuttering in fright as she reels away from the gnashing of teeth. He is gratified by her fright, but also pitiful. She is so alone and frail. It occurs to him that she could be swallowed so easily by the monsters that lurk in the shadows (if not by the shadows themselves). 

She stands there in his wake as still as a statue. He grits his teeth and scrutinizes her, mismatched gaze unashamed in its judgement as he commits her features to memory. She is small, even for her age, and a pair of blunted baby-antlers sprout from her noggin. Most peculiar are the bright white eyes peering back at him with a ghostly glimmer; milky and hollow, as if she is blind, though surely she isn't. She cowers as his words lash the open air, and he snorts, unimpressed by her meekness. 

He ruffles his sun-bleached feathers in discomfort, hoping to dispel a bit of the heat accumulating under the large appendages. Varuna swats his tail, twisting his lips and knitting his brow. She doesn't move a muscle, defiant, unwilling to leave his company. Still, hot breath puffs from his nose, inches from her face. He challenges her with a heavy gaze for a few long moments before it becomes clear that she isn't going anywhere. Truth be told, lonely as he is, the colt could use a bit of company.

"Can you speak?" he questions, and without waiting for a response: "What is your name?" If she means to shadow him, it is only appropriate that he knows what to call her.

STILL YOUR HEART, THE DARK IS STILL THE DARK
You may always use magic/force on/against Varuna (excluding powerplay).