07-31-2017, 10:07 PM (This post was last modified: 07-31-2017, 10:11 PM by Rixen.)
Rixen
I awoke with a start. It was midmorning, and the dewy mist swirled around me, biting at my hide in a playful manner, sending shivers down my spine. I found myself lying down in a cave. At first I was surprised by my location and seemed to have forgotten how I'd ended up there. My memory came flooding back to me - I had been wandering along a sandy beach, whose name was still unknown to me, so tired from my travels that I could think of nothing other than finding a place to rest. Soon I came across a curious cave carved out from the rocky cliffside, and figuring it to be the safest place in the immediate vicinity that I might be able to rest my weary limbs, decided to take refuge within. Upon entering I saw no other signs of life or danger, and before I could look around any further, my exhaustion consumed me.
I awoke feeling strange...empty almost, like I was floating. A gentle gray light filtered in from the mouth of the cave. My tenor reflected the grayness of the day, but like the weather, it was susceptible to change at any moment. I was not one to get caught up in one mood or another for too long. Due to my poorly lit surroundings, I suspected that the sun was not shining outside. Perhaps, I thought, it would emerge later. I sighed at the thought, knowing that it had been a while since I had enjoyed the warm feeling of the sun's rays caressing my skin. Sunshine always seemed to fill me with a feeling of hope.
Knowing that I should not get too comfortable, I rose to my hooves with a grunt. My curiosity beckoned me to explore the shoreline. My ears were pricked forward as I stepped slowly toward the cave's entrance. Although not a soul had been in sight yesterday, I wondered what, or who, I might find today...
07-31-2017, 11:32 PM (This post was last modified: 07-31-2017, 11:35 PM by Varuna.)
VARUNA
You've spent most of your time in the caves, lately. It's relieving to be dry for once, and the sea reminds you of mother. You grow bored of staring at fishes and the under-water all hours of the day, however, so you've decided to spend some time on the beach today.
It's still just as rainy as before. The sunlight catches in heavy, angry clouds, making the sky dark no matter the time of the day. That's fine with you. You've grown used to it by now. In fact, you've come to like it. The world feels calm and close and you feel less exposed than when the sun is out. Darkness is comforting to you, who feels mostly lethargic and overstimulated since mother left you alone in this vast and strange new world, so unlike the sun-showered reaches of your birth home.
At least you aren't so hungry anymore. You grow stronger and braver by the day. You've decided to play in the waves, small legs crashing through the breakers as you dance and thrash your head about.
Perhaps it wasn't the wisest of ideas to wander away from his mother and father nor their companions when still so inexperienced with this land, but Tristan knew that he could not live in their shadows forever. This land was new. Foreign. Exciting. He could taste heroic adventures and puzzling mysteries on the tip of his tongue and it was addictive, pulling him onward like an addict and setting his sooty breast alight with the prospect and promise of the bards singing his name in their songs with his triumphs.
One day...
The prince paced himself evenly as he traveled at a leisurely trot, hooves dragging long lines in the granules of sand as he crossed the shoreline. This place at which he found himself still had no name, at least to his memory, but that was fine. It only added to the mystery. A rocky cliff-face to one side, the ocean to another. Sand beneath his hooves and rain cascading around him. The perfect beginning of a new tale.
It rained a lot, here. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, of course, but Tristan did find himself missing unrestrained sunlight. Yet another thing that caused his wayward heart to sing for Helovia...
Rambunctious crashing and the churning of waves caught his attention from the pitter-patter of rain as it pelted across his crown. The young stud paused, sharp turquoise eyes searching, only to level upon a petite youth thrashing about in the shallow waves. He appeared to be having quite a merry time and the sight of his joy brought a smile to Tristan's lips.
"Hello, there!" The sooty prince beckoned as the distance between them lessened, hoping that his presence wouldn't be unwanted. "Is the water not cold in the rain?"
So focused on the youth as he was, Tristan was unaware of the gaping maw of a cave nestled within the cliffs at his back, and equally unaware of the horned stranger that made to emerge. It was only with a cautionary glance around, perhaps instinctively searching for this youth's parents that he spotted the pale-headed blight amidst the darkened interior of the cave's innards.
"Pardon, sir," the prince greeted somewhat sheepishly, always one to mind his manners, "I hope my shout didn't disturb you."
08-02-2017, 03:45 AM (This post was last modified: 08-02-2017, 03:50 AM by Rixen.)
R I X E N
The sound of a voice - was it a voice I heard over the crashing of the waves? Indeed, it was! My interest was immediately captured by the cheerful call. I resisted the urge to throw all caution to the wind and jump into plain view, my instinctive vigilance holding me back. Still at the mouth of the cave, I crept forward, hoping to get a better view of who, or what, it was outside before I would be forced to reveal myself. I was not one to be afraid of strangers, but the unfamiliarity of this land made me slightly more hesitant to introduce myself than usual.
Filled with curiosity, I peered through the entrance of the cave, stretching my neck outside as far as I could without coming any closer with the rest of my body, just enough for my emerald gaze to scan the area just outside the jagged mouth. Standing very close, almost directly in front of me, was a young buckskin stallion about my age. He stood at a height maybe a hair shorter than I, the perfect height for his sharp turquoise eyes to stare directly into my own green ones. He had a friendly look about him, and any amount of worry hiding in the depths of my minds that he might pose a threat to me vanished almost immediately.
The stallion's politeness further reassured me that he was quite tame, and meant no harm. "No, not at all," I smiled cheerfully, quite happy to have finally come across someone who might be able to tell me more about this place, "I was hoping to run into someone, but have had no such luck thus far. Until now, that is."
As most do, I preferred to put names to faces. So I did not hesitate to introduce myself, and ask the stranger's name in return. "I am Rixen. What is your name?"
I took this opportunity to move out of the shadows and into the open so that my company might get a better look at me. It would surely be rude of me to hide in a cave while in the middle of having a conversation with someone. I remembered that I must not appear too pleasant, my coat matted to one side from my sleep, and dusted with a layer of soil from the damp ground I had made my bed upon still clinging to me. The once stark white sections of my mane appeared more of an ashy gray, a reflection of the length of time that had passed since I had properly tidied my appearance.
It was then, as I came into the overcast light, that I noticed a frolicking figure a short distance away. He looked to be a small colt, so busy splashing about in the waves that I was not sure if he had noticed me yet. I hadn't seen who the buckskin had been talking to earlier, but now that the thought crossed my mind it made sense that he would not be shouting to himself. I gestured with a motion of my head toward the playful youngster, inquiring politely, "Is he with you?"
08-08-2017, 09:37 PM (This post was last modified: 08-08-2017, 09:41 PM by Varuna.)
VARUNA
Sea water kisses you with foamy lips, kicked up into a spray by your enthusiastic heels. You haven't played or felt much joy at all since you've been in this new land, and even though the water is cold you barely seem to notice. Now that you aren't hungry, you feel stronger and more energetic. You feel brave. Still, you're not entirely fond of strangers.
Rivulets of water drip off your chin as you crane your neck to regard the stranger who has disturbed your play. You snort. You dislike being snuck up on. How long was he there? Your small tuft of a tail swats at your haunches. Salt water makes your mane heavy and it sticks to your face. It makes it hard to see the stranger so you fling it away with a thrash of your head. You do nothing to temper the judgement in your mismatched eyes as you look him over, tilting your head a bit.
His flanks are bare, you notice - like father's. You haven't met many winged ones. You suppose that must make you special. Those lovely appendages flutter on your back, flinging beads of water from the sleek black plumes. They tuck back in and you are thankful for their weight.
Is the water not cold in the rain?
You look down at the waves lapping at your hooves. You aren't sure how to answer the question and your ears flick backward. You can feel your heartbeat fluttering. You look around uncertainly and feel the urge to hide away inside yourself. If only you were a turtle and not a flightless little bird playing in the rain. Your wings are useless for now and your little limbs won't carry you far.
Just then, another appears... out of the cave you've called home for the past few weeks. Your ears stay pinned and your lips twist into a pout. My cave! you think and do nothing about it. He's much bigger.
The two strangers start talking, exchanging names and other boring things and you roll your eyes. Absently you kick a shell that appears in the sand, uncovered by the surf. For a few moments you try to be unseen as the adults speak, until the pale one addresses you. He's talking about you, and not even to you! Your brow furrows in indignation. "No!" you assert before the first wingless stranger can answer, stretching your neck out for emphasis and flaring your already-overly-large wings.
You trot out of the sea but keep your distance. "He's not even my friend!" You make sure the distinction is made, your voice fraught with childish condescension.
Ultima
