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Graceless - Zahra - 04-15-2015
For @[Cavalli], though anyone else is welcome to jump in (especially any nursing mares). RE: Graceless - Bellisma - 04-17-2015 Bellisma
Fleet of foot, the gold streak runs and flees from the invasion, as it had become known in these lands. She flies over the earth, starting to dry from Orangemoon. Small puffs of dust plume from where her small hooves brush the surface, carrying her far from the sounds of battle. She ran for a long time, no longer following the path of the black and white filly. But it felt good to run, even if it was without direction. Running was doing something. Running was ensuring her freedom. Running was safe. Her face, once pinched with fear, starts to relax as the burn in her muscles gives her a false sense of security. Surely she had placed enough room between herself and the battle. A dark swath of copper mars the sleek golden coat as her exertions bring sweat to her thin skin. Her gallop pauses, and slows to a canter as her small ears flicker uncertainly. ‘Help, help, help…’ the repeated cry is said as an uncertain entreaty to the tall trees she suddenly finds herself in. The small voice entwined around the stillness that clung to the dark trunks. It was ominous here, you could feel the warning down to your bones. The easy canter brings her upon the small filly. She starts to a stop, still and statuesque in uncertainty. She never was around foals, so she had never been conditioned to fear them. Though what didn’t Bellisma fear? That was how she survived, by being constantly afraid. She huffed, irritated at herself. The terror she lived with was paralyzing, but surely she could outrun this filly if she became dangerous. The trees would halt her flight, and she didn’t look too quick- Bell’s eyes widen as she sees the scrapes on the young one’s legs. “Ar-are you alright?” The surprise pulls the words from her mouth, she hadn’t encountered another hurt being that she could help. Rrazmik, her captor, had many maimed prisoners, but they all had been killed in front of her. She had been prohibited to help them. So this was a new aspect to her freedom, one she should- and would- embrace. “What- what ‘help’ do you need, little one?” the informal endearment slipped out, quite out of character. She had never called anyone ‘little’ before, and honestly it was amusing to hear the small mare call anyone tiny. Indeed, the young filly was already half the size of she. “Are you calling for someone?” the uncertainty made her voice hushed, or perhaps it was the darkness of the forest. Certainly the filly could be waiting for help from her dam, and Bellisma wasn’t needed. ooc| So she's not nursing, but technically since it's foaling season, she COULD let down milk if she hung around foals for long enough >.< womp womp. @[Zahra] Nature's first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower; but only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf, so Eden sank to grief. So dawn goes down day. Nothing gold can stay. -Frost RE: Graceless - Cavalli - 04-19-2015 CAVALLI Dissolvable & tasteless; is there a powder to erase this? He hardly noticed the threshold's spindly pines tapering away as he followed the filly; the somewhat inviting scenery where he'd encountered the child was beginning to morph dramatically into a more dense, ominous forest. It had taken some time for the freckled stallion to appear - his limp and dragging wings had proved even more burdensome in the new thickness of vegetation - and although the child had an awkward stride of her own he arrived after her still. Inky eyes pried silently through the massive pines and firs, and once he saw the gangly black-white smudge of the foal's figure, he gave a quiet snort and willed his tired limbs to take him closer to his newfound companion. Lifting and placing his hooves mindfully, Cavalli picked his way across the small distance between them. He was considering calling out to the petite creature - she was turned away from his direction - but the distraught sound of her pleas persuaded him to linger quietly. He didn't know how to console. However, before he could reach her, a strong scent of feminine stranger danced in the earthy air and wafted thickly into his nostrils. The foreign perfume made Cavalli's leg muscles tense and pull him to an uneasy halt. Lobes pressing gingerly against his crown, the male filled his lungs again with the forest's air, verifying that he wasn't merely conceptualizing the aroma. Then, his ears captured a voice he'd never listened to before. He lifted his eyes to watch. Another had come to join, apparently. He could feel the throb start in his temples again. This time, the young child wasn't talking to herself or her hitch-hiking pup, but to a petite, chestnut hued equine with dazzling green eyes. Keeping silent, he approached almost lackadaisically, pinkish hooves pausing to leave him standing just near enough to the two so that he could hear them speaking and scrutinize their features. Cavalli kept his head low, but his deep indigo eyes were alive and attentive; he'd never been trusting of strangers. Adult strangers, more appropriately. Especially in this land he knew very little about, he would remain guarded. Cavalli heard only the tail-end of the mare's dialogue, but he'd arrived in time to hear her ask if the filly had been calling for someone. He had wondered that himself, but it had been made apparent that the foal was seeking, with vigor, her parents. "She's," he started slowly, breathing a sigh through his pinkish nostrils before continuing to the inquisitive mare, "looking for her parents...I think..." His attention pivoted over to the filly, who reflected the longing tone in her pleas she'd made moments before. Word Count: 441 OOC: Sorry for the wait @[Zahra] & @[Bellisma] RE: Graceless - Zahra - 04-24-2015
@[Bellisma] & @[Cavalli] RE: Graceless - Bellisma - 04-26-2015 Bellisma
Tiny nostrils flare at the appearance of a stallion, green eyes widen in anxiety at the proximity of the cream and tan stud. Though it was only the scent that gave him away as male, for the graceful lines of his body were nearly as feminine as Bellisma’s. So she stayed her flighty hooves, body stiff in uncertainty. Her eyes narrow in confusion at the sight of his limp wings, and she- nearly- forgets her fear. Caution keeps her from closing the gap between her and the cremello man, but at least she doesn’t place the foal between them. Small ears twitch at the sounds of his voice, and she shifts uneasily. Green gaze recognizes the discomfort of the stallion that mirrors her own. Interesting, the thought passes through her mind, surprisingly not aloud for it seemed her tongue waved every thought to the air, since she had come to Helovia. Though her body is facing the stud- hind directed away from him- her face swings to the filly as she corrects the man’s statement. “Bird?” Certainly the little creature appeared to be more of a pup than a chick, and this thought took Bell’s entire attention. Lovely features became perplexed and she tilted her dainty head slightly. She flicked her gaze nervously to the lean stallion, his wings, and then back to the young duo, before taking a few hesitant steps to the foal. What did this little creature eat? “Perhaps eggs?” Her simple question was spoken warily, quite unsure of herself. But even the golden doll enjoyed an egg as a rare treat from her past master. After an evening spent pleasing him- she shook her head to free herself from such unpleasant memories, her golden mane splaying like silk about her neck. She was free now. Now was the time to find a nest. Eyes upturned to the branches of some of the smaller trees, straining to discern the outline of a nest. The filtered sunlight illuminated the jade from within, nearly making them glow. And glow they did- in excitement a moment later as she (miraculously quickly and conveniently) spotted a small nest in a rather young sapling. Turning her face from the sun and to the slender- though still larger than herself- stallion, she haltingly asked “Could-could you knock that down?” She hoped there would be eggs, nature’s most complete protein, in the wiry nest. Her bell-like voice, which had been quiet when addressing the stallion, warmed as she turned to the filly, “I am Bellisma. Do you and your little bird have a name?” Perhaps it was rude of her to not introduce herself to the stallion, “You, as well?” her voice hushed once more as she turned her gaze to the stud, but stayed closer to the filly. ooc| Okay so first, sorry for take a few days to respond. Secondly, ugh I know this is a lame post, but I couldn’t think of anything besides eggs u.u forgive me. hah. @[Zahra] @[Cavalli] Nature's first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower; but only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf, so Eden sank to grief. So dawn goes down day. Nothing gold can stay. -Frost RE: Graceless - Cavalli - 04-29-2015 CAVALLI Dissolvable & tasteless; is there a powder to erase this? Drops of sunlight leaked like liquid gold through the scattered opacity of the leaves and needles above, flickering and fluttering strange patterns onto Cavalli's otherwise lackluster pelt. As he stood among his company (of whom, he'd concluded to himself, were a peculiar pairing) his inky gaze drifted listlessly from figure to figure. He couldn't help but to notice the unsettled demeanor of the mare stranger - her brilliant emerald irises switched almost nervously from him to the filly - but he said nothing regarding the apparent edge in the shifting of her slender, chestnut limbs. Cavalli's half-hearted attention was severed from the mare and back to the child he'd followed when she flashed her teeth in an excited fashion toward him. She seemed to be attempting to communicate something very urgent, immediate, and his ears rocked forward. The stallion listened to the child's juvenescent voice, nodding gently as he heard the words bird and 'ungry. Even so, the dull presence of confusion bloomed on the edges of his brain. It was difficult speaking to a child; his own intellect seemed to be draining away. A weak, fragile whine manifested itself in the air, and at first Cavalli was unsure of its origin, but he remembered in that moment the small pup that had ridden between the young wings of the filly. That's Bird? he ventured mentally, squinting carefully at the petite, furry form of the pup. What kind of name is that? Then the golden equine gave a suggestion, a rather careful proposition. Eggs? Cavalli lifted his head gently so that his eyes could meet hers, but her vert gaze had already upturned to the canopies, and he followed it up to the unmistakable outline of a small bird's nest. The female's voice came again, this time directed towards him. "If I knock it down," he started after a moment, pupils drifting around the equine's soft-featured face, "the eggs will just break." Ah, gravity was a bitch. Cavalli turned his speckled face upwards towards the nest above, estimating its height from where he stood. If he reached far enough, there was a possibility that he could take a portion of the nest in his teeth and bring it down safely without damaging the precious treasures inside. Giving a small sigh that fluttered from his pinkish nostrils, Cavalli's hooves delicately took a few steps back. The nest was suspended in a smaller sapling tree, one he could was almost certain he could reach if he tried hard enough. His face remained tilted up, eyes scrutinizing the figure of the nest, and he used what amount of muscle he had to hoist the upper part of his body from the ground. Rearing back onto slender hind legs, he strained his neck to attempt to reach the nest with his snout. Pinkish front hooves bobbed aimlessly, suspended in the air as he reached for the prize. However, after a few seconds passed, a surrendering snort released from his nose and his front limbs returned to the earth with a heavy thud. Determinted but quietly so, he squinted at the nest, turning his body beneath it so that he might find a more precise angle. Cream hued tendrils of his tail whipped against his flank once, and he maneuvered himself so that he was directly under the nest's outline. Tensing his muscles, he lifted his upper body again into the air, balancing on his hind legs. Reeeaach, he growled internally to himself, nape excerting force so that it might stretch just enough to find the cache. Finally, oily lips brushed against leaf and twig, and he used his teeth to gently seize the corner of the bird's creation. This time when he landed, he bore gifts. Carefully, Cavalli lowered his head and placed the nest near the filly and the pup. "This what you need?" He blinked down at the nest's interior. Two ivory eggs seemed to gleam from within. He stepped back gently, and turned his denim gaze back towards the mare. She'd asked him his name, as she had previously the filly. "Cavalli," he breathed, after learning hers, and he went back to watching the child. Word Count: 692 OOC: @[Zahra] & @[Bellisma] RE: Graceless - Zahra - 05-03-2015
@[Bellisma] & @[Cavalli] RE: Graceless - Bellisma - 05-03-2015 Bellisma
Surprise and diluted admiration sprang onto the sculpted, golden face- was she impressed? Indeed, the spotted cream stud had unintentionally impressed Bellisma. She didn’t even know she could be impressed by a stallion- didn’t she always fear them? Whether it was because he listened to her suggestion, intelligently went about getting the eggs without breaking them, or has strained to reach for the nest (or perhaps a combination all things)- the dainty doll found the warm feeling settling in her barrel. A glimmer of a smile graced her tiny lips, body and eyes relaxing. As the stud had been reaching into the trees, and she had found the little smoke, white, and gold filly pushing closed to her side. She enjoyed the closeness and warmth of the small body- more than she expected to. A lot, in fact. Sadness fleetingly crossed her face. A tuliped ear flicked towards the filly as she spoke, ’Da flies,’ and Bell pressed her own hot hide against the little one’s body in an effort to hush her. Green gaze flicks imperceptibly to the limp wings of the stallion- they hung almost like a cape- before her eyes settle on the movement of the bird-pup towards the ivory egg bounty. Her coat, no longer tense, rippled as it felt the navy gaze of the stud, ’Cavalli’. Tiny ears twitch at his breathy voice, and her own jade eyes collided with his denim one. “The pleasure is mine, Cavalli,” a lifetime of training made the words sound stilted, but her tone was warm- warmer than she expected it to be, in fact. Her small smile faded as she lost the warmth of the filly from her side. Though it returned as a full beam at the careful pronunciation of Zahra’s name. The doll’s smile- it did wonders to her already pretty face. It illuminated, erased the shadows of fear, shed beauty. It was lovely. She continued to smile, this time in reassurance, at Zahra, “Apparently your little ‘Bird’ enjoyed the eggs,” she paused, glancing at Cavalli, “Perhaps some thanks are in order, little Zahra?” This was a sight to behold! The little, terrified Bellisma acting motherly and calm around a strange stallion! Perhaps what she needed was to be needed. Perhaps that’s what any broken soul needed. Indeed, just the presence of the filly had the mare glowing. Her past captor had robbed her of so many foals through beatings and miscarriages… Once again the light dimmed out of her as her smile faded and darkness returned. “I think your bird is more of a fox, Zahra,” in an effort to suppress her memories, she made a comment about Bird. A searching look was given to Cavalli, perhaps for confirmation of her observation. Perhaps for direction at what she should- or could- do next. Discomfort crept back into her frame as some of her muscles stiffened. A swish of her tail sent a cascade of golden silk through the cool forest air, before she re-clamped it tightly over her hind. At least we had made momentary progress! She had relaxed around the stallion! “You said she was searching for her parents?” she looked to the stallion, gaze bouncing nervously from his eyes, to his chest, to his muzzle, “Do you know who they are or where they might be?” This question was aimed to Cavalli, but was open to the little one, as well. “You’re probably as hungry as Bird,” again warmth crept into her words as she directed the last statement to Zahra. A calming breath quietly and slowly left her barrel through her delicate black nostrils. Anxiety had begun clawing through the warmth and relaxation put there by Zahra and Cavalli. The forest was dark, a stallion near, she knew only vaguely where the Falls was. Her thin skin twitched. ooc| So I may have gotten the sequence of events out of order… Sorry! >.< @[Cavalli] @[Zahra] Nature's first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower; but only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf, so Eden sank to grief. So dawn goes down day. Nothing gold can stay. -Frost RE: Graceless - Cavalli - 05-05-2015 CAVALLI Dissolvable & tasteless; is there a powder to erase this? His brain was splattered with muted emotions of both pleasure and relief when the puny body of the multiple-tailed creature scrambled hastily to the nest’s side. Half-veiled by immobile wings, his slim but tepid barrel rose and fell softly with an inaudible sigh. It didn’t take long for the ivory riches within the nest to be consumed - the foxlike pup ate, no, inhaled the eggs at an impressive rate - and after she’d feasted violently the stallion shifted his attention to Zahra. Deep blue irises flickered across the filly’s gaping mouth and then to her pale golden stare which was laced with concern. A tiny noise of humor threatened to escape the confines of his muzzle, but instead he suppressed it and merely watched his company. Cavalli noticed, vaguely, the way that their bodies had apparently gravitated toward each other during his quest for the nest. Zahra’s painted, gangly figure pressed near Bellisma’s, and as the sunlight pencilled down from the Orangemoon heavens and illuminated their close outlines, they resembled mother and daughter. The mocha-freckled pegasus wondered privately if Bellisma was ever a mother herself (he’d witnessed her face grow soft and welcoming at Zahra’s presence). As he searched her delicate, amber hued face for any other clues to hint motherhood, she ventured to speak. The pleasure is mine, Cavalli, she’d said, tone friendly and warm. Although he didn’t respond verbally, the stallion allowed the pale corners of his mouth to flicker into a fleeting smile (it was only polite) and gave a short dip of his crown. After the puppy had rolled her tongue across her whiskers, erasing the last traces of yolk from her muzzle, Bellisma directed a question toward him. This time, however, when navy eyes touched her face he noticed the brightness had dissipated somewhere far. And while her dynamic facials intrigued him so, he blinked slowly before answering. “Yeah,” he offers, pinched ears wilting towards Zahra. “Pretty certain she’s lost, I think, but...” He wasn’t quite sure what words to tack onto the ending of the sentence - he’d learned recently that his mellow dialogue wasn’t winsome - but his breath tapered away and he let his shoulders lift and fall in an unknowing shrug. The forest that seemed to swallow them up, he decided in this moment, was ominous and rather unfitting for such creatures as themselves. Impressive firs and pines appeared nearly animate, as if they possessed souls of their own. Their bark skin was dark and draped with shadows still virgin to the trickling sunshine. Twisting vegetation and thick layers of fallen leaves littered the floor, looming obstacles taunting Cavalli and his pathetic, flightless hunks of deadweight. It had taken a considerable amount of time to arrive here in this foreign land, and there was no doubt it would be just as difficult to maneuver (if not, more so) when this encounter drew to a close. And this time he wouldn’t have the noisy, childish gait of the filly to guide him. Tilting his head to the distance, his flecked face grew grim. The perpetual search for nothing in particular would begin again; and there was no telling how long it would last this time. The feminine mare’s voice drifted through the atmosphere again. He turned his face back towards her. You’re probably as hungry as Bird... Cavalli gave a soft swish of his tassel in agreement, gaze balancing back onto Zahra. He doubted she was old enough to digest raw grass and vegetation for a main source of nutrition, but if she couldn’t fill her assumably hungry belly with these things that grew so naturally in this land, what would satisfy her? “Definitely imperative we find her mother,” he said neutrally. “Unless she can eat something that grows from the earth, she will need milk.” Word Count: 638 OOC: @[Zahra] & @[Bellisma] RE: Graceless - Zahra - 05-08-2015
@[Bellisma] & @[Cavalli] RE: Graceless - Bellisma - 05-14-2015 Bellisma
An outright laugh escaped her mouth- the sound tinkling like sweet bells. The filly’s face of disgust at the dandelion was incredibly amusing. Still giggling, she walked to the base of a particularly gnarled pine and picked a few of the last, tender clovers and brought them back to Zahra, “You might like these better, Zahra,”. She was smiling as she glanced to Cavalli. “It has been some time since we left the Falls. I think it is time to return- I think it is safe to return,” she nodded as she spoke, “I think your mother would be fine with you leaving the forest now, she finished her thought. Another thought then floated into her head, and her ears flickered uncertainly to the cream spotty stallion, “Are you of a herdlands here, Cavalli? You are welcome to join us to the Falls-” her voice grew to quiet chimes, “In fact, I think we’d welcome the company.” Indeed, a journey back to the Falls, with a tired filly and infant pup, through the ominous forest- it was a long trek and not a pleasant one. Especially with the dying light, “And I do not wish to stay in this forest past nightfall…” she glanced anxiously around them in the dimming light, the shadows growing longer by the minute. Gently, velveteen muzzle nudged the filly and softly brushed over the pup, “Little ones, now is not the place for resting. We should be on our way,” though the meaning of her words were stern, her voice floated kindly over the young creatures. She returned her attention to the ivory stallion, “I’m certain you’d like the Falls. It’s beautiful to see…” her voice again trailed off, and her eyes nervously bounced around his face and body. ooc| So so so sorry about the delay. I just had zero muse or ideas for her. I forced this post out, so it’s icky. And I figured she could invite Cavalli back to the Falls? He’s welcome to join! @[Zahra] @[Cavalli] Nature's first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower; but only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf, so Eden sank to grief. So dawn goes down day. Nothing gold can stay. -Frost RE: Graceless - Cavalli - 05-16-2015 CAVALLI Dissolvable & tasteless; is there a powder to erase this? Evening's birth, indicated by lengthening darkness and dissipating light, filled him with quiet despondency. Night would come like an unkindness. Its heavy, lonesome hand would lay across the forest, drenching everything in chilled blackness (Orangemoon was not as forgiving as Tallsun) and Cavalli's aimless search would resume. Recalling the previous days and nights he'd spent in solitary voyage - which had proved both physically and mentally taxing - a feeling of melancholy descended upon him. He contemplated the difficulty of passing out of the forest, whose floor was riddled with natural, fallen debris and withering undergrowth. What a maze it would be to lug himself through with browned vegetation reaching and tugging at his dragging wings as if beckoning him back into the shadowy depths. Pinkish nostrils rattled with a sigh. The slender stallion switched his gaze over to Zahra just in time to see her spit out a glistening mouthful of golden dandelion. Cavalli's neutral ears swung upward, and he watched with subtle wonder as the black and white filly puckered out of disgust. Bellisma's songlike laughter played daintily in the cooling air before she took motherly initiative to retrieve another snack for the child. Ink-blue eyes watched her honey frame as she approached again, this time carrying a clump of clover between her lips. He inwardly hoped the small, greenish plants would at least keep the hungry filly from the worse aggressions of starvation. With suppressed pity, the male peered down Zahra, who'd taken her place among the forest floor next to the pup. Both seemed exhausted. His lips drooped downward in a gentle frown as he vaguely heard Zahra's mumbles. It was the mare's voice that brought him back again. "Are you of a herdlands here, Cavalli? You are welcome to join us to the Falls..." His attention lifted away from the resting children. Herdlands? His narrow face gave a shake, no. He'd only just recently entered Helovia, and the only creatures he'd so far stumbled across were them. Her offer repeated in his mind, echoing within his skull: ...join us to the Falls... The thought of going back to somewhere even remotely similar to where he'd escaped from made him cringe. He'd rather receive a thousand deaths an outcast than one life in the empire of his mother's. Scenes of blood and divide and cruelty threatened to flood the banks of his brain, but he closed his eyes gently and ignored their raging. "I don't...know," he began choppily, opening his eyes and settling their inky gaze on Bellisma. Are your people bloodthirsty and psychotic, deranged and consumed by nothing more than their own selfish hungers? Uncertainty bred tension. "I don't know." He shifted his wieght from hoof to hoof. His eyes flickered from the petite mare to the Zahra and her companion, and then back to the mare again. He noticed the subtle curving of her outline, the kindness displayed on her face, and radiant green eyes that danced about him. This isn't what bloodthirsty looks like. You're going insane. Cavalli let another short breath release from his nostrils. His ears captured Bellisma's kind voice telling him that the Falls were beautiful, and that he would like it there, and this eased him - though only slightly. "Maybe," he murmured to her, face still and observing. "It's safe, you said?" Word Count: 552 OOC: @[Zahra] & @[Bellisma]; and no worries smitty! (-: |