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fire and ice - Official - 06-09-2012 Hikaru March 2nd, 2012 at 8:44am Where was she? Hikaru couldn't tell, whichever direction she looked. There was no up and there was no down, no dark and no light, no sight nor sound; there was nothing. She swung her head to look behind her, or at least she thought she did since she couldn't actually feel herself moving. Still she saw nothing, not even darkness, which confused her since she was sure she had just been dragging herself through a wooded valley just moments ago. She had been so tired, so very tired, after abandoning her Guardian duties and fleeing as quickly as physically possible from her vengeful masters. As the scenery had progressed from dry desert to grasslands and then to the lush forest, Hikaru's stamina had almost depleted and she had found herself stumbling along through sheer willpower. She hadn't been as blessed with physical prowess as she had been with her magic, and so she had finally given in to her body's complaints and taken shelter beneath some trees, sagging against the strangely soothing trunks. Finally not having to focus on moving, the fire-unicorn realised through her exhaustion that her herd members had probably given up by now. She was pretty far into what the herd called the Devil's Waters, based on their superstitions about the elements being connected to everything, including directions. The chestnut mare had barely managed a weak chuckle at her former herd's beliefs before her eyes began to close and then all was nothing. She supposed, then, that she must be either asleep or passed out and this odd situation of not being able to sense or do anything was a very odd dream. Suddenly a warmth spread through her, flowing from the tip of her white horn to her legs, which she suddenly could feel shivering. Then her hearing returned and she realised there was something barking, though muted as it was it took her a few seconds to recognise the sounds. Consciousness was slowly returning, Hikaru trying in vain to stamp her feet or shake her neck to hasten the process, but soon she could see white and green around her. It was snow, she realised with a slightly startled glance, covering the ground and tree branches in abundance. Blinking slowly, Hikaru realised she wasn't as cold as she should have been and knew exactly whom she had to thank for that. Twisting her neck gracefully, Hikaru gently nuzzled the small fire-foxes that had draped themselves along her length, from her white horn to her white tail, and shared their warmth with her. She was glad to have her summons back with her, after having sent them away before making her escape, however there was no doubt in her mind that their appearance would draw other creatures seeking warmth. She was unsure whether to keep moving or stay where she was - she no longer had to fear pursuers from her own herd but she didn't know what could be lurking in the dark of the forest. Still weary from travelling, Hikaru remained standing beneath the tree with it's splayed out branches, deciding to await whatever was drawn by her fox-spirits and their fiery glow that promised relief from the bitter cold. Kri the Resolute March 2nd, 2012 at 12:32pm “Peculiar,” I say as my blue eyes fall on the wriggling flame bodies of what looked like small wolves. Their posture was different, though, but I could tell they were of a similar family. Foxes, maybe. They surrounded the body of white below them, a mare, from the look of it. I tilt me head to the side as I watch them tumble and play on her flesh, though without causing any damage, not even singeing the delicate hairs on her frame. There was warmth radiating from their bodies, even from this distance, so I had no doubt they were plenty capable of burning. Aside from that, the snow surrounding the mare was melted instantly, dampening the ground below her, but leaving her in relative warmth. Myself, I had wrapped my wings around my side and back, thick winter coat surrounding the parts of my body that were not so easily protected. Envious of this little girl, who could fall asleep in the dead of winter, and still wake up without hypothermia. Foolish, too, to fall asleep unguarded in an unfamiliar territory. Though, I suppose I didn’t know for certain if she was a foreigner here, though she did not have the same scent of a Helovian. Thalia had been the closest to a native that I had found, since she had been here for many years, it seemed. This mare, lying on the ground, did not share her same makeup. So, I would settle on the fact that she was from another place, far from this one. A weary traveler, much like I had been when I entered the Threshold. My blue eyes look away from her playing pups to her face, calm and curious. I smirk at her then, just before speaking. “It is unwise to sleep in such a place.” I meant this girl no harm, but there were always darker souls creeping in the most unlikely places. “If someone else had come along, this meeting could have been very different.” A chiding tone, like a mother would give to her misbehaving child. I had adopted this tone not long after the birth of my daughter, out of a growing need to protect her from her own foolish actions. “I am Kri the Resolute.” Hikaru March 2nd, 2012 at 2:33pm Tired as she was, Hikaru stiffened slightly as footsteps reached her twitching ears, muffled by the snow and closely packed tree branches; she hadn't survived her Guardian training by being lax in her watch. Soon a word also touched her senses, as well as the sight and smell of a winged-horse emerging from the snow-ridden forest. Hikaru had seen creatures like this before in her herd, though they had been rare enough that none had been within the ranks of the Guard and she had merely known they existed. Pegasus, she remembered they were called, though she didn't know the reason behind the name - perhaps she would ask the stranger later if they turned out to be nice - nor anything else about them. Watching the resident mare closely, Hikaru wondered if the stranger would say anything else since she seemed to have decided to stay near and observe. The younger mare thought that maybe the pegasus - she liked that word - wanted her to take the initiative and introduce herself. After all, Hikaru was new to the land, as well as social interactions, and perhaps it was custom for the intruder to commence with the introductions. Nodding her head gently, Hikaru had begun rehearsing an introduction when a strange expression marked the beginning of conversation by the pegasus, causing her ears to twitch again in order to catch any and all nuances in the important words. She hadn't had much practice in social interactions, so she listened carefully to the mare's words, and when her reply came, it emerged slightly stiff and more formal than she had wished. "I do not know what, or whom, it is that could wish me harm here in this unknown land but I will take heed of your words, Mistress Kri." Forcing herself back upon weary hooves, Hikaru turned to face the strange winged-mare, lowering her neck slightly in deference. For a reason beyond her conscious understanding, the unicorn could tell that the mare before her was someone to be regarded with respect and listened to. Perhaps it was her voice - scolding, but at the same time motherly and so different from the reprimands Hikaru was used to, which lacked any of the kindness in Kri's words. "My name is Hikaru. I am grateful you have chosen to greet me, even on a night such as this. It must have been quite troublesome, with the weather being what it is. If it pleases you, my little ones could provide you with warmth as they have with me and you could relax your lovely wings." Hikaru attempted to smile at Kri, but wasn't sure how successful it was in reality since her lips had had little practice forming such a shape. Hoping she wasn't being inconsiderate, Hikaru quickly glanced around, attempting to scan the distance for anything that could be approaching in search of her magic's warmth. Seeing nothing, the chestnut unicorn turned her attention back to the welcomer, awaiting her answer. Kri the Resolute March 3rd, 2012 at 3:04pm “It was no trouble,” I say, my voice very matter-of-fact. I had no intention to greet this girl, truthfully, until I saw her laying in the snow, in the dark, devoid of any form of protection aside from the foxes which glowed and wriggled around her. I was thankful to see her rise from the cold ground, though, even if she had miniature little pyres to keep her warm through the bitter winter night. The frogs at the bottom of my hooves could feel, very distinctly, just how chill of a bed the floor of this forest made. “After all, I have no home to return to, presently.” Her offer to lend me some of her fire was especially strange to me. My blue eyes glace at the moving forms hesitantly. The natural instinct of a horse would be to avoid such flames, but they were of no harm to this Hikaru. The smile which was placed on her face was awkward, crooked, and very unpracticed. The action itself made me laugh, a golden sound that bounced from the trees and warmed my cooling skin. “Your assistance could be appreciated, Hikaru.” My head motions to some of the foxes between us. Warmth would be appreciated. There was something decidedly unlearned about this girl that was fascinating. While she had clearly mastered speech, there was a hesitance in her voice that made me think she had never used such a thing socially. That was quite hard to believe - communication the very root of a social interaction, and language one of the foremost ways to communicate. Her smile, also, made me feel as though she had never had a warm relationship with anyone. What kind of place had this girl called home for so long, to deprave her of camaraderie? “From where do you hail, Hikaru?” I ask, my face curious and eyes in attention. Hikaru March 6th, 2012 at 6:59am As Kri spoke once more, Hikaru was again put at ease by her casual and business-like handling of the conversation. She had thought her awkward conversation skills would deter any stranger she came across but the pegasus mare had continued on like her lengthy diatribe had been perfectly normal. Anxiousness, once again stirred at the continuation of the authoritative mare's sentence. This winged-one had no home to return to? How was she, Hikaru the novice conversationalist, supposed to respond to a statement like that? Or even more importantly, was she meant to respond at all. Was this a test after all? Trying to retain the expression on her face, Hikaru's ears twitched almost frantically as questions and rehearsed responses circled her mind at a dizzying rate. Movement halted mid-fuss as a strange sound broke the silence between the two mares, Hikaru's delicate ears coming to attention at the unfamiliar noise. She had heard this sound before, somewhere, from a distance maybe, within the herd members going about their daily routines. It was laughter. Joyous laughter. It was beautiful. Brown eyes focused, wide and curious, upon the silver bay mare as if she was an interesting specimen. Thoughts about how she could again incite laughter from the other mare almost made the naive mare miss hearing Kri's acceptance of her magic. Strange yips and barks passed between her and the foxes perched upon her bi-coloured body. Soon two fox shapes - one scampering from her horn, the other floating from her shoulders - moved to drape themselves along the chilled, dappled body, bodies and fluffy tails emitting a comfortable amount of heat. The question emitted afterwards made Hikaru pause, unsure whether she could answer Kri's query without launching into another strangely formed, lengthy torrent of words. After the earlier statement of the shorter mare having no home, Hikaru had thought anything after would be easy to respond to. As the silence between them grew lengthier, the timid mare knew she had to break it or she would probably back out and keep silent on the matter. She wanted, just this once, to have someone listen to her troubles. "There is an unnamed land, far south of this one. It was once a good place to live, celebrating both the gods and the elements. Now the herd is over zealous in its dedication to the Flame God and enslaved to their religion, as I was." The words came, slow and hesitant at first, before the younger mare could no longer withhold her emotion, though whether it was sadness, loathing or pity that she felt for her previous home she could not decide. "The members of the herd do not recognise how much suffering goes on in the name of their Flame God. They see only what they are told to see, what they want to see, and for that I loathe them." Over the years, enduring the pain and the bloodshed and deaths of her caste-mates, she had never said a word for the good of the herd. Memories flitted at the edge of her mind, brown eyes becoming slightly wet. The fiery foxes, noticing her shift in emotion, dimmed visibly, ears and whiskers drooping slightly as they tried to express the emotion she couldn't. "Yet there is also pity because they will not be as lucky as I was. They will never escape." Kri the Resolute March 21st, 2012 at 2:31pm Her eyes felt heavy on my body, but that did not hold back the burst of laughter that I exhale into the cold, winter air. She seems to be a bit timid, this Hikaru. I thought her strange first for laying in the snow, but I had no idea of the quirks that surround her. Those curious brown eyes watch me with a similar fascination, as though we are two very different individuals somehow brought into the presence of one another. It is the innocent, wide-eyed gawking that leads me to trust this strange girl. For everything she was, Hikaru was anything but dangerous. The fire foxes squirm and bark, one drifting through the air, needing no touch of the ground to spur its movement, and the other launching from her horn toward my body. Muscles tense, as if expecting the sting of flames and burning flesh, but my senses do not collect such alarming injuries. Instead, just a warm glow, like the kiss of the sun, surround the areas where the little flames bound and wiggle on my body. Even my delicate feathers are unaffected by the fire of the two figures. Mesmerized, my blue eyes watch them dance on my body for a time. The light stings my eyes slightly, but I cannot seem to draw them away from the fiery faces that glimmer at me. Simplistic happiness in their feral faces; I gladly return it with a smile. Turning my attention back to Hikaru, I question her previous whereabouts. The strange magic and behavior was fascinating to me, having met very few outside of the realm of Isilme. Even Helovia, it seems, was flooded with my old countrymen. As the younger mare began to speak, my ears tug forward in attention, hearing the first sign of pure emotion pouring through in her vocals. A sensitive topic, it appears, as it pulls at the heartstrings that had remained otherwise buried. Such a strong connection forms between you and your home; I knew that well. Religion, however, was a different story entirely. I had never understood the worship of Gods. Having met one, gotten much too close, I know very well the hideous gluttony and pride they possess. Hikaru speaks in a downtrodden voice, though it is blended in a mixture of pity and sadness. She too, I feel, is jaded about religion. “Sounds like you made the right choice to make a run for it,” I say, my voice calm, but still powerful. This mare, though a bit odd, still has a strength in her heart that I admire. There is a glow of life in each of those brown eyes that has not been snuffed out by the tragedy she recalls from her past. A strong body, a warm heart - it is enough to bring another smile to my face. “Welcome to Helovia. I hope you find a better life here.” |