the Rift


[PRIVATE] Stranger in a strange land

Kelec Posts: 18
Aurora Basin Crafter
Stallion :: Other :: 18 hh :: 24 Buff: NOVICE
Adoptable
#1
Politics and new meetings aside, there were needs every creature had to fill. Food was a sad necessity for all, and it was common sense for all centaurs to start searching for it before you started to get grumpy. Who, after all, had the patience to stand for hours on end on an open plain, with the wind tugging at mane and tail and snow drifting around the fetlocks while waiting for a hare to fall for the trap when the stomach was growling?

It came without saying that their appetite was the biggest weakness of any oh his kind, and there were many myths and fables revolving around the subject of their tummies. Food was a constant element in all the tales, whether as the source of argument or the resolution to strife; with two stomachs and a high maintenance body it wasn't all that surprising, and thus it was that hunting, gathering and eating was one of the more regular tasks for Kelec.

For now however, the work was over. A fire built from a dead pine tree crackled merrily before him, it's light illuminating the landscape in the gathering dusk. Earlier in the day the sun had been warming the snow into a soft, wet slush during the day, but now that the sun had disappeared a thin crust had formed, glittering and treacherous under the light of the dancing northern lights. It was cold, but where he camped in the delve between two gently rising hills the winds were gentle and the campfire provided all the assistance he needed in staying alive. And, best of all; hanging on wooden spits over the warming flames were fresh pieces of newly caught ptarmigan, the fat, plump meat of the bird slowly roasting while giving off a scent that made the mouth of the omnivore water in anticipation. He hummed where he stood and waited, arms crossed over the vest-clad chest and chestnut hips tilted in a relaxed stance. An image of complete calm, of supreme contentment as golden light caressed the tanned skin and reflected within glittering blue eyes.

Kelec found that he rather enjoyed this unforgiving, seemingly barren landscape. It was cold and harsh, darkness fell quickly in the evening and the sun was slow to rise. Despite this there were plenty of life to be found, from wild birds and rodents to small carnivores and quite a lot of hawks and other birds of prey. Not too long ago he had seen a snow falcon take a hare in a daring swoop, only to quickly begin devouring the red meat. It had been able to feast for some time, until the moment a small white fox had found the fresh kill. The falcon had tried to defend its food, but not surprisingly the fox had won and soon disappeared with its prize - leaving the white bird disappointed and unsatisfied.

Not unlike his own situation, come to think of it. But whether he was the hare, the falcon or the fox remained to be seen; all the centaur knew was that it would be wise to wait, to listen and learn before he did something. He itched to create something for himself, form a place he could call his own and make a living; but the unicorns he had met so far seemed slow to decide, unwilling to accept too much change at one time. Would they permit him to assist them in creating a more comfortable life? Would they stand to see him alter the shape of their valley, to suit his own needs and theirs too?

A log fell to the ground in a pile of charred coals, sending a cloud of red sparks towards the nightly sky. The red-haired horseman leaned down and threw a few more branches onto the pyre, then reached for one of the spits - and froze. A sound had caught his ears, turned his attention away from the alluring meal and out into the night. Slowly, while holding his breath he turned the head to the side and glanced towards the edge of the light, at a pair of golden, glowing eyes that peered back uncertainly. For a moment the half-horse and the lone wolf stared at each other, both unwilling to look away; then Kelec smiled quietly and reached the final few inches towards the meat and picked it up, pulled a good-sized chunk off the stick and threw it out into the cold. The the canine leaped into the air and caught the warm meat in its powerful jaws, a single slender movement exuding power and grace. It landed, gave the peculiar creature a single curt nod - and disappeared, as silently and suddenly as it had arrived.

"Well, that was... odd" the stud mumbled quietly to himself after a while before digging his teeth into the rest of the meat. He remained silent after that while consuming his meal - alone, enjoying the night and the dancing shadows that surrounded him.

@[Ranjiri]

Vadim Posts: 106
Outcast atk: 4.5 | def: 8.5 | dam: 6
Stallion :: Hybrid :: 17.1 :: 5 HP: 64.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Vlasi :: Common Rougarou :: Water ali
#2

Master, Master, where's the dreams that I've been after?
He has traveled a long way north from the dark protectiveness of the forest in the south. The young stallion is so far north that snow crunches under his hooves and balls of ice form at his heels. His breath fogs the air in front of his face and icicles are beginning to form on the whiskers around his mouth and under his chin. It is colder than he ever remembers but it has been a long time since he's come this way. He still remembers the last time, though. It is hard for him to forget how much time he spent trailing behind his brother like a dog on a leash and it is even harder to forget the disapproving looks he'd received from the two females he had seen all that time ago. Most of all he couldn't forget the look he'd seen on his brother's face time and again.

Vadim stops and stands, lost in thought as he reflects on his family, childhood, and past experiences. It is several minutes later before he realizes that he has begun to tremble. Snowflakes pelt his face and the icy wind whips his hair back. The stallion snorts and lowers his head against the wind and begins to walk again. He has no direction, never has, and probably will never have a direction.

Time continues to drag on and the stallion continues his aimless wandering, but there is something that makes him stop. Something that makes him stare. Something that makes him listen and smell the air. The glowing he sees in the distance reminds him of fire. Of the sun, but it is far too small to be the sun rising and it is the wrong direction for sunrise. He can smell the faint hint of smoke, but above that he can smell wolves and something else that he is not quite sure of. He thinks he can hear the crackling fire, but he is only kidding himself.

Against his better judgement Vadim walks toward the glowing fire with a hint of vigor in his step. He has a destination now, but as he grows closer he stops. Illuminated by the fire is a creature that he's never seen before and so the stallion chooses to remain outside of the fire's light and observe from the darkness. The smell of wolf is stronger here and he can hear the growling. Moments later he sees the wolf and he watches the unknown creature as it feeds the wolf before it disappears. The creature then speaks and Vadim's brow furrows.

He debates leaving, especially because the creature is a meat eater and feeds wolves, but underneath it all he is a very curious being. Vadim steps slowly from the darkness into the fire's light, head tilted slightly as he gazes quietly and calmly at the creature.





bg - table - manip

Icon by Tay

Kelec Posts: 18
Aurora Basin Crafter
Stallion :: Other :: 18 hh :: 24 Buff: NOVICE
Adoptable
#3
One creature disappeared, another arrived. It almost always seemed to be the case with things. Old things disappeared, new ones were created and replaced the ones that came before. It was true for all the living beings, and certainly appeared to hold true for his everyday life as well. How often had he not been found by this animal or that in need of aid, just as another left in good health? And yet he did not mind the comings and goings of the spirits around him. Kelec was a social being, he enjoyed having others around him. All the more if the creatures were able to carry on a conversation, but it wasn't strictly necessary for an air of understanding to arise. Even as the tail of the wolf disappeared into the night the long-haired man began to anticipate the next encounter he would have; and he didn't have to wait long.

The movements of the centaur were slow and collected as he turned at the sounds of hooves over snow, and with calm interest he watched as a pale creature came into view. What he saw made the vest-clad chest heave in surprise, a deep intake of air that seemed to last a small eternity as it rushed from mouth and nose, through the lungs of one being and into the larger belches of another. Had the winter itself taken form and begun to wander the fields in this late spring? The slender, horned stallion that stepped into the circle of light was certainly pale enough to fit that role, steeped in white and marked with lines of palest blue on legs and face. He was a marvel to behold, like most of the magnificent unicorns he had seen since he arrived, and Kelec found himself smiling in silent pleasure over being allowed to behold all this beauty.

And so close, too! The legends had always described the horned cousins as shy, elusive creatures who kept their distance from the centaurs. They were said to be hosts of great power and very proud, far more intelligent than other animals and closely attuned to the land on which they lived. So far most of the stories seemed true, but some parts had been proven very incorrect.

"Good evening" he greeted softly with low voice as the blue-eyed stallion paused and gazed towards the half-man. Two pairs of blue orbs met, calm colliding with calm in soothing reassurance that nothing terribly out of the ordinary was going on; the chestnut reached out an arm to fetch himself another piece of meat from the fire and made a brief nudge with the head, inviting the horse closer.

"Come, and share the warmth with me. It is cold tonight."

Vadim Posts: 106
Outcast atk: 4.5 | def: 8.5 | dam: 6
Stallion :: Hybrid :: 17.1 :: 5 HP: 64.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Vlasi :: Common Rougarou :: Water ali
#4

Master, Master, where's the dreams that I've been after?
An ear flicks forward as the strange creature speaks and Vadim is mildly surprised that he can even understand its speech. Never before has he seen anything that looked so .. different. His blue eyes study the contours of his face before moving to his shoulders. His gaze follows the swirling black lines down his arms and his head tilts further as he then looks at the place where the strange, foreign body connects with a body that is all equine. How did this come to be, he wonders. What is he? Why is he here and why can I understand him?

The pale stallion's head raises and his body stiffens as the creature reaches for another piece of meat from the fire. The nudge of his head makes the pale stallion's eyes narrow critically, but then he speaks again and the stallion begins to relax slowly. The invitation to share the fire draws Vadim in closer and soon he feels the warmth of the flames licking at the front of his forelegs. Still, he stays on the opposite side of the fire from the creature, continuing to study him and wonder about him.

His tongue licks at his lips and he clears his throat, and to him the sound seemed deafening in the quiet and near tranquility that was the Frostbreath Steppe. Several minutes pass and he stretches his neck toward the half-horse and he sniffs. The scent is a strange mixture of many things and he is confident that he will never forget it.

The minutes tick by and Vadim remains curious about the half-horse until he can finally no longer stand it. Around them the world gradually alters from a snow-laden landscape to a calm meadow. Emerald green grass ripples and sways as the world continues to change and alter. Trees are added and the meadow turns into a forest. The pale stallion continues to study the stranger and he adds his likeness into the forest, then another, and another, and another and when he stops there is a whole herd of them in the forest that he created. Vadim then looks at Kelec, his question reflecting in the world he'd created around them as well as his eyes. How many of you are there?

"."



bg - table - manip

Icon by Tay

Kelec Posts: 18
Aurora Basin Crafter
Stallion :: Other :: 18 hh :: 24 Buff: NOVICE
Adoptable
#5

Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.




The red-haired man leaves the stallion alone to contemplate what to do. Rather than keep staring at the pale apparition he focuses on his meal, calmly filling his gut with warm meat until nothing but the bones are left. Those he toss on the flames, in a silent tribute and thanks to the flickering fire for providing the heat and the nourishment. It was a habit, a reflex earned in younger, more peaceful days when the elders had told stories about the spirits of the world, how everything around them was alive and had to be respected. Maybe it was stupid to keep practicing a faith he had never quite understood, but somehow it made the stud feel less... alone. The thought that somewhere, in some part of the world, his family were doing the exact same thing brought comfort to the soul.

The chirp of icy crystals compressing beneath a heavy weight made the centaur turn his head to his silent guest. It seemed the unicorn had decided to linger; it came padding towards him and settled on the other side of the pyre, wary yet curious; a mindset Kelec recognized very well. He offered a calming smile, in no hurry to break the silence that settled over them, as still and peaceful as the night. He amused himself instead with watching how the light of the fire danced over the snow, pushing and prodding shadows into a wild dance that turned the cold matter into glittering gems. It was calming, soothing; it was tempting to let sleep overwhelm him and drag him off into a deeper state of relaxation... but this was not the best place for it. He felt the gaze of the stranger like a pressure against the skin, heard the wind rush into quivering nostrils as his scent was taken in, measured, stored to memory. The chestnut would have done the same if he could, but his senses were weaker than the horse's, focused on different things. The eyesight was sharper to compensate for poor hearing, more focused, details appearing in greater clarity, and rather than a keen sense of smell his taste buds were greatly developed. And, of course, he was far more dexterous, what with the long arms and tactile fingers.

It seemed, however, that the unicorn was blessed with a sixth sense, one that left the lefiri way behind and instilled a sense of awed envy once he realized what was going on. As the dark landscape around the two of them began to fade away he blinked, wondering whether he had actually fallen asleep; but the cold of the night was still there, and if he shifted his weight the sensation of hooves sinking into snow remained as well.

"You... are very skilled" he breathed and turned slowly around on his hocks, mouth widening into an exhilarated grin as he took in the exquisite details of the illusion. Seeing himself appear among the trees actually startled the creature a bit; he flinched, hand reaching up to clutch around something behind the head - and grasped thin air as he remembered that he no longer carried his sword, that it was lost, stolen since many months. Containing a desire to lash out at the ghost visions the half-man frowned and turned the blue gaze between the unicorn and the growing host of centaurs, half suspicious, half curious and more than a little anguished over seeing creatures like himself.. for the first time in so very long.

It took a bit of thinking, but after a while the expression of the bearded face softened in understanding. A question. A very peculiar way of communicating; it made him wonder why the horse didn't simply raise his voice and speak.

Sighing softly he nodded that he understood. Lids fell down to cover the piercing gaze for a moment, and as he gathered his thoughts the deep voice of the fiery centaur filled the air, melodic and rhythmic in its strange accent.

"Legends say that the centauri was born from a union of two races" he began, the odd body settling down with tattooed arms folding comfortably across the chest. "They were a branch of the elven kindred who preferred the open plains, the lush vales and the endless horizon; they were the four legged equines of the prairie, wild and untamed, horses of all shapes and sizes who ran like the wind across the oceans of grass. The two lived side by side, aided and treasured one another; their foals and young grew up as brothers and sisters, and they thrived."

"It was then that a roaming mischievous god saw the life they lived and thought it a shame that the lives of the creatures were so different. And so he cast a spell over the two peoples, and when they awoke the next morning they had merged into one. Great was the horror and grief among the people at first, for they were two in one but the freedom for both seemed as though it had been stolen. The long lifespan of the elves had shortened, the shorter spans of the horse had been prolonged, and their bodies felt clumsy and monstrous. In their terror they waged war on themselves, men against men, women against women, and women against men. It nearly brought them all to ruin, and it would have ended in tragedy."

"But once again the roaming god came by, and saw what his prank had done. And he regretted and made it so that the children of the first generation would be not two in one, but simply one. No longer would the soul of the horse and the spirit of the elf battle in the same body, but they would be a single entity. And so it was done, and with that followed peace. The remnants of the once great clans scattered across the world, small groups settling down in valleys and forests, on mountains and by seas. Some continued to wage war, for it had become a lifestyle for many; others chose a more peaceful road and laid down their weapons.

The answer to your question, mellon, is that not even we know how many we are. In the vale I was born, Síochána Dál, we were a fairly large herd of around seventy... We also knew about two smaller settlements some distance away, that we had sporadic contact with, counting us to a rough total of one hundred and twenty. Beyond that, is only mystery."


He grew silent and let the gaze drop thoughtfully towards the flames, where the wood slowly was beginning to run out. There was no more to find on the barren plain, and so it would soon be growing cold and dark; unless the pale horse was going to keep this extensive illusion up for the rest of the night. It seemed a pleasant thought, but somewhat implausible - surely it had to be tiring to keep so many things in mind at once.


Taras Kalapun @ Flikr

Vadim Posts: 106
Outcast atk: 4.5 | def: 8.5 | dam: 6
Stallion :: Hybrid :: 17.1 :: 5 HP: 64.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Vlasi :: Common Rougarou :: Water ali
#6

Master, Master, where's the dreams that I've been after?
The pale stallion studies the centaur as he shapes his illusory world and he notes the expression on the half horse's face. He watches the tensing muscles and how he reaches for something behind his back that is no longer there. What is it he's reaching for? A weapon? He continues to stare, waiting for the centaur to finally understand that he is posing a question and when he finally does understand his expression softens and Vadim's does the same. Though he does not show it he is relieved that the centaur is intelligent enough to understand his question. It is the first time he's used his magic to communicate only because it is the first time he's believed someone intelligent enough to understand.

In response to his unspoken question Vadim receives a story that captures his attention and in doing so the illusion begins to fade. One by one the centaurs that he created disappear along with the forest, but Vadim maintains enough control to keep the lush green meadow he first created.

It was a story unlike any that Vadim has ever heard, including words for creatures that he does not know and has never seen with his own eyes. He tries to imagine them and they are reflected in the meadow as he does so. He gives them the same odd features of Kelec, but instead of a horse's body he puts them on two legs, though they are far from human looking. The stallion's eyes narrow and his blue tipped tail flicks against his hocks. They are strange and hairless beings like Kelec and he knows instinctively that he does not have their bodies correct because they look like hairless primates. That just cannot be right, he tells himself, and so he lets them disappear.

The half horse's story ends and his gaze drops to the fire, but the pale stallion continues to stare. There is more he wants to know. A name. Where he lives. But he knows he cannot ask those questions with magic alone and a displeased look flashes across the stallion's face and shows in his eyes. He does not like to speak, but there are times when he cannot avoid it.

He clears his throat and out comes a very rough voice that does not match the stallion's outward appearance. "Va... Vadim." He says his name then waits for the centaur to offer his own.





bg - table - manip

Icon by Tay

Kelec Posts: 18
Aurora Basin Crafter
Stallion :: Other :: 18 hh :: 24 Buff: NOVICE
Adoptable
#7

Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.



He watched the mental struggle of the pale horse with carefully hidden amusement, unwilling to let the stallion think he was being laughed at. Had they been in any other place than the open tundra with the wind howling around them as though frost spirits were dancing wildly through the encampment, Kelec might have tried to describe the appearance of the elven kin, attempted a drawing in the glittering snow. As it stood however, it was much too cold and growing far too dark for such exercises. Instead he simply offered an apologetic shrug as the quiet comrade attempted and failed to imagine what the lower half of an elf might look like.

Throwing the last pieces of wood on the fire, he waited quietly for a response from the other. The silence was not uncomfortable, but not relaxed and calming either. It appeared full of unspoken questions, desires and curiosity; he reached for a second spear of meat and buried the teeth in the tender meat, mouth full and jaws grinding when he for the first time heard the other utter a sound.

Vadim, eh. A peculiar name - the centaur assumed it was a name at least, because the word seemed to lack a meaning in the language that prevailed in this part of the world. What was even more peculiar was the hoarse voice that seemed to lack all practice, and the expectant look he received. Swallowing the food at his own pace, the man pondered for a second whether he should oblige this unspoken query or tease the other with a prolonged silence of his own... Then he thought better of it.

"Kelec, son of Falmach and Karena" he offered with a half smile. "I come from the vale up north... at least right now. This land is still foreign to me. Where do you hail from, Vadim?"

A topic as good as any. The long-haired man was growing weary of the quiet, and didn't mind sacrificing the calm of the night for a conversation - not even with a participant as strange as the blue-marked stallion.


Taras Kalapun @ Flikr

BronzeHalo.deviantart.com HP:40
Helovia Hard Mode

Permission granted at all times to use magic and violence on Kelec



Forum Jump:


RPGfix Equi-venture