the Rift


fall from glory | archibald, charky, goss, open

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Stallion :: Equine :: ::
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#1
Sura
April 10th, 2012 at 7:16pm

The once proud queen held herself proudly despite the tragic loss
of her homeland. She would not allow herself to sulk and wallow in
self-pity. Such a display was unbecoming of someone who could boast
royal blood that went back generations upon generations. She held her
head high and she continued to walk with pride. One loss, no matter
how large it was, would not reduce her to a sobbing, worthless wreck.
She was stronger than that and would always be stronger than that. She
would not forget the battle. It would haunt her dreams for years to
come, she already knew. Those who had attacked would not be spared,
though. When she returned with a new army she would eliminate them all
and reclaim what was rightfully hers.

Sura snorted loudly and looked around, having been drawn from her
thoughts and plans of revenge when her hoof struck a rock. This new
land was completely different from her homeland. Grass and trees grew
in every direction she looked rather thansand, dunes, and shrubs. It
would take some getting used to, but she was adaptable. In no time she
would be used to seeing so much green everywhere and not having the
constantly shifting sand underhoof.

One ear rotated to the side and she listened for a moment before
continuing on her way. Though she would not admit it, Sura didn't know
what exactly she was searching for. She hoped that some survivors from
her fallen empire would be found in the new land, but somehow she
doubted it. Most of her warriors had been slain in the battle and
those who deserted before the battle deserved the same fate. They
would suffer the same fate if she were to find them here.



Archibald
April 10th, 2012 at 7:29pm
The dark form the warrior possessed cast a dark shadow, looming
over the earth in a formidable way that made rodents and small mammals
flee. Beside him his young companion bound, trying to keep her young
body up with his gargantuan strides. She would grow to be strong, he
could feel it. She was fierce already, and spent a lot of time
pouncing and eating small insects. Birdsong was bringing new potential
to the land, and he needed to hunt for his young girl. Her white and
red coat matched her personality, bold and fierce--it reminded
Archibald of blood, and the battles she would aid him in. He had a new
sense of pride with the pup in his life, as well as the powers the
God's gave him upon her arrival. It was starting to change, his life,
and he welcomed the new things with open arms. Anything that made him
stronger was perfectly fine in his book.

New scents filled his nostrils as he entered the Threshold, his
head lifting as his ears perked up to hear the hoof beats of another.
He picked up into a trot, feathered hoofs propelling him gallantly
forward. His golden eyes spotted the mare quickly, she looked
interested in the new lands as she stood still in thought. A bellowing
whinny announced his presence, as his approach was downwind of the new
mare. Oddly built, he thought, as he scanned his eyes across her
frame. Tall and lithe, skinny appendages fitted with strip-lined
muscle, curved ears, and spots. Something he had surely never seen
before, even in his own family that had a diverse range of coats,
markings, and the like. He noted her pointed black horn, her stance
and her proud head--she thought herself high, and Archibald was to see
that it fit. He snorted as he came to a stop perpendicular to the
mare, his massive head raised high above her's.

"You stand with a pride that an outcast should be wary of, mare,"
Archibald noted, his deep voice smooth with underlying dominance, but
no malicious sting ran through its sound. "I am Archibald, warrior of
the Windtossed Foothills; is there anything I can help you decide?"
She looked like she needed a guiding hoof, no direction in her
alluring amber eyes.



Sura
April 10th, 2012 at 7:53pm

The stallion's bellow caused the mare's ears to tilt back against
her refined head. Her advance stopped and she waited for the brute to
show himself and when he did he was monsterous as a warrior should
have been. The queen remained silent, waiting for him to speak and
when he did she was not pleased with his words. No one had ever
addressed her as 'mare' before in her life. She did not like it. She
did not appreciate it.

"You approach with confidence that an outcast cannot hurt you,
Stallion." Sura responded. "Perhaps it is you who should be wary of
the outcast. Overconfidence is what leads to the fall and death of
many warriors." There was the difference between them. Where she stood
with pride he stood with overconfidence. She knew what it was to lose
an entire empire and she was humbled by it. She didn't think there was
anything that humbled the stallion just yet.

"Warrior, you say." Sura gaze travelled over the stallion. She
moved from her standing position as she inspected him. He had a few
scars, but not enough to make him look like a battle hardened warrior
that could earn her respect. "Where are your scars, then? Are you new
or do you run from your battles?" He was probably new. She was willing
to bet that if she looked close enough she could see traces of a milk
mustache.



Archibald
April 10th, 2012 at 8:34pm
The stallion was not new to being insulted, and he let her arrogance
roll off of him like a bug. Loretta, on the other hand, bristled
slightly. The pup was temperamental, and even at her young stage was
so keen on what she did and didn't like--and this mare she did not
like. Archibald flicked his tail over the red dog, trying to calm her
some. "You should be more wise," the younger stallion shook his head
some, making a 'tsk' noise softly with his lips, "I have allies, mare,
as I hale from a herd, you, however, have no one. You must pick and
choose, after all, you could be surrounded now by my other warriors
and not even be aware." He spoke these words in an almost bored
manner, turning his head left and right slowly as if to dismiss her
warning she had thrown out.

"I do not wish this to be a battle, I came to help. Now, if there are
any questions you may need an answer to, I am here, if not, then I
cannot help you." He straightened his head and stood like a statue,
muscles relaxed and still. He locked eyes with her, watching her
defenses rise. This is why Archibald didn't deal with the public, he
truly detested most horses. He would not stand juxtaposed to an
unclaimed mare, he was a warrior in a herd and he stood strong. He
pitied her in a way, not knowing when to pick her battles. That was
the trouble with pride, it took wisdom away. Archibald was not the
most humble creature to be preaching, but he knew where he stood in
life; he knew how to handle himself and when to throw his weight
around. This mare, where ever she came from, must have been very high
in her herd, the queen bitch, because she still seemed to believe
everything belonged to her.

She reminded him of Wilder in a way, doubting his ability because of
his lack of scars. Scars meant nothing--how could one obtain a scar if
he demolished his opponent? Ah, mare, watch your judgement on things
where your knowledge does not reach. "I have proven myself worthy of
my rank, my skill is apparent. Scars mean little to me, why do they
set standards for you?" It was not the outward expression Archibald
obsessed over, like most warriors, because all that mattered was he
knew his ability--and any of his challengers would soon learn it as
well.



Sura
April 10th, 2012 at 9:10pm

"Could be surrounded, but I am not." Sura retorted with a roll of
her caramel eyes. "A warrior who knows anything at all would not tell
the one he is confronting that they could be surrounded and give them
ample time to prepare a defense or run away." Really, did the stallion
even think before he spoke? And how dare he tell her to be more wise.
She was wise beyond his years. "You should learn to respect your
elders, boy."

Her tail slapped against her hind legs as she listened to the
stallion speak once more. "You are of no help to me." She had no
questions she wished for him to answer. She could find someone who was
more respectful if she wished to have any questions answered.

Sura was clearly unimpressed by the stallion's answer to her
question about his lack of scars. How could he say his skill was
apparent to someone he had just met? Did he think she would cower in
his great shadow and just assume he was a brilliant warrior. She had
seen warriors his size fall to opponents half their own size. She
would not believe Archibald's pompous talk of his own skills until he
had proven himself to her.



Vayu
April 10th, 2012 at 9:42pm

Far in the sky, above the trees of the Threshold and far, far
above the heads of Archibald and Sura, a figure circled lazily, wings
spread against the pale clouds. Vayu had finally been coaxed into
visiting the place for the good of his herd and the growth of the
Order, blah de blah de blah. Really, it was just because he couldn't
find anything better to do yet. Dragon's Throat was still a tiny herd,
and Ra's need for expansion and world domination! along with Vayu's
boredom were motivation enough for the palomino stallion to go off and
wrangle newcomers.

Below, he could dimly make out movement as a stranger wandered
through, a dark form moving in a darker wood. To the stallion, it
seemed promising enough. He pulled his long wings in tight, grinning
as he dove at the ground, the wind behind him spinning into a small
tornado. Newcomer arrives and the hawks swoop in for meat.
Unfortunately, none of the clearings around the stranger were large
enough for Vayu and his 'entourage' to land safely; instead, he
touched down some distance away, twister dissipating behind him, and
began to walk. Little bits of moss and twigs swirled around his feet,
picked up by the wind he generated with mere movement, as he followed
the scent of equines, searching for the freshest. One aroma met his
senses... and then another, more familiar overlays on a stranger's
hide. The Foothills, perhaps? Hmm. He would have to visit the new
populace of that place.

At last Vayu reached the pair of arguing strangers. He could tell
where they are by sound now, and he couldn't help but snort in
amusement as raised voices met his ears. Well well, this would be
entertaining! The golden appaloosa almost pranced in his excitement to
meet new people, then laughed derisively at himself for the idiotic
behavior. You need to get out more, mate. You're goin' off your nut,
you are. He could hear words now, stuff from a lad about scars, and
then an angry mare shooting him down with condescension. It was into
this mess Vayu walked, dead things still whirling about his feet, head
cocked slightly. Could he stir up more trouble here?

The stallion smelled of the Foothills, and so he decided to side
with the mare. "Beggin' yer pardon, but I couldn't help overhear your
conversation, and wanted to add me two cents." Vayu shifted his wings
against his side, smiling a charming, boyish smile at the pair. "See,
seems to me, neither o' you could know tha' other's a good fighter
without seein' 'em in a fight, right? Although the lady do have a
point, scars show some proof o' those fights happenin'. Course, I
don't claim to know too much, not bein' a fighter meself. Me mum and
dad raised me ta scout; I'd do right poorly in a battle." Vayu's
bi-colored eyes shown with innocence and mischief at the large black
stallion, before he turned to address the mare exclusively. "Name's
Vayu, by the by, of a land called Dragon's Throat. We're a right fine
herd, and you might like to come for a visit, miss...?"



Gossamer the Benevolent
April 15th, 2012 at 12:53am

Gossamer weaved through the trees, graceful, elegant, a ghost. Lazulli
had been flying about in an attempt to help her find herdmates to join
when he sent her Archibald loudly speaking to a mare. She sighed, the
big stallion was a welcome presence within her herd, but he could be a
bit rough around the edges at times. She picked up a trot until she
came to a point where the leftover tendrils of thoughts intermingled.
There she slowed to a walk, floating atop the leaves, where she
soundlessly moved amongst the vegetation until she rounded the corner
to find a stallion Enna would much appreciate, her warrior, and a
sleek looking mare. She bowed her head to her warrior and the stallion
in acknowledgement, then turned to the mare. The newcomer obviously
didn't know that she'd hurt Archibald's feelings and that his
attacking back at her had only been an instinctual reaction.

She drew upon her power to smooth over tensions in any situation and
gently used it, ever so slightly so as to be imperceptible, and spoke
in a calm, kind voice which held authority and grace, "Greetings
Traveler, I hope all is well here and apologize for any
misunderstandings. I am Gossamer, lead mare of the Windtosssed
Foothills. My herd is one equality and tolerance, which is enforced.".
The last part was added, in part, as a warning to Archibald to be
kinder in the future. The next part was for the mare. She was
obviously strong and intelligent and extremely well matched. She would
make a wonderful warrior or something of the sort. Her herd needed
strong warriors. She spoke once more, in the same voice as before, "We
have many opportunities for a strong, intelligent horse such as
yourself, even warriorship, if you so desire..." and there was her
offer. She had, hopefully, made quite a good one. Gossamer was no
filly, she was not old but had experienced much in her life and was
wise enough to know a good mare when she saw one, that required no
prying into thoughts to know. She made no effort in the meeting to
read either horse's mind, preferring to go off of her own good senses
this time.



Archibald
April 24th, 2012 at 5:33pm

Archibald remained calm, watching the mare. Her doubt in him did not
phase him, he knew where his abilities were as well as the horses who
mattered. He was obviously a warrior for good reason, and the mare
herself must be a loner for good reason--she was probably mutinied
because of her arrogance, Archibald suspected. He lifted his head as
the winged one approached, and bristled internally at his presence. He
was the kind of horse Archibald liked to step on and dominate, and his
eyes narrowed slightly at the newcomer. If Mandrake were here, she
would go ape shit on these two and their blindness. Archibald rolled
his shoulders back, ignoring the other stallion and focusing his
attention back on the mare. "Arguing is useless, you care not for what
others have to say or think, because you doubt everything. My
attention to the truth is not a form of disrespect, mare, and you
simply see it as such. Whatever I did to upset you is so little that
it has no significance--undoubtedly, whatever I had said would have
made you bristle the way you did." Archibald felt her tension rolling
off in waves, her annoyance filling the air around them. Archibald had
not raised his voice, nor had he done anything in an attempt to
belittle the spotted girl. Archibald watched her, eyes hard and
calculating.

When Gossamer approached, Archibald could have let out an exasperated
sigh he was so tired of other horses coming into his business.
Although, he understood where ever and who ever he encountered were
Gossamer's business, and she had every right to know what he was
doing, but her always following him and undermining the authority he
did hold pissed him off more than this mare in front of him. Archibald
looked down at his bonded, watching the small red dog as she sat
there, watching. She was his hope, really, for he had nothing else
right now--he would make her strong and in turn, she would give him
many things as well.


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