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When the sun rises the air is at first cool and calm, fresh like dewdrops in emerald grass and sweet like the ripened apples that fall from laden trees. It is still, much like the snow covering the top of a mountain or a hidden forest pool, deep and clear or torrents. But as the flaring orb rises high in the sky it is as if though the winds awaken, comes out from their nest among the clouds and begin to play. There is naught but a breeze at first, taunting and playful, the kind that brushes against your cheek but when you turn your head it is gone. Then, slowly, like the tuning of a great orchestra you can hear the faint sighing of the trees, the grass bows in a first greeting to an invisible audience and birds begin to stir among the branches of the canopy. It is now it happens. Like someone stirring in a giant kettle, heated air slowly rises from the warm ground, traveling in spirals toward the endless heights until it cools, looses its power and falls, tumbles to the ground to begin the cycle anew.
As the light grow brighter and the shadows thin out, the chirping of busy birds slowly penetrates the veils of sleep and rouses the sleeping beast, not so much gently as persistently. He tries for a while to ignore the cacophony of the small feathered ones, but after having several nuts dropped on top of the large head by hard working squirrels, he sighs dejectedly and reluctantly open the large, yellow eyes. For a moment blinded by the brightness of the day, he remains still in the shadow beneath the thicket and watches the surroundings until the colors return in proper sharpness and opacity. Then, with a yawn that forces the heavy beak wide open the magnificent beast rises and slips out of the shade where he have been resting. Sunlight glitters on inky fur and feathers as he stretches, long legs and a furry tail almost dragging along the ground before he sits down on feline haunches and begins to prune the feathers of wings and chest.
He had arrived late the previous night, tired and somewhat lost after getting caught in a storm high above the ground. Forests like this one weren't ideal resting places, but he had been too weakened by the struggle against wind and rain to seek out rockier terrain. Now that the day had arrived and he was mostly recovered, however, it would be prudent to seek out proper shelter, and perhaps something to eat. Hunger gnawed at his insides and was ignored, as was the insects that busied about in front of the great talons that pierced the earth and the cautious little rodents that watched him with worried wet eyes before scurrying past, not entirely sure that he wouldn't try to eat them. They needn't worry. It was too much energy to hunt down little mouthfuls like them, it wouldn't fill his belly and only served to deplete his already waning power sources. No, what he needed was something of a larger size, like a fawn or small deer, or perhaps a young foal. Judging by the large amount of tracks that littered the ground there were plenty of horses in the area, and while they were difficult prey to catch it was well worth the trouble. A young one would feed him for a week, if not more.
It remained to be seen what he would find. For now he would focus on the most important thing at hand, namely sorting out the tousled feathers and the tangled fur in a proper manner. It was prudent that he keep himself clean; it wouldn't do, no it simply wouldn't do to go hunting with burdocks in the tail. It would be unsightly, if not even an insult to the prey. Thus, the black griffin remained exactly where he were in the small clearing, paying little to no heed to any of the comings and goings around him. He'd have time for that later, when the wings were done.
"blah blah blah."
Rymn
Awake, listening to the voice of my heart,
I precede through the Pandora world
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| Hidden Account |
| Mare :: Equine :: 16hh :: 13 |
| Illusion{Illu} |
08-28-2012, 12:18 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-28-2012, 12:20 AM by Gossamer.)
{Set Before Paladin Challenge}
Ethereal, graceful, regal. Gossamer wandered into the threshold seeking new members in need of refuge to add to her home. Up ahead, through the fog of branches and noise, she sees something odd looking. It has the profile of a horse, but yet is not at all like one. Momentary fear surged through her. What if this creature should prove to want to eat her? What would she do then? Well, that other odd looking creature she'd met hadn't eaten her, perhaps this one would have similar tastes?
Unsure what to do, she slowly, carefully, walks up to greet the creature. She didn't want to scare it or be rude, so she made just enough noise to be easily heard until she clearly appeared though the trees. Flowing white mane and tail glittered in the sun as she approached. She bows when she stops, and gazes at the creature openly as she speaks,
"Greetings Traveler, I am Gossamer the Benevolent of the Windtossed Foothills, how do you fare this warm day?"
Up close he seemed to be like any other traveler; lost, weary, alone, hungry, and thirsty. She smiled at him whilst awaiting a reply.
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The sound of her approach didn't pass him by. Hooves on dry ground had never been very subtle, and this one didn't seem to even attempt sneaking. As she strode cautiously into the clearing he could smell the caution that emanated from her pale form - a rather unsuitable coloration, by the way. The white hairs that covered her body seemed to attract the light of the sun, causing the horse to shimmer and gleam in a most revealing way. Perhaps she wasn't sneaking because she knew it would be futile. With a coat like that she would no doubt give herself away like a beacon would in the middle of the night, like a trumpet blast at dawn. Or perhaps she was simply unskilled in the art.
She addressed him, but the noble griffin payed her no heed. He continued his preening, aware of her presence but holding little interest in honoring her with a response. It was such a trivial matter she was addressing too. The weather? Please. Everyone with eyes in their head could see that he was doing perfectly well, even despite the thick fur and black feathers that were more suited for the cool darkness of the night. It wasn't even that warm, not in comparison to the moist heat of the lands he had been raised in. There it rained several times a day, with temperatures that soared until it felt like the air itself would begin to boil. The trees that surrounded them here would have been naught but foliage covering the ground, seedlings from the soaring giants that stretched elegantly towards the light of the sun. He remembered the vast greenery that stretched out like a vivid ocean beneath the drifting cloud. He remembered deep valleys and steep mountains that surrounded them, in a landscape that was as ancient and feral as the beasts that called it home.
Reminiscing nostalgically, the black beast finished the last of the feathers and folded the wings neatly against the back. When he looked up, he was surprised to see the horse still there. Had he been that quick in the cleaning, or was she the stubborn kind that waited even while rudely treated? Sharp yellow eyes blinked slowly as they turned to her, brilliant and unsettling in their sharpness. He confessed himself to be impressed. Patience was rare these days, and such persistence almost needed a reward.
"One would think that the stone-feet would have better things to do than to wait around in forests" he remarked, the golden stare piercing and direct as it looked the horse over. His voice was dark and deep, and the accent he spoke with peculiar. It was as if he was biting off the words at the end, the consonants sharp and accented. With an elegant motion he stood, graceful darkness in predatory perfection that almost reached the mare to her chest. He was big, more than capable of injuring her gravely if he so wished. But for now he didn't seem interested in turning her into a midday snack.
"Since you are simply standing there anyway, you may provide me with information. Are there mountains in this area? Are they habitable, and have someone claimed them as their homeland?" There was no need for greetings, because this pale wingless grazer had not made herself worthy of knowing his name. Neither did he feel a need to remember the one she had thrown at him so casually, as if they were equals and old acquaintances. In his demeanor it showed clearly that the eagle-headed beast thought himself more important than the mare; at the very least there was no hint of respect or politeness in his words, and the way he waited for her reply was somewhat impatient.
Rymn
Awake, listening to the voice of my heart,
I precede through the Pandora world
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| Hidden Account |
| Stallion :: Unicorn :: 15.2hh :: 12 Buff: NOVICE |
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Rita :: Greyhound :: Water Mold
imi |
[Since Illu said she was going away for a time, I'm playing it as if Gossamer disappeared]
The familiar walk from the Foothill's to the Threshold was the one laid out before the strange little unicorn. He felt uneasy, like something was about to happen... It made him think of his 'family'. Evers hadn't come across any of his brothers in a while, although that wasn't too odd a thing. In fact, it would be odd thing to find them all together in one spot. Something rare and only seen maybe in herd meetings or... Unsavoury events. This trip was to ease his active mind of complete boredom. The blue was beginning to wish some scholarly type like himself would come along so they could delve into the mysteries of Helovia. Evers caught himself from falling into depression of loneliness, no point moping about it now.
The forest thickened as the little steed mulched into the Threshold, flaring his nostrils catching the scent of... What is this? Evers stopped. It wasn't a smell he'd ever come across, although there was a faint scent of Gossamer on the air, this was completely different. Bird? No. Or yes? Breaking off into a walk again, the elder brother followed his nose until he came upon an amazing sight.
It was a Griffin. Evers had heard about these creatures here and there, told in stories of old and written in history. Never had he thought he'd come across one. Real and breathing. The Griffin was small in height and black in colour with splashes of yellow on the beak, feat and eyes. A fluffy tail protruding from the end. Wide eyed and blowing, Evers approached the front of the creature with intense curiosity, forgetting that he'd smelt Gossamer in the area.
"What an incredible creature you are! I'm Evers, what's your name?" Wonder laced his quiet voice, tilting his head to one side revealing three of his six horns protruding from both sides of his neck. |
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No reply. Not fast enough for his tastes, anyway, and that could just as well count as no reply. Feathers burred up and wings shifted in a visible display of annoyance, and just as he was about to scold the pale thing for being tardy, yet another of the four-legged beings rushed in upon them. The shadow-born being opened the massive beak and hissed irritably, taloned feet pawing at the earth while the thick tail swung in sharp coils around the haunches.
"Is rudeness a national trait around here?" he complained, too enveloped in his own personal displeasure to even bother with being flattered by the apparent admiration of the youth. Normally that would have been enough to soothe him, make him oversee with a lot of things.. But he was hungry, and that never did anything for his temper.
"I don't see how knowing my name will serve you, stone-foot, but seeing as all of you grounded animals appear to be in need of such things, you may call me Rymn. Rest assure that it is close enough to my actual name, which I highly doubt that you would be able to pronounce correctly even if I did reveal it." The name was a touchy subject. He was a learned youngster, at least in the regard that he knew a few things that he considered to be common sense. Words held power, and a name was closely connected to the very essence of ones being. The thought of someone other than himself having even the slightest bit of control over his actions made his tail knot. It did not fully excuse the harshness with which he spoke to the newly arrived stallion, but as mentioned he was hungry.
Yellow eyes regarded the young horse with the sharpness of crushed glass, the massive dark wings spreading halfway as Rymn for a moment considered turning this one into a meal. It was tempting, seeing as how all these grazer (only two, but at the moment that was two too many) simply walked up on him without even for a moment stopping to consider whether he was dangerous or not. It was insulting, it wounded his predatory pride. Did he really look to be that complacent, that harmless? The horror.
Rymn
Awake, listening to the voice of my heart,
I precede through the Pandora world
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The day was growing older as Kanti trotted through the lands that she was only just coming to know. She knew this path simply because she was retracing her steps; it was not that long ago that she herself had trodden here, on a search for something that she didn't even recognize until she had it. The femme smiled; it had been nice to find somewhere to call home after her long journey, even in as strange a land as this, with its odd creatures and magical abilities. She shivered, thinking of the tales she'd heard about magic. Some of it sounded lovely, for sure, but other abilities sounded so sinister - it may be a blessing to others, but Kanti would fare just as well without it.
The sun floating high in the sky filtered down through the treetops, providing her golden coat with a pretty, glowing dapples, while her snow-colored mane and tail floated behind her like banners in the breeze. She took note of the weather: a warm day, to be sure, but more than bearable in the shade of the forest; a nice, gentle wind to keep her refreshed. It was a wonderful day, certainly, and she had set out to enjoy it. Of course, her intention was not to seek more to populate the herd of the Foothills - she was so new herself, and so she didn't feel quite right about bringing in strays. She wanted to please the herd, to stay in good standing with them. She didn't think it was her place to decide who belonged.
Maybe one day, she thought, musing about her future in Helovia, and also about her past. As a newcomer, and one wanting to explore, she had found herself returning to the only place she knew other than the herd lands - the Threshold. As an explorer, she wasn't doing very well, but she had heard tell of an evil band of Unicorns at the World's Edge who didn't take too kindly to non-Unicorn species, and she hadn't had much experience with the Pegasi as of yet. She certainly didn't want to offend anyone, or put herself in danger. She was too new to the world for that! There was still so much left to see!
And it was in this frame of mind that the golden flicka stumbled upon an entirely new creature. Speaking of all I haven't seen, she thought to herself wryly, What is this?! Before her stood a black creature, vaguely bird-like in appearance. She had never seen anything like its taloned feet before, and it was that and the ferocious beak that created the pang of trepidation in the pit of her stomach. But it had probably seen her now, and she wouldn't be able to outrun it - and so she supposed she may as well say hello. Kanti approached cautiously, stopping a fair distance from the creature, and spoke, perhaps a little too softly, "Hello, there. I'm sorry for staring, I just haven't seen anyone quite as fascinating as you before. Are you lost?"
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