the Rift


[OPEN] Blind To You [Ulrik]

Essetia Posts: 218
Outcast atk: 5.0 | def: 8 | dam: 6.0
Mare :: Equine :: 16.3HH :: 7 HP: 64.0 | Buff: NOVICE
Romul :: Arctic Wolf :: Confusion Linds
#1

Under the blanket of nightfall I had stolen away to the meadow in hopes of clearing my head and easing the weight that often burdened my thoughts. Life had become too complicated as of late and completely unpredictable. My desire to mingle and waste the day away with kindred spirits had ultimately dwindled and now I was feeling at odds with my own incentives. All around me Helovia was painted in deep shades of azure so deep that, at times, they appeared black and soulless. I was not unused to the quiet of midnight, but I was still uneasy for reasons still unknown to me. When I looked back to make sure that Romul had not strayed too far from my watchful eye, I was pleasantly surprised to find that he had stayed the course. The soft slope of his shoulders could be seen even now, as cloaked in darkness as we were. Of course, his pale, white coat was hard to miss as it contrasted so sharply from the surrounding shadows… He almost appeared to be an angel amidst the chaos blooming at my heart’s core.

As we trekked further into the wide berth that was the Thistle Meadow, I began to relax just enough to let my mind wander. I contemplated many things that ranged from the impending threat of the Basin right down to my first encounter with Romul. Yet, just when I thought myself safe from the struggle of finding my place in the whole of life, a quiet clicking resounded through the silent pasture. Before I could determine where the sound had come from, Romul’s panicked shrieking broke through all my defenses. Like a mother would her own child, I spun on my haunches in order to find what ailed the wolf only to find him hidden from view.


Romul!-”, I screeched shakily. Fear began to flower form within and I knew that half of it was not my own. My legs were soft as I began to retrace the path which whence I’d come and as I swung my head from side to side, searching for my companion, I stumbled upon a pale mass of teeth and fur. “Trapped Ess!”, he urged from within. In an attempt to calm him long enough to inspect whatever confined him, I pushed my face into his neck while breathing deeply. The heavy musk of pine needles and rich soil greeted me and for a moment the wolf stopped in his writing and struggling. “Calm down, I’ll get you out,” I assured him worriedly. However, just when I was about to inspect the dark clasp fixed around his back, right hock, another set of clicks pierced through our anxious scuffle.


Like a cornered deer, I moaned and shook before turning to glance around to my own back feet. Unlike Romul, the clasps had somehow fastened around both back pasterns, effectively trapping us both. We were now sitting ducks, waiting for whatever terror might round the bend. Fear seemed to quell whatever anger that raged futilely from within and for a moment I was inclined to believe we’d been hunted. However, upon further reasoning, it appeared to me a more methodical approach to “trapping.” This was a planned attack and whoever came to retrieve us would face the not only one target upon their back, but two.

As the night proceeded to grow long, I began to grow more irritated and volatile. Romul persisted to growl and snarl for the next hour, which only added to my mounting annoyance, but I couldn’t find it within myself to stop him. I wanted our captor to discover what kind of creatures they’d managed to snare in their fancy, hands-off contraption. Surely only a coward would be most comfortable using newfangled machines to trick their prey… “They pay,” Romul insisted on a soft groan. He was compelled by adrenaline alone and at times I could decipher his ire just as strongly as I could conjure my own emotions. Yet, it certainly did little to free us from the snares…

After what felt an eternity, the softest of footfall seemed to approach from all sides. It was then that I was able to determine a dark figure approaching from the Northern tree line. Romul began snarling anew and the sound reverberated maliciously against the forest surrounding the clearing we’d been so foolishly lured. However, when the beast was finally near enough for me to fix him with a hateful glare, I was surprised to find him slightly more intimating than I’d previously conceived. I couldn’t determine much about him beneath the veil of night, but the one thing I could decipher was the horn perched just below his poll and the masculine scent that carried heavily upon the breeze. “Well, well, well… come to collect our prize have we?” I mocked from beyond.

Carefully, I situated myself just before Romul in case things got out of hand and in doing so I was able to catch the slightest glimpse of another creature trailing in our captor’s wake. It seemed, to me, to be an undistinguishable mass of black, but Romul was quick to confirm my fears. “Wolf Ess… careful.” Just when I’d thought myself equipped for such a situation, I’d been cruelly startled to find us evenly matched.

essetia
ONLY YOU CAN COOL MY DESIRE
I'M ON FIRE


Ulrik ooc: Capture thread >.> Also, if anything is amiss I can change it. Permission to set-up the capture situation.

◄ Please tag Essetia in all replies!
◄ Force permitted, but no maiming or killing
◄ Pixel @ SongsOfInfinity

Ulrik the Engineer Posts: 235
Deceased atk: 5.5 | def: 9.0 | dam: 6.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.1 hh :: 11 HP: 69.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Kirchoff :: Common Hellhound :: Superspeed Tamme
#2
ULRIK & KIRCHOFF
Each point in space (and time) is associated with a vector that determines what force a moving charge would experience.


The wolf lay in wait, the brilliance of his metallic contraptions performing their duties. Mechanized loops, hidden in the tall grasses, were perfectly positioned, ready to pop at the first weight, and he was not too far away. See, while he was not exactly picky with whom he dragged into this trap, he was respectful of the Basin's alliances. If any of the Edge or Throat were to get caught, he would immediately release them, but fortunately, that was not the case. Cloaked with nightfall and half-hidden behind a tree, the beast watched, Kirchoff's predatory gaze piercing the night in a way his eyes could not.

A familiar click alerted him to his prey, and he gazed out from behind the bark, seeing an ordinary, red mare with her fetlocks bound. Eerie, bronze eyes with green flecks studied her, noticing that her direction most noticeably came from the Falls. He would not release her then. His kind were now trapped in alliances, and his bloodlust rarely sated. But much to his luck, the idiots in the Falls refused to join forces, allowing him to play. Ulrik stood for a few moments, musing to himself and letting her stir. Once she realized that his traps were not so easily removed, he would make his entrance.

The wickedly brilliant behemoth padded lightly to where she was, not concerned with hiding his appearance. Two, menacing horns protruded form his brow, and if not for the sleek, black coat and archaic marking up his left leg, he would look quintessentially unicorn. His lion tail lightly bobbed behind his muscular, tall, frame, hair blooming from his chest and messy beard tumbling from a masculine jaw. He exuded an overpowering scent of musk, pheromones of power and strength, and perhaps, if he wasn't such a goddamn nerd, he'd be rather attractive.

He paused in front of her, and Kirchoff sniffed in the direction of her companion, staying uncharacteristically close to Ulrik's side. The stallion listened to her words, smirking slightly - a dark expression that barely curled one side of his whiskered lips. "A mouthy one, it seems," he rumbled, thick accent and deep, graveled tones rounding out his very male persona. "Tell me, dear," he said, cocking his head to the side in an oddly innocent gesture. "Why do you play bitch for the Falls? What does it gain you being in one of the most prejudiced herds in Helovia?"

@[Essetia]

(Please tag me in every post)

Essetia Posts: 218
Outcast atk: 5.0 | def: 8 | dam: 6.0
Mare :: Equine :: 16.3HH :: 7 HP: 64.0 | Buff: NOVICE
Romul :: Arctic Wolf :: Confusion Linds
#3

The unforgiving truth of my predicament was like a stone that weighted itself in the pit of my stomach and forced my emotions to the surface. Anger, anxiety, and fear all became a hurricane of feeling so strong that I could nearly feel them, tangible and alive. The more I fought to remain unaffected by the approaching duo, the more I was inclined to strike out with word or action alike. Somehow I’d transformed into this headstrong zealot, ever devout to my place in the Hidden Falls, and changed from the naïve young femme I’d once been. Wherever I’d decided to hide my weaknesses was slowly coming unglued and now I was becoming situated for self-combustion… or a proper ass-kicking- whichever came first. Either way, the newest additions to my quiet personality proved quite difficult to bury beneath the soil and roots of my desperation. At least I was anything but complacent… for now.

As the distance between us became small and the moonlight dipped across his shoulders and back, I realized just how utterly – and for lack of a better term- screwed I was. It was still incredibly hard to determine the fine details, but from what I could see in the dim smattering of twilight, my captor had charismatic, intelligent eyes. Humor lurked somewhere just behind his intense gaze, but it was quickly masked in favor of mocking my own valiant stabs at sarcasm. I was tempted to laugh at his second-rate idea of derision in response to my taunting, but it wasn’t enough for him to simply poke and make fun… Instead, he went on to degrade not only myself, but my family as well. That was it; I’d had enough already and our little soiree hadn’t even reached the sixty-second mark. If one of us made it out alive, I would call it a miracle. It if happened to be the sack-of-shit that thought it wise to “trap” me, it would be a godsend.


At least that foreign accent didn’t grate my nerves as much as I’d hoped it would. Did that mean I fancied the idea of a “Beauty and the Beast” love affair? Perhaps. But did that mean I would ever fall for an ignorant, egotistical, selfish, reprehensible beast such as himself? No. In fact, I would have been more inclined to kick him and his little mutt across the width of Thistle Meadow before I ever admitted to any likeness for the way he spoke. “Funny that the pot would call the kettle black, but maybe if a spot in the Basin opens up you can give me a call,” I said with an exaggerated wink. “From what I hear, they could use a bitch of my caliber.” It was a far-fetched of me to assume that this particular brute hailed from the North, but then again, if I stood correct, I’d be on my way to figuring out what the land of ice and snow wanted with the Falls.


It seemed a fair exchange to me.

However, it was still up to me to rein in my desire to huff and puff and scowl for having been tricked. There was a long time spent in silence that I willed the clasps the fettered me to place to shatter and break so that I could sink a few pearly whites into that flawless, black coat… But I also had to keep Romul in mind and since I’d never allowed him into the arena with me, I was terrified that my attachment to him would distract me. The idea of enduring even one, painful, yowl caused my heart to shudder even now… if I had to walk the straight and narrow to keep him safe, then I would. But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t give my captor a little hell in the meantime.

essetia
ONLY YOU CAN COOL MY DESIRE
I'M ON FIRE


@[Ulrik] ... When in doubt, laugh it out? xD

◄ Please tag Essetia in all replies!
◄ Force permitted, but no maiming or killing
◄ Pixel @ SongsOfInfinity

Ulrik the Engineer Posts: 235
Deceased atk: 5.5 | def: 9.0 | dam: 6.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.1 hh :: 11 HP: 69.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Kirchoff :: Common Hellhound :: Superspeed Tamme
#4
ULRIK & KIRCHOFF
Each point in space (and time) is associated with a vector that determines what force a moving charge would experience.


Ulrik watched and waited, unphased by emotions racing across her features. He was patient, unfettered by the perpetually ticking clock of time. The stallion was never in a rush or a hurry, never having to do anything but what he wanted, and for that he was grateful. Still, he rewarded the herd who housed him and his madness every now and then, and this admittedly beautiful but hornless mare was certainly a prize. A sneak from the Falls, stolen by the behemoth engineer - how fitting. Perhaps her pride was smarted. Was that why she was being so unreasonable? To him, she was being unreasonable. She was the prisoner and he was the captor. It would behoove her to relax her pride and come to a mutual understanding and respect.

She did, after all, walk straight into his trap.

He listened and chuckled at the double entendre of her words, shaking his head and letting his knotted mane cascade over his thick, muscular neck. At least her temper was amusing, though he doubted she would be thrilled if he laughed at her – rather, he legitimately found her snappy retorts funny. She had quite the wit. In fact, she winked at him, and one side of his mouth quirked up into a lazy smirk, and his bronze and green flecked eyes sparkled in delight. “There is always room in my cave for ambitious females,” he replied smoothly, which was rare for the awkward engineer.

The stallion cleared his throat and he mused for a moment, the moonlight still dancing upon his sleek, black hide. His head tilted to the side as he thought - an innocent gesture that somehow became menacing and endearing on his handsome and unreadable face. “We could, actually,” he responded. “I will tell you a story, and if you still want to hate me and stick to your stubborn ways, that is your prerogative. If you are curious, come with me to the Basin, and I will show you that we are not what you might believe.” That is not saying about him personally. But the stallion pitied the hornless, especially Kahlua. So many of them could be great if only they had been born differently… His dream was to change them, forge them into what their blood could never be.

“Myself and my kind with Mauja as our king used to live in the World’s Edge. We were peaceable, living among our own kind for trust – we were family who stuck to their own. Then, Mirage and her clan of allied wolves labeled us evil, using her cleverness to combine forces against us, and though we fought well, we were all outcasted. By strength alone, we remained together in the north, and the Time God granted us the Aurora Basin to call our home. Learning from our mistakes of being isolationists, we reached out to all the herds under Illynx’s suggestion.” Illynx… Ulrik paused, his heart aching for the loss of his son. He was unused to feeling so much, especially pain. The stallion faltered, staring down at his hooves without realizing the defeat that showed in the bowing of his massive shoulders.

“She left. My first and only son is with her…” he trailed, clearing his throat and trying to remain on task.

“Anyway. Illynx forged ties with Kahlua of the Edge. I even made her trinkets to use, since I make machines. Ophelia, our new lead, forged ties with Gaucho of the Throat, and we are sharing resources. I made for them a flag, and they gave me metal for my guard-machines. However, your herd refused to ally with us, though we reached out to them – traveled to your homeland. Midas refused. He, out of all the other herds, denied us an alliance, though we wanted to join forces.”

Ulrik paused. “So, will you let me show you my home? You can see our ranks for yourself. You can see that we have winged ones, and others are invited live among us.” He waited patiently for a response, never having spoken so much before.


@[Essetia]
- SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT >_<
You get moody, sad Ulrik post



(Please tag me in every post)

Essetia Posts: 218
Outcast atk: 5.0 | def: 8 | dam: 6.0
Mare :: Equine :: 16.3HH :: 7 HP: 64.0 | Buff: NOVICE
Romul :: Arctic Wolf :: Confusion Linds
#5

His composure was unnerving, irritating, and mostly unsettling. The string of insults I’d been preparing had all but touched the back of my teeth and now that I was faced with only quiet confidence, I was suddenly less incensed (if only marginally so). Each time I tried to fix my captor with a shallow, hostile stare, I was always deterred by his inability to be shunted or off-put. Instead, I found myself contemplating the tribal marking that appeared across his shoulder under the soft rays of bright moonlight. It appeared to reach up toward his withers, though I couldn’t be certain because it bled into the darkness of his coat beneath a thick, unruly mane. When I had traced the marking up and down the length of his side, from chest to shoulder to chest, I busied my thoughts with ideas about the dark wolf perched just beneath the stallion’s lean stomach. He too possessed the tribal marks down along his front, left leg. For a long time I studied the pale lines until they blurred beneath the intensity of my focus, but I adjusted my attentions when my captor again broke the subtle tension- his accent again enthralling and repulsing me simultaneously.


For a time, my jaw went slack and my tongue felt unnaturally dry. I couldn’t decide if the stallion had offered me a backhanded compliment or if he was somehow possessed by a peculiar longing to fluster me. Either way, I couldn’t hide the disgruntled scoff that aided my silent, albeit agitated, response. The skin prickled at the base of my neck and slowly inched down to the tip of spine … for the first time in a while I was completely and utterly speechless. However, as if his first innuendo were not enough, my captor proceeded to taunt me with what appeared to be genuine praise. How I intended to receive said acclaims was still up for debate, but until the jury could reach a verdict, I remained at a loss for words.

That’s not surprising,” I interjected. Well, almost at a loss for words. Sometimes it was hard to deny the fact that I did not face him his equal, but instead a trapped animal not to be trusted. I lifted a single back hoof to remind myself of the foul creatures the Basin had proven to be… and for a moment I was convinced I’d been right about their incentives- at least until I wasn’t. Age had obviously changed me, transformed me into a creature that even I was unsure of, but this was different. My beliefs about the Basin had been as deeply rooted as my devotion to the Gods… They had always been the enemy, the horrific bedtime story meant to right rebellious foals… Yet, this stallion –though I hated myself for having to admit it- had offered me another route, a course of action that defied my stubborn opinions.

However, so many years of stories and nightmarish rumors about their kind had tainted me… even now. I tried to hear the reason in his tale and I tried to find it within my heart to not only protect myself and Romul, but to thwart my impression of this stallion, for he was unusually intelligent and judicious. Needless to say, my captor was not what I had imagined of the Basin Unicorns, not at all, and had we been anywhere else –met under any other circumstances- I would have sympathized with him and his losses. I too suffered from a loss of sorts, estrangement yes, but a searing hurt all the same. Whether or not that sharing of information was the moment that changed my mind was uncertain, and whether or not he was smart enough to tug on my female emotions was just the same, but I caved on a hearty sigh.


For a moment, I was quiet while the stallion continued his argument, or story rather, and when he paused I was again careful to study his face. It was still too dark to see anything other than the pale glint of the moon in his eyes, but I detected no malice and no underlying trickery. The wolf at his side had remained quiet as well which led me to believe that maybe, just maybe, he was telling the truth. I had performed to the best of my ability in order to assault them, so perhaps I owed them this much… If my captor wanted me to visit the Basin… then I would visit the Basin. Of course, there would be terms to this agreement; I was not that foolish. “I hope that, for your sake, you are telling the truth. I’ll come and I’ll witness your Basin firsthand, but on one condition. If I go willingly, I go a free animal,” I asserted with a lash of the tongue. “But before you make any decisions, you must know that there are surely reasons Midas refused your offer. I serve him, his Sleuth, and I am devout to his reign. Show me what you will, but understand that your showing will come at a cost. I don’t want your sugar-coated version of the North- I want the real thing.

essetia
ONLY YOU CAN COOL MY DESIRE
I'M ON FIRE

Ulrik - Had a hard time reading my own text xD Hopefully that's better.

◄ Please tag Essetia in all replies!
◄ Force permitted, but no maiming or killing
◄ Pixel @ SongsOfInfinity

Ulrik the Engineer Posts: 235
Deceased atk: 5.5 | def: 9.0 | dam: 6.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.1 hh :: 11 HP: 69.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Kirchoff :: Common Hellhound :: Superspeed Tamme
#6
ULRIK & KIRCHOFF
Each point in space (and time) is associated with a vector that determines what force a moving charge would experience.

Pale eyes raked over his skin, skipping over the arcane curves and edges of his bronze marking, and he could practically feel her tingling gaze. He inhaled a shallow breath, chest expanding against his sleek, black hide whilst a soft breeze caught at the hair curled down his chest and between his front legs. The long beard on his chin twitched as he clenched his jaw, waiting for her to be done staring as he talked. He wove his tale like the fibers of the cloth he made, but what he spoke was truth. A few details were left out here and there, but for the most part, everything he said was historically accurate. The Edge and the Throat had both forgiven them for invading some time ago – when they were intent on reclaiming the Edge after years of yearning for home again. The Falls was still relatively new, and Ophelia, their new leader, had once lead the Foothills. They had been on relatively good terms.

In fact, why the Falls disliked the Basin at all was entirely a mystery now. The only one old enough or with long enough memories to remember such old battles were Midas. Even then, Ulrik was sure that their old ways – secret ways – were hidden, buried deep. All that remained of the old Plague were a handful in the north, but a few were entirely independent now. D’Artagnan was gone. Mauja abandoned that cause long ago. Psyche was dead. He, Deimos and Aviya were the only ones still adhering to supremacy, but for the rest, their isolation was cultural – not racial.

He forgave her interjection, moving on with his tale until he stopped, awaiting her answer. Without interruption, Ulrik paused and listened, smirking a little at her threats. The stallion was not arrogant. He did not assume that he could escape her wrath if she chose to unleash hell, but he was amused at the vehemence of her words. Everyone was infallible at some point, and even mountains crumbled beneath the weight of gods. He was not special or different – just perhaps slightly more enlightened with age and a genius, mad mind.

“I expected nothing less,” he said, the words also a compliment, admiring her fortitude and suspect glances. “I am telling my version of the truth – or what I believe to be true. Actual truth is rather unattainable, don’t you think? All depends on where you are standing…” he mused, rolling his bronze eyes upward for a moment. “Even the gods differ on events – we have no chance of agreeing at every juncture.” The stallion laughed, the sound resonant and deep – like a tumbling waterfall. He shook his head, knocking thick, dark hair around his two, curved weapons on his brow. Ulrik wished that she had been born differently. How pitiful that such a mind was trapped in a hindered body.

“Unfortunately, going freely is a bit of an issue,” he replied. “See, when your herd refused to be allies, they were, by default, enemies. Whatever your leader’s reasons, he did not deign them important to share with us; he even went so far as to tear up invitations from children when we offered a second time for them to join our celebration. What I see is paranoia and prejudice – old fears lingering in a world that has moved on. I would hate to see your sharp mind serving an old man, unwilling to adapt. That could get you hurt for no reason.” He looked down at her trapped leg, indicating that it already had. Ulrik rested on one hip, wondering what to do.

“There is no sugar coating the Aurora Basin. We operate differently, you see. We are individuals with our own goals and ambitions uniting for a common goal of protection. Culturally, our kind, unicorns if you will, are rather independent, living alone for long periods of time. We have deep roots, you see, and old blood – many of us living to be much older than equines. In a way, we unite culturally, just as any society does. But that does not mean we exclude those who are not like us, but assimilation is required,” he explained openly. Ulrik smiled at her, the expression mad but not malicious. “For example, I told no one that I was aiming to steal. Neither Ophelia nor Deimos knows what I am doing now, and if I get penalized for my actions, they will not protect me only as far as my transgressions. Were I to steal from the Edge, they would leave me to my own devices, because I knew the laws of allies.”

Ulrik released part of the chain from the ground with his magic, and he gently released her whimpering companion. The stallion looked down at the white beast, frowning. “My apologies – I understand paws are more fragile than hooves.” Then, he returned his gaze to the Aurora Basin, nodding his head. “I cannot let you fully go, but I still want to show you what I know to be true. I do not want you cowing to the ravings of a mad man. Our leaders are different than those before, and our herd has drastically changed. Those who remain from before are myself and Deimos, really – this is why I remember. Mirage ran me down during the battle as a gold dragon. I will never forget the anger I felt having my home ripped from my very hooves – being labeled as wicked without proof.” The engineer shook his head, snorting.



@[Essetia]

(Please tag me in every post)

Essetia Posts: 218
Outcast atk: 5.0 | def: 8 | dam: 6.0
Mare :: Equine :: 16.3HH :: 7 HP: 64.0 | Buff: NOVICE
Romul :: Arctic Wolf :: Confusion Linds
#7

It was just a shallow breath, almost inaudible to the untrained ear… but it was noticeable nonetheless and suddenly too loud against the backdrop of tension… among other things better left unnamed. I watched as his chest swelled and dipped in and out of shadow- nervous? I couldn’t decipher what had rattled the stallion, but I clung to his insecurities, coveted them in spite of my hesitation… Again, my eyes grazed the angular musculature along his shoulder and neck before finally anchoring soundly at the point between his eyes. Where I had not noticed before, I realized now that my captor donned not one, but two vicious horns that looped and spiraled outward from beneath his wild forelock. I studied them for a time, convinced that it would be wise of me to heed his warnings, lest he decide to use his very skull to impale me- duel shots to the heart.


However, a small part of me believed that my captor meant me no harm. It took a long time to swallow that figurative pill, but there was something moral about him, something… insightful? There were truly no words in which to describe him or his bearing, which led me to another astounding, ridiculous thought: Why did I loathe him? It appeared to me as a seed that was nestled against my heart at birth and nurtured throughout adolescence. I’d grown to abhor the stallion because of the land from which he hailed, but it made me no better than the racist creatures I’d thought inhabited the North. As hard as it was for me to accept, I owed it to him to experience his life and his mind… as a Basin resident. However-

But before you take me home, I’d at least like to know your name,” I stated matter-of-factly. I detested the way his lips turned ever so slightly at my demands and I dreaded the way his tongue would curl with foreign syllables, hot on my trail toward what I considered mutual incineration. In an attempt to steer my thoughts elsewhere, I glanced back toward Romul searching for reassurance and direction. “Don’t trust him Ess, he lies… they all lie,” he bit with fervent malice. After receding from my thoughts and into his own, the wolf rumbled threateningly… only this time I couldn’t determine if his anger was directed at me or our captor. It was a disconcerting feeling and I couldn’t seem to fend off the tendrils of uncertainty rolling in from the emptiness of my thoughts. Romul had gone away in hopes of swaying my opinion of the situation and for a moment I was convinced that it had worked.

Again the curling notes of his cant assaulted my senses, a desirable mixture of resonant consonants and even richer vowels. Yet, they did little to keep me from assuming his words also held multiple meanings… If actual truth was unattainable, then it was plausible that no truth was ever quite… definite. How many times could one wrap lies around your throat until you choked on the falsity? I watched as his head rolled upward, noting a thick beard that stretched from his chin and down past his throat, and wondered how I hadn’t seen the smattering of hair before. As moonlight highlighted the downy strands in her pale glaze, I traced their bronzed tips toward his throatlatch and down again. At his breast began another trail of peculiar fringe that stretched toward his underbelly. In truth, whatever that term meant anymore, I’d never seen another like him. He was an oddity to me- a masterpiece of masculinity.

As we’ve witnessed here, ” I related in agreement. His laugh had caught me off guard for it was too unnatural in the darkness. I shifted once more and the clanking of the clasps provided a sickening contrast to the stallion’s blatant display of relaxation. Romul had reminded me of my frustrations and I had a hard time adjusting again to the easy conversation I shared with, what, my captor? Could there ever really be easiness with him? The lines appeared blurred and the more I tried to diminish them, the more I felt disoriented by them. However, each of those lines were quickly reestablished by the blasphemy the stallion attempted to goad me with. I couldn’t believe that any of the Falls residents would act so brashly toward a child; I was glad to have restored my good sense before being so blindly fooled, brainwashed. “So you would have my sharp mind perish at the hands of Basin prejudice? For if it were not Midas I served, then who? Would it make a difference if I had come from the Edge? What makes you think that you and I would have met under different circumstances? ” I spat. “No matter the man I serve, I am not one of you. I am immeasurably different and must I remind you that it separated us for years? These changes you speak of do not change us nor does it change the Basin. It does not change the way I see you or the way you see me, ” I finally concluded.


My breathing had grown heavy and in an effort to hide the fatigue that came from a loss of adrenaline, I dropped my head toward my knees. When I’d found it within myself to again find his eyes, I trailed his gaze down toward the clasps still tightly fastened around my back legs. Something about the gesture made me bitter, as if there was no denying it. Changed or not, the Basin was still as it had always been. I’d wanted to see his light, because he was like no one I’d ever met… but the light was too dim for my eyes. Even as he smiled at me, hoping for recognition or understanding, I could not find it within myself to placate him. It was all too much. “That may be, but I am part of something bigger. I belong to a family who supports and protects me… Their guidance has lifted deep sorrow from my heart. I appreciate your independence, relish it in fact, but it does not justify the fact that I do not wish to join forces culturally, I want to bond emotionally… mentally, ” I relented on a sigh. There was no good reason for delving into my insecurities for this stallion, no damn good reason at all- and yet I did.

The clicking of metal drew my attention away from my captor and toward where Romul stood pensively inspecting the separated prongs at his paws. He glanced up at me with those endless amber eyes and for a moment I feared that he would risk our safety in order to attack the stallion and his companion, but instead he moved forward to lick and nibble at my shoulder. Above all else, I could always count on the wolf to comfort me in times of need… without him, independence would mean nothing but loneliness. When Romul had settled in alongside me, I looked to the stallion with mild agitation. “He thanks you, ” I muttered. Of course, no such words would have ever left the canine’s mouth and later I would have to deal with the ramifications of such a lie. However, I was still left with the decision of whether or not I was going to visit the Basin…

Take me then, show me they’ve changed, ” I stated evenly. Though, I feared that he would be able to detect the cowardice hidden within the notes. I was afraid… there was no denying it. How could I trust the stallion and his golden lies?

essetia
ONLY YOU CAN COOL MY DESIRE
I'M ON FIRE

@[Ulrik] - x.x Holy cow. I re-read it and I'm sorry if there are any errors, I got tired of looking at it. xD

◄ Please tag Essetia in all replies!
◄ Force permitted, but no maiming or killing
◄ Pixel @ SongsOfInfinity

Ulrik the Engineer Posts: 235
Deceased atk: 5.5 | def: 9.0 | dam: 6.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.1 hh :: 11 HP: 69.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Kirchoff :: Common Hellhound :: Superspeed Tamme
#8
ULRIK & KIRCHOFF
Each point in space (and time) is associated with a vector that determines what force a moving charge would experience.

Ulrik stared at her dumbly, realizing just now that he had not given his name to her, and he furrowed his dark brows deeply over luminous, mad eyes. Social interactions were truly a challenge. He had not spoken so much to another in his entire life. Even conversations with his family, Torleik, were short-lived and to the point. But for some reason, he felt as if he needed to explain and that this mare deserved to know the truth. He couldn’t explain it if he tried, and that bothered him considerably. The stallion was so used to explaining everything and having a solution to all problems, but he would never truly understand himself or emotions. There was no formula to predict how his heart would react when it was allowed to see above ground, and he nodded apologetically.

“I am Ulrik the Engineer, a weaver for the Aurora Basin,” he introduced simply.

As the conversation shifted, he upturned his lips in pride, nodding. “Indeed, as we have witnessed here,” he relayed. How unfortunate that her master’s stupidity had to result in her naïve capture. There was truly no need for her to be a captive, regardless, and he wished to let her go. Unfortunately, he would be remiss in his duties were he to simply watch her run off without the truth at her back; all he had planted were the seeds of doubt, and they had yet to bloom. In order to nurture what he relayed in his long-winded speech, he would have to show her his home, so he turned and began to walk in the direction of the Aurora Basin, knowing that they would be walking for quite some time.

He listened to her patiently, however, frowning at what she implicated. Dark, velvety lips turned downward as his shadowed gaze found her strange, pale one, wondering why one so intelligent could be so blind. The black stallion curved his great neck, taking a single step closer in a gesture that was powerful, looming and comforting at the same time. Every inch of his body was warm, giving off a masculine heat, and from this close, little, green flecks were visible in the unnaturally beautiful bronze tones of his eyes. The orbs were semi-circles of light in a night sky of his face, everything black save for mysterious glass that danced around, observing the strange markings on her face to the subtle curve of her feminine shoulder. “I would have no one perish,” he said firmly. “Who? You could serve anyone else, dear, anyone. Kahlua is wise and keen. Gaucho and his kin are also options. Coming from the Edge would have made all the difference in the world because my people and theirs are at peace. We spoke and mutually offered safety and resources to each other, a promise the Aurora Basin has honored.”

“What do you think has separated us for years? Have you tried to visit? Have you asked to join our ranks? What makes you so sure that you know the truth when all you’ve heard are rumors and ravings of prejudiced individuals?”
he challenged, passion rising in his deep, graveled tones. “Midas has not once visited the Basin to see for himself. Even when he denied us, he sent his warriors – we were not even worth a personal appearance!” Ulrik barked, the depth of his tones like tumbling stone from a mountain. He lifted his neck, muscles rippling proudly beneath his skin as he snorted, black nares flaring with the swell of his heart. “We are separated by your people’s inability to see beyond your own insecurities!”

Ulrik glared at her for a moment, curling his lips back from ivory fangs. “Your herd changes the way I see you because I see you as an enemy when I see Kahlua and her kin as friends. I care not for the bareness of your brow or the feathers on your sides – not when our herds have made mutual agreements. I live with my kin because we are family – united by long bloodlines and old agreements that transcend even Helovia. But that does not mean that we will deny any who wish to join us --- but no one has asked.” The stallion paused, taking a deep breath and settling back into the skin of the awkward engineer. He grit his teeth for a moment, watching the way she hung her neck, exhaustion creeping over her features and tainting the taunt skin that now relaxed.

He sighed heavily, lowering his neck as well, nodding toward the Basin and shifted his body so that he could rest her shoulder against his if she so wished. Honestly, he doubted she would take him up on his kind gesture, given her quills and raised hackles. Ulrik listened, nodding in understanding. “And that is the beauty of our differences,” he said simply. “Differences, however, become prejudices when you judge others for them.” The stallion walked slowly. “Just because you choose to live differently – with your emotionally and mentally bonded family – does not mean that the way I choose to live is inherently wrong. As long as I do not force you to live as I do, there is no harm. However, your words condemn me into living as you do lest I be labeled as what I am not. You cannot know my inner most thoughts, and to assume is a travesty to the depth of another individual.”

Kirchoff, wary of the pale one’s freedom, narrowed his silver eyes, lowering his wild, wolfish features and keeping close. He would not let them go so easily, not when Ulrik did something mildly intelligent for a chance. For a genius, his bond mate was positively dumb. “My family supports and protects me as well, but they will not save me from punishment if I deserve it,” he replied. “That would be doing me a disservice. I would never learn.” Ulrik’s chest hurt again as he thought of Rikyn and how he would raise the boy to learn about action and reaction. Consequences.

“I am sorry for yelling earlier. I… Assumptions about my character and others for so many years… it… wears on you,” he murmured, taking her north into the frosty falls of his homeland. Ulrik walked steadily. “You know that Ophelia, one of our leaders, is a hybrid, right? She is bonded to a dragon. My cousin, Torleik, is rather taken with her, I think…” he mused aloud, wondering if these stories would make them seem more human.

@[Essetia]

(Please tag me in every post)

Essetia Posts: 218
Outcast atk: 5.0 | def: 8 | dam: 6.0
Mare :: Equine :: 16.3HH :: 7 HP: 64.0 | Buff: NOVICE
Romul :: Arctic Wolf :: Confusion Linds
#9

Never did I think I would find myself walking this faded path, one just as dim and tragic as the day my Father had abandoned me. It was only Romul and I left to face the aftermath of loneliness, forever trailing the emptiness of our hearts back to each other. As I turned again to stare lovingly down at the somber wolf, I couldn’t help but feel utterly grateful for his constant assurance in all that I’d encountered in life. I feared what would become of me in the Basin, no matter what Ulrik said… It was nice to be able to refer to him as something other than ‘my captor’, but he was suddenly more human than I’d wanted him to be. Ulrik was a strong name and one that curled my tongue when I tried pronouncing it silently to myself. A few times I considered mimicking it aloud, just as confident and endearing as the man himself, but I couldn’t find it within myself to succumb to such an intimate thing. Admitting that he was no longer just a stranger to be forgotten was something I’d been looking to avoid… I didn’t want to remember him from this day forward and yet knew that, despite everything, I would.

Essetia-,” I mumbled reluctantly. “My name is Essetia and this is Romul,” I finished while gesturing toward my companion and constant friend. Of course, the wolf was less than enthused at being mentioned in conversation and expressed his disdain with a weary groan. “There’s no stopping you is there?” he growled internally. I didn’t dignify his disobedience with an answer, but chuckled inwardly at the notion… It didn’t matter how many times someone told me no- I had to experience failure on my own.


I watched quietly as Ulrik shifted, indicating our eminent departure, before glancing back toward the clasps that inevitably held me in place. I wondered if they were but a hobble to keep me from running and upon testing them I found that they were just that. However, if Ulrik had planned on bringing me to the Basin he should have considered the amount of time it would take a hindered mare of my size to travel… hobbled no less. “I think we have again found something to disagree about Ulrik the Engineer. Your restraints will do little for us both now…” I grated sarcastically. Of course, should he try to release them, he would find himself forever marked with my memory in some way or another, if only for my troubles. Now that he had come to disable me, I would make him regret doing so… even if it only came in bits and pieces.


Trailing him was a slow process due to my shortened stride and being unaccustomed to the metal and the way it rubbed against my skin proved irritating. However, I was also able to examine fully the hard lines of Ulrik’s back and the bunching of muscle across his rump. He was so interestingly dark… and reminded me nothing of the unicorns residing in the Falls. Rostislav was similar in demeanor, but certainly not as intelligent –Gods bless him. Ulrik was of his own breed entirely; perhaps it had something to do with the nature of the Basin… Or perhaps they were all self-reliant creatures that needed no guidance when making their decisions. I was mildly envious of their strength because it was something I did not possess nor ever would. It was something that showed when the stallion spoke, especially when he lashed out at my assumptions in a way that left me feeling inferior, insignificant.


His passion was just beginning as he spoke of the Edge, though I frowned at their mention because of my childhood and the way the mists only reminded me of my father. I’d come to loathe the land and blame it for my own shortcomings. It had been dismantled when Mirage disappeared and I found no comfort in relating to Kahlua, whoever the mare might be. Of course, I couldn’t help the small grimace that reshaped my lips at the idea of her leading the Edge… It was not a home any longer to me and I couldn’t understand why such information made my blood boil. However, I didn’t have long to ponder or really do much of anything because the more Ulrik spoke, the louder he became. The tension was mounting and pressing in on me like the plague and I couldn’t help the sudden void in my heart that stemmed from his anger. I also couldn’t determine what had triggered such sudden sadness, however fleeting it was. “I think you fail to realize that I am not Kahlua or Guacho, whoever they may be, and that I care little for their opinions of the Basin. I joined a cause and perhaps I joined blindly, but it has served me well just as your Basin has done for you. Can two entities not remain peacefully ignorant of each other? Can they not interfere with one another? I just can’t seem to understand why it is so critical that the Falls accept the Basin as friend… would it do anything to benefit the two realms? Trade… is it truly all that important? ” I questioned quizzically at first.

I noticed that you did not mention mutual protection for one another. The Edge and the Basin are not sister herds as the Throat once was and yet the Basin can somehow honor promises- for what? Tell me honestly… the Basin has ‘honored a promise’ not to torment the Edge yes? So if that is the bottom line, the true intentions of said agreement, then there is reason for prejudice and segregation, ” I stated simply. “What good is an agreement for exclusion if the base cause was only to prevent attack? It seems like more of a bribe, if anything. You’ve done nothing but reiterate my point, ” I concluded sarcastically. However, Ulrik was not done nor was he calm. I hadn’t intended for him to become outraged and yet couldn’t keep him from lashing out at my attitude or the way I represented the Falls. Maybe I was doing them a severe injustice by continuing to meddle with the Basin’s Weaver… or maybe this wasn’t about the Falls anymore, but myself alone.

His voice raised an octave, making me cringe with the sincerity behind each word as it pulsed harshly against my skull…

I couldn’t hide from the years of torment inflicted upon the Falls, no, but I also couldn’t hide from the truth as Ulrik presented it. He’d grown tired of my philandering, that much was apparent. He’d been victimized somehow and though I couldn’t determine just how, I was feeling remorseful nonetheless. Perhaps the lines were becoming blurred once again… Maybe I was confusing the argument between the Basin and the Falls for the argument between Ulrik and I. Either way, I stopped altogether. “I’m sorry, ” I breathed. It didn’t solve anything and it didn’t answer the many questions or points he’d raised, but I couldn’t seem to find my own strength anymore, as it was overshadowed by his.


It wasn’t until he slowed, consciously or not, that I was able to travel alongside him and I realized not only his obvious power, but his obvious kindness as well. Despite our constant quarrels, Ulrik was willing to offer me his shoulder during my time of fatigue. Of course, it had been his fault I’d been so excitable in the first place, but I was grateful all the same. Though, there was something wrong about committing to the action that kept me from doing so at first. It was tragic of me really, to accept his help after he had taken time out of his day to trap me in the middle of Thistle Meadow, but maybe I was just a tragic creature. Or weak. Had it been long enough for me to succumb to Stockholm syndrome or was I so genuinely impressed by the Weaver that I’d become entrance by the idea of him? Yet… as I touched his shoulder, my muzzle lingering there only long enough to inhale the masculine scent of him, I was suddenly taken aback. The heat of an invisible blush bloomed across my cheeks and I returned my gaze to the path ahead before drowning myself in his words. It was the only way to hide my embarrassment.

You must know that you are not judged by the way you live, but by the actions you have taken in the past, ” I mumbled quietly. I was too distracted by the things he’d revealed that made him utterly real to comprehend what he had said about our differences and the judgements made therein. I was still just as much the fragile filly my father had left in the Edge so long ago to ever fully embody all the things Ulrik pointed out. I judged because I was afraid… and I judged because someone else had told me to. “It’s okay… I yelled back, ” I assured absently. However, with my head cocked at his next statement, I was able to recover some of the confidence I’d lost during his incessant pressing. “Then maybe he should do something about it. The more you talk, the more I believe the Basin to be a breeding ground for soft-hearted cowards, ” I smiled deviously.

essetia
ONLY YOU CAN COOL MY DESIRE
I'M ON FIRE

Ulrik - Linds dies now. x.x

◄ Please tag Essetia in all replies!
◄ Force permitted, but no maiming or killing
◄ Pixel @ SongsOfInfinity


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