To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.
Some might call the forest darkness, but Virva had found a certain calm among the old trees and the cooling shadows. Shadows that were harmless and wanted her nothing bad. She had once again learned to rest at night and experience the beauty of day.
The sun was slowly rising over a cold morning, the frost on the grass and twigs turned to dew as pale pillars of light made it through to the forest floor between the trees. Virva was standing on such a pillar, next to the ancient fir by the pool, basking in the slight warmness and watched the drops of water glitter around her as it was touched by the rays.
The pool laid calm and still like a polished mirror, but every now and then, ripples would shiver across the surface as the gray mare stroke the tips of a wing lightly against the water. She felt strangely at peace with being alone, not sure if she wanted the company of a herd at the moment. The company of Osiris was strongly wanted still, though, but she was not always sure where he could be. Maybe he was somewhere in the mountains now. He seemed to have liked the mountains back in Anarore. The company of smaller or bigger groups of outcasts was not minded either, as long as they were friendly minded towards her. But the busy life of a herd was nothing she was seeking right now. Even if she occasionally missed it.
Especially the herd she had had in Anarore. She had yet to meet one from there, if anyone else was still alive and well. It could be because she had kept to the forest while recovering and not moved to search the different herd lands after familiar faces. Maybe one day, she would do it. When she was more sure if she wanted to join a larger group again, or to stick around with herself and Osiris.
"talk."  |
WILLOW & ERMINE
.arborun lignea .. .mare. ..23 years. .. .16.3 hands.
"Hmm, this looks good doesn't it?" A chittering agreement met the gentle mare's words as she leaned her nose down to inspect a mushroom head. Small paws slid down her neck as the ermine on her back rode down her nape like a slide, his body thumping against her ears. Before long he had stretched himself down her forehead and she went cross-eyed for a moment trying to look at him. She snorts playfully, shaking the great mass of her head and sending the ermine toppling onto the cushioned forest floor in a ball of fluff. His tail wavers as he spins around, voicing meager complaints while Willow plucks the mushroom and tries in vain to rearrange her forelock.
"Forgive me dear plant, but I thank you for the offering you provide. May the heads I leave grow bigger in the absence of the one I take," Willow murmurs in an almost religious fashion as she harvests the useful fungus.
Feathered feet stir and sweep across the grasses both dead and alive in this canopy of blossoming decay and unfurling seeds. With each step a great shudder rolls up her frame and sends waves of movement into the willow tree languidly rising and falling with the surf of her motion. Its roots tangle and vanish into the hefts of her hide while its leafy tendrils sway against her back like a lover's touch and entwine themselves in the body of her mane and tail. She is a being of the woods and she waltzes through this forest with an easy grace and comfort awarded not to one who has become familiar with this segment of land, but from one who has befriended all land no matter the region. Her home is wherever she rests her head or plants her feet. For now, it will be Helovia.
Ahead of her Ermine trounces around like a young pup. His tail sticks straight up like a twig as he varies from pouncing leaf to leaf, to leaping up the sides of tree trunks and spinning around them, to scuttling through fallen logs and brush. The world is his playground and he intends to use every speck of dirt and wilted petal to entertain himself. "Look for roots!" Willow calls out to him, kindly reminding that games are fine but they have visited these woods for the purpose of gathering.
Ermine calls back in a plaintive way, but he pauses in his play to set his nose to the ground. Snuffling like a hound dog and pausing occasionally to scratch experimentally at the wet dirt, he roams around and eventually bumps into Virva. The abrupt softness has him jerk his head up instantly, a hissing sound escaping his maw unintended as his eyes appraise the large pegasus, the least of what he expected. A trill of terror runs up him in the moment of surprise and he turns on his tail and flees back into the grasses.
Not many moments later Willow surfaces from the same direction, Ermine chattering busily upon her backside as his black eyes leer warily at Virva. Willow laughs lightly, the sound shaking the leaves oft her tree and lending a crinkle to the green swirls about her similarly hued eyes. "I do apologize for my friend," she says at last when her giggles have subsided. "He has been in quite the mood today. I think it's the change of seasons getting to him." With winter on the way Ermine's coat had already begun to shift. Gray hairs now lined his brown coat and in some areas spread into patches. "We mean no harm and I hope we did not intrude?"
|
|
To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.
Everything was calm, and continued to be calm until a sudden hiss could be heard. Confused, Virva looked down and managed to get a quick view of the ferret-like creature before it disappeared into the grass... And before something else came into view. She was not sure if she would feel scared or amazed, or hostile towards the large horse that came walking from the shadow of the trees. If it could be called a horse, with that tree growing out of its back. Was it really a tree up there? Yes, it was...
Virva knew that she stared, but could not help it. Her body grew tensed, along with her half extended wings. Ears turned back, then one turned forward again and she snorted through wide nostrils. Then her expression turned slightly thoughtful. Could this creature belong to the forest? Being one of many mystical creatures she had gotten to know about in Anarore? They certainly would be around here too.
Uneasy and frowning, she listened to it talk and her wings relaxed slightly. If it was a creature of the deep forest, it did not seem hostile, but maybe it could become in Virva did not treat it with respect. The small pegasus dipped her head slightly with a sigh. "You do not intrude. I am simply watching the lake and enjoying the beautiful morning." She answered politely and peered up on the creature, moved her gaze over the ermine and then continued up towards the willow tree. |
WILLOW & ERMINE
.arborun lignea .. .mare. ..23 years. .. .16.3 hands.
The reflection of the fear coursing through the mare shimmers in her eyes. Eyes that stare wide and expansive back at Willow. She stiffens. Fear often leads to anger and anger often leads to pain. A beast of her size is not swift and her hooves know only how to grab the ground, not to leave it in a kick.
Feathers rustle as the wings droop marginally. A breath hitched unknowingly in Willow's chest eases from her nose with relief. The pegasus seemed to release the tension, but there was not complete kindness in the corners of her eyes or the tones of her voice when she spoke. Something akin to suspicion kept those feathers flexed to fly.
They seemed to equally fear each other.
Willow eases onto her haunches, but does not cock a hip. The air is still thick between them and she cannot risk such foolish assumptions as safety. "It is," Willow murmurs conversationally. "Many seem to fear this place. Its name is certainly dour," Willow's lips nearly pout at this. The place is a lovely wood, even if it has some choice eyes and sounds in the dark of the night.
Her eyes catch the mare investigating her. It is perhaps an odd sensation to some, but she has long since grown accustomed to the glances and the weight they provide. "I am Willow, and that was Ermine you met earlier." She leaves the name for the other to give willingly or not, but pauses in accord all the same.
|
|
To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.
The tension stayed on for a bit. The two horses of different kind watching each other and the white one wondered if something was really going to happen. Slowly, her wings moves back to rest upon her back and she shifts her weight to another leg while the other one spoke. It did not seem angry for her being in the forest. Maybe it wasn't its forest after all, or maybe it just did not mind visitors that caused no problem. Whatever it could be, Virva was glad that the horse with the tree upon its back was not hostile, even if she herself was battling with all kinds of feelings over the strange looking horse.
"My name is Virva." She answered and dipped her head a bit in a nod, then shifted to another leg. "Do you live here?" What else could she say? She was not even sure if she cared about the answer or not, but it felt as if she had to say something. What she could not deny very much, though, was her curiosity. Just like with Osiris, she was not sure if she wanted to call this one "horse" and could therefore not harbour any hatred for it not being a Pegasus.
(Sorry for the crappy post. Trying to crawl back and find my muse. x__X )
|
|
.svg/2000px-Google_Chrome_icon_(2011).svg.png){kind=icon}
