the Rift


[OPEN] Graceless

Zahra Posts: 64
Outcast
Filly :: Pegasus :: 15hh :: 2 Years
Hanna :: Common Kitsune :: Fire & Ilham :: Bark Spider :: None Riven
#1

Your legs tangle as you hurry along between the threshold pines, swapping between the ambling gait passed down by your father’s fine lineage and the natural canter of your long-legged mother (and everyone else) which feels not quite as comfortable – you have never seen any other with a gait so unusual.
 
You lack speed, it is clear (if your friend is following it will take little effort for them to catch you up), and you are clumsy, still more than the typical foal might portray. But what you lack in haste you make up for easily in determination, in spirit. The ground vanishes beneath you mid-stride and your breath catches suddenly in your throat. You cry out as your startled golden gaze finds the ground rising again too quickly beneath – you are falling, but you brace pointlessly, ready. Your knobbly knees fold and collide heavily with the gravely gradient marking the border between regions and you roll helplessly onto your left wing and slide upon it down the remainder of the slope.
 
The kits’ne is thrown from your embrace unfortunately, and she yelps as she too hurtles down ahead of you. You are quick to consider her – Zero would be proud – even before assuring your own wellbeing, and with grazed, stinging knees pitched upwards you dig for traction. You find it and struggle to find balance back up on your hooves, and then quickly you scramble towards the helpless mass of fur, whimpering nearby. Gently you nose about her, examining curiously for any reason she might not be alright; she is weak, perhaps hungrier than you, and worry strikes your heart. You turn around, gazing this way and that, praying that your mother might happen conveniently upon you both and offer quickly her milk. Your stomach grumbles angrily at the thought and it starts to occur to you that you are not feeling so well either.
 
You lift your chin into the breeze and trill pathetically, “help, help…” You are hungry, cold (despite the aging day), and lonely. “Help, help, help…” you continue to chant aloud, turning to watch the shivering mass of fur on the ground, but still with your chin wafting high through the air. Confusion plagues your thoughts – you are too distracted to decide on what next you should do. A forest looms beyond your position, but whether or not it is the one you are seeking you cannot be sure. It is dark, uninviting and you stall by the perimeter. “Help, help, help, help, help, help…!”




For @[Cavalli], though anyone else is welcome to jump in (especially any nursing mares).
Permission given for all except death
Please only tag Zahra in openers and spars


Wishlist | The Spider-Silk Shoppe | Absences

Bellisma Posts: 53
Outcast atk: 7 | def: 10 | dam: 3
Mare :: Equine :: 14.1 :: 8 HP: 60 | Buff: NOVICE
Adoptable
#2
Bellisma
Fleet of foot, the gold streak runs and flees from the invasion, as it had become known in these lands. She flies over the earth, starting to dry from Orangemoon. Small puffs of dust plume from where her small hooves brush the surface, carrying her far from the sounds of battle. She ran for a long time, no longer following the path of the black and white filly. But it felt good to run, even if it was without direction. Running was doing something. Running was ensuring her freedom. Running was safe.

Her face, once pinched with fear, starts to relax as the burn in her muscles gives her a false sense of security. Surely she had placed enough room between herself and the battle. A dark swath of copper mars the sleek golden coat as her exertions bring sweat to her thin skin.

Her gallop pauses, and slows to a canter as her small ears flicker uncertainly. ‘Help, help, help…’ the repeated cry is said as an uncertain entreaty to the tall trees she suddenly finds herself in. The small voice entwined around the stillness that clung to the dark trunks. It was ominous here, you could feel the warning down to your bones.

The easy canter brings her upon the small filly. She starts to a stop, still and statuesque in uncertainty. She never was around foals, so she had never been conditioned to fear them. Though what didn’t Bellisma fear? That was how she survived, by being constantly afraid.

She huffed, irritated at herself. The terror she lived with was paralyzing, but surely she could outrun this filly if she became dangerous. The trees would halt her flight, and she didn’t look too quick- Bell’s eyes widen as she sees the scrapes on the young one’s legs.

“Ar-are you alright?” The surprise pulls the words from her mouth, she hadn’t encountered another hurt being that she could help. Rrazmik, her captor, had many maimed prisoners, but they all had been killed in front of her. She had been prohibited to help them. So this was a new aspect to her freedom, one she should- and would- embrace.

“What- what ‘help’ do you need, little one?” the informal endearment slipped out, quite out of character. She had never called anyone ‘little’ before, and honestly it was amusing to hear the small mare call anyone tiny. Indeed, the young filly was already half the size of she. “Are you calling for someone?” the uncertainty made her voice hushed, or perhaps it was the darkness of the forest. Certainly the filly could be waiting for help from her dam, and Bellisma wasn’t needed.

ooc| So she's not nursing, but technically since it's foaling season, she COULD let down milk if she hung around foals for long enough >.< womp womp. @[Zahra]
Nature's first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower; but only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf, so Eden sank to grief.
So dawn goes down day. Nothing gold can stay.
-Frost

Please tag Bellisma in every reply.


Cavalli Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#3

CAVALLI
Dissolvable & tasteless; is there a powder to erase this?


He hardly noticed the threshold's spindly pines tapering away as he followed the filly; the somewhat inviting scenery where he'd encountered the child was beginning to morph dramatically into a more dense, ominous forest. It had taken some time for the freckled stallion to appear - his limp and dragging wings had proved even more burdensome in the new thickness of vegetation - and although the child had an awkward stride of her own he arrived after her still. Inky eyes pried silently through the massive pines and firs, and once he saw the gangly black-white smudge of the foal's figure, he gave a quiet snort and willed his tired limbs to take him closer to his newfound companion.

Lifting and placing his hooves mindfully, Cavalli picked his way across the small distance between them. He was considering calling out to the petite creature - she was turned away from his direction - but the distraught sound of her pleas persuaded him to linger quietly. He didn't know how to console. However, before he could reach her, a strong scent of feminine stranger danced in the earthy air and wafted thickly into his nostrils. The foreign perfume made Cavalli's leg muscles tense and pull him to an uneasy halt. Lobes pressing gingerly against his crown, the male filled his lungs again with the forest's air, verifying that he wasn't merely conceptualizing the aroma. Then, his ears captured a voice he'd never listened to before. He lifted his eyes to watch. Another had come to join, apparently.

He could feel the throb start in his temples again.

This time, the young child wasn't talking to herself or her hitch-hiking pup, but to a petite, chestnut hued equine with dazzling green eyes. Keeping silent, he approached almost lackadaisically, pinkish hooves pausing to leave him standing just near enough to the two so that he could hear them speaking and scrutinize their features. Cavalli kept his head low, but his deep indigo eyes were alive and attentive; he'd never been trusting of strangers. Adult strangers, more appropriately. Especially in this land he knew very little about, he would remain guarded.

Cavalli heard only the tail-end of the mare's dialogue, but he'd arrived in time to hear her ask if the filly had been calling for someone. He had wondered that himself, but it had been made apparent that the foal was seeking, with vigor, her parents. "She's," he started slowly, breathing a sigh through his pinkish nostrils before continuing to the inquisitive mare, "looking for her parents...I think..." His attention pivoted over to the filly, who reflected the longing tone in her pleas she'd made moments before.


Word Count: 441
OOC: Sorry for the wait @[Zahra] & @[Bellisma]



Zahra Posts: 64
Outcast
Filly :: Pegasus :: 15hh :: 2 Years
Hanna :: Common Kitsune :: Fire & Ilham :: Bark Spider :: None Riven
#4

To you, it feels like hours trickling by - as slowly as the water which drips from the ceiling of your nest beneath thick mountain rock. It is not nearly so tedious though. You call and call, but no one comes - well, not at first. True to your minuscule age, you expect innocently that trees will bend and wind will swirl to accommodate your needs; that hoards will spill as good as instantly to remedy your pains. It strikes bother through your anticipating, restless mind when neither of these occur, and with golden eyes wide, you turn around. There is movement through the trees off to one side, and you quickly pin point your tiny nose in that direction. Readily, and with a thundering heart, you stare towards that spot which seems a little darker than the rest - the movement seems to stop altogether, but the smear lingers. One fine ear swivels backwards as your helpless companion whimpers, but you are determined and never sway your focus.

Eventually, and much to your delight, another horse does step from the thick tangle of shadow and timber at a canter. She pulls to a halt before you, fail-looking legs trembling and flinching in wake of her exertion, and a bright smile radiates through your lifting expression. “You came!” you cry out quickly, falling quickly beneath the spell of perhaps the loveliest eyes you have ever encountered. Quietly you stare, wading beneath rims of thick mascara-black, and it is only the stutter of words thereafter that pull you clear of their enchanting depth. The smile weakens across your thin inky lips, but does not vanish altogether. Though your knees sting and bleed (a little), they are certainly not the greatest of your concerns. You roll your tongue as though to speak, but instead your skull bounces briskly in response. Yes, you think, but the pretty stranger is speaking to you already again.

Words tumble from her mouth like water from the taller, rugged cliffs back home, but even though both ears have fixed upon her, you make very little sense out of that which she asks. Quietly you watch and your tail flicks behind you as you set your mind to unravelling the mystery. “Ma!” you cry out prematurely, but quickly follows a stern no… For about the first time in this solitary adventure, your mother’s whereabouts are not your priority. Bright eyes scrabble left as your flightless, partly feathered wings splay from your shoulders. You will show her what you need! “Bird,” you explain, grazed knees bending as your neat, petite hooves bounce nearer to the puppy. “Bird’s ‘ungry.” Of course you are hungry too, but you depend on the rich milk of your mother - a Kitsune could be nourished on any number of nature’s fine delicacies.

Another voice breaks your train of thought and you turn promptly to meet the gaze of your second newest friend - Ze-ro easily took first and best place. Again delight spills across your slim, white face, and shining milk teeth flash vividly in the sunlight as your smoky black lips pull away. He explains quickly and kindly on your behalf that it is in fact your parents (the words always escapes you), whom you search for - or were searching for. You try heartily to direct the pretty pink, speckled stallion’s attention to Bird. “Bird!” you insist, dark lips ghosting across the soft, downy white coat of the hatchling. “Birds ‘ungry!” The little creature whimpers softly, weakly, responding to the sound of her bonded’s voice. Tiny white face turns slowly towards the sky and gleaming green eyes absorb the gathering of great horses above. ’S’ok, you tell her tenderly.


@[Bellisma] & @[Cavalli]

Bellisma Posts: 53
Outcast atk: 7 | def: 10 | dam: 3
Mare :: Equine :: 14.1 :: 8 HP: 60 | Buff: NOVICE
Adoptable
#5
Bellisma
Tiny nostrils flare at the appearance of a stallion, green eyes widen in anxiety at the proximity of the cream and tan stud. Though it was only the scent that gave him away as male, for the graceful lines of his body were nearly as feminine as Bellisma’s. So she stayed her flighty hooves, body stiff in uncertainty.

Her eyes narrow in confusion at the sight of his limp wings, and she- nearly- forgets her fear. Caution keeps her from closing the gap between her and the cremello man, but at least she doesn’t place the foal between them. Small ears twitch at the sounds of his voice, and she shifts uneasily.

Green gaze recognizes the discomfort of the stallion that mirrors her own. Interesting, the thought passes through her mind, surprisingly not aloud for it seemed her tongue waved every thought to the air, since she had come to Helovia.

Though her body is facing the stud- hind directed away from him- her face swings to the filly as she corrects the man’s statement. “Bird?” Certainly the little creature appeared to be more of a pup than a chick, and this thought took Bell’s entire attention. Lovely features became perplexed and she tilted her dainty head slightly.

She flicked her gaze nervously to the lean stallion, his wings, and then back to the young duo, before taking a few hesitant steps to the foal. What did this little creature eat? “Perhaps eggs?” Her simple question was spoken warily, quite unsure of herself. But even the golden doll enjoyed an egg as a rare treat from her past master. After an evening spent pleasing him- she shook her head to free herself from such unpleasant memories, her golden mane splaying like silk about her neck. She was free now. Now was the time to find a nest.

Eyes upturned to the branches of some of the smaller trees, straining to discern the outline of a nest. The filtered sunlight illuminated the jade from within, nearly making them glow. And glow they did- in excitement a moment later as she (miraculously quickly and conveniently) spotted a small nest in a rather young sapling.

Turning her face from the sun and to the slender- though still larger than herself- stallion, she haltingly asked “Could-could you knock that down?” She hoped there would be eggs, nature’s most complete protein, in the wiry nest. Her bell-like voice, which had been quiet when addressing the stallion, warmed as she turned to the filly, “I am Bellisma. Do you and your little bird have a name?” Perhaps it was rude of her to not introduce herself to the stallion, “You, as well?” her voice hushed once more as she turned her gaze to the stud, but stayed closer to the filly.


ooc| Okay so first, sorry for take a few days to respond. Secondly, ugh I know this is a lame post, but I couldn’t think of anything besides eggs u.u forgive me. hah. @[Zahra] @[Cavalli]
Nature's first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower; but only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf, so Eden sank to grief.
So dawn goes down day. Nothing gold can stay.
-Frost

Please tag Bellisma in every reply.


Cavalli Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#6

CAVALLI
Dissolvable & tasteless; is there a powder to erase this?


Drops of sunlight leaked like liquid gold through the scattered opacity of the leaves and needles above, flickering and fluttering strange patterns onto Cavalli's otherwise lackluster pelt. As he stood among his company (of whom, he'd concluded to himself, were a peculiar pairing) his inky gaze drifted listlessly from figure to figure. He couldn't help but to notice the unsettled demeanor of the mare stranger - her brilliant emerald irises switched almost nervously from him to the filly - but he said nothing regarding the apparent edge in the shifting of her slender, chestnut limbs.

Cavalli's half-hearted attention was severed from the mare and back to the child he'd followed when she flashed her teeth in an excited fashion toward him. She seemed to be attempting to communicate something very urgent, immediate, and his ears rocked forward. The stallion listened to the child's juvenescent voice, nodding gently as he heard the words bird and 'ungry. Even so, the dull presence of confusion bloomed on the edges of his brain. It was difficult speaking to a child; his own intellect seemed to be draining away. A weak, fragile whine manifested itself in the air, and at first Cavalli was unsure of its origin, but he remembered in that moment the small pup that had ridden between the young wings of the filly. That's Bird? he ventured mentally, squinting carefully at the petite, furry form of the pup. What kind of name is that?

Then the golden equine gave a suggestion, a rather careful proposition. Eggs? Cavalli lifted his head gently so that his eyes could meet hers, but her vert gaze had already upturned to the canopies, and he followed it up to the unmistakable outline of a small bird's nest. The female's voice came again, this time directed towards him. "If I knock it down," he started after a moment, pupils drifting around the equine's soft-featured face, "the eggs will just break." Ah, gravity was a bitch. Cavalli turned his speckled face upwards towards the nest above, estimating its height from where he stood. If he reached far enough, there was a possibility that he could take a portion of the nest in his teeth and bring it down safely without damaging the precious treasures inside.

Giving a small sigh that fluttered from his pinkish nostrils, Cavalli's hooves delicately took a few steps back. The nest was suspended in a smaller sapling tree, one he could was almost certain he could reach if he tried hard enough. His face remained tilted up, eyes scrutinizing the figure of the nest, and he used what amount of muscle he had to hoist the upper part of his body from the ground. Rearing back onto slender hind legs, he strained his neck to attempt to reach the nest with his snout. Pinkish front hooves bobbed aimlessly, suspended in the air as he reached for the prize. However, after a few seconds passed, a surrendering snort released from his nose and his front limbs returned to the earth with a heavy thud. Determinted but quietly so, he squinted at the nest, turning his body beneath it so that he might find a more precise angle. Cream hued tendrils of his tail whipped against his flank once, and he maneuvered himself so that he was directly under the nest's outline. Tensing his muscles, he lifted his upper body again into the air, balancing on his hind legs. Reeeaach, he growled internally to himself, nape excerting force so that it might stretch just enough to find the cache. Finally, oily lips brushed against leaf and twig, and he used his teeth to gently seize the corner of the bird's creation.

This time when he landed, he bore gifts.

Carefully, Cavalli lowered his head and placed the nest near the filly and the pup. "This what you need?" He blinked down at the nest's interior. Two ivory eggs seemed to gleam from within. He stepped back gently, and turned his denim gaze back towards the mare. She'd asked him his name, as she had previously the filly. "Cavalli," he breathed, after learning hers, and he went back to watching the child.

Word Count: 692
OOC: @[Zahra] & @[Bellisma]



Zahra Posts: 64
Outcast
Filly :: Pegasus :: 15hh :: 2 Years
Hanna :: Common Kitsune :: Fire & Ilham :: Bark Spider :: None Riven
#7

It both pleases and intrigues you to find the glistening green eyes of the mare rising, searching, heeding your childish demand. She mentions egg and your impressionable thoughts turn to the fragments of shell left behind at the base of the old tree that had sheltered you, Bird and Ze-ro the previous night. She hatched barely one day ago from one such thing, and the idea begins quickly to sour in your mind - it seems altogether unnatural that the little Kitsune should fancy eggs to eat, after all. It has never occurred to you that the soft, grassy nest which birthed you might be in fact edible (neither so the concept that foals fell from wombs).

Grown ups know best though, those who have passed already through your brief life have hardly given you reason to doubt the fact and you sigh simply because this slender creature will undoubtedly solve your greatest dilemma.

It seems - you decide easily - that the spotty, creamy stallion agrees that eggs might feed Bird. His cobalt-blue eyes trail to the still thick leafy awning above and you follow too, eagerly, yet not so quickly noting their target nest. They stew for a little time, while in the meantime you search the patchwork ceiling for the pastel hue of eggshell. Sunlight beams from behind the fluttering leaves, and the slip of bright shafts make your endeavour quite difficult indeed; never the less you persist, casting your pale eyes aside whenever blinded. It is the hum of grown up voices that again steal your focus, and promptly you follow the path of your swivelling ears towards them.

Puzzled, you stray a second glance upwards to find the eggs they are referring to - but you can see nothing of the sort. A soft snort rattles your thin nostrils and you again run your soft lips over Bird’s thick coat.

With a stirring mellowness to her tone, the mare introduces herself as Bellisima and you smile broadly, with a nod. There have been many occasions now that have required the revelation of your name…“Bird,” you begin enthusiastically, lifting your face at last to meet her lovely eyes. “Bird n’ Za-ha. Zah-ra…” You roll your tongue carefully, practicing the sound of your name with new diligence, because Ze-ro’s sounded very like it - but more boyish. Thoughtfully you shift your gaze to the stallion who had also been queried for a name, but you find to your surprise, that he is quite engaged.

He is standing across his hind legs most awkwardly, and confused, you slip a little nearer to the mare. Bellisma. With widening eyes you watch as he stretches towards the canopy - towards a little cluster of branches, all woven together. You are particularly curious, but hardly inclined to investigate (especially with the emerald eyed adult so tense at your side). The stallion dips back to earth, and a breath escapes your lungs. You have been holding your breath, baited, anticipating. His return is short lived however, and with expanding interest you notice him rise once again. This time he approaches the intricate bundle of twigs differently, and you whisper unhelpfully, “Da flies”. In support of your disclosure, the tiny part-feathered wings nestled against your furred ribs ruffle audibly.

When at last your friend’s enormous hooves (comparatively speaking) fall again back to the ground, there is no denying your complete and utter distractedness. You stumble towards the nest brashly, with nose lowered, pumping excitedly. You knew of nests, sure, but you had never truly seen one. “Yes!” you tell him swiftly when he asks you a question - though the answer you give refers little to the underlying reason for his effort. So too does he mention something else, but you are not truly listening and fail to pick it as his name.

Inside the nest, there are two eggs and you recoil suddenly, as understanding suddenly dawns through your mind. “Bird!” you chirp, dismayed in a sense - what if there was another like the tiny puppy within? Of course you sill don’t grasp the idea that the protein within them might nourish her. Imploringly you look up towards Bellisma. As you do so, the Kitsune begins to squirm. She is not like other canines, similar in appearance; she is a mythical creature with qualities beyond the common realm and her bones have strength already enough to support her. Her nose is brilliantly sensitive and the taste of the warm yolk within the grounded gifts rouse her to life - properly.

You turn to the scuff of movement, ears pricked and eyes staring blatantly. Bird has crawled to the stick nest and you gaze, struck by silence, as she devours one egg entirely. Slowly you gulp, and your jaw slips open. The puppy quickly moves to the second and similarly gobbles it, pink tongue sweeping afterwards across the wiry whiskers to either side of her dark nose. Hesitantly you look to the mare first for reassurance, and then towards the stallion - you are troubled by the nature of her carnivores appetite, obviously.


@[Bellisma] & @[Cavalli]
Permission given for all except death
Please only tag Zahra in openers and spars


Wishlist | The Spider-Silk Shoppe | Absences

Bellisma Posts: 53
Outcast atk: 7 | def: 10 | dam: 3
Mare :: Equine :: 14.1 :: 8 HP: 60 | Buff: NOVICE
Adoptable
#8
Bellisma
Surprise and diluted admiration sprang onto the sculpted, golden face- was she impressed? Indeed, the spotted cream stud had unintentionally impressed Bellisma. She didn’t even know she could be impressed by a stallion- didn’t she always fear them? Whether it was because he listened to her suggestion, intelligently went about getting the eggs without breaking them, or has strained to reach for the nest (or perhaps a combination all things)- the dainty doll found the warm feeling settling in her barrel. A glimmer of a smile graced her tiny lips, body and eyes relaxing.

As the stud had been reaching into the trees, and she had found the little smoke, white, and gold filly pushing closed to her side. She enjoyed the closeness and warmth of the small body- more than she expected to. A lot, in fact. Sadness fleetingly crossed her face.

A tuliped ear flicked towards the filly as she spoke, ’Da flies,’ and Bell pressed her own hot hide against the little one’s body in an effort to hush her. Green gaze flicks imperceptibly to the limp wings of the stallion- they hung almost like a cape- before her eyes settle on the movement of the bird-pup towards the ivory egg bounty.

Her coat, no longer tense, rippled as it felt the navy gaze of the stud, ’Cavalli’. Tiny ears twitch at his breathy voice, and her own jade eyes collided with his denim one. “The pleasure is mine, Cavalli,” a lifetime of training made the words sound stilted, but her tone was warm- warmer than she expected it to be, in fact.

Her small smile faded as she lost the warmth of the filly from her side. Though it returned as a full beam at the careful pronunciation of Zahra’s name. The doll’s smile- it did wonders to her already pretty face. It illuminated, erased the shadows of fear, shed beauty. It was lovely.

She continued to smile, this time in reassurance, at Zahra, “Apparently your little ‘Bird’ enjoyed the eggs,” she paused, glancing at Cavalli, “Perhaps some thanks are in order, little Zahra?”

This was a sight to behold! The little, terrified Bellisma acting motherly and calm around a strange stallion! Perhaps what she needed was to be needed. Perhaps that’s what any broken soul needed. Indeed, just the presence of the filly had the mare glowing. Her past captor had robbed her of so many foals through beatings and miscarriages…

Once again the light dimmed out of her as her smile faded and darkness returned. “I think your bird is more of a fox, Zahra,” in an effort to suppress her memories, she made a comment about Bird. A searching look was given to Cavalli, perhaps for confirmation of her observation. Perhaps for direction at what she should- or could- do next.

Discomfort crept back into her frame as some of her muscles stiffened. A swish of her tail sent a cascade of golden silk through the cool forest air, before she re-clamped it tightly over her hind. At least we had made momentary progress! She had relaxed around the stallion! “You said she was searching for her parents?” she looked to the stallion, gaze bouncing nervously from his eyes, to his chest, to his muzzle, “Do you know who they are or where they might be?” This question was aimed to Cavalli, but was open to the little one, as well. “You’re probably as hungry as Bird,” again warmth crept into her words as she directed the last statement to Zahra.

A calming breath quietly and slowly left her barrel through her delicate black nostrils. Anxiety had begun clawing through the warmth and relaxation put there by Zahra and Cavalli. The forest was dark, a stallion near, she knew only vaguely where the Falls was. Her thin skin twitched.

ooc| So I may have gotten the sequence of events out of order… Sorry! >.< @[Cavalli] @[Zahra]
Nature's first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower; but only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf, so Eden sank to grief.
So dawn goes down day. Nothing gold can stay.
-Frost

Please tag Bellisma in every reply.


Cavalli Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#9

CAVALLI
Dissolvable & tasteless; is there a powder to erase this?


His brain was splattered with muted emotions of both pleasure and relief when the puny body of the multiple-tailed creature scrambled hastily to the nest’s side. Half-veiled by immobile wings, his slim but tepid barrel rose and fell softly with an inaudible sigh. It didn’t take long for the ivory riches within the nest to be consumed - the foxlike pup ate, no, inhaled the eggs at an impressive rate - and after she’d feasted violently the stallion shifted his attention to Zahra. Deep blue irises flickered across the filly’s gaping mouth and then to her pale golden stare which was laced with concern. A tiny noise of humor threatened to escape the confines of his muzzle, but instead he suppressed it and merely watched his company.

Cavalli noticed, vaguely, the way that their bodies had apparently gravitated toward each other during his quest for the nest. Zahra’s painted, gangly figure pressed near Bellisma’s, and as the sunlight pencilled down from the Orangemoon heavens and illuminated their close outlines, they resembled mother and daughter. The mocha-freckled pegasus wondered privately if Bellisma was ever a mother herself (he’d witnessed her face grow soft and welcoming at Zahra’s presence). As he searched her delicate, amber hued face for any other clues to hint motherhood, she ventured to speak. The pleasure is mine, Cavalli, she’d said, tone friendly and warm. Although he didn’t respond verbally, the stallion allowed the pale corners of his mouth to flicker into a fleeting smile (it was only polite) and gave a short dip of his crown.

After the puppy had rolled her tongue across her whiskers, erasing the last traces of yolk from her muzzle, Bellisma directed a question toward him. This time, however, when navy eyes touched her face he noticed the brightness had dissipated somewhere far. And while her dynamic facials intrigued him so, he blinked slowly before answering. “Yeah,” he offers, pinched ears wilting towards Zahra. “Pretty certain she’s lost, I think, but...” He wasn’t quite sure what words to tack onto the ending of the sentence - he’d learned recently that his mellow dialogue wasn’t winsome - but his breath tapered away and he let his shoulders lift and fall in an unknowing shrug.

The forest that seemed to swallow them up, he decided in this moment, was ominous and rather unfitting for such creatures as themselves. Impressive firs and pines appeared nearly animate, as if they possessed souls of their own. Their bark skin was dark and draped with shadows still virgin to the trickling sunshine. Twisting vegetation and thick layers of fallen leaves littered the floor, looming obstacles taunting Cavalli and his pathetic, flightless hunks of deadweight. It had taken a considerable amount of time to arrive here in this foreign land, and there was no doubt it would be just as difficult to maneuver (if not, more so) when this encounter drew to a close. And this time he wouldn’t have the noisy, childish gait of the filly to guide him. Tilting his head to the distance, his flecked face grew grim. The perpetual search for nothing in particular would begin again; and there was no telling how long it would last this time.

The feminine mare’s voice drifted through the atmosphere again. He turned his face back towards her. You’re probably as hungry as Bird... Cavalli gave a soft swish of his tassel in agreement, gaze balancing back onto Zahra. He doubted she was old enough to digest raw grass and vegetation for a main source of nutrition, but if she couldn’t fill her assumably hungry belly with these things that grew so naturally in this land, what would satisfy her? “Definitely imperative we find her mother,” he said neutrally. “Unless she can eat something that grows from the earth, she will need milk.”

Word Count: 638
OOC: @[Zahra] & @[Bellisma]



Zahra Posts: 64
Outcast
Filly :: Pegasus :: 15hh :: 2 Years
Hanna :: Common Kitsune :: Fire & Ilham :: Bark Spider :: None Riven
#10

There is a quietly nurturing quality to Belissma’s feminine tone and the words curled throughout it seem to stroke so delicately about each of the filly’s listening ears. They stand tall amid the curdling confusion in the mind beneath - above the downy, dark-shaded hair that sprouts en masse from her bony, black poll - and inquisitive eyes observe trustingly the grown-up’s knowing expression. It was obvious that the small Kitsune had enjoyed her meal, that much was obvious by the way she’d left no trace of the poor egg’s existence prior, and Zahra’s tiny, tapering skull bounced briskly. A weak smile ventured passed her bewilderment. “Thanks… Cav’li,” she announced promptly and obediently - her mother would have expected the same.

The puppy slumped with a small grunt to the earth beside the empty basket of twigs, and began slowly to lick clean her pallid toes. She was more than satisfied, and her meagre stomach which had been thus far deprived of food, had swollen dramatically to accommodate the rich delicacy - opportunity for a canine to retrieve nests and their bounty was few and far between, naturally. As she groomed her soft fur, striking emerald eyes scanned the dithering crowd.

As the grown-ups spoke on, Zahra’s small attention span began to wander. The day around them had grown long, and shadows seems to twist around them - across them - like wicked, raking claws. A shiver ran down the spine of the tired filly and she stepped from the cozy flank of the mare to find her sprawled sister’s side instead. Knobbly black knees folded in unison and she sank swiftly towards the sparse, wiry forest grass and quickly her pointed hocks followed suit. She curled as tightly as could be managed around the Kitsune, who in response shuffled nearer until a warm, peacefulness was seeping both between their infant frames, and the numbing thoughts in each mind. A gaping yawn split the foal’s inky lips as a sliver of radiant orange sunlight split down upon them.

“I’m ‘ungry…” she whispered vaguely as mention of her own starvation by the other’s brushed her resting ears. In recent months she had dabbled about the her home as her mother browsed between the soft meow grasses and late season fruits - berries that were a little too ripe for Zahra’s liking. Though challenging and often exciting (she was quite partial to adventure after all), foraging for food was far less appealing than slipping beneath the heavy scent of her mother and drinking the sweet milk she offered so readily. Working for a meal was not yet a necessity for the barely four month old. Nevertheless, she had seen my graze about here and there, and her parting teeth ventured near to a rouge dandelion of the brightest yellow hue - to her, it was far more enticing than the dull spiny sedge plants, or low crippled grass carpet surrounding.

She plucked the flower from its stem easily and began to chew slowly; her vulnerable monochrome mask pinched and contorted wildly as the bitterness of the morsel overwhelmed her. “Yuck…” she announced bluntly, dribbling away to the side a saliva slick wad of crushed gold. Certainly she had never tasted anything so repulsive back at home. “Ma,” she sighed, resting her chin gently against the puppy’s shoulder, “…said wait... th' forest.” Zahra had no reason to believe the flaming mare would not appear before them at any moment hereafter.



@[Bellisma] & @[Cavalli]
Permission given for all except death
Please only tag Zahra in openers and spars


Wishlist | The Spider-Silk Shoppe | Absences

Bellisma Posts: 53
Outcast atk: 7 | def: 10 | dam: 3
Mare :: Equine :: 14.1 :: 8 HP: 60 | Buff: NOVICE
Adoptable
#11
Bellisma
An outright laugh escaped her mouth- the sound tinkling like sweet bells. The filly’s face of disgust at the dandelion was incredibly amusing. Still giggling, she walked to the base of a particularly gnarled pine and picked a few of the last, tender clovers and brought them back to Zahra, “You might like these better, Zahra,”. She was smiling as she glanced to Cavalli.

“It has been some time since we left the Falls. I think it is time to return- I think it is safe to return,” she nodded as she spoke, “I think your mother would be fine with you leaving the forest now, she finished her thought.

Another thought then floated into her head, and her ears flickered uncertainly to the cream spotty stallion, “Are you of a herdlands here, Cavalli? You are welcome to join us to the Falls-” her voice grew to quiet chimes, “In fact, I think we’d welcome the company.”

Indeed, a journey back to the Falls, with a tired filly and infant pup, through the ominous forest- it was a long trek and not a pleasant one. Especially with the dying light, “And I do not wish to stay in this forest past nightfall…” she glanced anxiously around them in the dimming light, the shadows growing longer by the minute.

Gently, velveteen muzzle nudged the filly and softly brushed over the pup, “Little ones, now is not the place for resting. We should be on our way,” though the meaning of her words were stern, her voice floated kindly over the young creatures.

She returned her attention to the ivory stallion, “I’m certain you’d like the Falls. It’s beautiful to see…” her voice again trailed off, and her eyes nervously bounced around his face and body.


ooc| So so so sorry about the delay. I just had zero muse or ideas for her. I forced this post out, so it’s icky. And I figured she could invite Cavalli back to the Falls? He’s welcome to join! @[Zahra] @[Cavalli]
Nature's first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower; but only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf, so Eden sank to grief.
So dawn goes down day. Nothing gold can stay.
-Frost

Please tag Bellisma in every reply.


Cavalli Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#12

CAVALLI
Dissolvable & tasteless; is there a powder to erase this?


Evening's birth, indicated by lengthening darkness and dissipating light, filled him with quiet despondency.

Night would come like an unkindness. Its heavy, lonesome hand would lay across the forest, drenching everything in chilled blackness (Orangemoon was not as forgiving as Tallsun) and Cavalli's aimless search would resume. Recalling the previous days and nights he'd spent in solitary voyage - which had proved both physically and mentally taxing - a feeling of melancholy descended upon him. He contemplated the difficulty of passing out of the forest, whose floor was riddled with natural, fallen debris and withering undergrowth. What a maze it would be to lug himself through with browned vegetation reaching and tugging at his dragging wings as if beckoning him back into the shadowy depths. Pinkish nostrils rattled with a sigh.

The slender stallion switched his gaze over to Zahra just in time to see her spit out a glistening mouthful of golden dandelion. Cavalli's neutral ears swung upward, and he watched with subtle wonder as the black and white filly puckered out of disgust. Bellisma's songlike laughter played daintily in the cooling air before she took motherly initiative to retrieve another snack for the child. Ink-blue eyes watched her honey frame as she approached again, this time carrying a clump of clover between her lips. He inwardly hoped the small, greenish plants would at least keep the hungry filly from the worse aggressions of starvation. With suppressed pity, the male peered down Zahra, who'd taken her place among the forest floor next to the pup. Both seemed exhausted. His lips drooped downward in a gentle frown as he vaguely heard Zahra's mumbles.

It was the mare's voice that brought him back again. "Are you of a herdlands here, Cavalli? You are welcome to join us to the Falls..." His attention lifted away from the resting children. Herdlands? His narrow face gave a shake, no. He'd only just recently entered Helovia, and the only creatures he'd so far stumbled across were them. Her offer repeated in his mind, echoing within his skull: ...join us to the Falls... The thought of going back to somewhere even remotely similar to where he'd escaped from made him cringe. He'd rather receive a thousand deaths an outcast than one life in the empire of his mother's. Scenes of blood and divide and cruelty threatened to flood the banks of his brain, but he closed his eyes gently and ignored their raging. "I don't...know," he began choppily, opening his eyes and settling their inky gaze on Bellisma. Are your people bloodthirsty and psychotic, deranged and consumed by nothing more than their own selfish hungers? Uncertainty bred tension. "I don't know." He shifted his wieght from hoof to hoof.

His eyes flickered from the petite mare to the Zahra and her companion, and then back to the mare again. He noticed the subtle curving of her outline, the kindness displayed on her face, and radiant green eyes that danced about him. This isn't what bloodthirsty looks like. You're going insane. Cavalli let another short breath release from his nostrils. His ears captured Bellisma's kind voice telling him that the Falls were beautiful, and that he would like it there, and this eased him - though only slightly. "Maybe," he murmured to her, face still and observing. "It's safe, you said?"


Word Count: 552
OOC: @[Zahra] & @[Bellisma]; and no worries smitty! (-:




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