the Rift


No Going Back [OPEN]

Drake Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#1

Large, cloven hooves carried a great beast through the forest, crunching any blade of grass or flower unfortunate enough to find itself under them.

Drake stilled himself as he came to a stream and swiveled his ears around, checking for predators that may be in his vicinity. Being alone had taught the young draft to be mindful of his surroundings. A serene oasis may seem friendly from afar, yet up close it may be festering with ravenous fiends.

The great beast snorted once he was sure that he was alone, Drake dipped his head down and lapped up the cool water, wetting his dry throat. He had come from a long journey, and during that journey taking a sip of water was a luxury.

But now, it seemed like to him the journey should come to an end. There was nothing to benefit from running any further. The beast lifted his head and shook his mane before moving on, climbing up the mountain. His cloven hooves came in handy as he scaled the mountain's rocky side.

The scents of other horses filled his nostrils, some more stale than others. One or two had been recent, however Drake paid no mind to them. The unicorn didn't want to get tangled into any trouble. Though it'd be nice to see another, Drake did not know the nature of the beings who lived in this land. His father would know the the other draft was not with him.

Not that Drake would want that stallion by his side. It was he Drake was running from. Jupiter was a vile unicorn and though he and Drake's mother seemed to be very much in love, the so called 'impure' unicorn wouldn't be surprised if their meeting was anything less than romantic.

Drake grunted as he pulled himself up the mountain, high enough to see the vast lands below that had been hiding behind the great mountain. The draft gazed in awe while his coarse mane whipped in the mountain's winds.

"I can't believe father lived here at one point." Drake huffed.


Drake smiled at the beauty, flicking his ears towards the sounds of rushing waters. A great emotion welled up inside Drake, too much to keep to himself.


The beast threw back his head and let out a roaring whinny, shaking his head some and stomped his hooves upon the ground. For the first time in his life, he felt free.


words: 406


Atlas Posts: 54
Outcast atk: 3.5 | def: 9.5 | dam: 7
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.2 HH :: 5 HP: 64.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Linds
#2

I’d spent far too long hidden away from the humanity that was life and now I considered myself quite the introvert. Where once I’d been confident and- well hell, I was still pretty damn self-assured, but at least I’d learned how to rein in my errant tongue. Perhaps it was meeting Resplendence and Amaris that had solved all my problems- or solitude… solitude certainly had a funny way of changing one’s perspective. How long this change would last was still unknown to me, but for those lucky citizens of Helovia, I wouldn’t be trouncing around pestering them with questions about their lifestyle. After all, I’d come to adopt my own.

That was a miracle in and of itself, right?

Of course, it didn’t soothe the boredom that often tested my sanity. I’d encountered too many quiet days and lonesome nights to consider myself completely lucid, BUT at times I was able to convince myself that I was well on my way toward self-proclaimed prodigy.

It was with those notions that I headed back to where my fame had originated and back to the place that had spun these silken webs of celebrity throughout the corridors of my inflated ego.

When the notorious tall wood appeared against the bright backdrop of an Orangemoon sun, I hummed softly to myself. What a beautiful place to discover myself after all the travelling of my past. Who knew that I’d end up here, in Helovia of all places! I’d lucked out, drawn the King out of the deck, and chosen to fold my hand in order to settle down. Even if I hadn’t quite settled yet…

There was still the small matter of positioning myself amongst the others. Everyone spoke of “home” and “herds” and “family life”, but not I. I was still the sole entity, the only deciding factor, in my own life. Maybe it was time to change that along with everything else… Maybe.

-But wait? What in the Gods’ names was that sound?


It was a raucous grinding… a perpetual ache in the pit of my soul that made me want to grit my teeth against the noise. Now that shit had to stop. I was in the midst of reveling! Like a hound, hell bent on tracking some escaped convict, I followed the incessant grating until I’d managed to find myself face-to-face with the ugliest beast I swore I’d ever seen. I’d witnessed my fair share of heinous creatures in days prior, but this brute truly earned the title… What in the hell was I supposed to do now?

Be kind, obviously… lest he rip my head from my shoulders with a quick swipe of those ugly horns. Perhaps I should have stayed “home” today- wherever the hell that was. It would have been better than attempting conversation with this… delightful fellow.

Hello there stranger. Welcome, hola, or whatever it is that pleases you. Don’t suppose you came looking for a place to be or live? Take it from me, Helovia fits the bill. You can just, well, make yourself at home?


Damn, I was smooth.

Atlas

I'm no schoolboy but I know what I like
You shoulda heard me just around midnight

image credits
@[Drake] -- Sorry, I'm horribly rusty with Atlas... and he's well, he's something else.

Run towards the stars, or make them shine. Fight the tide, until the day we die.

▌ Please tag Atlas in all replies
▌ Force permitted, but no maiming or killing
▌ Pixel by DarkShadow

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

Drake stopped making his joyous noise before looking back to the stranger who interrupted him. The beast frowned and watched the other stallion for a moment, wondering what his game was.

It didn't seem like this unicorn didn't have any other ulterior motives and only greeted Drake so far. Still, he felt uneasy. The other was a quite handsome stallion, no doubt the mares thought so too. Where Drake was.... well Drake didn't like comparing himself to others for various reasons.

The beast dipped his head down in a silent greeting, his mangled horn pointing towards the starry unicorn's way until Drake pulled his head back up again. He wasn't looking for enemies, it was far to easy to gain a foe in this world.

"... Just a hello would do." Drake replied, his voice as gruff as his appearance. The stranger sure did talk a lot. Not that there was anything wrong with that, at least talkative people filled in the silence in the air. Drake listened carefully, his ears perked towards the words the stranger threw into the air. What an interesting character.

"Helovia you say?" Drake hummed "I was wondering if this place had a name, sure is pretty enough for it." he said, looking back over towards the sound of rushing water. It was a foreign sound to him. He had seen rivers and streams, but it neither had enough water or was violent enough to cause such roaring. Curiosity peeked within the beast.

Drake looked upon the handsome unicorn once again as he began to address the stranger.

"Tell me, Star pelt, are there any dangers to look out for in these lands? Any band of fiends to avoid?" Drake asked.

The draft supposed he could have asked the fellow's name as well but Drake didn't really know how without asking too many questions himself. He didn't want to bother the other enough to chase him away. Though it's rude to give someone one doesn't know a nick name. But it was a nice one, it wasn't like he was teasing the other.


Still, his mother would scold him if he didn't introduce himself, if she weren't dead that was.


"I'm Drake.... by the way..." Drake added in a mutter, dipping his head down once again, but he didn't linger and lifted his head once again, not wantng to seem threatening towards this stranger.


The last thing he needed was to get himself in trouble. Who knows, maybe this stranger had strong magic, if that was true the draft horse would be in serious trouble. He'd rather not find out. At least not towards himself, maybe towards a mean wolf but not upon the draft.


@[Atlas] - It's cool! I like Atlas he's pretty rad X3

Atlas Posts: 54
Outcast atk: 3.5 | def: 9.5 | dam: 7
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.2 HH :: 5 HP: 64.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Linds
#4

At first, I was completely inclined to believe that maybe this gentle giant was capable of embodying decent company. Of course, my first impression of the lad had proven quite unsound… At first, I was almost convinced he might just be a civilized creature and that I’d been wrong about him (though he was still just as ghoulish as aforementioned). You see, I was glad that he preferred natural introduction and I was glad that he thought Helovia to be a beautiful place… But-

Good God I was on the verge of impaling him, kicking him, or just walking the fuck off…

STAR PELT.

No, but really… STAR FUCKING PELT.

This one was asking for it. Maybe I’d seek out some awful creature from some sketchy cave to hunt him in the night or pray to the Gods to strike him down when he least expected it. I wasn’t sure which punishment sounded more fitting for the brute- maybe both. Either way, I was this close to telling him to turn around, that he would not find a single slice of land in which he would find comfort here in Helovia…

Alas, I had to maintain some inkling of composure or at least fabricate some kind of false hope for the beast if I wanted to exact revenge. Who the hell did he think he was anyways? Who the hell called someone Star Pelt… not “friend” or “pal” or stranger for all I gave a shit. Star pelt.

I’d show him Star Pelt.

Nope, no fiends will ever find themselves within these borders. I think you’ll fit right in,” I grit awkwardly. Well, unless you counted myself… I was fairly fiendish when it came to others offending me. Maybe I’d give him another shot at that… After all, did I not have magic that would take me back in time? Though I did wonder if that would truly change his course of action- I’d never actually tried it.

Nice to meet you Drake... I’m Atlas,” I crooned pleasantly. Really, I almost felt rather bad for Drake… I was an awful welcoming committee. Poor guy…

Kind of.

Well, you’re more than welcome to do whatever now… You’re, uh, accepted?” I questioned. It’s not like I’d ever welcomed anyone into Helovia, especially under the pretenses of later making him pay for calling me Star Pelt. I just hoped I was doing this whole “Threshold” thing right…

But I mean really… Star Pelt?

Atlas

I'm no schoolboy but I know what I like
You shoulda heard me just around midnight
image credits

Drake -- Atlas... being Atlas. He's extremely arrogant...

Run towards the stars, or make them shine. Fight the tide, until the day we die.

▌ Please tag Atlas in all replies
▌ Force permitted, but no maiming or killing
▌ Pixel by DarkShadow

Drake Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#5

Drake wasn't aware the nickname he gave had offended the dappled stallion. But now that he had the other's name there was no need to use it any more. Though this 'Atlas' was quite a peculiar fellow.

Why would he need acceptance from this loner before going into this land named Helovia? Perhaps there was an enchantment on the land that only allowed Helovians to wander in and out of its territories?

The beast smiled nevertheless, a very faint smile. There were no fiends? Ah Drake could just imagine the good rest he would be getting in Helovia. With no worries about wolves or mountain lions feasting on his body while he slept sounded like a blessing.

Though Drake had no idea of what ilk roamed the lands of Helovia nor the trials its people were currently facing. He would maybe learn of it later on, however, for now he was ignorantly blissful.

"Atlas, a good name, considering." Drake thought out loud..... Considering what? Did living alone all those years really made him forget how to socialize with people? Drake really needed to stop being such a hermit. "Considering your handsome pelt is like a map of stars, your mother must have been quite witty." Drake quickly added before the pause became too long. 'Good job on embarrassing yourself, Drake.' was all he heard within his skull. Really, he deserved to be thrown off a cliff, since when was he so rude to others?

The beast cleared his throat as he tried to think about what he was going to say next.

"Thank you for welcoming me to your homeland, I hope we meet again... when I've had more practice at socializing." Drake murmured, shyly. The stallion dipped his head down so far, the tip of his mangled horn dragged a little bit on the ground. "I apologize if what ever I said offended you at some point, I only meant good things by it." he tried to explain, yet it may have been too late?

But it is as most say, better late than never... right? He hoped that this Atlas was a forgiving type. The beast really did not want to make an enemy as soon as he got to the land, then Drake's father would be right about him all along. Still the young stallion was determined to prove his father wrong.

Drake began to trot away, looking back only once before he set off to try to find the lowest point of the mountain that would grant him access to the rest of the lands.


@[Atlas]


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