the Rift


[PRIVATE] Sugar plum Fairy

Erthë Posts: 440
Outcast atk: 5.5 | def: 8.5 | dam: 5.5
Filly :: Hybrid :: 14,2 hh :: 3 years HP: 64.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Chan
#1


"Stay here until I get back" mother had said, before disappearing off on midnight wings.

So like the good child she had promised to be Erthë stayed put on the vast meadow where fresh new greens had almost overtaken the tough brown grass from last year. She was determined not to get in trouble again any time soon, but did that mean she was not allowed to enjoy herself?

With the furious energy of one accustomed to playing on her own the child raced across the billowing hills, clambered up and down the steep river banks until her pretty white coat was no more than a memory, she rolled in this and that and added grass, leaf and brambles to the growing layer of muck, and then she stalked birds on the rock-strewn brink until a misstep brought her plunging into the cold waters. Mother had taught her to swim however and despite heavy feathers and tousled locks she managed to get herself back up on dry land without greater incident. Quite a bit cleaner than she had been too, for that matter.

As an added bonus to this adventure, she was now on the opposite side of the winding river, and as she gazed out across the gently rolling fields she noticed a figure in the distant that looked quite familiar.

"UNCLE BADGER!" the girl squealed in delight and raced off towards the gelding, beside herself with joy. His face was a familiar and loved one, among the first ones she had seen after coming into this world, and though he strictly didn't belong to her family her heart knew no such limits. What was blood, after all, but a work of happenstance and coincidence? True family was created, not born into.

"Hiiiii Badger, what are you doing!?" The girl skidded to a halt before her self-appointed uncle, out of breath and smeared with mud and grass and something black and sticky that oozed from eyes and nose and mouth and other body openings. Yet there was no mistaking the vibrant soul that resided behind the glittering sea-green eyes, or the happiness she felt at stumbling over her most favorite person in the world (after the parents and Lady Moon, of course).


e r t h ë
in every lost soul the bones of a miracle
Image Credit


[Badger]

~| Use of magic and violence is always permitted |~
~| Please only tag in opening posts |~

Badger Posts: 68
Hidden Account atk: 4 | def: 8 | dam: 6.5
Gelding :: Equine :: 15'2hh :: 10 HP: 62 | Buff: NOVICE
Snow
#2


I'm gathering herbs, as I seem to spend a lot of time doing these days. Today, my reasons aren't entirely altruistic. I am hoping that I will stumble across a herb that cures the hateful black tar that oozes from my eyes, nose and mouth, which lends me supernatural abilities I'm not entirely sure I like. Being able to see so many new colours is both a blessing and a curse, but if given a choice I would happily get rid of it in an instant. It is strange, being able to see hues that are normally hidden from the feeble equine eye. There's such vibrancy to be seen in the world we live in, and up until now I've seen so little of it. I don't fully know what it is I can see - if it's heat, or radiation, or what - but I fear I will be stuck with it, plus the black ooze, forever.

So I hunt for a magical herb that will cure my ills, as well as the ills of the other inflicted Helovians. As fights go, the one against the wolf was even worse than usual. I got infected with boils, strained my back legs, got stung on the ass by a bear made of lightning, and then suddenly sprouted this hateful tar-disease. It was not a good day. Still, I fear there is more to come, so I need to keep my supplies high.

I wave my tail against my flanks to get rid of flies, scooping up herbs and placing them flat on a nearby rock. When I've got enough, I'll tuck them into my halter. Do you know how hard it is to tuck something into an item on your face when you lack fingers? I have to place the herbs I want on a flat rock, then rub my face against it until they wedge themselves between the worn leather and my coarse skin. I wish I had a bag of some sort. If horses can have magic, why not bags? I'm jerked from my herb gathering frenzy and my bag-related musings by a very familiar voice, one that makes my ears prick and my whole body turn to see the source.

Right now, the little white filly is the only creature who can bring a smile to my face despite my woes. I beam down at her as she comes closer, but my grin slips slightly as I see that she, too, is plagued with black goo from her facial orifices. It looks like this disease is not just mine, then. I wonder if she can see new colours, like I can, or if her symptoms manifest differently. I confess I am no expert with magical diseases. "Erthë," I greet, gently extending my muzzle to try and softly blow into her nose in greeting, hoping I don't spray her with black snot. "How are you?" Heavens, she is such a lovely little thing. Already she knows battle, which is a hard burden to bear for one of her age, but she has handled it well. I wonder briefly where her mother is, and look to the skies to see if she's circling high above, watching down on her daughter. I may not be her blood-uncle, but I would do anything for her. Hearing what she calls me, and seeing the way she bounds over to me, makes my heart swell with such affection I feel like it may just explode.

She asks me what I'm doing, and I puff myself up slightly in preparation to talk healing with her. Perhaps, if I interest her in herbs at this tender age, she will choose to walk the path of the healer rather than the warrior when she is fully-grown. "I'm gathering herbs, little one. With everything that's happened recently, it's important that I keep well-stocked. I'm also hoping to stumble upon something that will help get rid of this damnable disease we both seem to have." I frown and look down at my meagre pile of herbs. For open wounds and infection, they're fine, but this disease feels like neither of those. I'm completely stumped on what the cure could be - but I hope it doesn't involve me getting a burnt backside like the boil cure seemed to.

b a d g e r


Erthë Posts: 440
Outcast atk: 5.5 | def: 8.5 | dam: 5.5
Filly :: Hybrid :: 14,2 hh :: 3 years HP: 64.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Chan
#3


His presence was the same as she remembered. Calm, soothing and collected, almost carefree in a way the girl wasn't entirely accustomed to. Mother always wore a frown and seemed to be busy searching for something, and Father rarely said anything at all, either good or bad. Vlasi didn't say much at all, of course, though at least her three heads smiled at her whenever they played.

It never really occurred to Erthë to feel lonely despite being connected to so few, but she couldn't deny that it was a great feeling to see Badger smile back at her. She giggled and blew wintry cold breath back at him in revenge for the blast of hot, clammy (and rather snot filled) greeting, but it was impossible to keep such a formal and grown up distance. How could you just see someone and not allow yourself to feel them too?

With a happy smile the slender filly wriggled in under his neck and pressed herself against the warm, dark skin in a feline display of affection, all woolly coat (it was beginning to shed and left wads of white fluff behind everywhere she went) and downy wings and coiling tail.

"I'm good" she assured once she'd had her fill of hugs, and beamed up at the gelding, black streaks lining both cheeks and neck where it had frozen into the pale coat.  "Hahaha, we're matching now! This thing is really yucky, isn't it though? Tastes horrible!"

She had always coughed, but this was a different kind of sound. Not the dry, wheezy sensation that ate away at her energy and breath but rather a wet rattling that came from deep within the lungs and brought globs of black tar into the mouth. Spitting out one such into the grass she grimaced wildly, the small tongue tainted with gray streaks as she tried to wipe it off on something better tasting.

"Mum's off somewhere again" she told Badger once he had told her about collecting herbs, the sweet young voice hoarse and strained from mucus and coughs. "She told me to stay here, so I'm staying, but I really wish she would tell me where she's going. I think she's looking for something, or someone, but whenever I ask she just look like she's about to cry. Do you know anything, uncle?"

She too frowned as she followed his gaze to the small stack of plants, though the sight of them appeared interesting enough to keep her mood from sinking into brooding.

"Sounds fun with herbs" she mumbled and tripped closer, the pale nose quivering and wrinkling as she took in the fresh, sharp scent of them. "Do I really get better if I eat these? Can herbs fix everything? Maybe if I gave mum herbs she would start smiling!"

The thought was invigorating and with sudden enthusiasm the girl began to scour the ground to find more of these miracle plants.




e r t h ë
in every lost soul the bones of a miracle
Image Credit

~| Use of magic and violence is always permitted |~
~| Please only tag in opening posts |~

Badger Posts: 68
Hidden Account atk: 4 | def: 8 | dam: 6.5
Gelding :: Equine :: 15'2hh :: 10 HP: 62 | Buff: NOVICE
Snow
#4


She wiggles under my neck in the horsey equivalent of a hug, and I sigh happily at the contact. This is what I always picture when I think of being a father; a sweet little child playing around my heels, an endless source of cuddles and affection. I would teach them healing, as well as other lessons like empathy and politeness, and the foal would grow into an upstanding pillar of society. Alas, my craving is just that; the humans have ensured I will never see my own progeny bounce around in front of me, with my markings and my personality. Erthë is the closest I am likely to get to having my own child, and I adore her as if she were. She already has a family chock-full of love, with a father and a mother who undoubtedly adore her, so I can only pray she has room in her heart for me, an unrelated man who was simply in the right place at the right time. I hope she will not outgrow me and drift away as she ages - but I fear she will, so I make the most of this embrace whilst I can.

The girl declares the disease as yucky, and I'm inclined to agree. I shrivel my nose in disgust at the black ooze that pours from it, my sensitive eyes picking out all the different hues in her white coat. "It's disgusting," I agree, and watch as she gobs a healthy mouthful of black onto the grass. My entire throat feels constricted by the weight of tar that aches in my lungs; it's deathly uncomfortable, and I crave relief from it.

She informs me that her mother has gone off somewhere, and I frown. That strikes me as unusual - why would Shadow want to spend so much time away when she has a gorgeous bundle of love back home? "I don't know, little one, but I'm sure she'll be back soon. Until then, I'll keep you safe." I beam down at her with a bravado I don't feel. If we were attacked, whether by horse or predator, I would do my best to protect her, but there's no saying I would succeed. I am no fighter - my duty is healing wounds, not making them. So her dam's constant disappearances are a worry, and if I was closer to the black pegasus then I would try to broach the subject about it. But I don't feel like I am close enough to her to ask such personal questions - alls I can do is ensure her daughter is safe in her absence.

I feel delight pounding at my chest as she moves towards my herbs. My heart aches, though, at the way she wishes she could find something to make her mother smile; oh, she is so darling! Again, it is a worry that Shadow isn't smiling anyway, the healthy grin of new motherhood - once more, I'm hardpressed to stifle my curiosity about what is plaguing the blackbird. "Unfortunately, herbs don't fix everything, and I haven't yet found one to cure this disease we have. But there's a lot of things they do fix - I'd be happy to show you, if you're interested." I fix her with my hopeful brown gaze.

b a d g e r


Erthë Posts: 440
Outcast atk: 5.5 | def: 8.5 | dam: 5.5
Filly :: Hybrid :: 14,2 hh :: 3 years HP: 64.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Chan
#5

She smiled affectionately at the badger and nodded, having no reason to doubt his assurance of protection. Erthë didn't exactly feel like she needed it, not here on the sunny spring meadow, but it seemed adults felt better after saying things like that so she didn't object.

Squinting, she turned her sludge-clogged eyes towards the herbs again. They looked funny under the bright sunlight. Some looked just like flowers and green leaves should look, but sometimes when she blinked it was like the color of everything dimmed, became streaked in purple and black so that some colors changed, popped, almost glowed with intensity. It was both cool and scary and a bit annoying, but thankfully it didn't hurt. And it wasn't nearly as disheartening as hearing that herbs couldn't fix all her problems.

"I see" she sighed, the fluffy tail drooping to the ground. Mother's odd behavior was bothering her more than she wanted to admit. It wasn't fun to see the strong, confident mare troubled and quiet, and it wasn't fun to be left alone for long periods of time either. Both her parents were such vagabonds, they kept drifting here and there with the wind, and while it was rarely boring the child often felt rootless, out of place.

In that sense Badger was very comforting, because he was familiar and steady and unchanging. When he offered to teach her about the plants she nodded, not because she was overly interested anymore but rather because it means she would be allowed to stay with him for a while longer. It was an excellent excuse, a decent enough pastime, and who knew - maybe there was something about the herbs that could help mother anyway, even though the gelding didn't think so right now.

"How do you know which ones are herbs and which ones are just grass?" she asked, half dutifully and half curiously. She had begun to graze herself in increasing amounts, but the taste of the chewy plants were never as sweet and fulfilling as her mother's milk. How grown ups could live on them alone was beyond her - they should all just suckle for the rest of their lives!




e r t h ë
in every lost soul the bones of a miracle
Image Credit


@Badger - sorry for the wait!

~| Use of magic and violence is always permitted |~
~| Please only tag in opening posts |~

Badger Posts: 68
Hidden Account atk: 4 | def: 8 | dam: 6.5
Gelding :: Equine :: 15'2hh :: 10 HP: 62 | Buff: NOVICE
Snow
#6


It pains me to see her sag in disappointment when I say I don't know what is paining her dam. It is a part of childhood that I recognise, the day that you realise your mother isn't the god you have elevated her to in your own head, but that she is as fallible and mortal as anybody else. I remember it well. After all, what foal doesn't believe that his mother will always keep him safe from harm? Shadow is a good mother, and I can tell from the God fights that she would do anything to save her child. The fact she is so aloof already, and that the moment of mother-related realization has to come so soon for the filly, is concerning. My own mother had done everything in her power to protect me, despite the articificial, human-dominated environment I had grown up in. How she had raged against leather and metal when they took me away from her long before I was ready! How she had screamed for me from her field whilst I was locked in my stable, alone and bewildered!

That was the day I realised she couldn't protect me from everything. Erthë will hopefully never have to leave her dam until she is good and ready, but she will soon realise that her dam is not the perfect creature she undoubtedly believes, just as I had believed. At least she has me, though, and I will never abandon her whilst I have blood in my heart.

And, if I teach her everything I know about healing, it will hopefully ensure she grows into a mare herself, kindhearted and knowledgeable and ready to have children of her own one day.

Her first question is a valid one. "Alas, herbs don't taste as nice as grass," I say, and it's true. Herbs are often bitter - it seems that anything that helps you must taste horrible. "Realistically, though, it is simply a question of knowledge. If you study herbs enough, you learn to recognise them by smell, by leaf shape, by stem length, and so on. The humans had taken a lot from me, but the one thing they gave me was their knowledge of alternative, herbal medicine. Without that, I would never have known everything I know, and Shadow could well be dead. These things happen for a reason, and the human knowledge of herbs has given me a meaning in life. Perhaps that was their way of compensating for taking away the part of me that would allow me to create life, which is every animal's purpose for existence.

I gesture with my nose to one particular pile of herbs. "For example, this is green vein kratom. See how its leaves are smooth, and how its veins are green when you turn it upside down? It is very similar to something called red vein kratom, as in they both provide pain relief. Red vein provides greater pain relief, but it also sedates, which means it isn't as useful in battles. I used green vein in the Bear battle - if I'd used red vein, the stallion I'd used it on might well have collapsed into a relaxed heap, which would be very dangerous." I'd had red vein used on me by the humans in conjunction with normal medicine after I'd had medical procedures done, and I can testify to its effects.

b a d g e r


Erthë Posts: 440
Outcast atk: 5.5 | def: 8.5 | dam: 5.5
Filly :: Hybrid :: 14,2 hh :: 3 years HP: 64.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Chan
#7

Though her interest initially was feigned only, the subject soon enough managed to capture her attention for real. Whether it was the steady comfort of the gelding's presence and voice or slumbering potential was hard to tell, but there was no denying the increasing attentiveness as the filly listened and nodded.

She had noticed that some plants tasted different than others. The sharp, pungent ones were the reason why she, according to her mother at least, was such a picky eater. Shadow ate anything and everything as long as it gave in to the powerful grinding teeth, but the snow fairy preferred the sweet and succulent grasses, the fresh buds on bushes and a few funny looking plants that both smelled and tasted like ice.

That it was possible to do things to people just by giving them things to eat was pretty close to magic in her ears. Misty eyes grew wide as Badger described the possible effect of giving the wrong plant, and a she looked back at the wilting leaves in his pile it was with a renewed respected. She had been in battle - she knew how dangerous indeed it might be to sleep in such a place.

"You really know a lot" she remarked, full of admiration as she smiled up at her uncle. "Ah, but... When we went to the Basin to get help for mom, the ladies didn't use plants at all, did they? How come mother got better if they didn't use herbs like kraa-tumm?"

She didn't remember all that much about that journey anymore. Like the first days of her life the details was gradually receding into the misty haze of forgetfulness. Even so, certain parts stood out move vividly than others, like the black stag and the antlered mare that smiled at her, and the anger of a golden lord...




e r t h ë
in every lost soul the bones of a miracle
Image Credit


@Badger

~| Use of magic and violence is always permitted |~
~| Please only tag in opening posts |~

Badger Posts: 68
Hidden Account atk: 4 | def: 8 | dam: 6.5
Gelding :: Equine :: 15'2hh :: 10 HP: 62 | Buff: NOVICE
Snow
#8


She observes that I know a lot, and I smile. "You could say I cheated, I suppose. I gained my knowledge from growing up alongside a different species, a species known as humans. They're very clever, but very cruel. They do, however, have an almost limitless knowledge of medicine, and mine unwittingly imparted a lot of herbal information onto me." It's strange for me to think that the filly has never, and probably will never, meet a human. As a horse who had grown up believing that the two-leggeds were the owners of the world, it's queer to find myself in a land where they are none-existent, and where none of the residents have had to be subjugated by their selfish desires. Of course, I don't hate humans - for nine years, they were my life, and they almost always treated me well. I was certainly not abused - I was well-fed, sheltered, loved. But now I've spent time away from them, I know how much I and other captive horses have missed out on because of them. Given a choice between returning to them or remaining wild, I would probably now choose the latter - which would have been unthinkable just a few months ago, when I'd have given my right hoof to go back to the sheltered life I'd lead.

She mentions when we took her to the Basin, and how the healers there used their magic. I remember watching in envy as they repaired Shadow with powers I could only dream of. "The mares in the Basin possessed healing magic, God-given powers which allow them to fix wounds without the need of herbs. I have no magic, so unfortunately I'm limited to plants." I smile at her. It's not all bad - herbs do their job admirably. I don't know if I would ever want magic, because I do enjoy retaining some semblance of normality. If it meant I could help others, though...I ponder it for a moment. Chances are, the thought is pointless. I am unlikely to ever obtain it, even if I desire it, which I'm not sure I do. It had been miraculous how the Basin mares simply fixed all ills with, it seemed, the minimum amount of effort. Again I wonder at the powers present in Helovia, the sheer force of the gifts that Gods can give.

I return my warm brown gaze to Erthë, after it had unwittingly wandered into the middle-distance during my musing. "I'll be happy to tell you every herb I know, if you're genuinely interested. You don't need to listen just to humour me, though." I offer a gentle grin - I wouldn't want to bore her!

b a d g e r


Erthë Posts: 440
Outcast atk: 5.5 | def: 8.5 | dam: 5.5
Filly :: Hybrid :: 14,2 hh :: 3 years HP: 64.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Chan
#9

The child tilted her head and eyed her self-appointed uncle with steady, piercing gaze, as though trying to peer into his mind.

"How is it cheating to learn by watching?" she asked, completely serious. "I learn to walk quietly by watching Mom... is that wrong?"

It would be bad if it was, because she knew no other way to go about it. Shadow could explain about hoof placement and balance and watchful attitudes all day long, it still didn't make any sense to the child until she saw the mare actually do it. But her mother had never said anything about it being cheating, and Erthë wasn't really sure she understood how the gentle healer was thinking just then.

When he offered to show her more herbs however, the puzzled frown brightened into a wide, bright smile.

"I want to hear more!" she said, eagerly bouncing closer with the tail thrashing happily around the long legs. "Magic is wonderful and all but I don't have any either. Not real magic, that can do things. Herbs are fun, I think I want to be like you when I get bigger!"

Helping, healing, teaching - it was all so much better than to run terrified around a battlefield. Why anyone would choose to expose themselves to that was beyond her - so far her only purpose had been to survive or help others.

Eager to continue this unexpected lesson, she looked at the pile of already gathered herbs and then at the ground around them, trying to spot some other suspicious looking plants. Spotting the icy smelling one she liked to munch on, the girl darted over and picked it up, and with glittering eyes she came prancing back to Badger and placed it before him.

"Is this a herb?" she asked. "It doesn't taste like the grass but it doesn't taste bad either... Like ice but also spicy."




e r t h ë
in every lost soul the bones of a miracle
Image Credit


@Badger - she's referring to peppermint

~| Use of magic and violence is always permitted |~
~| Please only tag in opening posts |~

Badger Posts: 68
Hidden Account atk: 4 | def: 8 | dam: 6.5
Gelding :: Equine :: 15'2hh :: 10 HP: 62 | Buff: NOVICE
Snow
#10
hope it was okay to do a 'time jump' of sorts for him to teach her without me having to write it all! ^^ @Erthë



She makes a valid point, and I hum my pleasure at her quick mind. "True," I chime. Perhaps it is simple instinct that makes me think it is wrong to learn from another species - learning from another horse, yes, such as one's mother, but to steal knowledge of a whole different creature? It just doesn't seem...right. But, I reason, after everything the humans took from me, it is only fair I took something from them in return. No doubt they would fall to their queer, knobbly knees in shock if they could see me now, wild and defiant in the face of their tampering with nature.

When she says she wants to be like me when she is bigger, I feel pride swell up inside me. Not like her father, who seems the sort to prefer warrior-hood to healing - but me, her strange, herb-loving godfather. I'm almost glowing. "Magic is overrated," I smile. I've survived this long without it and I'm not likely to change that anytime soon. Unless there's some magical way to restore my human-removed bits (and even then, I'm not sure I'd want to be cursed with a stallion's rampant lusts) I'm not too interested in Helovian's magical gifts. At least, I'm not obsessed like I'm sure some are, dedicating my life to getting powers above and beyond what nature intended.

The filly finds some peppermint, and asks me about it. I beam at her choice. "That is known as peppermint. It's not a lot of good for healing flesh wounds, so it wouldn't be worth taking it into battle. However, it's good at combating illnesses, from coughs to stomach cramps. I thought it might help cure this disease we have, but unfortunately not." I sigh, snorting black ooze.

I then proceed to take Erthë through as many herbs as I can off the top of my head, listing their names and qualities, as well as describing them if I don't have a physical representative to show her. Once I've talked through as much as I can, I stop to look at her. "There's a lot more that I don't know, and I'm sure there's some that you will learn about that I don't, too!" That's the joy of learning on the job.

b a d g e r


Erthë Posts: 440
Outcast atk: 5.5 | def: 8.5 | dam: 5.5
Filly :: Hybrid :: 14,2 hh :: 3 years HP: 64.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Chan
#11


She nods, but the sideways glance at her friend is not entirely convinced. It was true that magic was flawed and that it couldn't save everyone and cure everything, but it was capable of such marvelous things! Her young heart was aching with longing for similar gifts, to be special and powerful and interesting like everyone else. Magic was good, and herbs were good, and she found them equally interesting - it was just that right now, her only option would be one, not the other.

Despite that, Erthë listened intently to Badger's instructions and explanations, determined to learn as much as she could. Hardly likely to remember everything as her memory was far from flawless, she nevertheless found her head crammed full with new, intriguing possibilities by the end of the lesson. By that time there was a deepened sense of respect for her favorite uncle as she smiled back at him. Badger knew so much! How he could remember everything and keep all those names and uses and do's and don't's in mind was more than she could fathom.

"You know more than me" she replied, overwhelmed and with a slight headache as she looked up from the ground. "If I find something out tho, I'll tell you about it!"

Time had slipped away from them as they talked and discussed, the sun had sunk low on the horizon and bathed them both in its golden light. On the horizon a dark shape grew steadily larger, turning from an oversized bird into the silhouette of her mother.

"Looks like it's time to go" the filly sighed. "Thank you for teaching me, uncle Badger! "

She gave him a final hug, and with a soft "Bye bye!" Erthë set out over the meadow towards her mother, just as the mare landed in the tall grasses.

It had been a good day, and though she was parting from a friend she didn't feel sad; they would meet again, after all.




e r t h ë
in every lost soul the bones of a miracle
Image Credit


Erthë out! <3

~| Use of magic and violence is always permitted |~
~| Please only tag in opening posts |~


Forum Jump:


RPGfix Equi-venture