the Rift


[PRIVATE] making mountains

Nephele Posts: 82
Dragon's Throat Guardian atk: 4.5 | def: 8.5 | dam: 7.5
Mare :: Pegasus :: 16.3 :: 7 HP: 64.0 | Buff: NOVICE
Atreus :: Lammergeier :: None Nova
#1

Patrol in the eastern borders of the sun blessed island coming to a close, the imposing mare had given the area one last, thorough sweep through before changing her course towards the oasis. Tallsun was a blessing and a curse, while it brought the promise of extended days of warmth and nary a whisper of cold on the wind, the heat itself for extended periods of time could make even the most hardy of animals wilt with sweat and sun fatigue. The lake was the answer, the clear pools promised fresh water and nearby shade for the traveler or most weathered of warriors.

Grand wings carried her in low, she extended her front left hoof into the water and relished the cool spray of water that followed. The day had been mostly peaceful, quiet save for the few other herd mates she had seen scattered in the air on her patrol and the occasional dot below, but nothing had made the odd eyed mare wary or cautious. The most serious part of the day out of the way until she was called upon once more, she could at least take some time for herself.
A smile appearing on her velvety muzzle, she tucked her hindquarters and thrust her hooves into the glassy pool — the water rearing to life in huge parting waves and untamed spray, promptly soaking her muzzle to tail, her mane falling flatly against her broad neck and forelock obscuring her vision. Wings sweeping back and holding firm, she slid across the water as an black and cinder blur until she fully sank beneath the surface, hooves catching the pebbles and sandy bed safely.


Wings dropping with a less than graceful 'thunk' on the surface, she let out a watery snort. The sliding stop into the oasis had been a fun idea, but the aftermath of water clogged nostrils wasn't exactly pleasant, shaking her head and body free of excess water clinging to her soaked body before finally dragging herself out of the water and into the shade of the nearby trees. No one seemed to be around, and if they were, she assumed they too were also in the shade of the trees littering the body of water seeking solace from the high heat of Tallsun.

Finding herself what she thought to be a good, secluded nook against a couple of rocks and a tall tree, she proceeded to flop her wings out and let herself rest. No one could possibly want to bother her right now, right?

______________
Notes;; Notes go here!
 


@Zèklè

“She was beautiful, but she was beautiful in the way a forest fire was beautiful: something to be admired from a distance, not up close.” 

― Terry Pratchett
Please tag Neph in all replies!
Force & violence permitted with the exception of maiming & death

Zèklè Posts: 166
Outcast atk: 8.0 | def: 10 | dam: 3.5
Colt :: Pegasus :: 14.1 :: Three HP: 67 | Buff: NOVICE
charks
#2

The fact of the matter was that Zero needed a bag. His rock collection was growing far too big, and he had an unsettling habit of making stashes and promptly forgetting where they were. Like this one, for instance. He'd spent the entire day looking along the coastline for the perfect set of rocks. Sure, there was an abundance of shale and sandstone, but that wouldn't do. That was ordinary, and this golem had to be anything but ordinary. It had to be extraordinary, just like the friend he'd been building it for.

Which brings us back to the problem of missing rocks. Over the course of the past few seasons Zero had been creating stashes of stones all around the Throat, and while stumbling upon one of these was always a delightful surprise, not being able to find the one he wanted on a particular day could grow unbearably infuriating. Today he'd been working on collecting some of the choicest rocks, carefully balancing them on poor patient Squishy, but there was still a pile he hadn't found. Somewhere around the oasis was a deposit of malachite, beautiful and green and perfect for his creation... if only he could remember where it was!

Well. At least the sun was up, and the water was nice, and there wasn't any Ma or Gaucho or Meg to tell him to behave.

In other words, the perfect setting for a treasure hunt.

Now all he needed was a partner in crime.

Re-invigorated and ready to begin the search anew, Zero trotted gleefully toward the tranquil pool. There was always someone around by the Oasis, and thus far the boy had been met with nothing but (sometimes reluctant) acceptance of his exuberant curiosity, indulgent smiles and drawn-out laughter. Yes, he thought, it should be pretty easy to find himself a partner in crime. In fact, there was someone now!

Single wing darting out to offer him balance, the boy splashed through the pool toward his newly spotted prey.  "Hey!" he called as he neared the unfamiliar mare, crooked grin wide and orange eyes hopeful,  "Wanna go on a treasure hunt with me?"


OOC;; ooc notes here
TAG;; tags here @[----]
Image Credits
- table by Niki -

Nephele Posts: 82
Dragon's Throat Guardian atk: 4.5 | def: 8.5 | dam: 7.5
Mare :: Pegasus :: 16.3 :: 7 HP: 64.0 | Buff: NOVICE
Atreus :: Lammergeier :: None Nova
#3

Splashing echoed across the vast oasis and into the black mares ears, which swiveled towards the sound diligently though her eyes remained shut, assuming that it was a large bird or another member of the Dragon's throat seeking reprieve from the God's sweltering rays. She paid it little mind, a threat in the center of the Dragon's Throat was unlikely, given the amount of patrolling pegasus roaming the skies and the sure footed unicorns scouring the vast sands, it didn't take long to register that the noise was getting closer, and closer and closer.

It didn't take long for her curiosity to be sated, for a personality filled voice broke the already disturbed silence even further and forced the Warrioress to open her odd coloured eyes to pay attention. Glacial Blue met molten Orange, her ombre forelock obscuring the shimmering Gold one from view. What a curious little yearling, was her immediate thought, noting his rather unique appearance while her velvet nostrils let out a bemused snort. He wasn't like any foal she'd laid her eyes upon, and though that number she could count on a human hand, they had all been rather uniform and somewhat predictable in appearance when one looked upon their parents.

The little one winged pegasus in front of the amazonian, was decidedly not uniform, and seemed to have no trouble with it.

Neph may have not been good with foals, but she couldn't help but find this one unusually endearing. To so boldly approach a stranger, full of unsullied confidence and youthful vigor which only foals had the privilege to own, she had to give him his due.


"What kind of treasure hunt?" Curiosity lacing her voice, partly sincere and partly done for effect., ears perked towards the Colt to give him her full attention.
"Is it dangerous?" She added after a deliberate moment of silence.


_________________________________________________________________________________

Notes;; summaries & comments go here

"talking talking talking"

ashes call my name

Image Credits

“She was beautiful, but she was beautiful in the way a forest fire was beautiful: something to be admired from a distance, not up close.” 

― Terry Pratchett
Please tag Neph in all replies!
Force & violence permitted with the exception of maiming & death

Zèklè Posts: 166
Outcast atk: 8.0 | def: 10 | dam: 3.5
Colt :: Pegasus :: 14.1 :: Three HP: 67 | Buff: NOVICE
charks
#4

This was excellent! (Which, coincidentally, is quite an excellent word. Maybe it was time to expand his 'cabulary) Zero grinned wetly at the mare, black ears pricked in delighted attention as the stranger played along with his game. She'd help! And make it fun! Oh, sure, he hadn't expected her to say no, not even for a minute, but the boy couldn't help but be flattered and delighted with the apparent enthusiasm his new friend displayed. Yeah, definitely a friend- nobody with cool eyes and a willingness to search for treasure could possibly be anything but a friend. It simply wasn't allowed.

Zèklè lowered his boisterous voice to something approaching a stage whisper.  "Very dangerous," he answered seriously (or as seriously as he could, given his quivering tail feathers), sunbeam eyes glowing with suppressed exhilaration. It was dangerous, probably, or dangerous enough, probably, maybe, whatever"Only the bravest and best warr'rs can find the treasure." The boy splayed his single wing, as though to demonstrate his own magnificent warriorhood, revealing the metal which now encompassed nearly the entirety of his back and side.

Zero took advantage of the elapsing time to notice the mare- really notice her. She had wings, obviously, like any self-respecting pegasus, and her wings were big and beautiful and a little like Meg's. That wasn't super interesting, and the boy left them quickly. He didn't like to think about people's wings.

What he did like were her eyes, because they were two different colors and that was excellent. He tilted his head, staring unabashedly at the blue and gold gaze until finally he shook his head and came back to the world.

Blinking, the boy focused back on the mare, lopsided grin returning to a youthful face. "You ready?" He climbed out of the pool, wing extended for balance, slipping minimal (ish) as he scrambled across the slippery banks, setting out purposefully toward what he thought might be south. He was chattering, anticipating that she'd follow, that she'd care, his voice a bright spot on the wind. "It's this way! I think. I'm Zèklè, but everyone calls me Zero an' you can too- what's your name? An-" he'd tried to hold it back but in unraveled until at last he couldn't hold it in and his lips gave way and the sound just rolled out: "Why're your eyes like that? 'S really excellent!"



OOC;; ooc notes here
TAG;; @Nephele
Image Credits
- table by Niki -

Nephele Posts: 82
Dragon's Throat Guardian atk: 4.5 | def: 8.5 | dam: 7.5
Mare :: Pegasus :: 16.3 :: 7 HP: 64.0 | Buff: NOVICE
Atreus :: Lammergeier :: None Nova
#5


Ah, the over enthusiasm and innocence of the young. So full of life and vigor, and a delightful naivety that could incite the most stubborn of souls to lift. 'No' wasn't a 'no' to a foal, it was just a 'yes' that needed a little convincing. To most,  no wasn't even part of their world. Neph could take herself back to fond memories of her own youth, if she so inclined to let her mind wander in this moment. Back to leggy and clumsy footings and shamelessly badgering the grown ups to partake in her 'quests'.

Watching the young colt proclaim that it was indeed a dangerous quest, and only the best warriors could find what he was looking for, Nephele nodded sincerely and regarded him with a look of awe (as any good person would gazing upon a mighty warrior). "You must be a very mighty warrior then to even know of this treasure." She responded, catching herself in the back of her mind, how the colts positivity and energy had saturated the area and herself, usually she might've scoffed and begrudgingly engaged a youngling for the sake of peace — however in this instance she found herself wholly amused and endeared to the boy. A small adventure with the young warrior-colt with genuine enthusiasm wouldn't hurt, would it?


Noticing his apparent staring, the statuesque mare let a velvet smile appear on her dark muzzle, ah, no doubt her eyes had drawn his attention perhaps? She hadn't much in the way of uniqueness in terms of strange patterns that shimmered and danced on her skin — only her eyes were her real stand out, perhaps her ombre hair and warpaint could also be something of note.
At his question, she finally got herself to her feet. "I am." Front legs extending in a fluid momentum to draw her large frame back to all fours while her wings spread like all encompassing sails, feathers fluttering in the breeze for the fleetest of moments before nestling back against her sides — a final head shake fixing the mess of waves off of her face to send them back cascading down her thick neck. The Warrioress dwarfed her new companion as she turned to follow him, making sure to keep her pace steady and slow so it was her following him, and not the other way around. After all, he was the leader of this expedition and had more of an idea of what 'treasure' they were finding.

"Alright, this way it is." Sure to keep her eye on the yearling in case he suddenly took off sprinting towards their target, she listened with ears perked forward to his words. "Zèklè," repeating his name to make sure she was saying it correctly, "my name is Nephele, but you can call me Neph if you like." Her name wasn't the most easy to pronounce for some, she imagined it might also be why young Zèklè was called Zero by many.

Zèklè's question about her eyes prompted her to let out a small laugh, before a sly smile took it's place firmly on her chiseled features. "I got them from my mother and father, my father had gold eyes and my mother had blue. I got one of each." Letting her words settle to set the tone for her next words.  "You know, those of us who have one blue eye can see the land of the living and the dead. I can see ghosts and all the other things that lurk in the shadows that want to creep up on you." An old superstitious tale, but a fun one that Zero would like to hear no doubt, she had only heard it herself when she'd travelled far from Helovia.


_________________________________________________________________________________

Notes;; summaries & comments go here

"talking talking talking"

ashes call my name

Image Credits


@Zèklè

“She was beautiful, but she was beautiful in the way a forest fire was beautiful: something to be admired from a distance, not up close.” 

― Terry Pratchett
Please tag Neph in all replies!
Force & violence permitted with the exception of maiming & death

Zèklè Posts: 166
Outcast atk: 8.0 | def: 10 | dam: 3.5
Colt :: Pegasus :: 14.1 :: Three HP: 67 | Buff: NOVICE
charks
#6

"You must be a very mighty warrior then to even know of this treasure."

"Well act'ly," he replied, somewhat abashed, "I'm the one who hid it."

Zero had the decency to look at least a little embarrassed by this admission, but not enough to halt the mission, or dwell upon his mistake. The stranger - Neph, she'd said, and Zero repeated it cheerfully: "Hullo, Neph!" - was still following him, and the lightning boy was reluctant to give up such a major victory. How great, to have a partner in his mission, to have a friend among the sands. So many of his friends seemed to be going away, these days.

Her explanation of eyes took him entirely by surprise. Zèklè swung his head around, his own sunbeam gaze tight on the tall warrior, crooked grin agape. "Really?" he demanded eagerly, ready to believe any tall tale without so much as a pause - he lived in Helovia, after all. His best friend could turn into a rock, and he'd even met a whale. "Are there ghosts around here now? Wha'd they want? Are they friendly? Can you talk to them?" The questions left his mouth in a rapid-fire barrage, thrown at poor Nephele without anything like mercy. Ghosts! They must know a lot of things- maybe even almost as much as whales.

Despite his piqued interest, Zero barely gave his friend time to respond before setting off again, his attention having been captured by a particularly familiar patch of plants. He kept an ear on Nephele, even as his narrow legs struggled valiantly to push him through cattails and reeds as high as his wither, his single wing more a hindrance than help as he shoved it through the rush. This, perhaps, was not the wisest path away from the Oasis, but it was certainly the most interesting one, which was a good indicator that Zèklè may have been there before.

"We're lookin' for rocks," he called back to the mare, though his voice was muffled somewhat as a cattail chose that moment to strike him in the face. "Ouch! Special rocks. I need 'em to make a golem for my friend, 'cus she helped me meet a whale an' I wanna give her a present, too. I keep findin' rocks for her, but then I bury 'em an' now I can't find 'em. Are you a good finder? My friend Mesec's good at findin', one time I helped him find- oh!" The youthful voice trailed off, a grand discovery clearly capturing Zèklè's fleeting attention. "Lookit that!"



OOC;; you can decide what they find <3
TAG;; @Nephele
Image Credits
- table by Niki -


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