Cautious onyx hooves moved over a dangerously jagged coastline; swiftly and with cat-like skill Hasovir neared the ocean. The piercing winds travelling down from the northern regions of Frostbreath Steppe cut into Hasovir’s Tallsun seasoned pelt, and while the coolness felt relieving from the burning sun their wicked licks felt like beestings. Salted mist sprayed up from the rising surf, crashing upon the barnacle covered rocks and making Hasovir’s mouth water. He had travelled from far south to escape the blazing heat and was pleased to know his internal compass had led him in accurate direction. Finally landing on solid, level ground he gazed upwards to the mountains’ abrupt vertical incline. Snow touched the very tips of these rock formations and few trees interrupted the trek to the peaks, however Hasovir found it plenty cooling by the coastline.

Sapphire orbits shifted back down to the marine, its gesturing foam scarcely touching the stallion’s daggers and even then Hasovir could sense its deathly cold grip. He sighed at the afternoon’s heat index and continued, the flat ground presenting sharp, jutting boulders that clustered the coastline’s dusky sands. ‘You could end it all right here, Hasssssovir.’ A voice susurrated quietly, but felt like thunder behind his lobe. ‘Listen to the sea’s speech for a moment.’ A different voice, feminine, suggested. He glanced over at the body of water that was on his left and before he could retrieve himself from the act his visionaries lingered. ‘Lissssten.’ The first voice again. Twin pinnacles mimicked his banner, flickering around in every direction as a result of the wild winds. Just as Hasovir was about to speak, he heard a new voice.

It was heavily masked, mumbling in a punitive whisper that he could hardly make out. Unconsciously, he took a step into the shore’s billowing foam clouds that clung to his fetlocks like a light glue. The voice, in response to his step perhaps, got a little louder. Still unable to hear the words exactly, Hasovir took another step. The icy chill affected him not; he was a mere puppet now with three of his four pillars planted in the water. ‘Time…s’close…Haso….it’s time…’ the groveling voice seemed to be coming directly from the middle of the ocean. Insentiently he parted his velvets, “I cannot understand you.” Hasovir’s own voice was torn away from his maw with the help of the gale – his tone merely a whisper itself against the conditions. The great sunlight danced along the water’s ripples and current, blinding him suddenly and causing him to be faint. ‘Hasovir YOU ARE TAKING TOO LONG’ with this brutal voice came a large THUD that he felt in the back of his temple. It was heavy and blunt and soon Hasovir found himself flank deep in the ocean.

Reaching consciousness the stag realized where he was exactly with the ocean’s riptide attempting to drag him in. The voices – whether in his head or in the pit of the deep – were boisterous now, shouting at him, some cheering, and one underlying them all with a manic laugh. The red chestnut stallion inhaled deeply and used his muscle mass to break from the current successfully. Up to his chest now, Hasovir felt confident in his stride only for his back right leg sending an immense pain to his nerves – scraping it against an underwater rock. He yelled out in fury at the voices, at himself, his mental health seemed to be diminishing before his very being. The waves seemed to reflect this madness, treacherous as they were Hasovir managed to make it to concrete ground. Nasal passages flared from the strenuous activity, the stag’s bodice slick with water and the sunlight reflecting brilliantly off of his now sparkling coat.

His flesh crawled with the icy chill from the ocean’s grip leaving Hasovir thankful for the wicked heat today offered. He shook, tendrils flying and then sticking to his nape in dreads, his lion’s tail dragged slowly behind him upheld in a curl at the end. The voices were still rioting and the stallion sought out higher ground now, the farther he stepped away from the shoreline the more muffled they were. In between two outsized boulders was a small tide pool with steam that hovered over its’ surface which suggested to Hasovir that the heat was immense there. He made his way in between them – the size of the space an intimate but spacious area – and the wind was cut immediately. The warm tide pool gave relief to his fetlocks and the intense heat began making his own body steam. The cut from the underwater rock slowly pulsed out a stream of blood that stained the pool like ink. It was numb and therefore irrelevant to the unicorn. He shivered, listeners pinned tightly to his skull as to hopefully keep the voices out and shut his eyes.


@KIANZO

Kianzo

Stars hide your fires. Let not light see my black and deep desires.

Kiada had left him—for some little mutated shrew. It was surprising the depth of the dark emotions that coursed in on as young as the princeling. He was just barely weaning off his dam’s teat, and already he harbored a hatred for the hog-faced cow that stole his sister’s attention and presence from him. So, resolute in his odium, the gilded colt set his lanky strides east, away from home and towards independence.

Or so he thought.

Instead of the universe rewarding his autonomy with a clear mind, he found that he only missed Kiada’s company more in his loneliness. A soft sigh slipped out his foal-whiskered nostrils, though it was cut short as his yet unnamed companion sharpened cub-teeth landed squarely on his back fetlock. A squeal ripped from his chest as he instinctively kicked out towards his young striped hyena companion, but the small bitch was too quick even in her youth. Blood welled, bright and scarlet against his black skin, where she had nipped him. She was bored, and this jealousy that sparked from her princeling colt confused her adolescent mind.

His ears pinned, small head swinging around to glare at the companion who now gleefully bounded ahed of him, her eerie (if young) laugh filling the warm mountainous cliffs they travelled. A thin layer of salt spray had dulled her golden and black striped hide, but his own gold was much brighter and hard to dull by the briny breeze.

And, without warning, the cub disappeared over the edge— and the colt felt his first spike of true fear pierce his chest, “Wait!” His coltish voice, too full of command for one s young, struck into the whipping winds. Knobby legs bounded after the cub, following her wayward descent down the precarious incline with reckless and breakneck speed.

He came to stop at the rocky shore, looking up to find his companion yowling and laughing at the sea. But it wasn’t just the sea, there was someone in the violent, turbulent surf—a man was yelling. Even Kianzo, with all his youthful brazen arrogance, would not try such crashing waves and currents. Intrigued, the colt came to stand alongside his rebellious companion, black rimmed ears tilting forward as he watched the stallion slowly beat against the tides; some dark eagerness blossomed in his chest as the dark faced stallion faltered, appeared to have failed and beginning to succumb to the ocean.

But his blue eyes widened as the two-horned man began to gain on the shoreline, slowly emerging, bedraggled, from the sea’s salty and lethal embrace. His cub silenced, also watching him with dark blue and wide eyes. The young pair tracked him to the tide pool and boulders where the stallion wearily walked to.

Ears perked and youthful head cocked, his bold voice struck into the tide pool’s small space, “Why’d you go into the ocean?” And the cub, wet and black nose sniffing, edged towards the small pool, bright eyes closely eyeing the blood that leaked from the cut on the man’s leg.

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@Hasovir I'm SO EXCITED for this thread <3333 :D :D

The glaring sun made the space seem even quieter and with this back turned from his entrance, he had no idea there were others on the beachline. Distractions in his mind were jubilant in their accomplishment of getting Hasovir in the waters, perhaps almost killing him. Twin pinnacles shot upright and cerulean orbits opened widely when a question shattered the shitty party going on between Hasovir’s voices. Pivoting on his hindquarters, he turned to see Tembovu, his brother. The one who created the monster that dwelled so well within Hasovir’s heart. The one who created tension between their father and Hasovir, their dam always falling silent with no means to defend her first born – Tembovu, the giant unicorn – Tembovu the one with the unlucky marking who won all the attention. A fire combusted behind Hasovir’s soul and just when he was about rear up to counter an attack the red stallion caught his breath in mid gasp.

The fire died down, yet his heart was beating like the hummingbirds’. The question resonated in the silence between the stallions, the darkened sand beneath the tide pool glistening in the sunrays, their nonexistent eardrums awaiting an answer. Hasovir’s ears still facing away from the stranger, he was in shock. His eyes moved over the unicorn’s pelt, his markings resembling Tembovu’s but with his coat being much more golden. His body type was off from Tembo’s as well, this stag was much taller and more atheletic, not bulky or elephant-like in the least. Hasovir’s orbs led him down the stranger’s pillars until he recognized a cub – the striped hyena species – at his side. To this, Hasovir pricked his ears to, curious of the creature and then he recalled his friend having a ‘companion’, and decided on that. Meeting the unicorn’s sightline Hasovir let his maw part, his words trembling a little with rage, even though it was decided this was not his brother.

“I owe you no explanation,” There was underlying hate here, even if it was not justified. Hasovir knew he had no reason to hate this stranger and so he tried to reconcile the previously stated line. “It would not benefit you to know in any way, regardless of the reason.” Ashamin had done this to him. In recent years he had been developing guilt for his past actions and he blamed it on his mother’s sensitivities when he was but a mere foal. It was always like Hasovir to blame his softness on others. Perhaps it was all the time spent alone that did it. The voices occasionally taking sides on the issues, arguing in his head and driving him to drown them out – literally. The stranger’s pelt was still making Hasovir tremble in the slightest and so he thought to address the problem would be best.

“Your coat holds markings from Dorobo.” With this he softly used his hefty horns to nod towards the stranger, his baritone voice piercing the middle of the boulders' circle. “Is that where you are from?” In a way he was addressing the elephant in the room. Hasovir was impressed by this brute’s silvery, golden buckskin coloring, the bird catcher spots that decorated him and his gently white banding that sort of mimicked Hasovir’s truly made him a sight to behold. A dash of jealousy swarmed through his temple, briefly but definitely all there, and then slowly the feeling of admiration snuck in after that. Hasovir ignored this. The unnerving presence of Tembovu was still alive and well, the voices trying to speak up but still sounding muffled – luckily. Hasovir could almost smell his blood and the very scent was making him wild with discontent. He would always have that sibling adoration for his brother, but it was in no means to outweigh the disgust he held for Tembovu.

Maybe this unicorn knew of Tembovu perhaps that was it. Perhaps Hasovir could sense a connection and perhaps he could benefit himself from this. This stallion was genuinely inquisitive on Hasovir’s oceanic endeavors, his companion likely leading him to Hasovir. With this thought, he gazed down at the cub and offered him an honest smile. Back in Dorobo Hasovir had made well with several packs of hyenas who did help him defeat the tribe that would cause Hasovir’s exile. There was always a sense of understanding that came from wild dogs; their relentless drive matched well with Hasovir’s, making them perfect allies towards the attainment of the tribe they had defeated, er, ruthlessly massacred. The Dorobian stag let his dark blue eyes fall on the stranger again, awaiting his reply; trying not to dwell too much on the past, as this new unicorn was handing out memories that Hasovir had not thought of in years.


@KIANZO

Kianzo

Stars hide your fires. Let not light see my black and deep desires.

The cub yowled in warning as the tall, red stallion’s body leapt into the rigidity of rage the moment her colt-companion spoke. Though she was but a mere cub, her viciousness survival instinct was already well-seeded in both her chest and their bond. So the colt, despite being barely a season old, tensed and lowered his small, youthful nub of a horn, legs beginning to shift towards the narrow exit of the sheltered pool. He may be young, but he could likely outrun this injured, fierce old man.

But the stallion relaxed, his blue eyes still staring along the black slashed markings on his samll, ribby sides and the lines arcing across his golden face. Darkly rimmed ears perked, no longer laid back in caution, and the colt blinked as he stared. His tail twitched, tongue aching to slice some acerbic, cutting phrase into the briny air between the older stallion and young colt. But he could think of nothing—and suddenly the man was speaking.

And he was speaking terse words that were filled with unmistakable hate. The dark princeling cocked his head, surprisingly unperturbed by such outright animosity coming from a stranger so much older than himself. Boldly, his head cranked up to stare in to the man’s face, closely watching just how it twisted with hostility, only to then line with some new emotion—was it sorrow? No, it wasn’t quite sad enough… The colt, being so young, couldn’t recognize the guilt on the man’s face as he had not, yet, experience such an emotion.

Though his mind flared in rebellion against his question not being answered, he waited in silence to see just what this new emotion that flowed across his face would lead to. If he remained silent, would he get his answer? So his head cocked, eyes glancing towards his hyena cub that slowly slinked closed and closer towards the cut on the stallion’s leg. The colt stomped and snorted slightly, warning the every inquisitive and always hungry cub away from the large stallion’s sharp hooves and long, spiraled horns.

But she paid him no mind. Her dark blue eyes continually glanced up at the red, striped stallion while her soft, small pink tongue licked her lips and her small nose continually sniffed the fresh blood on his leg. Her nose dropped once, darting out to lap up where had blood had dribbled onto pebbles, before continued to cautiously approach his injured leg.

So the dark princeling edged closer, eyes darting between his cub companion and the man, listening as he asked questions of his own. “Dorobo? What is that?” His bold voice struck into the air, eyes narrowing on the man’s face before he continued, “You answer my questions, and then I’ll answer yours.” And so the colt, despite his young age, drove his first deal.

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@Hasovir He hasn't met his father yet, only knows of him from his mom. So he doesn't know about Dorobo! :D

The curious cub was inching closer to Hasovir, he noticed how she was very interested in his blood. ’Oh yeah, you cut yourself…’ The wound was numb and did not hinder him in the least, it was entertaining that the cub wanted a taste of blood; the stallion almost felt compelled to give the savage little thing a taste. He noticed the young colt’s orbits shifting back and forth between his companion and the older stag and this was amusing as well. A minor smirk that Hasovir concealed pressed upon his maw in response to the Dorobian coated unicorn’s statement. Hasovir was reminded of a blind arrogance that had held his cranium in the clouds when he was this adolescent’s age – that same arrogance gave him the upper hand in the ranks. Being the older warrior, there was an admiration here that Hasovir sensed. ’If this was Dorobo, you would be my prodigy.’ A fleeting thought that also came with the guilt of comfort (cue the bad taste in Hasovir’s mouth).

The silvery brute’s deal was fair only because Hasovir needed to know why he sensed his brother here. ’Tis coincidental, Hasovir.’ a sugared voice broke through the squall in his mind. He disregarded it. His attention was returned to the cub and a weird sensation overcame him like he needed to provide for it. Briefly he imagined himself killing an antelope just to feed the dog – oh hunting, what a joy that had been. Before he could get lost in another memory he double blinked and replied back to the young unicorn with his optics staying locked on the cub. “All right, young one.” Hasovir sort of rolled his crown here, a gesture of ‘you win’ combined with sarcasm. He knew he had to comply just so he could get his answer and leave this place. How was it that someone always found him? His unyielding tone broke the air once more, “I was in the ocean to train my muscles – their use has been resting far too long.” He broke his sincere stare from the cub and gazed over the colt’s shoulder to let his orbs rest upon the ocean. Its’ rough current almost whispering his name again, mesmerizing Hasovir momentarily while he finished answering the stranger’s questions.

“Dorobo. The Great Plains.” A short and quick sigh to follow this, Hasovir met the unicorn’s eyes and then, “Home of many cultures and tribes. And you, young one, have their native markings.” His blood began boiling here, flashes of Tembovu slid in his head – it was possible for other Dorobians to be here, after all he had made it here. He repeated a phrase in his mind over and over until the feeling of rage was unobtrusive. With a clear mind he knew he did not need to hear this colt was from Dorobo for his coat screamed Dorobo. Hasovir became suddenly uninterested, but remained still unsure of why. Something was keeping him here; was it the sense of home? ’Oh do not be a god damned fool, you chump.’ Yikes. That voice was raspy and rude and knew all of Hasovir’s stupid buttons. How had that one slipped by? The same ruthless, unfiltered persona of that voice was projecting from this stag that stood before him, Hasovir could hear it in his speech.

Envy was stroking Hasovir’s thoughts, interjecting its way into the several voices that sounded like a merry-go-round. This would become motivation later, as Hasovir needed to prove to himself and others he was capable of being a resilient gladiator once again. Although it had not all been lost; Hasovir would most likely be surprised at how much fight was still left in him – with the years of not having to use his skill set it was still immediately at disposal, whenever he would need it he would be ready. His velvets lowered to just above knee-level, nostrils taking in the cub’s fragrant scent and as he rose he detected the smell of Tembovu yet again. It struck his nose in the most discreet way but oh it was there. Maybe it was himself. Maybe he was smelling the darkest depths of his bloodline – within it was the same crimson that rain in Tembovu’s veins. The wind picked away what was in the encompassing circle and Hasovir’s wild mane lifted off of his nape. He stood tall and nearly regal, with the sun glaring down onto his darkening pink scar that caressed the side of his face; he could feel it getting sun burnt and the salt from the water was stinging, yet he liked it.

The white band that masked his optics created a more intense look than was meant to come across. Hasovir searched for more to say but said nothing, for there was nothing. He had come to terms that this colt was like a younger Hasovir and that’s where this peculiar feeling was blossoming from. He could feel a shift in the environment as the tide was beginning to drain out farther, and in the farthest earshot he could make out seals bellowing. Glancing down at the cub, her nose almost reaching Hasovir’s wound, he simply said, “A seal pup would be decadent for her.” Something he had learned from working with the hyenas of Dorobo: carnivorous tactics were fun tactics. He assumed this colt did not help this cub hunt, for she looked very capable herself, but Hasovir could not imagine missing out on a fun hunt with a comrade. ’She is not your comrade, Hassssovir. WE ARE.’ the hissing voice came with a sharp pain that pierced the right lobe of his brain. Hasovir hoped this one wouldn’t be debilitating, not now.



OOC: I am loving this.
@KIANZO

Kianzo

Stars hide your fires. Let not light see my black and deep desires.

The colt cannot suppress his triumph as the older stallion agrees to his deal. So often was the colt met with resistance (though, eventually, he somehow got his way), that the ease of this was a dark delight. His vibrantly blue eyes grew even brighter, thin shoulders leaning in, towards the man that was about to give him what he wanted: answers. As trivial and unimportant (at least, right now, he did not understand the importance Dorobo would have in his life) as the answers were to him, he was still getting what he wanted.

His small, golden, darkly rimmed ears tilt back towards the crash of the ocean, bright eyes glancing once towards the surf hidden by their shield of rocks, as he mentions training his muscles. Another question: ‘why are you training them, if they’ve been resting?’ bubbled to his lips. But he waits for all of his answers.

His small face cocks slightly, at stallion’s short, bitter laugh. The words he spoke were grand, “Dorobo. The Great Plains.” But he spoke them with derision. Black-masked eyes glance back at the bold markings along his side as they were called ‘native Dorobian.’ His bright gaze narrows slightly as he swings his head back around to stare sharply at the other’s dark, steel-blue eyes, just barely glancing at the livid scar on his one eye. “Mother says I’m marked like my father. He’s a King. He rules the World’s Edge,” despite the bitterness that grew dark tendrils in the colt’s soul at not having met his father, he spoke proudly of having a Regent sire.

And then his bright blue eyes relax from their suspicious narrowing, darting between his cub and the other’s viciously long and sharp horns when he dropped his head to scent her. The hyena cub met the scarred face boldly, though her ears laid back and her tailed poofed as she felt the possible danger of those horns skewering her as she neared the bloodied leg.

But her wariness and the princeling’s concern were for naught, because the he simply stated a possible, delicious meal for his young, bonded companion. Though she did not entirely understand the meaning of the other stallion’s words, she understood the implication of “eating” that flowed from her bonded. She yipped eagerly, dark blue eyes sparking in interest as she rose on her haunches and tried to rest her small forepaws on the large man’s forelegs. Her actions tried to convey that, yes, she wanted whatever food he was talking about.

The young colt grinned at his cub’s antics, a dark smile crossing his black-masked face. “How do we get a ‘seal pup’?”

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@Hasovir

The colt’s darkly rimmed orbs stared into Hasovir’s as he responded. “Mother says I’m marked like my father. He’s a King. He rules the World’s Edge.”

The words bled into Hasovir’s listeners. His brain paused as he focused in on the young unicorn’s words. ‘Marked like his father.’ Hasovir’s heart began beating wrathfully beneath his chest. This information – so vital – and this kid had no clue. Hasovir scoped out the colt’s pelt again: his white banding that mocked Hasovir’s but was faded like Tembovu’s own, the silver buckskin coloring that this colt’s golden hues tried to mask, the dark band that stood out on his sides and the dark streaks that fled from his eyes. ‘He’s a King. He rules the World’s Edge.’ The ending of this statement meant nothing to Hasovir momentarily, yet he did make a great, bold note of it. Involuntarily the stallion’s labrums tightened, his jaw clenched as the gears within his mind cranked away. Tembovu’s son. A trivial leer. Something advantageous, perchance?

Hasovir practically smelled the vanity that this fresh stud was feeling from saying his sire was a monarch. It made him nauseous, although Hasovir was just as arrogant, if not worse when he was a young gladiator…still a narcissist but much more tamed in now. The colt interacted with his companion; she seemed to respond to Hasovir’s last suggestion as she yipped and excitedly pounced on the unicorn’s pillars. This gave Hasovir a jovial feeling but his expression did not falter from the tight lip he had. The young stallion asked how to obtain a seal pup, to which Hasovir’s mind momentarily caught fury. ‘You hunt it, idiot.’ A voice that slipped in, answering within Hasovir’s head that gradually faded out with snickering. Hasovir took steps passed the colt; his withers surpassing the acquaintance by a mile, though Hasovir expected this new one to grow lengthy just by the looks of his legs. Peering out of the small inlet they had been in he detected down shore minute blobs that crawled along the rocks.

The sunlight hit the three o’clock mark, the heat index still battling Frostbreath Steppe’s aggressive winds that would quickly sweep away any cloud coverage. Hasovir’s bodice was completely dried out now, his pelt smelling of salt and sweet kelp and his sun-bleached threads impersonating the zephyr. “There,” His baritone voice struck through the volume that the gusts had been causing. He looked over his right shoulder at the cub and grinned while speaking, “We begin with the trek.” It was about a mile and a half hike, he used his visionaries like a periscope, noting that his sight had yet to fail him. There were a dozen or more by the rock-strewn beach. Hasovir thought about how mothers usually hunted and left their young for periods of time – this was a piece of cake, especially with the three of them.

With his thoughts blundering together with the voices, Hasovir’s mind was quite full. He was indeed thinking too many things at once, like how he was about to go hunting with possibly Tembovu’s son for instance. ‘Could he really be…that would explain the smell of bloodline…I could find him…’ Did Hasovir really want to seek out his brother? And for what? Vengeance? Retaliation for the ridicule Tembovu had caused with his mere existence? If he was in fact a king, could that put Hasovir back in ranks? He felt a sour taste in his mouth from just thinking about teaming up with his so-called brother. Hasovir looked over his left shoulder now, at the colt. Tembovu’s offspring. His chasms traced the unicorn’s spine to his loosely spiraled single horn. Another sign of Tembovu.

With blood boiling from rage, Hasovir arched his serpentine in a gracious manner and snorted in anticipation to hunt. He tried with all he could to use the energy of hatred towards this next act: slaying a seal pup for a newly found friend’s companion. A friend. Yes. ‘A comrade. My prodigy.’ He smiled to himself for seeing a new light on the situation. The way the young one spoke about his sire, it seemed he did not personally know him, stating that is what his mother said. ‘Concentrate on the hunt for now.’ He told himself. With that he began a leisurely but strong stride towards the roaring seals.


@KIANZO

Kianzo

Stars hide your fires. Let not light see my black and deep desires.

The colt, though young, was watching this large and lanky man’s face very closely—there was something slightly ominous about him (perhaps the scar lent itself to childhood fantasies). And both Kianzo and his cub were in terribly close quarters with the striped, duo-horned stallion that oozed slight danger just as he oozed some blood from his fetlock.

And the dark princeling liked it. There was something exciting about being so close to threatening tightening of his lips and sudden hate that sparked in his dark blue, heavily scarred eyes. It made the colt feel alive. So, despite the slight backwards lean at the sudden odium that rolled off the stallion in waves, the colt’s ears remained perked and eyes avidly sparked as he watched the man.

His small, but long and angular body for his young age shifted and slipped in a brisk trot (trying and mostly succeeding to hide the eagerness that spilled out of his bright blue eyes) after the man’s lanky strides that were so much longer than his own. Dark rimmed ears sweep forward as his hyena pup yipped gleefully, sending a haunting laugh of excitement rolling over the rocky beach as she bounded alongside her newfound hunting partner.

Salt was thick in the cold air here, beginning to line the colt’s long whiskers. But Zo paid it no mind, instead focusing his attention on the source of the distant racket the colony of sleek, cylindrical bodies made on far-away rocks. “Have you hunted a seal before?” His clear, youthful voice rang out in dark excitement as he trotted alongside the man.

A small ear tilted sideways, followed by his small head, “Who are you? I'm Kianzo.” His question was strong eyes growing curious as his young mind slowly gathered threads of their conversation together, “You’re from Dorobo, then?” Certainly, it seemed to the colt, that if he looked as he did (barring so similar to his own) and recognized his markings as Dorobian, then he must come from there. Did his father, too? The great Elephant King? But the colt didn’t voice this aloud, for he was about to learn to hunt these slippery-looking, loud sea creatures and he didn’t want to revisit the man’s annoyance at the mention of his sire.

They neared the raucous calls, which were beginning to grow deafening, of the colony and Kianzo’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “What do we do?” And now his yet-unnamed cub sat alongside his small, black forehooves. Two pairs of expectant, exciting blue eyes stared up at the large, plains-borne stallion, waiting eagerly for instruction.

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@Hasovir <3 I'm BACK so this awesome thread is BACK ON

The skilled Dorobian stallion moved swiftly against the winds, their unruly gusts challenging the tribe’s strides and occasionally pushing them faster depending on airstream’s rapid direction fluctuations. The intense scent of the seals’ collectiveness wafted along the streamlining air prickling at Hasovir’s sensors and making his whole being almost vibrate with excitement. The thrill of the hunt was soon engulfing Hasovir’s mindset; vivid flashbacks to hot, savannah days, sweat stinging his scar, blood from antelope fresh on his tongue…at this he smirked. The colt was efficiently trotting alongside him, the hyena cub offering her enthusiasm through her native laughing tones. Hasovir could sense how thrilled the young one was, his thoughts briefly travelled about – this weanling and Hasovir charging into battle – when suddenly the grasshopper asked about the hunt.

His lobes turned towards the colt’s question as he continued his extended walk and before Hasovir offered an answer, the sprout asked another question, followed by his title. The veteran opened his velvets to reply when yet another question was raised by the colt. The silvered buckskin was practically buzzing with anticipation which bounced off of Hasovir’s cool composure only to extract a bit of exhilaration out of the old man anyways. The smile that appeared on Hasovir’s maw remained as he replied with low notes, “Kianzo,” the young one’s title felt at home among his words, ‘Dorobian influences there too, eh?’ a brief impression and then continuation, “I am Hasovir. And no. I have not yet killed a seal, however, I have hunted plenty of creatures and this…” he chuckled at the thought of killing a seal, the piece of cake it would be, “…should be easy game.” He let the last question resonate with him for a moment and before other voices could pitch in a response, he began again for Kianzo, “Yes. I am from Dorobo.” That was all that was needed for the time being, for stories of history were really best held for late evening conversations.

Hasovir’s temper was still slightly simmering at the mere fact of this being Tembovu’s offspring. The question of Dorobo falling from the colt’s maw was enough to get him heated all over again, yet he refrained. He could feel Kianzo’s thoughts being formed and there was really nothing to do about that – it was all imaginary feelings anyways. ‘And no hard feelings for the young one, it is not his fault he’s probably related to me.’ It was relieving to not have to deal with the other voices, he briefly wondered where they might be hiding and then cowardly shied away from that thought. The tribe was approaching the crowd of seals that barked and yelped along the shoreline and Hasovir’s aggressive irritation was most likely coming off in waves at those nearby. The few that accredited them used their bodies to travel farther south, some vanishing into the ocean’s jagged current, while others paid them no mind and continued snoozing in the midafternoon’s high sun. Kianzo’s voice, dripping with expectancy, struck through the seals’ earsplitting calls. Hasovir looked down at the colt and admired the pure look of curiosity in his orbits - for a moment feeling just as fresh.

They were about 150 feet from the outer-rim of seals and so Hasovir turned to face his crowd. The chilling winds blew his thin tendrils forward, masking most of his face as he began to speak and he wrapped his lion’s tail so that it caressed his chest making him look like the leading general he once was. “Look past me and notice the different sets of seals,” He gave them a momentary pause, “You will see there are 6 holding the edge at bay. Most of these are males. Inside that you will see a few of the pregnant seals and beyond that…” the stag broke off here, and glanced down into the hyena pup’s glowing, excited eyes, “the cherished young.” He turned back around and stood still, letting the three of them take in the sight. “Notice their patterns of movement. Both parents hunt for fish, it is a matter of taking turns. The offspring are napping, taking advantage of today’s warmth. As for us, we are not predatory – your pup however, they will flee as reckless as they can once they notice her.” He began turning right, inland, and used his plush to point in the direction they were to follow. The deep-rooted unicorn bobbed his head as he walked, his large bongo horns so relevant and heavy bouncing along with his motions. “From here, the back of their circle, we have an open area to the seal pups.” He ran the course over with his twin pools, making notes in his head all while remaining keen on the largest male on land. It was almost time for course of action.

“Kianzo, your companion will need your guidance. Remember that. I am going to go left, towards the males as a distraction. You will need to make right and then inwards, as to not allow any of the seal pups access to water. Females will take note of you. Some may flee. Allow that. The boulders closest to us can provide your hyena camouflage, but only for a few minutes as we must act quickly. Kianzo, you must tell your companion when to attack and it must be before the females notice her or they will warn the others.” He examined the seals that so innocently basked in the sunlight and then felt the faintest hunger pang. It was time for the warnings. “You both need to know,” he looked at the hyena cub, her soft fur moving in the wind and creating a plush look that softened her wild eyes, “seals have very robust jaws. Very sharp teeth. And extremely sensitive hearing. This must be done swiftly…they’re faster than you think.” A wink here for charisma and Hasovir let out a breath that released endorphins, he felt good helping this hyena and had forgotten all about Tembovu.

“I could effortlessly murder one now,” he grinned something devilish, “However this is a learning experience. Are you ready?” His dark blue eyes shone with an unknowing pride and eagerness for Kianzo and his smirk faded into a serious tight lip. ’Game on.’ murmured a voice.


@KIANZO

Kianzo

Stars hide your fires. Let not light see my black and deep desires.

His attention quickly shifted from the rocky, pebbled beach at his feet to the elder’s scarred face. He would have continued watching the lanky stallion for the entirety of their prowl towards the unsuspecting seals, but the ground was too uneven for him blindly trust his knobby legs. His hyena companion, however, with her over-large paws made easy work of the craggy beach, bounding onward with excitement. His ears flute forward as he says his name, “Hasovir.” The name has an ominous sound, with it’s slightly hissing ’s’ and sharp ‘v.’ The colt likes it, nodding slightly to himself in approval.

”I have hunted plenty of creatures and this… should be an easy game.” Kianzo’s bright blue gaze lighted with renewed focus and interest as the older stallion spoke of hunting as a game. This was a game the dark prince could play; not like the trivial pursuits and hiding of other foals. No, this was hunting, a game worth playing. Again, the colt nodded to himself as the stallion confirmed that he was from Dorobo—and he silently made note to ask him of the place. But that would be for after they had caught his cub’s meal.

And suddenly they were there, at the source of the raucous calls. The seals’ sleek, torpedo-shaped bodies stretched as one moving mass on the rocks; though a few noticed their approach and slipped beneath the waves. Bright blue gaze stared avidly at the scene, nostrils flaring to take in the uniquely fishy stench. But an ear remained trained on Hasovir the entire time, listening to his deep voice talk. His gaze bounced from the males, to the females, and finally to the young in turn as his instructor spoke. He clung to the words, not missing a single drop of information.

And he followed him, as did his pup. Though she hung back at Kianzo’s mental command to do so—Hasovir had said the whole colony would flee at the sight of her. At the mention of the seal’s sharp teeth, his attention flicked towards his teacher, searching his face for any hints or morsels of information, before glancing to his hyena cub. He sent mental images of sharp teeth, impressing them so firmly in her mind that she quietly (painfully) yipped once, her round ears splaying flush with her striped skull in annoyance. And, satisfied, the colt nodded firmly (to both himself and his newfound guide), “I am ready.” The words were said quietly, not timidly, as the colt was already moving towards the seals. He was too eager to wait for the plains-borne stallion to begin his distraction before starting his own hunt.

His approach was quiet at first, moving as stealthily as a colt can on uneven rocks. His cub had more grace with her paws, though she hung back and wove through the large rocks to hide her striped body, as Hasovir had instructed. His eyes left his prey (a particularly large and fat babe that basked in the sun on a small cluster of rocks) only twice; once to watch Hasovir and once to glance towards the pregnant, watchful mothers. He did not look to his companion, for he naturally felt her presence through their bond (a perk of bonding so early in life).

And all went according to plan, the colt was natural with his prowl and murderous intent, until his hyena cub skirted too close to a small, newborn pup (it just smelled too delicious to the young, hungry cub). It barked once in alarm—but the damagee was done. A cacophony of barks, growls, and roars rose from the rocks.

Kianzo’s eyes darted around once, seeing many pregnant mothers flee into the water. But the males—the colt did not glance to them, for his attention returned back to his prey. His cub was too far away to kill the pup he had chosen… but he was not. Silently, but euphorically (and with entire disregard to the encroaching calves and bulls), the dark prince reared and struck with his small, but shark, black hooves.

Blood spilled on the rock, leaking out of the pup’s torn, rubbery skin. But there was no noise, for the colt had crushed his skull—a single, fatal blow. Only now, with his prey killed, did he look up at the incoming, angry bull seal. “Hasovir?” His call was wary, but not outright afraid.

Not yet, anyway.

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@Hasovir I"M THE WORST I'M SORRY
I'd love to continue this thread, but if it's too old then we can end it ;-;

summary: Zo listens to Haso's instructions, then he and his cub sneak up on a baby seal. BUT his cub gets too close and the seals raise the alarm, so Zo quickly kills his baby seal and now is facing down a big, angry bull seal D: