|
The air was thick and humid, and it thrummed with hidden energy, manic expectation. Damn. It was going to rain.
The chatter of the forest quieted down, the silence an expectation for something grand and powerful to come. The sun was hidden now; not moments ago its brilliant rays were shining down through the leaves of the emerald wood. Yet now, it was dark with thick, roiling thunderclouds, and while it was still high noon, the darkness spread amongst the trees and the meadows, lengthening the transparent shadows. A deep rumble sounded some miles away; Safenger could feel it reverberate through the ground underneath him, feel the anger of some wayward God direct His anger to the mortal realm below. The clouds thickened, heavy with their wont and burden, swelling at a prodigious rate; soon they couldn't hold back their charges any longer and they started to tear apart at the seams, leaking fat, heavy drops of water down to the Earth below. They splashed into the dust, mixing it into mud; they clattered onto the leaves of the trees, creating a tinkling melody that echoed throughout the forest; an especially fat specimen decided to land upon Saf's eyelid, seeping past his eyelashes and saturating his eye.
More and more drops of water followed; they splashed onto the fiery stud's coat, saturating his fur and soaking the poor fool-- yet he was powerless to stop the onslaught. He was trapped within his own body, splayed upon the dusty muddy clearing he had stumbled upon. He breathed heavily, snorting hear and there, and yet his body was not his own. Nerves snapped and tingled here and there--his back was aflame and irritated, his neck spasming uncontrollably and his tail tensed, lashing back and forth across the muddy ground-- his eyes were closed tightly, though they feverishly traveled under his lids and his consciousness was in a far away place, stuck in the Abyss, forced to float in the twilight of agony and helplessness. A stray grunt would escape his lips from time to time, but he was surely lost for the time being.
Such was the fashion of springtime; periodic rains to help soothe the dry, aching forests that suffered during the frozen months of winter. The thunderheads slowly emptied their burden upon the forest, the rain becoming heavier and more vicious as time wore on. Fortunately the wind decided to behave itself for the time being, and Safenger was spared the added danger of falling limbs and twisting cyclones. Not that he was aware of these perks, as he was still lost in the labyrinth of his own pain...
All he could do was wait it out...
....and listen to the sound of his own heavy breathing...
...Safenger eventually became aware of a metallic taste on his tongue. His eyes fluttered open; he was momentarily blinded by a startling ray of sunshine. He snorted, attempting to raise his head from a warm, sticky pool about his cheek-- but a strange soreness radiated from his shoulders and his head plopped back into the soup. Mud. His eyes widened at the revelation; grinding his teeth, Safenger attempted to raise his head again, fighting through the discomfort and sitting up on his side. The sky was a clear, opulent blue; the sound of birdsong was loud in his ears, and yet the air smelled brittle and clean, and Saf's whole right side was completely caked in partially dried mud.
Safenger carefully go to his feet, smiling ruefully to himself. Damn, he thought attempting to shake the mud out of his ears, It just rained on me, didn't it?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
| Deceased |
| Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 hh :: 15 Years Buff: DANCE |
| Tamme |
01-18-2013, 08:58 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-18-2013, 08:58 PM by Paladin.)
Individually, we are one drop
Together, we are the ocean.
- Ryunosuke Satoro
Paladin had not visited the Threshold in many seasons, but he remembered the way. He moved south from the Foothills to the tall trees that marked the beginning of a story for so many, himself included. When he moved through the Threshold for the first time, he had been severely injured, torn apart by wicked shades, frantic for his family. Now, for the first time in a long time, he was content. The stallion wanted for nothing and yearned for nothing. He wanted to do right by the herd he had chosen and hoped that those he pulled into their midst would feel the same calm he felt right now.
Grey clouds moved over the sun as he drifted between the emerald boughs, and soft rain began to fall. A birdsong shower was a promising sign. Water drops like gentle touches turned his black hide even darker, and the pink skin beneath his white markings was turning visible. Every now and then a wet crystal would get stuck along the ridge of a harsh scar, travelling down the hairless skin until it melted into his body. Hooves of a warrior, sure and steady, carried him easily through the fast forming mud, crimson orbs alert for any glimmer of life. His gait was proud and strong, confident without arrogance, and his white tail swung comfortable at his fetlocks.
Sunshine soon replaced the shower, and Paladin listened to the singing of birds once more. Up ahead, movement caught his bloody gaze, and he let out a friendly call through powerful lungs. The black dun trotted closer, seeing a half-muddy equine begin to shake. He stayed back so that none of the loose pieces would hit him (not that he was vain about his appearance). Upon closer inspection, the young stallion in front of him was a pegasus, but his feathered appendages were stunted and crippled. His own daughter was born with crooked legs, and she had been healed. Perhaps this stallion would be fortunate enough to met the gods and be healed.
Paladin moved closer, a kind smile on his rather harsh and scarred face. He nodded deeply and paused. "Greetings, traveler," he said in his smooth, deep voice. "I am Paladin the Valiant, from the Foothills. Are you in need of a home?" he asked curiously, wondering if the stallion was in need of a place to call his own.
 |
| Outcast atk: 5 | def: 7.5 | dam: 7.5 |
| Stallion :: Equine :: 16.3hh :: 16 HP: 65.5 | Buff: ENDURE |
|
Suli :: Common Green Dragon :: Fire Breath
& Merlin :: Plain Black Dragon :: Frost Breath
Dingo |
HEROES MAY DIE
The skies were dark, pouring down tears of heaven as the Friesian made his way through the dense of the Threshold. Here, with the thick canopy splayed out above, the water could not quite touch him the same as anywhere else. Droplets would hit the leaves in hundreds, thousands, and some would be lucky enough to slip past the forest's defenses and trickle down to nourish the forest floor. It was the unfortunate part of Birdsong, or simply 'the wet season' as they had called it back in Vallhea, but without it there would be no new life brought within the land.
His hooves left depressions in the softening ground as he moved, each step making the softest of squelchs as he moved. At first, Destrier had left the World's Edge on a bright, sunny, warm day in hopes to return with a new member or two, but as he drew ever closer to the Threshold, the skies had opened up and let loose their reign. Heh heh...
It wasn't far into his trek when his ears caught the unmistakeable sound of another equine, and for a moment he paused, waiting for any other sort of call to ring out. But there was none, and so curiously, Destrier picked up into a lengthy trot, and pressed on further into the Threshold. It didn't take him long to find the one responsible, a black unicorn with white markings of a dun. An interesting appearance, especially with the red tips of his mane and tail. But just as he took a breath to bid greetings to the unicorn, the figure of another caught his eyes.
An earthly colored stallion, with mud melded into his sides, stood not far from them. At first glance, he might have thought him a normal equine like himself, but a close inspection proved him wrong. Upon the other's back was a shriveled, sad looking wing, broken and battered. It was hard to say whether or not the toffee colored Pegasus had been born with the useless appendage, or if something had happened, but then, it wasn't Destrier's place to judge or ask him.
"Welcome to Helovia," he spoke up at last, gingerly stepping forward and giving a friendly nod of his head towards the unicorn. He wasn't sure who the dark stallion was, but he hoped he wasn't angering him with his presence. He had already offered the unknown stallion a home, and already, the whole situation felt somewhat awkward. "And I, Destrier, Protector of the World's Edge. If it's a home you wish for, then I'm sure either land would be happy to have you." He paused, then, "And, let's not forget the Dragon's Throat."
ooc - Awkward post is awkward. XD
BUT LEGENDS ENDURE
|
Image Credits
You may attack and use magic on Des at any time for any reason.
 HP: 66.5
|
The radiant sunshine that sparked and twinkled through the branches of the forest ceiling was outright mockery; the birdsong in the trees laughed in Safenger’s face as he stood there. It was happy and content in this place, where the water had fallen and rejuvenated the forest during his stupor. He had been absent for it, and as such failed to see its blessing, as his body was still tense, sore, and brittle from his…“episode”. Every breath was shallow and careful, as though the bay was afraid that a too-large inhale of air would shatter his fragile innards. His back was a tangle knot of aches and pains as usual, and though the feeling was beginning to die away even as he contemplated it, it did nothing but feed the savage pit of fire within his breast, a flame of anger and resentment for his injury. He might as well been born a leper.
Safenger didn’t move from his place as the white-maned unicorn stallion approached him, offering him words of welcome, encouragement, a home. The Valiant, was his title. Safenger’s first impulse was to snort in derision—but he wouldn’t dare, as meek as his countenance was. He only watched with impassive eyes as another night-pelted stranger intruded on the bubble, again offering words of welcome, encouragement, and shameless advertising for a possible home. The Protector, he called himself. Saf suppressed his groan of contempt.
He shrunk into himself as the two stallions looked upon him, kind and placating in their demeanor. They were not at fault for Safenger’s suspiciousness, but suspicious Safenger turned out to be, in any rate. He still wouldn’t dare move his limbs, the image in his mind displaying them as fractured pieces of timber, wet with the rain and ready to snap. His eyes found the Valiant’s horn; it was the standard of a unicorn and not much else in this context, and yet to Safenger it was a threat—a possible weapon that could pierce his hide and cause him more of the earth-shattering, teeth-gritting, mind-numbing pain he was susceptible to. With guarded eyes, he drank in the Protector’s visage; well-muscled, proud stamp of an Equine, brimming with energy and a kind of hidden pride that caused his features to glow with inner contentment. This stallion could crush Safenger in his current condition; he could throttle the bay with one stray kick to the shoulder, and Saf would be at his mercy in an instant.
“No,” came the sudden reply, harsh and curt as it flew from Safenger’s lips. Had he any hackles, they would have been raised—but didn’t want to attack. He was cautious, and overly so, and though they offered the protection and stability of a herd, Safenger wanted none of that. He had just left one; the pain of it was still fresh in his mind. He shook his head, letting his eyes melt some, so that they were warmer, less apprehensive. “I…I’m sorry,” he said quickly, apologizing for his rudeness; the ghosts of his past had caused a rush of panic in him, making him rude and his tongue severe, “A herd is no place for me, sirs….not at this present hour. I need—something,” he stammered. The question was: what did he need? A purpose? Time to think to himself? Freedoms?
Freedoms of a different sort, most definitely.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
|
.svg/2000px-Google_Chrome_icon_(2011).svg.png){kind=icon}
