the Rift


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Ascended Helovian

Mauja the Frozen Light Posts: 1,392
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.2 :: 14 HP: 79.5 | Buff: HUNTER
Irma :: Snowy Owl :: Terrorize & Diego :: Eurasian Eagle-Owl :: Rage Neo
#1
( takes place after this thread. Monster first, then anyone is welcome. ^^ )

Just before dawn.

He'd walked through the night, and it had perhaps been the strangest night of his entire life. The moon had risen and its silvery shadow across his eye had deepened, and then the moon had sunk again, and taken the shadow with it. The stars still shone strongly on a fairly dark sky, but in the east it was lighting up to pastel orange and pale peach. It was beautiful, and the air pleasantly cool, but it also signified the start of a new day: another day of heat torment, of sweat that lathered the flanks, dehydration which threatened to kill you... Dust, stirred by gentle warm winds, was the most common thing in the dried beds of the creeks, and where water had been one day, it seldom was the next. Still, the time left before sunrise was beautiful. He enjoyed the play of color across the sky, the soft, cool breezes... Some peace and quiet before the birds began to sing, some freedom before the oppressive blanket of heat returned.

But that wasn't why it had been a strange night, or a strange day.

He'd found a unicorn in the Threshold, one that had attacked him without warning before fainting. That had been.. okay, he guessed. Weird, but it could've had a reasonable explanation: delirium from heat stroke, exhaustion... Bipolarity. The stallion had had a rope around his neck, and tripped on it once, so Mauja had grabbed it while he waited for the stranger to come to. He'd woken up alright, but with the same vacant-yet-alert expression in his fiery eyes, and the same lack of verbal communication. Only a single word had passed from the monster, and it had sent a shiver down his spine. It had been downright eerie to hear that strange creature call him Master, and then, without hesitation, obey his every whim, every tug on his rope. Or, well, the two tugs necessary to get him going. Mauja hadn't dared let go of the rope, unsure of what would happen when he did. But eventually he would have to. Would his new pet explode into a rage again, or stay calm until ordered? Would Mauja have to pass him around, so someone always babysat him? And who could he trust with such a dangerous weapon?

The open expanse of the Thistle Meadow gave way to the sloping ground of the Edge, the ground covered in a carpet of ash and the trees charred black and limbless. Destruction greeted him, as always, and he slowed slightly to pick his way through the debris. He hoped his pet was holding up well, and not stumbling too much on the unfamiliar terrain. He didn't dare let go of the physical link of control just yet, so he couldn't call out to his herd - besides, he didn't know if he wanted them to meet him before he'd figured him out. Kou would probably opt for pushing his pet off the Edge... Kou was sensible, and with a pang of guilt Mauja thought that maybe he should listen to her sensible, cautious advice more often. Oh, well. Too late for that. He led the way past the charred circle where the Sun God had risen in a pillar of fire, stepping across it with scorn. Stupid god. The destruction fanned out from it, but he headed deeper still while the sky brightened further. Eventually the ground became dried grass, browned and tasteless but still nutritious. Still he walked on, silent among the ruined trees, and then he stopped. One of the few still open creeks of the Edge lay before him, the waters cool now that night had chilled them. Mauja turned to his pet; if he'd been tired enough to faint in the Threshold, he surely needed a good drink and some food too. Mauja himself needed it, but had no real idea how to go about it without accidentally setting the stallion loose in his realm. "Drink," he growled, voice muffled by the rope, made rough by his fixed jaw. "Eat."
angels, they fell first, but I'm still here

Monster Posts: N/A
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#2

Without question the black monster followed his master. His rather fine chiseled head moved up and down to the rhythm of his walk. Now and then his muzzle brushed against the snow beast’s flank and the feel of it could have been soft if it hadn’t been for the dried snot, mud and sweat on it. The beast almost looked like a careless foal following his mother - and the size difference between the stallions strengthened that image. But even if The Monster had the speech and intelligence of an undeveloped child his instincts were mature - and not to mention - sick. Traces of what he was capable of were visible all over his horn and forehead - even a cut or two on Master told a story of bloodlust and evil.

But now the fiery murder in his eyes lay slumbering - like embers smoldering on a hearth. The question was; would he stay controllable when Master had to let go of the rope or was he bonded to the snow beast even off the leash?

They traveled under the stars and then under the pastel colors of a new day approaching. Master’s grayish eyes once again turned blue and the Monster acknowledged the change with a short snort and a nod of his head.
Suddenly they had to slow the pace because before them lay debris of a forest. If the Monster had been roaming wild he’d crashed through the fallen trees and branches like a steamroller, but now when he had a master he carefully stepped high over the scattered pieces of wood. His slender legs and sleek hooves weren’t even close to tangle themselves in the debris. In this state he almost looked graceful and if he only got a good clean the black stallion would be quite handsome. But to get him into a lake or stream would take more than just Master’s orders. If he wasn’t drinking it the Monster didn’t care very much for water.

When they’d passed the burnt and destroyed forest and made for a little creek the scent of other horses caressed the blood red nostrils of the Monster. The beast stopped and raised his sweaty and muddy neck. His ears flickered and it seemed like his whole body started to vibrate. He ignored or did not simply hear the words of Master and a dull nigh escaped under his breath. The smoldering embers of his eyes exploded into fire and he murmured: "Drip, drop?"

It was a question, but he couldn’t seem to wait for Master’s answer. The Monster hurled himself forward - teeth bared and nostrils shining red like pits of lava.



Ascended Helovian

Mauja the Frozen Light Posts: 1,392
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.2 :: 14 HP: 79.5 | Buff: HUNTER
Irma :: Snowy Owl :: Terrorize & Diego :: Eurasian Eagle-Owl :: Rage Neo
#3
It was uneventful.. for a while. Mauja had stopped peacefully by the stream, lulled into a false sense of security by the strange voice of the monster, but his pet had not stopped peacefully. Pale blue eyes snapped to his quivering body, drank in his trembling nostrils - heard his spine-shivering neigh, and a sense of unreal dread descended upon the frosty monarch. A thousand things passed through his head at the same time, flashing through like bolts of lightning; the one word that was branded stark against his brain was fool. He could see the fuse being lit beneath those eyes, the same emotion which had burned in his gaze when he split Mauja's shoulder open; he repeated the same words, but not in the childish sing-song voice, but more like a murmur. No, his mind protested.

But he knew that he was a fool - had been a fool.

Kou was right. He was playing with fire too often, getting burned too badly, but it was one thing when it was only himself getting harmed by the blazes. He shouldn't have brought the stallion here, not without learning how far the control stretched - how effective the tether was. He shouldn't have brought him here, but he had, and any second he was going to break and do something. And after all, what could his jaws put against the bulk of a charging stallion? What if he broke lose? What if he found Snö? What had the Fool King been thinking when he brought such a volatile, unpredictable creature into the midst of his home? That he could control him? Master he'd said but what was he master of? Shame and guilt washed over him even as his brain sought the best solution to the problem. He should listen more often to Kou. And perhaps be cautious when consorting with insane folks. What stung the most wasn't that he'd been burnt again, or the fact that Snö might be somewhere in his vast land too, but the fact that he'd walked right into the trap of power. Master the black stallion had said, while his "master"'s blood dried on his horn. Master he'd said and Mauja hadn't questioned, had just held onto that thought of control.

Thrice be damned all the fools.

"No!" he growled around the rope as the monster lurched forward. Mauja's own body had tensed, muscles coiled beneath the skin, but if it came down to a fight between the pair again he was at a disadvantage - he hadn't slept in far too long, nor eaten or drunk. And if he let the monster go? He'd wreak havoc on the herd and he'd somehow have to tell them that he'd stupidly enough brought the fiend into their home willingly.

The alabaster friesian sprang forth in a charge of his own, not wanting to relinquish the hold on Monster's rope and yet not wanting it ripped from his jaws. Frosted hooves pushed off the ashen earth, and with a surge he tried to smash into the beast's path, knock into his chest, send him sprawling - anything, just to stop his mad, blood-lusted charge. He knew the words, he knew the look in those flaming eyes, and he did not want its unchecked rage unleashed on his herd.
angels, they fell first, but I'm still here

Monster Posts: N/A
Unregistered
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#4

The scent of other horses, the image of their blood running down his onyx horn and the sheer joy of just charging over the burn ground drove The Monster forward. But he had taken but a few strides when a single word from Master touched his ears - a word almost impossible to hear over the sound of his pulsating heart and thundering hooves. It took the black beast a few seconds to really understand, because it was a word that told him he was doing something wrong. But when it finally settled in his brain the fire in his eyes died down once more.

Looking rather confused The Monster lowered his hindquarters and came to a stop. Dust and ash danced around him in the early morning and his black hide gained orange shadows in the rays of the rising sun. After a while of just staring in front of himself the Monster turned his gaze to Master. He sniffed the air, filled his nostrils with the scent of the herdland and then he asked: "No drip, drop?"

It seemed hard for him to understand why his Master didn’t want him to maim and destroy everybody they came across. But it wasn’t hard to notice that the Monster didn’t know the concept of family or herd, he was born a loner and any fool could figure that out. He was like an untrained puppy - a demon puppy maybe - but still with some clearly set rules he could maybe learn what he was allowed and not allowed to do.



Snö Posts: 155
Deceased atk: 4 | def: 8 | dam: 6.5
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16.2 hh :: 4 HP: 62 | Buff: NOVICE
ali
#5
Snö should have been sound asleep, tucked away safely in the Edge with her father somewhere close by. Something roused her from her sleep, though, and dear old dad was no where near. The little filly frowned and gathered her long legs under her slim body and pushed herself to a stand. She blinked her blue eyes and yawned before looking around, hoping that her dad had just gone off to drink or get a quick bite to eat. She waited for him a few minutes before finally wandering off to look around the Edge and see if she could find him.

Her tiny frosted hooves, so much like those of her father, carried her away from the heart of her new home toward the burned edges of it. Her ears twitched at the sounds of hooves against the ground and growled words. Snö knew better than to show herself right away to whoever it was, so she hid among the burned trees, quietly sneaking closer to try and get a look at who it was so she would know if she needed to go find a warrior. What she found was her father, his shoulder split open, and another stallion.

The varnished filly felt no fear in the presence of her father, even with the black stallion looking so monstrous. "Daddy!" She called as she very nearly skipped out from behind the trees. She stopped a few feet before the black stallion and smiled up at him. "Hello! I'm Snö and that's my daddy." She motioned to Mauja, which was when she noticed the rope that lead from the black stallions neck to Mauja's mouth. "What's that?"
Ascended Helovian

Mauja the Frozen Light Posts: 1,392
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.2 :: 14 HP: 79.5 | Buff: HUNTER
Irma :: Snowy Owl :: Terrorize & Diego :: Eurasian Eagle-Owl :: Rage Neo
#6
In the end, he didn't have to fell him.

For a few seconds the pair of them loped across the ground, Monster clearly leading the charge and Mauja not wanting to get left behind - then all of a sudden, those black hind legs slid in under his body, breaking, and Mauja did the same. Gray ash stained his fetlocks and he watched his volatile pet with a mixture of wariness and awe. Who was this mindless beast, who obeyed a simple tug of a rope without questioning, who had labeled the snowbeast Master and now wished to please him, follow his every whim? The near-sad confusion in his once again dormant eyes as he asked no drip drop? He recognized the words. Three times he'd heard them; the first time it had heralded an attack on his own person, the second time this headlong charge, and now it was a question. It had to mean violence, and apart from obedience, it seemed to be the only thing he understood. "No drip drop," he agreed, mind spinning. How to explain it? How to talk with a rope in your mouth, afraid to relax the clamped muscles in case it be torn from your grip and something destructive unleashed upon your home?

"This scent? Friends." He breathed in deep through wide nostrils, and motioned with his horn towards the trees. "No drip drop." He would not let him harm his family, his Edge, and his mind was racing with possibilities - possibilities he couldn't focus on, because of a much too familiar scent being much too close. Snö. What was she doing here? He groaned around the rope. It clearly wasn't good enough that he was a fool and had brought a unpredictable stallion into his home, but fate had to throw his daughter in its path! "No drip drop," he warned, tightening his grip on the rope as he slid around the dusty black body, positioning himself between Monster and his daughter, who just pranced into view from behind a tree. Mauja looked worn in the sunrise, light filtering down to shimmer in his wary, tired eyes. Still, the sight of her form brought warmth to his gaze, and a deep whicker rumbled in his chest. Fondly he stepped forward to bump his muzzle against her head, the rope hanging like a black ugly thing from the corner of his mouth. At the other end, was Monster.

"What's that?" No idea probably wouldn't suffice for an answer, and he frowned. It was the truth, though. He didn't have a single bloody clue as to what it was, but it tasted foul, of earth and sweat and blood, things long dead. Tendrils of it had come loose and lay in his mouth, itching, tickling, but he wasn't about to let go of it in the vicinity of his beloved daughter. "A tengill," he growled around the rope with a certain air of carelessness, as if he was certain of it. Tengill wasn't even a word in the language of this realm, but that wouldn't stop him from calling it that. It was the best he could do, really, and he threw a sideways glance at Monster. What was he going to do now? What would Snö do if he told her to stand there and watch him dance with the devil? What if he broke free and attacked if Mauja let go of the leash? Could he perhaps pin it under his hoof, and keep the bond through that physical contact? Did he have to charm him with words? Would Snö disapprove if she saw him try to train the creature, or would she, too, find it fascinating? What would others say? His pet had never shown any indication of wanting anything but to fight, so letting him roam Helovia wasn't an option...

( ALL MAKT ÅT TENGIL, VÅR BEFRIARE! "All hail Tengil, our savior". )
angels, they fell first, but I'm still here

Monster Posts: N/A
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#7

The Monster cocked his head to the side as Master spoke. He smelled the air together with the white stallion and listened to the muffled words. "Friends." the beast repeated with the same insecurity of one he spoke a foreign language. "No drip, drop. Friends." He grunted with a nod of his head as he smelled the air again. Then he relaxed completely as if he was a machine on which someone had pushed the off-button.

For a short while he was only standing there - staring in front of himself. But then a young girl broke through the burnt trees and bushes and he seemed to become a bit more awake. His ears twitched and the yellow and red eyes watched her for a second, but he was ordered to not harm those who smelled like this place so he didn’t care about the silver filly. When Master repositioned himself though The Monster got alert and moved with him. He stayed a few paces behind, but he was still on Mauja’s left side - ruining what the king had meant to do with his new position. But the Monster didn’t know or understand that he was scared for the wellbeing of this filly.

When the girl spoke to him, the black beast only cocked his head to one side. He didn’t answer and when Master and Snö started talking to each other he totally lost interest and started sniffing the ground for something to eat. He found a few tussocks, but they tasted like ash so he spat them out. Instead he folded his forelegs and lied down on the sooty ground. He rolled two times and then he unfolded his forelegs and got up again. The stallion shook his whole body and ash and dust stood like a cloud around him. The small particles found their way into his nostrils and it didn’t matter how much he rubbed his muzzle against his knee, after a while he sneezed so loud that even he himself was surprised.




Snö Posts: 155
Deceased atk: 4 | def: 8 | dam: 6.5
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16.2 hh :: 4 HP: 62 | Buff: NOVICE
ali
#8
"A tengill."

It sounded like a made up word created just to answer her question. Snö blinked and tilted her head to the side. "Really? Are you sure?" She asked. "Cause that doesn't sound like a real word." Monster's movement behind her father drew her attention to him and she watched as he rolled around in the ashes and came up looking completely grey.

The filly slipped past the large frame of her father and looked up at Monster, her curiosity shining in her eyes. "Hi." She said to him again after realizing that he hadn't even acknowledged her before. "I'm Snö. What's your name?" She looked uncertainly at her father, hoping this time that the other stallion would answer her. "Why are you holding that ... tengill?"
Ascended Helovian

Mauja the Frozen Light Posts: 1,392
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.2 :: 14 HP: 79.5 | Buff: HUNTER
Irma :: Snowy Owl :: Terrorize & Diego :: Eurasian Eagle-Owl :: Rage Neo
#9
"Really?" she asked and even though he knew foals were inquisitive and questioning, he felt like groaning. No, of course she'd not recognize the tongue and the strange lilt his voice took on, because she had never been taught the language... It was a real word, just not of her native tongue, and he worked his jaws soundlessly around the rope for a moment. "Tengill is a real word, just not one most understand," he told her, as patient as he could be when trying to explain something with a rope in his mouth. By now, he felt like he was getting good at talking with stuff in his mouth - practice makes perfect, eh? Still, it would've been so much easier if he'd not had to hold on to it... Speaking a lot with it was a hassle. Monster had mirrored his movement and stood by his left side like an obedient dog, and Mauja gave him a glance from the corner of his eye. Who was this strange creature? Where did he come from? Who had been his previous Master? And what had happened to him? Had someone whispered drip drop in his ear and pointed at his Master? Or was it all about the tengill? Snö once more tried to attract his attention, but the stallion just folded his legs and began to roll. Mauja took a few steps backwards, holding on to the rope yet not wanting to have a flailing hoof smash into his knee.

"He doesn't speak," he growled around the rope once the beast was done rolling - to his own shame, he flinched slightly when Monster sneezed. "At least not much. You can call him Dýr. And, uh..." He frowned. He held it because he was uncertain, because he didn't want the link of mastership to be broken if he let go - and for the terrible drip drop to ensue. "Stand back, will you? He can be violent," he ordered his daughter, not wanting to send her away. If she was to be the FrostHeart's daughter, she had to learn that he participated in strange games, played with fire; played with violence, death and demise. He would not shield her from the crueler aspects of his life - such as this absolute control, and the risks he was taking with it. For good measure he led Monster a few steps aside, hoping Snö would contain her curiosity and stay over there. "Dýr," he began; it was short for his native word for pet, húsdýr. "I am your Master. Even when I release this tengill, you will obey my commands." He spoke with a certainty he did not feel, yet hoped it wouldn't carry perfectly to Snö's ears - if this failed, he didn't need her calling him a fool, too. He didn't need her getting hurt, either.

Cautiously, Mauja lowered his head towards the ground; his eyes were locked on Monster's, trying to read the flames for any sign of that mindless violence. Unless something interrupted him, he intended to place the rope end on the ground, and then raise his head again, to observe his pet and if he remained his even when being physically released.
angels, they fell first, but I'm still here

Monster Posts: N/A
Unregistered
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#10

The now rather content-looking beast stood quiet and still after his sneezing, it was if again his off switch had been pushed and he had gone into some sort of standby-mode. His ears didn’t even suggest the slightest twitch when the girl went all up in his face asking for his name. The Monster just stared vacantly without moving a muscle. And this time he didn’t even seem to hear the pale king’s voice calling him by his new name. Not until the rope was stretched the beast did anything at all. He reluctantly followed his master and when the Monster again heard that new word; “Dyr”, he gazed in every direction but his Master’s.

The sun had climbed higher in the sky and it had forced away the coolness of the night and morning - just to replace it with a heat that would fast become almost unbearable. Sweat had already begun oozing out under the mud and ash stains on the monster’s black body. Soon his neck would be striped and his few clean areas would be shiny like black velvet. As their shadows shrank and the frost of Master’s horn started to drip the black beast just stayed in the same position - not even looking as if he wanted the pale king to believe he was listening.

The rope - the tengill - was dropped and the Monster flicked his ears. He snorted and looked twice from the black rope to his master. A few seconds passed. Then the Monster threw his forequarters off the ground, turned around and caprioled forwards - all in one motion. With long, powerful strides the black legs bore the Monster through the burnt trees and bushes in the same direction from which Snö had appeared. The black rope lashed and danced around him - now and again hitting the ground with a thud.




Snö Posts: 155
Deceased atk: 4 | def: 8 | dam: 6.5
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16.2 hh :: 4 HP: 62 | Buff: NOVICE
ali
#11
Snö raised a metaphorical brow at Mauja as he insisted that Tengill was a real word. It still sounded made up to her. The conversation quickly shifted to the stallion that was attached to the other end of the tengill. "Dýr." She repeated then frowned when she was told that he didn't speak much. That was sad, she wanted him to talk to her. Of course when she was told that the black beast could be violent it was enough to make Snö keep her distance and just watch and listen as her father spoke to him. Commanded him.

Her head tilted to the side as she watched him, wanting to know if he would actually do as he was told. Surprise was not something she felt when the black stallion tore off into the woods, the tengill dragging the ground before him. The filly looked back at her father and giggled. "Maybe he wants to play tag." she suggested.

Ascended Helovian

Mauja the Frozen Light Posts: 1,392
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.2 :: 14 HP: 79.5 | Buff: HUNTER
Irma :: Snowy Owl :: Terrorize & Diego :: Eurasian Eagle-Owl :: Rage Neo
#12
Well - that went absolutely motherfuckingly great. Or not. A sharp hiss escaped Mauja when Monster sprang forward, Snö calling out - what, that he wanted to play tag, of all things? "Maybe," he called over his shoulder, feeling the need to humor her a little, before tearing off after the black stallion. That's what he got for letting go of the rope. That's.. that's what he got for bringing him here at all, jeopardizing everyone! If Kou knew... He hoped she damn well didn't. He also hoped Monster would trip on his rope again, but how likely was it? Mauja leaned into the movements, pushing off each step as much as he could. He was no sprinter, but fear of his herd's safety lent him strength and desperately he tried to catch up to the fleeing beast. "Damn, no, wait, stop!" he shouted after him, hoping he'd listen this time - that he'd listen at all. What if it was over now, too late to rectify the problem? What if his control ended when he let go of the rope, and he'd burned his one chance of controlling him? What if he'd not heed again, even if he managed to catch up and grab the damn rope? Fear spurred him on, but when it boiled down to it, he was at a physical disadvantage - stronger, yes, bulkier, yes, but faster? He doubted it. Not to mention, he'd not slept in what felt like an eternity, whereas the Monster had slept the day away. It was the shittiest conditions to get burned in, but he had little choice in the matter. Monster had run, and he had to reel him in before he managed to hurt himself, or someone else. If he did... No, he chided himself. Don't think of it.

He had to catch the fleeing beast, that was the only option. And by the stars, it would happen.
angels, they fell first, but I'm still here

Monster Posts: N/A
Unregistered
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#13

The Monster ran. Not because he wanted to disobey his master, not to “drip, drop” or destroy something. He was just having fun with his freedom - like a dog let off its leash. He didn’t understand all the fancy words Master had spoken and he didn’t respond to “dyr”. So he took it as if he was allowed to do what he wanted and for the moment he wanted to run.

Through the trees he cantered, avoiding them only by inches. His rope dashed against them and sometimes it got tangled in a small branch and pulled it free from the rest of the tree. As he left the trees he came out in more open ground and it was then he noticed Mauja behind him. With a jolly buck he increased his speed like if it was a game.

At neck breaking speed he continued, all the while gazing backwards with a playful expression. But the fun ended with Mauja again commanding a stop and the black beast lowered his hindquarters in an effective slide stop. He glided a bit on the grass, forelegs still rolling and then he came to a stop. He looked back on Master with a face of disappointment. Like he was wondering why the fun had to end. But as the Monster gazed forward he saw that he was just a yard from the end of the world. One more stride before the stop and he had tumbled over the edge, Mauja’s command had saved his life.

The Monster chewed - pondering the situation before he seemed to decide that it was quite scary. He backed up, first parallel to and then behind Master, glaring at the edge as if he feared it could come and get him.



Ascended Helovian

Mauja the Frozen Light Posts: 1,392
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.2 :: 14 HP: 79.5 | Buff: HUNTER
Irma :: Snowy Owl :: Terrorize & Diego :: Eurasian Eagle-Owl :: Rage Neo
#14
The lack of hoof beats behind him signaled that Snö wasn't trying to catch up with them. Just as well. His fear-crazed guilty heart wasn't sure it would be able to take it, to take knowing that his precious daughter chased after the monster he had brought here. Deadly, wild, rampant, he wouldn't trust anyone he loved near that black creature (yet; how curious the course of the future). And so sweat lathered his pale skin, exhaustion burned like painful fires in his muscles, each breath heavy, short, labored. If only he'd have slept, too... If only if only if only. But luck was not such, and once they crossed out of the trees and closer to the Edge the black madman spotted him - and, what? His eyes weren't burning with the fire of his blood thirst, but with something that seemed so much more spirited, energetic, maybe even happy.

But Mauja remembered the dull look in those eyes, the absence of intelligence, the fiery, swirling rage: he would not believe this creature out on a happy prance, not after what he had seen. His shoulder tore, the scab worked loose by his frantic motion and a faint trickle of blood marring his marble features. At the horizon, the sheer drop off the world loomed, but there was no room for yet another fear in him. If Monster ran off the edge, his herd would be safe.

There was nothing to fear. No nightmare in the morning light.

Though once his words caught up with the rampant hellion, black legs slid in under a careening body and eventually he came to a stop. Nearly blown, Mauja broke off to a slow trot, prowling up close to the black beast. Sunlight glinted off the sweat on his rapidly heaving sides, nostrils flaring wide with each breath as he tried to calm his racing, frenetic body. A look of distrust and fear was sent to the edge from his black beast, who retreated to the safe perch behind Mauja's spotted rump. Curiously the King peered at the edge, and then back to Monster, before shrugging. Apparently he was still in the creature's good books..or he was going to try and shove him off. So what, then, had happened when he'd let go of the rope? Had it merely symbolized him being "off duty"? Mauja had a hard time believing it, but if it was, then it truly was a blessing.. another piece of knowledge stored in the vast mind of his.

"That edge is bad," he agreed dryly, hoping to further cement the Monster's dislike and caution. If his pet was as controllable as he was hinting at being, well, he didn't want him waltzing off the edge, then? No. "Come on, let's go see if we can find Snö?" He spoke more out of habit than anything, swinging his head in in an attempt to catch the rope and begin to lead him back through the forest, looking for the monarch's daughter.
angels, they fell first, but I'm still here


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