take it easy;; [OPEN]

[Zanefera]

Z A N E F E R A

t a k e i t e a s y ; ;

[-]Dodging the trees in the vast spaces of this forest seemed the easiest thing to do right now. Easy compared to figuring out the way her life was going to turn out. Her audits flickered and twisted with the thoughts, as her head rolled down to her chest and back up to an even position above her bodice. Zanefera had no clue what was going to happen to her. She'd grown up so sure, and protected from the outside world, by her parents. They'd held unimportant positions in her herd, and everyday life had been simple, with no surprises. And now, when she should be old enough to think for herself and start her life...Well, she couldn't even grasp the thoughts that floated so quickly through her mind. Where did she go to find a herd? What should she look for in a herd? These thoughts were merely two of the hundreds that zipped through her muddled mind. Was it natural to be nervous, confused, and feeling so utterly alone?

[-]Her pistons twisted, flexed, and shot out away from the blockade of trees before her. The trickle of water tempted her, but she didn't dare stop in unknown lands. At least, that's what she said before her entire bodice quivered, and reacted eagerly to the sound of the liquid. A sigh claimed her, as she found her velvet maw dipping beneath the surface of the stream. She shivered violently as the liquid met her pallet, and slid coolly down her throat. Her onyx eyes watched cautiously around her, as she gave the entirety of herself, to her need for this sustenance. Her flaxen brown coat gleamed with sweat, and her onyx tresses clung stickily to the moisture. Her limbs all quivered beneath her. Had it really been so long? She couldn't have run long enough to feel this strongly about the liquid she was taking in. Hah! Her mother had been right. When you're on your own you feel more strongly about certain things, than groups feel so little about.

[-] Pulling her head from the liquid, Zanefera eyed the area. Her orbs took in everything. How she longed for a civil conversation with a civil equine. She didn't want to end up speaking with someone completely out of their mind, but, she feared that she'd have to make exceptions. Too log had she gone without so much as uttering a word to a fellow equine, and now she felt as though she could talk to one all day. Perhaps that was the single consequence for being a loner. You'd give anything to have a civil conversation. Sure, the wind and the open spaces were more than enough to make one content. But sometimes, just sometimes, civil conversation was worth so much more.

t h a t s w h y i t s c a l l e d c i v i l c o n v e r s a t i o n

[scrimpy]

ooc: Might bring lil' Pariah down by. :3

EDIT: I think that'd be fine Kae. ^^[/size]

Trek through the filth of muddily snow and low-lined trees and you come to a place where everyone must put their discrepancies behind them. Royal equine are just as equal as a beggar here. The lines for once are blurred in my favor. Here I might just find someone like me, someone who walks all lines and defies the: a rouge. Ever since these blasted alliances took hold, everything has been torn into shreds. One can't tell up from down, or who is sided with who. No one really knows that we have begun something greater than any human could dare imagine. It's worse than genocide and suicide put together. It's extinction by our own will-power.

There's only one who walks world that shows the way of how it used to be, how it should have been, and maybe what we can all hope for. Her name was Katastrophe, a simple mare born from the highest of royal bloodlines. Yet she revoked her right to rule and keep a deceitful peace. She let her own country fall into the hands of the high lords and ladies, she let them decide their fate. I knew that mare, the one who stands alone in the rain for all eternity. She's the perfection of a catastrophe. She knows only what needs to be done, but envies all the same. That mare was so different, so- so ascended into what we can be that I miss her presence. The feel of her noble gaze knowing that with her unbroken chain (unbounded) soul, she'll die alone. How she could accept that I don't know, but all I know is that she said it was better to be the upper hand by being civilized than being the lower one who acts crude. But that mare has since left my life for the final time. But if there be a god, please let her live on for she has set me on the course of a rouge.

I lift my head up high as the scent swirl around my nostrils. There are others here, whether friend or foe I come with a head held with a humble pride and sophisticated intentions. There's still chivalry left in this world, somewhere deep inside one of the cracks. I know it, I can feel it. It grows stronger as I near the origin of that scent. I may be partially blind in my right eye, but my nostrils are dead on about this as well as the pit of my stomach.

Dipping and dodging the last of trees I waltzed into a pygmy sized clearing but with a cushy and esteemed sensation. With each footstep firmly planted as I paraded up the sandy soil coated in lethargic looking grass. Not to mention each of my four hooves sunk in lightly when I planted it down.

'Loose soil,' I thought. 'Water must nearby.'

As I neared the scent the sound of a dripping liquid. Looking up from the ground I spied a blood bay Quarab. I kept my face reserved but inside I was grateful to see another mare. It just seemed like all you saw were stallions these days. And besides, mares tend to be more docile in general.

Walking up slowly I smiled friendly. I halted a few yards away and bowed my head to my chest in the name of chivalry. "Ullo," I spoke, not considering my voice angelic nor deamon. "Ravishing day out, no? I tilted my head to the sky to see a few scattered clouds to obscure the sunlight. I would have spoken my name, but sometimes small talk is better than formal talk.


Words: 619
Characters: 3187
Completion: complete
Comments: Sucky as heck.

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[kaemon]

Put. The. Gun. In my mouth
and pull the trigger.

"Urumi! Urumi!!" Her voice was like a needle, stabbing into his ears until his mind bled and he wanted to kick her brains out himself. "You're hurting my ears, Miya," the stallion told her softly. His coat faded into the purpling dusk, leaving only the steady gleam of the gray eyes and the white spots on his flanks to mark his existence at all. Dust kicked up under Kaemon's hooves as he stepped forward, head lifted, nostrils flared. The scent of blood flowed into them, raw and metallic and disgusting, and those strange eyes of his began to glitter ominously. "I told you it was a bad idea to go out alone. Bad things walk through the dark, Miya." Those eyes turned from the sky he'd been watching so steadily to the figure of the mare, her copper coat drenched in sweat, her eyes rolling. The smell of the blood came from her, from the deep gashes in her flanks where the red stuff welled up and then spilled out, gleaming in the twilight. "Urumi, what are you talking about?" Only now did it sink in; the mare's eyes went wide as she realized he didn't care about her. Didn't care if she bled to death here, or if she got lost in the forest and never made her way back to the herd. "Monster..." A sharpness came into his eyes and he snorted, tossing his fine face so the long strands of his mane fell back about his eyes. "Yes..." Was that pain he felt? Kaemon chose to ignore it, whatever it was, as he turned slowly away. Let the mare die here; it was none of his business, anyway. He had never loved her. He had never asked her to follow him.

Kaemon awoke with a start, surprised to find that he'd been dozing at all. I'm getting careless in my old age, he thought wryly, blinking the sleep out of his eyes and tossing his small head. From beneath strands of long dark forelock, the stallion's grey eyes took in the unfamiliar land around him, and he sighed. Oh, Miya... Like so many other mares, she'd thought she was more important than she really was. And she'd made the mistake of falling in love with a sociopath... Disinterestedly, Kaemon wondered why he didn't feel bad that he'd left the mare alone that night. Perhaps because so many other things had happened by then... Or perhaps because he really was a monster. Either way, it didn't particularly matter to him. With a short little stretch to get the feeling back into his body, the stallion began to move forward, away from the shade of the small tree he'd been standing under. His long, delicate limbs folded and unfolded in smooth rhythm, their motions by now so practiced and mechanical that Kaemon's thoughts drifted while he walked. Today was a new day, but it hardly felt different from any other. The land was the same: boring. His mood was the same: uninterested. The silence threatened to suffocate the little stallion.

I need to have some fun...

So he finally had an objective, although it seemed strange to Kaemon that he was taking orders from inside his own head and not from someone else. He was used to thinking for himself, yes, but this freedom... it was intoxicating. Almost like the old times, when he'd never worried about the consequences. When good and evil had been nothing more than adjectives those weaker than himself used to justify their actions. Was he really any different now than he had been then? Kaemon wondered if he would save Miya if she were here now, or if he'd still leave her here to die. Would that one action in itself make him "evil" again? Chuckling to himself, the stallion known more commonly by his nickname, Urumi, tossed his finely sculpted head and let the thoughts sift out of his mind. How silly, to pretend he even cared what the others called him. The light sounds of his hoof beats were the only sounds in his ears, aside from the occasional twittering of some small animal, hidden high up in the branches overhead. The tree he'd taken for shelter had been one of many, all reaching their branches up toward the sky, locking out all but the barest traces of sunlight, which fell here and there in beautiful golden shafts and dappled Kaemon's already dappled hide. He was perfect for the forest: his dark hide melted into the shadows, and the white spots speckling his rump glinted like so many lost sunbeams. All the same, Kaemon found that the forest was not at all to his liking. Too quiet. Too beautiful. He wondered if he might die without ever seeing another of his species.

Well, perhaps that was melodramatic. Kaemon, his slender body paused, lifted his small head to look around once more, the grey eyes hidden beneath so many strands of absurdly long forelock darting here and there, plundering the shadows for the secrets they held. Very faintly, he could hear the movements of some creature larger than a squirrel or a bird: hoof beats, dull against the solid earth. Too heavy to be a deer, he thought seriously. Perhaps a mare? Kaemon didn't like stallions much; they were always so high strung and stupid. Not worth much for serious fun, although every now and then they kept him entertained. The females of his species, on the other hand, seemed to be somewhat more intelligent and calculating. Oh, certainly, there were plenty of stupid ones, but at least the stupid ones were usually easy to get away from. Not like stallions, who seemed to think you had a personal grudge against them just because you were too bored to stand your ground and fight. Kaemon marched steadily between the trees, taking his time as he moved toward whatever it was he'd noticed in the distance. After a time, the sound of gently running water greeted his ears, and the small, cone shaped appendages flicked forward expectantly.

There were two of them: one was multicolored, her body equal parts black and white, while the other was a less interesting shade of brown. Kaemon's expression was neutral as he looked them both over, his legs becoming still when he was a few strides away. The same gentle expression that was always on his face was visible now, something soft and almost welcoming looking out from the gray eyes and the small, pricked ears. Once upon a time, that face had been the face of a murderer; arguably, yes, but Kaemon did not want to fight over that point. He was different now, somehow. Miya had been all of his innocence, and he'd watched her bleed to death. It had changed him in a subtle way, making him almost worthy of the kind face he presented to the two mares. "Hello there," crooned the stallion, his voice low and melodic, almost singsong. It was that tone, just above a whisper, that had always brought the easy ones flocking to him. For some reason, they trusted him when he spoke, even when he was lying to them. Even when he didn't want to be trusted. There was no danger in him now, though. "Maybe you don't mind the presence of a roamer today?"

I feel so alive here.



ooc // lyrics from "No Jesus Christ," by Seether.

[Zanefera]

Z A N E F E R A

c a l m a n d c i v i l ; ;

[+]Blood bay pelt twitched, as she tossed her cranium toward an approaching fae. Her coat was painted black and white, and the lyrics in her ocatve sounded gentle and friendly. Obsidians twisting, Zanefera turned to face the fae, while shaking her cranium lightly to rid her velvets of the dripping water. Her audits twitched, as she stepped backwards invitingly. It certainly is a ravishing day. I must say that it's entirley pleasant. Nodding, her eyes flickered about the place. The stream trickled, and a slight breeze corrupted the air. The oxygen was pure, and easy to breath, but also warm and thick. The birds chirped high on their shaded pirches, probably seeking mates or protecting hatchlings. It was a welcomed scene. And the fact that she'd been join by someone who didn't seem eager to ruin the perfect scene, made her entirely joyful. Tossing her head up, she sighed. It makes me feel as if something bad is coming around the corner. As they say, it always gets better before it get's worst. So I'm wondering if I should brace myself for something.

Looking back to the fae, her velvets parted, as she lowered her head. I'm sorry. I completely forgot to introduce myself. I'm Zanefera. At the moment I'm a loner and neutral in persuasion. And, as if wondering if it would be too rude, she parted her velevets again to release her ocatve, before closing them. Sighing, she spoke Would it be too rude of me to not only inquire as to your calling, but also your persuasion? Her audits perked, and twitched lightly, as she tossed her cranium towards another approach. Her nares flared, as she inhaled the pure scent of testosterone. This would either turn out very bad, or very good. And Zanefera's caution was leaning her towards bad. Her orbs took in the sight of the brute, as he appraoched. Her audits perked, and twisted, as his octave rang out on the air.

"Maybe you don't mind the presence of a roamer today?"

Maybe could go eitherway. But, sense Zanefera was not descriminative, she nodded lightly. I don't mind. She took a step back, not wishing to offend anyone, but being a tad overwhelmed with the two equine before her. It would take some time to get used to a group again, and whether she ended up in a herd with one of these two or not, she would start now. She was only too happy that the fae was here too. She'd had much more, gracious, experience with other faes, than she did brute's. And though this steed didn't seem to be dangerous, Zanefera couldn't help but feel a little out of place. It was another curse she got from roaming by herself for such a long time.

Her gaze shifted back to the fae, before flickering to the brute again. You'll have to forgive for my reaction. Being a roamer does not exactly give the social skills that most equine have. Laughing lightly, she spoke. I take pity on the herd that ends up with me. I tend to think more than speak."

t h a n k g o o d n e s s f o r f r e e d o m

count; 536
comments; That is one short post...Sorry guys!

[scrimpy]

I gave a thankful nod as the feminine accepted my presence and made room for me beside the riverbed. Inching my way forward lazily, showing my content and comfort. I bowed my head to the water's surface and gulped down the tonic liquid. Comfort came to my parched throat. As I quaffed down my heart's content of the water I laid my bicolored eyes closed just to listen to the gracious sounds of Mother Earth. Birds peeped away, and some woodpeckers chiseled their way into the feeble bark of old trees. Cooing of a few doves sang in the distance as well. And in the wind carried scents of new life, but also the scent of a baneful thing waiting to unleash its wrath.

"The calm before the storm as they say," I replied lifting my head. Small dribbles of water fell from my chin back into the tributary. It was awfully ominous, the peace anyway. Everything was perfect, so still, like caught in a never ending dream of felicity. There is tension turning in the waves of the ocean that beat upon this isle. A stirring giant is about to awaken, but what kind I can barely imagine. It's a strange feeling, like trying to mend something that broken but missing one crucial piece of the puzzle.

Memory__________
"You can't always put everything back," spoke my brother. His tall features so perfect as we stood side-by-side.

I had come back two years later from my mother's passing to find my brother had become the ruler of Black Hills. Father was gone now, as well as many other of the matriarchs. A new era had come, setting its roots into the ground firmly. But I hung my head low, knowing already my brother was on a darker path than I thought. Around me though, he seemed happy but with a defiant chip on this shoulder. A grudge perhaps but too faded to predict just yet.

"I know," I answered solemnly. "But, I want to stop it. Just look at what our father did. He started a war he could not end." I shook my head and snorted as I pawed the ground with frustration. "It's- it's not fair..." I trailed off gazing into space. Exhaling a deep breath of oxygen, I glowered over to him. "And you- you won't try to mend what he did wrong." I held my lip firm, not caring is the bitter wind of early spring nipped at my ear tips.

"It doesn't matter if its fair or not," Bressal retorted. "It's not my job to fix what our damn dad did wrong." His tail swished and gaze shifted to glare. Positioning himself to face me, he dared me silently to try and disobey him.

"No," I stated stepping up. But-

"But what?" Bressal snorted.

I said nothing.

He gave a grunt before circling me with a death stare. "I thought so...." With one last snort, he trotted away hearing the cries of one a new foal being born.

"And so the cycle continues," I thought to myself aloud. "And this is why, I'm the way I am...

Present__________

Coming back into realm of actuality, I heard the last of Zanefera's words. "Pleasure," I said amiably. "And I don't mind. I have to nothing hide,"I chuckled. Clearing my throat I continued on. "My name is Pariah, and I hail to no alliance." I lifted my head high, proud of my rouge position. I did not state reasons why, just because you don't really discuss politics and values when your greeting someone for the first time.

Tilting my head I gave an approving nod; even though, I could sense something unaccustomed within his foot steps. A shady part as I could perceive, but pushed them to the side. Through one maroon hazel and one honey suckle brown I watched, moving over to make room for him in the riverbed table.

"And who might you be?" I inquired with an indifferent tone.

Words: 684
Characters: 3616
Completion: Complete
Comments: A mile long drabble. xP

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[kaemon]

While I'm here,
let me tell you a story...

Fear was a taste Kaemon did not know. He had seen if often enough, in the wide eyes of the sick and dying, back in his old home. That had never put the bitterness into his mind, though. So the stallion didn't entirely understand as one of the mares stepped back, away from him, although he didn’t see the response as a strange one. Certainly he'd received colder welcomes; anyway, Kaemon wasn't interested in trying to understand the motivations of anyone else. He'd given up on that a long time ago and accepted the fact that everyone was wired differently; most likely they would never understand why he did the things he did, either. Just as he brushed away the small movement, however, the mare seemed to think she needed to apologize for it. As if she had somehow succeeded in offending him just because she was careful. Discretion was something Kaemon could respect; he tilted his head curiously to the side while her words slid past him, the small ears atop his soft face twiddling thoughtfully. "You'll have to forgive for my reaction. Being a roamer does not exactly give the social skills that most equine have." Kaemon's ears pricked at that; he was more than a little surprised, even if he didn't let it show. She thinks I'm offended? Mares can be so quaint. A soft little laugh left the stallion, no more than one or two syllables that bounced around in the air before he fell silent. "I don't blame you," replied Kaemon graciously. "I'm not so fond of stallions, either. Too many make a bad name for the rest of us." He said this as if it amused him, as if it were something to be shrugged off, although it really was something that annoyed Kaemon. He'd done enough bad things; he didn't need the other males who couldn't control their hormones further stereotyping him. Kaemon quickly became disinterested with the subject, though, and was glad the bay mare didn't waste too much time on it.

"I pity the herd that ends up with me. I tend to think more than speak." Kaemon was only barely listening to these last words; he had never been sympathetic. His ears flicked about as he listened for anything else that might be going on in the forest, but there was the same tranquil silence as before; the same easy peace. He hadn't been near enough to hear the conversation both mares had been having before, but if he had, Kaemon might have been comforted by it. If this really was the calm before the storm, then all he had to do was wait for the gale to hit. But if this was all there was to life here... Kaemon let that thought trail off into nothingness. There would always be something to do. He could at least use these mares to get to whatever "something" might be; he hoped maybe they knew things better than he did. Mildly, the stallion's pale eyes traveled over both feminine shapes, taking in the blood bay coat of the first mare and the patch worked color of the second. In a very slight and unimportant way, the pinto looked a bit like him: they were both dark spattered with white, at least. Kaemon's spots, however, were only sprinkled across his hindquarters, a refreshing patch of color compared to the twilight hue covering the rest of his body. The other mare was different from them both, but perhaps no less beautiful; Kaemon didn’t notice things like that. He was more interested in the expressions both femmes wore, in their reactions to his presence.

The little stallion's attention drifted away from the bay mare when she finished speaking. Her companion seemed to be of a steadier nature; there was no flinching away, at least. Kaemon stepped forward as the black and white mare moved aside, giving him some room near to the stream. He was not inclined to drink, but it was a nice gesture all the same, trying to welcome him in. Now that he was close to it, the water sang in Kaemon's ears like the echo of a soft song, laughing as it raced off to nowhere. "And who might you be?" She asked as if she didn't care; but if that was the truth, then why ask? The question amused little Kaemon for a moment; he toyed with the idea of telling her everything, just because she'd asked such a broad question. Do you really want to know? But of course she didn't; she only wanted his name. "My name is Kaemon," he replied cheerfully, lifting his small head up so his long mane flounced. The three syllables rolled easily from his mouth, but he was well aware that they could be tiresome for others to say. And so he had another name... a backup name. "Most call me Urumi," added Kaemon in the same easy tone. He'd never thought to ask what it meant; knowing the mare who'd given it to him, there was probably some reason for the strange word. Whatever it was, though, it was lost, along with her... Something akin to melancholy entered his thoughts, and he became more serious for a moment, his chin falling to his chest and strand of his mane falling down to hide what was visible of his face. The feeling didn't last for long, though; none of Kaemon's emotions were particularly powerful or long-lasting. He breathed out, a low sigh, and directed his attention outward, to the living females standing so very near to him. "So, you're both alone, are you?" he asked them curiously. He wasn't accustomed to meeting mares that didn't belong to a herd, but then this was unfamiliar territory...

Where the hero and the villain are one and the same.

[Zanefera]

You guys might wanna go on without me. I'm limited on time, because I've got a major report to do. But I'll be on a lot more after this week!

[kaemon]

((*prods* anybody going to post? =/))

[scrimpy]

I might post here within a few days. ;_; Being sick drains my muse....