Wild Mountain Equids: A Calm Before the Storm (Invite Only)

[Beewings]

|*/\*|Zephyr|*/\*|

I spy, I thought, not the most exciting game but maybe i'll find something new and Livius will let me exlpore it. I nodded my head, "Yeah, lets go!" I said and cantered over to Dolce. "Good morning Dolce," I said and snuggled up to her chest before heading back to Livius, "Me and Livius are going down to the river to play I spy!" I called over my shoulder. I can't wait to get down to the river, I thought as I walked towards the sound of the water. I started to plan what I would do today, I spy with Livius was a good start and then I'll play tag with Livius till it gets too hot and then we'll come back to the river and jump in to cool off. In between I spy and tag I'll graze with Dolce and Livius and lastly i'll snuggle down and watch the sunset with them. That sounds good. I thought and quickly stopped to look back. During my planning I had started walking away without Livius or Dolce but caught myself before I got too far away.


|*/\*|Dolce|*/\*|

I smiled as I watched the two talk, Livius is such a good surrogate father, I thought a little absent mindedly, still waking up a bit. Zephyr broke me out my day dream state, "Good morning, Zephyr." I said and lowered my neck to nibble at his made affectionatly. Down at the river, I thought and blinked sleepily. "I'll come down with you," I said and maybe play too, I added in my mind. I started walking over to Livius while Zephyr started walking to the river. I was about to remind him to stay close but he stopped and looked back at us before he went out of sight.

[Ardelis]

Finch::

Finch stood on the out cropping of rocks surveying the field below. It had been several days since he'd even found the scent of another equid. The solitude didn't bother him necessarily, but he certainly did prefer the company of others. Turning back to the path that led down to the field he sighed and wandered forward. The trees slightly dense around him added to the silence that clung heavy to the area. Almost recklessly he stepped out from the shelter of the trees into the small, grassy clearing, not paying any attention to his surroundings. Beauty such as this was always wasted on him. He didn't often stop to think much about where he was or what he was doing.
With another hearty sigh he resigned himself to absently grazing on the sweet grass carpeting the small clearing. Growing bored and impatient with his current lone status he stomped a frustrated hoof and looked around. He lifted his nose into the air and pulled in the air hungrily, desperately trying to find some sign of another equid in the area. Still nothing. Puffing a hot burst of air from his nostrils he tried to shake the frustration from his shoulders. In one last attempt at the idea of company he let out a short, loud whinny. 'Guess there's not much else I can do at the moment,' he thought dejectedly.

{{and Finch is now open for interaction... finally! XD}}

[Lemur-Flight]

Aislinn

A breeze blew and rustled her mane. She inhaled deeply as she caught the scent of another equid in the wind. Excited, she perked up and let out a whinny, "Hello?" She heard her call flow out past the fence and into the wild.

[LostGosling]

({Hipster@ O3O May I use your post style? Pweeease?? 83 It's just so sleak and practical! 8P I can totally go back to my old style though if you want. ;D I just wanted to do a trial run to see what it looked like on the others. xD})

({Sorry for the wait guys! We're moving on without Nix until she returns, and until then, Canad just vanished. ;3})

I<?>I Rifle I<?>I



-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Where: Further out of SnowCap Territory that the others.
With: Two strange new equids that he's just stumbled upon.
Feels: Excited, curious, eager to learn more about his new "friends".
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Words: 1,137

CRRRRRACK. Rifle gave a small yelp, his hind hooves plucking off the ground for just a split second as the twig buckled and shattered in two. It actually was a pretty sharp noise, to his defense, when he’d only just barely stepped on it. Especially on such a still, eerie morning such as this one, so he had every reason to be frightened. Yep, he sure did. But that didn’t make it any better. “H-Hello? Anybody there?” a soft, almost shaky colt’s voice hesitantly asked, his pure, golden eyes large and innocent as they took on that foal like terror they always did when he was alone. Alone. This was the first time he’d ever, truly, been on his own before. And it scared him; which he hadn’t planned on. Those small, but sturdily built legs trembled so hard that they actually knocked together a little at the knees, and since he wasn’t paying even the slightest bit of attention to where he was going, the mole hill’s sudden appearance came as quite a surprise. His front hoof shot right through the moist soil and wedged in the tunnel, bringing him so close to toppling over that he really did look like a flailing knot of gangly limbs. Though as he noisily hustled to the side with a quick jerk of his leg, he only had enough time to narrow his eyes in utter contempt before another obstacle seemed to materialize out of nowhere: An extremely lethal object otherwise known to the untrained eye as a sapling. Saplings. Oh how he hated them. Just small enough to remain unseen, but also just thick enough to trip over. It tangled in his colt’s legs like a moth’s wings in a spider web, and another stunned yelp followed as he gracelessly, and with a somewhat miffed grunt, hit the ground. THUD.

It actually was a very beautiful morning. The sun was just beginning to creep over head. The birds were singing. The wind wasn’t too hot, nor too cold. It was one of those mornings that you would remember for a long, long time after they’d passed. And, with his impact, fresh, mountain dew immediately began trickling off the tall plant life and onto his dry little nose. It wasn’t until then that he realized just how very thirsty he was. He’d never, ever, been without his mother before. His mother, who he loved so dear. She would have reminded him to drink, and probably known exactly where the river was. His eyes fell flatly to his hooves in worried thought. But she wasn’t here right now.

Tearing up at her very though seemed almost irrational, when just days before he’d thought about nothing more than this wild and “wonderful” journey he was now on. Yet the tears threatened the corners of his eyes at every turn. With his entire body beginning to ache from weary travel, he gave a small sob of a laugh at what was beginning to pose as a truly horrible mistake. Why had he ever left mother? This wasn’t any fun at all… but soon, tossing his head back with renewed bravery, he prepared to stand once more. “Stop it Rifle, you’re being a big baby. You can do this…” he mumbled to himself tiredly. He could do this. He could. Like his father did. Like in the stories! But he was just so lonely… Lifting a lightly built head and perked ears almost above the grass line, a low, curious nicker suddenly burst from his throat. What was that? A chestnut ear swiveled, and he smacked his lips quietly in thought as he listened carefully to what his ears were now telling him. There were others, a couple from what he could tell, and he sucked in such a huge breath of excited air that a normal equid would have been choking on the ground right then. But not Rifle. Caution was immediately tossed to the wind. The curious side of him that longed to find out who those noises belonged to trumped all other feelings. Fear. Doubt. Self Preservation… Ehem. With a gleeful snort, he rose from the tall grass, his reddish brown tail making a wide sweep over the grass with the sheer effort that took. And then he took off at a valiant lope. The cadence of it rose and fell like something comparable to herd of cattle with bricks strapped to their feet, but he found it quiet regal himself. It made his mane fly in the wind, and caused his tail to lash like licking flames. The essence of bravery. It wasn’t until he took off at an all out gallop that he slipped, tumbled down a hill, and rolled straight into a mud pit.

“AAAARGGGG!!!” he roared, rolling around just a little too much to not be enjoying himself at least a little, and before he knew it, he was all out laughing. “YES, thank-you! Thank-you so much!” he shouted sarcastically at nobody in particular, perhaps the sky. Why not a mud pit? Everything else seemed to be leaping into his path today, why not an enormous puddle at the bottom of a steep hill? Which, he might add, came out of nowhere. Still chuckling as he pulled himself up, mud plastering his entire body a dark brown except for his bright, honey golden eyes, he felt oddly exhilarated. You might even say he had a buzz. The huge, exuberant grin was even there to back it up. Nothing could stand in his way! Nothing! After today, what else could the world possibly throw at him? His eyes now ablaze with an insurmountable touch of valor, he pulled himself up from the mucky mess, turned around, cut straight through a thick stand of greenery that swayed in exaggeration at his passage, and came out right next to a pair of grey equids.

Wow. So they must have been who he’d heard earlier! One a filly, just his age (with a pretty pink color all over her face…), and the other quiet possibly her father? Yep, he was going to stick with that idea. The monstrously rumpled colt came to a clumsy halt right before them, one of those silly grins he was famous for slipping onto that boyish face of his. What a sight he must be, especially with that sprinkle of leaves and twigs that now precariously clung to his mud slicked fur. Not that he cared, but he really was quite enjoying this particular moment. He must look like some sort of forest monster to them... “Ahhh…… hi?” he greeted them somewhat awkwardly, his head cocking to the side ever so slightly as he cast a friendly glance at the filly. It seemed like it had been ages since he’d seen somebody his own age.

________________________________________________________________________________________

I<?>I Shadow of the Day I<?>I



-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Where: Further out of SnowCap Territory that the others.
With: His daughter Chaos... and a strange walking mud pie?
Feels: Uncomfortable, uncertain of a few things...
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Words: 641

“Neither have you.” The filly’s voice trailed after him, and if he hadn’t been paying close enough attention, he would have missed that slight falter there just toward the end. He gave a soft, almost triumphant snort in response, blatantly ignoring her as he grasped the oak branch in his teeth. Leaves danced in a wavering spiral at the stallion’s heavily travelled hooves, the tree’s branches rattling roughly as Shadow diligently and quickly stripped leaves from the tall, old Oak tree. Even though he was finding it quite difficult to reach even the lowest layer of leaves, he wasn’t about to let height stand in his way. He never had, and never would. However, though he seemed as if he were totally immersed in his current task, his mind turned and schemed constantly on a different level. Things like: ”Should I even bother with this herd? I mean, there aren’t even all that many mares in it…” and “Well, I do like the fight in that pretty red brindle. She would be a nice asset, even if she were the only one I managed to coax…” leading into ”But she showed such an unmistakable likeness for that bothersome young fellow I keep running into! Helmet? Harpy? What was he called again... Ah Clover Buds I don’t need to know that badly. I could slyly take him out of the picture at any time if I just wanted to…” and finally, making a complete circle back to what was really eating at him; his daughter. "And then there’s Chaos, heh, she seemed to have a bit of a likeness toward him as well…". He abruptly stopped shaking the branch, letting go of what he had in his mouth, and turned back to the little mare, the corner of his mouth turning up just slightly as he eyed her.

She was actually quite an irritable little thing, her hair messy and all out of place as it was, which he had to admit, he did like. She still seemed to be a tomboy, just as he’d brought her up, and despite her mother’s influence he might add. In fact, her time alone might have done her some good. She seemed… stronger, some how. Like she could handle anything. Shadow quickly turned away, shaking it off, and bull headedly kept his eyes on the prize. “You take that pile, I’ll take this one. They need these leaves quickly, I’ve seen the effects of fly strike and fever, what they can do to an equid, and kid, they aren’t pretty.” He told her shortly, almost barked, and began busily gathering the leaves in his mouth. He couldn’t let that happen again. He hadn’t signed on for this. But just as he got as much as his mouth could handle, leaves clumsily slipping out here and there, the weeds nearby began to quiver and sway with what was surely some humongous force making passage.

His first response; run. He started to do just that too, but something stopped him. Something kept that rogue plastered to the ground, no matter how he stamped his hooves and lashed his tail to flee the situation. His hard, ivy gaze locked on the greenery, nostrils flared for combat, but he wasn’t at all ready for what reared it’s ugly head. Not a bear. Not a wolf. Not even a lynx. No, it was a…uh…… what was that? First, he just stared, a stupid sort of look on his face as he tried to figure out what in the hopping hoof rot his eyes were showing him, and then, he blew leaves all over the place in uncontrollable laughter. “Hello to you too, creature of the mud.” He grinned wildly through uncontrollable snorts, unable to make out anything but a pair of oddly familiar golden eyes on the young, colt-like animal.

________________________________________________________________________________________

I<?>I Anara I<?>I



-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Where: Just out of Snow Cap Territory. You can still even hear the river.
With: Her daughter, Halo, and a very injured, unconcious mare.
Feels: Very uneasy, worried, skittish about the entire situation.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Words: 914

Anara gave a soft, mildly pressured sigh as she and Sunny carefully rolled the mare onto her other side. She couldn't even imagine how much pain this mare would be in when, or if she woke up. Her head didn't appear to be injured too bad, so she could only guess that the shock was what kept her under. Her sticky, reddened skin was beginning to take on a less angry shade of crimson where the past touched, though it still left that sort of clammy, cold feeling on your neck that caused every hair on your body to raise. And she was limp, oh my so limp... The longer this went on, the worse she got. Anara’s teeth had started to grind with unease as the fear of losing this one sank deeper and deeper into her bones, and her head sharply dipped to throw her mane out of her eyes. It kept sticking there, perhaps from the sweat that was collecting just above her brow.... clover buds, this was an emergency situation here! Her brother lie prostrate on the ground with big, ugly gashes down his thigh, and that was only half of the horrors that presented themselves before her! This mare.... she was going to die if she didn't get help... There was no more dancing around it; the only thing that would save her is attendance and perseverance. Her lips pursing together with the sheer amount of rage that she was now unsuccessfully suppressing, she whirled around, the words that came roiling out emerging in a low, barely audible hiss. "Are you just going to lie there and..." she cut herself off, looking all around in miffed disbelief.

He was gone! Her mouth dropped open slightly. Where did he go?! And a loud, angry snort followed as her eyes searched with no avail, and she had to briskly shake her head in disgust just to get back to what was important. This was great, just great... And with that, she just let herself silently brood in between reassuring smiles to Sunny, and working some nasty paste of her own. She couldn't even be amused about the hilariously disgusted look on her daughter's face as she hastily emptied her mouth of the mush, as he'd ruined her entire mood by his idiocy. She didn't like that stallion anyways, though her mind seemed to have an endless stream of possibilities for the lead's disappearance. Maybe he'd just gone to get more supplies? ... Or maybe he just couldn't take it like she could? Or maybe, just maybe, he returned to his life as an old nanny goat off at the petting zoo...

Fine, she was done being angry because of him, but now she was all alone with this. She, the only one left capable of making the decisions, trapped with that frightful scent of pain that was enough to drive anybody straight over the nearest cliff. But she couldn't let it get to her. They depended on her, they wouldn't make it if she didn't keep her head. But as she leaned in to impulsively remove a leaf from Sundara's mane, her heart sank a little with that age old worry that she was raising Sunny the wrong way. She almost wished that her filly didn't have to be exposed to this... this... tyranny. She needed to be off chasing butterflies, playing in the river's edge, doing things that foals were supposed to do at that age. But deep down, she knew that this was preparing her. Preparing her for the horrible, uncensored things that might happen to her after she's old enough to really remember them...

"Okay...I think that's enough, mommy?" Her daughter's bird-like voice broke into her subconscious, bringing her back to the present with only a small jump. She smiled weakly in response after quickly composing herself, pausing only long enough to inspect their handy work before she gave a grateful nod. "Perfect, now for the leaves. Though I'm going to have to leave you for a short time after I finish here, to get more supplies." she said seriously, holding the fillies gaze with her own, shimmering white one the entire time she spoke. "So I'm going to need you to be very, very brave for me and these equids, okay sweetie?" she looked around furiously for a moment, fretting about all the things that could happen in her absence, until her eyes finally landed on Halo. "You see that chestnut stallion over there?" she motioned toward his withering form, only barely stifling a wince at just how useless he was going to be at protecting anything at this current time. "He is, for all intents and purposes, your uncle Halo. He's the only one that we can trust right now, so if he wakes up before I get back, you don't have to be afraid. Just try to answer him as best you can, because he'll be very confused from the blood loss." she whispered with a soft smile, focusing back to slathering the equid mare with as many marigold leaves as she could possibly spare before backing worriedly off toward the woods. "Stay close, and don't be afraid honey, I'll be right back. If there's trouble, whinny as loud as you can and then run." Her eyes large, almost feral with conflicting need to protect her daughter and treat the injured, she gave Sunny one last, sweet smile, and then darted off into the forest.

[Ralonica Thorondor]

{Lolololololol! *rolls on floor laughing* Gos! That is hilarious! Rifle, the walking mud pie... XD}

[maluruloki]

(( D'aw, Rifle is adowable!!! I just want to hug him.
And ellie/Lemur, you can bring Famous and Iagan back towards Livius/Dolce/Zephyr if you want; Livius has realized that she was missing. ))

:: Livius ::

Livius was pleased to see how Zephyr had some self-control and reined in his youthful enthusiasm. He inhaled a deep breath of the slowly-warming morning air as he glanced over to see Dolce approaching, looking decidedly adorable and somewhat sleepy still. He gave her a fond grin as he nuzzled at her forelock, murmuring,
"Good morning, sunshine. You can graze some while I keep the little whirlwind distracted, eh?" Boy, she is just so wonderful. And Zephyr too. Like my own little family... Something settled more in his heart, a little something that had long been pacing with uncertainty. He felt whole and centered with the mare and the silvery foal near him. "Zephyr, can you come back by us while we travel to the river? We wouldn't want a rabid butterfly attacking you!" The grullo stallion gave the foal a silly wink. Then it occurred to him: where was the other mare, Famous? Perking his ears up and looking about, he was surprised to see her standing nearby - and with a foal! "Dolce, look! Famous! Baby!" His brain seemed to go right out the window.

:: Tisane ::

Tisane felt the self-conscious anxiety melt in her stomach as he brushed off her socially-awkward behavior like it was nothing. Oh thank the new green grasses... He understands that I'm not all spider webs in my head! A roil of laughter began as a soft snort from her and then belled out as she tossed her head back. It was laughter drawn from relief, from pure enjoyment of how warm the sunshine felt on her face, for the feeling of a nearly-full stomach, and the balm of another Equid nearby who was showing more than a casual interest - he was a friend. A friend. Tisane nearly doubled-over again as she realized that she now had the hiccups to boot. This laughter was almost helpless and tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.
"S-sorry! I just - hic - ahahaha! It just feels so good to laugh! Hic! Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" The dark-bay mare's eyes twinkled and for the first time in a long time, she felt like herself again - and she glowed.

[Ralonica Thorondor]

Laxius
With Tisane.
Mood: Refreshed
He seems to be taking a liking to a certain gal... <3

I don't even attempt to stop the onslaught of laughter that then escapes from my mouth, a bubbling river of joy. I see Tisane, her eyes sparkling, and laugh even more because of her hiccuping and giggling. It's contageous. Soon, I'm laughing so hard that no sound escapes my mouth, and I'm doing all I can to keep standing as hiccups of air escape my mouth in little gasps as I keep on laughing. I have no idea why I am laughing... I just am, I suppose. But it's so hilarious for some reason. Suddenly, I realise I'm leaning against a small tree, pushing against it with all my weight to stay standing. A loud hiccup escapes my mouth and I only laugh even more.

[elliej1995]

((Rifles personality in that post reminds me of my own Boyfreind!xD ))

|*/\*|Chaos|*/\*|

Chaos huffed and picked up the leaves. She turned to return to the others but a noise stopped her. Chaos looked at the bushes and jumped when an. . . equid? covered in mud rolled out. Chaos starred at the mud thing and her father, who was snorting and laughing all over the place. She ignored the colt for a moment and watched her father. This was a side of him that she had never seen. He was laughing!“Ahhh…… hi?” Chaos directed her attention back to the colt, the dumbfounded look from her fathers actions still on her face. "Hi." She returned shaking the shock off her body. Then Chaos noticed his eyes, they were so yellow. . .

((Just have Famous do the same thing in the last post but aproching them at the river))

[maluruloki]

(( I'm sorry, ellie, but I don't quite understand what you mean. ))

:: Tisane ::

To see Laxius also lose all control of himself in his gales of laughter was just an extra burst of sunshine for Tisane. The rusty-colored stallion even had to collapse against a short tree to keep from falling onto the grass! It's so true, how laughter is contagious! If it were a disease...
"Ah-hah, hah, whoo...whoo-hoo-hoo... I guess since laughter is contagious, we have the giggle pox." And just that statement was enough to send her into a foal-like giggle fit again. It wiggled her entire body as she pranced into place, little tears still gathered at the corners of her eyes. When she was able to take a breath, she wiped her eyes on her legs and sighed, feeling quite content. "Hmm...that was wonderful." The smile on her face was serene. Flicking a pesky fly from her rump, she took a moment to survey the surrounding country in detail since the sun had finally risen completely into the blue dome of a sky. It looked like there was a valley down the way, if one traveled along the slopes of the mountains. It was emerald green in contrast to the scrubby, yellow-grey foothills and she thought she saw the twinkle of a river winding through it as well. Maybe wishful thinking...but I hope so. "So now that we've completely lost our minds, what if we went over there? To that valley?" The dark-bay mare's amethyst-purple eyes met his as she tilted her head towards the verdant nook.

[elliej1995]

((in my previous post Famous trotted up to dolce and Livius and zephyr before they got to the river. You guys went to the river and didn't notice my post so. Just read Famous last post. Id quote it but I'm on my iPod. ))