inari: wme tryout

[jensen ackles]

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art by hobbit geek

ambience

chapter 1


They talk about him. Round the pastures and in the meadows. A creature of the night. He’ll snatch you up and eat you alive, mares whisper to their unruly foals. He’ll take you in the night and you’ll never be seen again. But one word is brought up time and time again when whispers of the phantom in the night circulate. Monster.

Depending on who you ask, you’ll hear a different tale. The domestic herds whisper of a handsome quid, a wraith, who steps from the fog and lures the unsuspecting away with promises of honey and sugar and sweet things to fill their stomachs. A strangely jolly visitor, if only for a glance. They say he only appears after the howl of a wolf can be heard, reaching for the moon.

If you listen ‘round the wild ones, theres a ghost with an appetite for flesh on the prowl. He’s no more than a beast, cursed to be foreign to his own kind for his cruelty and deceit. A mention of fangs here, of clawed hooves there. They say once you lock eyes with him, he steals your soul. You become bound, tied to his dark deeds for eternity. You never find rest.


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The group that's gathered in the dying light of an usually cold summer day remains still as death. A group of three mares, all foreign to the local herds, had sent out a call that all in need of an evening of thrills should attend to hear their stories of the occult. Headed by a dappled grey with a curious mask, and backed by a cherry bay mare with golden banding and a shorter grey mare with the orange tail, the trifecta seemed half beast themselves. Reeking of mud and bog and fire. Fire, how curious a quid could smell of such a thing.

They speak of creatures and monsters the likes of which none present could fully attest - but more importantly, that none could deny. Horses that drag their victims under the waves, seals that shed their coats to walk among the herds. A beast that lures unsuspecting stallions away, and leaves naught but charred remains.

One tale stands out above the others. A ghost, a spirit, a wraith. A local creature, one haunting the trees currently reaching their long shadows across the grass. As her cries of ring out, a heavy weight settles over the heads of every quid present.

"He comes to feed of your very lives," there's a tremor in her voice that lends itself to the growing fear. "He uses your hearts to augment his own. He takes everything that makes you you and makes it his." She sucks in a breath, and its as though every other soul here joins her. "But..." she whispers, "it is said that those with strength enough to face him are given a chance for a granted wish."

The silence is different this time. A strange mix of curiosity, fear, desire.

"But be warned," she continues. "To even attempt it, you must forfeit your life."

The mares whirl about in unison, vanishing just as quickly as they appeared.

Fool’s tales, all. No such creatures could possibly exist, you tell yourself. If they did, I’d surely have heard tale of them by now. But as the air cools and the bodies disperse, the dappled grey mare’s hang in your head like stormclouds in the springtime. Heavy, dark, tumultuous.

A few figures linger in the swiftly darkening grove. The pine needle bed makes exit quiet, so it comes as a shock when the black stallion to your right huffs a breath much closer than he was moments ago. He’s not much taller than you, give or take a hand. But his dark coat lends to your moment of fear - he blends with the night far easier than your caramel and white.

“Do you believe it?” his voice murmurs out. Even the most quiet intrusion sounds like a rockslide in this eerie place.

You tilt your head. An invitation, to continue this conversation in a place more suited to idle gossip. Silently, you turn and begin the trek to the willow copse near the river that your herd calls home.

He follows, just as soundless.

art by verseo

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[jensen ackles]

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art by hobbit geek

ambience

chapter 2


“You can’t be serious!” he barks out, far harsher than suits your tastes.

“What? Afraid of a little risk?” you spit back.

“You cannot possibly have anything to gain from chasing an old mare’s tale.” He snorts and paws the ground, agitated.

Your smug look irritates him, but that’s fine by you. “Aren’t you curious? There’s no way they’re not trying to hide something from us,” your reply is cool and measured. “I intend to see just what those mares mean to keep tucked away for themselves.”
At that, his ears prick up. So he’s in it for the prize, you note. Not so much the glory as the rewards at the end. A materially-motivated man. I can work with that.

Truthfully you wouldn’t bother if not for knowing that the mountains aren’t safe alone at night. While a ghost is what you plan to hunt, you are not so childish as to ignore the other predators that go bump in the night. He’s gathered a small band of stallions, though, and that shall not do. The dun and strawberry roans seem nice enough, but the last thing you need is to be outnumbered by strangers. One stallion is easy enough to handle. Three though… pushing it.

“I won’t take all of you.”

“What??” at that, the black quid, Echo he told you, seems genuinely incensed. “You expect me to wander alone in the mountains with you?” The roans snort their laughter. Dundee and Ramyro. You mark their dismissal. “Avalon, you cannot be serious.”
With a light snort you turn away. “Good luck without me, then,” you toss over your shoulder. “These woods arent kind to strangers. You’ll be lost before the moon hits its peak.”

He seems torn. You hear more than see his shuffling ‘round to consult his posse. With or without him, you’ll be ghost hunting tonight. There’s others you could convince for far less hassle.

You’re almost out of earshot by the time his cries to stop reach you, the thundering of approaching hooves echoing his voice.

“Fine. But whatever the treasure at the end, we split 50/50.” His tone leaves no room for argument. Not that you care, anyways.
Leave him the treasure, by the time he lugs it back the hills will echo tales of my great deeds.

Tucked into the shadows not far from where you stand, three sets of eyes glow in the darkness. If you would only turn your head, you would see that the mares did not disappear as you may have thought. Instead, they track your and Echo's movements. When you set off to see what glory you may discover, they silently follow along. For every crunch your hooves make on the grass and leaves and stone, the mares remain eerily silent.

And utterly unseen.

Shortly after you leave the clearing, you sense movement on the edge of your vision. Echo, too, notices - the two of you whip around in unison. In this moment, there is no difference in goals or desires - there is just fear of the unknown, fear of the ghost. And you see him. At least, you swear you do.

A figure, ghostly and small, weaving between the trees. Soundless.

Just as quickly as it came, it vanishes.

Neither you nor Echo utters a word. Your heart hammers, it feels as though it's in your throat. You spare a glance at your companion, and slowly turn to continue on your way. Whatever doubts you had on the rumors have vanished. And you need to get moving before your nerve abandons you.

Echo follows.

art by jensen ackles

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[jensen ackles]

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art by hobbit geek

ambience

chapter 3


The moon hangs low in the sky over the rocks and sparse vegetation. At this height, it’s any wonder there’s growth at all. The hike was uneventful to this point. You know the trails like the back of your hoof. You’ve walked them since the day you were born.

But now you stand on a precipice. Here, where the trees peter out and the stone eats up the landscape. The furthest you’ve ever been.

The moment passes uneventfully. The puff of breath behind you reminds you of your company, and the step into the unknown feels an awful lot just like any other.

Echo’s not bad for a traveling companion. His grumbling remains quiet, and he has a keen eye for meat eaters - even in the dark. Thankfully he does not need much encouragement. This trip is probably much like every other to him.

“We’re entering the wolves’ territory,” you pause to observe the steep climb to the ridge hanging above you. It’s taller when you’re this close.

He eyes you warily. “You didn’t mention a pack.”

“Could you not hear Aoife? The ghost only appears with the howl of a wolf. Obviously there will be wolves.” Men.

You remain blind to the shadows haunting your travels. The mares have been your ever-present companions. As you enter the tree coverage, they crest the precipice that separates your home from the mountains proper. You swear you see a flash of a red coat, but they melt back into the shadows before you can be sure.

A wolf howls unnervingly nearby. Echo shudders. You hate to admit, your own hooves stumble briefly. But you push on.

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Your aimless, quiet wandering seems to bring naught for the first few hours. Eventually, though, you stumble upon a welcome sight. A serene pond, much larger than you'd think possible at this altitude, surrounded by willows. You didn't realize that something like this could exist. The perfectly still surface reflects the bright moon, and the countless stars. It's as though someone reached up and scooped up a bucketful of the night sky, and lovingly set it here in a quiet cove amongst the trees and mountains. A sanctuary.

"It's beautiful," Echo murmurs, disturbing the silence.

"I've never seen anything like it."

The pond is dotted with lily pads and cattails. It's dark, but you swear you can see some lotus flowers too. As you trek along the bank, you begin to notice small piles of stones. No two are alike - many are rather unimpressive, truth be told. But some of them sparkle in the moonlight.

Echo stops to examine a few. "Geodes," he says.

"Geodes?" You wish your response had been quieter. Every word spoken here feels like an intrusion.

"Crystals," he explains. "Rare. Worth quiiiite a bit." He's appraising them as you hear a rustle to your left, back the way you came.

As you turn, the small grey mare from earlier steps into view. She is unnervingly still, her eyes unblinking. Her tail, dipped in orange, swishes slowly behind her. "You were fools to come here." The monotone of her voice puts you on edge.

Echo looks up, surprised to hear another voice. "Back off," he snorts. "We were here first."

The mare does not look away from you, though. Her friends emerge, one by one, further back along the pond. Oh crap. They're blocking the way back.

"It seems we're in a standoff, then," Echo sounds strangely calm, given the situation. Maybe he's used to issues like this?

The five of you freeze when yet another rustle is heard, this time from further in along the bank of the pond. A heartbeat later, a small stallion steps into the moonlight.

He's. Well, tiny. And that's saying something, being as you stand at a whopping 12.3 hands yourself. His coat itself seems frosted with the morning dew - speckles of brown peek through, but the dark mask around his eyes makes the green pop like starlight.

It's him. It's the apparition from earlier. The ghost. He looks otherworldly, shrouded by the night. The moon gleams off the speckled white of his coat. His tail swishes happily along the ground, picking up an exorbitant amount of debris. He is unphased by the scene in front of him, totally oblivious to the tension that hangs in the air.

"Hey guys!" he chirps happily. "What's going on? I just got back, but we need to head out for the night anyways. The wolves are hunting tonight so I can take you to my vacation home, it's just up the mountains a ways. It's no sweat really, I'd be glad to show you guys around. Hurry it up! No time to waste." He doesn't even wait to see if his words register among the stunned audience - he's turned and left without a breath to spare.

"Is that..." you murmur.

No one answers.

Echo is the first to move. He sighs, as if in defeat, and turns to follow the ghost into the trees. You follow. Throwing a glance over your shoulder, you see the mares are even more puzzled than you. Clearly they had an agenda to push, but it seems the old mare's tale himself has interrupted.

"Come on," you call out. "You heard him. We're all horsemeat if we hang around." Despite your invitation, you don't stick around to see if they follow. You set out at a canter to catch up with Echo and the stranger.

They haven't gotten far, and the little stallion is already yapping Echo's ear off by the time you catch up.

"That's how I know that when I hear the wolves howl a certain way they're letting me know they need me out of the way. Oh hi there! My name's Inari. What's yours? So nice of you to come and visit me. I hope it wasn't too hard of a journey. You should rest once we get to my vacation home, you'll never make it back down the mountain before sunrise. That's if the wolves don't get you, of course." He snorts at his own joke. "If you guys want any of my rocks let me know. I've been collecting them for years. I've got some cool ones I can show you. Ohhh the one's back at the pond actually, I'll have to show you tomorrow."

It's incredible that a quid could talk so much without breathing. You have to manually tune yourself out of the conversation to be able to focus on the scene around you. Somehow, this amiable stallion, Inari he said, has got you, Echo, and the three mares following him like a string of ducklings. No one says a word in response to him, but everyone follows along and listens politely.

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"And here we are! My home away from home, mi casa es su casa," Inari whinnies happily as he shows you the grotto hidden among the boulders. By this time it's almost morning, and your legs ache from the journey you've been on. "There's some soft grass over to the right you can sleep on. I'll keep watch, since you guys are the visitors you should get some rest. I'll have breakfast ready when you wake!!"

You look at Echo, and he looks back at you, just as confused and tired. So much for a ghost. The grotto is not much more than a shallow cave, but it seems the small stream trickling down from above feeds back down the mountain into the pond you found earlier. This place feels just as magical as the last.

There's no chance for small talk, though. As soon as your hooves hit the dense, soft grass under the pines you feel your body slow. You're nearly asleep before you hit the ground.


He watches over the group, cheerily going about his home and preparing all it is he can for his guests. They'll need berries for some extra strength. Unless, of course, they wish to stay longer. Then he can show them the best places to search for the shiny rocks, or forage for the best grass. There's some clover patches down past the pond you can show them too. How lucky is he that he had FIVE new friends show up for his trip up the mountain!

Inari is a phenomenal host. He makes sure his guests are fed, sheltered, and well rested. He makes them stay on a day longer than they should have, but most seemed amenable to the idea so long as he promised them a geode or two to take with them. He grants them this, on the condition they come visit again soon...

art by aravel

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[jensen ackles]

art by funnyfarm96

the basics


so now that you've met inari, i'm sure you'd love to know a bit more about him. i've asked him to describe himself as best he can, and i've done my best to transcribe as loyally as possible. he really is quite a lovely fellow, and i do hope you can see that as well as i!

art by aravel

name; inari
height; 11.2 hh
personality;

inari is a sweetheart. a little empty-headed, and a bit lacking in social skills, but he's a loverboy at heart and just wants to make friends and share his interests with the world. he tends to miss a lot of social cues, but living alone for a while will do that to anyone. he is an excellent host and loves to share with any visitors who stop by - rocks, charms, secrets... what he has he shares, period.

he can have a bit of a temper when people take without asking, though - while he adores sharing the things he loves, he does not love when people take that kindness for granted. he's admitted to sneaking down the mountain to bring minor annoyances on those who have "wronged" him - a missing trinket here, dung on a favored grazing spot there. the worst was when he left the gate to a local barn open (he refuses to elaborate on how he managed to open it at all) and set a few dozen cattle loose on a local wild herd. not only were the cows disruptive and smelly, the humans took to hunting the forest for weeks after the offense. so... you might call him a prankster with a less than delicate hand.
history;

at one point, inari lived with his herd up in his meadow clearing. for reasons he is unsure of, many winters back they left their usual haunts and went down the mountain. inari's mother was unable to travel at the time, so he remained behind with her. now, he lives alone, hoping that one day if his herd decides to return he can at least give them a warm welcome and share all his knowledge of the surrounding areas.
relaionships;

aoife, niamh, and fiadh -
he knows the mares in passing, but not as real friends. he claims they looked at him like he was a delicious morsel the first time they found his home, but he was too happy for the company to care much about what the company thought of him.

the wolves -
you would think that being regularly chased from your home would make your antagonists your enemies. inari, however, loves the pack. so long as he continues to leave them unrestricted access to the watering hole, and clear out on nights of the hunt, the wolves don't seem to mind him much either! if anything, they watch with eager eyes as he sets off to bring petty misfortunes to the valley below. they LOVED the cattle prank....

avalon -
he is incredibly curious about this strong-willed mare. she seems every bit as brave and brash as inari isnt - and that is a sight to behold! he's had ghost-hunting visitors in the past, but they invariably want something from him. she just seemed happy to come along! inari thinks she will make a most wonderful friend, in time.

echo -
there is a great deal of uncertainty when it comes to echo. inari admires his steadfast, action-seeking nature. as a home body, he does not have many tales of foreign lands. echo seems absolutely filled with them! this leaves inari rather curious about the stallion, but cautious of his desire for treasure. after all, inari loves to share, but doesn't want to share everything he has...

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extras

other various fun tidbits!

inari's personal playlist - spotify
- marigold by mother falcon
- summer snow by dawson hollow
- from fire by perta
- ambling alp by yeasayer
- the moss by cosmo sheldrake
- on yonder hill by sam lee
- asleep among endives by ichiko aoiba
- another summer night without you by alexander 23
- thus always to tyrants by the oh hellos
- paradise valley by honey and the sting
- agnes by glass animals

favorites:
rock - amethyst geode
food - huckleberry
season - spring
weather - rain
animal - robins

special thanks

wanted to say a HUUUUGE thank you to everyone who helped!
i was travelling for most of the competition time, so being able to call in so many wonderful people to fill my form with art was an incredibly gratifying experience. you guys all rock so much.
in no particular order: funnyfarm96, aravel, hobbit geek, and verseo - i owe u all my life thank youuuuuuuu

you can find a folder with all art featured in my form here!
thank you for reading <3

return to wme 610 here

art by jensen ackles

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