"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
Her voice filled him with sickish delight. There were no forward plans to harm her – and if he could help it he will prevent distress as well...but there is no denying that he is among the beasts she should be protected from. Where is her family, anyway? He checks again to make sure she is behind him. A satisfied smile hangs loosely on his dark lips as he sees her coming along behind.
The route is actually not a lie. The safest and quickest way to the Chamber is to travel eastward and move through his own forest, then the high mountains and then to the Chamber's thick pines and open fields. It's always easiest to lie when you're not really lying, right? He finds this to be so. Simply form your words carefully. So down they go, first moving south for some time and soon cutting due east into the hills and then into the forests that border his own woodland home. He takes winding long ways, moving through swamps and up ridges (and back down them again), walking until morning threatens to peak over the horizon. The moon still holds her position against the clouds that are starting to swarm. She'll fade to their power soon. He can smell the storms in the distance.
"Where do you live Chem? You don't smell like the forest. You don't smell like the Falls or Chamber... I don't know any other places smell, yet."
He genuinely chuckles at her innocence. He had long ago cataloged many smells of countless places and things. Triggers happen naturally and quickly, like the nervousness on her breath and the sweet sound of her voice, or the patter of her feet close behind him. “I live just between the Falls and the Chamber, actually. In some deep woods were no one bothers me and my herd and I can thrive happily.” He attempts to make it sound as pleasant as possible because sooner or later Vessel is going to realize what he's trying to do...he hopes that won't be for sometime. As they walk he looses that initial feeling of calculated kidnap for leverage and more toward how he may just..have her. For himself. For the Forest.
“Your mother?” He slows down to walk beside her. “Who is your mother anyways?” He stops to offer her help up the steep embankment they've found themselves having to heave over. He lets her go first and supports her behind with his broad forehead. If she allows him to, anyway. “It's still quite a ways.” He answers her plea for home with something vague. He doesn't really have the details of this kidnapping down just yet...
They've been walking for hours through hard terrain. Nothing dangerous, but rigorous athletically. Even his own muscles were a bit sore. He hopes she her body will be begging for a break.
And then the rains came.
“Ah, spring rains.” He looks back to her, the sound of heavy rainfall beating in his ears and sopping his black speckled coat. Harder and harder it seems to fall as if the Gods wanted Chem to carry out his plan flawlessly and with no resistance. “Follow me!” He picks up the pace, thunder cracking across the dark sky and lightening flashing. “I know of some caves just over here!” he stops to make sure she is coming, shouting over the heavy deluge. They're only a few miles from the border of his Forest.
05-08-2016, 07:51 PM (This post was last modified: 05-09-2016, 02:08 PM by Vessel.)
learn to read between the lines, yeah?
I follow him, maybe all too willingly, the sky was lighter now that we moved out of the forest's dense center, though still cloaked in the night it was not as frightening as it was prior. I wonder if I will ever be truly comfortable alone, I am an adult now I should be fine all by myself. But having grown up with an overprotective twin brother had meant I was never alone. I had never known true independence until I left for Chamber on my own. The rest everyone knows, I got lost, spooked and then was lead out of the whole situation by the spotted stallion. A hero really, at least to me, in this he had saved me, the forest was so thick I don't think I could have found a way out. Chem is strong, tall, built for protecting while I am small, petite, and build for speed. My opposite in every way, but I feel so thankful to him it seems to connect me to him in a way I don't really understand. Maybe this is what having a father is, someone to gather you from the darkness and save you when you need it. I wouldn't know I've never had a father, or maybe this isn't a daughter-father feeling at all-- maybe it's something else. I flick through everything I knew the feelings I have had in the past and this is different. I ponder this silently as we walk, and walk, and walk. Man. I really must have gone the entirely wrong direction. I had dove so deeply into my thoughts I forgot I had asked a question. and now his deep voice is answering me, I caught all but the first words, but I gather his meaning, and think is is great that my savior wasn't going too out of his way to help me. His lands sounded like it would suit him, calm and tranquil, a place he can do what he needs in peace but close to others. I am so sure I know who he is, based on the simple act of helping me, I am learning to trust myself even when alone. (Completely unaware I have him up on a pedestal, that I would believe him too quickly to feeling overly grateful, I don't sense any of the deceptions that mother had spent all that time teaching me.) I add back to him as he glances back again to check that I am ok (so sweet), "That sounds lovely Chem! Maybe I can visit it on my way back to the Falls after I visit Mother."
I have spoken of Mother many times, yet had never named her and Chem's curiosity must have finally peaked because he asked who Mother was. "My mother's name is Kimber. She is in the army in Chamber." I smile up at him,as he had dropped back to walk with me, a sweet thing, happy to make conversation as we continue walking. The terrain had grown hilly and took more effort and concentration. My sides heave a little heavier and my breath doesn't come as smoothly as it had a few minutes back. I hide it, I don't want to hold the spotted stallion up any longer. So every time I feel his attention on me I slow my breath and force the air to hold its place a moment longer in my lungs. Maybe it is just me but he must notice I can handle the pace and I swear we move quicker from then on. He tells me it's a while longer, and I fight back the urge to gripe, I have to be strong, no matter how tired I am. I have never moved so quickly over such unwelcoming ground, but with every hill, Chem glanced back to monitor me, his charge (I must have fallen a little behind again), I feel so well taken care up it makes the exhursion worth i. It had been hours, and the sky finally looked a little more yellow and a little less blue; our journey would be over soon.
With the just broken dawn, we arrived at a really steep hill it looked slick and the footing was iffy. I'm tired and my strength had quickly drained from the almost too long walk (I take it he might have done the wrong way once or twice, but didn't call him on it, as he is helping me). I swallow and glance at Chem, his eyes were encouraging, at least to me. I started up the hill only to have the footing slide under my light frame. Before I could lose more than a foot of gained altitude I felt the broad forehead of my Chem-savior using his mass to help me up. His mass held the loose soil in place. And in that somewhat awkward manner, they worked up the hill. It was hard work and mostly Chem got them there up it safely. I turned and nudged his shoulder with my own dark bay muzzle, I allowed it linger there in a show of gratitude. I was going to to verbally thank him as well but a roll of thunder rolled across the sky in a deep tenor and it sent vibrations through my bones. The storm came quickly, which meant it was likely a bad one. "Oh no.... this is going to be a bad one. The rain started then and I see Chem almost smile with his statement about the spring rains.
He moved off into the falling water and I followed but the sky opened and dumped it's moisture on them even harder, the water was cold and I was instantly chilled, despite my workout. Chem called to me to follow to a cave, and he moved quickly, it was all I could do to keep up. The exhaustion and cold were draining me quickly, and she hoped the caves were close as she didn't know how long she could run. A few another few minutes passed and then the hills gave way to a clearing with a cave punched into the side of a mountain. I entered the cave unable to hide my heaving sides and the soreness of my muscles as the shake from exhaustion. It had taken all night to get where they were now, it had just been dusk when she first entered the forest. So literally all night they worked out of the forest. The sky flashed in wickedly beautiful arcs of lightning and the thunder continued to shudder the earth. I watched the eerie dawn storm rage, and the warmth of my expression gave way to the lingered chill of chilled wet skin with no sun to dry by. The small twitch of muscles that were tried gave to full blown shivering. Just then a bolt of lightning struck a tree right next to the cave and the large oak splintered and the top fell blocking the cave entrance and sent us into darkness. I scream, and shout for Chem who was somewhere in the cave, I think, "CHEM!!!" My breath was too fast, I was too exhausted and even though I couldn't really see anything I knew my vision was blurring. My knees gave as I tumbled to the ground my voice muttered Chem's name again and then I was in darkness. It was too much the cold, the exhaustion, the fright I slipped into the dark nothingness as my body hit the dark damp cave floor.
vessel
nymphetamine x kimber
ooc: Wow, muse gush there. Love this. didn't mean to write a small novela here. Vessel would totally be the type to have Stockholm Syndrome. all she seems is him being so caring... she might not recognize the deception behind it. Also if you don't want to go the whole trapped in a cave thing, then Vessel could be trapped alone....but either way, Vessel is totally charmed by Chem.
05-28-2016, 02:52 PM (This post was last modified: 05-28-2016, 02:53 PM by Chemdog.)
@[Vessel]
The rain gains strength by the second. Thunder is booming, snapping and crackling – the storm is almost over head now. Hail is next. Big hemlock-cone sized fall everywhere. The sound of their crashing against rock and tree almost drowns out the sheets of rain that are now falling so hard you can't see in front of you.
“CHEM!” She wails, or so he perceives it to be a wail. He lunges into the cave through a veil of falling water. This stream of steady run off blocks the cave's opening and seconds after he gets through the threshold earth begins to tumble down along with clods of mud and stone. They're somewhat trapped for the time being...it's too much of a risk to try and barge through the opening now while the mudslide progresses. He slithers into the rocky room and sidles up cozily beside her, “I'm here, little.” He touches her on her cheek with his soggy cold lip, his whiskers bending against her soft flesh. He taps her gently, breathing hot air through his nostrils onto her chilly skin. He wraps his head around her front and pulls her in with a nudge, pressing her cold body against his warmer, bigger one. “This will pass in an hour or so..” Just then thunder shakes the ground and lightening strikes just outside of the cave. To his surprise the flash illuminates a hall deeper into the cave, like a tunnel. Gauges in it's ceiling allow rain to and light (whatever little there is) flood in – so when the lightening strikes it lights the way deeper into the cave. “Hm.” He contemplates to himself, checking her over once more with a tender touch of his muzzle across her face and neck. “Once you get warmer perhaps we should explore the length of this cave...it looks like an old abandoned tunnel, I think.” He's still staring into the darkness and runs through his next move.
Now he's in too far. He wants her. Kimber...the army...The Chamber. His thoughts ring aloud in his head. He doesn't care. He'll fight them all. Something has come over him – something of...passion? He knows it's wrong. She's so innocent. So beautiful. So forbidden. He casts any worry he might have aside and tells himself he will tell her soon. Or maybe he'll really lead her home and hope she stays...no...he cannot risk her being away, getting taken or possibly realizing how heroic he isn't. The magnetism between them must remain, he muses. He's never been this way. He's always been so nonchalant about mares or their love for him, or lack of. He will not call it love, but it is certainly something. He's felt lust plenty of times but there is something a little more dense about this feeling. Something new and threatening. Something adventurous.
chemdog
astra inclinant, sed non obligant.
your post was beyond lovely. i'm sorry it took me a hundred years to reply <3
i'm in love with these two, for real.
When I came to Chem was there beside me, he nudged me up and into an embrace, coaxed me into the comfort of his much larger body. He was just as wet as I was, but since he had more mass than I (and thicker skin) he was not nearly as chilled in the cool spring cave-air. He held me there until my quivering body stilled, his voice washed over me in calming tones, "I'm here, Little.... this will pass..." I was oddly aware of him next to me, the way his breath dissipated over my cheek the prick of his whiskers against my muzzle, the tingle of nerves when he ever so gently tapped his cold lips against my own maw. His lips might have well been fire, the way my nerves soard at the gentle brush. I really don’t understand the feeling, not completely at least. I mean I have experienced a lot in my 3 years, the feeling was like the adrenaline I felt when Vaughan was about to be run over during the war. There was more to it, and I am aware it isn’t fear, but calm and safety I feel under the fiery reaches of the adrenaline that courses through me. He is interesting, strong and protecting. I don’t notice the nervous flicker in his eye, the way he eases into my mind and diverts my attention away from returning to Chamber.
The cave rattled as the thunder rolled across the sky and lightning illuminated the cave with haunting shadows as the blue-white light danced over the stone. I jumped in place and the sudden commotion mother nature had caused. I was stiff and alert, my attention to the outside. The mudslide that caused the tree to down itself in front of the cave had mostly stopped but I could tell the rain had not decreased its heavy pelting of the ground below it, a secondary slide could still occur. The moment was short lived as my attention soared back to the stallion that had suddenly seemed to consume my thoughts. Him warm breath and cool lip grazed my cheek and neck as he checked me. I lean into him instinctively, my muscles relaxed as his mass took the tension from my muscles, nerves ablaze and my heart is pounding at the contact. This was definitely new, different and exciting, I wanted more of the rush, more the the safety and protection his touch brought.
Chem must have used the moment of illumination to look deeper into the cave, his attention was held there, and he obviously mulled over a thought. His voice was curious and maybe a little mischievous at notes. He wanted to explore the cave further;I looked into the now gray darkness unsure of the idea. Out the front of the cave, the risk was still too great to try and work around the tree. And if the cave was a tunnel, maybe they should know how to get out if they couldn’t end up moving the tree. I return my gaze to Chem, his head is so much higher than mine, I am forced to really turn my head and neck. The spotted stallion was so self assured- there was no fear in his eyes. While I did not feel like a boldly brave little thing, I found I didn’t want to be completely cowardice in front of Chem. ”Well we can’t go to Chamber yet, and if this is a tunnel, it would be good to know where it leads. Who knows if we can get the tree to move with mud all around. I think I can handle it soon.” My voice is a little shaky, I feel much better than before, but exhaustion didn’t disappear instantaneously. I allowed Chem to stay close to me, enjoying the sizzle of nerves every time our ribs touched as we took in each other's air. His head above my own, as I am a good 2 hands shorter, we stayed sided up yet curdled together, a dance of nerves and daring motions to cause another flair. ”Chem?” my voice was soft and gentle as I paused to gain his attention, ”Why do you think it is a tunnel?” Shifted away from him and took a few steps towards the back of the cave and looked for Chem to follow, I’d let him lead from there.
