04-30-2017, 02:56 PM
It was a peaceful time out; the weather was calm, the meadow remaining undisturbed as some of the Taiga's residents were content to graze on the autumn grasses that would soon begin to disappear when winter arrived. Already there was a heavy change in the air, Aten could sense it. Despite winter still being some time away, the winds were chilly, not completely unlike the frigid winter Aten had gone through in the Falls shortly before the Reckoning. Being his first winter, and not having a complete adult coat yet, all he remembered was how frigid the temperatures had been.
Now, with a couple of seasons behind him, and a thick adult coat to back him up, Aten felt more ready. But that still didn't mean he had to like the colder season. His winter coat was already starting to grow in, a trait he had inherited from his sire, so his dam had told him. According to her, Archam had a tendency to grow his winter coat in early, as had Anahi's parents, from what she remembered. So Aten didn't find it surprising that, now, before winter, his coat was already getting thicker to help protect him from the icy winds that would soon roll over the Taiga.
But he could enjoy these last peaceful days, doing his best to ignore the cold winds at night. Currently, the young stallion was relaxing in one of the bigger meadows Taiga possessed, one of his hind legs relaxed under his powerful body. Despite this, his ever-watchful brown eyes were scanning the grassy land, on the look-out for potential signs of danger. Though there weren't that many residents in Taiga, where he currently was at least, the young stallion had taken it upon himself to keep an eye on those who were here grazing, if only to make sure some unforeseen danger didn't rise out of the shadows, awaiting its chance to pounce.
Aten wasn't the leader, and neither was Ruan, at least, not that he identified himself as one. But Aten respected the older stallion, viewing him as the leader due to his commanding presence and the respectful way the others talked about him. About an hour or so before, Ruan had departed, heading in the direction of the kingdom's border that lined the forest. Vaguely wondering what he was up to, Aten surmised it might have something to do with how Jinju had disappeared almost two days ago. He was concerned for his friend, but, like her sire, knew she could take care of herself. So, while Ruan was gone, Aten decided to stay and watch over the others as they grazed peacefully, not disagreeing if one of them wanted to leave since he couldn't tell them what to do anyways.
Eventually, as time passed and it seemed like things were going to stay quiet, Aten allowed himself to chew on the grass, a little bit on the bored side. Never having watched over a herd of his own, always on the lookout for himself and running from trouble that he couldn't fight on his own, Aten had no outlet to get rid of his energy. He may not have as much as his ever-playful older brother, Nerius, but enough that the young stallion was getting restless. Despite this energy building up, it was nothing compared to how Sirana and Nerius had been when they were younger, but Aten suspected Nerius had retained his playful attitude from colt-hood. He briefly suspected that not all was right in his brother's head, but he had nothing to say about that now. He hadn't seen Nerius since before the Reckoning happened; he couldn't badmouth his brother when he hadn't seen him in so long. That just wouldn't sit right with him.
Munching on the grass peacefully, Aten almost didn't feel it. The change was difficult to describe; it was as if he'd suddenly been poked in the ribs with an icicle, the frigid sensation spreading over him. It was faint, the source far away, but within range enough that, somehow, Aten picked it up. His dam had always been mentioning that Aten had a closer tie to the gifts and magic of Beqanna, even though he'd been born with no special talents. He would define it as some sort of 'innate', or sixth sense, so to speak. He didn't know how he could pick these things up, getting a tingle in his body whenever some horse was using one of their gifts.
Perhaps it was because he'd been born within a year of Beqanna's Reckoning? A slim stretch, since he hadn't been a newborn like Raxa's filly. But maybe that was the case? Whatever it was, all he knew was that, sometimes, he got a tingle if some horse using a gift was nearby.
Said tingling feeling made the young stallion look to the forest, in the direction Ruan had gone some time before. Was the stallion in trouble? Had he sensed something wrong at the border? Had Jinju returned with dire news regarding another kingdom? Whatever the case, Aten wanted to investigate, in the case that he could offer his help.
With a last glance to make sure the others here would be okay, Aten headed toward the kingdom's border, noting the unsettling feeling he got as he entered the forest. Everything seemed... wrong, to put it simply. There was this anger in the air, and, for some reason, Aten got the feeling he knew who was causing it. If Jinju had returned, well, it would be her fault because then, if she was angry, the trees might be set on fire. But since there was no burning inferno, that left the only other option...
A short while of searching led Aten to eventually spot the two horses, upwind from his current position. This worked in his favor, he decided. Having approached quietly enough, despite his heavy structure, Aten hoped they hadn't heard him. It was not his goal to eavesdrops, but rather just to make sure the father-daughter duo was okay. From his current place, he was far away enough that he couldn't hear anything, but close enough that, should trouble arise, he could be here to help.
Ruan seemed to be the one that was angry, given that Aten could see something by the stallion's hooves. But he did not go any closer. He did not want to break the trust he had forming with both Jinju and Ruan. Hell, if they saw him back here, which wasn't that hard to do with his bright coat, they might just think he was eavesdropping and chastise him for it. So Aten remained in hiding, using the darkness of the trees to conceal his coat. There looked to be some tense matters going on here, and he didn't want to intrude unless it became absolutely necessary.
For now, he'd let Ruan and Jinju work out their problems on their own.
OOC: I hope you don't mind me jumping in; the title of the post said 'any' and Aten hasn't been very active lately since, well, haven't really thought of anything to do with him yet. Man I hate school.
If you'd like Aten to exit from this post, go ahead and let me know so it won't make the situation awkward if he gets spotted.
Now, with a couple of seasons behind him, and a thick adult coat to back him up, Aten felt more ready. But that still didn't mean he had to like the colder season. His winter coat was already starting to grow in, a trait he had inherited from his sire, so his dam had told him. According to her, Archam had a tendency to grow his winter coat in early, as had Anahi's parents, from what she remembered. So Aten didn't find it surprising that, now, before winter, his coat was already getting thicker to help protect him from the icy winds that would soon roll over the Taiga.
But he could enjoy these last peaceful days, doing his best to ignore the cold winds at night. Currently, the young stallion was relaxing in one of the bigger meadows Taiga possessed, one of his hind legs relaxed under his powerful body. Despite this, his ever-watchful brown eyes were scanning the grassy land, on the look-out for potential signs of danger. Though there weren't that many residents in Taiga, where he currently was at least, the young stallion had taken it upon himself to keep an eye on those who were here grazing, if only to make sure some unforeseen danger didn't rise out of the shadows, awaiting its chance to pounce.
Aten wasn't the leader, and neither was Ruan, at least, not that he identified himself as one. But Aten respected the older stallion, viewing him as the leader due to his commanding presence and the respectful way the others talked about him. About an hour or so before, Ruan had departed, heading in the direction of the kingdom's border that lined the forest. Vaguely wondering what he was up to, Aten surmised it might have something to do with how Jinju had disappeared almost two days ago. He was concerned for his friend, but, like her sire, knew she could take care of herself. So, while Ruan was gone, Aten decided to stay and watch over the others as they grazed peacefully, not disagreeing if one of them wanted to leave since he couldn't tell them what to do anyways.
Eventually, as time passed and it seemed like things were going to stay quiet, Aten allowed himself to chew on the grass, a little bit on the bored side. Never having watched over a herd of his own, always on the lookout for himself and running from trouble that he couldn't fight on his own, Aten had no outlet to get rid of his energy. He may not have as much as his ever-playful older brother, Nerius, but enough that the young stallion was getting restless. Despite this energy building up, it was nothing compared to how Sirana and Nerius had been when they were younger, but Aten suspected Nerius had retained his playful attitude from colt-hood. He briefly suspected that not all was right in his brother's head, but he had nothing to say about that now. He hadn't seen Nerius since before the Reckoning happened; he couldn't badmouth his brother when he hadn't seen him in so long. That just wouldn't sit right with him.
Munching on the grass peacefully, Aten almost didn't feel it. The change was difficult to describe; it was as if he'd suddenly been poked in the ribs with an icicle, the frigid sensation spreading over him. It was faint, the source far away, but within range enough that, somehow, Aten picked it up. His dam had always been mentioning that Aten had a closer tie to the gifts and magic of Beqanna, even though he'd been born with no special talents. He would define it as some sort of 'innate', or sixth sense, so to speak. He didn't know how he could pick these things up, getting a tingle in his body whenever some horse was using one of their gifts.
Perhaps it was because he'd been born within a year of Beqanna's Reckoning? A slim stretch, since he hadn't been a newborn like Raxa's filly. But maybe that was the case? Whatever it was, all he knew was that, sometimes, he got a tingle if some horse using a gift was nearby.
Said tingling feeling made the young stallion look to the forest, in the direction Ruan had gone some time before. Was the stallion in trouble? Had he sensed something wrong at the border? Had Jinju returned with dire news regarding another kingdom? Whatever the case, Aten wanted to investigate, in the case that he could offer his help.
With a last glance to make sure the others here would be okay, Aten headed toward the kingdom's border, noting the unsettling feeling he got as he entered the forest. Everything seemed... wrong, to put it simply. There was this anger in the air, and, for some reason, Aten got the feeling he knew who was causing it. If Jinju had returned, well, it would be her fault because then, if she was angry, the trees might be set on fire. But since there was no burning inferno, that left the only other option...
A short while of searching led Aten to eventually spot the two horses, upwind from his current position. This worked in his favor, he decided. Having approached quietly enough, despite his heavy structure, Aten hoped they hadn't heard him. It was not his goal to eavesdrops, but rather just to make sure the father-daughter duo was okay. From his current place, he was far away enough that he couldn't hear anything, but close enough that, should trouble arise, he could be here to help.
Ruan seemed to be the one that was angry, given that Aten could see something by the stallion's hooves. But he did not go any closer. He did not want to break the trust he had forming with both Jinju and Ruan. Hell, if they saw him back here, which wasn't that hard to do with his bright coat, they might just think he was eavesdropping and chastise him for it. So Aten remained in hiding, using the darkness of the trees to conceal his coat. There looked to be some tense matters going on here, and he didn't want to intrude unless it became absolutely necessary.
For now, he'd let Ruan and Jinju work out their problems on their own.
OOC: I hope you don't mind me jumping in; the title of the post said 'any' and Aten hasn't been very active lately since, well, haven't really thought of anything to do with him yet. Man I hate school.
If you'd like Aten to exit from this post, go ahead and let me know so it won't make the situation awkward if he gets spotted.