09-20-2015, 12:11 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-27-2015, 08:04 AM by Arise.)
ARISE Vulgaris x ZelenaSnakes among sweet flowers do creep
She blinked against the afternoon sun, waiting impatiently for her eyes to adjust. There was nothing better than an afternoon nap, nothing she could think of. Twisting her head she looks on her brother, watching his chest slowly rise and fall as he sleeps. Should I wake him? Probably not, he was tired, and she knew he would just bitch and moan if she interrupted his nap. She snorted and turned again, this time finding her legs and shaking the stiffness out of her limbs. Her venom green eyes took in the small clearing they had found, wondering where exactly they were now.
She had overheard voices speaking earlier, but she did not know to whom they belonged. Or where the others had gone off to, but they would find them, sooner or later. Probably later, she huffed, looking at Grice. He was content to nap away, while she was left to amuse herself. They were supposed to be a team, so why was she always having to keep them in line? Arise tired of this and stalked off to graze, to find something to fill her belly and perhaps distract her. She couldn’t just stand around watching him sleep, and she was hungry. Sometimes she wasn’t sure how much they could eat before they were run off, the lands they passed through were not the most hospitable of places. They weren’t taking that much, hardly anything compared to the amount she saw some adults put away. She hurriedly began to crop the grasses, the dying fall shoots took more time to chew than usual. Nothing was ever easy she supposed, and lost herself to grazing.
09-21-2015, 08:51 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-21-2015, 09:20 PM by Fennick.)
the darkest nights produce the brightest stars Fennick was very glad that the task of greeting committee did not fall to him. He never knew what to say. Hey there? Good day? Howdy partner? He just couldn’t be sure. Fennick was proud that, as the highest ranking member of the military, any challenges posed to diplomats would fall to him. That was something he could handle. If someone wanted to bash a diplomat over the head, they could bash Fennick instead. In return for this valuable service, Fennick decided to wash his hands of all greetings. Never again would he need to say, “hey there.”
He wasn’t unfriendly per say, he just had a hard time convincing anyone else of that.
However, there were times when even the most well laid plans did not prove effective in real life. Now was one of those times. There was a mare, right over there, who he did not recognize and who was not being attend by a single diplomat. Fennick sighed dramatically.
God damn it. Did he have to do everything himself?
At least she found something to eat. Whatever else that might be said about Valley hospitality, the girl had found something to eat. Now if someone would just say, “hey there” they would be two for two. Hopefully, Fennick looked to his right, a little desperately, Fennick looked to his left. There was no one else, it would have to be him. A little reluctantly, he approached, trying not to look as uncomfortable as he felt.
When he was a perfectly awkward distance away (a little too far for normal conversation but too close to be ignored) Fennick cleared his throat and called out to her.
“Hey there.” He waited a couple beats, as if he suddenly decided this was too difficult after all, but then bravely continued.
“Are you new to the Valley?” There was a chance this mare was not new, and Fennick just didn’t recognize her. If that was the case, he maybe able to make a quick escape. If she was just some unsuspecting girl getting a bite to eat she didn’t need to be greeted. Fennick tried not to look too hopeful. It wasn’t that he was unhappy to see a newcomer, on the contrary, he was very pleased to see the kingdom grow, he just felt that everyone deserved a warmer welcome than he could reasonable expect to give.
Oh well, she would just have to make due until one of those pesky diplomats showed up. Until then, she had Fennick’s undivided, incredibly awkward attention. Fennick Whale and Rea's amorphous, ever-changing son
thorrun;  The stoic, orange eyed girl is never too far from the Valley. Her attempts to travel were met with resistance (from herself), mostly because she is so ineffectual at conversation. Her father was a warrior, her mother a warrioress - neither diplomats. Father spent so much precious time (so precious! He was gone so soon) trying to groom her for war. This day to day stuff? Nothing. And he was twice a king! What other secrets did he keep from her? She shoves this down, crossing the border once more, finding that she only traveled a few miles at most. The task seemed so laborious, but really she'd gone just a short distance before panic set in. What if - what if what if - the Heart Tree returned her family to her? What if Val came back and she missed her? The panic overtook her and she turned right back around.
It's just over the border she notices the horse from the kingdom that barged in, and a younger filly. They're standing an awkward distance from each other, looking just as out of place as Thorunn often felt. She sighs to herself, simultaneously happy to be home and crestfallen to find her family still detached. Mom and Dad still dead. Val still gone.
Thorunn still alone.
"Hello there," she calls, a flicker of a smile across her stoic face. It's just a flicker, a play at true affection or true friendliness. It's not that she was unkind, it's just that these social graces were complex things she didn't know how to navigate. She spent so much time emulating her father and his standoffish way she didn't quite understand how her personality fit into the world. And Val? God Val could talk to a rock. Thorunn had the personality of one.
"I'm Thorunn - Fennick, right?"
Do not wish ill on your enemy, plan it
It had started out as a really great nap. Of course it wasn't ending that way. Actually, it was ending much sooner than he would have liked. Grice's ears flicked in annoyance on top of his head, brushing aside soft strands of black. He yawned, long and wide, before he began to speak. She was such a pain in the ass sometimes, "Arise, for the love of the Gods. Do you ever..stop...talking?" The words came quick, and snippy- girls were so annoying. The most annoying was his sister, he was sure of it. His eyes roll, the same shade of venomy green as hers, before he lifts his head to give her a nasty look. That ought to teach her.
'Grice not now..' she says even more annoyed with him, and strained-unsure.
He isn't expecting the way she stands there, looking away and as rigid as a stone. Not far off, is another horse, another male. They were likely in someones territory, they always seemed to be, but why so soon? Clambering to stand on his awkward young legs, he makes a straight line for Arise. No matter how much she annoyed him, how much she might talk (in his opinion), she was his sister. He wouldn't just leave her there to suffer alone.
He takes a second to really look at what is going on, which is the first thing he finds strange. Normally there was no time for such things, normally there was just enough time to scatter as they ran you off. So why was this one not charging them? Yelling for them to leave, to be gone and mooch off someone else? To top it off someone else was coming, another girl someone. Grice straightened, standing tall, puffing his chest. That silly way he always did when the ladies were around, well, when they weren't nipping at his rear when evicting him. He was much to young for romance, but that didn't keep him from wanting to impress girls. After all, older girls were not annoying, older girls were pretty. Now, if only he could get rid of Arise, she was sure to embarrass him.
"Uh, hey there." He says to both of them, not sure whom he should address. He had never had that opportunity. "We, we just wanted someplace to sleep. We're looking for someone, a few someones actually. We're sorry we've eaten your food." To that Arise gives him an apologetic look, he fakes a smile, wondering just how fast they would need to run today.
GRICE
Vulgaris x Zelena
the darkest nights produce the brightest stars Fennick couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips. Kids were easier to talk to than adults. He used to think they were scary, but eventually he realized that they didn’t have the same expectations as adults. If you said something shamefully stupid kids wouldn’t judge you for it. They might laugh uproariously, but that would be the end of it. They didn’t whisper about it behind your back.
Or at least, Fennick sincerely hoped they didn’t.
He was still smiling at the little girl when an older one approached. He stiffened a little, then forced himself to smile and relax. Older girls were harder to talk to, they would quite often whisper behind your back. Not that Fennick blamed them overmuch, he tended to give a lot to talk about. But still, Fennick had been in the Valley long enough to know that it was growing, and to know that growth was a wonderful thing. His own personal dread couldn’t be taken into account when the good of the kingdom was on the other side of the scale.
Besides, this girl didn’t seem like the giggle and whisper type. Slowly, his forced smile reached his eyes. He looked up into her face and tried not to start at her orange eyes. There were, of course, stranger things. Fennick, himself, turned to stone every time he fell asleep. He nodded.
“Yeah, I’m Fennick. Good to meet you Thorunn.” Luckily, Fennick didn’t have long to awkwardly stare at her. A rather jaunty little man swaggered up, and Fennick had to bite his bottom lip to keep from laughing.
My, was he jaunty.
Fennick’s unsure smile broke into a real grin, though he did not laugh. He wouldn’t do anything to risk the colt’s pride. Clearly he had a great amount of it. Fennick met the lad’s eyes, and for the second time today found himself staring curiously. They were un unusual green, like the brightest spring grass but brighter. His grinned softened to a gentle smile.
“Both of you are welcome to eat as much as you want. It’s not mine, and it’s here for everyone.” Perhaps, technically, it was Demian’s grass, but Fennick was quite certain the king wouldn’t mind sharing.
“What are those someones called? Maybe I could point you in the right direction.” In truth, that was a little unlikely. Fennick was not the official, or even unofficial, greeting committee. He wasn’t always the best with names. He could, however, walk around calling that name until they people the foals were looking for appeared.
Hey, it was better than nothing. Fennick Whale and Rea's amorphous, ever-changing son
ARISE Vulgaris x ZelenaSnakes among sweet flowers do creep
Is she taken by surprise? Of course she is. She watches the black stallion carefully and listens closely as he speaks. Perhaps it is lucky that Grice wakes, blasting crude good mornings to her. She tries to shush him, his outburst most inopportune, and luckily this time he listens. Perhaps it is the way she stands there, unmoving, her eyes fixed on something ahead. Maybe it was because she did not return fire with cold words of her own. Either way, for whatever reason, he came to her and that was all that mattered. She is not surprised to find him already speaking, holding her breath for the words to leave his mouth. He usually managed to say something stupid, something to ruin it for them both. He is relatively collected this time though she can see the tensing of his muscles, the same way hers did now. Her legs idled, ready to burn the energy they gathered.
He tells them they are looking for someone, she isn’t sure she would have done the same, but the apology. She agrees with that, offering her brother a regretful look. It was her fault they had taken anything, she was just so damn hungry. The stranger doesn’t seem angry with them, she’s about to ask his name when someone else parts the clearing. Another girl, a woman more or less to Arise. She was older anyways, a bit unsettling too. Those eyes, orange as fire light against her black coat. She asks or rather confirms his calling ‘Fennick’, she is ‘Thorrun’ she says.
Grice is already peacocking, trying his best to look handsome, he looks ridiculous she thinks. Dramatically she rolls her eyes, he was such an idiot, far too young for this one. Far too young to be handsome or sought after, they had barely seen their first year, hadn’t even grown into their awkward bodies.
They are invited to stay and eat, welcome to it. Arise tilts her head slightly for a moment in consideration, that was odd, this is new. “May we?” she says skeptically, waiting for him to take it back, for this to be a trick. When he doesn’t she calmly gives their names, “I’m Arise, this is Grice.”
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