"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
Brisk autumn winds over a cool, yellowing scene. What more could one want? Everything was here, from the food and water to the content atmosphere that hung over the field like an aura of happiness. It was still early in the day, the dew had not yet evaporated and in some cooler, shady patches the grass was frostbitten and icy. Skitz didn't mind, she quite enjoyed the cold, helped clear her mind. What are you talking about? Your mind is never clear, it belongs to me silly goose, I'm always here watching over you and your mistakes. I never miss a thing, you know that. The arabian kept moving, her bay coat blending in with the earthy tones of the dying foliage that surrounded her. A few other horses were scattered around, some mares and some stallions, but Skitz hardly cared. You see, she was on a mission.
What mission you ask? Well she didn't really know exactly, but she knew she had to head in this direction to accomplish her goal, whatever it was. Not that she really knew how she knew, but she felt it to be right; felt it right in her gut she did. Skitz was keen on following her instincts, they hadn't killed her so far and she had always been told to listen to her instincts. Skitz was also told that most other equine's instincts didn't actually talk back to them. Oh well; their loss.
Finally, her dew soaked legs brought her to a halt. This was the spot. Now, what she was supposed to do, Skitz had absolutely no clue. Was she supposed to wait? Or eat? Or call out? Or maybe even dig a nice hole, that could work. Yes, digging sounded quite lovely right now. Don't let the worms see, Skitz, they'll come back later for revenge.
The small bay started pawing at the earth, her daggers breaking through the sod and creating a small pit, several feet wide but only a couple inches deep at any given point. Oh this won't do, this certainly won't do... She must dig deeper to unlock whatever quest it was that she needed to fulfill. Mustering all her strength, Skitz again began to dig, one paw at a time as a horse must do. By the time she raised her head up again the pit had grown to be 2 feet deep at the deepest point, tapering off into shallower depths towards its edges. Yes, this was perfect, what a perfect little hole. Of course, by the end of her ordeal, Skitz had managed to cover half of her body in grayish-brown dirt, and specks of yellow grass stuck to her all over.
Wait, what in the hell was she doing in a hole?! Skitz hopped out, and stood on the edge of her small pit, peering into it as if it was miles deep. Woo, what a dig, whatever made this thing must be humongous!
The tobiano stallion had been aimlessly ambling by along the edge of the field when some feverish movement had caught his attention. Or rather, the consistent striking of hoof against sod had rung out to him initially, but it was the peculiar image of a digging horse that piqued his curiosity. It was a strange sight, he thought, as his gaze settled on the burrowing mare… not something he had ever seen before in all his travels. At least… not by a creature like himself.
He hadn’t intended on entering the grassy field initially. He wasn’t a well-versed recruiter of any kingdom, nor did he have a large sprawling family to where he’d invite a mare home. In fact, he himself hadn’t a home at all, having been quite content as a vagabond his entire life. But he couldn’t help himself now that such a scene had transpired before him. He just had to know what was going on and what she had found (or what she was looking for). Perhaps he should have minded his own business, but it was too late now.
As she hopped out of her hole, he strolled towards her, an amused smile on his lips. Once close enough to peek in, he silently noted the absence of any uncovered treasure with both hidden disappointment and increased curiosity. Part of him wondered if there would be something more if he began to dig as well. The other part of him noted her new grassy outfit and decided against such an idea. Instead, he turned to her with an amused grin. “Are you secretly a prairie dog or something?”
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Leaning so far foward that she was nearly about to fall into the hole, Skitz heard a noise and jumped in her skin. Gravity took over and before the young mare knew it the ground was racing towards her face. This was it, she was dying, Skitz was sure of it. It took her a moment to realize she had done nothing but faceplant into the damp earth. Quickly collecting herself up again, the bay looked up to see what had frightened her. At this point, Skitz's front end was in the pit, with her back legs barely on the edge of it, and she had to strain her neck slightly to be able to see the stallion in front of her. Oh! A friend! Don't be silly little thing, he wouldn't want to be friends with you. Specks of dirt and grass clung to almost every hair on the mare's face, but she couldn't care less as a huge smile crawled across her lips.
Wait... what was a perry dot? No idea.
"Well... um... no, no I am not. Why would you ask that?" And why are you in a pit you fool? A thoughtful frown appeared as Skitz looked over herself only to realize that she was filthy. "Oh dear... How is it I can never manage to stay clean?" Her words weren't necessarily aimed at the painted horse, more of a mumble to herself as she crawled out of the hole once more, this time shaking herself free of at least a little bit of the mud and grass. Eyes opened once more, she noted that the stallion had not yet left. Nobody ever stays around this long, he's probably a figment of your imagination.
Doing her best to look fantastic, rasing her head and stepping high in more of a prance than anything else, Skitz carefully navigated around the hole to the other side where he stood. "Are you here to go on an adventure?!" she asked, a childlike fascination gleaming in her eyes.
01-20-2016, 03:12 PM (This post was last modified: 01-20-2016, 03:12 PM by Clark.)
Scarcely had his last word escaped his mouth before he saw her crashing, face first, into her hole. He pulled his neck back and pricked his ears forward in immediate shock, absolutely speechless. First a horse digging a hole… and then face planting right into it! What a day of discovery! He definitely could attest to never seeing that before!
It was only a second before his surprise gave way to sheer hilarity as an amused grin leapt onto his lips. He snorted to himself, trying to hold back his laughter, but unable to contain a few entertained chuckles. “Well,” he answered, unable to hide the mirth in his voice. “If it looks like a prairie dog and acts like a prairie dog…” He trailed off, and for a moment debated changing her into an actual fluffy rodent for a couple minutes to back up his point. But he immediately thought better of that idea. Probably the quickest way to someone’s bad side, he supposed.
As she climbed out, murmuring about hygiene, the pinto stallion took a step back, determined not to fall into the hole himself (that would be embarrassing, given his own laughter just moments ago). “Clean’s overrated,” he offered instead, distancing himself from her flying debris nevertheless. “The grass looks good on you!”
The stumble and dirt didn’t seem to damper her spirit though, he noted gladly as she began prancing about the hole. Her next question though caused a genuinely happy smile to take over his face. “Definitely!” he exclaimed, not even trying to hide his eagerness. “Let’s go!” He snorted then, and with a toss of his head, quickly transformed the bottom of her hole into a strange, nebulous collection of whirling blue gray clouds. “I’ll follow you – just think of where you want to go, and that’s where we’ll both end up!” and with that, he leapt (face-first, obviously) right into the hole.
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ooc: no worries on html! also, she is awesome!!! such a fan!
Oh boy, he was an adventurer too! Skitz did a little spin and kick out of excitment, almost landing herself back into that hole for a third time. He's not real, you know that right? You probably ate some of those berries your mom told you not to.
Go? Go where? The bay was mildly confused.
Whoa. The young femme peered back into the hole as the dirt slowly fell, crumbling away and filling with a swell of wispy smoke. He said they could go anywhere she thought of, confusing her even more. And to jump in a pit of nothing? Nevertheless, Skitz wasn't one to back down, out of sheer determination and lack of instinctive fear. But where to go? Trying her hardest to hold onto the first location she could think of, she plunged, clumsily, into the hole.
You're dying Skitz, he tricked you. First all she could feel was a damp cold and a gust of wind, and then just the cold. She opened her eyes wide. How had she gotten here? And who was the strange brute with her? He didn't belong here... and it was the dead of night, how long had she been wandering? It's not real. All around, the mare was surrounded by miles and miles of endless, mostly flat, fluffy snow covered grown. Trees were dotted around, tall pines that etched their silhouettes into the sky like giants of the night. But the sky, that was the most wonderful part. It was lit up with swirls and spirals of blues and greens, and countless stars were scattered about, and made the untouched snow glimmer and shine.
A flood of excitement overwhelmed the bay, and she charged forward, only to launch herself into a sliding stop and plop herself down in the deep snow to roll. Covered in white flecks, but still content with lying down, the confused vixen turned to the stranger. "Sir, how did I get here? And who are you? I've never seen you here before... Do you know where my family is?"
As he shot out of the blue grey clouds, he planted his feet forward firmly and slid to a halt… in snow. It was cold. He then glanced around quickly, noting the never ending fields of white in all directions.
The tobiano stallion blinked, raising one brow at her in surprise. He had to admit, this was not what he expected… he had anticipated some warm beach paradise, or a lush valley waterfall, or even deep into that hole she dug… but not a field of snow.
As his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, he began to take note of the cool blues and vibrant greens that painted the snow itself, reflecting the heavens overheard, and he caught himself gasping in wonder. The sky was absolutely gorgeous. He had traveled to many a realm but had never seen such a sight before. Perhaps he was just a bad explorer. Perhaps his travel companion this time was just… magical. His mesmerized gaze traveled back to her, this slightly eclectic but creative…. artist.
By then, she had begun rolling, and the sudden movement quickly snapped him out of his awe-stricken trance. Again he stepped back, avoiding the flying, freezing specs of white as she tumbled. She really enjoyed coating herself in her surroundings, he noted to himself. Quite one with nature. But the snow looked so fluffy that he found it hard to resist, and before he knew it, he was on his back, feet kicking the crisp air, rolling right alongside her.
As she began to speak again, the stallion ceased his own movement upon hearing her voice. He initially was about to kick out with his own hindquarters to bring him back to all fours, but noting her continuously prone position, decided to lay facing her instead. It’d be awkward talking down to the ground, he thought.
He ignored her first question… that had too long an answer for someone he just met (granted, shooting someone off to a distant land also was probably not good practice for a new friend either, but he hadn’t thought that far ahead back then). “I’m no sir… that’s for old stallions.” Never mind also that he wasn’t quite a colt anymore either, but he tended to forget (or ignore) that little detail. “My name’s Clark. Who are you?” he responded cheerily.
Her next question about her family took him off guard. A ripple of apprehension shot through his veins. She hadn’t seemed like a foal… he knew better than to take a child away from her parents, but perhaps he was mistaken. “No…” he began, his voice tinged with slight uncertainty. No, he determined: she was definitely not a baby anymore. Babies look funny. “Did you misplace them?” His usual playful tone had returned to his voice by now. He glanced around quickly again, enjoying the beauty of the night sky. “Do you know this place?”
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01-21-2016, 05:15 PM (This post was last modified: 01-21-2016, 05:16 PM by Skitz.)
Skitz, ditch him. He doesn't belong here, he's the traitor.
A strong headshake and a snort. By now she was absolutely covered in snow, looking not unlike she took a bath in cocaine, and it was melting slowly beneath her, a small damp patch growing steadily across her side. Not that the bay noticed. No, she was far to busy sprawling out and stretching her legs as far as they would go before finally settling on a comfortable position.
While she was still lying down, Skitz was no longer bothering herself to prop her frame up, choosing instead a full napping pose, with a stupid smile of contentment. Ears perked to catch the words of the critter that was curled up near her. He's mocking you. "Misplace who now? And Carp is sort of a silly name don't ya think? Isn't that a kind of fish?"
Oh and your name is so much more normal you little weirdo. His last question excited her, and the young fae lurched up to see him so fast that she almost tangled up her own legs. "Yes! Or, at least I think I do..." she exclaimed, her voice naive and sweet. Throughout all of this she had somehow managed to pull herself into a standing position once more, and not the least bit gracefully. Not bothering to try and get rid of the snow on her back, it didn't bother her one bit afterall, Skitz started rearing up on her back legs, almost sort of hopping. "Come on! Come on come on come on!" The second she saw movement on his part and she was sure he was coming with, Skitz bolted, throwing out a couple kicks at first.
For such a small horse she could move surprisingly fast, puffs of snow shooting out behind her, her bay constrasting beautifully with the pristine landscape. Skitz had completely forgotten about the stallion, and thus paid no attention as to where he was. For right now, she knew precisely where she was going for the first time in what felt like centuries. You're lost Skitz, what now? You're going to die out here all alone in the cold, frozen to the ground. There it was! A large, dead pine, split down the middle with half fallen to the ground, but still attached to the main trunk about 10 feet up, leaving a small walkway underneath. The inside of the split was lined with black, a lightning strike of the past, not that she knew or cared about this.
Stopping just in time to buck and kick some more, Skitz looked around her excitedly, taking in deep breaths. They're gone remember? Stupid horse. "Hey! Where are you guys?!"
notes: i feel like this got a bit wordy, sorry! haha
Carp? The stallion blinked at her, confused. Maybe she was hard of hearing. Maybe she was teasing him. But he was no fish for sure. “Ceh-lar-KEH” he repeated, slower and louder, drawing out each sound and stressing the last ‘k’ especially. “What’s your name?” he decided to ask again, slower, louder, and more straightforward this time around as well. She didn’t seem simple, but it didn’t hurt to enunciate.
He might have well asked the wind though, for it seemed she had no intent on responding as she leapt up and urged him along. Starting to acclimate to her sporadic ways, he stood also, albeit slower. Rather than match her excitement and jumps, he merely gathered his hindquarters and lightly propped himself up. By then, she was already several lengths ahead of him, he noted with a chuckle.
He loped forward carelessly, deciding to appreciate the pristine landscape they were running through rather than intending to catch up to her. He had never been much a fan of snow, but found himself enjoying the light bounce in each step and the gentle brush of flurries against his legs. And the stars… the beauty of the glimmering specs against the blue green sky still entranced him.
Staring at it for far too long, he realized he had lost sight of the bay mare. Quickly he skid to a halt, glancing about him with a quick turn of his neck. Luckily, she was not far off, standing next to a tree. He picked up a light trot and approached, noting the bizarre tree before her and managing to catch the last bit of her query.
“Who are you talking to?” he quizzically asked, his gaze darting between her and the tree and back to her and back to the tree, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever creature she was addressing. “…and where are we?” he tacked on afterwards, not anticipating a straightforward answer to either.
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The bay heard a voice and turned her head in excitement, only to see the painted stallion once more. Oh right, he was here. It took a moment for the young mare to comprehend his words, her mind a blur of happiness and confusion. He thinks you're stupid, Skitz. "My family! Do you see them anywhere? And this is..." she trailed off, looking around once more and once again drawing in a deep breath, letting the cold sting her lungs. But there was no familiar scent, no other horse had wandered these parts for a long time. Her excitement slowly faded into panic and then sadness as her eyes darted around, finally noting the lack of hoofprints in the powdery snow, the lack of... life.
Carefully and calmly, she lowered herself onto her knees and once again plopped into the snow, for once not looking like she might die from clumsiness. You are stupid Skitz, that's all you'll ever be. Her mind wandered momentarily, flashing back to those last remaining images that she worked so hard to hold onto. "I thought this was home, but there's nobody here is there? They're supposed to be here..." she said quietly, looking at the ground, her nose almost touching the snow. Skitz wasn't stupid, or at least she didn't think she was. As far as the bay was concerned, the only problem she had was keeping her memories in place where they were supposed to be. Keeping them in order was certainly a problem.
But her childhood she remembered clearly, and thought back on it often. That first year of life, prancing around without a worry in the world, exploring the wilderness around her and learning as much as she could. She remembered all the voices, the ones that still followed her everywhere she went.
Suddenly a thought. Skitz looked at the stallion, "I'm sorry this was such an awful adventure, it was supposed to be more fun," she spurted out, just now remembering how she had met him. "We can go on another adventure, but I think it's probably better if you choose the spot. I'm not very good at this."
As soon as she spoke of her family, he could feel his heart drop. He had no clue… and now suddenly, he felt terrible for assuming this whole adventure was nothing more than a game. Clark had never been more than a child at heart, and he had never encountered any serious adult matters to help him mature. With quite a typical (although in Beqanna-sense, an untypical) boring childhood and two loving parents, he was fortunate enough to escape many of the dysfunctional families he had seen in these lands.
But at the same time, he could feel his interest mounting: Who was her family? Why had she lost them? Did something happen to them?
As she lowered herself, the tobiano stallion gingerly stepped closer to her. His muzzle crept towards her as she spoke, and very lightly did he brush against her shoulder – his best attempt at comforting her. He never had been a touchy-feely type of horse, and truth be told, he was not a very sensitive guy – but he was trying! He pulled his head away after a brief moment, in case his touch was not well received.
“Hey,” he said after a moment, his voice now lacking the jest of earlier, but with a new tone of warmth. “This was a great adventure. Thanks for showing me such a beautiful world.” he said softly, a sincere smile beginning to emerge upon his lips.
He pondered her next statement for a moment. “Are you sure?” he responded hesitantly. He didn’t want to drag her away from this snowy realm if she wasn’t ready, and he himself was still curious. “There isn’t anything you’ll need to finish here? Nothing I can help with?” he added, wondering whether there was anything he could do to help relieve some of her anguish.
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