08-11-2015, 07:42 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-11-2015, 07:45 AM by Isetnofret.)
After accepting Elysteria's invitation, Isetnofret had gotten directions and then taken the opportunity to gallop. She knew Ely would meet her there when she was able. And the black mare needed time to think, as well as the chance to test her newfound freedom.
Iset loved to run. It was one thing she was good at, that she reveled in. She wasn't self aware enough to realize that her years of racing pell mell through her desert home had made her strong. Or that she owed her speed to her Arabian heritage and her stamina to her Morgan father. All she knew was that her hooves tearing up the ground beneath thrilled her to the core. Running was the way she sang.
Her body moved fluidly, but her thoughts were stilted.
Pretty sure you made yourself look like an idiot, Isetnofret. she scolded. Stumbling over your words and then insulting her by comparing her to a wolf. And Elysteria, no, Ely, seems so kind. Someone who might be your friend if you can manage not to put your hoof in your mouth again. I-
Her thoughts, really the echo of her mother's thoughts, were interrupted by her first sight of the Dale. Elysteria had been right. There were trees. Massive creations, bursting into green at the height of summer. And hills. Iset had only seen hills of sand, and green flatlands. She wondered absently who ruled here, and how they had gotten so lucky to call a place like this home.
The rain was petering out and the sun started to push weak rays through the clouds. She stood on a hill, looking in on the life of the Dale members with longing apparent in every line of her body.
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HOCKETY, POCKETY, WOCKETY, WACK
He stood atop one of the many ridges lining the meadows,hills and fields below. A fallen tree, now a hallow log, sat idly brushing against his hock. This turned out to be one of his favorite spots, the first place he met their now King, Ramiel. A trail laced its way up to the overhang, free of grass from use, though there were still steep sections that demanded caution.
At exactly the same time every day, the Turdidae would leap from the glebe, a brown speckled mob of song. They would fly past the ridge, and perhaps that was why he had been there today, at this very moment. It wasn’t an unusual place to find him, though it was hard to say what would be an usual place to find Weir. He himself was pretty peculiar, and not just because he stood literally a ‘bump on a log’ staring at a flock of birds. Just looking at the roan stallion would never give hint to anything unordinary about him, he was a common red roan. A few dashes of white marked his skin, straight down his face and up both back legs, otherwise he was very plain indeed. A set of amber occuls sat in his crown divided by his blaze, blinking against the emerging sun.
The precipitation had started to clear, barely kissing his skin in tiny insignificant pin-pricks now. He was grateful for the water, even if it had plastered his mane flat against his nape, a damp, clinging sheet. How unusual that the rain had brought in more than just the humidity that would soon ensue, a mass of black eased up one of many hills slowing from a break-neck pace. He watched her for a moment, studied her might be a more apt word. The interest she took in the lumber that broke the atmosphere up into the clear blue, her neck angled to peek the tops.
He whickered from his parapet, a gentle call to the new mare, one of greeting. A sinewy cape angling downward past the overhang. “Hello down there miss. Outrunning the rain are we? Quite the task I say.” He seemed humored by this thought, only continuing in his commentary. “In still air rain falls at seven to eighteen miles per hour, isn’t that wonderful?” What was wonderful was being filled with such boundless information, like a Meriam-Webster encyclopedia.
WEIR The Dale's Eccentric Magic Manipulator
08-11-2015, 06:13 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-11-2015, 06:17 PM by Isetnofret.)
She was expecting company and yet he startled her. It wasn't his fault. For a reason unknown to Iset, beyond flashes of angry faces and loud whinnies in her dreams, she was prone to startle. It made her feel silly, useless, childish.
Embarrassment flooded her features, quickly followed by a shy smile. She was grateful for his kind attention, and it shows in her warm brown eyes. His humor is infectious.
"I think I can do somewhere around 40 miles an hour." Iset mused, a thoughtful look on her face. "But I suppose if the clouds are moving, too, it isn't going to do any good."
She made a face, "I don't like water."
The black mare looks out over the Dale and her inhabitants. It's peaceful, but also filled with horses having lively discussions. Iset feels shy in the face of such a place, but if perhaps she meets only a few at a time, like this stallion and Ely, she can keep away the anxiety.
"Oh! Um, my name is Isetnofret. What's yours? Do you live here, too? I mean, I don't live here for sure yet, but I'd like to."
She glances at him, studying the pretty red and white pattern on his coat. His coloring may not be special to him, but she's never seen it before. Horses where she come from are bay or black or gray, and not much else. It's the desert. It scorched the life and luster out of everything so that all that remained was muddy brown sand covered figures moving about.
"Can you tell me about this place? All I really know is that Ely called it the Dale." A good natured grin crinkled her features. "And that it is an excellent place to hide from the rain."
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love is a temporary madness... Apparently, she had not been quick enough. And while she had not dawdled, neither had she hurried. Iset must have galloped the entire way in order to beat her there. As she passes the border, she is scanning the ground more out of habit than any real need. She sees them immediately, her surprise evident that Iset is already here. Dropping swiftly from the sky, she lands a short distance from the duo. She approaches, her lips already curving in a smile. She is glad to see that the black mare had already met Weir.
“I apologize, I seem to be a bit slow in arriving. You must have been more eager to escape the rain than I first thought,” she says with a soft laugh. “Although it does look to be clearing up a bit now. Pity. I was looking forward to showing you the best places to escape the weather.”
Her bright russet eyes sparkle in amusement as they find Iset’s before she turns to greet Weir. Her smile for him is warm, familiar. Since his first arrival, they had become friends, and for that she is glad. He is good company on an otherwise dull day.
“Greetings, Weir. I see you have already met Iset. I have invited her to stay with us, and I hope that she might soon call the Dale home.” Her gentle gaze turns back to Iset as she continues. “As I’m sure you will soon discover, the members of the Dale are quite close. More of a family than simple kingdom-mates.” elysteria
Sorry for the wait
HOCKETY, POCKETY, WOCKETY, WACK
He hadn't meant to make her start, though he never meant to make anyone start, sometimes that just can't be helped. The shadowed curves of her face, the small pull at her eyes, a self-conscious look took over briefly and he was also sorry for that."Oh, pardon me dear. Terribly sorry to cause a fright," he called as he carefully picked his way down to her.
Ever so careful he was, finding the footholds as he decended from the rise. Perhaps some would think it rude how he focused closely on each footfall, it was hard to tell if he was listening. Weir was always listening, make no mistake. Amber eyes flit back up to her face as he reaches her, "40 miles per hour you say? Can you really? I think I'd be hard pressed to move so quickly, I'd miss so much in passing." His stare became thoughtful, calculating as though he worked on some algorithm in his mind.
Weir nodded, at her next comment, a russet forelock falling across his blaze. He too had tired of the summer's common downpours, though he knew the importance of rain. It is not long before his attention turns to the skies, spotting the familiar bay mar before she lands. He gave a chuckle, "Indeed I have met our visitor,but where are my manners?" He gruffed, clearing his throat, absolutely flabbergasted he had forgotten."Yes, I have the pleasure of being Weir. It is very nice to meet you Isetnofret."
He gave them both a gentle smile, and stood blinking his amber eyes as he thought."The Dale is like many other valleys, flanked by mountains and hills. A lovely meadow sits in the heart, and a grand river flows through, an excellent spot for turtle watching. We as a group though consider ourselves a neutral party for most political purposes, and we are in the process of expanding the herd. Like Elysteria has said, we are not just a herd, we are a family." Rather pleased with his response, it would be excellent for the dark mare to stay they had so far had poor luck in recruiting. Perhaps, perhaps Elysteria had broken that rotten streak.
WEIR The Dale's Eccentric Magic Manipulator
She barely remembered family.
Or rather, what she remembered about family wasn't pleasant. She assumed hers was normal because her background was all had in comparison. But Iset was starting to realize that perhaps families were different than her own. These two, Elysteria and Weir, were kind, and they didn't even know she wasn't worth anything at all.
She listened carefully as the both spoke, a look of curiosity and puzzlement on her face.
"I'm afraid-" Iset's voice cracked the smallest bit, before she recovered with a pained smile, "I'm afraid that my experiences with family may pale in comparison to this place. What I had… well, just talking to you two, and looking out over the harmony here, is quite different than what you have. I left home as soon as I could."
She hadn't realized that until she said it aloud. Her decision to leave home wasn't spontaneous. Perhaps it was simply her breaking point. The wild unknown was a more palatable choice than staying where food was plentiful, but she was never enough.
Isetnofret crinkled her face into a grin at Elysteria's words, her low musical laugh chiming forth. "I have a feeling there will be rainy days again. I never can seem to escape them, so when it rains again I will know exactly who to look for."
The black mare turned her attention to the stallion. He was listening carefully, and form what Iset could tell, he seemed very intelligent.
"It is very nice to meet you, Weir. I hope we will be good friends." And then to both horses, "Do you have jobs here in the Dale? What am I to do while I am here?"
She didn't say it aloud yet, perhaps didn't even realize, but she was starting to think of the Dale as a home she could keep.
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love is a temporary madness... The sun makes a valiant effort to struggle the clouds still littering the skies above. A soft beam settles over the group, offering hope for a brighter day ahead. The promise of the bright beam brings happiness to her features and a smile to her lips. She has little doubt her companions (well, Iset, at the very least), are just as grateful for the rays pushing away the water laden clouds.
Elysteria is entirely unsurprised when Weir expounds on her brief commentary of the Dale with a far more detailed description. The action brings a crinkle of amusement to her russet eyes. She rather enjoys the way in which he so freely gives his knowledge to anyone who will listen. She had availed herself to the endless supply of information he seemed to possess in the past, and it never failed to rouse her curiosity. Granted, everything he had just mentioned of the Dale she already knows, but his attention to detail is unparalleled.
As the mare responds to their words, she draws Elysteria’s full attention. Her words tug at her heart strings, causing sympathy to rise. Though she had known the love her mother when she had been very young, she too had not had a true concept of family until she had found the Dale. A softness touches her eyes as she gazes at the dark mare.
“Not all family is blood, and unfortunately, not all blood is family.”
She knows this far too well. She had known the love of her mother, but she could not say the same of her father. Or of the many siblings sired by her father.
At Iset’s next word, an amused grin curves Elysteria’s lips. When the time came, she would quite happily show the mare her favorite places for riding out inclement weather. As she continues, asking what duties might keep her occupied, Elysteria dips her head in a brief nod.
“There are a number of duties that might occupy your time here. We have two castes, the diplomatic caste and the war caste. As you may have already guessed, the diplomats are responsible for our relations with other kingdoms, while the warriors are responsible for our protection. Depending upon your preference, you may be asked to visit other kingdoms or to steal from or fight the kingdoms that are not our allies. You may even do both, should you so choose. Additionally, members of both castes are asked to aid in recruiting new horses to join us. We also have a newly created air force, for those members who would like to aid in patrolling the kingdom’s borders.” elysteria
HOCKETY, POCKETY, WOCKETY, WACK
It disquiets his soul when the gentle, black mare mentions her lack of a proper family. He is well aware that not all practiced life in the ways that those of the Dale did. But still, it was not something to be taken lightly. Everyone should have a good solid foundation when they are young, something to seek support from. Families, they provided just that, or they should. He nods, a russet head falling inches before it lifts, splaying strands of hair across his eyes.
Elysteria provides a thoughtful peace of wisdom, and he couldn’t agree more. Why, here in the Dale he had gained new family for the ones he had left behind (His Mother, Father, Uncles). Family in all but blood, though a family nonetheless. A close knit group that he was glad to have stumbled upon.
Something to do? There was always something to do, perhaps even more for the small herd. It took everything one had to pick up the slack for their small numbers. Yes war and peace, peace and war. Weir had put his name down for both castes, might as well, plenty of room you see. ”Yes the castes, little things to do here and there. No rush now, plenty of time, plenty of room.” He assured the new mare that she didn’t have to make any quick decisions, all while making it known there was more than ample room on both sides.
They hadn’t seen much trouble from the other herds, though this did not strike him as odd or concerning. That didn’t have much to take for one thing, and secondly they weren’t worth having as allies. Not for the time being anyhow. They were worth everything to him, he would be delighted to have them on his side if the tables were turned. The herd was filled with traits, a congregation of the magic sort like he had never encountered. Well, except for that little trip to the Desert. They were useful, the others just couldn’t see that.
WEIR The Dale's Eccentric Magic Manipulator
>_<
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