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 Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 2:56 pm
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Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 3:01 pm
A smile touched the stallion's lips, brightening his features in a way no amount of sunlight could. His bloodred eyes were fixed upon the fluttering butterfly scant inches from his nose, drifting quietly in the wind.
The butterfly was every shade of blue imaginable, from that of the deepest reaches of the sea to summer sky to that of the shallow forest streams. It drifted gently in the breeze, hovering above the stallion's head for the briefest moment before drifting over to his great white mane. It landed, and began to feel about.
Konu held perfectly still, straining his eyes to track the progress of the little butterfly. He had rolled that morning, seeking to relieve an itch on his back. Perhaps he had rolled over a flower or two, and it was pollen that now attracted the winged insect?
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Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 3:14 pm
"Someday," Paeya murmured as she came up behind the enraptured stallion, "Will the insects take over the world?" Voice was calm and almost monotoned as she leaned in and brushed her nose at the mane without asking permission to, puff of air blowing across to scoot the butterfly away. "I've always wondered that. They multiply so quickly. So much faster than any of us."
Once her job was done, the teal colored mare took a few steps back, head giving an ever-so-slight c**k to the side as she studied the stallion in front of her. He was certainly one with an interesting design upon him. Certainly not one she'd seen before though not quite as out there as the orange colored mare she'd seen.
"It makes sense, does it not?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 3:28 pm
Konu watched the butterfly flutter away with a slight twinge of regret. He'd enjoyed watching it... moving so gracefully through the air.
He turned to the mare (for surely, she must be so, if her voice was any indication?) and smiled slightly. "Though they to tend to, as you say, multiply quickly... they are so small. Even the largest beetle i've seen could be easily crushed beneath the smallest foal's hoof. The smallest wouldn't even fit on a strand of your mane." He shook his head, causing his mane to tumble about in a frenzied dance. "No, it would not make sense... if they were to take over the world, would they not require great strength, not only great cunning? What use is an idea if there is no muscle to back it up?" an almost regretful look entered his eyes. "Now, if they were to grow to an immense size... that could work. Then they might stand a chance of becoming leaders of all."
He bowed, his nose almost touching the ground, straightening quickly with the ease of long practice. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Konu."
Perhaps this mare would prove to be just as interesting as the butterfly had been?
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Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 3:52 pm
"It's entirely possible, if one takes a survivalist instinct and applies it to insects. For they surely have the instinct to stay alive and flee from danger. But the pattern that one has seen through survival of the fittest comes in. Perhaps one day they will be as mighty as us..." Of course, her theories were her own and she didn't believe that anyone else quite thought that way. "After all, we don't know what's inside their minds. Personally, I hope that they don't. I'm sure the two leggers would be the first to go, given their habit of crushing the poor ants that invade their food and eat them."
Paeya stopped her musing, as she'd gone off into another one of her thought process ramblings. "A pleasure, indeed, Konu. My name, however, shall not be given so easily. You shall have to guess it. If you are up to the challenge?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 3:58 pm
"Yes... but an evolution such as that could not be viewed in years we have yet lived. Things such as that take time, an amount of time so great I am sure no Soquili who yet lives could survive to see this bug-ruled world. You would never know if your theory proves true..." He smiled sadly, eyes warm. "Unless you have discovered the secret to eternal life."
"Ah, a challenge that would be indeed! There are so many names, and those which are plucked from the air and no known language..." He eyed her thoughtfully, gaze brushing over the flowers entwined in her mane and the pattern that much resembled wings upon her back. She was of teal coloration, perhaps some precious gem glistening beneath a heavy shadow. "... Azure?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 11:23 am
"Ahh, that is very true. I would hope that I'd join the great spirits, though, and be able to see if my theory proves correct someday as I have not yet found the secret to eternal life. Most unfortunate." She returned the smile, though it wasn't as sad as his.
His reaction to her riddle proposal was promising, though, and when he already started guessing she laughed, "No, no. That's not what I meant. You'll be given a riddle to solve, one for each letter of my name. I'm sure you'll be able to solve it perfectly fine, though. Smart stallion such as yourself."
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 12:03 pm
She was a mare with ambition! What a wonderful thing to find, one who had the mental capacity needed to think beyond the placement of one's mane and the most beneficial scents of flowers!
His smile became lighter, softer, kinder. All trace of sadness was vanquished by the shining light in his eyes. Riddles were his favorite thing in the world, apart from spending long hours studying whatever wonder had caught his attention for the moment. "That would be most welcome, and I thank you for the opportunity to better my education."
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 12:55 pm
"All right. Here we go. The first letter of my name is like a selfish friend. One that is help, but is always at the end." Her head tilted to the side, a warm smile touching her lips. Would he get it? Often times, she played these games and none had yet to guess her name. It was quite frustrating.
"What is the first letter of my name, Konu?" And then Paeya was silent, waiting for his answer and his first guess.
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 1:06 pm
Konu's thoughts turned inward, as he puzzled out her riddle.
A selfish friend. Perhaps... no, he would leave that portion of the riddle for later puzzling; it did not have any clear letter that would associate with it.
One that is help. Now why would a selfish friend be helpful?
But is always at the end. The end of what? Life? A journey? The journey of life itself? Perhaps Death, but then what letter could be derived from such?
The first letter of my name is like a selfish friend. One that is help, but is always at the end.
If he were to disregard the first sentence... that would leave "One that is help, but is always at the end."
One that is help.
One that... is help?
If he were to assume that her meaning was that help was what "it" is, and the formation of her words was not due to simple verse... then...
It is help, and is always at the end.
What was at the end of help? Could it be a triumph? A selfish friend, hoarding the end result for themselves? Ah, it made no sense...
But wait! He needed a letter, not a phrase. The end of help. The end of...
"P." He looked up, once eyebrow arching upwards in question.
The letter P was at the end of the word "help."
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 1:17 pm
The butterfly mare watched Konu's face as he contemplated her riddle, intrigued and amused by how others looked when deep in thought. It was always recorded somewhere in her mind, though this one was taking a bit long to discover the simple riddle. At least, what she thought was simple, anyway!
However, it had taken others longer and in the end they had gotten it wrong. Pity, too, considering she'd had high hopes for several of them. When the answer was given to her she tilted her head to the side, staring at him intently. Was that his final answer? She'd make him sweat before...
"Correct. The second letter in my name is like Noon. It always comes in later though always comes too soon."
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 1:27 pm
Konu turned inwards once more, convinced that he know had a general formula with which to solve each of her riddles- they were fairly simple, but worded in such a way that it was easy to get lost in them.
Noon was a time when the sun was highest in the sky. Since they were speaking of letters in a name and not the sun in the sky, perhaps she was referring to the alphabet? The letter that was highest in the alphabet?
He brushed over the second half of her riddle, hoping that if he was incorrect in his assumption that she would allow him to guess again. Surely one strike was not one too many against him?
"... A?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 1:33 pm
"Correct again," Paeya said, voice still dead calm and hinting of no approval. No, that was all in her eyes, "The letter A is like noon for it comes in the middle of day. It comes in the word later, though always soon as it is the first in the alphabet. Good job."
Paeya gave a small nod of her head before throwing out the third riddle, "The third letter in my name is like death." These would become increasingly difficult, it seemed, as she was giving him no other clues in this particular riddle.
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 1:52 pm
A brief smile flickered over his features before they once more settled into a mask of concentration.
It seemed that her riddles were becoming more sparse... and so he would be required to make more mental leaps than he had been before.
... like death. Death comes after life... surely she would not mean that the letter was a synonym for Death, for in all his travels he had never heard of such. Perhaps it is akin to what comes after life?
No, it could not be. Perhaps... third had more to do with the riddle then simply specifying the placement of the word?
A poetical term for Death is "the eternal rest." Rest can come in the form of dreams as well, and the is a fairly common word. Which would leave "eternal."
Third... eternal... the third letter in the word eternal?
"E?" He was grasping at almost nothing, and he knew it. In this case, would nothing be enough?
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 2:31 pm
Not quite the thought process that Paeya had been going for in the riddle, but it got him the same answer as it would have been otherwise and she obviously didn't know the thought process he went through, either! So, when he said the correct letter a ghost of a smile touched at her lips - but that was all he'd get for now.
"Correct. To find the fourth letter of my name, ask yourself why and look within yourself."
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