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 Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:13 am
How had her life unraveled itself so fast? She had been highly respected in her own right and in addition to that,the mate of the Royal Advisor and the mother of the Shaman. Life had been idyllic, and she had taken all of it for granted until now. Now, ha, now she was nothing and no one. At least there weren’t many people who knew what had become of her, and none knew the extent though she suspected Dahak and Xla might guess, and might pass the news on to the rest of her children. She hoped not though, and that was about all she had left; a small shred of hope that as few people as possible might know how her mind had warped and twisted and betrayed her.
Such bitter irony that the very thing that had seen his rise so high in life had become her undoing. Gritting her teeth and tossing her head in another fruitless attempt to make the voices leave her alone, Undine hurried onward to nowhere.
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:24 am
The mountains were huge. She had known they would be, of course, but it had been hard to get her head around the scale from looking at their shapes on the horizon. Oddly they seemed even bigger than the sea had, perhaps because they towered over her rather than just running off into the distance. It was like being a foal again and looking up at a massive Aeri mare, only more so. She was the very smallest thing in the world. She wanted to see the top of them.
Grinning widely, Sekhemt turned to her companion. “Well, what do you think then?”
“Sure is different to Quirne,” the blue and brown stallion went on with a nod. “All very, err, red, yea?” Well that had sounded dumb, but oh well. He’d never seen anything like this before; he was entitled to be impressed. Mountains of fire. Yea. This was definitely worth leaving home for and if he could somehow stand playing the little slave he might see the best view of his life. Hells, he might even see the distant sparkle of the ocean if he was lucky.
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:35 am
A flash of movement caught her eye, and Undine froze. No, no she couldn’t meet anyone, not now, they couldn’t see her like this. Swearing internally, the blue and white mare scurried behind the cover of a jutting bolder and peered cautiously around it. When she took in the details of the creatures coming toward her, she frowned. A non herd Jala and an Ichsa. What the hell were they doing, sight seeing?
Scowling, the tall Jala shook off a voice that whispered vaguely of ocean and home and newness; now was not the time for being crazy. These two could be, well, anything. They might be some sort of advance guard or scouting party and she was the only one here to see them... Yet she couldn’t go back and report their presence so close to the border. She would have to deal with them herself if it came to it and hope that an intellectual knowledge of fighting and sheer bloody-mindedness would allow her to defeat them... if they actually were a threat, no sense jumping in right away; better to watch them a bit longer and work out their intentions.
She didn’t want to face that long white horn unless she had to; for all that its owner was the shortest Ichsa stallion she’d ever seen he looked in excellent health and he had an ally with him. Yes, of course, watch him and the traitor to her kin and make a plan. Hahaha, plans, she was good at those. Grinning to herself, the wide-eyed and wild-maned tactician watched the intruders drawn nearer.
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 11:32 am
She had to laugh at that, and did so with relish. “Red? Uh, well yea. Red mountains? Ypu’re priceless you are... Still, got a point. They are very red. Or orange. Somewhere in between? Anyway, they’re pretty awesome looking, right? What say we go take a better look? You can be mister obedient slave and I’ll be your doting mistress; it’ll be great.” And damn was she glad it was her who’d be the ‘mistress’.
Personally she wouldn’t have been willing to play a slave for anything, but perhaps that was just her pride rising to the surface as it so often did. Spyke was a lot more... a lot more accommodating than she was, and he was a far better actor too. The range of different voices he could put on was astounding, and he stayed in whatever role he’d chosen until he got bored never once slipping that she’d seen. One day, she considered as she regarded the small Ichsa, he’d make a pretty awesome parent provided he had a sensible mare at his side to balance out his ‘bright ideas’.
Spyke curled his lip and gave a shrug of his wings. “Well, I would like t’ see whatever they got to offer but... I dunno. I guess I’m up for it if y’ really think it’ll work. it’ll just be for a little bit, right? Then we’ll leave an’ go somewhere else, ‘cos I’m not goin’ t’ pretend t’ be property f’ very long, okay?” He really didn’t like the idea that much, but the views would make it worth while; they would.
If his father knew about this, the blue stallion would kick his arse so hard he’d have a sore arse for a whole cycle. Still, he father wasn’t going to find out, or at least not until far after the fact, by which time he would have formulated a thoroughly amusing way to tell the story and that would probably be alright.
“Well then,” the white horned stallion said with a nod and a crooked smile to the Jala beside him, “what you waitin’ for, boss?”
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Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 12:20 am
Undine watched them come closer, amber-brown eyes narrowing. They were sightseers? How bloody stupid were they? Still, it seemed they’d made a plan of some kind at least and... The tall mare frowned deeper and shook her head. One of the voices, the many voices, had just muttered to her that Spyke was a good actor and would be able to carry his role off without any trouble at all. That was... that was odd.
For the first time since they had begun, Undine groped after the whisper instead of trying to shut it out. Suddenly, the voice she had just heard became louder inside her head and wondered what the Katilenuck were really like, whether or not she could use them. This was very, very peculiar... No, perhaps the voices tended to just make themselves to fit the given situation.
Another whisper tugged at her attention, and the disheveled Jala chased after it. He didn’t like the idea all that much but the views would make it worth while. Undine snorted to herself and shook herself; this was greater madness than ever; better that she step out and confront them, let them know what would happen to them if they were foolish enough to try their little plan.
Holding her head proud and studiously ignoring what a mess she must look, Undine stepped out from behind her boulder and regarded the pair of intruders haughtily. “And what,” she said coolly, “makes you think you’ll get away with that?” The act of cool, of control was difficult to grasp but for now she had it firm and no intention of letting it slip. She wouldn’t have them thinking that her people were all mad or something of the sort.
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 8:05 am
Sekhmet started at the sudden voice, and beside her Spyke snorted and lowered his horn. A Katilenuck had just appeared from nowhere! Well no, not nowhere; she’d come from behind that rock but it might as well have been from nowhere for all the warning they’d got. Drek. Drekkie, drekkie, drek drek; one of the damned crazy brindle bums had heard them talking... Damn but the mare looked awful.
“I don’t know,” Sekhmet said with a snort and a toss of her head, “what makes you think we’ll let you live to tell your little friends about us?” She’d never actually fought before, well not beyond play in any case, but the tall Jala didn’t look like she’d be too much trouble and Spyke seemed to know what he was about so it wasn’t an empty threat or anything. Still, she didn’t want to get into a fight unless she had to; no point risking injury if she could just intimidate that tear-marked creature into submission.
Spyke grinned at his companion’s words and took a pace forward, his white horn pointed at the feather-winged creature’s chest. “Exactly right,” he said once Sekhmet had finished speaking, “they’d never even find y’ body, if they’d even search for it. You’ve got the look of an outcast, mare, so don’ think y’ can scare us with threats of y’ big bad herd.”
He didn’t want to have to hurt her, but in all frankness she looked as crazed as somebody who’d been chewing on interesting herbs and just about ready to fling herself at them. While she was indeed not in very good shape, she might be able to do some serious damage to himself or to Sekhemt before they could take her down. Avoiding combat would be the ideal for all parties concerned, hopefully the paint mare would realize that. Hopefully.
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 8:24 am
Undine sized the pair up, and swiftly decided that fighting was a bad idea. She might be mad, but that didn’t mean she wanted to die. Besides, it seemed that they didn’t want to fight her either... Where had she got that idea from? The tall mare blinked and shook herself; she liked to think she was a good judge of character but everything in the posture of the young pair seemed to indicate that they wanted to pound her into the dirt... Very, very strange.
The disheveled mare, deciding she had nothing to lose by it, smiled at the two Nequus before her. “I don’t think either of you have any intention at all of killing me, or even of hurting me. You both know it would be a far better idea to avoid fighting me, don’t you.” Holding her tall, proud posture, Undine paced slowly towards the two intruders and smiled at them again. “Tell me, if you’re intelligent enough to know that much, why are you being so foolish as to try to fool my herd just for some pretty views?” ...The views would be worth it. One of the voices had said that, and now some whispering was telling her that the two outwardly aggressive Nequus had no intention of harming her if they could possibly avoid it. What was this madness? How was it possible for her to be having accurate hallucinations. It wasn’t possible, of course it wasn’t... Unless... No, no it couldn’t be that; it just wasn’t possible... Was it?
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 8:32 am
Damnit, the mare had seen right through them. She was a shrewd b***h this one was, even if she did look as though she was completely off her head. “So what if we’re willing to take risks?” the striped mare asked with a curl of her lip. “It’s none of your business.” It looked as though the blue and white mare was leaving the mountains anyway; perhaps they’d kicked her out and she was bitter. “What’s the matter with you anyway?” Sekhmet went on with a snort and a swish of her tail. “Did they kick you out, katilenuck? You leaving your pretty little home?”
Spyke scowled and raised his head; no point keeping up the act... But he was usually so good, he could convince people he was anything. The mare before him hadn’t even paused for a moment before calling his bluff, and from the young stallion’s point of view that could not be natural. Shaking himself, the Ichsa turned his attention back to the conversation and promptly decided to stay out of it; Sekhmet seemed to have it pretty well covered, his input would probably detract from her quips rather than adding to them.
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Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 4:17 pm
...leaving the mountains anyway; perhaps they’d kicked her out and she was bitter.
Undine blinked as the words, so much clearer than usual, ran through her mind. The the striped mare opened her mouth and spoke them. The tactician stared. Had that really just happened? The voice, now she thought of it, had been very like the black mare’s. She... she had heard her? Yes. It was a crazy notion but she couldn’t deny it. She had heard the mare say the words before they had left her mouth. It was too much to be believed and yet... Well why not? Her son was a Shaman, why not she...? Why not... Why not she a Seer.
There; she’d thought it now and a deep frown spread across the disheveled mare’s face as she considered it. A strange buzz that Dahak could not discern the source of, then voices that she hadn’t told him of but even with them talking and talking inside her mind he had seen nothing wrong. And she had just heard the young mare think that decidedly rude thought. Undine’s frown deepened and she turned her attention onto the impudent girl, fumbling toward the voice she had heard.
...What’s with her? Why’s she staring like that? Do I have something on my face?
The tactician, no the Seeress, gave a very nasty smile. “If you’re not careful your face will get stuck like that when the wind changes,” she informed the other Jala, “and no the herd did not banish me, I am simply heading off to have a little me time and passing on a friendly warning on my way. Just like that face you’re pulling, if your friend their plays a slave, he might just get stuck. Something to think about, humm?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 3:45 am
Sekhmet snorted crossly at the other mare and stomped a hoof. “Hey, watch your mouth unless you’d like me to re-shape it for you.” b***h; who did she think she was? Maybe they ought to give her a good seeing to in any case... But no. That wasn’t a good idea; another one, a better one, was forming in her mind. The Katilenuck; not a very pleasant bunch and of course thoroughly despised by herd family’s herd. If she could attach herself to them, there was no way she’d ever be forced to become somebody’s mate just for the sake of it.
Sure the whole slavery thing wasn’t very nice, but it wasn’t like she could ever change what they did. If she lived with them, even just for a while, she would be unsuitable and when she came across slaves she could brighten their days by treating them decently. It was a big leap, a big change and there was a risk that she’d somehow end up trapped in a mating she didn’t want here instead, she knew nothing of their internal politics, but it was worth the risk. She thought.
Sekhmet, who had been doing so well at bitching with her fellow Jala, had fallen silent and was looking thoughtful. Spyke found this somewhat worrying. What could she possibly be stopping to think so hard about mid argument? Whatever it was, it was doubtless giving the Katilenuck time to think and that wasn’t a good thing.
“Tell me then, miss high an’ mighty,” the small stallion said after a moment. “What might your name be, so I can tell people who y’ were after I kill you for y’ insolence?” It was, he felt, a pretty good line. Could use a bit of work he supposed, and a different accent come to think of it, but both of those were easy enough done. Next time he got into a situation like this he’d have a lovely quip all ready... He’d just have to make sure he started using a suitably chill voice from the start.
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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 4:08 am
The more she tried to focus on the other mare’s thoughts, for she was sure now that that was what she was hearing, the more they seemed to slip away. It was like trying to clasp water between your teeth, and just as jarring whenever the striped-creature’s mind slipped away and the other voices returned full force. She caught the gist of the mare’s clever little idea, however, and snorted internally. Well she was proud and bloody stubborn enough to make a Katilenuck, she supposed; the love of lower races was unfortunate but she seemed willing to ignore it. Fresh blood was never a bad thing no matter what people might think, so long as it wasn’t injected directly into the very top of the herd in any case, thinking of nobody in particular of course heiress Yi.
Sighing as the stallion too began posturing, the tall mare temporarily abandoned her mind reading efforts and shook her head. “Neither of you are impressing me; I still know very well that you’re just playing tough,and believe me that is most fortunate for you. I might not be in the best condition of my life right now but I could still take you two children down without a fuss. Seen as you ask though, my name is Undine; I don’t suppose you feel like giving me your names in return?”
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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 4:22 am
The gold-eyed mare scowled as the mare, Undine, once again waved aside their threats without even a pause. What was she, a drekking mind-reader or something? “I’m Sekhemt and this is Spyke,” the black-winged Jala responded, seeing no reason to lie about or refuse to give names. She had been about to add some other insult or threat, but then she remembered the tentative plan brewing in the back of her mind. Maybe it would pay off to be decent to this one, in fact it definitely would. This Undine knew that she associated with other breeds, and if the mare ended up disliking her, well that would be the end of her good relationship with the brindled creatures and that was for sure.
“Umm... Look, Undine... Are you actually going to try to stop us? I mean, we won’t be doing any harm and I really want to see the mountains...” This probably wasn’t all that good of a start toward getting the mare to like her but it was the best she could do for now. She’d just have to hope Spyke wasn’t too jarred by her change in tactics.
The white-horned stallion was indeed more than a little taken aback by Sekhemt’s sudden civility but he hid his surprise well and liked to think that he also looked as though he agreed with her. His words on the matter would hardly matter to a creature who considered him unfit to breath the same air as her, though, so he held his tongue and wondered at the mare beside him. If it actually came to it he thought they could take the paint mare no matter what she had to say on the subject but for some reason Sekhmet thought it was a good idea to start being nice. It was incomprehensible. What possible reason could she have for wanting to get on Undine’s good side? None that he could think of, for sure.
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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 7:13 am
As the younger mare’s voice rose to the top of the other voices babbling at her, Undine made a mental grab at it. Once again it slipped aside, and the volume of the other voices rose for a moment, almost deafening her if that was even possible. Snorting involuntarily and tossing her head, Undine pulled back inside herself... and the voices dimmed. They were still very much there, but they were quieter, more bearable. Blinking, she turned her eyes back onto Sekhemt and heard the murmur of her thoughts swell again. Thoughts, she considered, were not like words. Words were like elppas; you could focus on them, latch onto them and they were still there firm and solid. Thoughts as she had previously decided, were more like water and you couldn’t grab at a running stream. You needed to sort of... flow with it.
Taking a breath, the tall Jala forced herself to relax and her attention to drift lazily towards the other mare’s mind. In an instant, the voice was clear again, but clearer than it had been before and the other voices were little more than a buzz. Undine smiled as she felt the striped creature wish she had a better way to make herself likable, and as she worried that her Ichsa companion would be put out by her changed attitude. This, the tactician decided, was going to be a very, very useful talent when she managed to harness it.
“No,” she said eventually, “I don’t think I’ll try to stop you but I will warn you again about taking the Ichsa. One slip up, from either of you, and he’s a slave forever. I doubt you’d want that, Sekhemt, and while I cannot being to understand why you chose to place yourself on his level I feel as a fellow Jala I should make this perfectly clear to you. We are the Katilenuck; we do not play around at being what we were born to be, we do not hesitate to use the other races as Jala intended us to. Taking your little friend along with you is tantamount to handing him over to the first of my herdmates who likes the look of him, for even if you stay in your roles perfectly, many of my kind feel that they have the right to take what they please from even those of our kin who do not share our markings. Do I make myself perfectly clear, Sekhmet?” If she would just ditch the blue and brown fool, or take him for a slave for real, she had potential, and Undine did like people with potential, especially people with potential who owed her something.
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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 7:23 am
Sekhmet opened and closed her mouth a few times before managing. “Oh. Thanks.” Well that had been weird; she hadn’t expected the paint mare to follow her lead on the whole friendly thing but it had to be a good thing, even if she was talking over Spyke’s head. “Umm... I guess maybe we’ll give it second thoughts?” she suggested, glancing over to her companion to confirm the possibility of reconsidering with him. She didn’t want to be responsible for getting him enslaved; not only was he her friend, but there was the small matter of his father, who was reputedly homicidal when his son’s wellbeing was involved.
Spyke scowled and shrugged his wings. “Sure, whatever y’ like Sekhmet.” He did not enjoy the way the pair of Jala were interacting. He was being treated like.. like... like a piece of scenery, although at least Sekhmet had actually looked at him after her suggestion. If this Undine was what all Katilenuck were like, if he was going to be treated like the whole time they were in the mountains then he didn’t really want to go anymore anyway, in fact he’d rather for say try to climb to the summit of Casa Tiner.
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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 7:34 am
Undine smirked at little as she caught the ichsa stallion’s flitting thoughts before turning back to Sekhemt. “Sensible girl,” she said with a nod, “I do appreciate good sense; it can be so difficult to find people possessing it these days.” Ha, and now she would have a chance to see if it was just her own people that were idiots or if idiocy was actually a pandemic; she strongly suspected the latter. Still, it hardly mattered if people were stupid or not; she didn’t need to talk with them or anything, just use them to work out how this Seer thing went, the background voices seemed to be getting louder again and she really wanted to learn to make that stop happening permanently without having to listen to a specific voice instead.
“In any case, I’ve delayed quite long enough for you two now,” Undine said with a snort, “anything else you feel you’d like to ask me before I leave, Sekhemt? I might actually answer it if you continue to avoid being completely inane.” The exclusion of the ichsa stallion in that question was petty but satisfying; she couldn’t stand it when members of the other breeds didn’t know their place.
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