Anju had been delighted at his discovery. It was not uncommon for the shadowy creature to leave his homegrounds frequently, and sometimes even for nights at a time. While he was theoretically the 'alpha' of his "herd", Anju cared little for such designations. He guarded his children with a strange, possessive air. He guided them with subtle pushes, and then, once they had grown, he frequently continued his noctournal wanderings, eager to seek out new and intriguing things in these lands that still held surprises for him... and see how he could sink his teeth into the minds of other soquili (or humans) and ... "play" with them. He had encountered a few very interesting diversions - from the sterling unicorn, Amaterasu, to the mad skull-faced mare that bore two sets of wings. Both of them, he had terrorized, bringing himself a twisted, dark delight.
However, it was a relatively new discovery that he had made in the form of a dark green mare that had brought him a very different delight. This was no mere "other". Her scent smelled strongly of him already. And through subtle observations at first, and whispered words in the dark later, he had realized why: that third basket lost a long time ago. HIS third basket had lived, and had produced children. This mare was his. She was of his shadowy blood. And that spoke of an intriguing potential.
In the past, Anju had had delightful 'projects'. Individuals that he had returned to time after time to torment, savoring their descent to madness, and savoring the sweet fear that they radiated. That power over an individual was intoxicating, and it was in his nature to need that sort of control and fear. However, since discovering it actually possible to bear young, at least in these magical lands, he had discovered a new method of entertainment - something that ironically would be viewed as much more 'normal' in the eyes of most. It was just as much an excercize in control - raising young, shaping them to his ways, and seeing them carry on his teachings. Seeing his lines spread. Anju bore a strange love-hate relationship with such
normal, mortal pleasures. He needed to indulge in his darker desires in order to offset it.
This... this was different. Something between the two. He could stalk, watch, creep, and whisper. He could get in her mind, but, this time at least, there was a different motivation. He was testing. Watching. How much of him was in this mare? How diluted did his monstrous blood become after two generations? This could be vital information if nothing else, for the future of the family members he was already aware of. And.. at best... a new addition...?
Tonight, Anju had been shadowing this mare unawares from the shadows below, watching her soar and twist in the night skies. He exalted in the darkness as well, his six glowing eyes piercing even the darkest night. Night was a fellow to him, and he was one with the shadows. For a moment, that 'mellower' side of him mused at the grace and freedom that wings might allow before he pushed it aside and focused on the night at hand. He had been waiting for this for some time.
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As Atalanta finally landed on the soft earth, the darkness around her seemed deeper, thicker, and almost palpable. The shadows of the trees seemed to lick at her flanks. For a moment, it almost seemed as if the darkness itself had substance and was reaching for her. But no - here, it was just a falling leaf. There, a small vine that caught at her hoof as she walked along the narrow forest path.
It was so quiet here. Even the night animal noises and rustles seemed muted. Eerie. And yet, something about the atmosphere of the woods was not totally offputting to the mare. Something about it seemed almost familiar, as if from a dream. Then, at the very edge of her hearing, there was a swishing, whispery noise. That teasing whispers that found its way to her dreams, but almost always melted away with her waking. This time, she was certainly awake. But was she imagining it? The whispers were so faint... unintelligible. And they seemed to almost eminate from all around her.
((Adding a note here as of Jan 4, 2009: since it's been quite a while since this RP had any activity, I'm going to go ahead and consider it inactive. No hard feelings whatsoever, I'm just trimming down my rather intimidating list of active RPs I check routinely. If you would like to pick it up again and continue it, just drop me a PM
smile )).
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