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 Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 1:56 pm
This is a PRP between Sakura and Casper, both owned by Phail Ninja.
ICly, this RP takes place during the Kalona herd metaplot, just as the initital kawani force is preparing for the first attack.
 
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Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 2:13 pm
It had been a long time since he had walked through these forests, yet each step was hauntingly familiar. Casper raised his head, taking a deep breath. The air was sweet, scented with the overwhelming aroma of lilies and willow fronds. He let the soothing smell wash over him, closing his eyes as he tried to relax his tense body.
His ears were lifted, carefully listening out for any sign of threat. All around he could hear hundreds of birdsongs, mixed together with the gentle chattering of squirrels scurrying through the foliage. Behind him he could hear a rustling, followed by a muted thump as his companion sprang through the dense undergrowth. Nothing sounded out of place, everything was exactly as he recalled. But still he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something was wrong. Maybe it was the thick sense of foreboding that seemed to weigh down the air, or maybe it was just the burden of the news he carried.
Casper let out a snort as he tried to shake the feeling away. "Come on, we're almost there." He threw over his shoulder to the little sea otter, his familiar. He picked up his pace once more, following the path to the little secluded clearing where his sister made her home, the place he had grown up in. Fear twisted deep inside his stomach, how could he possibly let her know?
----
It was Tinsel's sharp chirp that alerted Sakura that something was going on. She instinctively tensed up, a pang of worry shooting through her chest. Was something wrong? Was someone nearby hurt? But the next trill from her companion was one of happiness, letting her take a deep breath and relax. A smile twisted itself onto her face at the silly antics of her hummingbird.
The two had a long history, Sakura had nursed her back to health after the little thing had been caught up on the outskirts of a hurricane. It had taken her months to get her back into flying condition, but it had taken a whole lot longer to get the hummingbird's trust. Tinsel had been raised unknowing of the Soquili that travelled these lands, and she was incredibly skittish and wary of them. But the two grew close and eventually Sakura realised that Tinsel was more than just a critter of the forest, but had been blessed with the properties of a familiar. The two bonded, and Tinsel began to pick up the beginnings of their language, though her preferred method of communication remained the chirps of her kind, which Sakura had become exceptionally good at understanding.
Her curiosity piqued, the mare poked her head out from between the fronds that covered the front of her cave, gazing out into the small clearing that made her home. Tinsel flapped towards her, doing a quick loop of the mare's neck as Sakura let out a laugh. "What is it?" The hummingbird let out a friendly trill, "Friends!" She dropped into a swallow-dive and then flitted away back into the trees.
Friends? Sakura beamed, who could it be? Was it Adrian, dropping by for a visit as he often did? Or was it one of her sons? She smiled gently, heart glowing. Her boys had grown up and gone out to explore the world, though they still dropped by from time to time to check up on her. She couldn't be more proud of how strong they had grown to be.
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Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 2:57 pm
As he rounded the last corner, the clearing came into view. The next thing he knew, the branches overhead began to shake. His muscles tightened as he instinctively dropped down into a defensive crouch, preparing to fight off the unexpected ambush. But before he could react, a red and green blur darted past him, almost colliding head on with his face. He snarled, preparing to attack, while the buzzing blur did loops around his neck.
Suddenly his tail dropped as he relaxed, realising he recognised his assailant, "Geez, Tinsel! You'll give a fellow a heart-attack if you sneak up on them like that!" He silently cursed himself, he could have really hurt the hummingbird. Why was he so jumpy? He swallowed deeply, trying to shake off the sense of dark foreboding that filled him. But he forced a false smile onto his face and turned to gently head-butt the bird, who was now resting on his shoulder with the proudest expression on her face as she puffed out her chest haughtily. "Hey there, you little bugger. Bet you're proud of yourself, scaring me like that!"
The hummingbird let out a laugh, giving a joyful flap of her wings. Before she could reply, a grey-and-yellow shape bounded up behind Casper, skidding to a stop just short of them. Tinsel let out a curious chirp, "Who's that?"
----
Sakura let out a joyous whinny, interrupting her familiar. "Casper!" It had been so long since she had last seen her brother. She galloped towards him, colliding into his flank with a joyous squeak. The two collapsed into a tangled pile of legs and bodies as she rubbed her neck against his.
"You old oaf! Where the devil have you been lately?" Though Sakura was technically the oldest of the litter, Casper now towered way over her, his muscular bulk having grown to its full height since she'd seen him last.
---
And suddenly he was being cannonballed into. The air was driven from his lungs with an 'oomph' as he fell to the ground. "Aha, hi there, Sakura." He returned her affections, nuzzling her gently with his muzzle before stretching out his neck and giving it a good shake to clear it of the leaves that were now all over it.
He had to admit, it was good to see her. He let out a happy snort, letting his worries ease away for a moment as he simply enjoyed her company. "I've been, you know, around. Travelling mostly, seeing the world. You know, that thing I keep telling you to do."
---
Sakura shot him an unhappy look as she scrambled up onto her hooves, though she entwined her tail tightly around her brother's to make sure he couldn't escape. "Hmph. You mean avoiding me here?" She gave him a friendly shove with her wings. "And I do so travel! I just have, you know, things keeping me here."
---
The stallion gave a low sigh. "Sakura, you can't still be waiting for father to come back. He left us. Get over it." He didn't want to bring this up, they always seemed to bicker over it constantly, but it always crept into the conversation for some reason. He twisted his tail around her tightly, giving her a smile to show that he didn't mean it harshly.
---
Sakura pointedly turned her head away, trying not to let the familiar sadness well up inside her at the mention of their dad. When they had still been foals, he had left them, promising that he'd only be gone for a day or two. He was supposed to go looking for his parent's herd, to see if their grandparents would help raise Sakura and her siblings after their mother's death. Only, he'd never come back. And she didn't know why. She still remained hopeful that he would eventually return, never leaving their birth-home for too long. "Ahem." She turned back to Tinsel, only just registering the hummingbird's question as she looked for an excuse to change the topic. "Oh, yes, who is this little fellow?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 3:43 pm
Usually Casper would push his point, but not this time. His message sprung back up into his mind as he cast his eyes downwards. The last thing he wanted to do now was fight. Worry ate at him from within, nibbling on his stomach and making him feel queasy. Taking a deep breath, he dropped the topic, turning to look at his fluffy little companion.
Taking another wobbly smile, he gave a quick introduction. "Sakura, Tinsel, please meet my new familiar, Wisp."
The sea otter peeked out from behind the stallion's back leg, giving his most sly and devious smile. "Well hi there." He gave a quick look up and down the mare. She looked nice enough, a bit like a push over. Excellent. The next few weeks would be most entertaining - if Casper got his way of course. Wisp didn't doubt that he would. He gave a quick twitch of his whiskers, grinning his teeth jokingly at the hummingbird. Tinsel gave a nervous flutter. She was always cautious around strangers, especially those with pointy teeth.
"I picked him up when I was travelling near the ocean. He's a great big pain in the butt, but we get along." He gave the critter a sharp nudge with his hoof jokingly
----
Sakura gave Casper a sharp look as she noticed his weak smile. Her senses were instantly on edge as she eyes him levelly. He was keeping something from her, this didn't seem to be purely a social visit. But she knew her brother, and asking him would only make him more reluctant to tell her. He'd get to it in his own time. Giving a snort, she looked down at Wisp.
The otter's twisted smile almost set her on edge. A trouble-maker if ever she'd seen one. Shooting him a sharp stare, she gently narrowed her eyes playfully. "Looks like a hand-full, but I'm sure you can handle him." She wrinkled her nose in his direction, and Wisp returned the gesture, relieving some of the tension in the air. "Is there a particular story?"
---
"Aha, I guess you could say that." The stallion pressed an ear backwards, "I may have gotten stuck in some quicksand." At Sakura's horrified gasp, he quickly set about reassuring her, "Don't worry! It wasn't deep at all, I was in no danger! Anyway, this little idiot came up and started teasing me about it, though eventually he helped me get free. Smart little thing, aren't you?" Wisp stuck out his tongue, but looked proud at the praise.
"Erm..." There was a pause in the conversation, giving Casper a chance to speak his mind. Nerves fluttered within his chest cavity, knotting his throat together and making it suddenly hard to talk. He ground his hoof into the soil, gently biting his lip. "Actually, I guess I have something to tell you." He trailed off, unsure of how to begin.
---
Though her heart raced within her chest with fear, Sakura gave him a huge smile and gently butted his neck, careful not to spear him with her horn. "Well, go on. You know you can always talk to me about everything."
---
He took a deep breath. "Well, I don't know if you've heard the rumours going around..." The mare shook her head, eyebrows furrowing with confusion. "Sakura, you have to promise me you'll be careful. The woods... they might not be as safe as you think..."
---
Well, this wasn't the way she'd thought this conversation would go. "Isn't safe?" She paused, casting an eye around the foliage. Everything seemed perfectly normal. A dark sense of foreboding crept into the air, weighing down around her like a heavy blanket. "Why? What's going on?" Tinsel gave out a worried chirp, burying herself into Casper's mane and trying to suppress a scared shiver.
---
"Well, there's a big herd of Kalona that have just moved into the Kawani lands. Sakura, they're really bad news. They attacked a village up north, slaughtered tens of Soquili, old and young, male and female. Everyone. Even the two-leggers, they fell on those too." He paused, trying to gauge her reaction.
---
Terror flooded through the mare's body, electric shocks running up and down her spine. "Are they headed here?" Suddenly she froze. "Oh spirits, please tell me Cassiel and Blair are safe!" Her sons! What if her sons had been hurt in the attack?!? What if they'd gone travelling there? Her breath came short and fast, dizziness threatening to swamp her.
----
"Calm down, Sakura. It's okay." He pressed his flank against hers, trying to comfort her as much as possible. "I haven't heard of anyone we know being injured up there, and I'll make sure to stop in with both my nephews and make sure they're okay. I promise." He huffed her mane gently, trying to soothe the frazzled mare. How was he going to tell her the next bit?
"I just had to tell you to make sure that you were careful. Stay inside as much as you can. Be wary of any Kalona you see. I need you to stay safe, for me, okay? They shouldn't come down here, you should be safe. I'm just telling you this as a precautionary measure. Okay?"
---
At the news that her sons were safe, Sakura visibly relaxed. She nodded quietly, trying to think things over. "This is... horrible. Why would they do this?"
---
Casper shrugged, glad she was being reasonable now. He gave her a gentle smile, that was his Sakura, always putting her family before herself. "I've heard that they think any species that isn't Kalona is a lesser breed, and that they are scum and should be eradicated. Kalona mixes, especially, they consider to be a crime." He shivered, "They've come looking to establish a territory here. Some... some herds are banding together against them. I think there's going to be a fight." He tried to broach the topic gently, easing her into a better mindset for the news.
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Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 5:18 pm
"I... I understand. I'll be careful." Sakura pressed her muzzle into his soft mane, gently inhaling his soft scent. The familiarity of it soothed her, unknotting some of the terror from her muscles. She closed her eyes, trying to desperately understand. Why would anyone slaughter others like that? How could they bring themselves to do it? Why inflict so much pain upon others?
She'd heard rumours about evil Soquili, but she'd never believed them. No one could be truly bad, not to the core. She held that as a firm principle, close to her heart. So why? Why would the Kalona do that? Were they so hungry they had to murder to get food for their children? That seemed unlikely, surely there was prey enough to go around! Or... or... She let out a shaky breath. "Why would someone do such... unspeakable things..."
Her eyes flickered open so she could gaze up at Casper, her grey eyes hardening into steel. "Make sure you stay safe." Her thoughts flashed to his description of the massacre. Had there been survivors? She bit her lip, looking at her horn. "Casper, if you meet anyone... injured... will you send them to me? I don't care how badly, just... I want to help." It was all she could do. What other choice did she have?
----
Casper gently entwined himself with her as close as possible. "I don't know, dear sister. I just don't know." He too closed his eyes as they enjoyed a quiet moment of comforting solace. "I promise I'll send on anyone I can find. And of course I'll be careful, I'm always careful."
He rolled his shoulders, trying to force out what he had really come here to say. "Sakura, I..." He cleared his throat. "I... er... I want to help. Fight, that is. I want to go and join the battle."
---
Sakura's world froze. Ice crept through her veins as frigid terror crackled up her spine. Reality poised on the verge, ready to splinter and crack without any warning. Her Casper... He wanted to... Fight?
Images flashed into her eyes of his body, lying mangled and torn on the floor. So injured she couldn't get to him, couldn't save him. She stood on the sidelines, screaming his name, but her words couldn't reach him, would never reach him... Ghostly terror beyond terror seized her, disbelief clouding her eyes.
"N-no..." The false reality shattered as she cast her haunted eyes onto him. "Casper no! You can't." Her voice was shaky. "You... You could die."
---
That empty look in her eyes make his blood run cold. The world, in that brief second, seemed to stop revolving. Everything was locked on this moment. Seconds stretched out into minutes. He watched her, silently. Unable to respond. Unable to help. Unable to do anything. Useless. Futile. Pathetic.
And then she croaked out a response. "Don't you see, Sakura? I have to." He gave her the most gentle of nudges. "I have to help them."
---
The touch of his muzzle felt like was she being impaled with an icicle. Frost crept into her heart, stopping her breath. "Why... Why would you..."
----
"Oh, Sakura. Please understand. This isn't just about me." His legs shook with the effort of standing strong, of being there for her. "I have to protect those I love. You, our siblings, my nephews..." The image of a mud-splattered mare, her black and white mane streaming behind her as she galloped, face set in determination, sprang into his mind. "N-not just for you, either. I guess. I have someone of my own to fight for. Maybe. I don't really know."
---
Sakura shook but fought to regain some of her composure. She understood why. He had the purest of intentions. Love and the urge to protect those close to him. She understood, but how could she let him go? Her eyelids lowered for a second as she mustered up her strength. "I understand. Just... promise me you'll be careful?"
---
"As careful as anyone could ever be, I promise. I swear on my life. I swear on our friendship. I swear by everything I hold dear. I'll be careful."
---
The mare nodded gently. "I cannot ask for more, I suppose." Taking a pause, she decided to steer away the conversation. So that was what Casper had wanted to tell her. The idiot. The foolish, brave, loveable idiot. He had to come back to her, right? She rubbed her head against him again.
"S-so. This 'maybe' somebody."
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2014 4:29 am
Having said the worst of his news, Casper let himself relax slightly, following the change in conversation. So long as Sakura understood, that was all that was important. He couldn't go behind her back to do something like this, after all. She was the closest one to him on this planet.
As his mind flickered to the mare he'd met, he felt his cheeks grow somewhat hot, fur prickling uncomfortably. "Aeerhm. Well. I-I may have met someone. I don't know how she feels about me, though, so... you know... it might not go anywhere." One of his ears dipped sadly at the thought, making him surprised at his own actions. When had he become so fond of her? This... feeling, the heart-fluttering, stomach-churning rush of elation when he pictured her face, where had it come from?
----
Sakura gave a weak smile at her brother's embarrassed antics. Let them enjoy the time they had, then, she would have to trust that he would be okay. "A mare, then. Does this mystery girl have a name?" She gave him a cheeky nibble on his neck, trying to lighten up the still dark atmosphere.
She herself had never found a stallion to love. Though she had sons, she hadn't exactly been enamoured with the father. Adrian, her best friend, had wanted to rebel against his family, and Sakura had wanted to have foals of her own, so they had come to an agreement of sorts. Of course, it hadn't been unpleasant, and Sakura was certainly very fond of the stallion, but they'd never been more than very close friends.
---
The fur on the back of his neck prickled as he thought about her. "Marut, her name is Marut."
---
"Marut, eh?" Sakura paused, tasting the name. "Sounds... strong." A mischievous grin spread across her features. "Whatever would a mare see in you, dear brother?"
---
"Aha, harsh, dear sister." Casper's mind replayed that moment. Her body straining to pick up speed, the cold rain pouring down all around them. The way she overtook him so easily, despite his boasting. She had almost flown past him, so graceful was her gait. Long mane all a tangle, billowing out behind her. That muddy mare had completely stolen him away.
---
She gently nuzzled his mane, noticing his dreamy gaze with a small smile. Love was such a beautiful emotion. Though a twinge of jealousy sprung up within her, she was happy for him. He had a life and he was living it. Maybe one day the two would mate, then she could be an aunt! The notion brought her much joy.
---
Casper felt a tapping on his hind leg, causing him to turn around. Wisp was prodding him with his paw, sparking the stallion's memory. "Ah, Sakura, I actually had a favour to ask of you." The mare's ears were pricked forwards, listening with curiosity. "When I... you know, go to fight, would you... would you mind looking after Wisp for me? I just thought, I wouldn't want him near anything dangerous, and here you have the stream that he could swim in and... please, for me?"
---
"I would do anything for you." She soothed him gently, taking a step back. A thought crossed her mind, "If the forces are massing together now, does that mean you'll have to go soon?"
---
The stallion nodded, averting his gaze downwards. "Yes, as soon as possible ideally."
---
"I see. Will you at least spend the night? It's been so long..." Her eyes beseeched his, hoping desperately for as much time together as possible.
---
"Of course." He gave her the most gentle of nuzzles, and the two retreated back into the cave that was their birth home, ready to spend one last night together.
~Finished~
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