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 Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 12:10 pm
Name: Vashtya
Age: appears to be 21
Race: half-elf
Description: Vash is fairly tall, and deceptively slender--his youthful physique belies his considerable strength, as his body's made up of wiry muscles. He usually dresses casually, and keeps a knife stashed somewhere on his person at almost all times.
Background: An ex-merc who gave up the game, Vash is easygoing and social, and is an incorrigible flirt, although he doesn't let his play time interfere with what he knows needs to be done.
He's also got a soft spot for animals of all kinds, and isn't afraid to show it--in fact, there's times when he seems to prefer their company to that of other people.
How Vashtya first found his way to the HQ, even he's not sure. He'd been on what he'd planned to be his last mission, and it hadn't been going well. In fact, he'd been lost. As he was wandering through a heavily wooded area with his hand on the handle of his blade, something big, dark and vicious had caught him by surprise. He'd barely managed to roll free of a killing blow by sharp, glittering claws, escaping with a trio of shallow, stinging wounds on his upper torso.
Cursing viciously, Vash had drawn his blade, eyes narrowing suspiciously as he watched the creature--it wasn't something he'd ever seen before, and that alone gave him reason to be cautious. Then, as fast as it had appeard, the dark...thing was gone, so quickly that Vash almost wondered if he'd imagined it.
Shaking his head, he kept his blade drawn, eyes darting around cautiously. The forest around him was quiet--even the usual underlying sounds were oddly hushed, as if everything was holding its breath. He only had a split second to react as a jagged, wicked looking talon followed closely by a large, shadowy body flew at his head. Even as the sharp claw dug deep into the side of his head, Vashtya's short sword drove true, and dark black ichor mingled with his own blood as the creature sunk to the ground beside Vashtya, clawed hands still twitching spasmodically.
Everywhere the black goo touched, Vash's flesh...burned, and where it touched his wounds, it scalded...or at least, it felt like it. Breath hissing out between his teeth, Vashtya stumbled off, not wanting to be caught standing around for another of the dark creatures to come upon him. After what seemed like hours, he felt himself pass through something, although he was so consumed with pain by that time that he almost didn't notice it. Shortly after, the woodlands he was wandering in gave way to a clearing, blanketed in lush, verdant grass. Still aways from the office buildings, he half-fell into the stream that trickled cheerfully within the wards' boundaries.
Barely coherent, he rubbed dazedly at the black ichor, scrubbing at his throbbing skin, using sand from the riverbank to aid him in removing the sticky goo. As the last cloying glob of it came free from his face, Vashtya dragged himself out've the water and passed out, sprawled in the grass.
When he woke up, he found his way to the main office buildings, and, after realizing what he'd stumbled into, made himself at home. Although he will occasionally pass through the wards when he goes walking, Vash takes great pains to avoid running into anything as unpleasant as his first darkling, as the experience was not one that he'll easily forget.
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Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 12:12 pm
A Spinning of Shadows
The night was overcast, with dark clouds muting the light provided by the moon and stars. A mare stood, virtually hidden in the tall grasses, her sides heaving with effort. Beside her, a dark uni pawed at the ground, his horn glowing softly in the darkness. Her jet-black coat was drenched in sweat, and her nostrils flared with each breath that she took. With one last shudder and a flare of power from her sharp horn, lightning struck the grass a short distance away, starting a small fire. Ignoring the beginnings of the blaze, the pair of unicorns focused on the shimmering form taking shape before them.
As the shape of a small unicorn could be seen in the gathering shadows, the air was heavy and silent, as if the shadows were sucking all sound into their gnarled mass. With a final, bright flash of light, a strong gust of wind exploded outwards from the newly formed foal, extinguishing the fire and setting the adult unicorn's manes aflutter. In a circular gap in the grass lay a small colt, who blinked up at his parents curiously.
His lungs filled with air for the first time as a peal of thunder filled the air, the noise prompting a small shiver in the newborn foal. The exhausted mare eyed her baby critically, a small smile playing across her muzzle. Tarqis...yes, that's what you shall be called... she whuffed under her breath, whickering contentedly at the stallion beside her, who stood patiently, his ears pricked forward with interest. His coat was pitch black, like his mother--although he had turquoise and gold swirls winding up his legs, a stubby pair of wings that were an odd combination of draconic and feathered, with the minute feathers already tipped in turqoise, and glittering golden streaks in his short, scraggly mane and tail.
At a demanding nudge from the tired mare, the colt attempted to get to his feet, falling foward onto his nose on his first attempt, and backwards onto his rump on his second. By the third try, he was finally able to maintain his footing, and he stood still for a moment, trying to gain his balance. As he took a tentative step towards his dam, the young unicorn noticed how loud everything seemed out here--even in the dark, there were so many vibrant colors!
As he bumped up against her side awkwardly, the mare whickered contentedly, her coat slowly drying as her eyes drifted half-shut. As the newborn sunk to the ground beside her, laying his head upon his forelegs and yawning, she nibbled at his shoulder, knowing that tomorrow they would go to rejoin the rest of the herd.
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2005 3:05 pm
The sun was shining, and a large herd of unicorns (around 30 or so) frolicked contentedly in the lush green grass. Slightly separate from the main group, but still close enough to be watched over, a half dozen young unicorns kicked up their heels, with the colts competing with one another over anything and everything, and the young filly (there was only one in the group of foals, oddly enough) rolling her eyes at their antics. Beside her stood a pale, pinkish young colt with long, graceful legs, a flowing mane and tail, and delicate rainbow markings dancing across his light coat. He was the only male in the group who showed little interest in the day-to-day nipping and snorting, although he would occasionally let fly with a powerful kick when irritated.
Tarqis watched the other young unicorns bicker and play amongst themselves, although he stood beside the herd's lead stallion, since the large earth elemental had taken Tarqis under his wing from the day of his birth, and had made it clear that the youngster had no time for play, and that he had a responsibility to learn how to best protect the herd, since that would someday be his job, if Mielor had his way. And, while the colt would never admit it, there were days like this one that he longed to kick up his heels and join the other weanlings in play, although he had a feeling that, even if given the opportunity, he'd have a tough time fitting in, anyway.
As afternoon faded to sunset, and sunset to twilight, the herd settled down, and the quiet whufflings of the herd as it settled down for the night were soothing in their regularity. Tarqis wove between the trees that surrounded the meadow, his dark coat gleaming eerily in the moonlight, the gold streaks in his mane and tail catching the light and almost seeming to sparkle. He was oddly restless this night, his emotions roiling inside of him. Pacing a little bit further from the rest of the herd, he tried to organize his thoughts.
As he moseyed through the tree trunks, he could've sworn he heard young, aggressive voices. That's odd...the rest of the youngsters aren't supposed to be wandering around... he thought to himself, and his outline blurred as he focused on creeping silently towards the sound of voices, almost becoming one with the shadows around him. As he came upon a small clearing, out of earshot from the rest of the herd, he could hear a sneering, angry voice, berating something...or someone. "You think you're so special, monopolizing Deirdre's time, don't you?" one of the larger colts taunted, circling around...Gabriel, the delicate colt who showed so little interest in the competitive tussling that the other colts engaged in.
There were two of the other colts from the herd standing a short distance away, jeering, as if on cue. The dainty light elemental unicorn stood stock-still, his head held high with pride and staring straight ahead, as if he considered the bullying of the other males to be beneath his notice. He was a good few inches shorter than the rest of him, and from the expression in his eyes, this wasn't the first time this sort of thing had happened. The ringleader hissed angrily at his victim's lack of reaction, and slashed the smaller unicorn's shoulder open with his horn, prompting a surprised gasp from the other two who'd come with him as well--obviously this wasn't part of the norm. Gabriel gasped, his delicate chiseled head swinging around to glare at the bully angrily. Tossing his head, he opened his mouth to speak, only to be headbutted by one of the other unis, the force of the blow sending him stumbling sideways, a small grunt escaping his flared nostrils.
Tarqis had seen enough. Stepping through the trees into plain view, shadows swirled angrily around his hooves, and his horn glowed menacingly. "What...is the meaning of this?" he challenged, his turquoise eyes afire. Even as he felt an uncharacteristic rage saturate his mind, he wondered at it, for it wasn't something he was used to--he didn't have any real protective instincts of those weaker than himself, other than those geared towards the herd as a whole.
"N-nothing! We were just playing a game and it got a little out of hand..." the ringleader, Pavo if he weren't mistaken, tried, his tone wheedling--it was one thing to pick on the feminine Gabriel, another one to start trouble with a colt who was not only larger than he was, and who, for all that he usually possessed an oddly stoic control, seemed almost itching for a fight as the eerie glow from the moon lit his expression harshly.
"That's not what I saw..." Tarqis interrupted, pawing at the ground in impatience. "I want you and your...lackeys to drag yourselves back to the rest of the herd now...and if I ever catch the slightest inkling that anything like this is going on again...I'll kill you." his voice had an uncharacteristically rough edge to it, and for the first time in his young life, he felt anger, pure and blistering hot, course through his body. Struggling for control, his short mane fluttering slightly, although there was no breeze that evening.
Not even bothering to glare at the light colt who still stood utterly still, the other three males took off, crashing through the underbrush as they fled back to the safety of the herd. As the sounds of their passage faded into nothingness, Tarqis felt his rage subside, and he snorted, once. "You'd better head back as well." he said simply, not giving the other unicorn much more than a cursory once-over.
Muttering a barely audible "thank you" the other colt followed closely at Tarqis' heels, his pale coat standing out like a beacon in the darkness. It was the beginning of a tentative friendship, Tarqis' first.
Over the ensuing months, the pair continued to grow, into elegant, graceful stallions, and although they looked as different as...well, night and day, they both seemed to fill a gap in the others' life--for Gabriel, it was another male who didn't see him as a threat, or treat him as less for being a bit more fastidious, or perhaps a shade more feminine, than most. Also, the shadow uni didn't mind listening. For Tarqis, although he had learned to act sociable and pleasant--both important things, according to Mielor, he had never found another living uni with whom he felt he could share his innermost thoughts, until the lithe light uni had shown him how. It wasn't a romantic relationship, theirs, but instead a loyalty based on shared feelings of isolation--Gabriel, for who and what he was, and Tarqis because he'd never really been allowed to be just another member of the herd...
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2005 11:42 pm
The young stallion stood alone, head held high, as he faced the accusations of the one who had practically named him his heir. The rest of the herd stood behind their leader, their expressions ranging from Pavo's undisguised glee to Gabriel's awkward refusal to meet his gaze. His sense of loss was compounded by what he saw as abandonment by the one being he'd trusted with his true self.
His eyes chilled, and he looked over the herd angrily. How could they believe that he would do something like that? He debated trying to defend himself, then decided against it, figuring that they were unlikely to believe him anyway.
Mielor shook his head sadly when the young stallion didn't reply. "I have no choice then, but to believe what I saw with my own two eyes. For the heinous crime of killing one've our herd-and not just that, but your own mother...I hereby banish you. If I ever see you trying to contact the herd in any way...I'll have no choice but to kill you. You have til sundown to be on your way." the older stallion spun on his heel and walked away, his large frame seeming diminished by the announcement.
Inside, the young Tarqis was crying, although the taut lines of his body and his stoic expression revealed none of his pain. Bowing his head once, mockingly, in acquiescence, he whirled and marched out into the woodlands, his tail waving like a banner of rebellion in the breezeless morning. He could still see his mother's body, diminutive and so small in death. A shudder wracked his body, but he forced his feet to keep plodding onward, utterly uncaring of where he went. He felt like a mere shadow of himself, which was strangely fitting, given his elemental leanings.
His emotions railed to be released, but, perhaps as a defense mechanism for a situation that he didn't feel equipped to handle, he retreated behind an emotionless shell, not even shedding a tear for all of his losses as he went through the motions of surviving on his own.
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2005 12:56 am
It was dark, with only the barest hints of starlight trickling through the treetops to shimmer to the forest floor. Tarqis was wandering through the woods, which in and of itself wasn't unusual. What was unusual was that his dam was walking beside him.
They had never been close, not like he and Gabriel, but he felt a strong emotional attachment to her anyhow--she may have encouraged him to learn from Mielor, and to be strong and stoic...but her affection for her only son was real, and almost palpable in its existence.
The two shadow unis, the only pair in their herd, were perfectly at ease in the encroaching darkness, neither really concerned as the visible light faded, and the trees began to grow closer together, blocking out everything but the surrounding forest.
He didn't even see a sinister shadow detach itself from a low-hanging tree branch, diving for the young stallion's hindquarters in an attempt to hamstring him. His only cue that something was wrong was his dam's squealing lunge at the oncoming darkling. Rearing onto his hind legs, Tarqis watched the events that ensued as if they were in slow motion--the creature somehow twisted in the air, thus missing the sharp point of his mother's horn by mere inches, while slashing down at her simultaneously with deep crimson claws. The youngster's eyes widened, following the darkling's claws as they dug deep into his dam's ribcage, lifting her clear off the ground and tossing her already limp body to land at the base of a nearby tree.
"Nooooooooooooooooo" Tarqis screamed, his eyes and horn glowing even as as he began to dissipate, melding seemlessly into the shadows that pervaded the area. In a blind rage, he charged at the darkling, re-solidifying just before his horn dug deep into the darkling's upper thigh, the wound far from deadly, but still enough to send the cowardly creature fleeing, fearful of this prey that could disappear and then reappear, and create such pain.
Sides heaving, Tarqis stared off into the bush after the darkling, his forlock falling over one eye as he struggled to rein in the emotions that still tore through him, urging him to give chase, even as his head insisted that that would not be a wise idea.
With one last angry snort, the young stallion dropped to his knees beside his dam, nosing at her neck carefully. It took a few moments of staring down at her to realize that how prevalent the smell of death was around her, and that her ribcage no longer rose and fell with the regular rhythm that would imply that she yet lived. His eyes clouded over as he stared down at her broken body, tears pooling in his eyes, although his iron grip on his emotions would allow them to travel no further.
While the sight horrified him, he found himself unable to look away. "If I hadn't brought you with me..if I'd been more careful and seen it sooner..." he trailed off, his voice breaking. Lowering his head still further, his long forelock fell forward to cover his face, hiding his tragedy-stricken face with silky, tangled skeins...
He woke up covered in sweat, still able to smell her blood, although it was months later. Getting to his feet shakily, Tarqis shook his head, shoving the memory back into the dark recesses of his mind. He had lost weight since his exile, and his mane hung in lank strands around his sunken face, every etched line representing the memories that haunted his sleep, and tormented his waking hours.
Mielor had found him the following morning, still kneeling beside his dam's corpse, with his horn and body drenched in blood, with the smell of death hanging over the pair like a dark cloud. Why hadn't he been able to tell the lead stallion what had really happened? Although he'd had months to dwell on his reasons for responding as he had, he still wasn't sure. Perhaps it was because, in some twisted way, he felt that the accusation held some merit, and that he deserved the punishment he'd been served, among other things. Or, maybe it was because even Gabriel had abandoned him, had believed that he could commit such an atrocity.
As he leaned over a small stream to drink, Tarqis saw his own reflection for the first time in months--who was this zombie of a unicorn...surely the water lied! As he stood there, peering down at himself with a fascinated brand of horror, Tarqis realized what a waste his dam's actions had been--after all, she'd died so that he could live...but he felt dead inside, as if the cold hand of death that had taken her soul had also eaten away at his innards, leaving him empty and bereft.
The emptiness eventually gave way to rage--how dare they abandon him as they had? He had done nothing wrong! he raged, even if only to himself, damning Mielor, and Gabriel, for what he saw as their abandonment.
As the months continued to pass him by, Tarqis grew to maturity, and slowly, the dreams receded, allowing him some small measure of peace. His body filled out, one painstaking inch at a time, and his eyes lost their glazed, tormented gleam. As summer changed to fall, he began to miss the companionship of others of his kind, although his emotions remained firmly locked away, hidden deep behind his shuttered gaze.
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Posted: Thu May 12, 2005 12:19 am
It was late afternoon, and the trees were alive with the fluttering of birds, their songs filling the air with tranquil, pleasant sounds. Vashtya ducked nimbly between low-slung tree branches, knowing that soon, he would have to head back towards the Agency--he was outside of the wards, and as darkness fell, the odds of being ambushed by darklings would increase.
It had been far too long since he'd gotten away from the day-to-day bustle of the Agency--he loved spending time with the rest of its occupants, especially Taal, Quest, Verdanti, Whisper, Doragon and Eiki, but there were times like today that the ex-merc craved solitude. He was reluctant to head back, it was so pleasant outside today--the urge to curl up by the foot of a tree and daydream almost overwhelming.
It was in this distracted state that he almost tripped over Tarqis, something that never would have happened had the unicorn been alert. However, as it happened, the shadow uni was sleeping deeply, his body still save for his regular, deep breathing, and the occasional subconscious twitch.
Crouching down beside the sleeping unicorn, Vash laid a careful hand on its shoulder, jumping backwards swiftly when the creature in question rushed to its feet, lunging with that sharp horn. "Heeeeey there, I'm not here to hurt ya!" Vash spoke quickly, holding his hands up in a nonthreatening way, although he was careful to stay out of range of that wicked horn.
Tarqis pawed at the ground warily, sidestepping cautiously. The creature before him didn't look like a darkling, and he didn't much smell like one either...but, that being the case, the unicorn wondered why something so ill-equipped to defend itself was wandering through the woods alone.
"I was just taking a walk..." Vash started, keeping his voice pitched low, and doing his best to look harmless.
Snorting, Tarqis tossed his head again, before taking a tentative step forward, eyeing the gaian carefully the whole while.
Vash crouched down and extended a calloused palm, his actions slow.
As the human's hand reached tentatively towards his velvety nose, Tarqis extended his neck, his nostrils quivering as he sniffed at the proffered hand, his eyes meeting those of the human's, as he tried to measure his trustworthiness. Had he not come to long for the companionship of another being in the passing months, he would have fled and not taken the chance...but things like the easy breathing of something else nearby, or the soft sounds of another creature's movements as they made themselves comfortable somewhere...those casual intimacies were what he missed the most from his old herd--he'd long decided that emotional reliance wasn't to be trusted, but if he didn't find other unis soon, he thought he might go slowly crazy.
As his sensitive nose met the palm of the ex-merc's hand, Tarqis' eyes widened slightly in near disbelief. He smells...like other unis! the thought pounded through his head like a narcotic, leaving him near giddy, although his hooded gaze merely gleamed for an instant before fading to their usual unemotional black.
"I...um...the agency wards aren't far off, and if you'd like, there're other unis there....and its safe from the darklings..." Vash rambled on, recognizing something broken inside the unicorn who stared at him so blankly.
Nodding, the unicorn nudged at Vash's hand with his nose as if in agreement. "Show me the way, human, and I'll follow..." he rumbled, his voice so low that it barely carried to the attentive human's ears in the encroaching dusk.
Nodding crisply, Vash straightened and began walking back the way he'd come from, keeping pace with the majestic unicorn who strode beside him. He kept every sense on the alert, as it was late enough for him to be wary of darklings, especially this close to the ward, as one never knew just how close they were willing to venture. Picking up the pace slightly, Vash noted that the unicorn stuck close to his side, as if well aware of the potential for danger. It had Vash wondering idly what the unicorn's history was, although, not being particularly forthcoming concerning his own, he wasn't about to pry.
As they passed through the wards safely, a breath that Vash hadn't even realized he'd been holding whooshed out of his lungs, earning him an odd look from the suspicious creature beside him. Now that he felt safe, Vash slowed down to a leisurely stroll, showing Tarqis towards the pasture where the rest of the unis that he'd been given guardianship over bedded down. As they drew close, he couldn't restrain his curiosity any longer. "I'm Vashtya...and, if you do decide to stay here, I'd be honored if you'd consider me a companion, of sorts." he said, inclining his head slightly and gesturing towards where Doragon, Eiki, Verdanti, Taal, Quest, Shijaa, and Whisper were in various states of slumber.
Tossing his head again, the shadowy stallion inclined his own elegant head in return. "I would be honored to do so." he said politely, a faint smile flickering through his eyes, so rapidly that Vashtya thought he must have been mistaken. "You may call me Tarqis." he said over his shoulder as he selected a small patch of ground a short distance away from the other unicorns that he human had smelled of, and laying down with his wings pulled in tightly around his body. He closed his eyes, and within moments his breathing evened out, although he remained awake for a long time, simply listening to the soft sounds of the other unis breathing under the moonlight.
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2005 11:37 pm
A Shimmer of Light
A pale, pinkish colt stared at the herd before him boldly, although his shaking knees belied his terror. His ribs peeked through his soft hide, a sure sign that the youngster had not just been separated from his dam.
All he'd wanted was the warmth of his dam's body behind him, letting him feel safe. But she'd rejected him almost from his birth, since, for all that he possessed a delicate appearance, he was male, rather than female as his mother had hoped. He'd striven to adopt the more feminine behaviors of the fillies who clung to their mother's heels, but it had never been good enough for his mother, who nipped at him and never let him too close.
Of course, the rejection had simply made him try harder, until the day that she'd led her young son far from the rest of the herd...and left him to die. Wandering aimlessly, Gabriel had felt ashamed, for not being good enough to possess his mother's love. However, as the days passed and the dainty colt grew gaunt, that shame shifted into anger and resentment. He'd done her no harm, so why had she abandoned him? It was at this point that he stumbled upon Mielor's herd, and it was what gave him the courage to stare at them head on, rather than cowering before their scrutiny.
The herd unofficially adopted him into their ranks, although none of the other colts his age really accepted him into their midst--truth be told, Gabriel didn't really know how to join in on the competitive squabbling that took up so much of the young stallion-to-bes days. Instead, he usually found himself beside Deirdre, watching Pavo and the others as they nipped at each others' flanks. Of course, there was one other colt who didn't join in on the games, but that was because Mielor had done all he could to set the other youngster on the path to being the next lead stallion.
If he were honest, Tarqis intrigued the young Gabriel...something in the way the shadowy unicorn held himself struck a cord deep within Gabriel's innermost self, although the other uni was indeed his polar opposite, in all aspects of his appearance. Gabriel's days were an endless routine of barely-hidden digs at his lack of interest in getting dirty, or tussling with the other colts. It brought all of his feelings of insecurity crashing back down, and caused him to retreat behind a proud, arrogant shell.
When their verbal taunts had no effect, Pavo took the bullying to a new level--whenever he and his cronies, for lack of a better word, could get him out of earshot of the rest of the herd, the taunting was paired with forceful shoves that often ended with Gabriel's tender skin bruised and sore. However, he'd made a promise to himself that he'd never let them see how much their words hurt, or how hard he found it to walk, stiff-legged, back to the herd once they'd grown bored with their bullying.
That was, until the night that Pavo slashed deep into his shoulder with his horn. An involuntary gasp had been drawn from his usually silent throat, and he'd opened his mouth to reply cuttingly, only to be knocked sideways, the breath leaving his lungs in a pained hiss. That was going to leave a bruise.
Idly, he'd wondered how far this was going to escalate, and why he even bothered going back. It was at that point that Tarqis stepped into the small clearing, shadowy mist lashing angrily at his ankles. It had sent a frisson of fear down Gabriel's spine, and yet, for the first time since he'd found himself wandering alone, he felt a faint rush of hope...maybe, just maybe, he was worth saving after all. In that moment, he felt something shift inside of him. As he watched the other unicorn browbeat Pavo and company, Gabriel caught a flash of..something, in Tarqis' eyes, and it was enough to have him straighten where he stood. He might not be the most intelligent of unis, but he recognized the feelings of isolation that glittered in Tarqis' gaze.
The rest of the short dispute was a blur for the light unicorn, although Gabriel didn't miss the shadowy colt's threat to Pavo and the others. He continued standing there as if frozen, until Tarqis had turned to stare back at him curiously from the edge of the clearning "You'd better head back as well." he said, his voice causing the smaller uni to step forward almost without thought. "Thank you." Gabriel said softly, keeping close to the other's side.
For the first time that he could remember, the silence wasn't awkward, and he didn't feel as if he was a nuisance to the other uni. It was a feeling he hoped he had a chance to get used to...
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 2:10 pm
As the weeks passed by, Gabriel found himself confiding things to Tarqis that he'd never told to another soul--and the shadow uni shared thoughts and feelings in return. For the first time, Gabriel was able to speak of his mother's rejection, and his endless feelings of inadequacy without fear of being mocked.
Then, on a morning that started much like any other, a frisson of uneasy, hushed mutterings passed through the herd...something about Tarqis having murdered another of their kind. At first, Gabriel had merely stiffened, unable to believe what he was hearing. Unable to meet his friend's eyes, Gabriel found himself unsure as to whether Tarqis had not committed the vile act, and his own lack of faith had him hanging his head in shame.
Almost before the young light uni knew what was happening, he heard Mielor announce Tarqis' banishment, and his head whipped up in shock. It couldn't be...and then, Tarqis was gone, his head held high, and his tail flying proudly behind him.
With the judgement and banishment of his only friend, Gabriel withdrew into himself, spending most of his days staring off into the distance as those final moments flickered through his troubled mind. How alone Tarqis must have felt...and so, so betrayed. In those days of self-evaluation, Gabriel realized what he should have known in a heartbeat--that there was no way that Tarqis had committed the crime he'd been accused of.
Gabriel's ribs began to show through his glossy coat, and then, in the pale dawn of a crisp winter's day, he set off in search of the shadow uni who he'd lacked the strength to stand beside in his moment of need. Unlike the other uni's departure, his was made silently, with none of the herd being the wiser until he was already well on his way. If it was the last thing he did, he'd find Tarqis...and somehow, he'd make him understand what had gone through his mind on that day...
He refused to entertain the thought of failure--he couldn't. I...need him. He thought, stepping daintily around a mud puddle, grimacing at his own craving for the close friendship they'd shared, and mourning its loss anew.
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 3:17 pm
Wandering with only one goal in mind-finding Tarqis-Gabriel was forced to rely solely on himself for the first time in his life. Sure, life in the herd had not been easy for the young light unicorn, but he hadn't had to worry about protecting himself from darklings, or even, sometimes, how to find the food and water necessary for survival.
Although his wanderings toughened up his body, and his youthful, rounded flanks gave way to the lean, muscled body of a full-grown unicorn, a certain amount of his emotional vulnerability shone through. He had also retained a certain amount of fastidiousness concerning his appearance, although he had not encountered a living being other than a few darklings in all the long months that he had been wandering.
One day, as he was in the deep forests surrounding the Agency (although he had yet to discover its existence) Gabriel ducked beneath a particularly large tree branch, and then froze as the faintest whiff of a familiar scent tickled at his nostrils for a split second before disappearing, carried off in the gentle breeze. It had been so faint that Gabriel wondered if perhaps he hadn't finally crossed over into the land of delusion.
Shrugging and deciding that he really had nothing to lose, the delicate looking light uni crept forward, every hair on his body feeling as if it were standing on end when he stepped through the protective barrier that Naeva had protected to keep out the darklings.
Shuddering at the strange sensation, he took a moment to smooth down his tangled mane before continuing forward, every sense straining to see if he'd finally found what he'd spent so long seeking. He could smell other unicorns, but couldn't find any other indication of Tarqis' presence. As he strode free of the treeline, he found himself virtually face-to-face with a yellowish dust uni with detached draconic wings. "Ummm...hello." he said, shifting from foot to foot and tossing his head awkwardly.
"Hello" she'd replied, her voice husky. "You must be new around here...my name is Shijaa." she continued, bowing her head slightly.
"Gabriel." he said, flicking his tail. "I...actually don't know if I'll be staying-there's a particular unicorn that I'm looking for..." he trailed off, and if he could have blushed, he would have--how desperate he must seem!
Nodding her head, Shijaa then tilted it slightly to the side and examined the elegant-looking light unicorn carefully. "If you'll tell me their name, I'll tell you if I've ever met them" she replied, her interest piqued.
"...Tarqis." he said, ignoring the gleam of interest that had taken up residence in her gaze, his tone stating clearly that he would explain nothing.
"Ahhh...Well, I can take you to see him, if you'd like--he comes across as friendly enough, but I don't think I'd say I really know him, if you know what I mean." she said with a grin. "Occasionally he'll accompany Vash on his walks through the forest, but other than that..." she trailed off with what must be the unicorn version of a shrug. "Anyway, follow me, and I'll see if he's hanging around the Agency today." The last few words were spoken over her shoulder as she trotted off towards the small patch of pasture that Vashtya's herd of unicorns had claimed as their own.
Following close behind the youngish mare, Gabriel felt his stomach tie itself into knots--How would Tarqis react to his presence? Would he hate Gabriel for his betrayal? Would their friendship ever recover? Gabriel was so engrossed in his own worried musings that he almost didn't notice the shadow unicorn he'd come to find until they were almost standing directly in front of him.
"Tarqis, this unicorn arrived today, and said he was looking for you..." The last word was broken off awkwardly, as if she'd planned to launch into a more detailed introduction, but had decided that it wasn't really necessary. "I'll just leave you two alone, ok?" she murmured, cantering off swiftly in the direction from which she and Gabriel had arrived.
When the shadow unicorn's eyes fell upon the pale, familiar coat of Gabriel, his expression shut down, and his expressionless black eyes met Gabriel's pale indigo ones for one second, two, without making any indication that he wished to fill the awkward silence that had fallen between them, so different than the easy comraderie they'd shared in the weeks prior to his hasty departure from the herd. Unnoticed by the dark stallion, fingers of dark, shadowy mist clung to his fetlocks, giving him an almost sinister, angry look.
Taking a deep breath, Gabriel shook his head, and he could have wept for the tension that filled the air between them. He had to force himself to meet the other's gaze squarely, and as he did so, he began to talk, not leaving out any of the thoughts that had flashed through his mind, from the minute the accusation had been made until just before he'd left the herd for good. "And I realize that sorry probably doesn't begin to ease the...pain that I caused you, but...I cannot change the past, only do my best to rectify mistakes that I've made..." he concluded, his eyes gleaming as he stared at a point just over Tarqis' shoulder, unable to face what he accepted as the very real possibility that the other would reject both him and his explanation entirely.
Tarqis was speechless, for what must have been the first time in his life. Had Gabriel approached him with that explanation in the weeks directly following his banishment, he probably would have lashed out in an attempt to transfer his own inner pain onto the other unicorn. However, with maturity comes understanding, and, just as the light unicorn knew him better than any other living creature, so too did he understand Gabriel...and, knowing how the other's mind worked...he couldn't hold Gabriel's temporary distrust against him. It might take awhile to feel as comfortable around him as he had before, but...he'd missed the smaller light unicorn more than he was willing to admit, especially in those first days after he'd left all that had been familiar behind.
"I've missed you, Gabriel." Tarqis said simply, hiding his own glittering eyes behind a strand of dark mane.
Unashamed, a single tear of joy streaked down Gabriel's muzzle, and he tossed his head. "I've missed you more than I can say." he replied, touching his nose to Tarqis' gently, then nibbling at the other's withers, almost tentatively.
As dusk lengthened into twilight, the pair talked of the days since they'd last seen one another, their voices pitched so low that the words scarcely carried even to the ears of the other. It was a night of healing, and rediscovery.
Fin <3.
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 8:37 am
Name: Maliha (hindu; "strong, beautiful")
Element: Light
Background/History:She was taken in by a female snow leopard who, after losing her own cubs to a particularly harsh winter, had adopted the young unicorn after having hunted and killed her dam. Perhaps she would have done the same for any infant unicorn, or perhaps it was Maliha's coat, so reminiscent of the snow leopard's, that provided the impetus to adopt the smallish horned equine. As the months went by, the young unicorn's memories of her first days faded, and her stomach adjusted to her largely carnivorous diet, as provided by the only maternal figure she could remember.
She grew strong, every inch of her body made up of lean, rangy muscles that moved silkily under a thick, warm coat. Once the youngster hit adulthood, her "mother" kicked her out of the den, as she would any cub. By this time, Maliha had virtually no memory of being anything except a big cat, leaving her with distinctly cat-like mannerisms, along with an "eat or be eaten" attitude. She also had learned the distinctly feline habit of playing with one's prey, and her coal-colored eyes, once so innocent and limpid, now ranged from coldly calculating to sadistically playful.
A Snowswept Morning
As the icy wind blew across the snow-covered mountain peak, a snow-leopard patterned unicorn stamped her foot impatiently, the sound swallowed by the cushion of snow that covered the ground. Spotting a small rodent almost directly below her, the light unicorn's stance shifted, taking on a distinctly predatory posture. Her eyes narrowed, and she crept forward carefully, her hooves silent even as she bared her teeth in a feral, unicorn-grin.
With a bloodcurdling sound reminiscent of those actually made by the felines she resembled, the snow-leopard unicorn pounced, having to make use of her sharp hooves and horn, since she lacked the deadly teeth and jaws of an actual snow leopard. Maliha put the small creature out of its misery, savoring the feeling of a successful, fresh kill.
When she'd eaten her fill, the seemingly species-confused unicorn slunk her way a bit farther up the mountainside, stepping under the small outcropping of rock that hid her home, a small niche in the unforgiving rock face that she called home. Sliding in on her belly, she crawled all the way to the very back of the cave, and used her horn to create a small pulse of heat. Mercifully, the cave retained heat well, and as the warmth seeped into her very bones, Maliha slowly drifted off into the dreamless sleep of a creature that is utterly at ease with who and what she was...or at least, who and what she thought she was.
As the faintest rays of daylight trickled into the cave entrance, a dark, malevolent shape passed briefly before the small opening, as if it could sense something within, but it had not yet decided whether the contents were food...or dangerous.
Awakening with a jolt, Maliha curled her lip into a silent snarl as she caught wind of whatever it was that lurked just outside the cavern entrance--she hadn't encountered this particular odor before, but it smelled distinctly rancid, and she didn't like it.
Creeping forward, the slender uni was cautious, her footfalls silent. Unfortunately for the darkling in question, he couldn't say the same.
When, with a faint shuffle that indicated a claw scraping on mountain rock, the darkling lowered its head to peer through the small entrance once more, Maliha stabbed forward with her slender, sharp horn, screaming a vicious battle cry. The long horn pierced the darlking directly in the eye, and with a sickening crunch, through the bone of the darkling's skull.
With a pained wail, the darkling attempted to jerk back out of harm's way, but it was too late--the tip of Maliha's powerful horn had pierced his brain, and after a couple of weak, shuffling steps, the darkling fell, the black ichor of its blood causing the surrounding snow to steam even as its vile smell filled the air, sending Maliha stumbling past the dark corpse in an attempt to clear her lungs.
As the still-young unicorn's sides heaved, she kneeled in the pale, clean snow. Her eyes clouded over briefly as an unfamiliar feeling coursed through her veins--fear. The fear was warring with the surge of adrenaline that came with the satisfaction of knowing she'd taken on a predator considerably larger than herself...and won. It wasn't a morning she'd forget soon.
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Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2005 4:42 pm
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