x. keep your eyes open [open]

[Masque]

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[atrb=background,http://i1010.photobucket.com/albums/af224/AnteaterJade/aibg-1.png] If you looked in my eyes, would it even matter what you saw? As soothing as the chill of the night was, often it was overlooked for fond ideas of dreams and sleep. Some would find it normal to curl up and settle their heads upon their knees, while others would stand hidden between ripe bushes and doze off peacefully. Yes, as pleasant as those options might have been, why should one allow sweet slumber to blanket their minds, when they could stand lifelessly among the cliffs wishing for the exact things which eluded them? By one, we referred to the singular female among the darkened rocks that formed the cliff's edges. Her vague eyes, certainly not so very startling in these lands, peered into the vast void just over the point where she teetered. Vicariously she drifted, her eyes drooping for a moment, before some unknown presence startled her and pried her lids back open. Inhaling the chilly air, she tossed her pale skull testily, her sleep deprived mind entirely frustrated. How long had it been since she'd slept? Since she'd actually fallen asleep and remained there for longer than 5 minutes? One day or two? Clenching her jaw, she shook her locks and peered around the rocky landscape. She was alone. No one was going to sneak up on her, and if they did it wasn't as if it would be all too shocking. There were creeps out there that found joy in that. Sadly, that was what she labeled herself. Her muscles tensed at the though and she flagged her tail, twitching the silk onyx strands in rebellion against her self-given label. Her frail skull drooped, and she found her breathing was becoming heavier. Her ears twitched, swiveling atop her head to listen to the sounds that only thrived in the dead of night. The light breeze toyed with her hair, curling the long strands around the elegant length of her neck, as her tail wrapped haphazardly around her hind limbs. She had a spark, but sleep deprived she was degraded into the form of a vulnerable female, when normally she was quite capable and uniquely defined by her odd personality traits. Right now, however, she didn't want to stand out in the least. She wanted sleep, and to do so without the worry of some bastard approaching her and doing Gods only knew what. She wasn't about to assume that she was delectable enough to drive a stallion to do much of anything. Some stallions simply were not picky and would take what they could find. Her heartbeat quickened, her eyes growing cold and fierce as though one had already approached. Why the hell could she not sleep? Insomnia had never before plagued her, yet now it was the best friend she had never before wanted. Stomping a hoof, her frail limbs danced sideways a few steps, as she ducked her skull to press her soft lips against her chest. She was comforting herself, hoping that sleep would catch up with her before she literally drove herself crazy with such ignorant thoughts. Before she knew it, her lids were drooping and sleep seemed to be falling swiftly on her. The sounds around her dissipated into a soft lulling whirl that was both comforting and deceiving, wrapping gentle claws around her, that would choke sleep right out of her thirsty conscience. Her eyes widened, her nostrils flaring, and once more she was peering into the darkness with no account has to why sleep fled so swiftly from her. She sighed heavily, her sides heaving as frustration wracked her mind and she she struck her pink hoof in anger. Her pink lips crinkled and she peered around her forlornly, hoping that there was some discoverable reason as to why sleep hated her so grandly the past few days.

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^{Or would you only see this as a mistake?}



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[RUBY]

[bg=DDF1F9][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=border,0,true] it seemed that no matter how much she tried, alayne could not seem to stay within the realm of her dominion. for some reason she couldn't seem to stay put. since she'd earned her freedom by outrunning most of the rushing waters on that fateful day, alayne had been testing her limitations on a nearly daily basis. and not just her own either. because she was the self-proclaimed caretaker of angeltus, alayne was often left with a handful of younglings who she was oftentimes care for throughout the course of the day while their elders were off doing whatever duty they owed to their lands. this wasn't a problem, in fact it was alayne’s greatest duty. aside from wanting her own youngling to raise and care for, alayne was honored to be entrusted with the lives of angeltus' next generation. but she loved to challenge them as well. alayne didn't just stand around, keeping an eye on them as they played. she liked to engage them. she liked to scurry off a bit and see if the colts and fillies she cared for had any speed in them. if they lacked the finesse then alayne took to teaching them, telling them how to dig in their hooves and feel the ground beneath them as they ran, to take their hints from the wind and to feel the boost that gravity gave when running downhill. she liked to test them, and she taught them all that she could. alayne didn't know much in the first place. there was a lot that she knew which remained instinctual but otherwise she did not have a lot of experience in life. she didn't like that she had been cast aside all of her life so she was, of course, looking to expand her knowledge. it was hard to do so. with the disaster having taken away what was normal for most equines who had washed up on shore, most of the focus now lie in distinguishing territories and fighting for a place of supremacy. alayne wanted none of that. she was not a fighter, she had no desire to take on the world and prove something that had been denied of her. sure the humans had cast her aside as a fragile waste of horseflesh but that was their decision. alayne had managed to get away and survived when nothing else could. she didn't want any of that though, and none of the past mattered now. she was free and she was doing the best to learn on her own. others were too busy establishing themselves to spend time teaching her the ways of the natural world and that was fine. she would spend time learning on her own. she hadn't had a mother nor a father when she was growing up so she was no stranger to living her life alone, she just didn't want to do it much anymore. as the sun had set and younglings had returned to those who had bore them, alayne was given the opportunity to stray a bit and just peruse the lands. she had a habit of doing such a thing. she really loved it. she was addicted to running and exploring which is why in most cases unless she was watching younglings within angeltus' safe, warm dominion, she could usually not be found. she tended to stray more than she did anything else and that was not a worry of the alabaster fae. she did not mind seeing the new world that had become her home and the different places it had to offer. she tried to stay out of other dominions though. the unclaimed lands were ones she considered safe, ones where she would not be claimed as a slave should she come across the wrong equine. but she loved to see new sights, smell new smells, and overall just experience more life than she'd ever been able to experience before. she was making up for lost time without fail especially as her hooves collided with the terra beneath her, plunging her forward as she skirted the claimed lands, heading to those without a master at the helm. air filled her lungs as it rushed past her, filling her with unfamiliar smells. yes she was certainly in the right place, that place being somewhere new. she noticed that the terrain began to climb upwards and so she climbed with it, easing up the incline until it forced her to slow. around the top alayne came upon another equine who looked precariously perched to say the least, and slightly jolted. she stood in silence, unsure about what to say to the stranger. if there was one thing she'd yet to really practice with, it was interactions with others. words: 793

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