not that it scares me...( o p e n )

[Byrdlet]

[bg=000000][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=border,0,true] Each step was taken with great caution and care. Illythia had rarely ever found herself outside of her lands but desperate times called for desperate measures. As of late, the mare's very soul had been the epitome of desperation. She was the supreme ruler of the lands of Angletus---left to run things completely alone. Each night she spent in solitude beneath the grieving willow, the harder it became to ignore her undying yearn for Asher. The seal bay stallion had been the one that had convinced her to abandon her life of privilege and obligation to live out a life with him. He was an rebel of sorts and she was the only offspring of her parents who led a fairly well established herd. She had fallen hopelessly in love with the dashing beast and denied her parents wishes and fled one night without the intention of return. And now here she stood, nearly two years later--the kingdom of her birth and nearly everything had changed. But her parents were dead, leaving her with a vast responsibility explained to her when she was young enough to even partially comprehend it. Illythia never thought anything would happen to her parents but when she learned of the news, she had known what she had to do. She returned to her home lands to assume her place as queen. She remembered that night before she fled the caves where her and Asher had lived out their last days together. She had informed the withered stag of her newfound purpose and how they must leave together when the sun rose the following day. The reverent stallion said nothing, hardly offering a blink in response. Illythia did not expect much more from him--he had been lost inside his own tormented mind for months now. But when she awoke the next morning to find Asher missing from the cave and no where to be found leaving her feeling less confident about the future. The double cream champagne vixen shivered at the thought of her Asher, the pale shadow of the stallion she had fallen for those innocent years ago. The mare could hardly understand why he had done it--abandoned her in her time of need. Yet she could easily admit to herself, at this point, that she hardly knew him anymore. Nor could she deny the love that she still felt for him---ever so blind and unyielding. Her fierce and unignorable mourning in his absence had brought her here to the farthest reaches of the roaming lands. It was here where Asher would have been found lurking those years ago when it had all begun. Wailing bluff, a desolate and dreary place. It was nothing compared to her home in Angletus, which flourished with life--a dream-like expanse both lush and bountiful. No, this territory was always grey and destitute. No foliage shot from the earth, the only landmarks of any kind being that of massive and ancient rocks and jagged cliff sides. Illythia continued to tread carefully, swerving in and around large boulders that towered over her. She wanted to call out to Asher but stifled the thought. It would surely echo through the empty terra, attracting all sorts of unwanted attention. Besides, it had been so long since she had spoken that she wondered if she would even be able to coax her own voice from the deep and crackling gullet of her throat. The Ahkal Teke mutt was weak, if truth be known. Her knees knocked slightly beneath her own body weight with each step she took. Her usual, satiny coat lacked it's luster, her ribs rippling along her sides all too prominently, groping at the dull sunlight that struggled to penetrate through the heavy shroud of clouds overhead. Aquamarine eyes darted to the left in quick response to a stirring just feet from where she stood. Pink tinged lobes swiveled atop her feminine crown, attempting to listen out for any other sounds. Purple and turquoise vine-painted stilts reluctantly carried the essa forward. Rosy nostrils flared, a heavy sigh leaving her emaciated body. A light breeze stirred, dingy alabaster tresses danced listlessly over the lazy current. Wilted orchids, which grew naturally in the mare's mane and tail, lay lifeless in her locks, begging for nourishment and unable to die.

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[Elle]

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[bg=0a2535] It had been quite some time since the bay stallion had wandered so far from his territory. He loved his home, there was nothing quite like it on the rest of the island, and he couldn’t dream of living anywhere else. But as the Rhazorn borders faded into the distance behind him, the brute was able to breathe a bit more freely with each step. The herd offered safety of more than just numbers, but he feared bodily harm very little out here. Even the wolves of the island didn’t intimidate him much, as they preferred to keep to themselves and he hardly had a reason to provoke them. Yes, he loved the springs, but sometimes the safe haven felt more like a prison than anything else, and he had to give in and fulfill his urge to explore. The free lands were ones that he knew almost as well as his own territory, for he had travelled them all often enough, sometimes seeking companionship, sometimes seeking nothing but the delicious silence that little-known hiding places provided. He had to admit, spending his entire lifetime on the same island sometimes had its perks, and one of them was that he tended to know about hidden, tucked away spots that other equines had no knowledge of. The stud enjoyed the solitude of the free lands from time to time, and today was one of those instances exactly. His pace slowed as he reached the rocky outcropping that marked the beginning of the land known as Wailing Bluff. The landscape changed dramatically from what he was most accustomed to, the pale slate rocks in sharp contrast to the lush greens and woody earth tones of his beloved forest. Still, this place was one that he appreciated for the unique serenity it offered. He had made the climb to the top of the ridge a time or two in his day, but for now decided to remain at where he was, picking his way around the boulders that littered the terrain. His frame was relaxed as he walked, at least until the winds changed. With the shift in direction came an unknown aroma to his nares, and he inhaled deeply, his head raising and his posture shifting a bit as the scent caught his attention almost immediately. An unfamiliar equine – decidedly female – was somewhere in the very near vicinity. He paused, his limbs stilling their motion while his small ears stood at attention atop his large cranium, eyes shifting around to attempt to see between the boulders. There – for just a second – a flash of something. Could it have been her? The stranger he had detected? Before he could stop himself, a short, deep nicker escaped his hollows, though it may have just been soft enough to go undetected by the unknown vix. Standing perfectly still, the bay hellion waited, muscles tensed as if braced for some sort of unseen attack. It was unlike him to call out to a stranger; perhaps he was a bit out of sorts being so far from his homeland and amongst the tall shadows of the freelands. Whatever the case might have been, all he could do now was wait and hope that the passerby was either friendly, or hard of hearing. words: 545 for: byrd and illythia ooc: hope its okay to bring him in here c: tracker is in my sig.

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[Byrdlet]

[bg=000000][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=border,0,true] Not only was Illythia's body weak but apparently as was her mind because she heard the call of another ring out from behind a massive rock before she sensed his presence. Ordinarily, picking up the physical orb of another was commonplace for the mare and she could detect them long before they had even thought to speak. But she was malnourished and far from completely coherent when it came to the impending world around her. The frail female stood, motionless, eyes searching the face of the stranger that loomed in the shadows. Illythia focused her unfaltering gaze on a suspicious brute who stood now in the open so tactlessly. Illythia grumbled under her breath at her misfortune as she entered into a pace laced with urgency, knowing that as the queen of Angletus she had to put on her game face. After all, the brute did call out to her first. She was in no real mood to find herself in an extensive conversation but, being as she was in the roaming lands, there was a great chance that speaking to another may lead her to her missing companion faster. She would do her best to keep her identity as Angletus queen a secret for now. And thus, she decided her name should be kept a secret. "Did you call to me or was there someone else out here lurking that I failed to miss as well?" She said, forcing the charm that used to come so naturally. She offered a warm smile to the stallion, whose eyes were rich and full of depth. "I am Licinia. I am simply passing through." Her words came out as surprisingly smooth and lyrical considering their lack of use. And it was only after she finished the phrase that she realized she had given her mother's name as her own. She could only hope that this stallion was not overly familiar with the Angletus family tree.

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[Elle]

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[bg=0a2535] Hoping that perhaps the passer-by hadn’t heard his call, or that they would just ignore him, the changing stride and approaching hoof beats told the stallion that neither of those things were true. Drat. Whoever it was had heard him and was now coming to investigate. Silently, he chastised himself for the slip up, knowing full well that it was stupid of him to have not caught himself in time to cease the small vocalization. He was unsure of what had prompted him to call out in the first place, but was left with little time to ponder the mistake, as a cream-hued vixen strode out from behind one of the large boulders. Forcing himself to not gape at her malnourished condition, he focused instead on her eyes, which were a captivating shade of blue. ”I’m sorry, I hadn’t meant to disturb you,” he said, trying his best to keep any hint of embarrassment out of his deep voice. ”I.. I was expecting someone else,” he said, attempting to come up with some sort of a reason for why he had called out to a complete stranger. Clearing his throat and straightening his posture a bit, he couldn’t help but notice the odd markings that wrapped around the damsel’s limbs, which all but gave her away as a royal. He knew she was not the royal of Rhazorn, though, which led him to the conclusion that she was of one of the other dominions, though he couldn't be sure which one exactly. Unlike some others of his dominion, though, he did not immediately think to cast her off for her alignment with any realm other than Rhazorn. Still, knowing little of the other herds, he had very little to judge them by, and because of this, had no reason to assume she was lying to him when she introduced herself. ”It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Licinia. Forgive me for my earlier indiscretion,” he said, his tone cordial and sincere. While he had had no reason for interrupting her morning stroll, he could not say that he was vexed to have run across such a powerful and beautiful, albeit quite underweight, mare. ”I am Ashur.” words: 351 for: byrd/illythia ooc:

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[Byrdlet]

[bg=000000][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=border,0,true] The stallion was polite and it was refreshing. Illythia had stumbled across some of the worst the gender had to offer and it did nothing for her bleak outlook on life. "Nonsense." She cooed, forcing a warm smile. "You have not disturbed me." It was a lie. But Illythia was good at many things---and telling lies was one of her finely attuned skills. When he said that she was expecting someone else she almost felt as though she were intruding, despite the fact that the other party was clearly late or a no-show. Should she leave? She did not want to cramp their style if the other did arrive nor did she truly wish to converse with more than one stranger at a time. The stallion seemed slightly uncomfortable and Illythia could feel his gaze and she was almost certain he was looking at her frail body. But she shook off the thought, hoping she was wrong. She did not look that bad, did she? The brute cleared his throat he shook a bit as if to drop some tension out of his shoulders and then responded to her introduction. He apologized for interrupting her morning and before she could scoff and such a concept he spoke again. He offered her his name. And normally such a normal formality would not stop her thoughts dead in their tracks. But the moment the words fell from his lips, Illythia's ears began to ring. She felt her head begin to spin and it was all she could do to keep the landscape from doubling. She clenched her eyes tightly shut and made an attempt to swallow----but there was a knot in her gullet so big she could hardly breath. It was like she had been kicked in the chest, her lungs robbed of the oxygen they had held hostage only seconds before. She gritted her teeth tightly together but no amount of concentration could help her prepare for what was about to happen. Her knees began to shake and steadily knock together and before she knew it, she was toppling to the ground. The weight of her upper body crashed onto her knees and her back legs folded under after a moment of resting halfway upright. For a moment she was alone in this place. Laying in the vast wilderness with nothing but the thought of her Asher to keep her company. Her heart pounded in her chest and she wanted to disappear. She opened her eyes, which stared up at the strange stallion from behind a creamy forelock interlaced with shriveled orchids. "Now I ask you to forgive me." Her words were breathless and she sounded winded as though she had just ran four miles without stopping. "Ash...Ashur." She winced when the name feel from her lips----a name she had not uttered in months. A name that haunted her and brought pain to her. A name that was tethered to so many memories of past lives and days long gone. She sucked in a sputtering inhale and sighed as though she had just accepted her own death sentence. "Asher. It is good...to see you." When she looked up at him again, she could have sworn it was her Asher---her love. How good it was to see him...though her dehydrated mind could not coax her into believing such a mirage. This brute was not Asher. He was not her Asher. No.

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[Elle]

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[bg=0a2535] She was polite, and she accepted his apology and even brushed it off in the same breath; he couldn't say it wasn't what he had been expecting as time had taught him to keep his expectations for strangers relatively low, but it was a lovely change form the usual nonetheless. She was beautiful and cordial as well, and for a member of a district other than Rhazorn, he was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps they weren't all as bad as they were rumored to be. Not seconds after the thought had crossed his mind, though, he watched as the situation before him changed into a very different one, indeed. A change came over the mare that had been so easily exchanging words with him not moments ago, one that was not hard to detect. She looked as though he had just reached out and assaulted her, though he was sure that he had done naught but state his name. Before he could wrap his head around what was going on, she hit the ground, collapsing where she had stood, a glazed look in her bright blue eyes. Concern swept over his handsome features as he took a few steps toward her, his natural instinct telling him to go to her, to help her in any way the he could. She was still little more than a random passerby to him, but in her deteriorated state, she seemed all the more vulnerable. It would only take one hungry canine to finish her off in this condition. He stopped himself, though, before he got much closer, having learned form experience never to touch a mare unless she had agreed to such a thing. Even the most docile female could turn on you in a second if you got too close and their mood was right (or wrong, depending on how you looked at it), and he had the mental scars to prove it. So from a length or so away, he nickered softly to her, and was about to speak when she looked up at him through her thick lashes and pale forelock, a look that stole the words from his very lips. She asked his forgiveness now, and attempted his name, though the stuttered two syllable word looked as though it brought her actual physical pain. What on earth was happening here? He stood there lamely for another second or two, not knowing what to do with himself, until her condition seemed to slip still further in a negative direction and she mumbled something about it being good to see him. This did little but confuse the brute still further, as he could have sworn they had never met before. Still, he inched a bit closer, dropping his voice and his head as he looked down at her, attempting to hold her gaze though now she seemed to be somewhere far away, in a different time and place. "I'm afraid I'm at a loss, m'lady. I seem to have upset you in some way, though I cant be certain how. Please, tell me what I can do to help. I'll not stand by a second longer if there is something I can do to aide you," he said, attempting to convey his sincerity in his tone. It wasn't what he would have normally said, for he usually didn't bother himself much with the situations of equines of other dominions, but then again, this was far from a normal situation, and perhaps the only way to help her was by acting out of the norm himself. words: 592 for: byrd/illy ooc: THE EXCITEMENT o 3o

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[Byrdlet]

[bg=000000][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=border,0,true] She was delirious and for a moment she had no idea where she was or what was happening. But when the hovering stallion cooed kind words to her she began to recall all that had just transpired. For one---she had just made a complete fool of herself. She did not know this brute from any other stranger in the woods and yet she had completely collapsed as though her legs had been chopped at the knees. But she did have to admit that it was a rare occurrence to come across a stallion whose name was the same as her long lost love. But there were some serious differences between the two brutes that could not be missed. The Ashur that stood before her seemed to be kind and gentle-hearted. Her own Asher used to be this way but quickly grew twisted in the mind and changed permanently to some monster that she hardly recognized. And yet---she had loved him all the same. Her unconditional affection for the sick stag had brought upon her her own personal ruin. But it was still something she refused to acknowledge. She was fine. She was fine. "You have not upset me. I simply..." Her voice trailed and she knew not what she could say to excuse the bizarre display she had just shown. No words, be they truth or false, could even begin to help her explain herself. She did not want to talk about Asher. She never wanted to talk about Asher. Though she would never lose hope of finding her missing mate, she did have to admit that the chances seemed more and more slimmed as time progressed. And she was queen now----tending to a kingdom she could hardly bring herself to care about. She knew her parents would be disappointed but then again...that was all she had done while they were alive. She was nothing but a disappointment...even now. She attempted to stagger back to her feet, her legs shaking slightly as she balanced her weight on all four stilts. "It must be something in the air." She said after the long pause had laid stagnant in the air for a moment longer than could be deemed comfortable. She forced a chuckle through tightened jaws and her alabaster neck craned towards him and she smiled a most handsome grin. "I would love some company on my walk back home. Would you care to join me?" She had to redeem herself somehow. Perhaps on their trek back she would be able to stir up a conversation and make herself feel better. And in all honesty, she was not looking forward to walking back home alone. It would be great to have someone to walk alongside of her. Asher...Ashur. She nodded at him as if to assume he already consented and her unsteady steps grew more confident as she headed towards Angletus.

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