blueunicornj13
Exile Herd 
We don't have a choice to stay. We'd rather die than do it your way.
Posts: 265 
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Post by blueunicornj13 on Feb 28, 2015 21:11:55 GMT -5
Romancing the Stone
With blueunicornj13 's Little Bird and warandlore 's Abdiel Timing: About a year before current events (the war)
The sun was bright and shining as a strawberry roan mare made her way through the crumbling city streets. Her hooves clicked on the hard pavement as she trotted down the empty roads. Her brown eyes scanned the area carefully, and her ears swiveled to and fro in search of any signs that someone or something may be near by. Her job as a Ranger meant that she was bound to protect fellow loners and herd horses alike, but she had better plans to spend the day. Little Bird had found a beautiful place nearby with a statue covered in moss and vines that stood in the center of a strange, concrete pond, and she wanted nothing more today than find out more about it. When she had tried to explore it the other day, however, her father had caught her neglecting her duties and had sent her on her way. Little Bird let out a small snort at the thought, rolling her eyes. She loved the old stallion to death, but it did get quite annoying when he ruined her adventures and explorations whenever he caught her. Her plan today was fool-proof though. Her father was off collecting herbs in the Silver Woods and wouldn't be back for days! She'd have all the time in the world to explore and find trinkets to add to her small collection of human artifacts. Little Bird sang quietly to herself. Her soft voice echoed off of the hard walls around her as her pace quickened with excitement.
She rounded a sharp corner toward the fountain and stopped in her tracks. The sound of hoofsteps filled her ears as she spun around. It appeared that she wouldn't be able to have her little adventure until later after all.
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Post by warandlore on Feb 28, 2015 23:12:37 GMT -5
The morning had found him kneeling in the praying pool, head lowered so that the breath from his nostrils disturbed the surface of the water. There were no words that flew through his mind, just a nameless hope that swelled within his chest and the silent request that it would be answered. That was how he started his shift, and for the moment, as he strode onto dry ground once again, he was at peace. He breathed deeply of the crisp air and raised his head to look at the ruins that surrounded him. Then he blinked, hard.
Just yesterday he had begun patrolling during the day again, after a full month of charting his progress by the moon. He still felt his body reeling from the shock, and it's ire at the sun for daring to suggest the hour was not so late as it felt. It would take a few days for him to sink into the new routine, but he would do so, and without too much effort in the end. Shaking the drowsiness from his head, he picked a direction and began a determined walk; head held high, nostrils testing the wind for any scent, ears flicking with every rustle of the wind through the vines. The city may have been well-frequented, but it was hardly safe. He would not tip-toe through the streets, but nor would he move about carelessly. It was his duty to ensure safe passage to other pilgrims today, and he could hardly do that if he allowed himself to be ambushed by one of the less kindly residents.
The first bit of the day went off without a hitch. He kept his eyes roving into all the shadows, all the strange caves that loomed dozens of feet above his head, kept his ears sharp, but there was no sign of anything harmful. He walked briskly and varied his course at random, lest any should seek to ambush, and when he heard a faint clipping sound ahead, he paused and tilted his head in that direction, as if it would aid his hearing. The clipping continued. It was another horse. Cautiously, he moved toward it, and when he felt that he must surely see the source when he rounded the next bend, he paused and peeked his head out first. He couldn't tell much about the horse he was following, just that it didn't look familiar, and he had a notion it was a 'she'. He ducked back behind cover and made a quick decision. If it was an enemy, he needed to stay quite so he could maintain the element of surprise, but it would be a poor thing to pounce on one of the good horses who made their way into the city to pay their respects. He weighed the likelihood of each, then shrugged and began following the beast with his feet markedly striking the stone.
The mare spun around to face him, and it was definitely a mare, he noted with interest, a fine, tall creature all in rose and silver. It took him a moment to recall that she'd spun about like that because he'd startled her, and a grimace lit his face. "My apologies, Miss," he said ducking his head and walking up. He took a bare moment to scan their surroundings again. They were still in a tight place, with empty holes staring out at them from high above, but just a few steps beyond the mare was open ground, where one could see what was coming, and where perhaps a mare might be more inclined to stand and talk to a stallion who'd accidentally spooked her. As he drew nearer, he found himself standing a little straighter, his neck a little more arched, his steps showing a little more action. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I was wary for enemies and did not think the unicorns would bless me so early this morning."
He smiled brightly and tossed his head toward the open space before following his own advice and walking past her, praying she would see fit to follow.
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blueunicornj13
Exile Herd
We don't have a choice to stay. We'd rather die than do it your way.
Posts: 265
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Post by blueunicornj13 on Mar 1, 2015 10:46:15 GMT -5
The roan mare's heart hammered in her chest as it prepared her to run away if need be. It had become normal for her to be able to run great distances at fairly fast speeds. Her father had trained her to be able to compete with the stallions that also held the Ranger position amongst the loners, and she had definitely learned not to let her gender hold her back. Little Bird wasn't exactly the best fighter around... actually she might have been classed as one of the worst, but she was quick and clever, and over the years she had learned to use that to her advantage.
'Why had I not heard him coming? I shouldn't have been singing. I should have been listening.' She cursed herself silently, glancing around them once more to make sure no other threats had heard their clicking hooves on the hard ground. A small sigh escaped her when nothing but the gentle breeze answered back through the streets. At least there was one less thing she had to worry about. Little Bird turned her gaze back on the horse in front of her as he walked toward her. His gait was almost a prance as he craned his neck and flicked out his hooves. She had to hold back a snort of laughter at the sight of the smaller stallion. Why in Chevalin was he walking like that? Was he related to that Olde stallion Alabaster somehow? Bird noticed she had binned her ears tightly against her skull, and she slowly undid them, swiveling them in the stallion's direction. As his deep voice, Little Bird gave him a slightly puzzled look but nodded nonetheless. How had the unicorns blessed him? She had thought that the Olde herd didn't like 'trespassers' on their land. She had learned that from quite a few.... unwelcome meetings with some of the unicorn-worshiping herd. Remaining silent for a minute more as her heart settled in her chest, it didn't appear to her that this stallion was any sort of threat to her. As his bright blue eyes flickered toward an open area just ahead and his prancing hooves carried him past her, she hesitated a moment longer. Her father had taught her that no one was to be trusted, but this stallion did seem very nice, and it wasn't like her father would ever find out that she had stopped to talk to a stranger while he was gone. She had done it plenty of other times without getting into any sort of trouble.
Little Bird turned on her hooves, following after the overo horse as he made his way toward a more welcoming place to relax. A place where predators would be more easy to spot before they were actually a threat to their safety. "There's no need to apologize. I'd much rather run into you unexpectedly than one of those sharp-toothed cougars. They aren't exactly very friendly." She joked, finally breaking the silence with her soft voice. She flicked her long tail and tossed her head to get her forelock out of her face. As she walked into the open area, she spotted the fountain with the vine-covered statue. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, and she couldn't help but allow her hooves to carry her toward it. Little Bird looked up at the statue which was mangled beyond any recognition from years of weathering and vegetation growth. She sighed a little bit, wondering what it had once looked like in its glory days when the humans had still roamed this land. "It's beautiful isn't it?" Little Bird said quietly, studying the statue a moment longer before returning her gaze back to the unfamiliar stallion. "I can't say I've seen you before, so I'm assuming you're not a loner, which means you are most likely from Olde." Bird pondered aloud, studying him carefully. "My name is Little Bird. What's your name?" She introduced herself with a slight dip of her head. Her ears perked forward toward the stranger as she waited for him to answer.
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