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Post by leavingneverland on Jun 9, 2015 4:26:30 GMT -5
Charlie
---------------------------- Charlie's stopped dead; the sound reached his ears the moment Savy shushed them. He strained his ears against the low moan of wind through rocky crevices, trying to untangle the sound of voices and the words they spoke. Savy was right, there was definitely more than one. He couldn't make out the words though. Charlie's heart dropped to his hooves, a warm anxiety spreading over him, nervous, unsure. At the same time, a burst of excitement exploded in his chest. He looked around at his herd mates, each focused on the distant sound of voices, each straining just as hard as he was to make something of them. The voices flicked into his ears like a bug. He wished he could make out what they were trying to say. He took a few steps forward, straining even harder. This could be important. This could be a Bachelor plan against Olde. They could bring something of worth back to the herd, give them the upper hand, maybe even prevent a battle and save countless equine lives. They could --
Marianela's voice cut through the silence like glass, shattering high and clear above the groaning of the wind. Charlie's eyes grew wide with terror and disbelief. Oh no, he thought, and before he knew what was happening, she was trotting (none too quietly) toward the voices. "NO!" The word came out strangled, a whisper trying trying to contain a yelp. He couldn't believe what was happening; everything had been going so well! They didn't know how many of them there were; at least two. But maybe ten.
There was only one thing to do. He had to keep her here, at ALL costs.
Charlie leapt at her, throwing his full weight into his hind legs, aiming his massive body at her in a tackle that'd make a mountain goat proud. He didn't know if the enemy had heard her, but at least his little group wouldn't be walking blindfolded into enemy territory. Yet. |
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aashleyb
Olde Herd 
At least we made it out alive. (Blood of the Bachelors CP.2)
Posts: 22 
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Post by aashleyb on Jun 9, 2015 20:58:07 GMT -5
Salvato
............. Savy couldn't help but notice their current surroundings were not ideal for confrontation, especially since he was soo unfamiliar with the landscape. Nerves began to simmer within his joints from the sound of the muffled voices. He quickly glanced around at their surroundings, taking in the scene. The snow hadn't ceased, and the temperature had dropped low enough that he could see a faint hint of his breath in the dark of night. With any luck, we won't run into them until first light. That shouldn't be too far away now.... Charlie appeared as though he was contemplating just as hard as he was on what their next move should be; just as Savy was about to question it, a familiar voice from behind rang out soo loudly that it'd faintly echoed between the trees and rocks surrounding them.
His jaw dropped, and he stared stunned and mortified as the mare quickly pushed past them. Wha--?! His jaw was still hanging open when she chimed back at them. No, no, NO! Charlie's voice rang out his final thought as Savy instinctively perused her, only to be met by the flick of a nervous tail to the neck. Charlie had rammed into the mare in an attempt to stop her, and, before he could think clearly, he spat out in a hushed but agitated tone towards her, "Do you even know why you're here?!". A pang of guilt flickered between the nerves in his veins by his hasty words, and he clenched his teeth before continuing in a calmer tone: "We're intruding on enemy territory...I doubt they'll wanna make nice." His voice broke at the end, and he lowered his head from the elevated tension to the situation. Looking at the ground, he let out a quiet apology to no one in particular. His nerves flexed his expression in the darkness, and a familiar wave of sorrow flitted over his back-bone in reaction to the nostalgia of his outburst. He hated acting like his moth...dam...even if he didn't mean to. He glanced up at Charlie, not seeking to meet his gaze, but with hopes he still had a little bit of a bubbly attitude left to lighten the bleakness of the situation.
Word Count: 374
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Post by thepaisley on Jun 10, 2015 16:54:29 GMT -5
Tala Concentrating on trying to make out the voices, Tala paid little attention to what was going on around her and Marianela's lunge to meet the strangers didn't register as dangerous in her mind until the roan mare's tail flicked her neck as she eagerly rushed forward to meet the mysterious horses. The dun mage let out a strangled gasp, trying to pick up her pace and catch the fleeing Mari's tail-- she would bite down hard if it would shut her up, but Tala had an ominous feeling that Mari would scream and generally make an even bigger commotion rather than stop and shut up-- but it was Charlie who went after the mare to try and make her stop. Okay. That was close.While Savvy chewed the mare out on her heedless flight, Tala stepped farther ahead, pricking her ears to see if she could pick up anything else. Unfortunately, the wind had picked up speed since the last time she had tried to listen, and its whistling obscured most of the sounds that might be horses. She couldn't tell if they were moving or not; she guessed that they were stationary because it was hard for horses to disguise the sound of their hooves on rock, but if they were Bachelors as she suspected them to be then they probably had a lot more experience doing it, enough to hide the sound of hoofbeats from their prey. The dun mare thought she heard voices, but they were less distinct now. All she could catch was the occasional sibilant s, and a few other hard consonants if they were spoken loudly enough. She wondered if that was a note of excitement in their voices that she was hearing; that would likely mean that they had been spotted, and she was not keen on being caught off guard. Tala bared her teeth. If they did indeed attack, she would be ready. Taking a few more steps forward, she rounded a bend in the rocky path, hugging the cliff face as the trail grew somewhat narrower. Peering cautiously past the side of the cliff as it veered sharply away from her, she checked to see if the path ahead was clear. -- Wordcount: 367 |
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Post by leavingneverland on Jun 11, 2015 4:31:29 GMT -5
IMPORTANT!!
Brief Note About Power Playing
Regardless of whether we realise it or not, we all do it! I know it's
unintentional, but we have to be more aware of it in our own posts as well
as the posts of others! When in doubt, always give the other person a way out!
For example, don't say: "Character A bit down hard on Character B's neck."
Rather,write "Character A aimed a hard bite at Character B's neck." If you notice,
the first sentence gives Character B no choice but to be bitten, whereas the second
sentence gives her a chance to avoid the bite! This why, rather than saying Charlie
tackled Mari, he "aimed his massive body at her in a tackle." This gives Marianela
the option to sidestep the tackle if she wants to. If you see any Power Playing/God
Moding in your own posts or those of others, don't be ashamed to edit them or
point them out to the posters! In a NICE and non-accusatory fashion.
Luckily this hasn't happened all that much, and everyone's doing a great job keeping
the thread moving! Well done everyone!!
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Post by arlybarlywartek on Jun 11, 2015 8:55:17 GMT -5
Marianela
Marianela glanced back as she was trotting merrily off to find those voices. What in god names was that sound- OH MY UNICORNS. She was down into the snow with a loud, shrill cry of surprise and well, a little bit of pain. Her voice echoed throughout the blurred, furious flurry of the snow and she struggled and flailed to even recover from the cold mush. The horse tackled her. Why did he do that!? She rolled and struggled, finally getting back to her feet and...well, feeling even more cold than before. She was met with words of concern and...Frustration? Anger? She couldn't quite tell but they stabbed her in her heart, Marianela's eyes were squeezed shut to avoid having to look at Salvato as he questioned her. She whimpered, it almost seemed she was close to tears. The mare twisted her head away to hide the small droplet streaming down her cheek. She remained silent, unsure how to answer. 'how would they know they won't want to be nice? we haven't even met them...' She thought to herself, shrugging her large shoulders and twisting away so that she could return to being behind them.
Once in the safety of being behind the other's rumps...She lowered her head far to the ground, maw brushing over the powder of the ground. The whistling of the wind that was still oh so strong being the best distraction right now. She'd get them back for it. One way or another, push that...One that pushed her into a pond or something, see how he likes it. Or tackle him into the snow. IT WAS COLD. She huffed with frustration, sucking in a sharp breath and flicking her tail with such force that she had to make a little pained sound from surprising herself. This day was just full of 'em, right? |
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Post by rrath on Jun 12, 2015 0:49:27 GMT -5
Azriel
- - - - The thought of being in another’s territory was unsettling at glance. There was nothing nice about being away from home, for that’s where he was supposed to be happy – but being in another’s, one in which he felt strong distaste for - well it was eerie. Everything was so alien. Trees, animals – even the grass, it all felt so much different then back at Olde. Erie and unpleasant. Who would even want to live here? Azriel suddenly felt a great sense of sympathy for the poor mares taken. Not only were they away from home, prisoners, and with the other herd – but they were also stuck in this weird and horrible place. It was probably that thought that kept him so focused and on task.
The King’s orders sent a shiver down his spine. The thought of killing someone had almost never crossed his mind – against his nature. But the more he treaded through the land, the more he began to doubt his previous thoughts. In general, there was no way he’d doubt his superior. But the fact of what the Bachelors had done – well, it began to rattle his bones in anger. He wasn’t sure whether he even considered them horses; they may have had the skins of one, but with their morals, they seemed more like snakes. Killing a snake seemed far easier than a horse…
His company seemed like an interesting bunch. Not spending any real time around them, he could not judge their characters. Although, from what they said and how they acted, each one seemed reliable - at least in the set of skills they had. He couldn’t help but feel slightly disadvantaged within the group. He had never tracked horses – he had no idea whatsoever of what to look for. Tracks were easy to follow, but anyone could do that. Naturally, his gaze was focused more on eyeing the other horses as they looked for traces; maybe he could learn a thing or two from them as they worked. With eyes jumping around, looking at a different horse every few seconds, his ears flicked around, listening like he normally did. At least, at this point, he was pretty sure he could name everyone.
Distracted by everyone talking, he didn’t notice the far off voices until a few others had addressed them. Head raised, he could feel his own legs tense up immediately. Locked, preventing him from moving. His mind began rolling in circles, unable to get over the fact that things suddenly felt a lot more real. Maybe they weren’t even the horses – but there was something. Caught in his own sudden panic, his ears didn’t even register what happened around him, his eyes just dully watched.
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Post by leavingneverland on Jun 12, 2015 2:47:20 GMT -5
Charlie
---------------------------- Marianela went down with a shriek that shattered worlds; Charlie was too late to shove his hoof onto her muzzle, to clamp her mouth shut. The sound was out there. For a second, he didn't dare to move, but Marianela quickly fixed that for him. With a whimper, she wormed her way out from under him -- he could hear her hooves reverberating softly off the rock as she took moved back into the herd, her pride wounded. Still he didn't move; his ears were straining for something else. And then -- there.
The voices were back. His heart leapt, though he wasn't certain if it was because of excitement or fear. Probably a little bit of both.
He could hear the voices mumbling on the wind, male voices. Charlie scrambled to his feet to a terrifying symphony of clattering hooves and spraying pebbles as the voices on the other side grew more distinct. He turned back to his group, his eyes wide but determined. "In future," he said, panting from the effort of keeping his voice calm and steady. "If anybody wants to meet anybody else, we run it through the group. Capiche? That way, at the end of the day, maybe we all get to go home to our friends and family. Noted? Great. War faces on, ladies and gentlemen, I can't imagine this is gonna be pretty."
Charlie moved quickly forward, being as careful as he could on the narrow, rocky path that was in no way ideal for battle. All he could do was hope and prey that it opened out a little way down, before the voices could reach them and trap them in a narrow alleyway, gaining a tremendous advantage which Charlie did not want them to have. "Keep close!" he called back to the others, quickly threading his way around boulders and over precarious clumps of loose stone and earth. "Don't let anyone fall behind!"
He stopped for only a moment, his ears swinging this way and that, trying to locate any noise that might betray the enemy horses. Snow drifted down serenely from the skies as he started forward again, leaping dangerously over a break in the path without a second thought. He pointed his ears forward -- either the voices had quieted down now, or it was harder to hear them with the wind rushing in his ears and his hooves pattering against the canyon passages. But he kept on going, eyes peeled, terrified and trying not to show it. They would not have the upper hand. |
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aashleyb
Olde Herd
At least we made it out alive. (Blood of the Bachelors CP.2)
Posts: 22
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Post by aashleyb on Jun 12, 2015 9:28:21 GMT -5
Salvato
.............. He clenched his teeth and his muscles tensed as the voices they'd heard, what felt like seconds before, crawled back into his head. His head shot up. A group of stallions.... Finally, the word Bachelor came back to mind, and he couldn't help but suspect that, had they heard Marianela, they would be ready for them on the other side. The thought was immediately followed by the sounds of their movement. His attention was refocused to Charlie as he turned to instruct them.
'...maybe we all get to go home to their' (our) 'friends and family.' This certainly didn't lighten Savy's mood at all, the only family he knew was either forced out of his life, or chose to leave him of their own selfish accord; consequently, his former determination for their mission was restored, as he knew his own unfortunate past in no way reflected off the lives of his nearest herd members. Not as far as he was aware though. Understanding the pain of separation, he became set on making sure the horses around him would be able to return to any loved ones they may have left behind.
After giving Charlie an assertive nod of agreement. He didn't have to think twice as he instinctively analyzed his next move in the group; he pivoted and peeled back from his position behind the stallion. He made his way towards the back of the group, his sides brushing against them as he squeezed by on the narrow path they walked. I'm not losing my cool now...not before I'm needed most. A new expression dressed his features, one he knew they probably wouldn't notice as they started in the opposite direction with Charlie. He faltered as he reached Marianela, who's demeanor struck him as that of either irritation, defeat, or both. "Hey," he said, gently tapping his muzzle to the side of her neck as he passed by to pick up the rear. He tried keeping his voice just loud enough for her to hear, lacking any hint of hostility, he continued, "I don't want this to turn into a fight, not between us, and not between them. But, whatever happens, I'm not about to let a herd-member, under my care, go un-protected." Standing close enough behind her to be kicked, he briefly hoped she wouldn't turn to aggression as retaliation for his outburst just moments prior. He tried to encourage her to keep a close pace behind Azriel; nose high and ears alert, he listened for any sign of danger that could descend upon them at any moment.
Word Count: 430
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Post by thepaisley on Jun 13, 2015 12:04:53 GMT -5
Tala Mari's yelp as Charlie tackled her made Tala's head shoot back, ears pinned to her skull. Baring her teeth, she turned back to see what was going on only to see that it was Marianela who had let out the screech, and relaxed somewhat. Unicorns above, she's going to get us all killed, the mare thought, shaking her head. There was no way the Bachelors-- she had internally resigned herself to the fact that they were Bachelors-- had not heard that, and the only thing that they could do now was forge on ahead and hope to overwhelm with superior force and tactics. There was no way they had the element of surprise now; it would be a battle of wits and strength. They continued ahead, and the path was becoming more treacherous as the snow melted on the rocks and made them slick and slippery. Talaara's hooves nearly slipped twice, and she was forced to keep one eye on the ground in front of her at all times in order to retain good footing. It helped that she had traversed mountains before, but that was a long time ago and the paths were not nearly as dangerous as they were now. Unable to devote more of her mind to trying to hear the voices, she didn't make out much more of what was said. Instead, she was forced to plod along the trail, trying to stay as close to the cliff wall as was possible without scraping her fur off. After a time, she wondered if the cliff wall was getting smaller. Surely they were reaching the top of the mountain; they had certainly been walking for long enough. The grass at the bottom was much smaller now, and she could barely make it out. "Are we reaching the top?" she asked Charlie in a low whisper, flicking her ears to the top of the mountain which seemed to be much closer than before. |
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Post by arlybarlywartek on Jun 13, 2015 12:39:53 GMT -5
Marianela
She followed along, blanking everything out as she slowly started to close her eyes. She stretched her legs to keep up with the change of pace, she didn't want to get abandoned at least. So she may have scuffed against a few boulders but Salvato's muzzle brought her back to reality. She twisted her neck and looked very hard at him with her oddly coloured eyes. She scowled for a few moments and let her head hang down near the ground, snorting loudly. "Save your breath, focus on yourself." She grumbled, hooves scuffing the ground and flicking the white icey powder about. Marianela should have been paying more attention since she stumbled and tripped forwards with a little whine, were the others going to bite her head off for tripping? She furrowed her brows with a frustrated toss of her head which brushed over the stallion's rump in front of her. Marianela in fact, actually just rested it on his rump with an attitude of 'I DON'T CARE'. Her eyes were rather wide and innocent however, should he look back to investigate and witness the chunky mare enjoying the rest.
The path was becoming much more narrow and....Marianela really hated that. She started to grind up against the rock face to avoid slipping. She was being somewhat smart...Trying to protect herself from falling. The mare groaned when Tala asked Charlie a question. How long had they been walking for? IT FELT FOREVER. She began grumbling again from boredom and exhaustion, this wind would be the death of her.
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Post by rrath on Jun 13, 2015 15:19:32 GMT -5
Azriel
- - - - Mixtures of words and actions in front and around him was what snapped him out of his mini trance. It took a moment for him to remember how to function his legs again – not to mention, they felt extra heavy. Everything around still felt long and distant – like he was walking through a tunnel. Too much to focus on. Too much to worry about. Were they actually Bachelors? How many were them? Did they actually have a chance to beat Bachelors if there was a large group of them? They would need the upper hand, would they have it? – The questions reeled through his mind, starting to work up into one big knot of worry. Unable to control his mind’s panic, it was the lead’s voice that suddenly made his mind almost stop in a standstill. Blinking in surprise, he shook his head and tried to calm his breathing. He had to control himself. Panicking was no help to anyone.
Keeping as close to the edge of the mountainside, he couldn’t help but flinch every time a pebble rolled down and hit his foreleg. His eyes began darting again - to the ledge and the other horses around him. The whole trespassing thing too, well it all made him sit quite on edge. They weren’t ever supposed to be there, but they were going into another’s land to basically attack them? Right? Frankly, he felt like that gave him at least some right to be concerned.
Throwing his head up, his attention turned back to Charlie, serious expression framing his face. One of his panic ridden thoughts hadn't left him. “Any idea of how many yah can hear up there?” His worry almost seemed to leak into his voice, with the hushed tone making it sound even more distressed.
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Words: 298 |
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Post by leavingneverland on Jun 13, 2015 16:28:29 GMT -5
Charlie
----------------------------
Charlie was forced to slow from a canter to a trot, and then down to a frustrated crawl, barely a walk, as the path narrowed. There was barely enough room for him to place two of his hooves side by side. He could hear the laboured breathing of his group behind him, and his frustrations built. How was he going to handle this? How could they get the upper hand in what seemed like a hopeless situation? He squeezed his eyes shut for a second, forcing back the headache blooming behind his eyes. Why the hell had Vasska chosen him? Never in Charlie's life had he doubted his leader, but now?
A voice snapped him out of his thoughts, dragging him back to the here and now. He pushed the negative thoughts away; he'd get nowhere thinking about things like that. He had to stay positive, if not for himself then for everyone else. He had to at least try and keep their spirits up, never mind the fact that this was the most ridiculous group of assassins he'd ever seen (himself entirely included; in no world would Charlie ever have looked at himself and gone 'today, you're a stone cold killer'.)
His ear swirled backwards, locking on Tala's quiet voice. "Can't be long now," he told answered back just as quietly, noting that the ground was finally starting to even out beneath his hooves. And then Azriel's voice, sounding panicked and small, broke through the group's silence. It was a question Charlie had asked himself over and over as he strained his ears to hear the voices. He couldn't hear them anymore though; he couldn't tell. "I dunno," he answered honestly. "Ten maybe, if we're looking for a fair fight," he added, shooting a confident grin back at the black stallion. He may not feel all that great about their chances, but they didn't need to know that. |
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aashleyb
Olde Herd
At least we made it out alive. (Blood of the Bachelors CP.2)
Posts: 22
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Post by aashleyb on Jun 13, 2015 20:24:46 GMT -5
Salvato..............
Treading carefully as they slowed on the path narrowing before them, Savy paid no mind to the attitude of the mare as she spoke; however, her words sent something like a sliver through his being, and it left as fast as it came. "I wouldn't be on this island if I were focused on myself," he said in a hushed but serious tone. It was true. He was driven to protect those around him, whether they showed him respect or not. He never forgot the promise he'd made to his father the last time he saw him. Protect the herd like a bird protects a nest. He briefly recalled a mother bird dying while valiantly protecting her chicks from an intruding male; what struck him soo personally was the fact that his father had noticed. He shook his head, refocusing himself on their surroundings.
The ground had become hard and cold, a brisk breeze continued to roll across his body while a couple of snowflakes threatened a dive in his eye. He walked meticulously with every step, being careful to keep his massive size from becoming his downfall...literally. Savy wasn't able to tell when a hoof landing or sliding on a rock was one of their own, or one belonging to the voices he could no longer hear. He noticed Marianela leaning against the cliff-side and couldn't help but drop his head down to the left of her hip; he wasn't touching her, nor did he think she noticed, but his face was there to support her weight in case she started sliding.
For a moment, he thought his warm breath had become easier to see, but he looked up and realized that the sky was just a shade or two lighter than it was when they'd first heard the voices. Either the clouds were clearing up, or the night was preparing to introduce the sun; it was too early to tell which. 'If we're looking for a fair fight,' Charlie's response to Azriel hung in his ear. At this point in time, he felt completely indifferent to the situation. He knew that, no matter what, he was going to do what he could to make sure everyone was safe, even if it meant getting battered and broken in the process.
Word Count: 382
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Post by thepaisley on Jun 13, 2015 21:29:21 GMT -5
Tala Things were growing more monotonous, and Tala found herself checking behind her occasionally as well as in front. It had become quiet-- too quiet-- and too-quietness in the territory of your mortal enemy was never a good thing. There hadn't been much birdsong in the last few minutes of climbing, but even the last half-hearted chirps had ceased, not to mention the ever-present sounds of insects. The silence was unnatural now, and Tala was beginning to get jumpy. There was a little sound down below, and she craned her head sharply to look, balancing precariously on a narrow path three hooves as she did so, but it was only a small rock bouncing down the steep sides of the cliff. No Bachelors there. The mare was more inclined to keep her ears pressed flat against her head, but she needed to keep her ears open, to hear any more clues of the other horses' presence and movements. They could not afford to be taken by surprise; in enemy territory, it would quite certainly be fatal. No surprises allowed. Suddenly, the path began to flatten out and widen. They had reached the top, finally. The mage allowed herself a small smile, and turned to Mari, who seemed to be stricken with the worst case of boredom out of all of them. "Yes, we're there," she murmured with a grin. At last. Now, if they were attacked, they could fight back. She began to peruse the terrain; it appeared to connect to another, higher peak, which had a good view of the land where they were now. It looked like a good place to hide and keep tabs on anything that went on below. Perhaps they were there? Maybe not, but it was worth checking out. Glancing at Charlie briefly, requesting his permission to scout over there, Tala took a few steps questioningly towards the other, higher, end. Wordcount: 316 |
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Post by elesette on Jun 18, 2015 14:24:54 GMT -5
 Note: Bachelors will be arriving soon - feel free to post - bursting into the new canyon - or something quiet/eerie or whatever you please until they get here c: if you get on before they do! |
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