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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2014 17:02:32 GMT -5
//BlueunicornJ13 & Ryder here.
A little notion: This game takes place before the latest Objective whereas timeline is concerned.//
Nimh
The grey dappled mare was walking along the shoreline of the Southern Isle. After a few too many close calls with the Bachelor herd she had had enough and decided to change the scenery. Landbridges were up so it was fairly easy to get out of there. The darkness had already entangled it's gloomy fingers over the scenery. The sky was full of dark clouds that hid the view to stars, wind was rising and the sea was roaring very high. Nimh was wet from the waves crashing into the land bridge and on parts even hitting her legs. She had had to truly focus to keep her feet steady. She could still feel her heart bouncing from the slight panic; for a fleeting moment she had not been sure she would make it over. If the sea had flushed her into the grey deeps she was fairly certain no one would have really even wondered where she'd gone.
She was completely deadbeat and tired, her muscles ached and her feet were starting to drag. She would stumble when her hooves would hit even a small bump. Her lavenderish eyes went over the scenery but she couldn't see any obvious shelter to rest. It started to seem like a bad decision to come here, what had she thought she could achieve here? Maybe she should have opted for the Olde. But since she had spent a lot less time here she had been curious about this particular island, just right now she felt a lot less adventurous. She felt a shiver and the coldness was starting to settle in as she was not struggling to get forward anymore and she was too tired to keep up fast enough movement. Her whole body was starting to heavily protest moving forward but Nimh still resisted to stop on her tracks. She knew that if she stopped now she would hardly find the strenght to go further. Her head hung low and her sides bumped for air. She realized that she was very vulnerable at the moment and started to worry she'd come across some predators of this island. She still doubted that even adrenaline could do her much good at this point of exhaustion.
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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 Aug 30, 2014 17:21:19 GMT -5
Ryder
The sky was overcast, and the clouds that covered it were dark grey with water that would soon fall on the desolate Southern island. A brown paint stallion walked on the shores, letting the rough water wash over his hooves as he made his way down the beach. He was supposed to be looking for water and food, but what was the point when the entire island was a black scar? Ash covered the ground and smothered anything that was growing beneath. He snorted as a droplet of salt water fell on his nose. The Exiles were stuck between a rock and a hard place, but Ryder had agreed to stay with them when he joined the herd after the fire. No turning back now he supposed. Living the life of a loner hadn't been all it was cracked up to be anyways. There was safety in numbers, and the Exiles were definitely plenty in that.
Ryder's eyes scanned the horizon as he watched the storm swirl above him. A low rumble of thunder made his ears flatten slightly. The stallion wasn't afraid of storms, but they weren't pleasant for anyone especially when there wasn't any trees to hide under. A dark shape arose on the beach, and Ryder stopped to look for a moment. Was it a horse? The land bridges were up after all, and there were constantly horses coming over from the Bachelors' island. The large horse walked forward with her head lowered. Her legs seemed shaky from what had probably been a long journey. Ryder's stomach twisted as he thought of what he should do. Should he help her find somewhere to rest or leave her to her own devices? He sighed as he trotted toward the stranger. A horse that tired would be picked off by a predator in seconds especially when they were as hungry as they were now. The fires had been harsh on everyone, and the beasts of this island were having a hard time finding food. Ryder stopped several horse lengths away from the dappled mare. He cleared his throat to announce himself before he spoke. "H-hello. Do you need any help," he asked.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2014 17:58:22 GMT -5
Nimh
Nimh closed her eyes for a second at the first roar of the thunder quickly approaching. She glanced upwards to see the clouds gather even darker than before if possible, and the cold wind against her wet coat sent continuous shivers down her body. Her jaw was tight and the muscles on her cheeks moved from her grinding her teeth due to straining her body way past all its limits.
Her vision wasn't as sharp as it usually was and she didn't register a dark form approaching her right away. Not until she could actually hear the hoofbeats against the ground. Her hed swung up and droplets of water drained from her long forelock and left smears on her partly dirty coat. Nimh wanted to gather herself up, carry herself right but she didn't have the strenght to do so. Her eyes were a bit slow to focus. Her lips were a tense line and her muscles rippled under her coat. It felt hard to even draw a deep breath, let alone be prepared for the possibly hostile encounter.
She was thankful that the stallion kept his distance. Her large hooves dragged to a stop and she had to use all her energy to not let her knees buckle from underneath her. Nimh was a creature of pride afterall and it did eat her away inside that a stranger should see her in such a state. Her eyes sweeped across the figure of this unknown stallion and tried to gather any information. He didn't seem like he would attack, at least not right away.
As she wondered about her response she realized she hadn't spoken with anyone in days and her tongue felt weird in her mouth.
"Hi", she croaked, her voice hoarse and tired. She decided to be direct and honest, since she didn't have the energy for any games. "I, um, was hoping to find any shelter somewhere close by", she said, still closely watching the stallion's face. Her pale eyes held a quiet plea. Nimh was not one to beg but her ego aside she realized this was pretty much a matter of life and death for her.
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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 Aug 30, 2014 20:10:57 GMT -5
Ryder
The paint stallion waited for a moment as the horse before him gathered enough strength to talk. It pained him a bit to see anyone in this state, and he felt the instant drive to help her. The mare was wet to her skin, and the cold wind sent shivers down her spine. Her teeth chattered in her mouth, making a loud grinding noise as she tried to keep them from moving. Ryder took a few steps forward in case the grey dapple horse needed help walking.
Ryder nodded with a small grin at her, trying his hardest to look as friendly as possible. He meant no harm to her, and he wanted her to know that. "I know a place not too far from here that'll keep you safe. Looks like you've been through quite a bit," he said with a flick of his tail.
He pointed his head in the direction he would be taking her: due east of their current position. A cave was nestled by the shores and would have enough room for both of them if Ryder got caught in the storm which appeared to be what would happen. He just hoped this horse wouldn't end up to be a crazy murderer when she felt better, but he quickly dismissed that ridiculous idea. "Do you need any help getting there? You can lean on me if you need to," he offered, searching the mare's face to see her reaction. If it were a bad one, he'd be sure to not offer as much help in the future. "My name is Ryder by the way."
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2014 8:58:28 GMT -5
Nimh
Nimh kept altering her weight between her front legs, just a slight lean from side to side. Left, right, left, right... She was hoping to keep at least some blood pumping to her muscles. It didn't do much to keep her warm but it ensured her muscles get at least a little bit of mobility and she'd be able to take another step. She knew that if she was to make it through the night her muscles would be unbelieavably sore tomorrow, but she'd just have to keep moving. Moving was her medicine to everything, pretty much. She felt that as long as she kept moving, she was somewhat safe.
Nimh's shoulder tensed ever so slightly when the stallion stepped closer. She was fairly certain he meant no harm, so he willed herself not to move out or pin her ears at this seemingly friendly stranger. She did tend to get very sheltered if she was not at the peak of her performance, so being in such an embarassingly poor shape did make her just want to dig up to the next deep burrow and hide out. She did however realize that she did need to deal with this horse and accept his help. This was not a matter of pride anymore.
Her eyes followed the motion of his head, counting the distance and the steps it would need to get covered. She sighed quietly, partly out of relied and partly just out of exhaustion as a hopeful light flickered in her pale eyes.
"I can walk", she said through her cold-clenched jaws, a bit too fast. She didn't mean to hurt his feelings or be rude, it was just a reflex to keep anyone off her skin. Maybe she'd explain it to him later... "Thank you though, I appreciate it", she corrected herself, trying to force some softness to her tone and the overall reaction.
"I'm Nimh", she said as she took the first step. Her legs felt partly numb from the cold but she was thankful the shore was fairly even surface and it was easy enough to get moving. She had to count her steps not to stumble or get messed into her own legs. Her eyes kept going back to the alleged spot of the hide-out. It was difficult for her to accept help, but at least this stallion had not been murderous from the start. It would have been very easy to get rid of her at this state, so if he was not going to become hostile now she doubted he would do so later on.
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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 Aug 31, 2014 12:29:59 GMT -5
Ryder
The brown paint waited patiently for the mare to either accept or decline his help. Even if she did decline though, he would make sure to follow at a safe distance. There was no way the dappled mare could make it that far without some sort of help, either from just his directions or some sort of physical help. She seemed to be on the defensive side, and he took a mental note of that. There was no need in causing her any more stress by trying to push his help on her. If she didn't want it, she wasn't going to take it. When she said she could walk by herself, Ryder nodded in understanding and took a step away from her. "Alright. If you do need help later, don't hesitate to ask."
A few questions drifted into his mind, but he put them aside for later when she was feeling a bit better. He waited until Nimh was even with him before beginning to walk. If it weren't for the mare's tired state, Ryder would have probably had to trot to keep up with her longer gait, but right now, he was willing himself to slow down for her. The crashing waves had created a relatively flat surface for the horses to walk on. His blue eyes took on a darker shade as the black clouds loomed over them.
Thunder rolled once more overhead as Ryder looked at the horse beside him. "Nimh is a very lovely name," he said and almost instantly regretted it. He didn't want her to think he was some sort of creep, but kindness always seemed to find its way out of him. He cleared his throat quietly, hoping maybe the waves had washed out his words. 'It's alright to be nice to strangers. She might think I'm a weirdo, but at least I'll be a nice one,' he thought as they continued down the shore. The beach cave was around a bend in the shoreline. They could probably make it before the storm hit. With a glance at the sky, Ryder chuckled to himself. 'Well... maybe anyways.'
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2014 17:34:02 GMT -5
Nimh
When Nimh had a bit more space around her it was easier to breathe. Maybe the prolonged times spent alone were partly to blame, or could be that her dam's neurotic avoidance of others had rubbed off more than Nimh cared to admit. When she was feeling strong she didn't mind it as much, she was sometimes even one to initiate playful closeness should the mood strike, but in a vulnerable state it was a different case. It might have been difficult to imagine her on a better day, as she was just a dripping wet mess. Her large frame was accented with her ribs visible to the eye and hip bones a bit too visual for a healthy appearance. She wasn't too badly underweight, but she'd need to rest up after this. The funny thing was, she didn't feel hungry though. It was pretty much the farthest thing from her mind at the moment.
She simply nodded to the stallion. She would not ask for any more help if she could avoid it, but who knew. She didn't feel like arguing; it would have been stupid of her. She kept an eye on him from the corner of her eye. She could tell he was forcing his gait to match hers and it pained her not being able to pick up the speed. The thunder was rumbling and the first, heavy but scarce drops were starting to fall. It was like the cloud was lazily sprinking a few drops here and there before completely drenching everything. Nimh knew better than to hurry herself, she would just get entangled in her own feet when her hooves would drag. She grinded her teeth in frustration. Usually she had nothing to complain about when it came to her body, it served her well. Now she just felt so weak and useless.
When the stallion spoke again, she responded with half a smile and glanced at him. Her tired mind felt scattered and she was having a hard time coming up with a response.
"Thank you", she simply said, a smile still tickling at the corner of her mouth. She supposed it was polite to at least try to keep up some excuse of a conversation, even though she didn't mind silence one bit.
"Very kind of you to help me", she then managed to say. She meant it. Her situation could have gone a lot worse. While she wasn't one to trust anyone easily, she was happy to see kind strangers still existed. Of course another Loner would have felt obliged to help, but a herd member could have easily just turned a blind eye on her. She could see the cave formation now, it was not too long to go.
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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 Aug 31, 2014 19:06:16 GMT -5
Ryder
Heavy droplets of rain were beginning to fall, and the thunder was coming in a more frequent sequence. The storm would be hitting any moment now, and thankfully, the cave was in sight. It had been quite awhile since Ryder had been there, and he hoped there wouldn't be a loner holed up in there as well. There might not be enough room to fit three horses comfortably. Salt stung his nose, but it was an oddly comforting feeling. The ocean had always been a kind reminder to him that no matter how much things changed, some things always stayed the same.
His torn ear flicked toward Nimh when her tired voice broke the silence that had fallen after his oddly placed compliment. Her thankfulness was a splendid sound to the stallion's ear, and he was suddenly washed in a sense of relief. Thank goodness, she had taken his compliment that right way. He was just trying to be nice.
His tail flicked as the two of them neared the cave entrance. His head turned toward Nimh as she spoke again. A deep chuckle rang from his chest at her statement. "No problem. I would hope that if I were in your situation someone would come along and help me as well. Plus, I have a hard time leaving others when they're in danger," he said with a playful grin. Normally, he was sort of submissive around strangers, but when he was helping others, it was like he took on another persona. One where he was a confident and courageous stallion, and not one that always had his head down and his ears pinned back. Maybe it was his loner past that made him feel obligated to lend a hoof to someone who appeared to be by themselves.
The rain drops began to fall quicker as Nimh and Ryder found themselves at the entrance to the cave. Ryder took a second to stop and assess the cave before the exhausted mare entered. He trotted forward as she walked at a slower pace. The cave appeared to be empty from what he could tell. His blue eyes met her's for a moment as he gave her a brief nod as if he were saying without words that the cave was safe for her to rest.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2014 9:29:27 GMT -5
Nimh
The new rain made stripes and smears into her already wet coat, washing away the dirt on parts and accenting the fact that she wasn't really clean to start with. Nimh was usually one to take good care of herself and her appearance, but she couldn't really care less as of that moment. She would definately take care of that though, later. She was thankful of the approaching cave, her entire willpower was focused there. She kept counting her steps and having the other ear listening to the beat of her own gait. Four beats, she told herself, four beats.
She smiled shortly for Ryder. She was like that, too. While she was at most times her own top priority, she was a caring invidual underneath it all. She lived and let others live, too.
"What goes around comes around, I guess", she said. She did believe good things came to those that did good things and were patient. Nimh's lack of patience often got her into situations head first, but she usually managed.
Finally they were at the cave, gladly it was empty. Normally a dark, cold cave would not have been Nimh's idea of a welcoming resting place, but not it looked like the softest place ever. She probably wouldn't have cared if there was another horse in there, she would have gotten in and let the others deal with it. Her steps echoed slightly in the small cave. As they entered the rain was falling faster and faster and the rumbling of the thunder was much louder. The wind blew in short, harsh blows from the sea. The cave however was placed so that the wind did not blow right in, which Nimh was very thankful of.
She didn't wait, at the very far end of the cave she finally let her knees buckle underneath herself and laid down with a thud. Not her most graceful moments but if Ryder wanted to hold it against her, he could go freely at it. She was completely overcome with the feeling of exhaustion, her body so heavy she could not have gotten up no matter how much she wanted. And what was the point fighting it?
"I'm sorry I won't be much company", she managed to mumble out before her eyes closed. She was asleep as soon as her head touched the ground. She didn't have the energy to worry about the stallion and what he'd do. She guessed he'd stay and she doubted he would attempt to hurt her, he had had so many opportunities already. She'd worry about everything tomorrow.
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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 Sept 1, 2014 11:25:45 GMT -5
Ryder
Ryder watched on with a slightly concerned expression as Nimh wandered to the very back of the cave. The large mare flopped down on her side in an ungraceful matter, but it didn't really bother the stallion. He knew she was beyond exhausted from her journey. Who knew how much longer her legs could have held her up. She would probably sleep for quite awhile. Thankfully, his herd wouldn't be expecting him back for at least another day. Water and food was hard to come by, and the Exiles' scouts were having to travel all the way to the outskirts of the charred island.
The rain was falling heavily on the sand, and the waves crashed loudly on the shore as Ryder found a spot for himself to lay down a few horse lengths away from the sleeping Nimh. He wasn't sleepy, but chances were no one would be coming into their cave that wouldn't be a friend. Most of the loners had already vacated this desolate place, and if anyone from his herd came seeking shelter, it would be okay.
Ryder was about to answer Nimh, but when he turned to look at her, her pale colored eyes were already shut. He chuckled softly as he laid his own head down. It wasn't long before the roaring became a soothing enough sound that the paint stallion fell asleep.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2014 15:53:10 GMT -5
Nimh twitched in her sleep multiple times. Her head was filled with all sorts of chaotic images; scary dreams that made no sense. She could see her foal-hood friend Ty, all blood-soaked and her dam Solena, half a face ripped off. She would try run but she couldn't move or scream for help. She would spiral into an abyss, keep falling, just falling. Just before she would hit the imaginary bottom she woke up, with a weird mumbling shout. She was sweating but cold at the same time.
It was still dark as she took a little moment to figure out where she actually was. She remembered the storm. And Ryder. Her eyes automatically searched for the stallion's figure. She listened but couldn't hear the howling storm anymore, just a steady rain. Her eyes seeked for the opening of the cave and from what she could see outside, the color of the sky indicated that the morning was not too far off.
Nimh didn't get up yet, she focused on steadying her madly bounding heart. The small cave had been heated by the two horses overnight and it was fairly comfortable now that she was awake and calming down. She was uncertain if Ryder was awake and dared not bother him. Instead she focused on thinking what she'd do next, where she'd go. She considered trying to see if there was any green grass left somewhere fairly near the shore, resting up for the following day and then returning back to the Eastern Isle. She wouldn't go across right away, she needed to gather some strenght but she felt she couldn't stay on the Southern Isle for prolonged time either. Bachelors felt more dangerous than Exiles, but their land was much more fertile and offered much more safe places to stay. At the same time Nimh did feel bad for the Exiles, stuck in such an unfavorable island. Nimh was even more thankful to be free.
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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 Sept 1, 2014 20:01:05 GMT -5
Ryder
Ryder didn't sleep for long before he was awaken by a nightmare. He had this same recurring one where he was spiraling into an inferno, but right before he would hit the fire, his stomach would flip inside of him and wake him up. The rain was still persistently beating on the ground outside of the cave which was a good and a bad thing. Maybe the grass would finally poke out of the ash with all this water. 'Don't get your hopes up, Ryder. Good things can happen but not miracles,' he thought to himself. He would like to think of himself as an optimistic horse, but in times like these, who could be?
It was hours before the sky outside looked as though it might reveal a bit of sunlight. He heard a slight rustling noise behind him and assumed that Nimh was waking up. Would she just leave if she thought he were still asleep? He knew he probably would have when he was still a loner. It was nice, he remembered, not to have to rely on anyone besides himself. However, it was also nice now that he was in a herd. There were horses that wanted to help when he needed it, and there was always someone to go to if you wanted to talk.
Without lifting his head, Ryder stared steadily out the opening of the cave. "Good morning. Well.... almost morning," he said and lifted his head. His blue eyes searched the darkened cave to find the resting mare and finally settled on her form.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2014 22:40:25 GMT -5
The rain falling was a calming sound, even though Nimh did hope it would pretty soon end. Just a slight movement would bring pain to her muscles and she knew her body would greatly oppose to moving anywhere today. It was however exactly what she needed to do; some calm movement would get her sore muscles flexible again. Her coat and especially fetlocks were a mess, but she wasn't looking forward to getting wet today. If she was to get really sick, she'd be alone. She knew no healers or any of the sort and had no knowing of herbal things of her own. Otherwise she felt fairly good.
"Good morning to you too", Nimh responded. In the dark it was hard to tell anything from expressions or bodylanguage. At least Ryder hadn't gotten up and started demanding she'd leave right away. Then again Exiles apparently didn't have as strict rules about strangers. A situation like this with a Bachelor stallion could have been a complete nightmare. Nimh yawned and without getting up she stretched her front legs forward. It felt both good and bath. But some pain meant being alive, and she was happy to be just that.
"Thank you again for the place to rest", she then said. Her voice was a bit raw still, but more towards her normal self. She couldn't really remember much from last night, if she had truly thanked the kind stallion. And she did want him to know that she was thankful. A bit awkward, too, since she wasn't used to needing or receiving help, but it felt good to be helped in dire need.
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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 Sept 2, 2014 11:22:28 GMT -5
Ryder
Ryder sifted to face Nimh, and even though he couldn't see her very well, he felt a little less rude talking to her with his back facing her. The rain was still drizzling outside, and the waves were still pounding on the shore. Soon the sun would peak through the grey and cast some light on the two horses. He stretched his legs and tucked his front legs underneath him. It wouldn't be long before he had to return to his herd with the unfortunate news that he had found no new source of food or water. Their little island was drying up very quickly, and Ryder worried for a moment about what they would do.
Ryder nodded at Nimh's response with a grin before remembering that she couldn't see his facial expressions. His ears flicked forward to catch any sounds that came from her direction. "Don't worry about it. It was the least I could do for a horse that obviously needed help and had probably never been to this island. Why'd you choose to come here now, if you don't mind me asking? It's not exactly a hospitable place at the moment," he said with an odd chuckle.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2014 17:12:38 GMT -5
Nimh's keen ears listened to the rain getting just a little bit lighter and the sound of the drops slightly scarcer. The first beams of the coming sun were slowly reaching over the horizon. It seemed like the new morning might finally tame the passing storm altogether. The mare was getting slightly restless. While she didn't object to Ryder's company, she lived for a certain sort of solitude. She felt like she couldn't truly think straight if she didn't have enough alone-time.
She did ponder over the stallion's question for a little while in silence. She didn't have an answer that might really make sense, but then again, did it matter?
"Hm. I guess I just wanted a change of scenery. I tend to move around a lot. It seems I chose a bad timing though", she said with a self-ironic half smile. She couldn't lay down anymore so she got up, fairly slowly and stiffly. She stretched her back and hind legs. It felt good having blood flowing into her limbs again. She was still set on waiting out the rest of the rain, but after that she knew she'd have to move on.
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