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Post by havenstorm on Jul 6, 2010 23:15:19 GMT -5
Icicles purged from the ground where he stood. Clear vessels that shone with the very thought of the earth herself. There he sat, each dagger pulsing at every shift. From these wounds he sensed the land, each slice both jabbing and purifying his being. His fur had begun springing white from the roots, still no match for his black coat, which glistened under the perspiring snow, melting away at his heart-heated skin. He sighed with pleasure, as though the snow a dominatrix, tempting his every sense with surges of pain, yet ultimately leaving him at peace. Cairne stood with grace, his back arching. A single avalanche of snow cascaded to his hooves, leaving his black touch on each flake, marking this spot where he purged ounces from his river of still unholy thought. Leaning into the harsh wind that caressed the mountain top, he felt his eyes water with enlightenment. Two golden beads hung from his eyes, easing down his face to make leave to their fall. Touching the furrowed white, they sank deep into the fluff. The wind halted on a beat, leaving in its wake a veil of bleached powder. The sun lit this swaying form, and set it to the ground, revealing the wonderland that was to become his home. At the sight of a grand setting, he saw where the royals might prance, and sought immediately to beg their allowance. The climb down was treacherous, but past. Crimson circled Cairne's hooves, marking his journey for all to see, until he wished it from his memory and body. He now stood at the edge of the land, rolling flats and roaring-cliff peaks her body, and silky laps of white wonder her breath. In his first step, he inhaled the taste to his very soul. It yielded visions of a runaway. A child tormented by her unforgotten past. He saw a dead king, poison in his daughter’s hand and soul. Bellowing to the over and under worlds with a held head, his words carried across the entire land “I, Cairne Highstep, have wandered so very far to find this place, and I’ll see to it’s perfection for all!” Stamping through the now-chilled wind, Cairn’s final words were to be heard by the queen herself. “Echo marks more than your name fair queen. You’re past shall torment you no more, for I shall show you the true power of the heart over the mind.” Cairne's last thoughts would resound forever. “And let none stand in my way..” Her residing sat close now. He knew her smell well already, for his words hung on it, awaiting her arrival.
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firehound12
Junior Officer of "On your way"
~Swimming with the plots in her head! [M:500]
Posts: 92
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Post by firehound12 on Jul 7, 2010 14:55:22 GMT -5
She had heard of a stallions intrusion, she took her time though, surveying the land she had laid claim to. Just to make sure this stallion hadn't marked her land or destroyed it in any way shape or form. She was sure she could hold the male off if he tried anything, she had done it before. The Lonely Queen of this Winter Wonderland made her way to the brute who spoke. His voice was charming, yet she was on high alert. Echo didn't have the best track record with males. Killed her step-father, for her mother and herself. Abusive he was. Than she had a mate, but after all those years running, she couldn't help but think of her mate's response when she did manage to gain the courage to tell him her story, the true one. So she ran. And ended up here. Echo listened to the Stallion's words. Perfection? Her Aud's perked high with sudden interest at his next words. My past. How did he knew of her past? Was he here to trick her and be killed? Was he a spy form her old herd and they wanted revenge of some sort for killing their king? Echo did not know. But she soon would as he came into her vision. "Cairne Highstep, you come into these lands wishing for perfection, when not even a single being here can calim perfection, not I, nor you. Not even a snowflake. Tell me, Sir Hughstep how you know about my tormented past? Or if I even had one? Her blue orbs focused on his maw waiting to be answered. She would not take a bullshit answer, so stud trying to charm himself to the position of King. Like she'd give him the kingship right away. She would not do so.
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Post by havenstorm on Jul 7, 2010 19:03:12 GMT -5
Cairne’s eyes softened, understanding the queen’s hesitation. “I see where you might be wary, fair queen. I know of your past from my travels. There is nary a herd I have not come across. One most imposing, with a still grieved-for king and a lost daughter. Do not see it as uncommon for a traveler to know of a reputation as renowned as yours. Having seen other lands, vain and barren, this land is the closest I have seen to perfection. I seek nothing more than to aid you, milady. I have a past not unlike yours, and if you wished to face it, I might be able to bear mine with you.” Cairne took a long, broad view of the land, the endless expanse sinking into his vision. The flakes began to show on his coat, his body easing. “If not, I still seek refuge in your lands. My feet and mind are so very exhausted. Cairne snapped back to the queen, truly seeing her for the first time. “You stand higher than me, but I look to see you eye to eye.” Cairne’s legs shook under his own weight. “I need an answer quickly my queen, for I’ve a long journey back to my dwelling. Might I stay under your rule? I seek nothing more in this moment then your approval and allowance.” He knelt, shoning red-stained snow where he had stood.
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firehound12
Junior Officer of "On your way"
~Swimming with the plots in her head! [M:500]
Posts: 92
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Post by firehound12 on Jul 7, 2010 19:18:11 GMT -5
Echo heard Cairne, she took in all his words. He seemed genuine enough, not fake. Not power hungry, an honest to good stallion. She mentally kicked herself. How many of those were there out here in reality? They didn't exist, they were a myth, even if there were such a thing, they always had something planned. So Cairne had heard of her feat's. She shook her skull sadly and looked at the stallion. Her words flowed through her vocal cords and out of her mouth and into his audits. "Cairne, you may seek refuge and stay here in the lands. If you have the time, consider staying longer than a day. I'd like to have the company. Company of a real honest brute. She looked at his hooves, the blood stained snow around the hooves growing into a pool. Her eyes grew soft with sypmthy, for she knew that pain and she could still feel her hooves aching time to time. The non-stop running, almost dying and wishing-Wishing she could have. Echo pulled herslef from the past and turned her body away from him, her voice spoke to him as she looked back to face him "If you prove otherwise, Cairne Highstep. Mark my words, your hooves won't be the only thing aching and bleeding. And do not think, you could beat me in a fight. For your gender often underestimates the power of a mare. She sneered at him. Not acting like a queen now are we? She could care less right now.
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Post by havenstorm on Jul 7, 2010 20:36:28 GMT -5
“I thank you my queen.” He bowed his head before standing, limping a trail of red in his wake. “You shall not be disappointed. I hope to see you again soon.” He glanced back at her, his muscles still flexed at her sneer. The sight of his blood trail eased his mood. His mind worked fervor: ‘She’s viewed her fair share of blood, it’s in her eyes; I might not trouble her with my own so soon…’ His tracks did not lead far from where he had dropped his heart. A hill marked his shelter from the coming storm. He stood there, red-stained frost hung from his hooves, though his face stood archaic and flat. ‘What goes through her mind? What is it about her that makes me fear so? Why do I fear now….and for what?’ He cried in his head, and shouted at the lights in his eyes “Don’t let her get to you Cai! You’ve all the time in the world to make friends, and tonight you must rest…” Clasping at the white, he dug a small hole into the side of the hill. The breezy flurry stuck to his wounds, acting a frozen bandage for the day. He circled the entrance, marking his stay. Raising a leg and head, he sounded-off his sleep with a whine. Bending at the neck and knee, he snuck into his hovel. ‘May my dreams guide my hooves on this next morrow…’
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firehound12
Junior Officer of "On your way"
~Swimming with the plots in her head! [M:500]
Posts: 92
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Post by firehound12 on Jul 8, 2010 21:30:16 GMT -5
Echo saw Highstep bow his head in thanks. She walked on as she did not want to have a re-call of her past memories any longer. When she was far enough away from the brute, she glanced back at the stallion and gave a sad smile. He was hurting and needed rest. Echo sighed softly as she looked up at the winter night sky. She should have been asleep. Like Cairne, but her mind was restless and would not forft her past to her grave. A shake of her head made her mane go to the left of her boa, as Echo laid down softly on the snowy ground and let the night drowse her mind to sleep.
When the mare awoke, her blue eyes met the rising sunrise and groaned as she forced her legs to propel herself upwards. Echo walked over to where Cairne was sleeping, hoping he was still there. Hoping his company would keep the mare from being lonely. She walked softly anf slow in case he was asleep still, she didn't want to awake him and be rude. She whispered his name and her auds perked as she waited for his response. Hoping he'd have the decency to answer her. "You staying for good? Or just passing through Cowboy? She asked him, her body hovered over a few feet from his sleeping spot. The winter chill hardly bothered the mare anymore, she was getting used to it now. A smile rose across her face as she hoped that He would stay for a long time to come. She tried to conceal her emotions as best she could. She had become good at lying and such, she was surprised she could still re-call her real past, her real name. Erasable Echo. A fugitive. A Queen. A threat to the world that has no idea what she could do.
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Post by havenstorm on Jul 8, 2010 22:46:41 GMT -5
Powdered sugar sprinkled on Cairne’s mind. A soft mash of succulent experience formed the dream in the vast landscape of his head. He was prancing in the snow, his color now bleached white and pure. The sight of him baffled the onlookers, their eyes making duplicates of his dazzling image. Words caressed him now, the voice flowing into him like sweet molasses. It was like his mother’s voice. Each syllable a symphony, gently lifting his mouth into a smile, and shining his eyes in blissful tears. He saw a figure against the light marking the end of his dream. It was wonderous “Staying long?” He awoke to his own whisper. “Mother?” The sun morning sun blinded him, forcing his instinct into gear. He flailed up, breaking thorough the minuscule hole that had held over his head. His eyes adjusted, the new frame that stood against the sun became clear. “Ah, my queen, did I wake you?” Blinking quickly a few times, Cai looked around. “No, this is where I live…I apologize milady, I was having a….enlightening dream.” Cairn stood to face her, barely above her level of sight. He looked behind her at the line of prints leading back to her dwelling. His eyes softened, and he looked down at her face. Stern, he thought, but there is something in her eyes, something familiar. Something peaceful and safe. Beautiful… “My dreams never steer me wrong my queen. I have reason to stay here, but if I hope to stay, I will need a guide to these beautiful lands…Might you accompany me in a tour of your ownership?” Cairne looked to his ruler, her eyes his focus. He saw more than himself in them. In his peripheral, he saw the tracks fluttering in the wind, the safety of her home abandoned so far. In that moment he thought deep to himself; ‘Why has she come here alone, and what is it that she is after?”
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firehound12
Junior Officer of "On your way"
~Swimming with the plots in her head! [M:500]
Posts: 92
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Post by firehound12 on Jul 10, 2010 21:46:45 GMT -5
She shook her head to his question of waking her up. Echo smiled as she heard him speak more about dreams and her minds wandered away from his voice for a short while. Thinking of dreams. She had great dreams once. And now she was living some of them, Being safe. Being queen. No one chasing her. Her aud's perked up as she payed attention to Cairne once again. Asking her if she'd show him around her lands. She looked at the stallion and focused on only his face. She nodded her head and stopped her tracks. Halting and giving him enough time to catch up. She looked back at him and spoke. "I haven't yet explored all of the lands, but a great deal of it has been explored. So, you'll stay? Here?" She asked, in partial joy and partial disbelief.
Erasable Echo couldn't believe her ears! She was so happy...But she also knew that she had to keep her emotions in check, her joy could soon turn to anger, tears..Anything. She had to keep her wits about her in fear of losing everything she held dear to her. Her safety. It meant friends, family. A place that needed her as much as she needed it. She wondered why he was out here all alone and why he had chosen this place as his new home.
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Post by havenstorm on Jul 11, 2010 18:59:38 GMT -5
It took only a single broad stride to catch-up to her. He stood with a high-head, idly eyeing the lands for a moment, absorbing the breathing mass of such beauty. He knew that this land was perfect, but when his eyes landed on here, he felt something that he had not felt since the day he stepped to out of the lands of the light. Cairne was afraid. He felt for this queen, though he did not look yet for her partnership. He knew that she was perfect to him, yet her few flaws in the living world made her vulnerable. He wanted to protect her. He wanted to be with her. Cai’s pupils dilated when they met hers. He remembered the look. The gentle, yet fierce innocence, as though a mighty force flowed just beyond a child’s face. There was another, in the light lands, who had this look. She had always stridden to claim Cai as a mate, using her powerful family ties of royalty to force Cai into her company. He never accepted this brutal claiming, and would always excuse himself from her presence. Cai had never truly known a face that held the compassion that this stranger queen had so freely handed out to him. Cai’s eyes softened into hers. He wanted to know that she would be his someday. He wanted to know that he could charge through these lands and never have the desire to pass its borders again. He wanted to settle his mind after so much torment and fortitude. Too long his mind had been wandering with him, now soon he would set down to rest in the long dream that she offered. “Your lands and hospitality are equally exquisite, my queen. I will stay here, under your rule. I still hope to wander with you for a short time, for I foresee us having a great friendship.” Cai continued walking with her, not caring where they went.
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firehound12
Junior Officer of "On your way"
~Swimming with the plots in her head! [M:500]
Posts: 92
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Post by firehound12 on Jul 12, 2010 12:02:29 GMT -5
I looked at Cairne as he spoke. He would stay! He would stay. She let it sink into her mind. She repeated the words over in her head and still couldn't imagine it was possible. Echo noticed he kept walking with her, despite them not really moving anywhere. She smiled and spoke to Cairne, her voice was not loud, for she did not to be so loud as they were quite close. But not a whisper as to cause strain in trying to hear her words. Her blue eyes kept Cai's in their sight. "You may wander, and call this home. So, Cairne, what do you wish for a rank?" She asked and tossed her mane out from her face as it had fallen. She took her eyes off the male for a second to glance around her lands. A broad smile swept across her features. Than was wiped clean when she faced the brute once more "You seem like a good stallion. One on whom I can trust. A good-hearted stallion. Of similar allaince to my own. neutral/Light. I need a king, or these lands will be taken from me. So, will you be my king? No strings attached. Purely Business partners. And that is all. She didn't demand, but she didn't quite ask either. She halted her steps and turned her body so she was facing him, face to face.
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Post by havenstorm on Jul 12, 2010 14:55:11 GMT -5
Screams tore apart Cairne’s inner being. He was ecstatic! He tried not to show it, but still his feeble attempts to hide a smile were making him look foolish. In his waking dream he had been lead stallion, but he had never thought himself a king! To a land so benevolent he walked, and he thought his steps unworthy, and yet right in front of him stared two eyes suggesting him such a magnitude. He stood absolutely still, archaic, lost in her eyes for moments that lived eternally in his mind. He could not believe what she was asking. He had no money, or power, or influence. Only knowledge and friendship were contained in him, which he gave away freely to his friends. He had much love to give too, but would she want the companionship from him? He was not much for appearances. He cared for this land already and more so for her and her rule, but he would not want this to just be a guise. Cai still looked into her eyes, unblinking, unwavering. “I..I...” He stuttered, “I will be your king if you wish it, lady queen.” His voice now sounded stronger, yet still held a child-like innocence to it. He was scared. He wished to be her king, but he hoped that they could be more than political partners. He needed to someone to settle with him, to share with him a life. He did not want to be tied down with someone who thought him a scapegoat. He blinked now, seeing what he wanted in her eyes. “I want to be your king Echo. I would find it great honor to stand beside you. I also look to share a friendship with you. Never before have I seen such compassion and strength in something so beautiful, as well as in the land she rules. I do not wish to impose on you; I just wish us to share a more than a title, a friendship...” He looked away, terrified that he had said too much. He did not want to scare her away, to be alone again. He had hovelled in his solitude so very long, feeling each lonesome day, teaching through despair how much he should cherish the perfect things that lay overlooked. That is why is eyes were drawn to her and not the land. Something perfect hidden in plain sight. He would not overlook her.
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firehound12
Junior Officer of "On your way"
~Swimming with the plots in her head! [M:500]
Posts: 92
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Post by firehound12 on Jul 12, 2010 15:16:22 GMT -5
She stared at him as he spoke. He was like a child. A child who couldn't decide if he wanted vanilla or chocolate ice cream. When he said yes to her question she moved closer. He spoke more. Word's filing her aud's and making sense in her mind. His voice sounded more sure this time. Beautiful? Her? Echo couldn't see it. She was pretty, she knew that.. Cute even. But beautiful? She almost couldn't hear his next words as she tried to process his words on her beauty. Sharing more than a tittle. More than a friendship...He trailed off. Looking away, why had he done so? She wandered why he had done so, but the sudden rush of his words...The sudden heat to her cheeks. She knew he was handsome. But could she see him and her together? Echo nuzzled his maw a bit, trying to get him to look at her. "I don't wish to hurt you. Or give you false hope. I would like to see something like that, perhaps..For you are Handsome and have a wonderful heart. A great king. She smiled softly at Cai. "Thank you Cai. For keeping me grounded. It's hard for me to stay put. I tried the whole mate thing before. I ran off. I couldn't tell him about-About- She hit herslef, mentally. She couldn't tell him! About her past. She sighed. "Than again, you already know about my past..
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Post by havenstorm on Jul 12, 2010 23:05:23 GMT -5
Cairne could not look at her. He had been to forward. His emotions had overridden his judgment, washing away his ability to think clearly in a wave of dreams and hopes. He thought his dreams would come true in the pristine white dreamland that surrounded him. “I…I have been too forward, lady Echo. I would be your King, but I had only dreampt of a mate...” 'Why did i tell her my dream? She will just be scared even more now!' He stepped away from her onto the destroyed peasant-hill that had not a night ago been his traveler’s home. A broad view still lay before him. The breeze was cold now, and his mane stood on edge, losing the front of battle to the icy fingers that tickled his senses. He was no longer giggling at the sensation, for it only felt cold and harsh now. “I did not wish to impose anything between us, other than a lasting friendship…” He looked to her now, the wind battering his barren face. Solitude seeped from his eyes, dripping black fur onto the snow, quickly being overcome by the bleached breeze. His tears froze now, his greatest fear returning to beat his mind into submission. “I have wandered so very far, alone. They frightened me, my solitary confinements. I always thought that if I were ever alone, I would lose my mind in someone else’s world.” He looked the way he had come now, the jagged peak that was his vantage. “I marched through the pain, as I did not wish to be locked as I was as a child. I was born barred in a jail of my parents’ ideas of right and wrong. I almost lost both of them because they differed over such trivial things…I did not want to be like them.” He stepped to face her now. “I will stay your king, milady. I still dream to find one just as mysterious and formidably clever as you, which will stand the test of time alongside me, should this land and lady not accept me…” His eyes became stern upon hers. “I know of your past and I accept it, no matter what light any others may see you in. If you will not ever accept me as a mate, then at least let me stand beside your liege…” Cai swiveled beside her head tilted towards her, with lips equally tilted into a shy smile. “…As a friend...” Bitter frost clung to his ducts, but still one tear emerged to cascade down his softening face, tumbling down his cling, to tumble through the resting air, and land a clear ice drop on the whisking white.
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firehound12
Junior Officer of "On your way"
~Swimming with the plots in her head! [M:500]
Posts: 92
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Post by firehound12 on Jul 12, 2010 23:19:09 GMT -5
Echo looked at the stallion. Was he crying. Overwhelming guilt flew over the mare's emotions, he seemed so-So...In love with her. She ignored his first statement. And saw the hurt in his eyes. She sighed softly and nuzzled him "Cai..I-You will make a fine King. And a fine father- She removed her maw quickly as she realized what she said. She looked down embarrassed. Echo looked at the brute and spoke once more. "Cairne. I-um...You see in me, something that most don't. I am so very happy for that...I-I wish to be the mare in your dreams...But- She stopped and paused. What was she saying 'but' for? What was there to add in the hesitant word? But nothing. She had found her white kinght. Or close to. Someone who didn't care about her past and who would keep her grounded no matter what. She smiled at him gently and looked into his eyes. "But-Nothing... Echo looked at him and moved her skull so it was under his maw. She felt happy here, safe. In her and Cai's lands..Something Erasable Echo would have never dreamt off becoming reality.
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Post by havenstorm on Jul 12, 2010 23:40:29 GMT -5
Cairne felt her under his maw, her gentle, comforting nuzzle. His rose cheeks were hidden, for she was holding comfort under his protection. He felt a surge of happiness fill him. He would never have to wander again. Never again would he be alone, or afraid. He would be forever happy, with her. He had something to protect now. The word 'father' didn't scare him for a moment. He knew that he could care for something that they might being into the world. He knew hat Echo had the strength, he felt that she had the love, and he understood that she had the experience, to share something greater than he had ever imagined. His smile was insurmountable, and his heart beat quickly, but steadily. He tipped his head slightly, completely covering, and sheltering Echo from the wind. He knew he loved her. He had dreamt it, wanted it, and he knew that she understood it. He thought quietly, as his eyes creeped closed, the landscape surrounding him. Her Echo is her name, not her title. Her past does not define her. She does. My mind does not create this love. I do. I love Echo. Cairne Highstep whispers. "I love you"
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