BRIGHTLESS SUN | Kiri

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It was odd having a foal. It had been three days since the birth of her first baby, and Suli was feeling completely overwhelmed by the little guy’s presence. All of her dramatic life, the mare had wanted to become a mother. Yet, she never thought it would be sired by a rapist. Sired by a completely deranged bastard. No, it did not make her think less of her new son, but her dreams had been to start a family with a loved one. With Falcon. When she had escaped the grasps of her rapist and gone running back to her love, never would she of thought it would turn out how it had. He just… he didn’t seem to like her as much anymore and the poor mare wasn’t entirely sure why. It was like deja vu all over again. She had suffered so much rejection throughout her life, and it had happened again. It seemed just about the only one who did want her was the very one who made her suffer most. She was not going back there again.

Stopping in her slow trek, she looked back over her shoulder at the little figure trailing after her. His reddish, almost rusty colored coat splashed with white, and his odd shaped facial marking just tugged at her heart strings. Her problems seemed to weigh down a little less on her at the sight of the little guy. When he realized mother was gazing at him, he let out a little whinny and trotted on still unsure legs to catch up, though he hadn’t been far behind. Suli was a little worried about her son’s unsteadiness. Was it common for a baby a few days old to still be tripping over himself as much as he was? She knew nothing of being a mother, though decided perhaps she was just being paranoid about the whole thing. Instead of fretting over it, she lowered her head to take a bite of the sparse, dried autumn grasses at her feet.

There was a chilly wind whipping at the two horses from behind, and the little foal, named Noor, plopped down next to his dam, tucking his legs close to his body to stay warm. Suli noticed this, and peered around at the windswept expanses of grassland around her. Winter was coming very soon, she realized, and her mind went right back to fussing over the safety of her son. As her eyes drifted to the little one by her feet, she realized just how tired both him and herself were. Her hooves were sore and her legs felt a little shaky from the endless journey she seemed to be on. And it seemed Noor had made it final that right now was a time for rest. He refused to get up. Suli let out a sigh of defeat, and carefully lowered herself next to his tiny body, making sure her own body blocked the harsh wind from reaching him. There she lay, her head held over her son in an attempt to further protect him from the unforgiving elements, her exhausted frame feeling only slightly relieved to be at rest.

NOTES: haaate this post. bleh
WORD COUNT: eh
MUSE: Good.
VOICE: angelina jolie as christine collins

[Snowfrost]

KIRIOUS.

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To say it was a relief to only be leading one land would be an understatement. Ever since he handed Wailns to his trusted friend, Tugger, the King of Winril had felt a large weight leave his shoulders. And to make it better, they were close still and would allow one another to come to and from both lands.. well, the alliance was a relief as well. And who better to have his own land than the older horse? Tugger would make a wonderful leader -- a leader he could someday hope to become, even.

The dark stallion held his head highly as he blissfully trotted throughout his lands, nostrils flared and tail set in a relaxed but raised manner. He had no reason to feel weighed down today, no reason to worry that at any given moment one of his herd members would race toward him begging them to check out Wailns, or that he'd have this sinking feeling rise within his gut over thoughts of a land that he really no longer needed to concern himself with. The stallion was free, able to focus on his first land first. Inhaling deeply, the split-faced King felt his heart soar at the feeling of being relinquished from his duties to two places. Sure, he wasn't unhappy back when he held rein over the Marsh and his home, but it simply was.. just lighter, easier, something he just no longer had to constantly worry over. He only had a small herd -- he wasn't meant to lead two lands, neither population nor his own thoughts of himself were evidence.

Kirious soon brought himself to a rough gallop, shakily inhaling and exhaling as he moved fluidly along the flatter lands. The grasses, though golden now, were still long and held a same luster to their former stages that Summer allowed them to keep. They brushed against his girth and underbelly as he went deeper into the sea of grasses, picking up speed as he swept farther along his lands. He was surveying, making sure horses were alright and happy with the coming of changing seasons. It didn't take him long before the River King was back toward shorter grasses, weaving slowly through the spread out trees, and scanning the area with more alert senses than before.

It didn't feel right, here, for some reason. Akuilin was a place he often went to when he was growing up, and even in the changing seasons it was well-populated and joyous. However, as the River King strode into the expansion of grasses, his childhood playground seemed... barren, desolate, different.. Maybe it was just some intuition or something rousing in his mind, but the King knew not to take them lightly. Slowing his pace to a lighter trot, the black stallion directed his ears to all angles and sought everything he could in his vision. After about a half an hour's searching, the King decided he'd at least call out to the area and see if anyone was around. Strange, He wanted to muse on memories of the past, but the eeriness of his present in Akuilin was just... too abnormal for him to comfortably delve back into the days where he was simply a herd colt.

Someone was here. There had to be someone, he could tell. He wasn't sure, but maybe he could smell it more than see it at the moment. Cautiously, yet still with the same curiosity, Kirious lowered his head and began listening more. Whinnying lowly, but strongly, the King listened intently for any sort of reply.

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[Toaster]

She shivered in the cold, every bone in her body aching with exhaustion. Laying down rested the mare’s legs, but it didn’t help at how absolutely sore she was. Every small movement hurt. It was worse than the aches she had felt before in her drama ridden life. The mare wanted nothing more than to sleep, to give into the overwhelming exhaustion that wracked every inch of her body. But she couldn’t allow herself give in to sleep. She had a baby to take care of, and passing out could leave him in danger, which Suli wouldn’t allow. But it was so hard to keep her head above his, and she found herself lowering it to the ground. Maybe just resting some more would help… just maybe. She wouldn’t allow her eyes to close or her ears to become unfocused, but her neck was having a hard time keeping her head above the grassy, yet hard surface.

Struggling to keep her eyes open and alert, she felt Noor lower his head down as well, copying her movements. His muzzle stretched so he could nibble at her cheek, and he gave a small whinny at her, as if to ask if she were alright. Even so young, the young colt could sense something was wrong with his mother. Suli nickered at him, to assure him that all was well. She couldn’t burden her young colt with her problems. At his age, he needed to know the world was all well… even if it wasn’t for Suli herself.

The sound of another calling out caught her attention. It scared her at first, and her head shot up instantly, surprising Noor, whom jumped to his unbalanced feet. Suli wasn’t sure whom had called, and she wasn’t sure how to take it. The thought of having another so close both excited her, yet filled her with fear. What if they were dangerous to her baby? Even someone as gentle as the mare wouldn’t allow anyone with an intent to harm get near her son. If someone dangerous stumbled upon them, she’d fight. But, she felt she needed to take a chance. She was tired. Simply dead tired. If worse came to worse, she could get up and defend herself and Noor, but she hoped it wouldn’t come to that. She needed help. She called back with a whinny, her voice weak yet there, drifting on the heavy breeze. 'Over here' she wanted to say, but the words wouldn't form.

NOTES: <3
WORD COUNT: eh
MUSE: Good.
VOICE: angelina jolie as christine collins

[Snowfrost]

KIRIOUS.

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The King's head jerked up sharply, ears strained and alert as they fought to locate the sound. Nostrils flaring, the stallion scanned thoroughly in case whatever was calling back to him was close by. Not sensing anything initially, the stallion huffed hardly while shaking himself and took off in a well-paced trot toward the general direction of the call. If someone was out here, he didn't need to appear to be crazed with worry and jitters.

I could have sworn that was a whinny back. The search wasn't coming up with any results, and to be honest it was making the young King question himself quickly. What if these 'sounds' were simply memories resurfacing? But then, that would be nonsense. This was his land, and none of his land should scare him. Grunting lightly, and lifting his head as his legs picked up in height of the trot, Kirious belted out a low-toned whistle of sorts -- a call that any mare of his would immediately come to. Should it not be one of his, though, he'd at least have a clue as to what was around. Somehow, he was wishing it was just one of his mares. The split-faced stallion didn't like thinking about the possibilities of a stallion being around.

But still, something told him that there was no stallion. A stallion would have strut around the King's home like he owned the place, neck arched and nostrils wide, a gleam in his eyes that told Kirious that he thought he could take him while crippled and win. But that sense wasn't there, and neither was the smell of a stallion. But then again, with the conditions as they were, scents were masked and hazed easily. This was never a good thing, really. One of the tricky parts about his home.

The stallion continued trotting loudly around, hoping to alert whoever was nearby that he was indeed here. Hopefully if they knew he was around, they'd show themselves. A game of find-the-needle-in-the-haystack was not something the black king was very good at, even if this was his home. Come on, don't prove me mental... More thoughts swirled around in his mind. What if it wasn't anyone, and his mind was playing tricks on him? Shaking his head jerkedly, the stallion huffed again and released a self-agitated whinny. He was not about to question himself. It was unfit as a manner for a King, and it made one weak. A weak horse did not deserve to be King.

Finally snorting heavily, the stallion stopped abruptly and called again to the area: "Hello, is anyone around?"

Might as well bite the bullet.

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[Toaster]

They were so close. The mostly light colored mare could hear their footfalls just off somewhere in the grasses which hovered just above her head. But they couldn’t see her, could they? Their actions and words seemed to confirm it, for they called out in question. It frustrated Suli, for she just wanted help. She wanted someone to tell her it was all going to be alright, and that both she and her son would see another day. That her little boy would be fine. That’s the thing she wanted most; for Noor to live and be cared for. And though she fought her exhaustion and want to rest forever, she wasn’t sure how long that would last. She would try everything she could, though.

Mustering up every last ounce of strength she could, the mare struggled to her sore hooves. It wasn’t a smooth action. In fact, she nearly fell over in the process. Twice. But she stayed up somehow, her shaky legs aching for rest. For her son’s good though, she ignored their cries. Her struggle wasn’t in vain, though, for she spotted the one that she had called to a minute before. It was a stallion. He was mostly black in color, with an irregular, bizarre blaze decorating his head. Curious she thought while looking at it, though focused on what needed to get done. She whinnied to him, and was sure he must of heard her for he wasn’t that far off. The energy it took to call again was strenuous, but she wasn’t about to fall back over again. Suli was hell bent on getting help.

With much difficulty, she slowly began to move towards the stranger. Every step was painful, and perhaps she should have been more cautious of an unknown horse. However, Suli knew there was absolutely no other option. Yes, she had been raped and abused by one of the last males she had been unfortunate to cross, but there was hope that this one wasn’t the type, and she liked to think most stallions were decent enough creatures. “Over here” she somehow managed to call, though it was weak and, just a moment later, she was falling back down again. Back to that damn ground. It didn’t sit well with her son.

Noor let out a cry, clearly realizing something was wrong even if he’d never witnessed something like this before. He’d noticed how his mother had tried to go to the other horse, and this was enough for him to realize he needed to help. His own legs were tired, though not nearly as much as his mother’s. And so he shot off away form her, closing the moderate gap between mom and the stranger. He looked to be in a panic, eyes wide and sounds of distress pouring from his muzzle. It took him only a few seconds, on wobbly legs, to reach the stranger. This was the first horse, besides his mother, he’d ever met. And he wasn’t scared of them. No, the only fear he felt was for his mom. And not knowing any words as of yet, all he could do was scamper around the dark horses’ legs and ram his little head into the other’s back leg in an attempt to get them to move. Not sure if his point had been made, and just in case the bigger male had not spotted where his mother fell, he dashed off back towards her in hopes he would follow.

NOTES: makes me sad to write this ; ;
WORD COUNT: eh
MUSE: Writers block is killer.
VOICE: angelina jolie as christine collins

[Snowfrost]

KIRIOUS.

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She appeared to him a slightly-obscured being, a figure not too far from him, but she did not remain in his sight for long. Stopping sharply in his place, the split-faced King blinked a few times, peering in the direction of the movement. He'd almost not believed it. He would have blamed his eyes for playing tricks on him, had he not gotten confirmation from the movement that continued only moments afterward.

Her scent lingered in this area, stronger than anywhere else. Inhaling deeply, the stallion tried to locate her. The small hoof-beats that echoed in his ears were what alerted the King of the truth. It was all quite quick, all rather rapid. The small, obviously non-native foal sprinted toward him as though lives depended on it, and quickly scampered back with the fears of the elements in his eyes. The colt, strange to him, quickly sent waves of wonder and worry through Kirious' senses. His ears quickly shot down to his skull, his body tensing. For a moment he remained still, trying to fully process what all was happening. With the rapid movements and obscure nature of everything, the King simply didn't know how to fully react.

But he could tell something was wrong, that much was solid. That much was true. Snorting sharply, the black stallion took off after the colt of clay-stain, senses heightened upon his own land. He'd not a clue what entirely he was walking into, only that by following the colt he was finding what drove him here. Whickering softly, the dark King scanned around, nostrils flaring, sides heaving slightly in the effort to fully concentrate. This was his home, for Nature's sake -- why was he so strained in it? Perhaps it was because he was not used to the threat of danger? Not used to not knowing? There were simply many possibilities.

After a few moments, though, she appeared to him again.

Kirious' eyes widened a bit at the sight. The mare, one of pale sands with a son of clay-tint, near startled him. Everything, then, washed over him in an instant -- as though the waves were crashing against trees, toppling them over in their might. This mare, not a native to his land, had borne a child in the grasses of Winril and managed to survive alone for a time which he knew not of in duration. Quite simply, he was surprised she was alive. Winril was seemingly a nurturing land, but even it held stern laws and decisions. Even his home held danger.

The King lowered his head, eyes searching for hers with a soft expression to her. "You're going to alright now," Kirious smiled gently to her, stepping lightly to the side of her -- the King was asking her permission to help. The colt, strange in color but the hero of the day, was who he met eyes with next. These two, miracles in themselves... quite simply, the split-faced King was near baffled. It was a wonder they'd made it this far, he could at least help them survive in the Land of Rivers.

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