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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2019 5:03:20 GMT -6
Hello Starborn, and welcome to Vagabond Plot 707: Tower of Bone Team Leaders: Nuriko and Lethe Participants: Mairon, Deyanira, Asrai, Alois, Yasuo, Bix Please keep the following in mind!- Posts must be a minimum of 175 words. There is no maximum!- No strict order is enforced, but there must be at least two posts between your own character's.- No god-moding or reading characters' minds (unless your pony is a literal telepath, anyway)
- Always get consent before harming another character!- Your team is precious. Try to interact with everyone. <3- Have fun! Even if your pony isn't. 8'D
Prompt: Breim & Rangers: It’s been about three months since a mysterious tower rose to break your horizon. You thought that you might get used to it eventually, but as the year grew older, the unease in the town only grew. Growing more worried each day, the denizens of the Point chose two among their number to go investigate the Tower, and took with them a Ranger escort. Your small party has only been on the move for a few hours, but it already feels like you are far from home. Vagabonds: Whether it was curiosity, greed or legitimate business that drew you so close to the Point, it was the Bone Tower and its surrounding forests that drew your attention. You have avoided approaching the Tower directly until now due to the unease it fills you with… But now you spot a small party heading straight towards the monument. This could be your chance. Location: Sirith Vastlands, near the Point Time of Day: July 12th, early afternoon Weather: Chilly for the season You do not have to wait for your leader to post!
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Post by hydrus101 on Jan 3, 2019 19:28:22 GMT -6
 A S R A I• Vagabond | Hedgewitch •
“I don’t care what it takes, I am going to do what I know is right.
The tower had been there for months. Asrai could see it from his home, a pale line in the distance, barely visible against the white clouds covering the summer sky. Though it was summer, it was rather cool, and Asrai shivered slightly as the wind ruffled his feathers. Hey Alya, he thought with a fond smile, tucking his wings closer to his body.
The sound of the front gate creaking behind him drew his attention and Asrai looked over his shoulder to smile at his mother, coming up the path behind him. Saddlebags stuff to the brim with supplies, Nakamentha shut the gate again and experimentally shifted the weight on her back.
“Ready to go kiddo?” She asked, playfully reaching out and ruffling the boy’s hair with her teke.
Asrai let out a laugh and ducked away, avoiding his mother’s attempts to comb out the tangles in his mane.
“Stop it!” He chuckled, flaring out his wings like a disgruntled chicken. “I brushed it already!”
Nakamentha lifted an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
“Yes!” He chimed, flattening his ears against his head.
While continuing to hit him with the dreaded Mom Stare, the elder hedgewitch sighed and relented. “Okay, okay, go get your stuff and say goodbye to the Council, we gotta get going!”
With his mother pushing him along, Asrai smiled at her and ran to the house to grab his saddlebags from the front room. Hoisting them onto his back, the little palomino secured the straps tightly, making sure they wouldn’t fall off like last time. As he tucked the last strap into place, a bunch of things happened at once. A pale blur of matted fur crashed into his legs causing him to stumble, a small weight dropped itself onto his head and dug into his scalp, and a scaly creature of the void curled around his throat. To anyone else, this series of sensations would’ve been slightly disconcerting, but to Asrai, it was a welcome feeling.
“And the Council meets again!” He exclaimed, tilting his head back to catch a glimpse of his owl perched upon his head. “Mind the claws, Stolas.”
As Asrai unwound his mother’s double headed snake from his neck and placed her back on the counter, Stolas detracted his talons from Asrai’s mane and hopped down to perch on the horn of his saddlebags. After making sure that Sumi, another of the young boy’s familiars, hadn’t knocked themselves out from the crash against his legs, Asrai picked up the little dog and scratched behind their ears before setting them back down.
“Thanks for the goodbye hug, buddy, but I gotta go.” He chuckled.
After making sure everything was in place, Asrai shook himself off and headed towards the door. Turning back last second, Asrai addressed each of the familiars separately in their own individual tongues.
First, he turned to the owl. “Stolas, no picking on Nyx while I’m gone. You promised, remember?”
Next was the dog. “Sumi, you’re in charge. Food’s in the cabinets as always.”
And finally, the snake. “Nyx.....keep doing what you’re doing.”
With a chorus of goodbye hoots, barks, and hisses, Asrai turned and left the little cottage, scampering down the path to catch up with Nakamentha. They had a Provider to meet.
A few hours of traveling later, the pair were much closer to the Point, but much too close to that tower. The closer they got, the more oppressive the air felt. Something was tingling at the back of Asrai’s spine but he could never quite pin down what it was. Regardless, the boy stayed close to his mother, whose steps were much surer than his own. Did she not feel it or was she simply suppressing it?
Before Asrai had the chance to open his mouth, Naka flicked her tail at him. Instinctively, Asrai clamped his jaw shut and dropped to the ground. The tail flick was a signal they had agreed on during their trip to Onea. A tail flick meant silent and out of sight, a line pawed into the dirt meant run and hide, etc etc. There were many different signals, but this one was probably the most often used, and it was usually when Naka saw someone unfamiliar.
Her distrust of others was still hardwired into her mind, even though Asrai did his best to help get her past it. Peering over the bushes, Asrai kept low to the ground. This group didn’t look unfriendly, but he’d been wrong in the past.
“What do we do?” He asked quietly, shifting on his hooves.
“We wait.” Naka replied. “Let’s see where they’re going.”
WC: 770
Post: 1
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Post by Moose-On-Ice on Jan 3, 2019 19:53:05 GMT -6
  ║❖ Yasuo ❖ ║
"The day is for the honest men, the night is for thieves."
~~~
The surrounding landscapes of the terrain he passed through never brought him unease. Until now. He'd been alone for some time, only finding companionship in the form of a white raven who he uplifted into a familiar, but even Aasu couldn't quell the rolling in his stomach. The white tower. White. Such a blank, bold, and stand out color. He personally grew to hate the color white. It only made him stand out in the night, and his pelt was stained easily by blood if a job went poorly and he was forced to claw his way out.
Maybe that was why the tower made him uneasy. Still, he tried to go about his business, as... Less than legal as it may be. But he couldn't avoid the gaze of the tower no matter where he wandered. He would need to travel far north to Onea, which came with risks, and travelling to Sedo was equally risky. He'd heard of the war after all. He didn't want to get captured, to be forced into slavery. So he was forced to stay where he was.
If he needed to stay here, then he'd at least try to settle his nerves, which probably were overreacting anyway. The tower was probably nothing... Hopefully... He'd go and look, and it was going to just be a weird tower... Skulking through the Vastlands, working his way towards the tower, Yasuo shivered lightly. It was cold... And the thin coat and build did nothing to help him. He needed to pick up something to help stay warm... At least his wooden mask kept his face relatively warm, his hot breath spreading throughout the inside of it.
He traveled in general silence, Aasu occasionally cawing on his back, strutting back and forth along it before she finally settled down, fluffing up her feathers and churring lowly while curled up in the middle of his back. At least she was able to stay warm. Silently moving among the brush and grass, Yasuo withdrew into his own head while numbly moving towards the tower.
He was only drawn out by Aasu cawing and hopping on his back. Freezing, he jerked his head up, sharply looking around. He saw no one- No. There. A small group of equines, ones he didn't recognize, nor did they look like other Vagabonds. Ears pinning, he stood frozen stiff, like a marble statue. Aasu cawed again, and he turned his head to stare at her, a soft hiss coming from his throat. She needed to be quiet! The raven stopped, looked at him, then looked back to the group, posturing with her wings spread and giving a louder caw.
Was she trying to draw attention?
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Post by JourneyHorse on Jan 4, 2019 0:26:10 GMT -6
Mairon  | [ post #1 || word count: 506 ] |
It was curiosity really, nothing more. It was curiosity that had drawn Mairon and Nuriko by extension to see the tower. It was an unexplained thing that had appeared out of nowhere for an unspecified purpose… as a creature in a similar predicament the pale cremello kirin felt drawn to the oddity. Plus a little trip to The Point would be good for the both of them. He glanced over at his partner, allowing his mind to wander as he admired the way the dappled sunlight slid over the blue roan’s coat, shone delicately through his fins, and danced merrily across his gemstones. “Magnificent…” Mairon breathed, he was only half talking about the glorious day.
It would be a quick safe trip… probably. One could never be too certain these days; Mairon had taken to carrying his warhammer, Fyrgebræc, whenever he left the house. It rested now against his right shoulder, held in place by a simple leather harness. The kirin was quite confident in the knowledge that the hammer’s deadly glint and the crystalline glimmer of his own sharp horn would be more than enough to deter any soul foolish enough to cause trouble with them.
He was quite proud of Nuriko for leaving their simple abode at the edge of Sterling to go explore the outside world. Nuriko could use the exposure to the world above ground and as for Mairon, well he hadn’t spent this much time outside since he’d died a couple thousand years ago. He craned his neck up to catch a patch of sunlight and feel it move like heated gold over his body, it was a welcomed bit of warmth from the chilly wind that curled amid the trees and shivered the leaves. It was a bit colder than Mairon might have liked though at the moment he found it refreshing. He took a deep breath and took in all the scents of the landscape about them. Yes, it felt just as good to be outside as he had remembered.
Remembered.
The word clanged about his head like a dire bell he could not muffle. He’d had a short while to adjust to the sudden and tumultuous return of his memories. Some so beautiful they brought him to tears, some so painful he could feel the agony afresh though it was inflicted millenia ago, and some so full of utter destruction that he could not comprehend what he’d seen. He moved a little closer to Nuriko, feeling the warmth of the other’s body. The nearness calmed the kirin’s mind. Latter, he would take the time to scrutinise his memories later. He’d been telling himself this for the past couple weeks.
The peaceful rustling of leaves was shattered by a harsh caw of a raven. Mairon snapped to attention. His pale gold eyes scanning the surrounding trees. Mentally he grasped the handle of his hammer, ready but not overly concerned. “My dear, I do not believe we are alone.” He said matter of factly to the horned hippocampus beside him.
I been through the darkest of caves and suffering
One hundred steps off the end of the road
Painted with passion, my favorite color
Hope I'm alive when the story gets old |
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Post by hey-stardust on Jan 5, 2019 8:02:43 GMT -6
 LETHE | VAGABOND | RANGER
Kick me when I'm down, keep me on the ground. From the ones who I thought they would never leave, who gave you so much faith?
With a deep sigh and a ruffle of Willa's ears, Lethe continued forward as an impromptu guide for a set of curious eyes. It was hard to ignore the eerie tower that had erected itself seemingly overnight on his travels, but stranger things had happened in his time, and up until now, he had had no reason (or want) to explore the ivory forest and its new adornments.
He was glad to have Bix by his side again, if only to help dispell potential gossip as it arose, grateful for the zebra's near silent but attentive presence.
At the sound of a corvid, who's squalls grew increasingly louder and more persistent as they approached, he bumped the other ranger's hip almost automatically, jerking his head silently towards the source of the noise.
Aware they were tasked with granting the Breimians safe passage, Lethe removed the chakram that hung from his side with a quick flick of grey teke, spinning it with a practised air. Eyeing the general direction in which the incessant cawing came from, he called out.
"I suggest you make yourself known, stranger."
1 | 185
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Post by Artistic Pineapple on Jan 5, 2019 10:57:12 GMT -6
BIX Ranger | Slate 017
The zebra ambled along the path, ears forward and eyebrows in their usual position. His gait could only be described as an amble, stumpy striped legs having to work nearly twice as hard to keep up with the taller equines he traveled alongside. They seemed fine enough, he had decided. No doubt strange to the eye as one was a hybrid and the other a reincarnate of a previously extinct race, but they weren't too chatty. Bix liked that.
A cool wind touched the leaves overhead, casting dappled light on them. This summer felt strangely more like autumn, but Bix suspected the strange tower had something to do with it. He had been told that the mysterious object had been there for nearly three months.
Leave it to breimians to hide instead of investigating, Bix thought.
How an entire town could sleep behind closed doors and refuse to investigate an addition to their environment seemed so foreign to the zebra. It made sense, though, considering these were the horses who chose to live under-ground.
Bix was glad to be traveling with Lethe again, though he refused to make light of it. The hippocampus was stubborn no doubt, but he was also surprisingly resourceful and cunning. There were definitely worse partners to travel with.
At the sound of a raven's caw, Lethe instinctively turned to the sound, snapping Bix into attention. His teke grasping for the longbow the zebra carried on his side, Bix glanced at their escortees, a quick nod of reassurance. A raven's caw could be nothing, but it could also hint at the presence of another. In the Vastlands, one could never be too cautious.
The zebra's skin prickled along his spine at the sound of Lethe's voice but he shook off the feeling as best he could with an irritated flip of his tail. This was not the time for those types of feelings.
WC: 324 | Post #1 |
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Post by Disastercorn on Jan 5, 2019 19:12:14 GMT -6
N U R I K O Male | Provider | Umare Briem
If it was not for the Kirin beside him, the hybrid equine would be no were close to were he was now. Mairon was the whole reason his world had turned on it's head and now he was trudging through dirt and mud for him. How grateful his love should be that he was no scoffing at such a setting as this. Though the word that the cream stallion muttered beside him, quelled the disgust within his heart and washed over him in a soothing wave. It had all been for Mairon.
All of it.
Eyes flickered to the zebra and hippocampus that walked along beside them. The trek had been short, in relative terms to what the ex-king's guide was used too within the labyrinth but the air and sunlight were not at all what he was used too. The few months upon the surface had been... Taxing. Learning how to become a farmer, a maker of food, had been one of the hardest tasks on the hippo hybrid though with Mairon alive and well, beside him and no longer stuck behind bars, made it all completely worth it. When he came home muddy and cold, the blacksmiths forge was always warm and waiting.
Feeling the Kirin step closer, Nuriko pressed velvet lips against his shoulder grateful for everything the kirin was and would be now. Though the caw of a raven caught the unicorn mix off guard. Both the rangers also gave pause and a small 'tt'ch sound left the former high ranking equine. "Never easy. Can't just be a 'calm' walk in the woods, now could it." He growled out, eyes flickering over the horizon towards were the sound had come from. "They could be working as a unit, we'll watch your backs as well." The hybrid spoke through gritted teeth as he scanned over the surrounding areas. Subconsciously he stepped a bit closer to Mairon, Nuriko was no fighter but at least he had Cascade's blessing to rely on.
POST 1 | WORD COUNT 333
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Post by sansatine on Jan 6, 2019 19:51:05 GMT -6
"Danny" 1
Alois and Ivan walked through the woods aimlessly trying to put distance between them and the whole of New Valore. Stillness was not a luxury she could afford. She had a bounty on her head if she was discovered. As such, Alois took on the name "Danny" and made way though the continent she grew up in, Sirith. A new addition sprouted up, unbeknownst to her. Ivan called it to her attention. It pulled her further fro Ethine, so she went. Hidden in the trees, she felt a presence and fell further into the shadows. A crow's call sounded, alerting not only her, but a small party. Their accents were familiar, she shared it. Alois tightened her shroud instinctively . familiarity did not equate trust. The party spoke to their intruder, scanning their surroundings. In attempts to cover her location she reached out to her blessing and pulled a raven from it. The illusion pulled their attention from her direction to the other side of the clearing, trying to ease their suspicion. The mare watched through the foliage. Her intention was not robbery, but curiosity. 185 |
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Post by Moose-On-Ice on Jan 6, 2019 20:30:11 GMT -6
║❖ Yasuo ❖ ║
"The day is for the honest men, the night is for thieves."
~~~
Oh no. Ears flattened against his head, Yasuo stared towards the party with wide eyes. He heard the call to come out, and he considered ignoring it, bolting away into the foliage. It was an option. But they would hear him. They could give chase. And if he was outnumbered... He swallowed thickly, hastily searching his saddlebags for his notebook, pulling it out along with a charcoal stick. He flipped to an empty page, hastily scrawling, "I'm not looking for trouble", before lifting his head. He made sure his kitsune mask was firmly secured on his head, hiding his scars and other... Frightening features.
Then he carefully, slowly walked forward out of the brush, holding the notebook open in front of him to let them see the message. They probably weren't vagabonds. It was unlikely that they'd be able to read any sign language he might use. As he came into view, his single eye hastily darted back and forth over the equines gathered, and he turned his head ever so slightly to look over them all. Two of them entirely looked ready to fight. They could hurt him. And he only had a dagger and throwing knives. The others didn't look like a problem, but even so, with the first two, he was still outnumbered.
Aasu cawed proudly and hopped on his back, staring at the newcomers now that they were in sight, her feathers puffing on her chest while she crowed.
Again Yasuo let out a short hiss from the back of his throat, shooting her a look. The raven just looked at him and continued hopping, although making a bit less noise. The thief looked back to the others. What was he to do now? At least they couldn't see his face, his eyes, anything. He could look around as much as he wanted with his one eye, try to plan and figure out something to do that could save him now. They didn't look like slavers. But he couldn't be sure.
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Post by dasarith on Jan 7, 2019 12:03:12 GMT -6
Deyanira
WC: 390 | Post: 1
After months of haphazard travels through the Onea and finally back in the familiarity that is Sirith Deyanira couldn't find herself able to sit still for too long. Although used to the "safe" feeling that the Skytop forest would surround her with, an itching desire laid deep in her to satiate her curiosity for the world. In her eyes a hedgewitch was only as good as the knowledge she held and it was time to go out and learn more.
The path her hooves her would take her would be to go down south through the rest of Sirith. Although the lack of trees and cover would make her uneasy and skittish she somehow made it to the city of The Point. There she offered her services as a "fortune teller" and also her expertise with herbs to those that would come through the village. In her mind she knew she had to continue traveling however her curiosity got the best of her in the form of the Bone Tower. What was it doing here? What is its purpose? Questions she would ask herself even though she was too afraid to approach it.
Then one morning a feeling would hit here filling her with an uneasiness that had never hit her before. As if the tower was whispering to her like how the plants whisper to her through Kaia's blessing. Again the skittish mare was wiling to leave the comfort-ability of an area to obtain answers to her questions.
Deyanira trotted through the forest surrounding the Bone Tower towards it. Usually her personality called for her to be silent and hide from possibly being sighted today however the uneasiness filling her caused her to want to reach the tower as soon as possible to find some relief. Her absentminded head state would bring her to not hear Lethe calling out for Yasuo to show himself and it was only until she caught sight of the five equines meeting that she brought herself to a stop.
She looked over at them unafraid of making an interaction with them. Maybe the uneasiness growing in her would be quenched even for a second by the companies of others. Albeit they were strangers being on her own for so long has made her welcome the idea of safety in numbers. |
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Post by Artistic Pineapple on Jan 8, 2019 13:43:01 GMT -6
BIX Ranger | Slate 017
As hoofsteps neared them through the brush, Bix spotted the white creature's mask first. He had seen breimians with similar ornamentation styles, but this horse clearly wasn't of Breim... not if he was traveling alone and above the ground.
Bix's instinct told him that this individual must be a thief, having swiped the mask from some ill-fated equine and with that thought, the ranger tensed.
His eyes remained on the tall white individual coming toward them through the trees, no longer darting to his partner or their escortees. His longbow was now held at his chest, an arrow slowly drifting to the knocking point before he saw the note written for them by the stranger:
I'm not looking for trouble.
Bix still didn't relax, no doubt his blessing of Beast Summoning upsetting the white raven on the back of the masked stranger. Thieves and criminals pulled this act all the time, he knew... but then he noticed the slight turn of the masked head. The one eye turned their way... this stranger was half blind. Oh.
Making note of that fact, Bix relaxed almost entirely. One-eyed creatures had terrible depth perception for starters, making them commonly clumsy in combat. Plus, the one eye was outnumbered greatly by the four of them. Bix placed the arrow back in its sheath but kept his bow in-teke.
As he relaxed, the zebra caught sight of a striped mare looking at them within the trees. Her coat had acted as a camouflage with the foliage as his attention had been on something else. Though they had never met, his travels on the main roads had led them to cross paths on occasion, and Bix recognized her unique coat and vivid eyes. He took her as a traveling merchant, also not a threat to their group.
"No harm will come to you if no harm comes to us," Bix stated in his common monotone, his voice loud enough to carry. "We are not wanderers and are therefore here for a reason. Keep your distance," It was an order to both the new-comers. His mission was to protect these breimians on their way to the Tower and that was his only priority.
WC: 373 | Post #2 |
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Post by JourneyHorse on Jan 8, 2019 22:54:30 GMT -6
Mairon | [ post #2 || word count: 229 ] |
The appearance of this stranger put Mairon on edge. He looked to the two rangers who were serving as their guides; and thanked Ignacio that Nuriko had been able to talk him into enlisting their aid in this venture. The zebra had lowered his weapon upon approaching the white horse. Perhaps just a chance meeting? Out of the corner of his eye Marion thought he caught another movement among the underbrush of the forest. Trusting that the rangers had the masked stranger handled he turned his attention to the surrounding foliage. He had the nagging feeling that they were being watched. But by whom? Someone working with the masked horse?
“I think there might be someone else out there.” The kirin said softly to the blue roan hybrid next to him.
He moved deliberately towards the trees, placing himself between a potential threat and Nuriko. His war hammer was still at his side but held loosely by his teke. “Come on out. I know you’re there.” He said in a tone that was almost conversational but carried the hint of a command. It was possible he was simply talking to a bunch of plants and whatever forest fauna that had caused them to move. It might have been nothing more than a squirrel. But with the sudden appearance of the masked stranger, Mairon was not about to take chances.
I been through the darkest of caves and suffering
One hundred steps off the end of the road
Painted with passion, my favorite color
Hope I'm alive when the story gets old |
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Post by sansatine on Jan 10, 2019 23:20:36 GMT -6
"Danny" 2
Her illusion went unnoticed as another body emerged from cover. No words fell from this stranger, but a note did. Alois didn't even bother trying to read it. From where she was, the scrawl was far too small to read, but she also wasn't the most literate equine here, it seemed. The Kirin among them turned and glared directly at her, but Alois did not move. It was their words that gave them away, " Come on out. I know you're there." she still did not move, but the Kirin was intent. She looked to each of the party. They had already made their intentions of non violence apparent while trying to disarm the masked horse and their bird. Still, she thought, the Rangers among them had no patience for her kind, so she tread lightly. Alois once again mustered her blessing and sent the illusion of a shadowy fox bolting out of the brush behind the group, drawing their attention. With eyes away from her, she emerged from her spot and spoke to the party. "I assume your peace extends to me as well." Alois called to the group from a few meters ahead of them now. Ivan stayed low, sulking around behind her. "The tower ahead, what do you know of it?" Alois gave them no time to bar her from the truce settled between the masked individual. 230 |
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Post by Disastercorn on Jan 11, 2019 17:10:49 GMT -6
N U R I K O Male | Provider | Umare Briem
This was getting tiring.
Always being on edge, always ready for something anything to leap out of them was taxing on the stallion. He missed the confined spaces of the tunnels were nothing could jump out, spook or startle them. With a deep heavy breath Nuriko lifted his head and flicked it once. "I could care less about a mute Vagabond and some questioning wanderer. Lets continue forward." He was growing agitated. The fact that the Umare still had their claws in him, drove the equine to want to get the job done and over with. All he wanted was a peaceful life with Mairon and yet... That didn't seem to be the case. Finned tail flicked, his back fins rising up to their full height with agitation.
"We are headed to the tower, therefore we know about as much as we can see from here." He called out, to those around that cared to listen. "Either continue on or come forward to travel with us." Hooves then started forward once more. "Bix, Lethe. Lets go." Pastel green eyes flickered to Mairon as he stepped forward, nearly begging his love to come to his side. Had he been too harsh? Mairon was slowly working on melting his cold too professional heart but the thawing process was taking a while for anyone that wasn't the Kirin.
POST 2 | WORD COUNT 239
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Post by hydrus101 on Jan 13, 2019 12:39:22 GMT -6
A S R A I• Vagabond | Hedgewitch •
“I don’t care what it takes, I am going to do what I know is right.
Asrai’s breath came in short, stuttering bursts. It was nerve wracking just sitting in the bushes waiting for something to happen. Suddenly the palomino jumped as a raven’s caw broke through the silence. The feathers on his neck rose up and Asrai fought to flatten them as he shut his eyes, searching for the animal’s mind through the trees. If he knew where the creature was, he could see through their eyes and look for danger. Nakamentha would pull him from his search if something happened.
Regardless, Asrai pressed onwards, his consciousness flickering to each living soul around him. Mice, birds, squirrels, and suddenly, Asrai saw a flash of white. There.
When the pegasus opened his eyes again, he saw through the eyes of a beautiful snow white raven. The bird was perched on the back of an equally white horse who shifted nervously. From it’s perch on the stranger’s back, Asrai could hear a series of voices calling out, some of which he could also hear from his real body. The echo was unnerving, but it also meant that they were close. He murmured this to his mother and felt her body stiffen next to him. There were more horses here than they could see.
Pulled from his focus, the horse under the raven’s claws shifted, quickly scrawling something in a notebook and holding it out in front of him as he moved towards the group in the clearing. A few moments after, another horse emerged from the brush, calling out to the slowly gathering party. Asrai’s gaze was transfixed on the shiny horse at the group’s head however, and he missed most of the conversation going on around them. The horse he was transfixed by had fins, but was also adorned with gemstones, not scales. The sight was new and exciting to the colt but with a snap, Asrai felt his connection to the raven break.
Fast as lighting, he was thrown back to his own body, stumbling slightly as he took a moment to steady himself. Nakamentha nosed his cheek worriedly and as soon as his head cleared, he gave her a small, weary smile. He knew how much she worried about his new blessing. As he finished telling her what he’d seen, the group began to move forward, the flashy hybrid at it’s forefront.
“We have to follow them, Mom.” He whispered, eyes wide. “They’re going to the tower, we’d be safe with them.”
The blood bay mare flicked her ear back, discomfort evident in her eyes. “Asrai...”
“We’ll stay hidden if you want,” he begged. “If anything happens we’ll leave.”
The pair stood in silence for a few moments, Asrai growing desperate as he began to lose sight of the group through the trees.
“Alright.”
Asrai jolted forward. “Really?”
“Yes,” Naka paused, “but you will do exactly as I say. If I say run, you will run, okay?”
The colt nodded vigorously and Nakamentha steeled herself as they stepped out of the bushes together. “Got room for two more?”
WC: 518
Post: 2
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Post by hey-stardust on Jan 14, 2019 6:04:04 GMT -6
LETHE | VAGABOND | RANGER
Kick me when I'm down, keep me on the ground. From the ones who I thought they would never leave, who gave you so much faith?
Lethe's hair bristled as more than one Vagabond answered their call, and adrenaline began to thrum throughout his veins at the expectation of a fight. His gaze flitted between the strangers, rapidly weighing up the odds in his head.
Though he had long put the days in Harbourside's make-shift pits behind him, his time upon the decks had taught him to hit hard and ask questions later if you wanted to get paid.
But when Bix relaxed, lowing his bow, Lethe's curiosity peaked and he eyed the masked stallion with wary optimism, gaze skimming over the note. Trusting the zebra's lead, he returned his chakram to his side as a gesture of goodwill.
Reassessing the situation, he nodded stiffly at Nuriko's command and resisted the urge to flick his tail in sudden irritation. They had been hired for a reason, but, unlike indentured servants, they could easily leave the Breimians to find their own way back home if they grew too overbearing to deal with.
In the end, however, he merely grunted: "We won't try anything if you don't." and turned away from the group, pushing through the underbrush to lead them towards the ivory tower that stood waiting, a slight limp evident in his stride.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2019 14:43:45 GMT -6
The bone forest around you is calm, yet you cannot quite shake the feeling of unreal it awakens in you. It seems to defy all reality and sense, and in the center of it looms that grand tower, white and yellow as bone, grand and terrifying.
But you are safe. Despite the strangeness of it all, you know you are safe. Nothing here will threaten you.
As you trek forward, all semblance of natural life is left behind. Final tufts of grass and underbrush die away to give room for their bony equivalents. The sinking feeling that you are being watched is hard to shake, but you see no one.
Does the forest have eyes? It is made of bone, after all – flesh does not seem too far a cry from it.
Something heavy lumbers through the bony brush, snapping apart the bastardizations of life as it comes.
To those among you who are used to the wilds of Hireath, the creature is familiar a sight, yet foreign. For you have seen Ursa in your travels, yet none like this.
No, none quite like this.
The bear is light of coat, brown and cream. A large animal, it lumbers through the brush to stare at you. She rises to her back legs, opens her mouth and roars, yet makes no attempt to approach you further.
Instead of starlight, it is dying embers, comets and dancing illusions.
The longer you look, the more you see. Embers and dead stars turn into fleeting visions. Butterflies and fresh blooms in all the colors of the autumn dance on her body.
She turns, grunts once, and begins to walk off, heading deeper into the woods, but not towards the tower.
Will you follow her, or continue straight on, towards the tower in the distance?
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Post by dasarith on Jan 16, 2019 19:51:43 GMT -6
Deyanira
WC: 256 | Post: 2
Deyanira stepped foward after hearing Bix said that no harm would come for her feeling a bit of relief to be with others. Hearing "Danny's" response to the question about the bone tower she was about to respond but before a word could get out Nuriko responded with, "We are headed to the tower, therefore we know about as much as we can see from here. Either continue on or come forward to travel with us." She tries to suppress a laugh at the sudden rudeness of the Provider but even so followed after the group.
--
As the scenery around them turned from tufts of grass and underbrush turning into bony structures Deyanira could feel something was off. She no longer could "hear" the plants around her whispering to her through her blessing and although this would usually cause her to become uneasy she felt her self strangely calm. As if nothing was going to happen and even though the feeling of heavy eyes were upon she felt no fear from them either.
At the sight of the Ursa lumbering towards her she found herself frozen in place admiring the beast as it walked by and even as it roars she can not bring herself to move. It is until the creature moves towards the deeper part of the forest that she brings herself to say something to the other equines around her.
"Never in my life have I seen an Ursa like that. Do you think it was affected by the tower?" |
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Post by Artistic Pineapple on Jan 17, 2019 7:28:41 GMT -6
BIX Ranger | Slate 017
His blood froze as the zebra's hooves left the soil and met bone. Bix stopped to tap a forehoof on the surface, hearing the hollow sound that resonated. Concern clouding his eyes and flattening his ears, he spared a glance at Lethe.
A forest of bone.
His goddess's touch was no longer with him as he ambled through the alien landscape now, lending some focus to call any surrounding beasts towards them. His stomach churned when his sense found nothing. There weren't even any birds in the bleached tree-like growths here. This place was like death, but a kind that had been left to the sun and beetles.
The bone tower was clearly visible now, stabbing into the blue sky like an aged tooth. Though he was curious, Bix couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that lingered within him. His bow was kept tightly within his grasp and his eyes skimmed the surrounding scape as the Ursa approached.
What he saw hardly resonated at first. It was as if the beast was born of the bone forest and not a child of Kaia's earth. Its light pelt didn't bear the glow of creation but the zebra caught the fleeting visions of embers and comets, then blooming flowers the color of autumn leaves. When it rose and roared, Bix stood transfixed, unmoving.
It wasn't until after the creature had turned and walked away from their small group that the ranger regained himself with a gentle shake of his head. It felt like he had just woken from a dream. Deyanira's question bounced around his head before finding a response.
"No doubt," Bix grunted. "Though it seemed to be trying to lead us somewhere. Ursas are ancient beasts, they're wiser than any horse I've ever met."
He glanced to the tower, then into the boney underbrush that the beast had limbered into. Round ears pricking for the first time that day as Bix felt a pull to follow the strange creature. His mission was to visit the tower, but when an Ursa asks you to follow, you should.
"We might find more answers by following it," he said finally, with a glance at Lethe and the Breimians.
WC: 371 | Post #3
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Post by Moose-On-Ice on Jan 17, 2019 19:12:00 GMT -6
║❖ Yasuo ❖ ║
"The day is for the honest men, the night is for thieves."
~~~
...He supposed attempting to pickpocket one or two small things of value was out of the question. Ears flat, Yasuo watched them. Here for a reason. Single eye darting to the white spire in the distance, he then returned his gaze to the group. It was a possibility... But even if they were also heading there, did he want to follow?
He didn't know what he'd find there... And, if he was in a group, there'd be other bodies to sacrifice if things went poorly. He could stay out of harm's way more easily. Nose wrinkling at the agitated tone of the shining hippocampus, Yasuo gave a small huff under his mask. He hadn't asked to meet the party here. This was Aasu's fault.
Jaw setting, he twitched, hearing others stride through the brush. More? How many were there? He hadn't... He hadn't expected this many... It was unsettling. But he waited until the majority of them passed, taking up residence behind, trailing a short distance back. He didn't want to get too close.
The crunch of the floor under his hooves was... Odd... He gave it a small glance down, but steadied himself and continued forward. Aasu had grown quiet, only making soft caws in her throat. She was uneasy. Yasuo was uneasy. Despite the odd peace, it wasn't comfortable for him. Silence was dangerous. And then the surroundings cracked. Head jerking up, Yasuo stared to the front of the group. What was- What was that?
He'd never seen something like that before. He heard the murmurs ahead. Ursa. They called it an ursa. Looking between the direction of the bear, and the tower, he huffed again. He wasn't here to follow some dumb bear looking thing. He trudged forward, past the halted equines, and stepping towards the tower. He glanced back at them, gesturing with a nod of his head towards the bony spire.
That was what he was here for. Not whatever... That thing had been. Answers or not, following a wild animal away into an unknown area was asking for trouble. Hell, it was trouble enough if one just followed a strange equine. This thing didn't have common sense like an equine did.
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Post by Disastercorn on Jan 21, 2019 19:45:13 GMT -6
N U R I K O Male | Provider | Umare Briem
Of course something had to come and stand in their way. Coming to a stop beside his love, Mairon, the unicorn watched with narrowed eyes. The bare was tall but it did little to confront them besides standing in the way. Ears swiveled back, laying flat on his head as mane hung straight. The ground beneath his hooves was distrubing, more then he cared to admit and the lack of life or sense of it made him uneasy in all senses. This place wasn't right. At least water sloshed around in their satchels, allowing him some use of their blessing.
As the bear turned and walked off, Nuriko dropped his head and pawed the strange floor in agitation. But the tower in the distance seemed to not be going anywhere... Bix knew more about the wildlife being a ranger afterall. So with a small breath the hybrid's head lifted and the gestured after the creature. "Lead the way Bix. The tower isn't going anywhere, might as well see were this creature wants to lead us..." He dropped his head to a more level posture and started after the small group.
POST 3 | WORD COUNT 204
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Post by JourneyHorse on Jan 22, 2019 10:22:44 GMT -6
Mairon | [ post #3 || word count: 201 ] |
It took a lot to make the kirin uneasy but this bleached landscape of bone certainly did. The unnaturalness of the place made Mairon shiver. Even the sound of his cloven hooves on the hard yet hollow substance rang unnatural in his ear. The ossified trees loomed like horrible monoliths thrust up from some twisted underworld and above them rose the tower. It was closer now but no less of an enigma. The shock of the sudden appearance of the pale ursa seemed lessened amid this alien landscape. Here anything could happen. Despite the beast’s initial roar it now seemed to pose no threat as it ambled off through the dead forest. The kirin’s pale gold eyes followed the bear, trying to make sense of the things he had seen or thought he had seen for a split second. Cosmic lights beneath fathoms of water.
Mairon nodded his agreement with Bix’s and Nuriko’s decision to follow the mysterious animal. He glanced back at the masked thief and the mare who had unexpectedly stumbled upon their group. It appeared that they were just as surprised to see this creature. Which hopefully meant this was no trap that they had a part in.
I been through the darkest of caves and suffering
One hundred steps off the end of the road
Painted with passion, my favorite color
Hope I'm alive when the story gets old |
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Post by hey-stardust on Jan 26, 2019 7:21:00 GMT -6
LETHE | VAGABOND | RANGER
Kick me when I'm down, keep me on the ground. From the ones who I thought they would never leave, who gave you so much faith?
The hollow, despondent click beneath their hooves perturbs him, just as it had the others, but his expression remains unreadable, almost nonchalant. His jaw tightens at the sound of Nuriko’s pawing however, and he finds himself tempted to snap at the hybrid; to chastise him for once again, drawing unnecessary attention to the group and in turn, reminding them how out of place --and how far from home-- he truly was.
Instead, he closes his eyes for a moment, drawing breath and aiming to release whatever tension he had been holding within-
Only for Willa to start growling.
The mutt was usually content to simply lay amongst his belongings, lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of his saddlebags against his side, so the sound was enough to draw him back to the forest, gaze snapping open and be brought face to face with an Ursa Major.
He shushes the dog almost automatically, ruffling her head with a touch of teke to settle her. The bear does not hold the same air of mystic to him as it does the others, but he still watches her regardless, wary and distrustful.
Illusions, trickery - these were commonplace amongst tourists and those looking to earn a little extra coin when it came to Harbourside, a lucrative business in clever hands.
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Post by Artistic Pineapple on Jan 26, 2019 10:47:01 GMT -6
BIX Ranger | Slate 017
With the hybrid's agreement to investigate, Bix glanced to the sky. The sun was still high, shadows still short. They had time for a detour in this alien place... but the zebra eyed his companion.
Lethe's grey eyes were tight, distrustful. Without voicing his views, the hippocamp had spoken strongly. He didn't trust the bear, the bone forest, anything. He didn't agree with following the creature or he would have surely agreed in favor. Almost immediately, Bix checked his saddlebags.
All his belongings were still inside, nothing missing. If a member of their group was a pickpocket or the bear was an illusion, they hadn't taken their chance while he was distracted. He looked again to Lethe, steely eyes on the creature lumbering away into the ossified underbrush. It was leaving a grotesque path for them to follow.
Bix's hooves moved before his mouth did, swinging his head to address the Breimians and Lethe. "We can see where it's heading for a short time. When the shadows begin to lengthen, we turn back. If we must spend the night out here, we will spend it at the base of the tower."
He met the gaze of the masked ghost for a moment, hardly addressing the thief. Or any of the vagabonds that had joined them, really. This wasn't their task. They were free to go where they wished. Bix decided that those who followed were probably more of a threat than those who didn't. He figured that they could still overpower a few straggly vagabonds if need be as he ambled along the path behind the bear.
His teke grasped a small overhanging branch, snapping part of it from the rest and turning it around before his eyes as he walked. It had splintered at the break and the surface bared pores... as if connective tissue and blood vessels had once existed there and didn't any longer. The texture was at the same time familiar and frighteningly new. He had heard of his goddess's holy blessings, but was this what Reality Manipulation looked like? Surely his goddess wasn't responsible...
He wordlessly passed the branch piece to the bremians, allowing them to examine it.
Bix watched the path ahead with ears turned back and his bow in-teke. If nothing happened soon, they wouldn't bother following the creature into a potential trap.
WC: 397 | Post #4 |
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Post by dasarith on Jan 29, 2019 12:05:33 GMT -6
Deyanira
Post: 3 | WC: 201
Deyanira turned and watched as the group slowly split into two. She thought about Bix's words about the Ursa leading them and while that did seem like what was going on she couldn't pull herself away from her initial goal, the tower. She spoke out loud to no one in particular, "I came here for the tower, I can't deviate." Before she trotted after the masked white stallion who although she didn't know at all she felt safer than being by herself. As she got closer to him she tried her best to match his pace.
"Hope you don't mind me following along with you," She said to him with a soft smile.
Her smile disappeared as her gazed turned back towards the tower. It was getting closer and closer; growing in size as they approached it.
She wanted to ask Yasuo so many questions 'Do you think their will be other affected creatures at the tower?' 'What caused this forest of bones?' 'This is the first time I've seen anything like this, how about you?' But she couldn't bring herself to ask just allowing the silence to be filled with the crunching of the boney floor.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2019 14:46:16 GMT -6
The bear lumbers away from you at an even pace, almost as if she wants to make sure that you have no trouble keeping up with her. No more than a few paces in, you note that the shadows seem to draw longer.
You gaze skyward. The sun shines brightly, even as the forest around you turns darker and darker.
That is nothing new, of course. Everyone knows it is dark in the heart of the wood, underneath ancient trees.
But these bony constructs are not growing thicker.
Or…
Are they?
In the dimming light of the sun, you see the forest visibly shift, moving like a living thing. The pathways you came through disappear as new ones are formed.
The bear, however, is unbothered.
The world is all dark now. The sky is black. The trees around you only visible as silhouettes, drawn by the light within the Ursa Major. Were you to break out your own magic or lanterns, you would find that they too are choked by this unnatural night. Only the bear can outshine the darkness.
Even if you wanted to turn back now, you could not find your way.
The bear is a beacon, and she leads you on.
The walk in the night of nights feels long. Bony underbrush snaps underneath your feet. Someone stumbles slightly.
But the bear lumbers on.
Finally, after what feels like the better part of an hour, something much grander than a tree is outlined in the light of the stars and embers in the bear’s chest.
The white, jagged shape of the tower draws a frightful shadow that seems to dominate even the surrounding darkness.
The Bone Tower. Your destination.
Crystalline and bone insects buzz around the tower, glowing like mockeries of fireflies.
The Tower rattles in an unseen wind. Vibrates.
Breathes?
The sides of the tower shiver.
The bear is gone.
The Tower stands silent and loud.
Begging you to try and find entrance.
Begging for a simple touch.
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Post by JourneyHorse on Jan 31, 2019 8:24:00 GMT -6
Mairon | [ post #4 || word count: 400 ] |
It seemed the moment the group moved to follow the glowing bear the shadows came rushing out about them, an utterly imperceptible movement but rushing nonetheless to pool about their hooves. It wasn’t long before the world seemed encased in shadows. The trees once white in the sun now nothing more than dark dimly sensed silhouettes. Yet still the Ursa Major ambled on, the only point of light amid the gloom. Mairon felt a tightness in his chest as the claustrophobia of the caverns deep below Sirith came back to him. He lit a fire to comfort himself and light the way. Or he tried, the bright orange flame sparked into life then fizzled out with a puff of dying embers. The kirin felt a twinge of fear. Where were they that Ignacio’s gift was so powerfully repressed?
He looked to Nuriko but could not discern the other’s expression in the darkness. So he moved comer until their sides brushed. The contact and reassurance that his love was beside him managed to suppress the rising tide of terror in this throat at the unnaturalness of the situation.
“Light, up ahead.”
He said softly, for amid the calcified trees a light had emerged and suddenly the kirin found himself looking up at the tower, rising like a monolith into the sky. Its sides seemed to heave and the ground seemed to roll, Mairon blinked and felt as if he’d been hit by a wave of dizziness, then it passed. Something small and glowing fluttered about his unbroken horn, another buzzed past his nose. Small insects, intricately made of molding bits of bone. Utterly impossible and unreal and yet here they were clicking and whirring about the tower.
Despite the utter alieness of their surroundings the kirin stepped to the tower, it filled his vision and he didn’t even think to look where the bear was. His craftsman mind suddenly coming alive as he studied its sides. “Incredible…”
He breathed. “The sides are smooth and flawless as glass, with not a seam or crack in them. I can’t even find trace of any tool work on it.”
The metal smith looked down the length of the building, sheer and uninterrupted by any flaw, clearly there was no entrance. Maybe around the other side? He reached out to touch the smooth surface, wondering how something so perfect could have been erected so quickly.
I been through the darkest of caves and suffering
One hundred steps off the end of the road
Painted with passion, my favorite color
Hope I'm alive when the story gets old |
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Post by Artistic Pineapple on Jan 31, 2019 22:58:25 GMT -6
BIX Ranger | Slate 017
"Don't," the words catch in his throat and Bix can only spurt out a desperate order in the direction of the one-horned kirin.
His eyes are wild, brows no longer in their usual position as his teke turns white with its grip on his bow. An arrow is knocked and had been since the shadows became too long too quickly. He had immediately suspected a trick, something pulled on them by the vagabonds that joined their party, but they had appeared just as fearful of the impending darkness and he did.
It had caught them all off guard, as if it had heard his order. Or read his mind. Bix shook the unnerving thought from his head. The hair along his back stood on end, a dorsal stripe ridging straight upward into the inky sky that now encased them. His joints felt light, adrenaline pulsing through his veins in preparation of danger. This wasn't natural. It wasn't of this world. It was something else. And it had led them right to it.
As the ground and tower heaved, Bix realized it wasn't a tower at all. It was alive. It hadn't been crafted, it had been born. There were powerful forces here, godly forces... but not those the zebra knew. He looked to Lethe, the light of the tower illuminating the hippocamp's face, then to the surrounding forest of darkness that now encased them all.
Leaving didn't seem to be an option.
WC: 249 | Post #5
(no touchy) |
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Post by Moose-On-Ice on Jan 31, 2019 23:14:31 GMT -6
║❖ Yasuo ❖ ║
"The day is for the honest men, the night is for thieves."
~~~
...What did they all think they would find by following some glowing bear? Yasuo stared at the group once they turned and followed the beast. Whatever. Fine. He'd go alone. He wanted that to begin with. It was Aasu who got the attention of the others. She was the one who had wanted companions other than himself... Maybe she wanted someone who could, or would, vocalize and talk with her... Ears flattening, Yasuo turned and started trudging towards the tower.
That was a disheartening thought. That his raven was getting lonely without someone to talk to. But he couldn't give her that. Not ever. Tattered tongue moving in his mouth, the empty space feeling as wide and yawning as a void, he hardly noticed someone come up behind him. Especially as she was on his blind side. He heard her steps far too late, and far too close for his own comfort.
Head jerking up, he quickly twisted his neck to look over at her as she began to speak, twitching and sidestepping quickly to put space between them. He stared at her blankly, brows furrowing, nose curling in irritation. Things she couldn't see under the kitsune mask. The only noise he made was a low growl in the back of his throat, and he looked forward to continue on, making sure to keep a healthy distance between the two of them.
And then the forest changed around them. The forest was getting darker, darker, and darker still. The trees weren't getting thicker, and the sun wasn't setting. Yasuo stopped in his tracks. The path in front of him vanished. The sky was black. The tower is gone. What?
He stared ahead into the darkness, almost wanting to take off his mask in fear that it was something with the wooden construct. But then he looked over his shoulder, seeing the faint glow of the bear and the group in the distance. And a path. The only path. He spared no glance to his companion, only turning and transitioning to a quick pace towards the group.
He didn't want to come crawling back to them. But, he didn't want to get lost out here. Something in his gut told him that it would be a fate he didn't want to understand. He rejoined the group, trailing at the back, watching the bear ahead. He didn't like this. He was starting to dislike this more and more.
And then there was blinding white. Staring up at the tower, he felt more than unnerved. He didn't know why. Everything was still, dead, wrong... But alive... And the bear was just... Gone.
Yasuo shifted anxiously on his feet. Had he seen a path, he would turn and run. But there was nothing. And he wasn't getting close to that... That thing... He'd let the others... Touch it... Investigate... Whatever... Maybe they'd get eaten or hurt or some sort of path would open up. And he'd be the first to bolt towards it while they were busy.
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Post by Disastercorn on Feb 3, 2019 1:40:08 GMT -6
N U R I K O Male | Provider | Umare Briem
This was all unnatural. All unnerving.
But Nuriko was an unphasable force. He had been the one to find the kirins, the one to investigate strange sounds in dark corners. The one to shed light on crumbling tunnels and protect people. Now was no different. As the ground stood before the tower of breathing bone the Unicorn Hybrid watched his love admire the structure. Eyes flickered to those present, feeling the pull deep within his chest. A draw, a need to touch and carry forward with this mission.
He'd been ordered after all to find out more and if this was what it cost to get the standing back on better grounds with his herd...
Hooves moved slowly, head lifting to stare up at the gleaming structure. A single deep breath was taken into his chest, the silence nearly deafening withing the space. Not even a wind... Eyes looked over it's surface, struggling to not move back to Mairon's side. But his herd came first. He was a seeker. He could do this.
Teke reached out, touching gently to the smooth surface...
POST 4 | WORD COUNT 196
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