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Post by cogaidh on Aug 28, 2017 15:10:20 GMT -6
Thoughts of Sea and Stone
Otama||Alvaro
After the mental-break Otama suffered on Mt. Skeldr, she decided to go to her paternal grandparents' farm to recover.
During one of her daily walks down the coast, she has an unexpected reunion with a familiar face.
Time of Day: Midday
Timeline: Late Fall, 1700
Weather: Cool with a light breeze from the Sea |
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Post by cogaidh on Aug 28, 2017 15:12:14 GMT -6
Otama | War-Forged | Valkyrie
Valor is a gift. Those having it never know for sure whether they have it till the test comes. And those having it in one test never know for sure if they will have it when the next test comes.
The pale midday sun of fall, reflected off the waves that marched towards the shore. Òtama’s hoofsteps were slow as she made her way along the sandy shore, her thoughts heavy and overbearing. The cliffs to her right ranged from towering to shoulder height, other places had the easy paths carved into the rock. The return from Mt. Skeldr had been a somber affair, with the group having to carry two of its members down the mountain, one dead the other crippled. Òtama had refused to even touch the Blades that they had found there. She shuddered at the lingering memories of what had happened, the sound of bone shattering echoed in her nightmares and the remembered sight of Liam’s lifeblood pumping out onto the stone still made her shake. She had killed before, vagabonds and bloody flanks, but to watch as a disembodied force used a stone weapon to coldly kill the stallion had done something to her. She knew she would be able to continue as a Valkyrie, even fight the enemies of her herd to their death at her blade, but the sight of blood now had her feeling dizzy and panicked.
So she had gone south-west to recover, her paternal grandparents had settled down along the coast in their retirement, starting a small yet successful farm. Her grandfather had been a raider for over half a century before hanging his sword above the hearth, so Òtama hoped that he could council her about what had happened on the mountain. Her grandmother’s knowledge as a medic hopefully would help her as well. When she had arrived, her grandparents had been overjoyed to see her. For the first night they talked for hours, and the normality of it all helped to steady her. The second night they talked for hours more, and she began to feel more herself again.
Three days in she had decided to walk down the coast, a little farther each day, to just be alone with her thoughts. She thought on what her grandfather had told her, on the advice from her grandmother. But nothing quite got that echoing reverb of shattering bone and falling bodies out of her mind. So here she was, the farthest down the coast she had yet gone, walking along the sand, watching Veka chase crabs. She looked out across the waves and decided to take a chance. Removing her prosthetic, she set it on a high rock out of reach of the tide. Then with a limping gait, she walked into the waves until the cold water supported her while her hooves still touched the sand. There she stood, wrapped in Cascade’s embrace while braced by Kaia’s earth. She closed her eyes and let the slow waves push against her chest. Her loose mane and tail floating in the water around her.
Post #1 | Word Count: 475 |
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Post by ebbarie on Aug 29, 2017 2:25:09 GMT -6
Alvaro | War-Forged | Farmer
If you haven’t found something strange during the day; it hasn’t been much of a day
It had been a strange week. First the tree round that had appeared not that far away from his farm, and now the news of the events from the little village Holmsa had reached his ears.
Those were truly dangerous times. Alvaro wondered if the Bloody Flank’s had something to do with it. He wondered if Rose was alright.
But despite everything, it was useless to rack one’s brain about those things. There was work to do. Especially with the upcoming winter.
The farmer had been out on his fields since the early morning and after the work on land was done he walked with calm and steady steps into the dark blue water.
It had been a good idea to plant sea crops as well, he had found a market gap and as long as he kept the voracious fishes away, his crops were safe. His fields on land however were exposed to wind and weather.
Suddenly, when he was already on his way to the water surface again, a loud noise reached his ears. It was a furious barking. To be concrete, Cielo’s barking.
The Tibetan Mastiff had grown into a great guard dog, but sometimes he was a little too aggressive towards strangers and so the Hippocampus hurried to get to the beach again.
As the water become to flat to swim any further, Alvaro changed into his landform again and in the blink of an eye heavy hooves trotted the last few meters out of the water.
In front of him presented a curious sight. First he saw his white dog, who was barking at a dark Snow Leopard and immediately Alvaro knew who he would see next.
Otama was here. The Valkyrie that had been part of the group that saved him from the Vagabond’s ambush not long ago.
“Cielo! ENOUGH” he addressed his stern words towards the dog, which hesitated a moment before he followed unwillingly the orders of his owner.
“Otama, I’m sorry. He is still young and hasn’t the best manners just yet” he apologized with a slight smile. “It’s nice to see you! What brings you to this place?” he wanted know.
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Post by cogaidh on Aug 29, 2017 7:46:34 GMT -6
Otama | War-Forged | Valkyrie
Valor is a gift. Those having it never know for sure whether they have it till the test comes. And those having it in one test never know for sure if they will have it when the next test comes.
The sudden and harsh barking that was let loose behind her hand her jerking in startlement in the water. She glanced back to see what was apparently a giant white dog barking furiously at Veka. The snow leopard familiar was growling and hissing at the dog as he arched his back and his fur fluffed out. She turned in the water and began to make her way slowly back to shore, her familiar wouldn’t attack the dog but he was not happy at the threat. As she got closer she noticed that the dog wasn’t quite full grown yet, which was impressive, he would be a huge dog as he finished growing. Hearing a shouted name and command, she and the two animals looked in the direction it had come from.
She blinked at the sight of the large pale stallion that she and her fellow Valkyries had stopped Vagabonds from mugging. He must have gotten the dog, Cielo she corrected herself, shortly after the event. She smiled at his next words and cooed softly to Veka who while still fluffed up, wasn’t growling anymore. The grumpy snow leopard still eyed the dog with annoyance. “Age always helps to mellow,” she said, “It’s no issue, he’s a good guard dog.” She locked her hooves to the ground with her blessing and shook out most of the water from her pelt before she used a rag she often had stuck into the socket of her fake leg.
She dried the bare skin of what remained of her foreleg, she then reattached her foreleg and released her hooves from the sand. With another shake to dry herself further, she pondered his question, “I am visiting my grandparents, they own a small farm a little north of here. I needed some time away from Skeldr Town.” She wasn’t sure how much she should share with Alvaro, all of Skeldr Town knew of the weapons by now, but she was sure the news hadn’t reached this far out yet. “Something unpleasant happened up on Mt. Skeldr.” Veka stalked over to her and casually began to groom her, pressing more water out of her thick pelt. He was a fastidious creature. “How have you been since we last met?” She asked trying to divert the attention from the mountain for now.
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Post by ebbarie on Aug 30, 2017 13:18:42 GMT -6
Alvaro | War-Forged | Farmer
If you haven’t found something strange during the day; it hasn’t been much of a day
The farmer was glad to see that the dark snow leopard had way better manners than his slightly troublesome hound. This situation could have easily ended with Cielo getting more than only harmless scratches.
Alvaro shifted his gaze away from the two familiars and towards Otama. He watched her as she reattached her prosthetic to the stump that once had been a healthy front leg.
It wasn’t fair that a young equine as she was already had been gone through so much peril. One day he would asked her how she lost her leg. But not know.
There was more that troubled her, present events, and right now that was more important than the past.
“I see. They must be happy to see you. I can imagine that you and the other Valkyries have not much time to spare to visit your family that often. I still can’t believe that you and your team were there at the right time to save my farmer-ass. Without you and the others I probably wouldn’t be here today...thank you. I can’t say it often enough.” To underline his words even more he looked right into her different colored eyes. Strange, he never noticed that before.
He wanted her to know that the Valkyries had support from within the herd, even from stallions.
“I’m sorry to hear that, really. It seems like many unpleasant things happen at the moment. Have you heard of Holmsa yet? Something wiped out the whole village. There are rumours about unnatural things that had happened there…”
Alvaro clearly didn’t believed everything he had heard so far, but the idea that death could come from his beloved shore, gave him a gloomy feeling.
“Do you want to speak about what happened up on Mt. Skeldr?” he then asked. There was something in her voice that told him whatever it was that happened there, it wasn’t just a “little” unpleasant.
Cielo still eyed Valka, as if the dog was still unsure if his owner had judged the situation correctly, and waited for the big cat to attack. Eventually after a few minutes he trotted over to Alvaro and laid down beneath his large hooves. One eye open and still looking towards the snow leopard.
“I’m alright. Here on the farmlands life always goes on. It will be a meagre harvest this year...but that’s alright. Compared to everything else happening these days it’s the lesser evil. “ for a moment he paused and looked into the distance. “One morning, we had an earthquake here. No one was badly injured, but after the earth stood still again, a strange round of trees had appeared in the distance. You can see them from my house. I went there, to take a closer look on him and what can I say? On my way I met...a kirin. Don’t laugh at me. It was there. Scales, antlers, bad mood and manners. I don’t know where it went, but maybe it doesn’t matter. As we reached the trees, a unicorn appeared between the trees. Said his name is Hemlock. He was a little...odd. He told us about some legend, that those trees would only appear in times of great danger, and that they would protect the children of Kaia.
I don’t belief in those children’s stories but it’s a nice thought tho, that there is something good out there”
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Post by cogaidh on Aug 31, 2017 17:16:32 GMT -6
Otama | War-Forged | Valkyrie
Valor is a gift. Those having it never know for sure whether they have it till the test comes. And those having it in one test never know for sure if they will have it when the next test comes.
Òtama tapped her right foreleg on the ground a bit to set the cup firmly around her leg, tightening the straps that held it in place as the leather loosened. Veka finished pressing water out of her dense coat and went on to grooming himself, pointedly ignoring Cielo, even as the dog watched him. “And with the Raiders heading south for the Aodhans war with the Serorans, Scouts and Valkyries are being run pretty ragged.” She sighed, she didn’t like the brewing war, nor the alliance that removed their own warriors from Onea in such an uncertain time. She shook her mane to dismiss that thought before she smiled, “Kaia’s will was that we would be there,” she smiled at his thanks and dipped her head, it was good to see more Oneans accepting the Valkyries as warriors. She knew her grandparents did everything they could to paint the Valkyries in good light with their neighbors. It was amusing to hear her gruff and scarred grandfather wax lyrical.
She did grimace at the mention of Holmsa, a few Valkyrie had gone there to investigate and while they weren’t talking much they had a haunted look to them. “Unnatural and natural,” she said with a sigh, “Word was that the Trespasser, the Bloody Flank flagship, was spotted a little way up the coast before the town was massacred.” She sighed again, “I can’t stand the leaders of the Bloody Flank, they take equine that think they have nowhere else to go and turn them into killers, convincing them that the herd is evil, our Warlord should be murdered, and the warring clans returned.” She sighed and shook her head, “Sorry, I know that that is a sensitive topic.” At his question, she flicked her long ears slowly. “Maybe later,” she said.
She tapped her metal hoof absently on the sand as she listened to what he had seen, she had heard only the barest of rumors about something happening in the area, but to hear it from someone who had seen it was something else. Her ears twitched as he spoke, incredulous about what had happened, but believing him. “I won’t laugh, I had heard of Kirins returning, but the only one I have seen is Grigori, the Warlord’s son.” Like many of the Valkyries, she was a surrogate older sibling to both of the twins, and she loved them both as family. “Luckily he isn’t grumpy at all, unless you separate him and Ani.” She stretched out her forelegs for a moment before she added, “It seems as if we are hurtling towards some sort of… disaster, all these omens…”
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Post by ebbarie on Sept 2, 2017 6:27:25 GMT -6
Alvaro | War-Forged | Farmer
If you haven’t found something strange during the day; it hasn’t been much of a day
The large farmer shook his head to get some water out of his dripping mane as well as to express his resentment about what she had told him.
“Am I the only one that thinks that this war is a really bad idea? Winter is almost here and I think we have enough trouble waiting in our own land, the Raider’s should stay right here, where they belong.” he signed.
Kirins, the Bloody Flank’s and god knows what else could be lurking in every corner, and the War Lord send most of their strongest warriors away. Great. He probably should purchase a weapon or two before the first snow.
The topic shifted to the event’s of Holmsa, and Otama had some news for him. Alvaro listened attentively when the mare mentioned the Trespasser and the Bloody Flanks. What she said was so terribly true...he immediately thought of Rose and wondered where she might be right now.
Someday, probably sooner than later, she could stand before his door, together with some other Flanks. And Alvaro had no idea if she would speak up for him if he’d come into the line of fire.
Maybe it was better not to think about that possibility.
The farmer cleared his throat and nodded. “Yes...it’s a really sensitive topic” was all that he said. No one knew of his connection to the Bloody Flank medic, and it was good, and safer that way.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to if you don’t want to” he said softly as the emotions on her face slightly shifted.
“So it is true. I heard the rumors of a...strange creature born by Hira but I didn't believed it. And I can’t really say that this would reassure me...We are living in truly strange times.”
It was easy to forget how close the Valkyries are to Hira, but if Otama said it was true then it was. A kirin child. He wondered what would happens next.
“Will you stay longer? I mean with your grandparents” he quickly added.
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Post by cogaidh on Sept 7, 2017 20:26:40 GMT -6
Otama | War-Forged | Valkyrie
Valor is a gift. Those having it never know for sure whether they have it till the test comes. And those having it in one test never know for sure if they will have it when the next test comes.
Òtama sighed, “This war is a really bad idea, the Serorans were desperate to compromise their own values so much to get aid, it’s not surprising that they couldn’t stand enslaving travelers.” She shifted on her hooves little, leaning her head back to look at the clear fall sky. She really wished that she had been able to make it to the top of Mt. Skeldr so she could plead guidance from Kaia. She sighed once more and looked back at Alvaro, he seemed genuinely interested in her feelings and concerned for her well being. It was attractive, it made him even more handsome. She twitched the skin along her back to distract herself.
“Strange times indeed, and we should be waiting and watching to prepare for what might happen next.” They also needed to really consult with the gods, they seemed to be a lot more involved in their lives than they had been, and that was a sign. The call of sea birds had her looking out at the rolling waves, several of the flying shapes dove into the water before rising back up into the sky. It was quite peaceful this far from the center of Onean politics.
His next question caught her quite by surprise, she turned her head to look at him and blinked, his quick addition could have been just clarification, “I have four more days,” she said, tilting her head to the side as she watched him, “but the next patrol I’m assigned to leads me back into this area, so I’ll be checking in on them again.” Veka finished his grooming and walked over to the boulder she had previously laid her leg on before climbing up to perch on the stone.
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Post by ebbarie on Sept 15, 2017 10:37:11 GMT -6
Alvaro | War-Forged | Farmer
If you haven’t found something strange during the day; it hasn’t been much of a day
Alvaro wasn’t much into politics, he had a rough idea about what was happening why but no details. He didn’t even cared. It was not in his power to change any important decisions that the high Lords and Kings of Hireath made, he just had to live with the consequences, like everyone else. For him it was almost a waste of time and energy to think too much about it.
What was about to happen would happen, if he would complain about it or not.
Òtama was right tho, the Serorans didn’t deserved that war. The Aodhian’s alone were enough to beat the sand folk in a war and since the Forged agreed to help their “precious” allie, their fate was sealed.
“Yes it is indeed a bad idea. But it will happen, because the noble ones tend to forget about the lives of us common people all too often” he snorted with a sad tone in his voice.
The most important thing for him right now was to reap a rich harvest to have enough stock to get himself, his wife and the abandoned foal she had found not long ago through the winter months. They wouldn’t stay at his house to often, but he wanted to be ready to provide everything they needed should Luana ask.
That marriage probably hadn’t been his best idea yet, but he couldn’t let the mare down when she begged him for help.
His attention focused back on Òtama and immediately a slight smile appeared on his face. There was a sharp mind hiding behind a battle scarred body.
“I guess that is all we can do right now, prepare ourselves for the storms to come.”
For a moment his gaze turned to the roaring sea only a few steps away from his hooves. Four days. And she would come back to this place again soon. He was looking forward to that.
Throughout this time of the year only seldom friends came to visit him. The weather just slowly became too bad for that.
“What were you doing here at the water?” he then suddenly asked. “Did you wanted to go swimming? If so, I could show you some better places to do so. The coast here is mostly rocky and uncomfortable, but I know some nice hidden beaches. I mean, just if you like...”
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Post by cogaidh on Sept 22, 2017 0:15:17 GMT -6
Otama | War-Forged | Valkyrie
Valor is a gift. Those having it never know for sure whether they have it till the test comes. And those having it in one test never know for sure if they will have it when the next test comes.
She blushed a little as he asked what she had been doing in the water, she didn’t quite know herself why she had gone into the sea. This wasn’t the safest place to go swimming, the tides came in fast and harsh. “I was just hoping that the feel of the sea would help clear my thoughts. I’ve had a lot on my mind and was hoping the feel of both Cascade and Kaia would help clear things up. Mostly I’m used to mountain lakes and rivers over the Sea.” She gave him a smile as he offered to show her some hidden beaches. “A hidden beach would be much better than this rocky shore.” Her ears flicked forward and back instinctively, for even as she calmly stood talking with Alvaro, she was completely aware of her surroundings.
“Since I still have four days, knowing a good beach to swim at would be nice to visit a few times before I return to Skeldr Town.” She glanced up at the rocky cliffs, the sun was still high in the sky so she had plenty of time to talk with Alvaro before she had to return to her Grandparents’ farm. “Though I’m not that good of a swimmer anymore, though I can float very well. But I’m sure it’ll all be fine with a Hippocampus swimming with me.” Had she just flirted with him? She knew how to flirt? Was that even a well thought out flirt? Well maybe she had learned a few things from her merchant friends. Looked over at Cielio who was still giving Veka the stink eye, brought a chuckle from her since Veka was pointedly ignoring the large dog. “Though it might be a bit before our Familiars become more friendly towards each other.”
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Post by ebbarie on Sept 28, 2017 0:20:50 GMT -6
Alvaro | War-Forged | Farmer
If you haven’t found something strange during the day; it hasn’t been much of a day
A knowingly smile spread over the farmers face. “I know what you mean. I often come to the shore as well when I have to sort my thoughts. No matter how rough the sea is, it always calms me down somehow” he replied.
Today the water was peaceful, at least for Onean conditions.
Alvaro was almost a little tensed as he waited for her reaction to his idea with the beach. Somehow he really wanted her to accept his offer. She seemed like she could need some distraction from whatever happened to her at Mt. Skeldr.
And if he was honest he don’t wanted her to leave.
When she actually agreed to come with him, the smile on his face intensified even more. Hopefully it didn’t looked too odd, him standing there with that boyish grin on his face.
“Great” he said happily and started walking besides Otama along the coastline. “It’s not far away, and still not many people now that beach. Most of them do not even bother looking out for beautiful places like them.”
Quietly the large Hippocampus listened as she told him about her issue with swimming. “Well, have you ever really tried swimming again since you lost your leg?” the words were gentle and far away from a reproach. “Maybe it just takes a while for you to figure out how to do it with just three legs. And you are right, nothing will happen to you in the water, especially not when I’m there. I’ll not allow Cascade to take someone that headstrong and beautiful away from me”
Too late he noticed that this probably sounded a little odd and that she could easily misunderstand that.
Alvaro was glad that she changed the topic and quickly turned his gaze away from her and towards the two familiars.
“Cielo should be a little grateful for being still in one piece after the barked at a full grown Snow Leopard. But I think they'll get along, eventually.“
With that words he left the road and lead Otama down a steep slope. “Be careful. There is only one good and safe way down to the beach. If you ever visit this place alone, please only take this beaten path, even if another way seems faster. The Stone beneath the grass here is full of holes. Actually I fell through one of them once. Gladly it wasn’t too deep but there are still some nasty, pointy rocks below.”
It took them maybe another five minutes to get down to the actual beach. It was hidden between large cliffs and large rocks were spread all over the shore, but at least it was one of few sandy beaches.
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Post by cogaidh on Oct 7, 2017 21:50:14 GMT -6
Otama | War-Forged | Valkyrie
Valor is a gift. Those having it never know for sure whether they have it till the test comes. And those having it in one test never know for sure if they will have it when the next test comes.
His boyish grin pulled a smile out of her as she followed him along the coastline. It was infectious how upbeat he was. “Mores the pity for them, I have a spot up above Skeldr Town, a small pocket valley in the mountains. I often head there for some peace and quiet, and all the time I’ve been there, I haven’t found any traces of other equines visiting. Those places are small gifts from the gods, a way to let us be closer to them.” She walked next to him, easily keeping up with his longer strides. At his next comment she gave a shrug. “During my recovery, the medics had me going into hot spring pools to exercise, but I haven’t done true swimming.” She blushed a bit at his comment about her being both headstrong and beautiful, it puffed up her pride just a little to hear the complement.
Veka was keeping distance between him and Cielo, still pointedly ignoring the large dog, “If Veka doesn’t have to fight, he won’t, watching and judging is his preferred daily activities.” Òtama grinned and chuckled, “Just like any cat when you think about it.” She followed him off the road and to the steep slope. At his warning she felt out with her blessing and discovered all the holes, “A very good defense,” she said pausing to look down one of those holes, “Hard to spot, yet effective.” She kept to the path, “Though with my Blessing, I haven’t slipped in months, makes traveling the mountain paths much more enjoyable.” When you could stick to any earth surface like one of those tropical geckos, you could enjoy the act of exploring more. Veka decided to explore each and every hole in the ground, skirting the deeper ones and sniffing all the way. A few field mice fled their hiding spots and the large snow leopard enjoyed the snacks.
When they reached the hidden beach, Òtama looked around in awe. It was beautiful and peaceful down here, large boulders dotted the sandy shore and she could see the high tide marks. But down here between the cliffs, only the calming sound of the waves on sand was heard. She decided to explore a bit before she would swim, cold water crabs scurrying away from her hooves.
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