: : the invasion

[epic]

zoet

The stallion is even colder than I had presumed,
thought Zoet. She plowed through the snow, relentless
against this cold. The only thing that was on her mind now
was to get this unaccustomed horse to shelter, and warmth.
The flakes of snow were now growing, and making the
snow under their hooves less packed and having more of a
powdered feel. Not a good sign. When the snow had come to
a state such as this it was hard to distinguish the sink-holes
from solid ground, and once you could differentiate it was
already too late.

One of the things that Zoet disliked so much was being in this
situation. The uncertainty bothered her, irked her until she could
stand it no more. She was so used to be in control. Her personality
put off an air of control, so naturally others looked up to her instantly.

She led Keanu for quite a ways, now trudging through the snow.
Zoet knew this area very well, so she knew where to go, but the
thing she was uncertain about was if it was snowed in or not.
Even if it was snowed in she had a few ideas of how to break
through it. Start to gather some twigs, and I will build a fire,
she spoke to Keanu. Near the base of this cave she always had
stored a few items that she would need in case of an emergency.
It was her safe-house, and she never wandered out of it's reach
without making another one.

Walking through the forest they gathered enough wood for a fire, and came to the
opening of the cave. Once it was in their sight an instant relief washed over Zoet,
a very comforting sight. The cave had snow almost to the roof, but it wasn't so thick
at the top. It was thicker at the base, but nothing they couldn't just push aside with
their bodies. She spoke to the stallion, We will have to break through the snow
that is blocking the entrance.[


: : yey! actually over 300 words, lmao. We need more people to join this thread!

[aPPY]

keanu

Keanu moved forward, following Zoet. There was nothing else he could do. Soon his steps here sluggish, pushing through the snow as he couldn't keep up the high stepped motions any longer. The snow stung his exposed skin, sending chills through his body. "Start to gather some twigs, and I will build a fire," the mare said. He stiffened. Fire? He swallowed, a hard lump in his throat as his heartbeat quickened. The fire would keep him warm, but he wasn't sure he could stand being close to fire at all. That day flashed behind his eyes, the real world fading away. No, he didn't think he could ever be near fire. He forced himself to continue forward, doing as the mare had asked but not sure how long he would keep his cool once there actually was a fire in front of him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he walked before opening them and collecting the stick the mare wanted. Hopefully he wouldn't freak out.

They stopped as a cave came into sight, the entrance blocked by snow. His shoulders slumped at the sight but the mare seemed to be happy about it. Why was she happy about a cave that was unusable? "We will have to break through the snow that is blocking the entrance." she told him. Oh, so they were going to get in there anyway? He sighed and nodded, his sticks laying on the ground as he walked up to the snow. He pushed against it with his nose, the powdery flakes sticking to his whiskers and many more falling closer to the ground. This shouldn't be too hard. He lifted his leg, pawing at the snow as it came away easily; parting under his hoof and falling away from the snow wall.

// 308 words
yeah, we do.!

[epic]

zoet

Zoet jumped over the snow that Keanu had already
plowed down. It was just as she had last remembered it.
The cave was large, though not wide. It traced back for
a ways, perfect for hiding if need be.

She assembled the rocks in the cave in a circle and propped
up the twigs on them to make a tee-pee style fire. The
emergency kit was laying by the entrance just as it had
been the last time she used it. The fire lighted aimlessly
and soon there was a soft glow all around the cave.
The fire warmed Zoet, and she relaxed for the first time
that day, succumbing to the warmth that the fire let off.

[aPPY]

» Keanu waited for Zoet to enter before he did, moving away from the hole he had made and motioning for her to go ahead of him. She jumped into the cave and he hesitated outside. His body shivered, reminding him that he needed to follow, but the nearness of fire frightened him. He took a quick breath and followed the painted mare, jumping over the clumped snow and his hooves clacking against the stone cavern floor. He gently kicked out his hooves, hunks of snow and ice flying from his frogs. He shook out his mane and tail, icy cold water droplets flying in each direction. He then looked up, taking in the cave. It was good sized, seeming to extend into the darkness forever towards the back. It wasn't too terribly wide, like a long, craggy hallway. The mare began to fashion a spot for the fire and Keanu's tension began to rise. He couldn't help it, it just did. He focused on his breathing, keeping his heartbeat steady and his nerves in check. He would be fine, the fire wouldn't get out. It was on rock, after all. It couldn't spread. It couldn't eat his as it had tried to before. He would be fine.

» Zoet lit the fire and Keanu skittered back a step; the orange flames lighting up the dark cave. His eyes rolled and his anxiety could be smelt by anyone nearby. He silently cursed himself for reacting in such a way but he hadn't been anywhere near fire since that night. He dropped his head to the ground, his lips brushing the rock he stood on. He rested his head lightly against his scarred foreleg, closing his eyes and focusing on the now. He was fine, nothing was going to happen. His body shuddered and shook with each breath, now not because of the cold, but because of fear. He whined softly, feeling the radiating heat against him pelt; melting the ice that stuck there and drying the water. He backed up a step, into the wall. Why couldn't he just be calm? His heart pounded in his ears and he was sure that it was echoing off the cavern walls.

» He slowly slid to the ground, leaning against the wall as he did and ignoring the small pricks from rocks as he pushed against them. He lowered his head to the floor, opening his eyes and staring into the flames. He jerked back, a wave of such fear barreling through him. He snorted and twisted his neck to lay next to his legs; facing the opposite direction. He stared at the cave walls, the fire creating menacing shadows. He breathed slowly, wondering if it was better to stay awake, or go to sleep. Either way, he knew it wouldn't be good. Sleep would probably end in a nightmare, fear jolting him awake and he wouldn't get any rest at all. Staying awake would cause him to listen to and watch the fire, also unable to rest. There wasn't a better, or easier choice. He sighed, deciding to stay awake. At least he wouldn't see Ember.

» Keanu shifted his weight, settling more solidly against the wall and wondering what the mare must think of him. He looked to the side, straining his eyes over and catching a glimpse of her white and chestnut hide; flickering in the light. He slid his attention back to the wall, his body still visibly shaking with each breath. She must think him crazy, and maybe he was. It wasn't too far of a stretch to assume so, he guessed. He sighed, wishing he could survive in the cold instead of relying on this evil heat.

word count » 632

bleh. i tried to write something. xD
poor keanu. so afraid. :/

[paddeh]

((OOC- Mind if I Join In :D?))

BBC-
Sham walked through the snowy ground, her eyes searching for shelter as the wind stared to howl.
Her cream colored hooves sinking well below the top of the snow, up to her knees. She shivered as a huge gust of wind almost pushed her over, and she was moving slowly through the deep, wet snow. Sham glanced over, spotting disappearing hoof-prints. Sham shoved her chest forward, and followed them.

They soon lead to a small cave. Sham saw that the hoof prints went inside there, and she let out a low whicker, wondering if anyone was still there.
Maybe they left?
Sham thought sullenly, she could use some company.
Sham's ebony mane and tail were soaking, with snow flurries resting on top, and her pelt was just as wet, her mane and tail plastered to her. She shook her head, shaking some snow off, still shivering, she stepped inside the cave, the wind howled loudly. This was a bad storm for winter.
Sham let out another low whinny, walking forward slowly. She didn't want to frighten anyone, if there was anyone, here.

----
`202 words

[epic]

zoet

Zoet's ears pricked forward as she heard hooves clatter against
the rocks at the mouth of the cave. The bright light that reflected
off of the snow shadowed the new figure, and she could only see a
shadow of a new horse walking in the archway. Apprehensive, she
took a step forward and lifted her head, nostrils flaring, and tail
swishing she claimed her space. She didn't know whether the figure
could see her or not since she was so far into the cave, but she didn't care.

She stepped in front of the scarred stallion, sheilding him from whoever this
may be.

The fire light refracted off of the walls and snow to give a foreboding red gleam
around the tense three horses.

Snow was beginning to let up outside, though the walls they made were already
icing over and making it impossible to escape the walls after it had fully hardened.

[aPPY]

Footsteps echoed as someone entered the cave and Keanu's head shot towards the entrance. Zoet was looking in that direction too, taking a step forward. His attention turned to the small cave opening, as a shadowed figure was moving towards them. Could she see them? Zoet moved in front of him, as if hiding him from the stranger. He snorted softly, confused as to why she had done that; though he looked back at the newcomer and wondered who she was. Suddenly, the earth pitched back and forth and he was thrust into the cave wall. He jumped in the other direction, his side shooting with pain as he stumbled across the floor. A few small pieces of rock fell from the cave ceiling and hit him on his head and back, a loud rumbling sounding throughout the cave. He tried to remain calm as he fought to keep his balance, wondering if it would be easier to just lay down until the horrible shaking stopped. He glanced at the small fire, glad that the cavern floor was rock and limiting where the fire could escape to. Though, he knew fire was unpredictable, and he was afraid something would happen.

Snow began to fall in front of the small opening they had made in wall that had already formed before. The white fluff tumbled forward and with a loud thud, the entrance was completely blocked by new snow. Air whooshed through the cave with the collapse of the snow, blowing out the fire that had been offering some warmth. The rumbling came to a halt and the silence was eerie. He stepped forward, his limbs stiff with tension from fighting to stand upright. It was pitch black, not a speck of light to see by. He nickered quietly, the sound bouncing off the far walls of the cave. He wondered if the unknown horse had made it into the cave alright, or if Zoet was alright because of the shards of rock that had been falling from the ceiling. He took a few more steps forward, not sure what to do next. His muzzle brushed someone's -- probably Zoet's -- stomach and he quickly jerked back, surprised. "What do we do?" he whispered, his eyes desperately searching the unforgiving darkness.

He was a bit calmer now, with the fire out, but shaky because of what had happened. And who was the stranger that had walked in just before the avalanche? Was it someone they could trust? Or were they in danger if she had made it into the cave just before the snow had fallen? His mind fluttered around with all of the new possibilities, not sure how to cope with the situation handed to him.

// 457 words

earthquakeeeee.
[/behind]
oh well. we're catching up to everyone else.!
Someone else can post with the aftershock in a bit, or whatever.
at this point, anyone can post with their mare and say she was walking in and just replace Sham, I suppose.
Unless Paddeh remakes her account, but it didn't look like it..soo... *shrug*

[/nevermind]
she made her account again. ^^

[/justify][/blockquote][/right]

[shannon]

Vada

Vada slowy stepped into the cave and shook the snow off her withers. She stood at the two horses within the cave and froze.
Why were they staring at her?
She simply stood pondering for a minutue then she slowly approached the pair cautiously. Stopping about five feet ahead of Keanu and Zoet. She murmured to herself Might as well be within a shot, well I guess. Wait what if they don't like me?
Thoughts kept echoeing through her head making her head spin. She stepped another foot and wither her haunches tense and ears pricked straight up introduced herself with a simple "I'm Vada"

^{//107 words}

[paddeh]

OOC- hey, hey, hey... Im still here XD
Also, this is part of the earthquake in her view, not an aftershock

BBC-
Sham suddenly felt terrible shaking, and she threw all her weight to her legs, trying to stay standing up, but felt her self start to fall as some rocks tumbled down on her from the roof of the cave. The whites of her eye's showed, and she let out a piercing scream that was dround out by the rumbling. The shaking stopped and it was dark, the howling of the wind was now muffled, and it wasn't cold anymore.

Sham shakily stood up, looking at the now closed off, small, dark cave. Fresh blood ran down her flank, supported by a deep scratch, with smaller scratchers scattered over her blood-stained hide. debree was in her ebony mane and tail, and it was hard to stand straight, or even see in this dark cave. She called out hoarsley
"Is everyone okay?"

Sham collapsed to the ground, and she didn't try to get up again. She looked at the long cut down her flank, and winced as she brushed it slightly on a boulder.

----
`209 words
`'Photomanipulations' Playlist XD[/size]

[epic]

zoet

Zoet couldn't remember a thing. She was standing one moment, trying
to identify who the newcommers were, and then she was thrown quite
abruptly onto the ground. She tried to gather herself together and compile
herself when she realized how weak and light headed she was. The lead
mare, the airy one whoose control was apparent, had fallen.

Blood began to form a pool around her head, and she couldn't move. A cold
draft wafted past her, and stung numerous areas around her eyes and upper
parts of her head. She knew she was in imminent danger, and whispered
almost inaudibly to Keanu, Keanu...H-help me... The already dark cave
began to fade around her. Sounds were muted, smells were numbed, and the
tension faded away.