!! Time of Dying « Shady »

[Abba]

On the ground I lay
Motionless in pain, I can see my life flashing before my eyes

The red roan mare slid through the deserted area with a quick swish of her tail. Should she keep moving? Or should she stop. The world around her was steep, and treacherous. One simple misstep and she would fall to her doom. With a gentle snort she inched closer to the sharp rocks. She would keep moving. They had said there was to be an opening down near the meadow, before the long walk down, where she could get some rest. Of course, it might not necessarily be the safest. But, it would have to do for the moment. One foot in front of the other. One. Two. Three. Four. One. Two. Three. Four. She lifted her maw up to the sky and took in the air. It was so calming to be around here. Oh so very calming. She should take walks like this more often. No. She needed to be around other equines though. It was so lonely, alone – though of course that was to be expected. She could deal on her own. But, she preferred to be around others. With a flick of her forelock she picked up her pace, her slate-green orbs picking up the sight of that ledge to rest on. She was moving faster and faster. She needed to get off of this cliff. In her haste, she did have a misstep and after letting out a loud nicker of fear she scrambled to her feet. She heard the clattering of rocks as they crumbled down the edge of the cliff. She stood, frozen. Oh no. that could have been her. No. She needed to be more careful. With heavy breathing she moved forwards, scratching up her pelt slightly as she hugged the sharp cliff wall so tightly. With a flick of her tail she moved off to the side and looked down. Such a huge drop. No wonder it was caused Widows Valley…

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=====Into the mind======
. 320 words
. COLORS ;3
. Didn’t really know what to put. XD

[lady shady]

LAOCH

The large stag raised his head at the sound of clattering hooves from above. Another horse must be attempting to make its way down to the meadow that he knew from memory was not far now. The darkness of the cave surrounded him like an inky blanket, cool but comforting. The mountain tunnel made the journey to the hidden meadow much easier, but few knew of it. He himself had only learned of it a few years ago when he had accompanied Oser to the spot for a rest during the fighting. It was obvious why something like this would be kept a secret. The meadow was one of the Alpha's old haunts, and Laoch was sure that he wouldn't want many others trampling his playground. But Oser wasn't here now, and hadn't been in some time, as Laoch knew from his ever-faintening scent in the cave. Now, the meadow had become Laoch's refuge, a good place to be alone. Few stumbled across him there, which was just how he liked it. Of course, a few mares knew the spot, as he had found it a convenient place to bring some of his former mistresses. The lush grass and isolated area also made it the perfect place to be with a mare. However, none of them had known how to navigate the network of tunnels that led to the green field. So for now, with Oser out of the picture, the place had become like Laoch's own private paradise. He sped up, anxious to reach the outside air and see who could be approaching. From the light clatter of the hooves, he judged that the newcomer must be a mare or a foal. No threat to his peace. Goodness knows, the poor thing probably deserved a rest if it was desperate enough to try to scale these craggy mountains.

Emerging from the tunnel, he turned back to look at the cliff. A mare stood there, body language cautious, obviously not wanting to get too close to the edge. He studied her, noting her compact frame and the flecks of white spattered across most of her deep red body. The mare was certainly attractive, and one he wouldn't mind sharing this little valley with. He let out a deep whinny to catch her attention, and gestured with his head to her right, where the path down the mountain was a little less treacherous. The sooner she joined him, the better. He hadn't seen a mare in a while, and this one appeared nice enough. His spell of solitude had been beginning to bore him, and her presence would be nice. The presence of a mare almost always was. Smiling to himself, he waited for her to pick her way down to him, faint worry crossing his face as he willed her to keep her balance. A slip at the point where she was now would not kill her, but he would hate to see such a pretty little thing in pain. Not when he hated seeing others in pain. Not when they would have so much to amuse themselves with if she made it down safely.

--behind the post--
534 words
Laoch's feeling a little flirty ;)

[Abba]

I will not die
I'll wait here for you. I feel alive when you're beside me

Repla heard the other horse calling her. He motioned his head to the right and she just barely made out an opening. Stepping to the side with a quiet percision she finally saw that this opening was much safer than the other. Thank the Alpha's above. Safer passage was always enjoyed. She allowed her mane to be blown back in the wind, allowing more of her speckled coat to be noticed in the sunlight. The sun seemed to have bleached it from its intesity, not that she minded, but all the same. Finally. She managed to touch her feet on solid ground. The plush grass rewarding her with a bit of safety as they softened the footfall. Swishing her tail once she let out a snort of greeting to the stag which stood but a few feet in front of her."Hello," she snorted before continuing after a light bow of her head, "It is so nice to see another creature after so long alone. I am Repla," she said before lifting her cranium back up and flicking her audits around to take in her total surroundings, her eyes never leaving the stag.

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=====Into the mind======
. 212 words
. -pets pretty colours-
. Done on a computer that hates me... and with no muse.

[lady shady]

LAOCH

The speckled mare turned and began to pick her way down the hill. Laoch watched her passively, keeping silent until she approached him. She greeted him, saying it was nice to come across another equine after so long alone. Loneliness did seem to be the trend these days; it wasn't just him wandering around without a friend or family. The mare interrupted his thoughts, introducing herself as Repla. He nodded politely before responding quietly, "Greetings, Repla. I am known as Laoch." He watched her take in the hidden meadow, slightly amused by the way that she wouldn't take her eyes off of him. Was she fascinated or afraid? His large stature could be intimidating, he knew. Did she think that he would hurt her? He laughed softly. He doubted that she was truly afraid, but he decided to eliminate any possible trace of fear. "Go ahead, look around. I won't hurt you, you know." He stepped back to give her a fuller view of the meadow that stretched out behind him. "It is very pleasant here, as you can see. Plenty to eat, enough room to do as you please, and there's a little brook which you might enjoy. A drink after a day of travel is always nice, no?" He was almost tempted to elaborate a bit more about the privacy of the spot, but he reminded himself that it would defy the point of assuring her that he meant her no harm. And he honestly didn't. The mares he had brought here in the past had come willingly and had stayed by his side willingly. In fact, he was the one to first grow tired of their company. Yes, they had been good mistresses, but their bubbly chatter and airy talk was only endearing for so long. However, he wouldn't object to another mare. As long as she didn't expect him to stay forever. He'd never expected anyone to stay forever; it just wasn't the way life worked. No one should expect that.
Yet in the back of his mind, he'd secretly always allowed himself to hope...

--behind the post--
367 words
yep. flirty all right xD
He's just not as outgoing as Oser, it takes him a little longer ;)

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[Abba]

Give me everything tonight
For all we know we might not get tomorrow lets do it tonight

Repla bobbed her head lightly in greeting before stepping forwards as he moved out of the way. She could feel the softness of the ground enveloping her flints and she took it with gratitude. A brook? A brook did sound quite nice. With a tiny snort she dropped her head to the ground taking in the scent. It seemed as if he had been the only one here - at least for a while as most other scents had been washed away from rainstorms and such. With a tiny sigh she shifted her way out of the shadow of the ridge so that the sun reflected off of her coat making it shine and gleam a brighter red than before. Should she stay, at least for the night? Yes. It seemed safe enough. With a swish of her tail she turned on her haunches and looked back at him, perking her audits towards him. "A brook sounds very appealing at this moment. Might you show me where?"

She shifted her weight, dropping her maw down slightly to show respect to him. "How long have you been here?"[/color]
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=====Into the mind======
. 203 words
. -pets pretty colours-
. Done on my squished computer. the screen is like really bad and distorted :/

[lady shady]

LAOCH

Repla stepped forward, red coat shining in the sun. She seemed to be at ease, and Laoch was glad. She didn't seem like some defenseless young filly; she seemed like a mare who had seen a bit of the world. At his suggestion of a drink, she seemed to agree, asking him if he might show her the way. "Of course," he replied, and set off for the tiny stream that he knew would be trickling towards the west end of the lush meadow. As they walked, Repla questioned him. How long had he been here? He laughed softly before answering. "How long have I been here, my dear? It seems as if forever. I have seen the flowers pass through many seasons here; I have seen them stained by blood and washed by rain. I have known both pleasure and pain here, felt adrenaline and despair. It seems if I have been here for years. But as an answer to the question I believe you to be asking: I had only entered this spot a short while before yourself. It is a place familiar to me, and though I enjoy it, I have ventured forth from it several times. Today, I was returning from a voyage to the south. Before I have returned from battles, from conquests, from adventures. It must be something about the place that keeps bringing me back. It's quiet. It's abundant. It's peaceful. And I know I won't be disturbed." He cast a half-sly, half-playful glance in her direction. "But what about you? It's not every day that a lovely mare comes wandering over the mountains!"
He chuckled as they walked on. Keeping his ears pricked, he searched for the sound of rushing water. However, no sound met his ears. He looked down, and there, at his feet, was the brook. It no longer gurgled merrily, but seemed to drag over the ground, moving sluggishly around the rocks instead of over them. In the distance, heat waves shimmered like mirrors, giving him a clue to what had happened. The heat wave must be drying up the stream. Unfazed, he turned to the roan mare. "Pardon me, Mother Nature is usually more hospitable than this. No matter though, we shall find some other water." He moved off again, this time heading towards the cave from which he had come. Somewhere in the twisting labrynith, he knew lay a cool underground stream. He hesitated to bring the mare to the cave, but it was a maze anyway. She may not have been able to find it without his help. And he owed her a drink at least. He had offered her that much.

--behind the post--
462 words
change of scenery, care for a cave?

[Abba]

Homecoming. I'm coming
My sweet mistake. Summers over, hope its not too late

The mare inched forwards, listening as he spoke but also being careful of where she placed her dainty hooves. She could hear odd sounds reaching her ears. Much like the noise of when those shards of rock had tumbled down the side of the mountain. Hold on. These were the same sounds. Just, much louder. No, that couldn't be a good sign. With a resigned snort she noticed he stepped into the depleted brook before turning on his haunches. Apparently mother nature had not been too nice to him and had rid the brook of its abundant flow of water. So. Apparently not too many mares joined him down here, or at least found their way down here. That was not a very comforting thought considering her near fall not too long ago. "A warrior I presume?" she said in response to his answer to her own question. She shifted her weight slightly and trudged onward, following him in perfect striding. When his left front pillar was raised, so was hers. And, though she needed to stretch out a bit more to match his stride she really didn't have any problems. "Well. It is my first day trying to get out of the snow. Not a huge fan of the cold. Though, I see that the extreme heat has just decided to take over also."

she paused, ducking into the cave after him. "It seems like such a nice place though, after you climb down the treacherous cliffs."[/color] At that moment a loud crashing noise went overhead and she moved in a tad bit closer. She could feel the ground under her shaking and she placed herself against the wall in an attempt to get away only to have a sharp rock glide along her side and she let out a short whiny of pain. Then, the light seemed to disappear from the cave. The trembling of the ground continuing as the huge boulder and its tiny companions collapsed at the start of the cave blocking the entrance. "Is this... normal?"[/color] she said shaking off the stinging sensation in her side as she smelt the rusty scent lingering around her nose. Oh. This was just great. Just great.
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=====Into the mind======
. 384 words
. -pets pretty colours-
. Trapped in the cave and injured. Repla is entertained by him. ;3

[lady shady]

LAOCH

The mare easily kept up with him, matching his long strides with her own dainty ones. She chatted easily with him about escaping the cold only to find the heatwave, and he nodded in agreement. The southlands had been getting nippy about the time he had left. As they continued on their way, Repla asked offhandedly if he had been a warrior. He paused at the question. Standing beside her, with his muscled frame and scarred pelt, he assumed that it must be fairly obvious. But the mare seemed to young to have seen the war herself. "Can you tell?" he asked good-naturedly before stepping up to join her again in their walk. "Yes, I fought in the war. I was part of Alpha Oser's defense guard. The fighting strengthened me physically, but so much about that war was broken. So many died. Some of the scenes were pure horror. I often believe that the dead are better off than the survivors who have to live with those images in their minds."
They reached the cave, and he stepped back slightly to let her in before him. She certainly was very trusting. He paused again slightly just inside the entrance. Something didn't feel right. The ground didn't feel right...he looked back. Outside, waves of heat still simmered and shimmered. Was the heat wave making him dizzy? A slight rumbling caught his attention and he looked around confusedly. What was the matter with him? A sudden jolt startled him, nearly jerking him off of his hooves. The whole world was shaking, and he realized that this wasn't him; it was an earthquake. Up ahead, chunks of loose rock were plummeting from the cave's ceiling. He saw one of them hit Repla's side, drawing blood. Behind him, a huge shadow loomed for a millisecond before a massive boulder crashed into the ground inches from his hind legs. The force of the impact jerked him back into the rock, and he felt a stab of pain as his left hind leg collided with a solid wall. It began to throb as a thin trickle of blood oozed from a small cut on the limb.
However, adrenaline erased the pain as he made his way to the mare. He touched her neck lightly to calm her. They were both trembling in shock and pain. "Is this...normal?" she asked. He shook his great head slowly. "I certainly didn't see that coming," he muttered before lowering his head. In the darkness, he could barely make out her silhouette. "How badly are you hurt, Repla?" By the rusty scent in the air, he could tell that she was bleeding. It contrasted sharply with her fresh, sundried scent and the musty odor of the cave. "Stay still a moment," he told her, moving his head in her direction. Stretching out his muzzle, he felt for her in the dark. His search was met with the coarse hair of her tail. Stepping closer, he moved his muzzle forward until he felt the smooth hide of her rump. Trailing it along her glossy side, he moved forward once again, towards the scent of the blood. He hoped that she wasn't badly hurt. His muzzle grew moist with her blood. He had reached the wound.
Lipping gently at it, he inspected the damage. It felt like a gauge in her side, not deep enough to expose bone or important muscle, but deep enough to leave her bleeding significantly. It was not large, but he felt that it must be painful, judging from the jagged edges of some of the rocks that he had glimpsed on their way down. The mare would be able to walk though.
"Come, let's get you to that water." He led the way, moving from memory. As they walked, he could hear the faint sound of rushing water. They turned right with the passage and came upon the hidden cove where the underground stream flowed in secret. He moved toward the gently sloping bank of the water, snorting softly to show Repla where to enter. His own leg ached; he had struggled to keepfrom limping on the way there, and he longed to soak it. Stepping into the icy liquid, he sighed in relief. He only hoped that it would help Repla the same way.

--behind the post--
744 words (sorry Abba, didn't really follow the pattern, but I got them there)
yes. 'inspecting.'
*cracks up*

[Abba]

I feel alive when you're beside me
I will not die, I'll wait here for you in my time of dying

The roan mare snorted and shifted quietly against the wall of the cave. She let out a tiny breath. Stay still? Why was she supposed to stay still? She could smell his blood mixing with the air. He was hurt also? Oh, this stupid earthquake. No, he couldn’t be hurt. A warrior had been through too much to be hurt again. So, she did as he asked. At least, she tried to. She felt his maw ruffling with her tail and then she could hear him taking a couple of steps closer. He seemed to grope around in the dark for her form and he soon rested upon her hindquarters. She shifted slightly uneasily and swished her tail in annoyance, allowing it to smash his side slightly. Dropping her head down, her audits now pinned as he moved his maw closer to her wound. The skin around it was very, very sensitive now because of the fresh wound. Then, when he was on top of it, digging into it she let out a call of pain, an ear-piercing call because it hurt so badly to be touched.

[/size]”Stop. Stop touching it. It hurts”[/b] she fought back, jerking her body away from him and then moving forwards a little. Then, he said he should get her to water and she followed the sound of his hooves against the hard floor of the cave. Finally, they reached the cove and she could hear the water, and then a little bit of light seeped in through an opening at the top of the cove, illuminating the area. She stepped into it and felt her body shudder. She dropped her maw into the water and let out a snort of pain as the liquid swished into her wound. Lifting her head up she edged over to his side, just managing to make out the wound on his leg ”And are you okay, warrior?”[/color] she said before reaching out and touching his neck gently with her maw, a tad bit hesitantly but feeling her intensive need to help others begin to take over. ”A warrior does not need to go through more pain…”[/color] she said quietly before dropping her maw and backing up a step.
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=====Into the mind======
. 372 words
. -pets pretty colours-
. Repla is flirting back. ;3 She likes ‘men in uniform’ XD

[lady shady]

LAOCH

Laoch twisted his head around at the sound of Repla entering the water. He heard a small noise of pain, presumably from the water hitting the gash on her side, and then he felt the water slide towards him as she approached. Shifting his weight off of his leg, he snorted gently. Moving through the icy water, she made her way to his side. ”And are you okay, warrior?”
Her voice made a tiny echo in the enclosed space, reverberating off of the stone walls. In the darkness, he could sense her coming closer and closer...he felt her small muzzle on his neck. He arched it slightly, acknowledging the gesture and returning it with one of his own. The muscles flexed almost by themselves, working instinctively under her touch. Perhaps she thought it pained him, for she backed a step and continued, ”a warrior does not need to go through more pain…”
He almost laughed quietly. Pain? He had experienced more pain as a colt than a warrior. During the war, he had been fighting to protect others; before, he had fought to protect himself. He had been scarred by rejection, and unlike his leg, which would heal in time, those wounds wouldn't fade so quickly. But the mare had asked him a question, and he would answer.
"No," he told her softly, words finding their way to her ears in the dark, "I'll be fine. It's only a bruise. It's you I'm worried about. How hard did those rocks hit you?"
Laoch lowered his head for a drink, seeking water to cool his parched throat. Upon raising his head, he found, to his surprise, that his ears were brushing her belly, lightly traveling up her side as he continued to pull his skull back up. Immediately he spoke, apologizing, "Ah, my dear, was that your wound? I know it must hurt, please forgive me..." He pushed his muzzle back to her side, tenderly running it around the area, but to his surprise, he found only smooth hide there. He nuzzled her ribs more firmly, to make sure that there was no injury? Running his velvety lips along the length of her hide, he explored, feeling for the gash that wasn't there. Finding nothing but the ripples of her smooth hide, he lifted his head in an air of puzzlement. "Why Repla, what happened to...?" Suddenly he was seized by a soft chuckle. "How could I forget, my dear? It was on the other side! How silly of me to believe it has somehow disappeared... I hope I didn't alarm you," he said with the slightest trace of a smile in his voice.
"You know, for a moment there, I thought we had discovered Reina's magic waters." The air vibrated with another of his deep, soft chuckles. "The old story of the injured mare Reina who discovered a stream in the moonlight? The waterfall that fed it caught the moonlight and showed one of those rare midnight rainbows. The first healing potion was created. And I'm sure you remember, how, attracted by the light, she waded in to die, intending to make this thing of beauty her last sight. Yet alas, as she closed her eyes and laid down in the water, she found herself healed. When I could not detect your injury, for the briefest minute, the old tale seemed to be true." He spoke freely to the mare, eyes straining to catch her reaction in the dark. Would she shy away? If she did, he must leave her alone. But if she stayed...if she stayed, then perhaps he'd stay a while as well. The familiar feeling of attraction was tickling at the back of his brain. He wouldn't release it though if it would only bring her more pain or more fear.

--behind the post--
663 words
YOU BETTER LOVE ME ABBA
I took an hour away from what I need to do for this post.

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