!! Time of Dying « Shady »

[Abba]

The muscled stag spoke to her in a silky voice, one that calmed her. And few had ever calmed her before. "Ill be fine. Its just a bruise. It is you I am worried about. How hard did those rocks hit you?" he asked her before allowimg his velvety muzzle to drop to the water and take in a sip. She could hear the drip dropping of the liquid as it cascaded off of his muzzle and back into the water sending little ripples onto her side and bothering her gash. So she inched a little closer to him, swinging her uninjured side towards him. It was then that he lifted his head up, his ears tickling her belly and she let out a tiny sigh of contentment as he pulled it all the way up. She became slightly aggitated when she could no longer feel him and she shifted once more - even closer to him - as his smooth voice waltzed to her ears. "Ah, my dear, was that your wound? I know it must hurt, please forgive me..." he told her before he stretched his soft muzzle against her smooth coat. He went tenderly at first, being careful as if the wound were there. Then. When he didnt feel it he pushed in more firmly, she could feel his lips brushing up deeprr against her ribs as she stood there and it felt amazing. He continued that down her pelt as he searched for the wound on the opposite side. But, in his process of searching Repla dropped her maw down and bent her neck just so she could reach him easily before lipping gently at his crest, playing slightly with his mane but also massaging out the tense muscles she could feel. "No need to apologize, my warrior. It feels good," she said, her audits perked forwards as she slowly inched her maw down his neck and towards his withers and barrel. But. As he pulled back, so did she - confused beyond belief. Why had he stopped? Oh well. He spoke, apologizing for not remembering that her gash was on her other side. "Its fine," she said stretching her maw back out to him. Then. He went on about some magic waters. Something she had never heard of. Woth a silent swish of her tail she closed her eyes and hummed out a song she had heard as a younger one. It was supposed to give you strength and protection if you could sing it. Few had the chords to be able to hit everything in that song. But. She had never had a problem with it. So on occassions such as these she hummed it to remind herself to be strong. Hadnt he asked her how hard they had hit. She shifted, wincing in pain this time. "they hit pretty hard. It pains to move it or stretch it. Even the still water seeping into it makes me want to scream out. It was so heavy... Im just glad it didnt land on my back... she said before dropping her maw down so itnwas near him and letting a few tears fall. Yes. She could easily turn on the tewrs. But she, also, had believed she would have died back there. And that fear and anxiety took over her mind at that moment. "I dont wish to die, my warrior. I really dont..." she whispered before stretching out and touching her maw to his injured hind leg. "and you dont deserve to be hurt..." she added, lipping tenderly at the wound and making sure it hsd water on it.

[/blockquote]


==Into the mind
. 616 words
. Done from phone
. Will be colourfied later
[/size]

[lady shady]

LAOCH

"No need to apologize, my warrior. It feels good."
Repla's voice reached his ears in the darkness. She was letting out a small sigh as his muzzle caressed her side. He knew that sound. So the mare didn't mind. When she reached her own head around to nibble at his neck, it was all the encouragement he needed. He lowered his own head and let her continue. She worked at his neck, playful and tender at the same time. Her velvety lips worked at the tense muscle, easing away some of the stress the quake had caused. He exhaled slowly, enjoying the attention. Yes, he would definitely stay a while. As the mare worked, she hummed, a beautiful melody that reverberated through the cove. It was tragic and joyful, strong and gentle, loud and piercing yet soft and low, all at the same time. He'd never heard such music before. It intrigued him, arousing his curiosity. Where had Repla learned this? A mare had never sung to him before and he began to find that he rather liked it. He had met intelligent mares, flirtatious mares, playful mares, moody mares, enticing mares who had wanted to just get right down to the reason that they had joined him, but never one so gentle who sang as Repla did. Starved for attention for most of his babyhood, he quite enjoyed being babied.
Pausing in her attentive grooming, Repla spoke, answering his earlier question. They both seemed to have forgotten that it had been asked, and the sound of the words startled him a little after the smooth melodious song. "They hit pretty hard. It pains to move it or stretch it. Even the still water seeping into it makes me want to scream out. It was so heavy... I'm just glad it didnt land on my back..." At the mention of her back, Laoch moved sideways and lightly rested his head atop that part of her body. Wrapping his head around to her withers on the opposite side, he inhaled. The rusty scent was greatly lessened; the bleeding must have slowed or stopped. That was a good sign, right? Repla lowered her head as his muzzle hovered over the wound, not touching it, but close enough so that his whiskers tickled the hide above it. He felt a few drops of warm water against his chest, and he exhaled sharply. Why was she crying? Before he could offer her any comfort, she spoke in a low voice. "I don't wish to die, my warrior. I really don't..." She touched her lips to his tender leg. "and you don't deserve to be hurt..." Though the freezing water had numbed the leg to a degree, he struggled to control the immediate reaction to move it away from her touch. It had begun to throb slightly, and his ears twitched back cautiously. She gently splashed water on it, and he marveled at her care when she was clearly more seriously wounded. Her salty tears mixed with the water, causing the cut to tingle. Or was it simply her presence that caused the tingling sensation? Wanting to make the tears stop, he nickered deeply. "Don't speak like that, my dear. You will be fine." He laughed softly before continuing. "What is this talk of dying? You and death shall not meet for a long while yet, my dear. Do not be afraid." He wanted to turn and sweep the salty tears from her face with a sweep of his long pink tongue, but he stayed still, lifting his head off of her back and trailing his muzzle up and down her spine in a comforting motion. "Shhhh, the pain will go away. In a bit, this will all have been like a dream. It will be all right, Repla. It will be all right." He kept his voice low and soothing, surprised to find many of the phrases he had once consoled himself to sleep with slipping into his speech.
He had to keep her busy, let her focus on something other than the pain. He shivered, cold from the flowing water. "Shall we take a walk, my dear? I think we've had enough of this water for the moment, and we could use a little adventure and a rest." Turning, he clambered out of the water, eyes seeking direction in the pitch black. He heard Repla following cautiously. Together, they walked forward. His eye caught a beam of light, and they moved towards it like two weary travelers seeking refuge. He stopped, blocking her with his body before entering the next alcove himself. If there were bats, he didn't want her to take fright. Instead, a glorious sight met his eyes. Expecting to find a simple room of cold grey stone, the dazzling brightness of pink, ruby and snow-colored crystal met his eyes. It coated the walls, the air oddly warm here, and water dripped merrily from the roof, echoing slightly. The quake had evidently loosened part of the ceiling, for a pile of rubble was scattered on the ground underneath a medium-sized hole, through which warm sunlight streamed, illuminating the bejeweled walls. Loach called to her, moving inside the room and allowing her to pass. He made his way over to the sunlight and stood, closing his eyes and letting its rays warm his body after being submerged in the spring. Water dripped from his body, creating steaming puddles on the hot ground. He opened his eyes and caught sight of Repla standing before him, surrounded by the shining crystal. And as he gazed at her, he found himself wondering if the gorgeous rock could even hope to compete with the speckled body of the exquisitely gentle creature before him.

--behind the post--
984 words
thankies for staying up abba (:

[Abba]

You put your arms around me
And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go

Repla could feel his head and neck as it wrapped around her withers and rested on the other side of them. She could feel his whiskers barely touching against the edge of her wound. Lifting his head up slightly he began to speak, "Don't speak like that, my dear. You will be fine." then, he let out a tiny laugh before continuing. "What is this talk of dying? You and death shall not meet for a long while yet, my dear. Do not be afraid." Soon, his head was off of her back and she tilted her head up slightly in confusion. No. Wait. Was he leaving her? Please, no. She didn't know how to get out of this cave, and most certainly not when it was pitch-black in here. But, he soon replaced his head with his muzzle along her spine, up and down in such a comforting motion. "Shhhh, the pain will go away. In a bit, this will all have been like a dream. It will be all right, Repla. It will be all right." It was then she felt herself relax completely. Most of the pain ebbing away until he suggested that they leave the pond and headed into the cave full of glowing and sparkling crystals. The warmth from the sun radiated against her back and she soaked it up with a welcome shift of her weight so that she was standing in it quietly. She felt her body shudder and shake off a little of the water that was slowly dripping down her now a bloody red because it was wet. Now that she finally had some light she took in his scratch on his leg, her maw but an inch from it and her breath blowing into the wound just slightly. Gently, she lipped away a few specks of dirt and grime that had collected around it so that it didn't infect the wound before she stretched up. "Thank you"

she whispered to him before looking up and cocking her head at him. "It's so beautiful in here..."[/color] she said before gently pressing her maw against his flank and closing her eyes for a moment as she allowed her body to bask in the warmth of the sunlight.
[/center][/blockquote][/color][/size]
=====Into the mind======
. 399 words
. Yay. I got to post from my old laptop while working on a complicated manip.
. 8 hours so far on this manip... .-.

[lady shady]

LAOCH

Repla moved closer. Amidst the dazzling crystals, her body stood out, only her eyes sparkling. "It's so beautiful in here...thank you." He had no idea why she was thanking him, after all, he hadn't known this cave was here, but before he could speak, she reached down and lipped away some of the grime from his own wound. She was so gentle. The softness of her lips sent both pain and pleasure tingling down his spine. When she placed her muzzle of his shoulder, his muscles seemed to melt like butter. In the sunlight, shining with water, light beams reflecting off of the crystals onto her body, she was a sight to behold. She closed her eyes and he took the chance to let his gaze linger on her fondly, his newest mare. What a pity that they wouldn't be able to enjoy the field together...
But perhaps there was a way back into the meadow if they looked hard enough. He had never seen another way in, but perhaps there was. Laoch wasn't particularly fond of the idea of making his way over those craggy peaks to get to his little paradise. Absentmindedly, he nuzzled Repla's mane, ruffling the long tawny strands with his lips. It was a practiced gesture, one that he had often repeated with several mares. From there, his body worked on its own as he thought about ways to escape back into the field. While he traced possible routes in his mind, he found himself moving from the top of her neck backwards, down to her tail. He paused directly behind her, the coarse hairs at the top of her tail tickling his nostrils, and then began to work his way back up, this time on her other side. He became more gentle as he approached the wound, and then resumed his touch as he made his way back up her neck again. Circling in front of her, he positioned himself in front of her head in case she wanted to return the favor. He twisted his head around to her uninjured side and traced his muzzle in small circles along her ribs, moving over every inch as if he were memorizing the lines of her body. He leaned his large head into her side, against her belly, exhaling slowly. His ears could hear her heart, beating within her rib cage. What a lovely creature this was. Yes, if they could get to the meadow soon, it would be a very good thing. He closed his eyes, leaning into her, savoring the sunlight. Perhaps they could fall asleep, wrapped in this embrace, warmed by the sun. A rest would be good...
His breathing became slower and deeper, and he began to drift off. However, just before sleep claimed him, he felt the earth shake once more. It was not as violent as the first quake, but shook the ground enough for him to hear a distant rumble. A few pebbles clattered through the opening on the roof, one striking him on the soft part of his nose and drawing blood. The prisms cast by the crystals wavered, jolting around drunkenly before settling on their bodies again. The aftershock had passed.
He turned to Repla, searching for her face. "Are you all right, my dear?" he asked with concern. He hoped that she would not be frightened by the mini quake. A frightened horse in the dark is never a good thing.

--behind the post--
586 words
the aftershock cleared the entrance enough to get out, but they don't know that yet. so they are free to waltz out anytime you feel like it. you decide when they go back to the meadow ;)

[Abba]

Repla felt him finicking with her mane and she gently stretched her neck so that her maw rested quietly upon whatever part of his muscular frame it could reach as she gently massaged out the knots she could sense. He moved around, stopping at her tail and then continuing around the other side. He took gentle care aeound her wound and she let out a sigh of contentment. As he stood before her she gently massaged at his chest before allowing her maw to run delicately along his spine, amd then tracing the countoirs of his muscled body, her ears perked forwards as she continued to hum the song. She could feel his own maw carefully memorizing her frame and then the ground shook again. A few shards of the crystalized rock smashed into her skull and sent random cuts running down her face. She dropped her maw, feeling the blood trickling into her mouth and not enjoying it. "yes... I think so... Im just so very tired..." she said, the pain from her reaggrivated wound causing her knees to tremble and she soon allowed her body to collapse onto the floor with her legs wrapped tightly under her. She allowed her head to drop also with a snort of pain before she closed her eyes trying to shake it off. Then, she stretched her maw out and played with his front fetlocks and pasturns. "Are you alright, also?" she questioned in a light haze as the light continued to warm her back.

[/blockquote]

==into the mind
. 257 words
. done from phone
. Make pretty later
[/size]

[lady shady]

LAOCH

Repla turned towards him, gentle face cut and bleeding. It pained him to see her hurt, and he reached out tenderly, attempting to wipe the blood away with his muzzle. The cut on his nose tingled as his muzzle met hers for the first time. In his attempt to remove the blood, he only succeeded in smearing it on her face like war paint. It didn't suit her. Repla was the furthest thing he could have known from violence. He could hardly imagine her being vicious, striking out at anything or anyone, and the thought aroused a protective feeling inside of him. A creature so gentle must be protected. He touched her lightly again on the neck, barely brushing her with his whiskers. He could not bear to get more blood on her coat.
The mare collapsed into the floor of the cave, keeping her legs underneath her. The poor thing had grown exhausted so quickly, her energy sapped, no doubt from the wound. Given a few weeks though, it should be able to heal normally. Rest would be best for her right now. She must sleep.
Repla's lips had begun to work at his fetlocks, tugging at them gently. He could feel her warm breath on his legs, and stilled, allowing himself to enjoy the tickling sensation. Heeding her silent invitation, he lay down next to her, half in the dark, half in the light. He heard her ask if he was all right, and he responded sleepily, "Perfectly fine, my dear. Don't worry now, just rest." Checking to make sure she was fine, he closed his own eyes. He slept lightly out of habit, and he would be sure to awaken if anything threatened them. Breathing slowly, he allowed himself to drift off.

--behind the post--
300 words
Got. Nothing. Anyway, next post I can get a dream out of him, I suppose.
Good chance for Repla to get some sleep in (:

[Abba]

2AM. Where do I begin?
Crying off my face again,
The silent sound of loneliness wants to follow me to bed

Repla felt him rub her face with his own maw, and then the sticky feeling of the blood as it spread across her face, partially blending in with her red coat, but not quite. Then, he moved his muzzle to her neck, touching it just enough so that she was tickled by his whiskers causing her to drop her maw and breathe into his fetlocks again. He lay down beside her and she dropped her cranium down so that it rested right against his front pillars and then drifted off into a sleep when he said it would be alright. Her breathing slowly began to steady out and her audits stopped twirling around trying to take in the sound of the place.

And the world seemed to crash down around her. There was no meaning to anything at all. She didn't have a clue as to what was really going on. But, the rocks were tumbling down, just barely missing her. She could feel a stinging sensation in her side which she associated with her wound, but when she looked there was no wound. Panic took over her system and she glanced around looking for Laoch. Where was he? Wasn't he supposed to be there? It was so confusing and as she moved forwards a rock slammed down into her back, pinning her in place. But, she felt no pain. In fact, she felt nothing. She wasn't even scared. She just seemed to accept it. While, outside of this dream, her body was twitching, ears pinned back in annoyance of the images she couldn't get rid of as she was too deep into it to truly wake up. And then she let out a tiny snort into his pasturns. Why couldn't she just sleep?

Finally she woke up finally managing to stop the dreams from taking over her body. Light shone down upon her coat and she went to stand up, her legs too weak to hold her and she collapsed again. She blamed the weakness on the fact that her she had been twitching and kicking out in her sleep and told herself she needed to rest. Besides, her wound was clean. Or she was at least pretty sure it was. Quietly, she looked up to him, watching him as he slept and she wondered if she should speak or not. But, she was relatively incapable of staying silent so she began humming that song under her breath again.

[/center][/blockquote]

==Inside the mind
. 436 words
. half from computer, half from phone
[/size]

[lady shady]

LAOCH

The mare beside him stirred uneasily, and he awoke from a light, dreamless slumber. He laid his maw on her back briefly to quiet her, letting it linger for a minute now that the cut on his nose had sealed. He rubbed gently out of habit, still half-asleep. After a moment, he lay his head back down on the floor of the cave, out of the pool of light, and in the inky darkness. Minutes ticked by, and his leg throbbed, but the mare slept, and he would not leave her for the river. It wouldn't do to leave her alone in this cave, especially when she didn't know her way through it.
Finally, the mare awakened. She scrambled to her feet, immediately collapsing in a heap on the ground. Part of him wanted to rush out and help her, but he figured that she might not have wanted him to see that. She didn't seem to be too badly hurt. He closed his eyes even though she couldn't see them anyway, and only opened them when he heard her breathing slow. She began humming softly to herself, making the air vibrate with that beautiful melody once again. Such beauty here in this cavern. As he thought this, his injured leg twinged. He looked over at Repla and the scarlet gash on her side. Drops of blood darkened the floor. Pain was present as well as beauty.
While her head was still turned away, his eyes scanned her body, looking for any injury the fall may have caused. When he found nothing, he let out a tiny snort of relief.
He rose stiffly, walking over to where she lay. Lowering his head, he saw that she was awake, though the humming had stopped.
"Did you you sleep well, my dear?"
He ran his muzzle lightly over her mane in greeting. Above them, the sky was orange and the light was fading. Night was near.

--behind the post--
331 words
got nothing.

[Abba]

Don't let go of good times
And let the bad ones know you feel fine and wear your heart out on your sleeve

Repla lifted her head up and let out a snort of hello. "Yes. I did. Thank you," she whispered, bobbing her head with a snort. "You?" she whispered, shifting her position so that she was also standing. Gently, she reached out and rested her maw against his withers. "Shall we try and find a way out of here? Or rest more..." she questioned, messing around with his mane as it rested against his side. Quietly, she allowed her maw to trace down his side until it was near his wound, which she gently breathed on, trying to make sure that it had no dirt on it again. She didn't want it to be infected. No, he didn't deserve to have it be infected. He was a warrior, and warriors did not deserve pain off of the battlefield.

[/blockquote]

---Into the Mind
. 139 words
. no muse... maybe if they leave we'll have something. XD
. Advice - Christina Grimmie
[/size]

[lady shady]

LAOCH

Repla rose, stretching her muzzle out toward him. He felt her warm breath on her withers and ruffled her mane gently. "Yes, let's walk around a bit. A little adventure can't hurt us, can it?" That said, he led her out of the gem-encrusted room, out of the fading light and into the darkness. Cold air, stale from the interior passages of the cave, blew softly into his face, and he moved toward Repla protectively. To get out on the other side, he knew they would have to pass through the cave that bats seemed to be particularly fond of. The bats had never bothered him much as he had grown to expect them, but Repla had never been there. He decided to warn her, and he opened his mouth. "Repla..." he spoke softly and gently so as not to alarm her, but his voice echoed in the passage. In the distance he heard a rustle and a shrieking, followed by the frenzied beating of wings. The bats were upon them, and his warning died on his lips. Beside him in the dark, he felt Repla stiffen in fear, and she fled backwards towards the mouth of the cave. No! She would be lost without him in here! He wouldn't let her die such a horrible death, wandering alone in the darkness until her body collapsed from exhaustion...he ran after her, hooves clattering loudly on the stone, but muffled by the sound of the bats. Waves of noise echoed through the cave, and he wondered how he'd find the mare in all of this. His question was answered by a thud up ahead, matched by a similar thud in his chest as his heart dropped. What had happened to Repla? He came upon her, presumably sprawled on the cave floor. The bats were flying lower, brushing both horses with their fuzzy wings, and the scent of panic was thick in the air. He stood over her in an attempt to shield her, but still the creatures came. Was the whole cave emptying itself of them? He shifted, dropping to his knees and lying down beside her, doing his best to wrap his body around hers and keep the bats from touching her. He could feel both of their hearts pounding against their rib cages, hammering away simultaneously.
The cave grew eerily quiet as the sound of the bats faded away. Laoch still lay there, expecting them to hit the blocked entrance and come rushing back. Five, ten minutes...nothing. How had they escaped if the mouth of the cave was blocked? He thought back to the aftershock, remembering the shifting of the rocks...perhaps...?
He stood, unwinding his massive body from Repla's, now worried about her wound. Had she been further injured?
"Repla..." His voice was soft and soothing. "Are you okay?"

--behind the post--
487 words
something new for them
Laoch now officially has realized that they can quite possibly get back out, so we can make the journey back out however long you wish, because once they're out...well, they're in the meadow.