I Walk This Lonely Road

[tou]

Clop ... Clip ... Clip. Each dagger came to rest upon the firm stone heavily, the weight it supported thrown lazily forward. A simple clatter of gravel and stones was noted as this large equine stumbled, his footing horrid on the jagged terrain. He staggered to his knees, his mass making the collision even worse. The sharp topography cut at his limbs as they struck the granite, the brute's jaw tightening as he stifled a cry of pain. But alas, he remained where he was as his blood trickled to the surface, crawling slowly across the rocks in a thin stream. He had no will to move, no will to drag himself to his feet once more and continue forth in his pitiful sulking. His glorious blue visionaries held no life to them, the spark they once held not even as much as a sputtering ember. The beast refused to move, staring to the ground.

[andromeda]

Why am I here? He thought. It seemed like an endless realm of torture to wander among this land without a clue as to where he was and the dangers that may lurk. Tango had never been one for fighting and, if attacked, would suffer greatly due to his inexperience on the subject. In any case it was almost a blessing! What war lord would want him? His lack of skill was surely a deterrent. That was his hope, at least. Weak or no he planned to live upon this truth with no plan to grow in this most detested past time. Such thoughts may cause his death, he was past the point of caring.

He came to a land that was deeply engaged in a war. Call him foolish, stupid, naive or idiotic for coming here with his easy going nature and charming facade. What part could a stallion, well practiced in the arts of seduction, play in a war? He smirked at the thought. He was well equipped for his own desires, but not when it came to the activities and gore of war.

He flinched involuntarily. What would it be like to die? Freeing? He sighed, perhaps. His heart panged and throbbed in time to his melodic steps. His ears swiveled and turned intently listening for any hint of another near by. He smiled in delight when the sound of hoof falls, beside his own, reached his ears. He stepped eagerly forward but was slightly dismayed to see another stallion just below the rise which Tango stood. He growled deep in his throat. This stranger didn't have the look of hostility. Engaging the individual might give way to a fight, or interesting conversation. It didn't matter any more.

"Hello there, Stallion!" He called. His accented voice traveled thickly in the air and Tango imagined it tickling the stranger's ear drums. His heart beat fiercely in his chest as he awaited a response.

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[tou]

Voices. They chimed within his skull, caressing his ears ever so lightly with their whispers. No, a whisper it was not, nor was it a plethora of identities. It was a single, fully articulate voice, whose tones were normal, if not heightened. The Shire's honars twisted cruelly atop his dome, shifting into positions they weren't meant to bend in, simply to catch the vocalization of another. But alas, these lands were barren, or so they had seemed from his initial inspection. Deserted and cruel, the massive monolith in which he walked upon being the only company he had encountered. Company. The last time he had requested a comrade, it had become more than such. His vagabond soul had been gently netted, tamed by a lass that might as well have been a sorceress, the way she was able to capture this boy's heart.

Pain. It stung, a horrible infliction that nearly caused him to writhe - but from his physical abrasions it was not. It was much deeper, far less superficial, though at times he did wonder if such miseries could translate themselves into tangible pain. He was a distraught monster, his unchained heart battered and bruised. It was accompanied with an overpowering emotion of guilt. He knew not how he and his love had become separated, but it had occurred. All of his nightmares, each one that had haunted him throughout the day, had finally wreaked havoc on his reality. It caused another throb of pain where he knew his heart should be, though wondered if there was really anything there.

And with that, he snapped back into his own realm. His glazed eyes blinked a time or two, their dull grey depths stirring for a moment as he soon recalled where he was. He hadn't quite meant to space, but it seemed to have become a habit for him, zoning out to relish bygone times. A silent sigh escaped past his velveteen maw, such expelled air replenished as he scented the atmosphere. He had overlooked the aroma of this other male whom had been capable of approaching thus far without detection, solely due to Tou's negligence. Along with the essence of this varge was the pungent stench of crimson, such that had leaked from him bodice when it had struck the ground. It caked to his ghostly pelt, leaving the poor brute a bloody mess. Fearing he looked weak in such a manner, the behemoth forced his muscles to strain, forced his appendages to return him to a standing position. He did so in one smooth movement, refusing to falter and appear ill - though perhaps he was. Though not damaged by bodily afflictions, his think box certainly wasn't entirely there, this tortured soul surely having a screw or two loose at this point in his life.

When the leviathan finally hauled himself to his total stature somewhere in the range of nineteen hands, he shook his skull, mane lashing at his nape as he rid it of the excess dirt. He pivoted neatly upon his hooves, ears pinning to their locale as he turned to face this other. He had little to say, a broken soul, lost in a world for the living, but atleast he spoke something. Salutations baron. He murmured. Though his words were low they held a deep strength to them. His cerulean occulars came to rest upon the one before him, examining their structure, instinctively and mentally noting possible weaknesses. Caudal appendage swished lightly as his nostrils flared once more.