&& echo [seraph/wraith]

[aPPY]

[bg=#070d13][atrb=border,0,false][atrb=cellpadding,0,false][atrb=cellspacing,0,false][atrb=width,450,true][th] text "speech" thoughts "other characters' speech" Karuk had decided to move to the West, since they had already been along that border. It would be better to come around from behind anyway, and fight off any other warriors along the way. Seraph followed him, and he didn't mind her company. Kilton glided above them silently as they cantered on, keeping a fast pace but not so that they tired quickly. The two equines had formed a sort of companionship, both being healers, Shamen even, and both suffering in the same pain. It was nice to know that someone was going through the same things, even if their thoughts differed so greatly. Seraph was still optimistic, though Karuk was definitely not. He was still glad he wasn't marching into battle alone. He hadn't been in the West for a while, though it was strange to think that Oser no longer controlled the area. At moments it seemed like it was just yesterday that he was fighting, fighting for who knows what, on these very lands. He supposed that's what happened as you got older. You thought back on the past in the silence of the present, and when you were doing something so similar, the memories got stronger. He smile at the memories though, like some old, wise horse might. His face only hardened as he continued forward. There was nothing he could do about the past, but he sincerely hoped he could make a change in the future that lay before him. Somehow, he wished he could do something to change the way things seemed to be going. And, maybe, there were many others who were thinking the same thing, and those were in the North, fighting against the force of Ramaskith right now. He hoped they were faring well, and that his detour would help out in the long run, and not cause destruction because he wasn't there to repair the lives that were being torn from bodies. He sighed softly, pushing the thoughts away and focusing on the ground below him, though not the sound of his hooves against the ground because it would sound too much like the thoughts he was trying to forget. Karuk slowed as a dark shape appeared nearby. The creature appeared tall and muscular, advancing in their direction. Good. This is what he wanted. Something to distract his mind from dwelling on things. The dark equine was obviously from Ramaskith's side, moving quietly and measured like a trained warrior. And the apparent muscles only added to the theory, along with dark eyes that showed no emotion. Karuk had come to a stop, Kilton swooping down with a screech and sitting on the paint's withers. Seraph was to the side of him, a short distance away. They had both been preoccupied with their thoughts, not bothering to speak to each other as they moved through the West. Karuk glanced over at her briefly before turning back to the stranger. It seems their first test had arrived. Perhaps the one chosen to stand guard along the Western borders, waiting for some fool to cross over. The two of them weren't fools though. ==Author's Comments . Word Count 529 . Notes - karuk! yay! . Muse - decent . Tags - seraph/wraith

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Header by Appy - Coding by Abba

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Do not steal[/center][/color][/td][/tr]
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[twi]

Seraph’s hooves hit the moist ground in a quick tempo, muted by the sound of rushing water. Her light Ahkal-Teke’s carriage seemed to float above the vegetation, graceful limbs skimming across Cataracta Rupes like a butterfly in flight. Sharp rocks littered the ground, but the slight mare skirted them easily, not once faltering in her beat or letting a misstep jar her unintentional floating appearance. Though her head was held high and her ears perked, it was from long habit alone that she kept up an façade of alertness, for really, her mind was far away. The only outward sign of her distraction was her eyes, empty and almost lifeless, focusing on nothing but turned inward in introspection.
In front of her, Karuk continued on, his painted pelt a compliment to Seraph’s own; the stallion pigmented by bay and crème and the mare by gold and crème. They were not one of the odd pairs that one sometimes encountered, for their quiet demeanors and sad eyes fit each other. They had met not too long ago, both ravaged by the cruelties of life, victims of the same sort of sorrow taking comfort in each other's presence.
Seraph followed Karuk, a silent shadow, not unlike one of the patronuses that could occasionally been seen with their equine companions. It had occurred to her to wonder if she was just being a bother as she naturally fell in step with the other Healer on all his wanderings, but so long as he didn’t tell her to leave, she would continue to do so, for she craved companionship even as she had craved aloneness when her mental wounds had been fresh. Sometimes she thought she was go crazy if left alone, so unstable was she. She needed Karuk, she needed him desperately. So she accompanied him, taking comfort in his strong, if slightly taciturn presence.
She barely noticed when he slowed, effectively bumping into him, tripping with an oof, and righting herself in annoyance, mostly at her own clumsiness. Everything may have changed, including her own personality, but some things just stayed the same, natural clumsiness included.
“What is it?” she asked quietly, following his gaze.
Her eyes widened a bit as she saw the stallion standing in the distance, spray and mist from the waterfalls curling around his resolute form. He looked far from friendly and she had to suppress a sigh. Why did nothing ever go right?

[Quill]

The sound of hooves met his ears and he lifted his large, black head to peer around through the fog. His eyes scanned the land around him, burning away the mist from his vision. His ears twitched as he located the source of the sound. His eyes rested on two horse, both smaller than he, a fair distance away. Both of them were painted, and he couldn't help but admire the color coordination.

He shifted his massive body in their direction and pulled himself into a heavy trot. He didn't focus on being graceful. He had an intimidating look and he didn't plan on working hard to change that. His eyes took in everything.

He saw the eagle, the horses side-by-side and the cold mist curling around their warm bodies. He stopped about ten feet away on his side of the border, and stood at his full height, his head raised, front legs squared to show off his powerful shoulders. He'd walked quite a ways, but his knee wasn't hurting him...yet.

Up close they would be able to see the many scars that graced his mass. There were even some fresh wounds over his shoulders and neck from a recent fight. The chunk missing from the middle of his mane and his lop-sided tail where an opponent had refused to let go. If he weren't so scarred, and perhaps had a bit of good in his heart, he might be attractive. His piercing eyes gazed steadily from under a long forelock at the stallion, then to the mare and back at the stallion.

"I haven't seen either of you around before." he said casually. His voice was deep and gruff as if he'd let out many a battle-cry. It was mysterious and dangerous. His fighting skills really weren't special, but everything about him was built to intimidate.

[aPPY]

[bg=#070d13][atrb=border,0,false][atrb=cellpadding,0,false][atrb=cellspacing,0,false][atrb=width,450,true][th] text "speech" thoughts "other characters' speech" Seraph wasn't paying much attention when he paused, bumping into him and stumbling. He closed his eyes briefly, then effectively pushed the thoughts away. He needed to forget, and forget he would. She questioned his stopping, but he didn't say anything. The other equine got closer and she knew. The stranger was tall, but not overly so. He was taller than Karuk, but only by about the same as he was taller than Seraph. There were many scars that traced his body, obviously a fighter of sorts. Fresher wounds trailed up his shoulder and neck. He was on Ramaskith's side, no doubt about that. He had that feel. Though, he didn't attack immediately, which was interesting. He stayed on just the other side of the border, while Karuk and Seraph stayed on the Northern side, right next to a non-existent line that probably didn't matter any longer. It was quiet as they examined each other, wondering what threats each brought. "I haven't seen either of you around before," the stranger spoke first. His voice was rough. Definitely a fighter. He remembered that many of those he'd fought with during the first war, the more enthusiastic ones, had wore out their voices eventually, screaming as they ran into battle. Karuk never really understood the concept. "We're not from around here," he said, eying the stranger and the tension in the air. Kilton shifted, flapping his wings and screeching; laying a beady eye on the ebony equine. Karuk shifted as well, wondering what the intention was of the stranger. Should they just try to keep moving forward? It was unsettling to just stand here. He decided to just get on with it. If he wasn't going to just attack them, then surely he would once they moved into the West. There was no use dawdling. He stepped forward, crossing the unseen barrier that everyone knew was there. "And we are needed somewhere," he said, eying the stranger carefully. ==Author's Comments . Word Count 327 . Notes - hohummm . Muse - okay . Tags - wraith/seraph

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Header by Appy - Coding by Abba

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Do not steal[/center][/color][/td][/tr]
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[twi]

Seraph shivered at the biting words, though she knew they were not intended to be such. The threat that lay behind them was what worried her, even as the stallion spoke in a deliberately casual tone. It was no accident either, that he was standing directly in their path, like a sentinel challenging any who dared pass. She wearily exhaled, mentally preparing herself for the conflict that was sure to come. She could see that Karuk could also sense the unspoken challenge that this stranger presented. She listened to his words, nodding silent affirmation. He stepped forward and her breath caught in her throat, but nothing happened.
He calmly continued speaking, saying “And we are need somewhere”
After a moment’s hesitation, Seraph too, took a couple steps, to stand beside Karuk. She ghosted forward, partially obscured by the swirling mist. The nearby stream, dropping sharply off to plunge down, down down, right behind her filled the air with moisture as the waterfall poured down into a pool far below. Individual droplets of water, glistening in the light, clump to her pelt, giving her an unearthly sort of radiance. Her metallic coat, unique to the Akhal-Teke breed seemed to sparkle, a misleading appearance, for it was only on the outside that she sparkled. Even now, almost a year after her loss, she still fought against the dullness within her soul that sought to consume her.
A stray breeze caught and toyed with a strand of creamy mane, fingering it, caressing it, flinging it to and fro with an aimless sort of amusement.