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Post by Swede on May 14, 2013 17:08:52 GMT -5
OOC: specifically for saz, but others can join in too if they wish.
No new scars had been bestowed upon him today. This had not been a battle, but a slaughter, a spontaneous execution. The blood which had dried onto his coat in dark streaks was not his own, and his muscles ached not from violence, but from many hours of running. Yes, Matanza had fled the scene of his unintended crime. He did not take pride in his kills, or wish to wallow in their imagined glory.
Slowly, as he stood motionless upon the bank of the little lake, his breath returned and the burning in his legs subsided. It was not reasonable to think that anyone would track him this far, or indeed could do so if they tried. Exhaling softly, the buckskin stallion walked forward, moving into the water. He shuddered as the cold liquid sloshed against his legs, but it was necessary; he needed to cleanse himself of the blood, or it would attract all manner of tortuous insects, and perhaps more dangerous predators as well. In any case, he didn't want to look at the mess upon himself, or smell it, either.
Immersed in the pond, Matanza unwittingly slipped into a state of deep thought, temporarily ignoring his surroundings in a rare moment of negligence. Had he intended to kill the mare? Not exactly... it had been a reaction to a perceived threat, something begun and finished before his conscious mental process had even managed to catch up to his reflexes. Did he regret the murder? He wasn't sure. He didn't really know what 'regret' was; to wish he had not done something, he had been told. But he never wanted to kill anyone in the first place; it just happened, out of necessity. The past couldn't be changed. The mare had not been a danger to him, but if she had been, the time it would have taken to determine that fact would be more than enough hesitation for the enemy to strike him down.
Others did not seem to see the world the way he did. He wasn't sure what to do about that, because he had difficulty adapting to their own views, too. But he supposed it didn't matter. It was in his nature now to avoid potential situations for conflict as much as possible. Even if he did feel lonely, he wouldn't know it; he had never felt anything different, after all. The presence of others had always signaled incoming pain. Except the brief time he spent with Scarlett... but that had been so alien, it was almost unnerving. Matanza hadn't known how to behave anymore. And the presence of her brother and his comrades had set his nerves on fire, until he was forced to flee. He had somehow promised to fight alongside Ranger, against the black beast who had attacked him long ago in this very spot; but he did not know how to fight with someone, only against them. Promises were supposed to be important, he knew that, but he just couldn't bring himself to believe in them. Why were they so sacred, if they were so easy to break?
Only the unbreakable lasts long in this world, and not even that can last forever.
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Post by Saz on May 29, 2013 18:08:41 GMT -5
The sun had begun to set by the time the young stallion had finally come across the scent of his sire. It was a scent he was only vaguely familiar with, but the stench of blood urged him to follow no matter any reservations he held. He remembered his mother explaining Matanza's aversion to physical contact, his trouble with any interaction whatsoever with other creatures and also what she knew of his past. He remembered that dark evening where he had met his sire and the other stallion, Hunter. He remembered the moonlight glinting off his sire's creamy golden coat that was littered with pale, silvery scars. He had remember the threat that had emanated off of his sire at the appearance of the vicious behemoth who had declared war upon his mother and uncle, and by extent, Zephyr himself.
The young dark stallion strode through the trees with a sense of vague urgency, he wished to make sure his sire was okay, and not injured. He knew for a fact that after being associated with Ranger and Scarlett that Matanza would be made a target by Hunter in an attempt to weaken Ranger's forces. He finally broke from the darkening treeline into a small meadow lit by the soft golden light of the setting sun. He spotted his sire easily, after all they were the only two beings occupying this small space. Staying silent, he gave the stallion a wide berth as he approached the water, not speaking until he had quenched his thirst. He merely observed the older, scarred stallion as he drank, noting no new scratches or bites but blood splattered across his pelt. His heart sank and he narrowed his eyes at Matanza... perhaps he had been in a fight, but surely he would have some form of injury. It would be best to ask him one he had reacquainted himself with his sire, however. After all, horses change over him.
"It is an odd place to find you, Matanza. I would have thought you would reject the places that are more often populated for a place that is far more sparsely visited?" He questioned the stallion smoothly, lifting his head a little and flicking his ears forward as he observed the odd stallion. He watched the questioning and suspicious look remain upon the stallion's face and answered his unspoken question, "You know me because I am your son, Matanza. I'm sure you remember my mother, Scarlett. She is... or was your friend. In her words at least. My name is Zephyr, we have met a few times before." He snorted, tossing his head to rid his contemplative gaze of his tangled forelock. "I gather you've parted ways with my mother, a shame really, she was always rather clever. Could've kept you out of trouble." He smirked, raising an eyebrow and gesturing toward his blood-splattered pelt before shaking his head and taking a few small bites of the juicy grass that grew on the edges of the pond.
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Post by Swede on Jun 16, 2013 4:44:03 GMT -5
The sharp stench of blood overpowered the scent of the incoming arrival, and so it was not until he saw the flicker of motion in the corner of his eye that Matanza became aware that he was no longer alone. The stallion's senses accumulated information at a lightning pace, automatically jotting down the newcomer's size and build, age and presumed experience, state of health, behavior, and advantages of position. He quickly concluded that his best course of action was to stay in the water for now; in this season it was barely beyond freezing, and the icy chill was seeping into his limbs steadily, but the stranger could not reach him with a surprise attack here, and the slow numbing of Matanza's muscles would be compensated for by the shock of the temperature, should the mystery stallion plunge in after him. In any case, this one was hardly more than a colt, with no aggression in his posture, and though he made a point of never underestimating his opponent, Matanza didn't judge him to be too dangerous- a threat, certainly, but not a deadly one.
Then it spoke, this shadowed creature draped in twilight, meeting him with recognition and addressing him by name. It seemed to the buckskin that he knew this horse; the scent which slowly pushed through the clearing haze of blood was not familiar, but nonetheless similar to something he recognized. There were certain lines and forms in his body which were reminiscent as well. True enough, it seemed, as his younger counterpart helpfully filled in the blanks. Scarlett's son; no wonder then that he seemed familiar. And yet his masculine build brought to mind the image of Ranger as well, of a time of tension and bewilderment and a testing of his own tendencies, a testing which he had not been able to withstand. Of himself he saw little; Matanza did not know his own face well, and had never been exposed to any of his relatives enough to be able to recognize kin when he saw it. But it was true, there had been a colt, which Scarlett had showed him now and again, a tiny breakable thing he had not dared approach. "Trouble," he echoed. What trouble? Would she have somehow prevented the murder of the mare by the falls? That was not trouble, not for him; merely an event in life. He had grown more adept at dodging the paths of other stallions, her aid was not needed there. More likely than not she would just attract attackers. The scent of a mare was always the first cue to begin a battle, in the past; only when fear was too strong to succumb to lust did the handlers resort to pain. He had spent a time with Scarlett, and been unable to immerse himself in her world; it was a closed chapter, an impossibility. "One who is attracted to trouble is not capable of keeping others out of it," he stated blandly, remembering the day he had turned on her. She knew his ways, and yet chose to keep him close, ignoring the inevitability of his attack, even forgiving him of it after the event.
"The desert is dry this time of year," Matanza continued expressionlessly, keeping his distant gaze fixed upon Zephyr, "Life congregates around water, and I'm no exception in needing it; and woodland streams are too shallow to wash in." The majority of the stain his coat had seeped into the surrounding liquid, and he realized that remaining in the pond for much longer could be a deadly decision in the long run. Forcing his legs to move, he sloshed out of the pond, strategically distant and yet still attentively near to Zephyr; to avoid harm while still keeping a close eye on it was second nature to him now, and something he rarely consciously thought about. Heaving himself up on the bank, he shook rapidly, dislodging as much water as he could. What remained soon was frozen by the winter evening into white streaks in the hairs of his coat, aging him ten years all at once.
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Post by Saz on Jun 22, 2013 12:34:59 GMT -5
The young stallion watched his estranged sire carefully, Matanza was truly the description of unpredictable. He nodded as the buckskin spoke, slowly chewing more grass before swallowing and letting the silence settle for a few moments. It wasn't uncomfortable, but neither was it comfortable, it was merely silence. Deeming it right to break it and continue speaking, the stallion took a step toward his sire, dicing with danger. "So how did it happen?" He asked, curiosity getting the better of him as he watched the water begin to freeze upon the buckskin's coat, slowly greying him out and giving the appearance of age to a somewhat middle-aged stallion. It was morbid, of course, for him to ask his sire who he had murdered and why. But he needed to know, was he related to a cold-blooded killer? Or just a confused, insecure stallion that was deadly when caught off guard.
He narrowed his eyes briefly, observing how Matanza moved, a seasoned warrior, but not one that was injured. "It was a one-sided attack... wasn't it?" He paused, throat tightening and his tail lashed from side to side in combined anxiety and anger. "You killed someone, or gravely wounded them, and didn't get a scratch on you..." He paused, swallowing and turning his gaze away from the buckskin stallion to lock onto his own reflection in the still waters of the watering hole. "So... was is an accident, or did you purposefully target them?" He snapped, his previous demeanor falling away and revealing a hard interior. He knew that Matanza had once attacked his mother, that he had forgiven because his uncle had stepped in, but also because he knew his mother sometimes played with fire. But killing an innocent? That was unacceptable...
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Post by Swede on Jul 9, 2013 12:27:18 GMT -5
Matanza tensed instantly as he picked up on the subtle new aggression in Zephyr's tone. For a moment, his mind almost went back into that primitive mode, that state where there were no nuances beyond the fact that another stallion with hostile behavior was nearby, a thing to be exterminated without hesitation for the sake of survival. But there were still plenty of opportunities to flee the situation, still a dozen strides to the stranger, still time, still time... his heart fluttered madly in his chest, adrenaline exploding into his system as it had done so many times before, but he restrained his body. Somehow, supposedly, it was possible to leave an aggressor alive- in the past this would have been fatal or at least very painful behavior, but this was a different place, a different situation, he had KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HIM a choice.
"Do not come closer." The buckskin's voice was taught as barbed wire, no longer blank and toneless. Before, he had been okay; now, he was not. Such were the distinctions he knew; he had never had use for any other nuances of emotion, or opportunity to learn them. Matanza's eyes searched his son, almost desperately trying to find even the slightest hint of a pending attack, something he knew and understood and could react upon. To be angry and yet not issue a challenge, there was a trick somewhere, something he had to uncover before it was too late and GET HIM NOW WHILE HE'S LOOKING AWAY nothing had happened yet, and he could defeat this young thing without difficulty if it did come to that. There were no high-paneled fences or cattle prods to tip the balance against him here.
Matanza exhaled slowly, easing the edge in his system. "I was in the trees," he said carefully. "There was a sound, close behind me. So I attacked." He paused, deliberating over Zephyr's question for a moment. It seemed straight-forward, yet he knew words were twisted and meanings changed so often out here, and a simple honest answer could still be wrong. Scarlett had explained this to him, that the way he thought was considered wrong in these lands, and that others understood him almost as little has he understood them. He had to be clear, and explain as well as he knew how, if he was to get along in this world at all. "I attack to kill. Leaving a threat alive means that it may come after you again. I did intend it, I've never killed someone by accident. But, now afterwards, I do not know if it was necessary. She didn't look very dangerous, after I'd made certain she was dead." He paused again, looking up at Zephyr guardedly. Was it the sort of answer which would stir more aggression? His actions and his explanation for them seemed reasonable enough to him, but could he be sure Zephyr understood? "If I had hesitated perhaps I would have made the judgement to flee instead of attack. But had it been a genuine danger, then hesitation would have killed me."
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Post by Saz on Aug 24, 2013 16:36:40 GMT -5
At the words that were ordered from Matanza's maw, the young stallion shied away in frustration, swinging his body away from his sire in a semi-rear before pounding his hooves harshly into the damp ground that bordered the lake. He let loose a rough snort, watching his sire as he spoke with careful measured words. Few words stuck out within the stallion's carefully spoken answer, but the few that did struck the young stallion's heart. "She..." He echoed dimly, visibly deflating and he shook his head in saddened desperation. "The world is not how you think it is, Matanza... Not many equines would kill without hesitation as you would. And those that do, they live on their own, they... hunt... kill... on their own..." He paused, breathing deeply as he lifted his gaze from the crystal water to rest upon his sire. "You need to think before you act, otherwise one day, you will kill someone who is very important. One day, your actions will kill you." He paused again, allowing his words to settle upon the buckskin stallion before he continued.
"I came here to talk to you, I suppose... To figure out exactly what my mother saw in keeping you around. I never truly will understand her reasonings, as neither will you, and nor will my uncle." He paused sighing deeply before he took a few steps into the water until it came to his knees. It was frigid in temperature, no more than just above freezing temperature and it easily began to numb his legs. If his sire desired to attack him, now would be the best time, but somehow the young stallion doubted this greatly. Matanza had shown his emotions easily as soon as he had gotten too close, and he could easily read the tension and stress that lined each muscle of the older stallion. In any case, it would be most likely that Matanza would flee should any form of danger show itself, other than him, of course.
He was about to speak once more, when a loud, violent-sounding crash reached his ears, located somewhere within the tree line and immediately he lunged out of the water to stand upon the embankment, ready to flee or attack whatever had made the noise. It was when a familiar dark figure solidified from the shadows that he took an unsteady step back, unable to believe his eyes. "Mom?" His voice was unsteady as his hooves as he stared at the unbelievably skinny freisian, she wasn't alone, either. Two fillies, one slender and grey, the other stockily set and jet black followed behind her with careful steps.
"Zephyr?" Her voice was soft, broken and without spirit. He stared at her awe-struck by her appearance. It was when she let his name lie in the open than anger began to boil beneath his breast. A low snarl rippled from his maw as he whirled around and beat the floor with his front hooves once more. A string of obscenities rippled from his lips and he whirled around once more to face his mother. "Hunter did this to you, didn't he? The foul beast... I'll tear him limb from-" His fierce words were cut off when his mother flew towards him, eager to greet him and know that he was real; and not just some cruel apparation conjured up by her broken mind.
He staggered slightly from her sudden weight, but easily regained his footing and allowed her to nuzzle him and nibble his mane like she had when he was a foal. "Mom... Mom..." He attempted to draw her attention away from making sure he was real, but Matanza seemed to do it for him. The buckskin stallion had stepped away from the emotional family reunion, and by doing so, had caught the under-weight mare's attention. She stilled as her gaze fell upon him and she stepped away from her son, her legs seeming to take their own course of action and taking her closer to the buckskin stallion. "Tanza..." She breathed his name, tears springing to her eyes as she stared at him. He hadn't changed. Not one bit. An odd feeling of relief flooded through her and she continued to move towards him until she could touch him. She inhaled his scent deeply, taking no notice of the fading scent of blood and instead focusing upon him. "Tanza..." She cooed once more, taking two steps, closing the distance and snuggling against him.
Zephyr stared, shocked at his mother's brash actions. Has she not learned from her previous interactions with the vicious stallion? Had she not learned from the time that he had very nearly killed her? He was about to step forward when a grey form intercepted him, her gaze meeting his for a brief moment and he understood the silent look. Let them go through the motions. There was not much more that would harm Scarlett. Especially with her in this state of mind. The young stallion sighed silently and shifted carefully, his dark shoulder brushing the silvery hide that belonged to his half-sister. His gaze turned for the briefest of moments to rest upon the yearling who stood just outside of the questing shadows, just enough to be seen. A shiver ran through him at the sight of her, she resembled Hunter and there was no doubt in his mind that she had been sired by the beast. But her eyes told a different story, they far more emotional that those that belonged to her sire, and far darker than those that belonged to their mother. He watched her for a few moments longer before his gaze rested upon his parents again. The yearling would be one to watch, perhaps he would travel with his mother and sisters after this... Should his mother survive her encounter with his sire, that was.
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Post by Swede on Aug 28, 2013 14:18:44 GMT -5
Matanza stiffened immediately at Zephyr's physical reaction, and was bemused by his verbal one. "My actions have saved my life thus far, and prevented others from killing me. I haven't seen any reason to think the world is otherwise, even outside my prior... residence. Besides, in my experience, if you kill someone important, the rest become afraid of you. If they are afraid of you, they are less of a threat."
He had nothing to say in response to Zephyr's continued monologue. Of course it made no sense that Scarlett was so interested in him; precisely how to define her behavior and attitude, he wasn't sure, but it was not something he was accustomed to or found reasonable in the slightest. In the past, every stallion he met was a foe and every mare was a treacherous if reluctant trap; in these lands, it almost seemed to him as though the same rules applied, except others did not realize it and had ridiculously low caution levels. Scarlett, to him, had essentially seemed to be suicidal. The battle-scarred buckskin felt no hostility or bitterness over his son's assessment; it was essentially true, as far as he could tell.
There was a sudden cacaphony of sound, and Matanza's hot-wire nervous system bolted almost before he even became consciously aware of the change. However, he always made sure not to lose track of his potential foe even in flight, and when the combination of scents and noises made it clear immediately afterwards that this was some broken-down mare and a pair of harmless fillies, his movement halted equally as abruptly as it had begun. Six paces down the bank, he tossed his head restlessly, very nearly bolting again as Zephyr's behavior suddenly shifted into a much more aggressive form. But something kept his hooves nailed in place; he recognized that scent. Scarlett. Zephyr's mother; so why was the young stallion so furious? Anger at a mare was not something he would have predicted, especially not at one's dam; Matanza barely remembered his own, but he was under the impression that they were supposed to be part of a pleasant and peaceful relationship.
Matanza was given little time to ponder this odd matter, however, as within moments the dull charcoal mare turned her sunken eyes upon him. It was as though spring had forgotten to sweep the winter out of him as he stood frozen and trembling ever so slightly, consciously aware that Scarlett was no threat, while the instincts branded in every fiber of his being demanded fight or flight. The internal battle raged on with no clear victor, leaving him undecisive enough to settle for the middle ground, namely to allow her to continue on her path. At her touch, he exhaled sharply and his tail thrashed once; but he remained still. The stallion made no move to return her display of affection, or to otherwise comfort her. He had no concept of such terms, no experience in feeling such things and recognizing them for what they were, no education in how to convey them. But at some point since arriving in this place, he had concluded that Scarlett was not to be attacked, and did not necessarily have to be avoided or treated with suspicion and fear, like the mares in the ring. They might not have been the ones who wished him harm, and were victims as much as himself, but the scent of a mare was inseparably associated with impending pain and terror. Despite this, he had somehow shifted away from rejecting her presence. She was an enigma, and with no knowledge of what to do with someone who wasn't either meant to be killed or best avoided, her presence unnerved her no less than anything else; but still he did not reject her. He merely stood still, allowing her to touch him for whatever unfathomable reasons she would ever do so willingly, uncertain of how to appropriately respond and thus preferring to simply not respond at all, rather than screw up as he inevitably seemed to do.
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Post by Saz on Oct 18, 2013 20:10:20 GMT -5
The young stallion watched his parents interact for a few moments longer before he cleared his throat to get his mother's attention. "Mom, we can't stay here. We need to get you safe... somewhere... How did you get away?" He asked softly, taking a few steps toward her, his attention mostly focused on her, but one ear was always trained on Tanza, he was dangerous and everyone except Scarlett seemed to realize that. He watched the malnourished friesian spook at his question and she seemed to go into a panicked overdrive. Part of her mind must have registered Matanza as someone else as she turned and fled into the water, but her body language instantly becoming submissive as she turned to face her supposed attacker.
Zephyr frowned, about to say something when a dark figure brushed past Matanza and moved into the water. There was nothing said until Nazgul called out to Scarlett, then it was merely a brief exchange of names so their mother knew it was someone safe. Somehow she managed to convince the mare to come out of the water and come toward him. He watched with a bitter sadness in his heart as she didn't recognize him until she inhaled his scent, and only then did she somewhat recognize him. He then turned his attention to Uzuri, mouth tight and a crease between his eyes. "How did you get off the island?" He asked softly, trying not to disturb Scarlett from wherever she had gone.
The grey filly sighed softly, shaking her head and then answering his question. "A bay stallion, Uheri, he's our cousin apparently. He was working for Hunter for some reason and when he realized Mom was there he began to help us get off the isle. On our way to one of the sand bars we were interrupted by two other horses, Lilian and Tank. Ranger had sent them, Lilian is Ranger's lead mare, Tank's one of her close friends. They got us to the sand bar and then we bumped into Hunter and some other horses. Uheri managed to get us off the island whilst Lilian and Tank occupied Hunter. But I think Hunter knew he'd done all the damage he could which was why he didn't fight to keep us." Uzuri sighed and shook her head once more, her gaze moving from Zephyr to Scarlett with a hopeless expression.
"Lilian mentioned that we needed to get to the desert where Ranger lives. But I don't know where that is, Mom... well she's pretty hopeless. And we got separated from Uheri a few weeks ago." She added, shrugging before glancing to where Nazgul was speaking with Matanza, probably trying to explain why she had reacted like that. Zephyr exhaled heavily, "Okay... Well I guess we need to get you to Ranger then. I know how to get there, Matanza might be willing to help... I don't know. I need to ask." He replied, heart now heavy with the knowledge that his mother was quite possibly beyond repair.
--
Scarlett closed her eyes, basking in the familiarity that was Matanza. He was rigid against her, just like so many times before. Before all this had happened. As her mind began to drift as it so often did these days, Zephyr cleared his through and requested her attention, she opened her eyes, turning her face toward him and breaking physical contact between herself and the buckskin stallion. At his question she inhaled sharply as though pained and she instinctively shied away from the question by taking a step sideways and accidentally jostling Matanza. As her shoulder bumped his, her mind went into overdrive and she spooked away from the buckskin stallion and into the water, her head swinging low, body language submissive but she was tense to flee.
Her breathing came in short sharp pants as she attempted to figure out exactly what was going on and who was the threat and who wasn't. She shied again as a familiar figure entered the water and began to slowly slog toward her. It wasn't until the voice entered her ears did she realize who it was. "N-nazgul?" She whimpered, eyes wide as she tried to figure out what was going on in this confusing, terrifying situation. She allowed the filly to guide her out of the water and toward the shorter dark stallion who was standing beside Uzuri. His scent reestablished itself in her nostrils and she bobbed her head slightly, figuring out who he was before allowing herself to relax slightly. She remained quiet and spaced out for the rest of their conversation, rarely becoming lucid enough to answer a question or say anything.
--
The dark filly watched the proceedings with a careful, watchful eye, she wasn't surprised when Zephyr said something to set off their mother. It was easy to do these days, all it took was a word, a question, a gesture and her mind would go into instinct overdrive. She grit her teeth and snorted harshly before breaking into a trot and brushing past Matanza to get to the water. She nickered to her mother as her legs began to become submerged in the cool waters, "Mom, it's me..." She called, half way there already. "N-nazgul?" Came the terrified reply and the filly sighed softly. "Yeah, It's me, Mom." She said again, tone soothing and soft. She gently nuzzled the mare's shoulder and neck as she halted in front of her. "Come on... There's nothing scary on shore. No one's going to hurt you, I promise. Let's go see Zeph and Uzuri." She cooed, gently nudging the mare who merely nodded dumbly and began to follow her out of the water.
Once they arrived back to Zephyr and Uzuri, she shared a look with her sister before turning away and moving over to where Matanza was stood. "Matanza, right? I'm Nazgul." She spoke shortly, her gaze penetrating the stallion with all the fierceness of a mother bear. "Wasn't you, it was her mind. Hunter screwed up her head and now she freaks out at the slightest thing." She spoke bluntly, expression neutral as she stared at the taller, more muscular stallion. With that information now said, she looked him up and down before promptly ignoring him and lowering her head to graze on the now flattened grass. |
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Post by Swede on Nov 17, 2013 19:05:10 GMT -5
For a brief while, things seemed to be going... okay. Matanza almost felt as though he had a grasp on the situation, with Zephyr and the younger mares farther away, and Scarlett admittedly a bit close for comfort but at least acting in a way not dissimilar to how she had in the past, something he had a base of reference for. But then she spooked, and at the unexpected pressure against his shoulder as she bumped past him, he pulled back abruptly, his body away from his prior location and rapidly armed with bared teeth to meet that which ventured an attempt to harm him. But it was, of course, still Scarlett and Scarlett only.
The other one brushed past him suddenly as well, and his head snaked after her flank instinctively, teeth snapping together on air only. Perhaps he was getting better; that had felt a bit half-hearted, more of a reactionary warning than an actual attack. Perhaps he was getting too soft and too easy to catch off-guard. The buckskin abandoned his defensive stance but pawed at the gravelly bank and tossed his head in frustration. With nothing to react upon, Matanza stood still, gazing at the horses in the water, his long forelock failing to veil his unsettled expression.
At last they slogged out of the pond, Scarlett and the smaller one, and Matanza's eyes followed them rigidly with every step they took. His ears remained tilted forward as the smaller one then turned towards him, keeping his attention fully focused upon her, but his neck arched a fraction as he pulled his head back and his muzzle dipped inwards ever so slightly, coiling like a rattlesnake. She was not attacking, and he could snap her like a twig if need be, but her demeanor struck him as aggressive and the entire situation was far outside his comfort zone already. "Nazgul," he repeated, matching her flat tone. He did not immediately acknowledge her explanation, nor did she appear to expect him to. The stallion studied her warily for a moment. His gaze flicked upwards towards Scarlett, but immediately refocused on the filly again. Then he exhaled in a soft snort, taking a step backward which sent a quiver of relief through his stressed heart. "She is not afraid of me... yet she spooks at nothing. She should fear me. Even after I learned to anticipate her behavior- to expect someone to not fear me, to come close to me- I very nearly killed her. If I cannot anticipate her actions and reactions, then I most certainly will kill her. I cannot teach her this, because then I would have to demonstrate this and she would not live to learn the lesson." He paused, examining his own words briefly; he wasn't sure whether they conveyed his message correctly or if he was saying something inappropriate. He had never learned normal communication skills, and at this stage in his life it was difficult to decode social decorum. "If her mind is unstable like this then you must teach her to keep her distance from me. I will stay away as well but I cannot always plan that, as sometimes there are days like today when circumstances make it unavoidable. I do not want to kill her. But if she is near me, then sooner or later it will happen," he said simply. Before, he had at least been able to know approximately what Scarlett would do, when she would touch him and how she would act around him, and then he could preemptively rein in his natural reactions; but if she was too volatile to predict, then there was no way he would be able to remain calm if something were to happen and he was caught off-guard.
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Post by Saz on Feb 1, 2014 17:37:44 GMT -5
Nazgul - Wild and furious, I am the storm that ruins all. -
The stocky filly lifted her gaze to meet the buckskin's and began to watch him with a mildly uninterested expression as he spoke, her tail flicked to and fro and she sighed quietly as he finished speaking. "She should fear you, yes; but she does not, and that cannot be taught unless you damage her mentally, and that, in her condition, would be dangerous to the both of you, possibly even fatal to her. I suppose I should've worded my sentence more carefully; She does not spook at 'nothing', it's gestures, speech patterns, questions, the things that remind her of my sire, are what she spooks at. He was her personal jailer, her torturer, her rapist. He destroyed whatever hope and faith she had that someone would save her from that hell, but now she's away from him, she will be better with time. You cannot know what you will and will not do to her, Matanza; you know as well as I do that she is the closest thing you'll ever get to a friend or beloved in your life. Personally, I would be far more inclined to leave her with you than to take her to the desert to my uncle. Because until Hunter is gone and this war is done, she will be effected by his decisions and most likely the frequent mentions of Hunter would set her off into an even deeper spiral that would halt her recovery." The yearling spoke wisely, her chaotic gaze never leaving his for a moment as she spoke. Then for a brief moment she fell silent, contemplative of what the future held for each of them. "She will not die by your hoof, Matanza, you could never. That I am sure of. For even when you attacked her before you came to your senses all too quickly. You even have a son by her, are you going to really tell me that there isn't a subconscious part of you that cares for, or even loves, her?" She spoke with a deep sense of purpose, but with an underlying viciousness that dared the buckskin to doubt or argue her words.
- Uzuri - Wise beyond my age, I see through guises built to last the strongest storm. -
The grey filly watched her sister all but fight with the broader, stronger stallion and she sighed imperceptibly, glancing to Zephyr who was staring at their mother with a heartbroken expression upon his weary face. "Zephyr, would you just speak with Matanza so we may know what we are going to do? Otherwise we will be stuck here until dawn without a plan or any form of idea. And I fear our sister may be offending Matanza as we speak." She shook her head and snorted quietly, startling both Scarlett and Zephyr as she did. The taller mare jerked her head back a little as though someone or something had snapped at her muzzle, and Zephyr stiffened before relaxing and glancing to Uzuri before looking past her at his father and sister. The black stallion nodded shortly at her before striding past and moving in to handle the situation. Closing her eyes momentarily to harness whatever patience she had left, the arab cross then took a few dainty steps toward their mother and guided her away from the trio, no one wanted a repeat of earlier.
- Zephyr - Noble and Justice driven, I protect those in need, I am a shield. -
The dark stallion watched his mother sadly as she stood numbly beside his sister, she was deaf to their words and blind to their appearances. Zephyr stiffened mildly as she heard his name before relaxing and glancing toward Uzuri. He still wasn't quite sure what to think of her or Nazgul, they didn't feel like his sisters but at the same time they did. For the moment, however, he had things to do. Blinking slightly at her request, he glanced past her to see Nazgul getting slightly aggressive and nodded shortly before brushing past her and easily situating himself between the black filly and his father. "Matanza, I understand this might be a request you wish to deny, but hear me out. We need to get to the desert, neither Nazgul or Uzuri know where it is, I can barely remember how to get there and mother is all but useless. We need you to guide us there, or at the very least give us firm directions. I fear that if we were to stop too many times and ask for directions it would leave a trail that Hunter or his lackeys could easily follow." He spoke smoothly, attempting to calm whatever tension had arisen between the two equines.
- Scarlett - Broken and beloved, I am the one guided the lost, but where am I now? - The words spoken between Uzuri and Zephyr were not her concern and thus she took little notice of them or of her surroundings until Uzuri began to lead her away. In the forefront of her mind she was fine with this as she knew, she trusted, her daughter. She knew they were safe, away from whatever they were running from. But then in the back of her mind there was a niggling sensation that not everyone was there, that she wasn't complete. Her head bobbed a little as her mind began to process this information, and it wasn't until she blinked and really took in where they were that she realized Nazgul wasn't with her, wasn't at her side. Her mind whirled, this had only happened once before, and when it had... No. No. NO. Nazgul?! Where was her Nazgul?! Her daughter?! Her dearest?! Her breath became short, sharp pants, her legs froze in place and her eyes scanned the surrounding area wildly.
She froze as she spotted the group, it was too real, too familiar, too unforgiving to be real. She began to shake, her mouth becoming dry and her throat tight. She stared in pure horror at the sight before her. A large black stallion, too big for words. Then a pale golden buckskin scarred beyond belief. And then herself, staring right back at her, fear and worry written across her face. Scarlett trembled, her entire world began to shift and warp until she was standing back on that beach, that horrific beach that seemed to mock her with its beauty. It was the touch from Uzuri that set her off completely though, a yelp ripped itself from her throat and she wheeled backward, her legs unco-operative as she stumbled and tripped before she righted herself and fled into the trees. At least there she knew she had a chance to hide, to escape Hunter for at least a few moments.
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Uzuri, Nazgul & Zephyr
-
"Mother!" Uzuri called, taking a few steps after the panicked mare before Nazgul's angry shout caught her attention.
"YOU FOOL! YOU KNOW WHAT SHE'S LIKE! HOW COULD YOU THINK TAKING HER AWAY FROM THE CONVERSATION WAS A GOOD IDEA?!" She shrieked, jogging toward the grey filly with flattened ears and a face like a thousand thunderstorms.
"I-I-I..." Uzuri flailed for words, unsure of what to say to her sister's fury.
"Stop." Zephyr's powerful voice rippled across the watering hole, freezing both fillies in place as he glanced to Matanza before narrowing his eyes at the two fillies. "This is not the time for arguing. We need to find her before someone finds her and before she hurts herself." He paused, frowning a little before glancing at Matanza and then to Uzuri. "Matanza, you will go with Uzuri, follow where she went. I imagine her path shouldn't be too hard to follow, Nazgul and I are going to see if we can cut her off before she goes too far." His tone brooked no room for argument or any other form of disagreement. And as much as he didn't want Matanza near his siblings, the situation called for it, he certainly wasn't going to let his sisters wander off in the dark on their own. "We will meet back here at sunrise. Hopefully we will find her." He ground out, glancing at Matanza once more before trotting past his sisters and into the trees.
Nazgul glared viciously at Uzuri before flattening her ears even further and sulkily following behind Zephyr. She would most definitely need to have a talk with him if he thought that he was the boss in their little group.
The grey filly swallowed nervously as she got the full power of the glare that Nazgul usually only reserved for those she truly hated. Flicking her tail anxiously, she glanced at Matanza and then cautiously took a step toward him. "You... You don't have to do what Zeph just said. You can leave if you want, I'll find her. It's my fault anyway." She mumbled, shoulders hunched up as she spoke.
Times sure were interesting when your situation could go from bad to worse in less than five minutes... |
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Post by Swede on Feb 12, 2014 14:40:54 GMT -5
The yearling bothered him. She was too insignificant to be of any harm to him, but her tone carried a greater weight which he automatically associated to strength and aggression. It made him want to snap her neck, just in case. Her words, however, gave no cause for such action, and he had been socialized enough to realize it probably was not a good idea to kill her just to make her go away. He exhaled softly, unsure whether she really required a response or not; such subtleties were still alien to him. "If not by hoof, then by teeth," Matanza ventured stolidly. "If I love her, I would not know it. I don't know what love is. I do not know you, Nazgul; I do not think you know me either. Perhaps Scarlett has told you about me, but I don't think she ever knew me either. You sound wise, but in trusting me, you prove that you are what you look like: a child."
Matanza stopped speaking and his ears slicked backwards neatly against his neck as Zephyr approached. He shifted a few steps backward, warily tilting his ears forward again only when Zephyr had halted and made his intentions clear. His attention occupied with keeping track of the stallion in front of him and, to a lesser degree, Nazgul, Matanza had little focus to spare for the pair who had distanced themselves from the group; a mistake, it turned out. The swift burst of noise and motion in his peripheral vision threw him off guard, and had Zephyr been within striking range, Matanza very well may have grabbed hold of the throat of the most likely threat in the vicinity. With room for evasion, however, the buckskin instead darted sideways, planting his hooves in a firmly defensive stance. Idiot, relaxing like that... now he was ready though, and quickly assessed the situation. He could practically taste the aggression in the atmosphere, and certainly hear it; that bothersome one, Nazgul, she was shouting. Zephyr was neither attacking nor appearing to be attacked, and thus perhaps was not the issue at present. Someone else's fight then?
Slowly, his senses caught up to reality; his gaze flickered at Zephyr's loud outburst, but otherwise the buckskin remained still, watching the group warily. Another one of those... bizarre situations, where a fight was provoked but then never occurred. Matanza could try to figure it out, but at this point, he wasn't sure it was worth the effort. Every time he came across someone in the wilderness, sense was thrown out the window and all he could do was try to keep up without accidentally leaving a trail of corpses behind in the process.
Zephyr and Nazgul left. Matanza remained silent, sweeping the surroundings for any trace of danger. Just one young mare to be concerned with, and one who spoke with such obvious submission... it was almost pleasant, having so little to worry about for the moment. A delicate shudder ran through his body, as though all the little nervous jitters were escaping. Then he turned his attention to Uzuri. "Relax. I will help you find Scarlett. But first we need to go over some rules. Your sister doesn't fear me; that isn't wise. She seems to think I wouldn't kill Scarlett, that I'm too controlled for that... for the sake of perspective, I will tell you that I came to the watering hole not because I needed a drink, but because the blood on my coat risked attracting predators. I killed a mare because she startled me. I don't know who she was, but I doubt she meant any harm. She was dead before I even really realized she was there. I have been trained to strike first, and ask questions... well, never. That doesn't go away so easily.
"So relax. Do be afraid of me- if I move suddenly, you should probably bolt- but relax. The more anxious you behave, the messier you will be to gauge. If you are calm, I will be able to ignore you better, like the birds; I am aware of them, but I am not concerned by them. Stay several steps in front of me, where I can see you. Avoid doing anything... abruptly. We will look for Scarlett. If all goes well, I will then help you reach the desert. If you have any objections, state them now. Otherwise, lead the way, and I will follow you." Monologues were not Matanza's strength; he had never really had much opportunity for communication at all in the past, and since then his time had either been spent with Scarlett who was capable of filling the silence on her own, or in solitude. Hopefully he had spoken clearly enough for Uzuri to understand. Finding Scarlett... his specialty was maiming the cornered, not tracking the fleeing, but in her state her trail would be easy enough to follow.
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Post by Saz on May 12, 2014 18:28:18 GMT -5
Uzuri
-- The greying filly paused hesitantly as Matanza's words sank into her, "I-... Thank you." She mumbled before inhaling the summer air deeply to summon what courage she had left. Casting the solidly built stallion one last, wary glance she turned her back upon him and began leading the way into the trees, even though every inch of her being was screaming red alert, she resolutely strode through the trees in silence. It was a struggle for the first few minutes as her mind was telling her to at least keep in step with the stallion at the very least so she could see him, after all, he could do anything with her not watching him. He was the most dangerous threat right now. And after her time on Hunter's island she had learnt that her vision and hearing were two of her most valuable skills, especially when presented with stallions, and her instincts hadn't exactly been on their lowest setting since they had left the uneasy familiarity of the pale isle. Her pelt shuddered as the occasional fly decided to bother her as she slowly wove her way through the trees, following the obviously trampled path that belonged to her mother. But it wasn't until the silence began to bore into her and set her more on edge than she could help that she cleared her throat and spoke quietly, as not to surprise or spook the buckskin stallion following her. "I must apologize for Nazgul's attitude earlier, she does not usually challenge strangers like that, but it seems with us behind her she felt brave enough to do so. I will make sure she does not irritate you on the way to the desert. She was out of line and needs to learn her place before we reach Ranger's lands, otherwise I fear we will not be readily accepted." She spoke clearly, though quietly with one ear flicked back to catch any reply that was given by the buckskin before she continued. "Though..." She paused again, unsure of whether it would be wise to continue, ultimately she decided there was little to lose so she continued, "I personally agree with Nazgul on her opinion of our mother and yourself. But the only reason I don't think you would kill her, would be that you would realize it was her before it was too late. I think deeply ingrained in your brain, you know she's no threat to you, if anything, quite the opposite, but you don't realize that yourself because you're more concerned with living in the present and keeping yourself alive." She mused, glancing over her shoulder at Matanza before staring dully ahead once more. "I'm not saying that you couldn't seriously harm or injure her, I'm just saying that I don't think you could kill her. But that's only my opinion, the only one that knows what you would do, is you." She added, her tail swishing a little nervously as she examined her surroundings. With her ears twitching back and forth, she allowed the silence to descend upon them once more, the only noises were the gentle thud of their hooves and the chirping of the birds and bugs within the forest. Zephyr
-- The young stallion led the way easily through the trees, his speed was quick but steady as he and his sister wove back and forth, determined to cut their mother off on her crazed path through the woods. His sides rose and fell in an easy rhythm, his breath puffing warmly against the cool air that belonged to the late summer nights. The steady thundering of hooves soothed his nerves and he risked a glance over his shoulder at the unusually stoic face of Nazgul, there was a crease between her brows and the hairs on her muzzle were beginning to pale very slightly. He wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't eating as much as she should either. He frowned silently, picking up the pace a little just to make sure they would be able to get deep enough into the woods to circle back and hopefully cut off their mother before she got too far. Nazgul
-- Her legs felt heavy and her head was beginning to ache, her eyes felt scratchy in her skull and splintered a sharp pain through her face whenever she blinked and she was beginning to wonder when she last ate. Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth, which felt dry as the sand she was born on. And still she powered on behind her brother, each step brought them closer to their mother, closer to her being safe, closer to having somewhere to stay and somewhere she could sleep without the constant fear of being found or killed by Hunter and his minions. She desperately sucked the cool summer air into her starving lungs and somehow managed to co-ordinate her legs in a pattern that would mean she wouldn't trip over herself or the roots of the trees they were speeding past. Shaking her head and blinking her eyes hard, the dark filly attempted to wake herself up so she would be sure not to run into any trees or bushes whilst following Zephyr through the forest. |
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Post by Swede on Jun 11, 2014 9:13:16 GMT -5
The buckskin made little attempt to be stealthy in his movements. Though he had learned to be more discreet during his time in the wild, his old life had never required silence or invisibility; on the contrary, those who were too cowardly would be stirred up by means of force to put on a better show. These days, Matanza would generally try to refrain from being too noisy in order to avoid unnecessary encounters, but it did not come naturally, and in this case it probably wasn't important. He was already in a precarious situation, there was no point in hiding anymore. And perhaps some part of him even recognized it as a courtesy to the young mare in front of him; etiquette did not come naturally to him either, but if his steps were clearly audible, perhaps she would have a better sense of his position and not be quite as uneasy. Not information he'd ordinarily want others to know- surprise is a key element after all- but this was not a battle and he had to try to see things outside of that paradigm.
Uzuri's words were soft, no more than a little ripple to disturb the sea of darkness surrounding them. Though Matanza was preoccupied with their surroundings, ever wary of any sound or scent that might be out of place, he did give her belief some thought as well. "I know Scarlett is harmless to me," he said finally, "but I am not so sure that is as deeply ingrained an instinct as my reactions otherwise can be when startled. And even if she herself is no threat, her presence involves other dangers..." His memory of tense encounters with Ranger flickered for a moment, but they were suddenly swept aside by the recollection of his encounter with the one they called Hunter, the one who had caused the mess he somehow found himself dragged into. If Matanza were to look at his own reflection, he might notice the newest faint scar on his face; one of a thousand, and it did not visually stick out much against the rest, but every scar is a memory, and this one brought back thoughts of the last time he had descended into his worst state... had he not been with Scarlett then, Matanza might never have encountered Hunter, never fought him like a mad beast. And now again the black stallion's presence loomed over him, having essentially destroyed Scarlett and forced Matanza to come to her aid. A pitiful state indeed, if Tanza's presence was helpful in comparison...
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Post by Saz on Sept 6, 2014 15:09:46 GMT -5
--
Uzuri
--
The grey filly paused slightly, hoof mid-air as she examined the path before them, off to the right there was a deer path littered with hoof prints both equine and cervine, however to the left there were definite indents in the bushes and a few strands of black hair was caught upon a near-by tree branch. Bobbing her head decisively, Uzuri moved to the left, scenting the air and ascertaining that her mother had been through this way before following the unusual path through the woods. One ear flicked back to catch Matanza's reply and she hummed quietly, "You could say that again... It seems Hunter developed an obsession to break her, and he succeeded. I'm lucky I got out of the island alive, but it's partially because of me that she's in this state, he used me as leverage on more than on occasion. She would have been better off killing me, but on some level I think that would have broken her far worse than Hunter ever could've." She replied quietly, guilt and shame colouring her tone as she spoke.
Swallowing hard, the filly blinked franticly to stop the onslaught of tears that rose up at the memories of her past; all she had known was Hunter's island, but she knew from her mother that life wasn't like that everywhere else so she had to focus upon that, the light at the end of the tunnel. Lifting her head slightly, Uzuri narrowed her eyes and squinted to see if there was an end to the destruction that they were following, "Looks like there's a small clearing up here... hopefully she stopped there... but maybe not... we might be walking for a little while longer, yet." She sighed, glancing back at her deeply scarred companion before refocusing on the path ahead.
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Scarlett
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Run. Run. Run.
Scared.
Followed.
Danger. Danger. DANGER.
Shelter. Find Quiet. Find Safe. Find Cave.
Open, not safe.
Trees, not safe.
Dark, not safe.
Water, not safe.
Horses, not safe.
Run. Run. Run
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Post by Swede on Sept 22, 2014 13:29:34 GMT -5
Matanza kept one ear tilted in the filly's direction, attending to her words while maintaining a vigilant watch on their surroundings. Tonal inflections could be a bit difficult for him, and he wasn't entirely sure how to interpret the emotion that lay thick in her voice. Did she blame herself? It seemed almost as though she regretted that Scarlett had not killed her, but that made no sense to him. "Life is all you have, and it needs to be guarded carefully," he said slowly, solid in his principles but unsure how to convey them. "Killing is not easy in any case. Especially not for someone like Scarlett."
He snorted softly in response to her speculations. "She is weak. Adrenaline can make even the half-dead fight like a mad beast, but not for long. Her fear won't carry her far before she has to rest," he reasoned under his breath. Fighting and fleeing may be different actions, but the principles he knew were still quite applicable in this situation. The question was whether she would manage to calm herself a little before they caught up to her, or if she would run herself too far into the ground. The heart, particularly in a weakened body, can only take so much stress before it gives out entirely.
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