Post by Oxyrrhodine on May 15, 2018 23:35:22 GMT -7
She shouldn’t be out here. In fact, Fieht shouldn’t have been away from her mother and siblings at all. But it was boring, watching her siblings play chase and tag and whatever games foals should be playing, sitting on the sidelines due to her stupid traitor muscles. She wasn’t tired, either, having had all day to sleep. That was what her mama and sisters were doing, sleeping, Fieht was going on an adventure. Her dark coat melded with the shadows, camouflaging her tiny frame as she walked along, a smile on her face, her violet eyes tracking the stockings of the stallion she was following. His name was Cay-tahn-oh, and he was nice. Fieht had just met him, but he seemed big and strong and smiled a lot. And his coat had stripes! She’d never seen anybody with stripes before! Plus he’d promised to show her something cool! He was even walking slowly so she could keep up, which was very nice of him. The small filly would hate to have her adventure cut short because her stupid muscles wouldn’t cooperate. Even so, she was starting to get tired, stumbling occasionally over her own limbs when they began to be uncooperative.
“Um, Mister Cae? How much longer until we get there?” She asked. She’d asked this question before, a few times, first out of excitement and now out of concern. Fieht had never been bored during this walk though. How could she be bored when she was going on the grand adventure of following somebody she’d just met through the dark to some unknown surprise? Part of her registered that her actions could probably be dangerous, but she was just so desperate to do something that those worries were pushed aside. Besides, Caetano seemed trustworthy. “Don’t worry, kid. We’re almost there,” he responded. This felt like at least the tenth time he’d given such an answer, although at first the reassurance had been that it wasn’t very far away. It sure seemed far away to Fieht, but she’d seen little of the scale of the world, and she walked slow. “It’s just around this—“
His words were cut off by a rumbling, sliding, sort of crash, and the white stockings that Fieht had been following in the dim light suddenly disappeared. She squealed, leaping clumsily back in fright, as she processed what had happened. They had been walking along the top edge of a cliff, the height of which had been hard to determine in the dim light, and where the stallion had once stood there was a fresh dip in the earth, the top of a small landslide. “Cae?!” she cried out. Where had he gone? Was he okay? Was he dead? Those worries flashed through her mind in a couple seconds before a response came from the base of the cliff, sounding slightly winded. “I’m okay!” the stallion’s voice came from below, not as far away as Fieht had feared. Slowly, she moved forward, trying to peer over the edge, but stopped when the ground shifted under one of her tiny front hooves. Her heart pounded in her chest. Even though Cae was right there, within hearing distance, she felt so alone with nobody around that she could see. “What should I do? Should I come down too?” she asked, calling into the darkness. He was an adult. He would figure this out. That’s what adults did, right? She heard the sounds of him standing up and shaking off. “No, don’t come down here. I got lucky not getting hurt. It looks too steep for me to get back up, though, so I guess this is where we part ways, kid.” He sounded entirely calm and unconcerned, so it took her a few seconds to register what he had said. “Wait? You’re leaving me here?” she cried out. Her legs wobbled as her heart sped up, stress triggering her disability. “Well, I can’t get back up there, and you can’t come down here. Just follow the cliff back to the big pile of rocks, go uphill from there, and turn right at the stream. That’ll bring you back to where you found me. Hopefully you can find your family from there.” Fieht listened, trying not to panic, to remember his directions. Did she know how to find her family? She wasn’t sure she could remember. It hadn’t been that far from them to Cae, though, she tried to tell herself. “I’m going to get moving. See you around, Fieht. I haven’t smelled any predators around here, so you’ll most likely be safe.” For a moment, she was too frightened to respond. He really was leaving her here, all alone. “Bye!” she managed to say, hearing the sound of trotting hooves on stone as her companion abandoned her.
Then, for the first time in her short life Fieht was entirely alone. Her first thought was to start crying, but she stopped herself. “This is just another part of my adventure,” she insisted, saying the words aloud to see if that helped her feel braver. “But I’m all alone here! What if I get lost and never see momma or my sisters again?” her voice grew quieter, shaking with fear at the idea. Spindly legs folding under her, she flopped to the ground, hoping to rest her body while she figured this out. “No, Cae told me how to get back. And that there weren’t any predators around.” Her voice sounded more confident than she felt. “Maybe I should just yell for momma.” That would be the easiest way out. Surely momma could still hear her from here. But then… “No, no! I can’t do that! Then she’ll know I wandered away and I’ll get in trouble!” Not to mention that Fieht would be watched much more closely in the future if she got caught, taking away her chances of having more adventures. “But…” she hesitated again, before cutting herself off with a sharp shake of her little head. “Nuh-uh. I can do this!” She’d have to try to get back quickly, though. Somebody might wake up and realize she was gone, and then all of this would be for nothing.
With determination in every line of her small frame, Fieht stood. It was really dark, especially without the white of Cae’s legs as a guide. She turned her gaze toward the skies, trying to will away the clouds that covered the moon. Carefully, she began to walk, staying far from the dark abyss to one side of the trail. She tried not to rush, even though she was anxious, ears flicking and nostrils flaring as she jumped at every sound. If she rushed, her body would just give out faster, and she’d never get back if she couldn’t walk. Not for the first time in her short life, she’d wished she’d been born without her condition, which had a big long name that she couldn’t even begin to pronounce. It would’ve made her life so much easier. If the walk had seemed long following Cae, it seemed even longer now. She wished she’d paid more attention while they’d been walking to whatever this mysterious exciting thing would have been. Maybe then she could’ve had more landmarks to track her progress with. Not that she could see much, anyways, considering how dark it was. Trying to be brave, Fieht made her best attempt to just focus on the path ahead of her, not how dark it was, or the way the occasional rock to the side of the path looked eerie and dangerous. Her mind was starting to play tricks on her, making the innocent stones look like predators laying in wait as they came into view in the dim light. Or maybe there were predators hiding behind them, waiting to gobble her up, leaving only a few bones. She shook her head. No. Cae had said that there weren’t any predators around. She really wished that she knew what predators smelled like, though, so she could keep checking that for herself. The idea of calling for her mom occurred to her again, only to be pushed aside. No, she couldn’t do that. Then she wouldn’t get to have more adventures for a very long time. Although she really hoped that she didn’t have any more as exciting as this one, at least until she was older. This was probably enough adventure for her for a while, really.
Some larger shapes loomed out of the darkness, forming into a pile of jumbled rocks. Fieht breathed a sigh of relief. She was officially one step closer to home. Looking around carefully, checking for weird smells, she took a moment to rest, lying down in a small alcove where two rocks leaned against each other. She figured she was safer there than out in the open. She tried to relax as she rested, but she was constantly alert, her ears straining to pick up every slight sound. Although she didn’t quite know what she was supposed to be listening for, she tried to listen for danger, whatever that sounded like. Differences in what seemed to be the usual sounds of the night, she guessed. But she was also listening for the voices of her family, hoping that she wasn’t going to get caught. Would that be so terrible though, really? At least then she’d be warm and safe, not holed up under some rocks just hoping that there really wasn’t any danger around. Far in the distance, she heard coyotes howling. The sound had seemed so wild and exciting when she was with her mother and sisters, but now it made her shudder with fear. She looked up at the sky, wishing that the clouds would go away. Then she’d have the light of the moon, and she’d be able to see the stars. Fieht liked the stars, trying to find patterns in them when she couldn’t sleep.
Hoping that she had rested for long enough, the filly got to her feet. Her legs felt steady underneath her, a good sign. The next part of her journey led uphill, though, so she’d have to be extra careful. At least she didn’t remember the hill being very steep on her way down. The path was rockier here, though, and she found herself tripping frequently, the stones hard to see in the darkness. That was just another reason to go slowly, though. Fieht didn’t want to walk slowly, though. She wanted to run home, to dart past all of the possible danger between her and her family and to get back as fast as she could before anyone woke up. If she remembered how far it really was, she might have tried it. After all, if she made it back to safety, she could collapse and rest until it was morning again. But even at her young age she’d been dealing with her condition for long enough that she knew not to risk it. If she started to run but her family was too far away, she’d be truly stuck, unable to move until she’d rested. It was scarier to walk, though. It gave her time to think, to hear every new sound and wonder if that one had been a predator. The rocky plains were turning into woods, and the strange shapes formed by tree trunks and branches, downed logs and bushes, were even worse than the ones that the rocks had made. In the darkness, holes in trunks and stumps turned into gaping maws, and the branches seemed like fingers reaching toward her out of the darkness. Don’t be silly, she told herself. They’re just plants.
Then, there came a rustling from the bushes next to the faint path ahead of her. Quickly stifling a squeal of terror, she stumbled backward, trying to think of somewhere to hide. But before she could do anything, a shape emerged from the bushes. Frozen, Fieht watched as it… slowly ambled across the path, followed by a row of similar, smaller shapes. Fieht giggled, a release of tension, causing the mother raccoon and her babies to briefly glance her way before continuing on their journey, unconcerned about the tiny equine. Her legs wobbling under her, she took a moment to breathe. Well, at least if other animals were wandering around not seeming scared she was probably safe, right? Her next step forward was uncoordinated, stumbling, and Fieht gave a huffy sigh. Stupid muscles, why couldn’t they just listen to her? As she paused, taking yet another moment, she realized that she could hear the sound of running water. The stream was close. She was even closer to finding her family again. Spurred on by the promise of being back to safety soon, she pushed forward despite the fact that her gait was beginning to become jerky, slightly uncoordinated, a sign that exhaustion was setting in.
When she got to the riverbank, barely able to see the water in the dim light, Fieht paused again. Which way was she supposed to turn? It seemed like she’d received Cae’s directions so long ago. She was supposed to turn right, wasn’t she? But which way was right again? She wasn’t very good at those directions yet, and now that she was stressed she was really unsure. She looked down at her hooves, wishing that her legs had some sort of markings, something to make remembering right and left easier. As she looked though, she remembered the crust of mud around one of her front coronets. Whether it was the right one or the left one, she didn’t know, but it had been the one on the side facing the stream on the way out. She remembered that because the mud was from slipping on a rock and getting a foot in the mud at the water’s edge. So to go the correct way going back, all she needed to do was put the opposite side toward the stream! Proud of her problem-solving skills, there was an extra bounce in the filly’s steps as she continued on. There was also a distinct amount of clumsiness. Her jerky, uncoordinated movements were becoming more pronounced, making Fieht stumble frequently, her strides wobbling across the path. She hoped her family was very close, otherwise she might not make it back to them. And when she was so close, too! Determination filled her frame as she tried to focus and concentrate, trying to place every limb carefully and deliberately. They were being distinctly disobedient, though, and progress was slow.
Soon, though, many familiar scents reached her nostrils. Fieht suppressed a squeal of excitement and relief, making her stumbling, clumsy way across a small meadow to see the sleeping forms of her family in the shelter of a willow tree. They were all soundly asleep, apparently not having noticed her absence. Exhausted as she was, Fieht collapsed to lay with her family, looking at them, appreciating the feeling of safety after her journey for the dark. As the drained youth nodded off, she smiled to herself. That had been such a big adventure! And she’d managed to handle it and get back safely!
Words: 2529
Character: Fieht (with Caetano being irresponsible)
Notes: She's about a month old here. Not canon. And yes Caetano sees nothing wrong with his actions here. Find a random kid wandering around, try to show her a neat waterfall, get separated on the way there? He gave her directions and there's nothing dangerous around, she'll be fiiiine.
Bonuses attempted
Madman
Young Blood
You Talk Too Much
Multiple Characters maybe? Caetano probably wasn't around for long enough to really count though...
2000+ words total, so...
500 words
800 words
1,000 words
1500 words
1800 words
2000 words
“Um, Mister Cae? How much longer until we get there?” She asked. She’d asked this question before, a few times, first out of excitement and now out of concern. Fieht had never been bored during this walk though. How could she be bored when she was going on the grand adventure of following somebody she’d just met through the dark to some unknown surprise? Part of her registered that her actions could probably be dangerous, but she was just so desperate to do something that those worries were pushed aside. Besides, Caetano seemed trustworthy. “Don’t worry, kid. We’re almost there,” he responded. This felt like at least the tenth time he’d given such an answer, although at first the reassurance had been that it wasn’t very far away. It sure seemed far away to Fieht, but she’d seen little of the scale of the world, and she walked slow. “It’s just around this—“
His words were cut off by a rumbling, sliding, sort of crash, and the white stockings that Fieht had been following in the dim light suddenly disappeared. She squealed, leaping clumsily back in fright, as she processed what had happened. They had been walking along the top edge of a cliff, the height of which had been hard to determine in the dim light, and where the stallion had once stood there was a fresh dip in the earth, the top of a small landslide. “Cae?!” she cried out. Where had he gone? Was he okay? Was he dead? Those worries flashed through her mind in a couple seconds before a response came from the base of the cliff, sounding slightly winded. “I’m okay!” the stallion’s voice came from below, not as far away as Fieht had feared. Slowly, she moved forward, trying to peer over the edge, but stopped when the ground shifted under one of her tiny front hooves. Her heart pounded in her chest. Even though Cae was right there, within hearing distance, she felt so alone with nobody around that she could see. “What should I do? Should I come down too?” she asked, calling into the darkness. He was an adult. He would figure this out. That’s what adults did, right? She heard the sounds of him standing up and shaking off. “No, don’t come down here. I got lucky not getting hurt. It looks too steep for me to get back up, though, so I guess this is where we part ways, kid.” He sounded entirely calm and unconcerned, so it took her a few seconds to register what he had said. “Wait? You’re leaving me here?” she cried out. Her legs wobbled as her heart sped up, stress triggering her disability. “Well, I can’t get back up there, and you can’t come down here. Just follow the cliff back to the big pile of rocks, go uphill from there, and turn right at the stream. That’ll bring you back to where you found me. Hopefully you can find your family from there.” Fieht listened, trying not to panic, to remember his directions. Did she know how to find her family? She wasn’t sure she could remember. It hadn’t been that far from them to Cae, though, she tried to tell herself. “I’m going to get moving. See you around, Fieht. I haven’t smelled any predators around here, so you’ll most likely be safe.” For a moment, she was too frightened to respond. He really was leaving her here, all alone. “Bye!” she managed to say, hearing the sound of trotting hooves on stone as her companion abandoned her.
Then, for the first time in her short life Fieht was entirely alone. Her first thought was to start crying, but she stopped herself. “This is just another part of my adventure,” she insisted, saying the words aloud to see if that helped her feel braver. “But I’m all alone here! What if I get lost and never see momma or my sisters again?” her voice grew quieter, shaking with fear at the idea. Spindly legs folding under her, she flopped to the ground, hoping to rest her body while she figured this out. “No, Cae told me how to get back. And that there weren’t any predators around.” Her voice sounded more confident than she felt. “Maybe I should just yell for momma.” That would be the easiest way out. Surely momma could still hear her from here. But then… “No, no! I can’t do that! Then she’ll know I wandered away and I’ll get in trouble!” Not to mention that Fieht would be watched much more closely in the future if she got caught, taking away her chances of having more adventures. “But…” she hesitated again, before cutting herself off with a sharp shake of her little head. “Nuh-uh. I can do this!” She’d have to try to get back quickly, though. Somebody might wake up and realize she was gone, and then all of this would be for nothing.
With determination in every line of her small frame, Fieht stood. It was really dark, especially without the white of Cae’s legs as a guide. She turned her gaze toward the skies, trying to will away the clouds that covered the moon. Carefully, she began to walk, staying far from the dark abyss to one side of the trail. She tried not to rush, even though she was anxious, ears flicking and nostrils flaring as she jumped at every sound. If she rushed, her body would just give out faster, and she’d never get back if she couldn’t walk. Not for the first time in her short life, she’d wished she’d been born without her condition, which had a big long name that she couldn’t even begin to pronounce. It would’ve made her life so much easier. If the walk had seemed long following Cae, it seemed even longer now. She wished she’d paid more attention while they’d been walking to whatever this mysterious exciting thing would have been. Maybe then she could’ve had more landmarks to track her progress with. Not that she could see much, anyways, considering how dark it was. Trying to be brave, Fieht made her best attempt to just focus on the path ahead of her, not how dark it was, or the way the occasional rock to the side of the path looked eerie and dangerous. Her mind was starting to play tricks on her, making the innocent stones look like predators laying in wait as they came into view in the dim light. Or maybe there were predators hiding behind them, waiting to gobble her up, leaving only a few bones. She shook her head. No. Cae had said that there weren’t any predators around. She really wished that she knew what predators smelled like, though, so she could keep checking that for herself. The idea of calling for her mom occurred to her again, only to be pushed aside. No, she couldn’t do that. Then she wouldn’t get to have more adventures for a very long time. Although she really hoped that she didn’t have any more as exciting as this one, at least until she was older. This was probably enough adventure for her for a while, really.
Some larger shapes loomed out of the darkness, forming into a pile of jumbled rocks. Fieht breathed a sigh of relief. She was officially one step closer to home. Looking around carefully, checking for weird smells, she took a moment to rest, lying down in a small alcove where two rocks leaned against each other. She figured she was safer there than out in the open. She tried to relax as she rested, but she was constantly alert, her ears straining to pick up every slight sound. Although she didn’t quite know what she was supposed to be listening for, she tried to listen for danger, whatever that sounded like. Differences in what seemed to be the usual sounds of the night, she guessed. But she was also listening for the voices of her family, hoping that she wasn’t going to get caught. Would that be so terrible though, really? At least then she’d be warm and safe, not holed up under some rocks just hoping that there really wasn’t any danger around. Far in the distance, she heard coyotes howling. The sound had seemed so wild and exciting when she was with her mother and sisters, but now it made her shudder with fear. She looked up at the sky, wishing that the clouds would go away. Then she’d have the light of the moon, and she’d be able to see the stars. Fieht liked the stars, trying to find patterns in them when she couldn’t sleep.
Hoping that she had rested for long enough, the filly got to her feet. Her legs felt steady underneath her, a good sign. The next part of her journey led uphill, though, so she’d have to be extra careful. At least she didn’t remember the hill being very steep on her way down. The path was rockier here, though, and she found herself tripping frequently, the stones hard to see in the darkness. That was just another reason to go slowly, though. Fieht didn’t want to walk slowly, though. She wanted to run home, to dart past all of the possible danger between her and her family and to get back as fast as she could before anyone woke up. If she remembered how far it really was, she might have tried it. After all, if she made it back to safety, she could collapse and rest until it was morning again. But even at her young age she’d been dealing with her condition for long enough that she knew not to risk it. If she started to run but her family was too far away, she’d be truly stuck, unable to move until she’d rested. It was scarier to walk, though. It gave her time to think, to hear every new sound and wonder if that one had been a predator. The rocky plains were turning into woods, and the strange shapes formed by tree trunks and branches, downed logs and bushes, were even worse than the ones that the rocks had made. In the darkness, holes in trunks and stumps turned into gaping maws, and the branches seemed like fingers reaching toward her out of the darkness. Don’t be silly, she told herself. They’re just plants.
Then, there came a rustling from the bushes next to the faint path ahead of her. Quickly stifling a squeal of terror, she stumbled backward, trying to think of somewhere to hide. But before she could do anything, a shape emerged from the bushes. Frozen, Fieht watched as it… slowly ambled across the path, followed by a row of similar, smaller shapes. Fieht giggled, a release of tension, causing the mother raccoon and her babies to briefly glance her way before continuing on their journey, unconcerned about the tiny equine. Her legs wobbling under her, she took a moment to breathe. Well, at least if other animals were wandering around not seeming scared she was probably safe, right? Her next step forward was uncoordinated, stumbling, and Fieht gave a huffy sigh. Stupid muscles, why couldn’t they just listen to her? As she paused, taking yet another moment, she realized that she could hear the sound of running water. The stream was close. She was even closer to finding her family again. Spurred on by the promise of being back to safety soon, she pushed forward despite the fact that her gait was beginning to become jerky, slightly uncoordinated, a sign that exhaustion was setting in.
When she got to the riverbank, barely able to see the water in the dim light, Fieht paused again. Which way was she supposed to turn? It seemed like she’d received Cae’s directions so long ago. She was supposed to turn right, wasn’t she? But which way was right again? She wasn’t very good at those directions yet, and now that she was stressed she was really unsure. She looked down at her hooves, wishing that her legs had some sort of markings, something to make remembering right and left easier. As she looked though, she remembered the crust of mud around one of her front coronets. Whether it was the right one or the left one, she didn’t know, but it had been the one on the side facing the stream on the way out. She remembered that because the mud was from slipping on a rock and getting a foot in the mud at the water’s edge. So to go the correct way going back, all she needed to do was put the opposite side toward the stream! Proud of her problem-solving skills, there was an extra bounce in the filly’s steps as she continued on. There was also a distinct amount of clumsiness. Her jerky, uncoordinated movements were becoming more pronounced, making Fieht stumble frequently, her strides wobbling across the path. She hoped her family was very close, otherwise she might not make it back to them. And when she was so close, too! Determination filled her frame as she tried to focus and concentrate, trying to place every limb carefully and deliberately. They were being distinctly disobedient, though, and progress was slow.
Soon, though, many familiar scents reached her nostrils. Fieht suppressed a squeal of excitement and relief, making her stumbling, clumsy way across a small meadow to see the sleeping forms of her family in the shelter of a willow tree. They were all soundly asleep, apparently not having noticed her absence. Exhausted as she was, Fieht collapsed to lay with her family, looking at them, appreciating the feeling of safety after her journey for the dark. As the drained youth nodded off, she smiled to herself. That had been such a big adventure! And she’d managed to handle it and get back safely!
Words: 2529
Character: Fieht (with Caetano being irresponsible)
Notes: She's about a month old here. Not canon. And yes Caetano sees nothing wrong with his actions here. Find a random kid wandering around, try to show her a neat waterfall, get separated on the way there? He gave her directions and there's nothing dangerous around, she'll be fiiiine.
Bonuses attempted
Madman
Young Blood
You Talk Too Much
Multiple Characters maybe? Caetano probably wasn't around for long enough to really count though...
2000+ words total, so...
500 words
800 words
1,000 words
1500 words
1800 words
2000 words