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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2017 19:11:31 GMT -7
Asher's head hung low as he wandered through the forest, the thick foliage obscuring his vision. The forest canopy barely let any light in, and every sound seemed amplified and awakening. The stallion assumed he was alone, but there was a strange presence in the air. As if he was being watched. Surely it was all suspicion, nothing true. After all, who would venture into these dark, lonely woods on such a bright, spring day? The flowers were in bloom, the sun was high, and every equine seemed just a bit happier. Brightness and new beginnings could change horses just as much as coldness and darkness.
Asher's hooves crunched across a pile of dead branches, the sickening sound only worsening his paranoia. He had to be alone. And if he wasn't who would be following him? A kind neighbor? An innocent youngster? A wanderer like him, in search of shelter and a friend? He had not come across anybody truly evil during his time in these lands, albeit he hadn't been here long. He knew plenty about the darker side things, having grown up in such a herd, and was not hoping to come across any of them today. They weren't all as malicious and cruel as Asher's previous herd, but their morals could sometimes be... different, to say the least. There were good ones out there, for sure, who valued lives and respected others, but they weren't all perfect. At all.
The darkness became denser, thicker, enveloping Asher entirely as he continued his walk. His stride, now hesitant and careful, shortened with every step. When most horses had a strong flight instinct, Asher's calm demeanor brought him to a halt, remaining steady and alert. He hated this feeling, the feeling of being crept up on ever so slowly, and then turning his head to find nobody there. The silence was eerie and off-putting, and he almost wished that something would happen, that someone would reveal themselves...
A warm breath against his back. A raspy, tired voice. "Why, hello there."
words 340 tags me notes WE Birthday Writing Contest, prompt two post one
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2017 10:40:25 GMT -7
He was absolutely clueless. Despite Odile always keeping him within her sight, her watchful eye tracing each of his tender, hesitant steps, he had no idea. Perhaps the paranoia, the sinking feeling of something being wrong was setting in, but he clearly was not aware of the mare hanging close behind, ducking behind a fully-leaved tree whenever he turned his head. Their eyes never met, and his ears never flicked in her direction. She was safe. For now.
Odile continued to walk, forcing herself to keep her gait still and slow. But her muscles complained, twitching incessantly with agitation. She was feeling restless, the anxiety of not knowing when the stallion would see her beginning to set in. Her head and neck seemed to have a mind of their own, bobbing up and down and shaking constantly. Many times, she had seen the stallion turn around, charge towards her, strike at her with his worn hooves- but the instant she lunged, teeth bared at his thick neck, she bit into air. And there he was, walking nonchalantly through the dark forest, completely oblivious to his follower. Odile told herself it was nothing, that she was just imagining things, but she knew better. Perhaps the blood meal before this trip hadn't been the best idea. She knew the effects; she was used to the voices and the fear and the incapability to restrain herself. But today... it all seemed worse. Much worse. She hadn't even dark much blood, just enough to quench her long-building thirst- and, apparently, just enough to drive her mad.
The twitching continued. Every step was still a burden. But she forced herself into patience, waiting for the perfect moment. Her mind did not know what she had come here for in that moment, but deep down, the desire was there. Maybe her mind was completely separate from her body, but she listened to it nonetheless. She was here for something. She had a plan. She had an idea of some sort...
Once again, the stallion slowed to a halt, his head darting up. He was suspicious. Odile took her chance, finally releasing her legs, jumping forward in his direction, letting a breath out onto his back, peeling back her lips for her next kill- but she stopped herself. Ever so slightly, she nudged his tail with her dark muzzle. The rough hairs brushed past her nostrils, and Odile squeezed her eyes shut. If she could feel him, he was real. He had to be. How could he not be real? How could this possibly be yet another hallucination if she could feel him, if she was holding back a sneeze from the tickle of his tail hairs? Perhaps she did have an ounce of sanity left inside of her. But it wasn't all gone. She still wasn't here to make friends, to make small talk with this stallion. With yet another deep breath, she exhaled her carefully chosen first words. "Why, hello there," she began, bringing her muzzle to his side. "I hope you won't mind a bit of...company this evening." She peeled back her lips, teeth dragging ever so slightly across his ribs, his shoulder, his neck. Her deep purple eyes drifted across his jugular, eyeing the thick veins that lied beneath. One bite, just one lunge at his head and he would be dead at best.
words 562 tags -- notes WE Birthday Writing Contest, prompt two post two
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2017 15:53:12 GMT -7
"I hope you won't mind a bit of...company this evening."Sharp teeth dragged across his skin, leaving behind a wet trace. It had been mere seconds since the unwanted visitor had made themselves known, but it felt as if it had been hours. Asher stood, frozen, ears flicked back in the direction of the horse. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a sleek, black mare, much taller than him. Her dark eyes held an odd glimmer of playfulness yet evil as they drifted across Asher's body. Her nostrils were wide, their insides red and inflamed from constant heavy breathing. Her entire body shook slightly and was drenched in sweat. She seemed absolutely insane. And Asher was terrified.
His instincts told him to strike her. He had always been strong, willing to fight for nearly anything. But she was definitely taller, heavier, and stronger than Asher. Agility and precision could leave him the victor of the fight, but this mare could probably kill him with ease. If she was well- that look in her eye bothered Asher. Something was not right. Aside from the fact that she had silently stalked him deep into this forest, she seemed to have something genuinely wrong with her. And as horrible as it sounded, she would be much easier to take down if she was weakened and unaware of her surroundings- or, perhaps, her bizarre condition would only make her more vicious.
Asher rolled potential words around his head for a bit, tasting each phrase before swallowing it away. Whatever he said had a slim chance of being taken well. He felt as if his only option was to hold still, to wait, to do absolutely nothing until she did something to him. But that could very well lead to his death, or at least severe injury. Her teeth dug deeper onto his rump, a painful reminder of the urgency of his situation. With a flinch and a grunt, Asher stepped back, sending his hind hooves flying at the mare. After two attempted kicks, the stallion spun around, hanging his head low and aiming a bite at the mare's shoulder. His heart was pounding, and his body broke into a nervous sweat. She could take him down so easily right now, so quickly and quietly... and Asher would be gone, all because of an aimless walk through the woods. Nobody would miss him. Nobody even knew him here. He hadn't accomplished any of his goals, had never made his mark on the world, had never brought change to these damaged lands...
He had to fight for his life. He had so much more left to do. So, without a second thought, Asher clamped his teeth down around the mare's leg, then dragging his head down sharply. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, and he spit the red liquid out before lunging at her neck, ignoring the pain shooting across his back. His teeth clamped down onto her wither before she writhed out of his grip, her neck stretching out towards him. A deep, burning pain shot through Asher's side as he turned away, his hooves leaping out in front of him. His stride stretched longer and longer, breaths heaving with every step. It was the fastest, most powerful gallop he has capable of; he was willing to do anything to escape that terrifying mare. He dared a turn of his head, trying to get a look at how much time he had, how far away his predator was-
She was nowhere to be seen.
words 595 tags me notes I assumed I could powerplay if it was my own characters and I knew what they would do.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2017 16:23:50 GMT -7
Everything was shaking. Her legs, her neck, her head, even her eyes as the world around her seemed to spin. The stallion whose back her teeth dug into was shaking, and she could taste the thick sweat on his coat. Her teeth dug in deeper before pulling away just a hair. She was so close. It would be so easy right now. If she just lunged forward, threw herself at him, clamped down on his jugular vein and let his fast-beating heart do the rest... he would be dead in minutes. Seconds, even. A hard kick to the head wouldn't hurt either.
Odile jumped forward at the stallion, long neck elegantly arched as it reached towards his. He stood perfectly still as she lunged at him, her mouth about to close around his neck, her lips hovering just above the fatal bite- and a stab of pain echoed through her shoulder, followed by an even deeper pain on her foreleg. Odile squeezed her eyes shut before looking to see who had inflicted this damage, only to see the same stallion at her side, attacking her just as she had attempted to attack him. Odile blinked harshly; she swore she could still see him in front of her, could still taste his skin in her mouth. Tossing her head, eyes narrowed, she turned and bit down hard on the stallions wither, kicking out with her front legs. Her hooves clipped his barrel, and with one more kick out, the small cuts had turned into larger gashes.
Her head was spinning. She was dizzy, short of breath, heart pounding and vision blurring. She still didn't understand what was going on, and was almost entirely unaware of her actions. She was still kicking, still biting, still ignoring her pain and dripping blood as she kept attacking this stallion. Part of her told her to stop, that she didn't know what she was doing. But part of her ignored that entirely. Her eyes bulged and nostrils flared, Odile finally stopped attacking the stallion, using her remaining energy to gallop away, praying that he would not chase her. If he did, she would be dead for sure. Her strides were slow and weakened, her body nearly crashing into the trees. She tripped and stumbled constantly, before finally collapsing to the ground. Her entire body was burning with pain and fatigue, or perhaps she was really on fire, engulfed in the flames that were ravaging the forest, and soon enough her hurt body and her sick mind would be reduced to nothing but ash, peacefully floating away...
When she came back to herself, the sun was down. Her wounds were prominent, but tolerable. She stood up easily, licked the dirt clumps off of her side, and picked up a canter in the direction of wherever "home" would be that day. Wherever she would drink blood next. Wherever she would lose her mind for the thousandth time.
words 490 tags me notes so Odile is a vampire, and experiences psychosis as a result of drinking large quantities of blood. This is why she experiences hallucinations, anxiety, paranoia... all sorts of things. That's why Asher seems to "move" so quickly to her- he was never there to begin with at certain times, and sometimes her reaction time is slowed.
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