Post by + ebonite + on May 27, 2019 21:16:01 GMT -7
Oneiros
The changing of the seasons made for a much better time traveling the Free lands of Wild Equines. There were lands that did not see as much of the winter, but it meant staying confined to such lands if you wanted to keep warm. Oneiros was a wanderer by heart and probably always would be. He hardly saw the need to settle down when there were so many places and lands to explore. He planned on seeing every nook and cranny of each of the Free lands in turn, even deciding he would spend some time living in each of them. He'd already met quite a few interesting faces on his travels. One of the equines he'd spoken to had suggested that he go check out a trail that crossed a frozen river. They raved about how beautiful it was and how it was worth the trouble at the end. Oneiros decided why the hell not. It was getting warmer out and soon he'd miss out on all that magic. So, today he'd decided he would go to check it out.
It wasn't far away from where he'd settled for the night. The air was brisk but it was a nice, sunny day nonetheless. Birds chirped eagerly in the trees, flitting about from branch to branch. His eyes drifted upward and he found himself looking at a pretty songbird, brightly colored and dancing about on the branch. The bird sang merrily and Oneiros found himself smirking. The bird seemed to be dancing for Oneiros alone as it stared at him, though the stallion was hardly charmed. The bird was quite pretty, though, and he enjoyed the song. He wondered if he'd be able to get the bird to follow him. He tilted his head a bit at it and then gestured with his neck for the bird to come down. The bird stared at him, still singing its song. Oneiros repeated the gesture. Nothing. The stallion scowled a bit, wondering how he'd be able to communicate with a bird. Perhaps he could sing, but he hardly knew what the singing meant, much less how to do it in the first place. With a flick of his tail, he moved on, leaving the bird and its song behind him.
I'll figure out the secret to it someday, he vowed. Maybe that bird didn't want to go with him. Maybe he could find another bird to accompany him. There were a choice few he'd seen in the Free lands with pets of their own - pets of all sorts, not just birds. Foxes and deer and even wolves. Oneiros didn't really fancy being buds with a wolf, but it might deter unwanted attention... He gave himself a shake and continued onward, the sun beating on his pelt. He had to be close the frozen river now.
He saw the sun shining off of the surface before he realized what it was. The ice was certainly pristine, sparkling in the light. The river was oddly silent, buried beneath the frozen crust. Oneiros reached down to press his ear to it and got a pleasant whooshing sound for his trouble. It still seemed sturdy enough, despite the water bleeding along the edges. With a shrug of his shoulders to no one but himself, he walked onto it, his hooves clicking lightly against the surface. He could feel the cool air wafting off of it in contrast to the sun beating down on his back. He smirked to himself and continued onward, eager to find the ravine.
After a few moments, he could see the ravine in the distance. The path to it snaked downward and Oneiros found himself wondering how well he'd be able to keep his footing - or even if sliding down would be more fun. However, any opportunity to try it out was dashed when he heard the telltale crack of ice a few years away from him. All of the sudden the noise of the river came bursting through and chunks began to tear apart. Oneiros felt his heart sink at the same moment he felt a thrill of excitement. Adrenaline pumped through his limbs, trying to force him to move. He was torn. Torn between fleeing from the scene and waiting to see if he'd be able to survive the journey down to the ravine, fighting, using his skills, perhaps narrowly avoiding death...
'Hey, dumbass!' A voice dragged him out of his fantasies and he found himself looking at a peculiarly colored mare standing on the riverbank several yard away from him. She was lovely and striped, red dun and white clashing with bright blue eyes. She also looked kind of see-through, though Oneiros wasn't sure if that was a trick of the light or the chemicals saturating his brain. She stared straight at him, her gaze a mixture of amused and angry. 'You wanna die?' She yelled at him again. His ear twitched as he cast his gaze toward the rapidly advancing cracks in the ice. Maybe he did. Death seemed so interesting in this land... he should know, he'd already met a couple of them. But his body itself had different ideas and he began tearing toward the small bank toward his right, the only viable place since the bank the mare was standing on was now out of reach.
This seemed to anger the mare more. 'Not that way. The other way. Climb!' She yelled at him. Before he could wonder why he was taking orders from a spectre, he changed directions and launched himself at the pile of jagged rocks. He bit his tongue to keep from yelping when one of the edges sliced into his front left leg. Blood spattered the rocks as he heaved himself up them. The cracks in the ice spread and he watched as the place he'd been standing vanished into a torrent of foam. He felt a sense of relief and regret as he stared at it, but he continued to scramble upward until he'd heaved himself out of the edge of the ravine. He gave himself a shake and stood on the river bank, his leg still dripping blood. The mare approached him easily and he noticed at once how young she actually was. Barely two years old, if that. And her body was ghostly. He could see the grass beneath her feet... in fact it almost seemed like the grass were going through her feet.
"Well, hey there," he greeted her, smirking and turning on his usual charm anyway. She looked entirely unimpressed. 'Were you trying to get yourself killed?' She asked though it felt more like a demand. He snorted, ears twitching at the thought of having to justify himself to this stranger. "I had it handled, thanks darling," he retorted. She snorted in turn. 'Well, it's not every day I get to save idiots in denial,' she said to him, 'it's almost summer and you decide to go out on an ice covered river. Real intelligent.' Being lambasted by a mare like this was not really something Oneiros was a stranger to, but given they'd just met he felt a bit indignant. "You could have let me drown," he pointed out. 'Ah, but I couldn't yell at you for being a dumbass then now could I?' She replied in turn with a dazzling smile. She turned around then and began to walk away.
"Hey, wait a minute," he called, following her. He leg stung with every step, but he ignored it. It was a battle wound now, a memory. "What's your name? Why are you see-through?" He asked her. She hadn't bothered sugarcoating her words, so he wasn't going to bother to sugarcoat his own. 'Evanska. And I'm a seraph, the child of angels,' she replied to him, looking straight ahead instead of looking at him. Her pace was brisk and Oneiros kept up with her, his veins still full of adrenaline. He would have scoffed at the word "seraph," but given the encounters he'd already had with the deceased, he wasn't so skeptical anymore. After all, he'd bedded the Queen of demons herself. After what he'd seen with her, he was quite open-minded. These lands were far more interesting than the politic-ridden world of his birthplace.
He continued to follow her for several moments, not even realizing it until she spoke up again. 'Are you going to follow me from now on? Go find somewhere else to be. Better yet, get some help so you don't almost drown again,' she berrated him and increased her pace. When they came back to the forest he'd come from, she slipped through the trees, not hesitating. Oneiros had to stop before he crashed into a tree, frowning. A seraph. Someone that could pass through solid objects like they were nothing. Did that mean she could pass through him as well? That was a curious thought and he felt frustrated that he hadn't thought to try it out before she disappeared. He highly doubted he'd be able to find her now if she could just walk through trees. He snorted, his ears flattened in frustration. He went back the way he came, wondering if he could find this equine pal of his who'd recommended he take the frozen river path in the first place.
You were the one who took it. You didn't have to, he thought to himself. No, but he'd wanted to see it, to experience it, to have an adventure, a little fun. And he'd almost wanted to fall through the ice and see what it was like, see if he could survive such an experience. He weaved between the trees, his thoughts turning sour. There was nothing wrong with that, right? It was his own life. He could live it the way that he wanted it to. If that meant taking risks, then so be it. He wasn't suicidal. He didn't particularly fear death or care if he died given what he knew about death itself, but that didn't mean he wanted it. Right? He paused and stopped to look up at the trees again. Sunlight filtered through the branches, looking more cheerful than he felt. He thought that the adventure would make him brave or strong or something. He didn't want to pass up the opportunity. If Evanska hadn't saved him, he might be dead now. How many adventures could you have when you were dead? He glanced down at his leg, at the trails of dried blood crusting the sides.
He sighed. When he glanced up again, he noticed that a songbird had moved into the branches above his head. When it caught him looking at it, it started singing and dancing away.
timeline after meeting Noire
count 1789
notes
Scenario 5: You Can Lead a Horse to Water, But...
- Contemplation
- Songbird
- Family Reunion (Oneiros and Evanska are cousins)
- Verbose Loquacity
- Multiple Characters
- Bonus Go-Getter
"Oneiros"
'Evanska'
It wasn't far away from where he'd settled for the night. The air was brisk but it was a nice, sunny day nonetheless. Birds chirped eagerly in the trees, flitting about from branch to branch. His eyes drifted upward and he found himself looking at a pretty songbird, brightly colored and dancing about on the branch. The bird sang merrily and Oneiros found himself smirking. The bird seemed to be dancing for Oneiros alone as it stared at him, though the stallion was hardly charmed. The bird was quite pretty, though, and he enjoyed the song. He wondered if he'd be able to get the bird to follow him. He tilted his head a bit at it and then gestured with his neck for the bird to come down. The bird stared at him, still singing its song. Oneiros repeated the gesture. Nothing. The stallion scowled a bit, wondering how he'd be able to communicate with a bird. Perhaps he could sing, but he hardly knew what the singing meant, much less how to do it in the first place. With a flick of his tail, he moved on, leaving the bird and its song behind him.
I'll figure out the secret to it someday, he vowed. Maybe that bird didn't want to go with him. Maybe he could find another bird to accompany him. There were a choice few he'd seen in the Free lands with pets of their own - pets of all sorts, not just birds. Foxes and deer and even wolves. Oneiros didn't really fancy being buds with a wolf, but it might deter unwanted attention... He gave himself a shake and continued onward, the sun beating on his pelt. He had to be close the frozen river now.
He saw the sun shining off of the surface before he realized what it was. The ice was certainly pristine, sparkling in the light. The river was oddly silent, buried beneath the frozen crust. Oneiros reached down to press his ear to it and got a pleasant whooshing sound for his trouble. It still seemed sturdy enough, despite the water bleeding along the edges. With a shrug of his shoulders to no one but himself, he walked onto it, his hooves clicking lightly against the surface. He could feel the cool air wafting off of it in contrast to the sun beating down on his back. He smirked to himself and continued onward, eager to find the ravine.
After a few moments, he could see the ravine in the distance. The path to it snaked downward and Oneiros found himself wondering how well he'd be able to keep his footing - or even if sliding down would be more fun. However, any opportunity to try it out was dashed when he heard the telltale crack of ice a few years away from him. All of the sudden the noise of the river came bursting through and chunks began to tear apart. Oneiros felt his heart sink at the same moment he felt a thrill of excitement. Adrenaline pumped through his limbs, trying to force him to move. He was torn. Torn between fleeing from the scene and waiting to see if he'd be able to survive the journey down to the ravine, fighting, using his skills, perhaps narrowly avoiding death...
'Hey, dumbass!' A voice dragged him out of his fantasies and he found himself looking at a peculiarly colored mare standing on the riverbank several yard away from him. She was lovely and striped, red dun and white clashing with bright blue eyes. She also looked kind of see-through, though Oneiros wasn't sure if that was a trick of the light or the chemicals saturating his brain. She stared straight at him, her gaze a mixture of amused and angry. 'You wanna die?' She yelled at him again. His ear twitched as he cast his gaze toward the rapidly advancing cracks in the ice. Maybe he did. Death seemed so interesting in this land... he should know, he'd already met a couple of them. But his body itself had different ideas and he began tearing toward the small bank toward his right, the only viable place since the bank the mare was standing on was now out of reach.
This seemed to anger the mare more. 'Not that way. The other way. Climb!' She yelled at him. Before he could wonder why he was taking orders from a spectre, he changed directions and launched himself at the pile of jagged rocks. He bit his tongue to keep from yelping when one of the edges sliced into his front left leg. Blood spattered the rocks as he heaved himself up them. The cracks in the ice spread and he watched as the place he'd been standing vanished into a torrent of foam. He felt a sense of relief and regret as he stared at it, but he continued to scramble upward until he'd heaved himself out of the edge of the ravine. He gave himself a shake and stood on the river bank, his leg still dripping blood. The mare approached him easily and he noticed at once how young she actually was. Barely two years old, if that. And her body was ghostly. He could see the grass beneath her feet... in fact it almost seemed like the grass were going through her feet.
"Well, hey there," he greeted her, smirking and turning on his usual charm anyway. She looked entirely unimpressed. 'Were you trying to get yourself killed?' She asked though it felt more like a demand. He snorted, ears twitching at the thought of having to justify himself to this stranger. "I had it handled, thanks darling," he retorted. She snorted in turn. 'Well, it's not every day I get to save idiots in denial,' she said to him, 'it's almost summer and you decide to go out on an ice covered river. Real intelligent.' Being lambasted by a mare like this was not really something Oneiros was a stranger to, but given they'd just met he felt a bit indignant. "You could have let me drown," he pointed out. 'Ah, but I couldn't yell at you for being a dumbass then now could I?' She replied in turn with a dazzling smile. She turned around then and began to walk away.
"Hey, wait a minute," he called, following her. He leg stung with every step, but he ignored it. It was a battle wound now, a memory. "What's your name? Why are you see-through?" He asked her. She hadn't bothered sugarcoating her words, so he wasn't going to bother to sugarcoat his own. 'Evanska. And I'm a seraph, the child of angels,' she replied to him, looking straight ahead instead of looking at him. Her pace was brisk and Oneiros kept up with her, his veins still full of adrenaline. He would have scoffed at the word "seraph," but given the encounters he'd already had with the deceased, he wasn't so skeptical anymore. After all, he'd bedded the Queen of demons herself. After what he'd seen with her, he was quite open-minded. These lands were far more interesting than the politic-ridden world of his birthplace.
He continued to follow her for several moments, not even realizing it until she spoke up again. 'Are you going to follow me from now on? Go find somewhere else to be. Better yet, get some help so you don't almost drown again,' she berrated him and increased her pace. When they came back to the forest he'd come from, she slipped through the trees, not hesitating. Oneiros had to stop before he crashed into a tree, frowning. A seraph. Someone that could pass through solid objects like they were nothing. Did that mean she could pass through him as well? That was a curious thought and he felt frustrated that he hadn't thought to try it out before she disappeared. He highly doubted he'd be able to find her now if she could just walk through trees. He snorted, his ears flattened in frustration. He went back the way he came, wondering if he could find this equine pal of his who'd recommended he take the frozen river path in the first place.
You were the one who took it. You didn't have to, he thought to himself. No, but he'd wanted to see it, to experience it, to have an adventure, a little fun. And he'd almost wanted to fall through the ice and see what it was like, see if he could survive such an experience. He weaved between the trees, his thoughts turning sour. There was nothing wrong with that, right? It was his own life. He could live it the way that he wanted it to. If that meant taking risks, then so be it. He wasn't suicidal. He didn't particularly fear death or care if he died given what he knew about death itself, but that didn't mean he wanted it. Right? He paused and stopped to look up at the trees again. Sunlight filtered through the branches, looking more cheerful than he felt. He thought that the adventure would make him brave or strong or something. He didn't want to pass up the opportunity. If Evanska hadn't saved him, he might be dead now. How many adventures could you have when you were dead? He glanced down at his leg, at the trails of dried blood crusting the sides.
He sighed. When he glanced up again, he noticed that a songbird had moved into the branches above his head. When it caught him looking at it, it started singing and dancing away.
timeline after meeting Noire
count 1789
notes
Scenario 5: You Can Lead a Horse to Water, But...
- Contemplation
- Songbird
- Family Reunion (Oneiros and Evanska are cousins)
- Verbose Loquacity
- Multiple Characters
- Bonus Go-Getter
"Oneiros"
'Evanska'