[PRP] Catlike Antics (Nash, Tove, Charnette)

[Manda]

It had been nearly a full two days now since Nash fled the graveyard and the uncomfortable situation there. He had meant to return after a little while but after some thought... maybe it was best if he let them all be for a bit longer. He could hunt his own food, and sleep wherever... and his mate could spend some time with his sister and friends. Without having to worry about him, and others' fear of him. It was a bit lonely, but he could handle that. For now.

The solitude and quiet out here had him thinking weird things. Like, were all other skinwalkers evil without question? Or were there others that weren't evil... like him? Was he just somehow or other unique? And if he was, was there ever truly a chance for very many others to accept him? His wings drooped along the branch he'd chosen to rest on currently. This kind of thinking kind of sucked.

The tip of his tail twitching back and forth slightly, the skinwalker sighed softly. He probably really should go back soon. He hadn't heard Kinak's horn since that first night... and that was a bit worrying also. He didn't think that the other didn't want him back. Nothing like that. But. He also hadn't expected his stubborn mate to give up on calling him so easily.

magnadearel

Whoan

 

[Whoan]

Tove set her brother's horn down in a corner of the dwelling Char and Veslo called home so the giant could not reach it. She had snatched it from him after the first night alone or Kinak would have continued to make noise. Nash needed time. Veslo needed time. And if Kinak had his horn neither would have gotten what they needed.

She exited the home, careful to mind her antlers. She looked for the hulking form that was her brother among the gravestones and was mildly surprised to not see him. She looked for his tracks among the flattened plant life around the stone he had been using for support. He had not gone the way they thought Nash was hiding. Odd. But he was a big boy and could take care of himself.

She saw Char lingering near where Kinak had first fought Velso. Trotting up to her, the winter spirit bumping the other mare fondly. She gazed out into the quiet shadows somehow knowing Nash was still there. The birds didn't sing and mice didn't come from their holes in fear of the cat. He must be lonely.

"What are you thinking?" Tove asked Charnette curiously.

magnadearel

Manda

 

[magnadearel]

Whoan

Manda

If she'd had hand like the those she'd seen walking on two legs, she'd have thrown them up in exasperation. It was a complete and utter stalemate in an annoying situation. Charnette felt it was the boys who were causing most of the trouble, of course. If it hadn't been for Tove, keeping her sane, she was positive she might have murdered something. The blue mare shook her head to dispel the thoughts from her kalona blood. She hadn't had time for the pranks that usually calmed the swirling emotions the mixing of her unicorn and kalona blood caused. Soon as this was over though....

She was pulled out of her thoughts by the arrival of the other mare. Thankfully. Char gave a warm greeting to the winter hind as she joined her. She made chewing motions to give herself a moment to consider the question. "About how stubborn stallions can be, and how much pranking I'm missing out on right now because of them. Can I interest you in a stroll around? I feel I need to stretch my legs." Maybe with walking she could come up with a solution to this stalemate.  

[Whoan]

"Well my brother seems to have vanished. I say let's go. The tension is becoming so thick I can barely breathe," Tove muttered. She trotted back to the abode and grabbed Kinak's horn. She wasn't going to risk her brother shoving his way into the house to take back what was his. With the long hunting horn bumping her legs, she hurried and returned to Char. She had looped the strap around her neck but the horn still fell low.

Tove glanced at the trees as the two females entered the wood. She was looking for any tell-tale sign of cat. Other than a few claw marks and fallen feathers, honestly those could be anything, she saw nothing hinting Nash was even still around. She looked down at the horn, her wings twitching in thought. Kneeling, she brought the horn's head to her mouth. Using all her might, she blew...

"How does he do it?" panted the hind as nothing but a strangled noise came from the horn. Puffing up, she tried again. A low pitched whine came from the horn, not the majestic calls Kinak used. With an exasperated snort, she tried once more. She pursed her lips as Kinak did when he pouted. This time the horn sang it's call loudly, beckoning Nash to return. She glanced up at Char, her deer tail wagging. Maybe now they could find the skinwalker.

magnadearel

Manda

 

[Manda]

Nash was startled from a small nap by a rather ugly-sounding noise that he'd never heard before. Claws digging into the branch now, he looked around with ears flat to his head. What the hell? Another noise intruded upon the forest, a weird whining sound that was almost familiar. Finally, he heard something familiar - the horn his mate normally used to call for him. And now, he realized that the previous noises had to have been someone inexperienced with the instrument trying (and mostly failing) to blow it. But who else would have the horn... ? And why...

With a low snarl, he stood up and spread his wings out wide to begin gliding back toward the graveyard. If that red stallion somehow took Kinak's horn and this was supposed to be a trick of some kind... he'd rip him a few scars to help the other remember him by. Then probably drag Kinak away from here however he had to. It had been a mistake to try and give the other some time away from him, with someone like that around.

Staying up high in the trees, the skinwalker reached the area the sound had come from quickly, and peered down through the branches. Eyes widened then, and he dropped straight down, barely even using his wings to slow his fall. As his paws hit the ground, he shifted into his larger (and thus more dangerous) horse form. "Tove! Why do you have that?! Did something happen to Kinak? Did that red idiot hurt him? What's going on!" he fired off rapid questions, barely even noticing the other mare there.

magnadearel

Whoan

 

[magnadearel]

Whoan

Manda

Char waited patiently as Tove went back to the hut for something. She arched her brow when she saw the horn Tove's brother usual wore. She knew the female had taken it from the large stallion, although she wasn't certain why. Friend by her side, the mare strode quickly into the woods. Living in the graveyard could be depressing sometimes. Out here there was still life. Some birds and hearty plants still grew. Others she knew were just waiting for spring.

She laid her ears back as the peace was disturbed by an odd squawking noise coming from Tove. "What in the?" Char looked back at the hind to see her trying to blow the horn. "Why would you do that?" She laid her ears back further and shook her head as the second attempt wasn't any better than the first. "Ugh!" Third time was the charm though. She looked at her friend, impressed. Maybe Tove was loosing it too?

"I just want to go frolic through the snow and not think about stubborn headed males." She headed toward a familiar field well out of sight of the graveyard. She wanted to forget everything for a short while. Maybe clearing her mind would help her find the answers she needed. Except nothing was going as she had hoped today.

A form dropped from the sky before she could register who or what, suddenly a large only slightly familiar stallion stood before her. It made the fur stand up along her back, and sent a chill racing down her mane that had nothing to do with the weather. For once, she slightly understood her mate. This creature could be scary. She narrowed her eyes and stepped back a few paces. Luckily he didn't seem to have noticed her as he was focused on Tove, but not attacking. Asking questions.  

[Whoan]

Tove gasped as it took no time for the walker to appear. She swallowed down her own emotions because it was just Nash. HShe had been travelling around with Nash for a while now, she shouldn't be scared of him now. She had to be calm for eveyone's sake. She cleared her throat.

"This is too heavy for me to carry and I don't want my brother to have it just yet. I want you to come back on your own...so...for now..." she grunted using her wings to flutter in the air for a moment and dropped the heavy horn around Nash's neck, "There you go! You can give it back to Kinak when you stop being a foal. Come on Char!"

With a giggle, Tove dropped back to the ground to give the other mare a playful nudge before racing off into the woods she did not know too well leaving her alone with the walker.

magnadearel

Manda

 

[Manda]

Nash blinked at Tove at her answer. Blinked again. What. "You ... used the horn, to call me to carry the horn around?" he muttered slowly, finishing the sentence as the small mare dropped the horn around his neck. "Hey! Come back here!" Grunting in turn, he blinked at Char next, then sighed.

"Since she didn't stick around... just. Tell Kinak I'm fine? I don't want to cause him trouble. Or you and your mate. The idea was for him to get some rest somewhere safe. And. It seems like he can't do that if I'm around."

An ear suddenly flicked toward a sound in the forest. Not knowing if it was Kinak or the red stallion or what, Nash shifted forms to his small cat shape so he could hide easier ... completely forgetting the huge heavy horn around his neck. Said horn fell from above to hit him smack on the head. Yowling, he rolled over with paws over his face. "Oooowww... s**t I forgot about that..."

Suddenly remembering the other mare was still there, Nash froze, peeking between his paws. His tail poofed up in alarm and embarrassment and he tried to turn and run - before she could laugh or ... or something. But the horn was far too heavy now and he just wound up scrambling around with it half on top of him. Trapping him there.

magnadearel

Whoan

 

[magnadearel]

Whoan

Manda

The blue mare was quite baffled why Tove gave the horn back to the skinwalker. Of course she didn't realize the significance of the horn for them either. At least she seemed to be scolding the walker for the way he was acting. Char stood there staring baffled at the skinwalker. Did she follow Tove or... stay?

"Avoiding an uncomfortable situation is no way to deal with it." Speaking of avoiding, if Nash decided to show up she'd make sure Veslo did too. Even if she had to drag the stallion back by his short tail! "Why don't you come back and tell him yourself? He has been moping around the graveyard. I mean I know its a graveyard, but..."

Char looked uncomfortable for a moment as he talked about not causing trouble. "Well you haven't caused trouble yet. It would be nice if he could open up just a bit to those like you." That would solve a great deal in fact. The mare looked baffled as he switched back to his smaller form and knocked himself with the horn. "Maybe if you stopped trying to hide? You act like your up to something, or no good, when you're always sulking about. It's enough to make anyone nervous." She watched him flail around under the horn, but waited quietly.  

[Manda]

Nash finally just flattened himself down under the horn and laid still, head twisted a bit awkwardly to look up at the mare. "I ... guess." He sighed, ears flicking back and forth as he thought over what she said. "I thought I would be helping by disappearing for a while, but it's just making things worse... " He shoved at the horn a bit more, still failing to get it off of him. "Could you ... lift this stupid thing maybe? I don't want to shift forms with it on me, in case it falls and breaks or something. Let's not make my own stupidity worse," he muttered at the end of his request.

"I'll go back to Kinak, and maybe... together we can convince your mate that I'm not a monster."

magnadearel

Whoan

 

[magnadearel]

Whoan

Manda

Patience was rewarded. Char was glad he wasn't going to keep plowing straight ahead and assume his way was the only way. It hadn't worked out well so far. She smiled as he unbent enough to ask for help. That in itself didn't sound skinwalker like! The blue mare stepped forward and grabbed the strap in her strong teeth. She lifted it free of the walker and stepped back. Char waited for him to shift his form. She watched closing trying to figure out exactly how he did so.

Then she nerved herself to pass it back to him instead of setting it on the ground for him to pick up. She was deliberately testing him and herself. Could she act normally around him? She'd pass something directly back to her mate. Could, would she do the same for him? Char felt that other thank Kinak and Tove he hadn't been treated as normal.

Once he'd taken back the horn, she nodded. "I'd like that." Now. Char looked around for Tove. Where had the hind gotten off to?  

[Whoan]

Tove looked back after a few minutes of gallavanting in the woods when she didn't hear anyone giving chase. She slowed down to a stop. Wings twitching, she turned in a circle looking for Char or even Nash. But there was only light peeking through the dense trees.

"H-hello? Anybody?" Tove tentatively called. But the only thing that answered was birds chirping. She had left Volney at the graveyard, the bird tired due to the nippy air. And now she was lost. The bells around her neck screamed as she backed up against a tree, her eyes wide with the fact she was alone and lost.

magnadearel

Manda

 

[Manda]

The catwalker shook himself after shifting forms, settling fur back into place. He offered Char a polite sort of nod - with the hint of a teasing grin - and leaned down to pick up the horn. He was careful with his fangs, trying not to poke a lot of holes in the strap. With a little bit of a struggle, he got the strap over his neck, the horn itself dangling near the ground. Grumbling to himself, Nash tried to loop the strap in some way that the horn sat up higher but gave up after a few moments.

He looked back up at Char to notice her looking around like she'd lost something. Then his ears twitched at the sound of a distant voice, and soft bells. "Uh. Where did Tove go? I think... maybe over there," he tossed his head in the right direction and trotted off, trusting that Char would follow.

Shoving his way through a few trees, Nash popped out suddenly in front of the lost spirit, ears pricked forward toward her. "Hey, there you are! I uh. Decided to go back..?" he offered tentatively, pawing at the ground a bit. Then he noticed the mare's fearful expression and his ears went flat against his head as he scanned the area. "What's wrong?"

magnadearel

Whoan

 

[magnadearel]

Whoan

Manda

Tove's tracks were clear in the fresh snow. It was easy for her to spot which way she'd gone. And if she listened hard then there was a faint chiming of bells. Not as lost as she'd feared. Char supposed she'd better go collect her friend from the forest. Although the cold didn't seem to bother her, and she didn't have to worry about her freezing, being lost was no fun.

Nash seemed to have the same idea as she did. "She wandered off." As he set off, she paced along with him. "Tove! Tove! Come back this way," the blue mare called for her friend. It didn't take too long to find her again though with Nash's keen nose. She joined the two noting the fear. "It's alright. We wouldn't leave you Tove."  

[Whoan]

She heard char calling for her. The winter spirit, biting back tears, began to walk blankly towards the noise. A noise spooked her. Tove sniffled as something large came her way. Her legs shook. But Nash soon met her gaze. He was followed by char soon enough.

"Char! Nash! I got lost!" wailed the flutter cross falling into a sitting position. She wasn't crying but she had been really scared.

magnadearel

Manda