[SRP -FIN-] Unexpected (Tanzi x Matania x Mataius)

[Nayci]

This is a solo RP between Tanzi (Nayci), Matania (Nayci), and Mataius (Nayci)

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If there was one thing Tanzi was certain of during her stay with Matania, it was that the darkly feathered winged mare could sense a rainstorm coming from at least a mile away. First from the smell, then to the wind, and finally the movement of darkening clouds above them. And to say that Tanzi didn’t also didn’t know about Matania’s hate for them would be a flat out lie. She wasn’t sure why the mare got extra broody and touchy during the rain. But she was sure she wouldn’t ask why again. The first time she did the look Matania gave her was so dark, so, well, wrong Tanzi’s questions died very quickly upon her tongue.

Today was going to be no exception to the standard norm. Matania felt the storm coming in early in the morning as she helped Tanzi train. Upping her speed was the goal. Tanzi was so tiny, being light on her feet would be her biggest asset if they came across the Kalona mare that tried to kill her. With any luck, she’d be able to zigzag across any scope of land or on a battlefield with ease eventually. That said, once Matania got whiff of the oncoming rainfall Tanzi knew her immediate training would be put on hold again until it passed.

That was how Tanzi now found herself gathering berries and various plants as quickly as possible before the rain began to fall, putting each piece carefully into small, carefully crafted baskets given to her by a human who lived nearby to their little home. Not that Matania would admit it was their home. Tanzi was quick to note that Matania got anxious as the days went by of them staying in one place for too long. That said, Tanzi could only hope that Matania would come around to allowing herself friendship, kinship in others.

As she put the last of her gatherings into the baskets she felt the first real gust of wind through the trees and upon her face. The darkening of the clouds covering the sun, cast shadows over where she stood. Tanzi knew she needed to get back soon lest she end up drenched in rainwater. So, she lifted the baskets by the long strap and settled it upon her withers, making sure it was secure before making her way back to the warmth of their cavern. By now Matania should have gotten the fire going. It took awhile for their cavern to warm up. They learned that the hard way the first night they slept there and the storm hit.

Tanzi smiled almost sadly at the memory. Never before had she seen a stallion or mare tense up as much as Matania had when she curled up next to the warrior for warmth through the night. It made her wonder if Matania had never known the touch of another. Tanzi’s family always snuggled together at night to keep warm. It was something that Tanzi found herself missing. But she owed Matania for saving her life. So long as that debt existed, Tanzi would be a loyal companion, even if Matania didn’t want it.  

[Nayci]

The time spent in the little encampment of Quilin those few days ago proved quite fruitful for the dark colored stallion. It had been days since he stopped to truly rest. Weeks since he had eaten a proper meal. Months since he has been a part of a decently sized gathering of others. For that, Mataius was unequivocally grateful. They had provided him a semblance of peace, and tranquility that he hadn't known he needed, and comadry that was felt deep within his body. For once, even the children didn’t grate under his skin to the point of a migraine. It was a nice change of pace to say the least.

However, what proved to be the most helpful, and it wasn’t the cook’s fantastic dinner last night, was the information they provided him about his sister. They had told him the feathery mare was holed up nearby due to the storms, and she hadn’t moved on from that area for a number of days. Despite Mataius’ personal feelings about his exiled sister, he knew that he needed to get to her. To warn her of the dangers lurking here in the south. Like him, she knew the hoard of darkness that was coming, and coming fast. Like him, she knew of the inherent disaster that would strike if they did not take that evil down. The other in these lands had no idea just how close they were to oblivion.

Mataius made his way into the shrubbery, and dark canopy of the trees, carefully making his way through the incoming thick brush. If there was one thing that he appreciated his sister for, it was that she knew how to find a good hiding spot. Not so thin that it wouldn’t hide her activities, but also not so thick that she couldn’t train in peace. Although, he had to wonder why she hadn’t moved spots in the last few days. As information had trickled into his ear about the whereabouts of his sibling since coming here, it was known that she didn’t stay in one place for more than two days, three at most. From what he gathered, she’d be here for at least a week, hiding out in this part of the forest. Mataius wondered if she knew already of what was coming.

Coming to a halt in a small clearing, his ears flicked around to see if he could catch any noise. A quick sniff from his muzzle to see if he could catch a scent. Suffice to say his pause worked, for he caught the scent, and tiny trickle of noise to his northwest. As he began his trek towards the noises, his senses became more alert to the smells and noises nearby. It didn’t smell like his sister, didn’t sound like his sister, and he had to wonder if Matania was not alone. Did she actually have someone with her? Was she being attacked. His body tensed, his steps becoming more stealthy as he moved forward towards the next clearing. Whatever was in front of him was not going to enjoy coming.  

[Nayci]

If Tanzi could fathom what the Spirits were thinking, she would have hoped they’d give her credit for trying her best. She knew she had to despite being clearly at the disadvantage. But knowing her luck, the Spirits are laughing uncontrollably at her misfortune. What she expected, was not what she actually got as she took in the view of the massive soquili in front of her now. Dark fur, dark mussy mane, and spiked tail. Even the sharp claws she had not expected. What she didn’t expect even more was the air of familiarity that he gave off as he looked down at her in sheer amusement. No trace of being scared upon his face.

“Who ARE you,” she growled lowly in her throat, planting herself firmly in front of him, “What are you doing here? What do you want?”

The threat in her voice may or may not have come across as his body swayed into a cautious yet softer stance than before.

“I could ask you the same thing Little Hoof,” he responded with an arch of his brow.

“Don’t call me that! It’s a child’s name, and I am no child.” she glared up at him.

“If they act like a child then they are a child, Little Hoof,” the male grinned, “what’s a small nymph like you doing so far out in the woods?”

Tanzi...did not like this stallion. He was arrogant as much as he was a fool. If he didn’t watch it, her partner was going to come and rip him a new one.

“What’s a small nymph like me doing so far out in the woods, he says,” she mocked, “for all you know I’m the most dangerous soquili you’ll meet today.”

A look of disbelief, “I highly doubt that Little Hoof.”

Tanzi cried out in annoyance, “The name is Tanzi! Not Little Hoof! Get it right!”

Whoops...one of the first things Matania taught her of tactics was not give out your name to those you don’t know. Oh, she was in so much trouble....She’s never going to hear the end of it!

“Tanzi, eh? Little Flower. I think that sounds much more like you,” the stallion grinned again.

Tanzi puffed her cheeks out, face flushing red in both embarrassment, and annoyance...At least it was better than Little Hoof.

“Whatever,” she grumbled in unamused defeat, “since you know my name now it’s only fair that you tell me your name too.”

She heard him cluck his tongue, and for a moment she swore he wasn’t going to tell her anything.

“The name is Mataius.”

“And what, pray tell, does the stallion Mataius have business doing in the woods where the guardian nymph takes up residence?”

She watched as his lips pursed into a thin line. Did she overstep? Tanzi wasn’t sure, and her fight or flight response began to build within her frame.

“I’m looking for someone. Someone that I haven’t seen in a long time.”  

[Nayci]

Mataius had to hand it to the little mini nymph in front of him, she certainly had spunk, and no lack of energy. It reminded him much of the young fledgling warriors back home. He heaved a small internal sigh, he missed home. He missed the warm fires, the flurry of snowflakes...and her...The stallion quickly shook his head free of her memory. Now was not the time for THAT.

“Looking for who exactly? What do you need them for?” the one called Tanzi asked.

A valid question, but one that Mataius wasn’t quite sure yet she could even handle.

“I’m looking for a mare, a mare named Matania. I need to speak with her. It’s quite urgent.”

He watched at her fluffy ears flicked forward in much interest, something of which definitely caught his attention.

“I know of her,” Tanzi answered him after a pause, “but why should I trust that this isn’t a trap, and you’re going to hurt her.”

Mataius huffed in amusement. The thought of him hurting her was profoundly hilarious, and also far from the mark. Granted, he had already hurt her long ago. But that was a story for another time.

“The last thing I desire is to hurt her. I come with news that she needs to know of her homeland.”

Tanzi eyed him critically and Mataius put on his most unassuming face. It was honest, yet also still a bit guarded.

“You’re lucky that you ran into me then,” Mataius looked at her in interest. Did he finally find her?

“She’s my friend. I guess I’ll take you to her.”

Finally! He found his sister! Mataius could not help but be excited. He had traveled so far, for so long, and now he could finally get things into motion. Finally take that hell beast to the ground for good. For all his anger towards his warrior sister, he knew that by not calling for her aid the lands here would burn asunder.

“I would appreciate that greatly, Tanzi.”

He watched as she flitted past him to their left, beginning to lead him into the trees once more. Following behind, just close enough to keep her in his sights, but far enough that she wouldn’t feel threatened again, he began to formulate everything he needed to tell her. There was much to do, and too little time to do it. Tiamat was gaining strength, he could feel it in his bones. They were running out of time they already didn’t have.

Minutes passed, and the trees eventually began to spread out more into another clearing. A nice one that Mataius had to admit. It had shelter, a nearby stream. Matania outdid herself really with this one. It was much better than her previous ones. It’s no wonder she had stayed here the longest. Based on what he could gather, she only stayed a day, maybe two at most before.

He heard Tanzi call out to his sister from within their shelter, and his ears perked as he then heard shuffling from inside. His body suddenly getting a bit more nervous. He wouldn’t be surprised if her welcome was less than...positive. But everything was her fault, he reminded himself. She brought her current situation upon herself.

“Mataius?” he heard her voice for the first time in a number of years, “What the hell are you doing here?”  

[Nayci]

Well, for what it was worth, his sister’s words weren’t as terrible as he thought they’d be. However, that didn’t stop him from wanting to already snarl back at her for the lack of decorum and manners. She was Asmodian, she should have acted like it instead of a hot-headed Elyos. It took everything in him to hold a straight face, to not give away his inner feelings of resentment and anger towards her even after all this time away. She was exiled, she’d been punished, that should have been enough.

But still, in some way, it wasn’t enough in Mataius’ eyes. Never enough to stop his pain.

Regardless of these roiling feelings in his belly as he gazed towards his sister he spoke back to her in an even, if not professional tone. There were bigger issues to deal with first. Their relationship, and lack thereof, could come after if the opportunity presented itself. If he felt like he could let things go. Now was not such a time.

“It’s good to see you sister, you’ve done well for yourself since you left the herd lands.”

He watched as Matania raised an unimpressed eyebrow, a frown upon her maw.

“Cut to the chase, Mataius. You’re never one for small talk and it shows. What do you want? Or are you here to tell me I’m not even allowed to be in this vicinity? If so, you can shove it.”

They stared at one another and a growl vibrated through Mataius’ throat as he immediately scowled.

“You never were the one to hold your tongue.”

“And you never were the one to not be a stick up your behind bithorse.”

He didn’t know quite when they became nose to nose glaring each other down, but now they were, his older brother instincts to push her down ever present. It wasn’t until he felt a small body collide with both himself and Matania and they snapped out of their glaring contest.

“Stop it you two! You both are acting like bithorses!” Tanzi yelled out in exasperation, pushing Matania back as much as she could with what strength she had.

“Didn’t you say you had something to tell your sister, Mataius?”

Mataius stared down at the Nymph and clenched his jaw, his younger self wanting to continue their fight, the memory of a time long passed when they were children flitted in his mind briefly before he set an even look over at Matania.

“I didn’t come to start a fight with you, Sister. In fact, I’ve come with news and hopefully gain any additional insight into what you’ve seen on your side of the world.”

“What do you mean, Mataius? Insight into what?”

His jaw clenched again, “Tiamat has escaped her binds in the north and all of our intelligence points to her being here in the Kawani.”

“What?”  

[Nayci]

“Who’s Tiamat?” Tanzi broke the silence a few moments later, breaking Mataius’ staredown with his sister.

He couldn’t pay the question much mind, as he could feel the rage radiating off his sister in waves. And realistically he had to be on guard in case she attacked him. It wouldn’t have been the first time Matania had if she lunged to say the least. It wouldn’t have been the last time either. His frown deepened as he watched Matania’s claws dig into the ground repeatedly, tearing up the grass and turning up mud.

“How the HELL did she escape?!” Matania demanded, stomping a claw and beginning to pace.

“We don’t know yet.”

“You don’t know,” she hissed, her wing feathers vibrating in her anger, “you don’t know!? How can the “best” of the best of your intelligence squad not know?!”

Mataius’ felt a growl creeping back into his throat in answer, “it’s for that exact reason why I came down from the north. To find YOU and find out what you know about it.”

He should have known ahead of time this was the last thing he should have asked, but hindsight is 20/20. Alas he didn’t follow what his gut was actually screaming at him and kept pushing his sister further and further into her anger. He couldn’t help it. Tiamat was a massive danger to those here in the south, and she needed to be taken care of no matter the cost. Even if it cost him any shred of remaining relationship he could have with his younger sibling.

“I was exiled because of her. I was thrown away by the herd leadership because of her. I lost everything and everyone. And you think for one second since I left I know anything about her escape? Seriously?! How dare you!”

“Stop it! Just stop it both of you!” Tanzi butt in again between them, this time kicking Mataius in the knee with her hind legs before pushing Matania away again with her front upper body, “Who is Tiamat and why is she so dangerous?”

Pain jolted up Mataius’ leg where Tanzi kicked and as he backed away just a bit further, he stared at both mares before speaking once more, “you know the reason for your exile. I can clearly tell that you haven’t spoken about your deeds with your mini friend here. What do you know about Tiamat’s escape?”

“I know absolutely nothing, Brother,” Matania spat back at him, and continued before he could speak up once more, “I’ve been in exile for this entire time. Clearly you knew how to track and find me. Clearly from my path you should be able to tell that I’ve been nowhere near the northern mountains where we’ve kept our prisons.”

To that Mataius didn’t really have an answer for her because she was absolutely right. She was nowhere near the place where they kept Tiamat. But he couldn’t bring himself to admit it out loud.

“Tiamat is a dragon lord of the far north, outside of the kawani. She’s is as evil as the shifters that make their homes in this lands. One dead set on the destruction of those she deems lesser than herself and her draconic brethren. You are either enslaved to her will, or killed. There is no in-between.”

“And she wanted to do that to your herd?”

“To every single living creature not just in our herd, but our entire alliance and even our enemies.”

Matania stayed silent as Mataius closed his eyes and sighed, “look, I won’t push any further for now. But if you know of anything or come across any information, I implore you to let me know. You know how dangerous she is.”  

[Nayci]

Silence fell between the three of them, and Mataius’ gaze didn’t break away from his sisters. Swirling emotions fought between the two of them, for Mataius it was pain, anger, and determination to see this through. Not just for himself, but also for his lost love. She would have wanted him to seek the truth and bring Tiamat to her knees. And he knew that he needed his sister’s help with this despite his feelings. She’d been in the Kawani much longer than he, seen things that he hadn’t, and hopefully knew others that could help with their cause. Matania turned her back to him then, and for a brief moment, the world stood still, the silence roaring in his ears. Was she going to refuse? Was he going to have to start over from scratch again?

“I’ll see what I can do Mataius. In the meantime you’re welcome to make camp within my territory. Tanzi can help you get settled.”

The breath that Mataius had been holding released, and a long sigh echoed between them, “thank you Matania.”

The mare didn’t respond to him, but that was to be expected. The Kawani didn’t come to existence in a day. But in time, Mataius had to wonder if the chasm between them would start to heal. It was a long shot, but a deep part of him that he continued to ignore as much as he could wanted his sister back. But she had to deal with her own demons first as well. Just like him. As Matania began to make her way into the trees, away from him and Tanzi Mataius watched in silence.

“Come along my friend, I’ll show yah what we have,” Tanzi smiled up at him, tail wagging excitedly, “It’s not much but we make it work.”

Mataius closed his eyes and chuffed a light laugh, “sounds good, Tanzi. By the way, how did you end up in Matania’s care?”

Tanzi’s eyes lowered and her smile became softer as they made their way into the caves, “She saved me like the boss she is. I have to repay her in kind somehow.”

“She asked for payment?”

“No, Matania’s never asks for payment from those she helps. She does it because it's just the right thing to do.”

They stopped where Matania and Tanzi had taken up space for their sleeping arrangements, Moss, grass, and other plants making up their bedding. Mataius had to admit that it looked cozy.

“She’s got a good heart you know. Even if she has a hard time talking about her feelings.”

Mataius smiled fondly despite himself, “I know.”

- FIN -