[PRP] Don't Back Down (Tom, Roary, Ismae)

[xo maho]

 

[xo maho]

Roary stood in a stream, head lowered but eyes glancing around him. The water was clear and burbled as it tumbled over its rocky bed, but that did not mean that something was not lurking nearby. The large stallion was always on the lookout. He had been called overly cautious at best, irrationally paranoid at worst... But for as long as he could recall, this was who he had been. And while the anxiety gnawed at him incessantly, he suppose he had come to terms with it.

Lifting his head, Roary surveyed the area as water dripped from the sides of his muzzle. The plains were peaceful; a hawk occasionally cried out overhead, but that was not the kind of predator Roary worried about. In fact, he wasn't sure he had met something yet that he should be truly afraid of. He had heard legend of the shifters that lurked in the dark, of the beasts that rose from the graveyard near the human village with pelts on their backs... He shivered. Best not to think about that.

It was a sunny day; the golden grass around him shifted and whispered in the breeze, wafting its sweet scent on the currents. In the distance, though, he spotted a dark shape. It moved so slowly he wasn't sure it moved at all until he caught the inkling of a sway in its shape. It appeared to walk in the streambed. While Roary stood in the stream to drink, it was not his custom to actually travel in the water. Curious, Roary stepped out of the water and watched the shape. It was small, he realized - possibly the smallest usdia he had ever seen. And that must be what it was, because though it was inky black, its horse-shaped form was unmistakable.

Roary kept his position, observing as the little one moved closer.

wc: 311  

[xo maho]

She wandered. It was all she could do. The stitches in her sides, along her face, and around her ankles stung with every movement - but if she stopped, what would happen? She might never move again.

Her eyes were ever focused forward, but Ismae did not so much as focus on what she saw. Comprehension was beyond her limited abilities, and had been for some months. She was not sure how she had survived this long, but she was still standing, despite the weariness in her bones and in her mind. At some point, she had found a body of water to follow, pushing against it as she waddled slowly upstream. It cooled the pain in her ankles and kept her tail from drying out. And, perhaps when she was not paying attention, trapped up in her own mind, it quenched her thirst.

She was vaguely aware of the warm sun on her dark hide today. It had been some time since she had seen it; a chill had come to the autumn air, and clouds had overtaken the sky. Time meant nothing to Ismae, but the warmth of the sun and the cool of the water were both welcome sensations. One without the other didn't quite feel right.

The usdia trudged forward, totally unaware of the large figure standing some few hundred feet in the distance. If he was still there when she came upon him, he might warrant some form of attention, but for now, she put one foot in front of the other.

wc: 256

Jackariah Beckett

 

[Jackariah Beckett]

Tom was warry from his trek into this part of the new lands he had entered. By now it had been a few years since his home had fallen to siege and he was forced to escape with hardly any life left in him. He didn't look over his shoulder as often as he once did, but the stab of fear was forever jabbed between his eyes. His only solace being his ability to brandish his equally new found sword for the protection of others.

Tom closed his eyes and let the warm sun penitrate his tight muscles. The scars on his neck that kept his mane from growing back tingled slightly with the intensity. It was time for rest. The nightmare that had kept him up all night and moving had frayed the edges of his concentration and awareness. Hardly any dared to attack during the day. If he could possibly find a kind herd to linger around, it might give him the chance to rest he so sorely needed.

At the same time, he dared not get too close with others incase the conqueror of his homeland sent minons after him and any attached with him. It did not bode well to let your captors escape and build an army to take back what was stolen. He could still see the black shadow creatures trailing after him if he let his mind remember the Event. Interestingly he noticed after crossing into this land he had seen fewer and fewer signs he was being sought after.

Still, there was no end to being on guard as a traveler. He opened his blurry eyes, blinking till the plains came back into focus. The small stream was the first thing he saw. Thankful for some refreshment, he zeroed in on the thought and headed straight for it. It wasn't till he was a few yards away that his senses made him aware of the large stallion standing in the water. He silently chided himself for being so unobservant and told himself the first thing he would do when he got to the water would be to dunk his head in. He cleared his throat and called out to the large stallion; "Hello there! Is this stream safe to drink from?" The little black mare escaping from his attention as he continued to walk forward.

wc: 393  

[xo maho]

Roary looked up from the small mare as someone called a greeting. A stranger approached from the side. The stallion's voice and posture were friendly, so Roary re-processed his words - was the stream safe for drinking?

Roary looked down at it, at the ripples as they streamed around the divets in the bed his hooves had made. He hadn't really thought about it, though he supposed he should have. There was a time when he would have - but perhaps he had grown out of that a little. Now he was more paranoid about things that wanted to eat him than about getting sick from normal eating and drinking. "Tastes fine to me," he called back, glad he had stepped out when he had. It seemed rude to walk in other people's drinking water. The little mare, downstream, did not seem to care, however.

Ismae's ears turned slowly forward at the sound of raised voices ahead of her. Her eyes didn't totally process what she observed, except that there were two shapes ahead of her interacting, and it was none of her concern. Still, head raised slightly higher than it had been before, she continued toward them.

wc: 196  

[Jackariah Beckett]

Tom tried to stifle a yawn as he grinned at the stallion. He was glad he had found someone who at least at face value was a kind and gentle draft. Tom began to relax slowly as he continued his way to the stream and the large stallion. His call softened to a speaking voice as he neared "I am glad for this warm sun, but it has parched my throat." Reaching the stream he dipped his muzzle in and sucked a mouthful of water in before lifting his head and sighing happily, eyes closed as water dripped off to join the stream once again. He was just figuring out what small talk he would start off next as his eyes opened, widining almost completely as he finally noticed the small black thing walking towards them in the stream. Almost on them now, his sleep deprivation getting the best of him as he backed up, hooves slipping slightly with each step. He finally remembered the new sword mounted across his back and went to pull it from its string, only to fully slip in the water and end up sprawled in the shallows, sword feet away from his reach. His eyes still wide in unknowing fear.

Had his enemy found a new minion to send after him?

wc: 217