11-01-2020, 02:22 PM
With the wary purpose of a young stallion on his own, Mikael moved from one common land to another. Occasionally he reappeared in his birthland to visit with family. To look in on his ageing mother and ageless kin. As is often the way with young souls however, the wind would whisper in his ears before long, and he would be off.
In the brisk autumn air, he plodded on without a set destination in mind. Perhaps he'd go home for the winter. The cold months were more tolerable when there were stories shared and bodies to press against. Already, frost was gathering on the grass and in his mane when morning came, and it wouldn't be long before the first snows came along to blanket the world.
He didn't mind, really. And fall meant other things besides the cold. It meant ripe apples and persimmons, flocks of geese overhead, rutting deer in the woods. It was another turn of the wheel, and he enjoyed it. So much in fact, that he wore it on his skin. Why not, when he had the ability? Today he was mottled gold and bronze, brown and russet. A forest of change in an abstract coat pattern that let him move with such subtlety through the trees.
A hough of hot breath froze as he exhaled it, a misty cloud that whirled away as the sun illuminated it. A contented smile played on his lips, that faded as a sound reached him. No, that wasn't right. Not a sound so much as a feeling. As a suggestion. His gold-merled muzzle lifted uncertainly, doubt seeping in that he had sensed anything at all.
Then it was there again. The faintest pulse of feeling that drew on his curiosity, pulled him deeper into the woods. It seemed like a whim, to thread his way between thicket and grove, to step off the beaten path and go deeper still. There was more dark than light in this corner of the forest. A chill of apprehension ran it's claws lightly down his back.
"Who's there?" He asked, loudly, looking for the presence he was now certain existed just out of sight. Blunted teeth gleamed in the dusky underforest, a threat that would have been much more impressive with his father's abilities.
What revealed itself was not what he expected.
In the murky woods, a figure half-seen, half-felt quite suddenly existed. The trees rippled around it in a way that seemed far from natural, and set Mikael's equine survival instincts flashing. Oh, but there was another side to him. That feline curiosity that kept him looking forward, and told him he would forever regret not seeing what happened next.
For that long moment it was a stalemate, with him staring and the unfixed figure looming. So long that he thought he might have to say something again soon, if only to break the silence that gnawed on his bones the longer they stood in place.
"TRICK OR TREAT?"
He blinked, taken aback. Had he heard correctly? Though he couldn't see any sort of expression on the being, he felt that it was grinning now. Waiting. For an answer, he realized belatedly. "Oh," he hesitated, considering his two options. There was no telling what would come of this interaction, but the curiosity that drove him sometimes painted the stallion with a reckless streak. "How about a trick, then? And I'll show you one of my own." He grinned back, his face suddenly bearing uncanny resemblance to a bone-white skull.
In the brisk autumn air, he plodded on without a set destination in mind. Perhaps he'd go home for the winter. The cold months were more tolerable when there were stories shared and bodies to press against. Already, frost was gathering on the grass and in his mane when morning came, and it wouldn't be long before the first snows came along to blanket the world.
He didn't mind, really. And fall meant other things besides the cold. It meant ripe apples and persimmons, flocks of geese overhead, rutting deer in the woods. It was another turn of the wheel, and he enjoyed it. So much in fact, that he wore it on his skin. Why not, when he had the ability? Today he was mottled gold and bronze, brown and russet. A forest of change in an abstract coat pattern that let him move with such subtlety through the trees.
A hough of hot breath froze as he exhaled it, a misty cloud that whirled away as the sun illuminated it. A contented smile played on his lips, that faded as a sound reached him. No, that wasn't right. Not a sound so much as a feeling. As a suggestion. His gold-merled muzzle lifted uncertainly, doubt seeping in that he had sensed anything at all.
Then it was there again. The faintest pulse of feeling that drew on his curiosity, pulled him deeper into the woods. It seemed like a whim, to thread his way between thicket and grove, to step off the beaten path and go deeper still. There was more dark than light in this corner of the forest. A chill of apprehension ran it's claws lightly down his back.
"Who's there?" He asked, loudly, looking for the presence he was now certain existed just out of sight. Blunted teeth gleamed in the dusky underforest, a threat that would have been much more impressive with his father's abilities.
What revealed itself was not what he expected.
In the murky woods, a figure half-seen, half-felt quite suddenly existed. The trees rippled around it in a way that seemed far from natural, and set Mikael's equine survival instincts flashing. Oh, but there was another side to him. That feline curiosity that kept him looking forward, and told him he would forever regret not seeing what happened next.
For that long moment it was a stalemate, with him staring and the unfixed figure looming. So long that he thought he might have to say something again soon, if only to break the silence that gnawed on his bones the longer they stood in place.
"TRICK OR TREAT?"
He blinked, taken aback. Had he heard correctly? Though he couldn't see any sort of expression on the being, he felt that it was grinning now. Waiting. For an answer, he realized belatedly. "Oh," he hesitated, considering his two options. There was no telling what would come of this interaction, but the curiosity that drove him sometimes painted the stallion with a reckless streak. "How about a trick, then? And I'll show you one of my own." He grinned back, his face suddenly bearing uncanny resemblance to a bone-white skull.