You had the world right at your feet. //

[Cai]

Cai Cal X Carys Your kingdom has turned to a bone yard, The look on your face as you leave. You cut me so deep that it left scars, You had the world right at your feet. Did he dare show his face? After all this time? Could he? Perhaps not. But it was time. The young buckskin stallion moved with a grace that he perhaps did not deserve, the muscles rippling beneath his coat as he moved one leg after the other, his tear drop shaped ears perked forth as he moved through the forest, his large brown eyes taking in all as he prepared himself for what was to come. But what was to come? How was he supposed to know, he could be guess and assume. His movements remained steady though, even as the battle in his mind continued. How could he face the world that he believed to hate him. He was unwanted, and broken. Had things perhaps taken a different turn, he could of become so much more than what he was, he could of helped. But no chance was bestowed upon him, and he was left. And thus, Cai had to live with this memory, although faint, it was still planted deep into his mind, forever tormenting him that he was unwanted. Though he did not know the reason, for he was but a day old when it had happened, he could only guess. And over the years he had come up with one excuse after the other, but he had never sought to find the truth. Perhaps, until now that is. Cai's movements eventually took a halt as he reached a somewhat open area within the forest, a small clearing sprinkled with a very light layer of snow, soon it would be no more. Spring was gently hanging in the air, and soon the snow would be a memory and something for the next winter. Perhaps it was good Cai deciding to come out of hiding when he did, because if there happened to be any that had the unfortunate fate to end up like him -alone, lost, confused and hungry- he could offer them safety, just like his rescuer had done for him.  "Here goes..." Cai sighed, his voice was low, and his words strained, as though he had not used them for a while, which was true. He didn't have company where he had come from. So far out of his usual hiding depths, Cai knew his scent would go noticed now, that and he had hardly been careful to hide his tracks or dampen his hoof falls. Perhaps he'd meet a friendly face, or perhaps he'd meet one filled with hatred. Either way, Cai knew he could not hide forever. It was time.

[Offspring]

THE EARTH IS ALIVE, AND MAN IS A PARASITE.

AND HEAVENLY BODIES MAKE US FIGHT.

  He is wandering today; something that he does not often do. He is at ease within the icy walls and caverns of his Kingdom of frost, and yet something spurs him to step past the thick shield of ice that borders their terrain so menacingly, his massive, scarred form moving with deliberate ease. His deep crimson eyes study the ground below as his heavy prints leave lasting impression, the frigid frost of a waning winter fading from sight as he enters into the mild, temperature climate below the mountain crown. 

   The sun bathes his thick obsidian coat, the old pink puckered scars of battles won and lost glinting beneath its light as his muscles ripple beneath - he savors the sensation, if only for a moment. It is not often that he can feel its warmth so saturated against his skin.

 A gentle breeze drifts through as he travels on through the lining of the forest, the day growing long as he wanders aimlessly. He has no ill will in mind, no alliance to forge, no relationship to enforce. He is alone with his mind, a scattering of thoughts loosely rattling within his brain. The tall grasses of the thick plain stroke beneath the underside of his belly and caress his flank, and for a moment, he breathes deeply, inhaling the sweetness of another season changing. 

   With the gentle blossoming of foliage and fauna and melting of ice and frost, something else lingers within his senses - and he gazes towards it, lazily. He finds the presence of another - unexpected, but not wholly undesired. A male, something he is familiar with (living with mostly males himself for a majority of the time), wary of his surroundings.

  He can sense the apprehension in the air; and he makes himself known with the deliberate crackling of dried twigs beneath his behemoth weight. His dark eyes observe him and his golden pelt, searing into his worried eyes, though he tilts his head slightly to the left - he is hardly formidable when appearing so curious, but as massive as he is, he knows he is far from warm and welcoming in appearance. Alas, his whiskered lips upturn in the slightest of smiles as he chuckles - a sound that rumbles deeply within his chest.

   "It is not often that I come across anyone else within this part of the woods - my name is Offspring. And yours?"

OFFSPRING

the ice king of the tundra

[Rael Fire]

"Have I fallen so far, and was the hour so late, that nothing remain but the cry of my hate?"

She, this young filly, had aged once more, added one more year scratch on the wall.. It had begun again, the fauna had begun the cycle of new life, and so had the more invasive flora. Ivy crept up the trees again, as their buds slowly ripened and started to reveal flowers or leaves. She watched it all with distaste - she prefered the solitude, silence and sinister echo of the winter.

"The cry in the dark that nobody hears? Here where I stand at the turning of the years."

She tried to speak to others, but found no result. She felt like a ghost. And her sister, one of the few who still heard her, was more and more busy sparring with other colts to dominate the hierarchy of her generation. He was, indeed, small, tall, strong and intelligent - sure to create a good mother and protector of his family - but she, Rael, was sturdy, to mature at a slightly taller than average height, and with stamina and speed. She was clever, but sinister. A possible killer, maybe? Or would she go on as a foaling, ensuring her legacy would continue on? But she could never be the soft, loving man most men desired and loved.

"So so what, I'm still a rock star, I've got my rock moves, and I don't want you tonight!"

She was, as ever as often as before, gazing into nothingness when not-so-hidden hoof-falls entered her ears, which pricked towards the sound, catching it's breath, movement, beat and speed of it's movement. She focused in on a full-grown and wary looking stallion - coming to take mares or simply evading a kingdom? She wondered before acting.

She noticed a black figure now, too, with various deep-set scars. Wait.. Was this Offspring, her home, the Tundra's leader? It was surprising - she rarely saw him. She didn't think he'd track her down when she left like this.. But had he? She had, indeed, noticed him a couple times from afar on her journey to the Cove.. But was this his intent, to bring her back home? She had left after seeing the issue with her father coming for a new-born child..

"You. Buckskin boy." She called harshly, not at all like a normal foal. But what.. But what would she do to the stallion? Torture, mar, or mangle him? She might get overpowered or killed in the attempt or process.. If he was awake. But if she found the stallion asleep, he could use the night for her advantage and wreak injuries on the man. So many opportunities..

"I'm alright, I'm just fine, and I don't need you tonight."

She had, indeed, as being a filly, should not have inherited his sire's desire to give - and receive - pain. But what would he do with it? Becoming a love-joy murderer? Use her power to control a fearful herd or harem of boys, force them to protect her? Hmm.. So many dictator-like options with this 'horrid' lust..

[Cai]

Cai Cal X Carys Your kingdom has turned to a bone yard, The look on your face as you leave. You cut me so deep that it left scars, You had the world right at your feet. Was he startled? No doubt. Intimidated? Definitely. Before him stood a whole 18 hands of black terror with eyes like fresh blood. Cai had not been around others for so long, and he had worked it out in his head that every other living being knew his past, knew that he was unwanted, that he was what had caused his mother so much pain. He had spent his years living in shame, in fear that if anyone saw him would try to do him harm. However, the huge brute did not act in the hostile way Cai would have expected, instead the stallion took him by surprise, and this is what put him off more than anything.  "I uh, I'm Cai.."He replied, voice still a bit rough, but with time that would wear off with use. His dark eyes watched the tall brute with careful judgement. Surely if this stallion wanted to do him harm, he would have done so already. However Cai did not get the chance to linger on this brute for long and the sound of a rude young filly broke the silence between the two stallions. Cai's head jerked back in surprise at most, and his ears moved briefly back, pinning against his cranium, but he loosened up quickly enough and gave a snort. He may be jumpy about meeting others, and others judging him for his past, but he had survived the wilds all these years on his own, but when if came to defending himself, he knew how to do so, and if he had to, he could be quick with words. "How can I help you grulla girl."His reply was quick, turning her own rudeness against her. He had little experience with social dealings, but he already felt he did not like being referred to in such a manner.

[Offspring]

THE EARTH IS ALIVE, AND MAN IS A PARASITE.

AND HEAVENLY BODIES MAKE US FIGHT.

  Cai.

  "A pleasure, Cai," He muses over the name for the slightest of moments, but he says nothing more - he is unable to.

  A second later, his hearing pricks and he finds himself grimacing at the abrupt, obnoxious sound of an overzealous female (too young to know her own presence), his searing red eyes moving to study her as she addresses the buckskin that stood before them. She is small, youthful and hardly a threat - though with her boisterous voice and sharp attitude, she is surely going to be a thorn in their sides. He studies her quietly, observing her mousy gray pelt and unusual alabaster marking that lay beneath one nostril.

  She is familiar, though he cannot place how. He is not certain he has ever met her, nor seen her. There was something about her, however, that he could not quite place. He resists the urge to roll his eyes at her - having many children of his own, he knows how strong the urge is for youth to want to grow much faster than their own legs are capable of. He allows his gaze to then settle on the male before him, and he finds mild amusement in the way he responds to her. He does not say a word, and instead allows the two their moment of banter.

OFFSPRING

the ice king of the tundra

[Rael Fire]

She ignored Offspring now, and had focused on this new one - Cai, he had said? Unfamiliar. "You can't. I know where I'm going, anyways." She said back, voice without tone now - but fire evident in her eyes. She was surprised by his retort and chuckled slightly when he jumped at her presence.

Her, a mere mare, be scaring an older stallion? What a delightful thought. She moved an ear to hear him and swiveled an ear to listen to her surroundings - she deduced by doing so it was just the current three. Offspring, Rael, and Cai. She was on a venture out of the icy Tundra and towards either the Cove - her father's home - or the Falls, to become a Diplomat. Whichever she fancied first before arriving.

But she decided to stay out this encounter. "Offspring! Hello." She says happily to the black stallion, looking at her former role model with respect. "Cai.. Never heard of you before. I'm Rael Fire, call me whatever." She says with a brisk, informal nod to the buckskin before looking once more towards the ancient, leading Offspring. His red eyes did not bother her, as they did most she knew. She merely looked him in the eye as he studied her, shifting slightly as he looks at the odd marking on her muzzle.

[Cai]

Cai Cal X Carys Your kingdom has turned to a bone yard, The look on your face as you leave. You cut me so deep that it left scars, You had the world right at your feet. Bemused by the young fae's presence Cai simply flicked his tail, opting not to return with rudeness to the filly, as much as the desire pinched at him. "Fair enough." He simply replied, watching as she turned her attention to the black terror beside him. His head cocked momentarily to the side when the filly addressed Offspring as though she knew him, clearly happy to see him. He turned his head to look at Offspring and noticed what Cai though as curiosity, but he wasn't sure. She gave her name, one he hadn't ever heard before, Rael Fire. But then again he had spent all his life hidden from interaction with others and the ways of the lands. So of course he wouldn't know any names, nor would he know any ways of lands. All he knew was the forest, and of his brief interactions with the occasional passerby who would walk past him, oblivious to his position. Her interest in Cai was minuscule, and it was clear from the way her gaze lingered on Offspring that he was something of power, something to be respected. Cai made a quick mental note of this information, in hope that it would serve him well at some point.

[Offspring]

THE EARTH IS ALIVE, AND MAN IS A PARASITE.

AND HEAVENLY BODIES MAKE US FIGHT.

  His dark eyes continue to observe the male standing before him, quiet and solemn as he takes in his presence. There is much to be said about the demeanor of another - he, himself, had once been a less stoic version of himself. Burdened by the weight of heartache and loss, he had once wandered aimlessly, wary of the world and aching for the sweet release of death. His memories had been tainted by sorrow and negativity; painted black with certain woe and self-loathing. Immortal, he had been destined for a life of devastating loss and loneliness, which evening took a heavy toll on him.

   He wandered for many years (many more than he cared to admit), aimless and aching for an end. An end that would never come, as fate would have it. It had been a terrible way to exist; a way he had since shed and left behind. Even if he lived a thousand more lifetimes, each lonelier than the next, each forced relationship and alliance brought forth new hope to his weary, once shattered heart. Now, many years later, he finds himself content - though he can see through the stranger and his own weariness. He aches for something more; he seeks refuge from his past. He knows these feelings all too well, and he does not need to see into the mind of the other to see it within him.

   At last, he draws his red eyes away from Cai, peering instead at Rael Fire. She gazes at him with such reverence that it stirs something within him, and he realizes why she is so familiar to him. Daughter of G'ren. His gaze matches hers, though he hardly expects her to flinch from its intensity - anyone who has come to know him as he truly is can see beyond their unusual color. She is no exception. She sees beyond what Cai can, from experience and knowledge alone. Perhaps in time, Cai too would feel at ease beneath his heavy blood-painted stare.

   "Rael Fire. I did not recognize you; you've never spoken to me in the way you just spoke to Cai here. Respect will go a long way in your journey. Where are you off to?"

OFFSPRING

the ice king of the tundra

[Rael Fire]

She heard Cai's simple response but did not say anything in return, she had lowered her head at Offspring's words. "Yes, Offspring. I can do better." She replies, pauses, and raises her head most of the way again, eyes unfocused still. "Possibly the Cove, possibly the Falls, most likely this venture will take me back home, to the Tundra." She says, evenly, and her voice wavers slightly on the last part. Home? She may have been born and raised in the Tundra, but nothing had felt much like.. Home.

She looked around them, over Cai, over Offspring, and over the landscape. She knew she could have a better life in a non-bachelor Kingdom, but only knew of the Tundra's ice and sturdy protection - isolation. The Falls, she knew from mom, had a relative there. Blazed, with a child or so - and she knew her dauhter Sunfall had turned four now. A year ahead of herself.. She envied their rights, their ability to join a caste there. The Falls seemed clean, peaceful; busy and lively compared to the isolation of the Tundra. But could she stand to leave her home and newborn sibling?

[Cai]

Cai Cal X Carys Your kingdom has turned to a bone yard, The look on your face as you leave. You cut me so deep that it left scars, You had the world right at your feet. Cai was taken by surprise at the gentle yet firm force of which Offspring came down upon the spark filled filly, and respect for the black brute instantly grew within him. There was more to Offspring than met the eye, and Cai was for the first time in his life, eager to learn about the outside world -as he had called it for so long. This Offspring held authority and knowledge, but he did not throw it in ones face and demand to be respected. Although Cai's lack of social knowledge, he found Offspring something akin to a teacher in a way. Perhaps this stallion, if he chose to stick around for a little while, and had no pressing duties -for Cai was still uncertain just who this stallion was- could teach Cai, even just the simple steps of showing no fear to the world. Maybe. Perhaps the time to emerge had been right. Maybe this stallion, who seemed to know a lot more than he said, could help him find the truth of his mother, and even if not, could help him along his way to finding peace. It was a possibility that Cai liked, and was scratching towards. Rael Fire clearly looked up to Offspring and upon his words had indeed seemed to calm down somewhat, though her fiery nature would always be there, one could tell just by looking at her eyes. She needed adventure, she needed to live, to see the lands, to experience, maybe after that she would calm down enough and know what she truly wanted. Right now, in Cai's eyes she seemed a little all over the place, not quite sure what she wanted. The Falls, the Cove, maybe Tundra. Which would she settle upon? Cai did not much care, but as the conversation was still warm, he was intrigued about the young female. "Perhaps a little freedom for a wild spirit would do some good. Travel the lands, see what there is to see. Know who there is to know." Cai eventually suggested, looking at the femme. Honestly he did not care if the filly took his suggestion or not, but he had put a word in, and if he helped her in some shape or form, then that was all the satisfaction he needed.