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 Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 11:03 am
Zanniquin stepped into the Valley. He had just come back from scouting, and it was time that he went to see his sister. She was usually busy, telling stories to the little ones, but she would regularly come to him when she was done... he just had to find her, show her that he was back, and then wait.
But today was different, he couldn't find her. Bluebell was nowhere to be seen. Some of the hinds were miffed that he would be looking for her -thinking that he had other intentions for always looking for a hind not a part of him harem, and his own sister as well- and the others simply did not know where the lame Storyteller was at that point.
Not only that, but the Outrider was having a difficult time catching her scent. Where could she be?
Zanni had been working all day, and now this? He was getting a little tired. The Outrider found a quiet clearing, put down the gift he carried for Bluebell, and then lied on the ground for a short nap. Just a short nap... the sun was warm, welcoming... a nap would be nice.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 11:34 am
Rhian was never one to linger near the herd at length; it was little more than a collection of things which annoyed her. With the hinds and their gossip, the younglings and their endless energy, the overbearing, overconfident corps, and the stags, fresh off their duty and always-swooning, Home Oak was an unbearable place to be. It should have come as no surprise today was no exception, and the young hind was off meandering, even daring to savor the afternoon a little.
Adulthood afforded her a certain freedom she learned early to appreciate, and it hadn't taken long to grow adept at using it to her utmost advantage.
She was enjoying it then, straying beyond the inner Corps' patrols without worry of apprehension or chastising. It was a path she had long been familiar with, and she traveled it with second-nature ease, as silently as any cautious herla. Not even the stray twigs or fallen branches disrupted her stride - Rhian all but floated over them.
The hind stopped abruptly though... And only in part because she had reached her destination.
It was recognizable enough a location. She first met it what felt like ages ago, on a particularly rainy afternoon. Only a doe then, she had staked claim to the clearing with an assault on a nearby tree. Nestled off to one side, one could still spot the scars on its trunk, only partially healed.
There was a creature settled in its center though, and it was not recognizable. Well, past the fact it was herla. And male. Hmph. Her ears folded, and her expression assumed an all-too-characteristic frown. "Don't you have better things to do?" she interjected, clearly agitated and almost loud.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 11:50 am
Zanni's response was second nature. The tone of voice that invaded his rest was more than familiar. Just shifting himself enough to speak, the Outrider grumbled in his throat, "Of course I do, but this is what I want to do right now."
There was a pause, and slowly, ever slowly, his mind went over the words..... the attitude was the same, the interruption... but that voice did NOT belong to his sister Bluebell.
With a motion of alarm, Zanni lifted his antler-laden head and searched around, ears and nose working double-time to see where the presence waited.
His ears found her first, by the angered breathing, his nose followed - scenting her female hormones, and then he swung his head over... eyes wide and prepared. He looked at the female, dark and very mad. His jaw almost dropped, he was so suprised (mostly at himself for being caught so unawares), but Zanni had a bit more dignity than that.
"Ummm..." he searched for words, but all of a sudden could not find any.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 12:11 pm
"Do it someplace else then," she replied offishly, hardly finding it within herself to be amused at his unawareness.
No, it wasn't until he came to his frantic search a flicker of entertainment sparked within her. It wasn't enough to quell her tongue or her tone though. "Um? Is that all you have to say?" Rhian snorted at him, treading a line somewhere between disapproval and annoyance, then stalked a few steps forward.
The hind didn't bother pretending she wasn't scrutinizing him, and took a moment of silence to do just that. He was a good-sized stag. Older than she, undoubtedly, and appeared well-built to boot. If only it said something for his intelligence. The dumbstricken pause was anything but becoming.
Still, she made note to watch her boundaries, should he prove more aggressive than agreeable. Despite how much she enjoyed testing them - pushing their limits - she didn't fancy a physical confrontation. Rhian was an agile creature, but she doubted she'd be a match in brute strength.
Hmph. There was one more snort as she peered pointedly down at him.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 12:20 pm
Zanniquin reared his head back defensively when the hind decided he was a piece of meat. His sister did something similar... only it was more prideful than scrutinized. "There was no place else in the amount of time I had. I apologize if I ruined your flower garden," he said defensively.
When the hind got a little too close and snorted, the Outride got to his feet almost immediately. He stood, and held himself high, towering over the hind. The gift still layed at his feet, and Zanniquin was careful to make sure it wasn't going to be stepped on.
"Besides...." he flattened his ears and bared his teeth a little. He wouldn't attack her, she was one he was supposed to protect... but he would stand for getting himself beat up and scarred on her account. "... I have the right to take a rest. It's been a long trip back." Zanni's last trip took him far, and it had been days since he was back in the protected area of Home. Not like he expected a hind to understand that.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 12:40 pm
"Flower... garden?..." While one brow furrowed, the other lifted, as though it was a most strange accusation to come to terms with. "I see no flowers. Do you?" Not that she cared. Rhian was more concerned with his actions and tone. They were always on the defensive. It wasn't that she didn't understand it, but the reaction was hardly enjoyable. Where was humor when she needed it?
Gone, obviously. Maybe on vacation, or perhaps it had never been present. This one was faster to jump to conclusions than others had been, she noticed. He might have even been jumping the gun a little. Honestly, baring his teeth at her... Completely uncalled for. The hind shook her head a little, perhaps hinting to her disdain.
"And I don't have the right to tell you otherwise." Rhian's frown deepened to a scowl. She never had been satisfied with her lot in life. "Well, I never was one to care much about entitlement one way or the other. You take a rest if you please, and I'll tell you to move if I please."
At least he was standing his ground, she supposed. Shame it was her ground he was standing on. Perhaps he hadn't realized it... But no, she couldn't grant him the benefit of the doubt. It would be just like a stag to take whatever struck his fancy just because it suited him. Rhian would spare him the assumptions though. She bore no grudge against males in particular, and surely the truth would turn up sooner or later, be what it may. She would pick it (and him) apart then, not before.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 6:19 pm
Zanniquin took one deep breath. It was obvious to himself that he was a little cranky after his nap was interrupted. Oh how Bluebell would be mad if she saw him acting this way! She would definately rip into him, like only she could do. In an effort to calm down he closed and eyes and took deep breaths - breathe, one, two three... the Outrider flicked his ears back and forth, opened his eyes and then looked at the annoyed hind once more.
He snorted softly through his nostrils and said quietly - almost inaudible, "I see a flower, but not one I would particularly like to eat....." It was more of an off-comment. His sister always said he didn't think before speaking, or acting for that matter.
The hind's scowled deepened, and Zanniquin was trying to think of a way he could redeem himself. He wasn't usually such a jerk... though it looked to this one that it wasn't going to happen.
He nodded to himself, taking in her logic, "Yes, you could tell me to move, but it would still be my own choice to do so or not. I had not intended to.... violate your space, simply looked for a quiet place to take a nap."
Zanniquin paused after his short speech, and gave the hind a curious glance, cocking his head to the side to look at her from a different angle. "Are you always looking for a fight?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 6:51 pm
Well, that was a rather abrupt change of heart if she ever saw one. A peculiar one, at that. Rhian didn't follow his example though. She held her place instead, expression steeled and muscles coiled beneath her hide. Just as well. This was no more his personal snack buffet than it was his private naptime clearing... She chose to make no remark though, only giving him a pointed stare.
"If it was not your intention, then why do you persist?" she bristled, her tone low and even as she pulled herself into her clearing, keeping an eye and ear on him all the while. Certainly, it was his choice. But it was also hers to insist he leave.
The hind knew that look. The inquisitive glint, the slight tilt... and the question which followed, always. Hmph. "Discourse," she corrected, though she offered no clarification. "What difference would it make if I was?" She really sounded rather disinterested. Perhaps because this exchange was shaping up like many before it, lacking even the slightest trait to hold her attention. After all, one could repeat herself only so many times before she could stand it no longer - and Rhian was the sort to bore of it the first time.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:03 pm
Zanniquin sighed, and shook his head slightly. "It is a good clearing, a good spot to rest, and it was peaceful up until you arrived. I persist because it may yet again become a quiet and peaceful resting place. Why are you so protective? I am not an outsider to the Herd. Are you hiding something here? Something that may be dangerous to all the others?"
The Outrider saw her muscles tense, just that slight shift shimmering in the light. For a split moment, the buck appreciated that well-toned body. She obviously worked on it, to keep it so lean and strong. He thought how it might be to have her for his own....
But then she spoke again and any thoughts of that came crashing down. "I guess it would make no difference. If you were looking for a battle or not, you would still be saying the same things... I guess. It would not change the situation now would even I be able to change the course of the conversation - for you would bring it back to whatever path you wanted it to go. Females are always doing this.... I guess they don't have much else to do with their time but talk and gossip." Oh, if only he knew what those words meant. Granted, it was an observation among the Outriders.... the times they actually got together. But it was true, from what he knew from his sister... she always liked to talk his ears off and if he tried to change the topic she brought it back to whatever she wanted to discuss... whether or not it was on his own agenda.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:31 pm
"At least we agree on one thing," she added shortly, affording him a sort of not-quite-approving glance. It was less piercing than before, at least. "It may yet, if you leave." There was a subtle emphasis on the last, but she was too busy pursuing the next to sound venomous. "I can tell as much." The hind took the accusation with indifference though. "What have I to hide?" Rhian queried dryly, dragging her gaze across the clearing. "Nothing. And certainly nothing "dangerous". As such, I fail to see what concern it is of yours." Certainly, it was an Outrider's duty to protect his herd, but this one would do well to mind his own. She wasn't in the business of sharing reason behind her attachments.
Yes, she worked for it. Her training was, perhaps, one of the few things to keep her here. To keep her sane... Though she supposed that point was arguable. It was fortunate for him she was so wildly unfamiliar with the sentiment she hadn't noticed the flicker of expression.
"Do you think me a fool?" Rhian seemed to look away a moment, perhaps for thought, as her nose tipped toward the clearing's edge, but she peered at him from the corner of her eye. "Because I would have to be to seek a... 'battle' with you." The hind took another idle stride. "Make no mistake, I can hold my own against you. But such a senseless waste of effort it would be."
Sighing in irritation, she shook her head, disrupting the peculiar ruff of a mane down her neck. "Me? Like the others?" Rhian drew herself to her full height then, her graceful head held high, though she still came short of the stag before her. "Do not make me repeat myself. I am nothing like them. I have better things to do than twitter about so-and-so's latest achievements or swoon over this season's prime stag. And should you happen to remark I am 'talking' now - let me ask you, would you prefer I entertained you with my passtime?" It was not a threat, but were he to tread recklessly, it could have been. Cautious reservation was still camped somewhere in the back of her mind, but comparing her to... them was cause enough to overrule it.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 8:12 pm
Zanniquin snorted, "I am not ready to leave, thank you very much!" Even though his nap-time was completely ruined, well... now it was starting to be principles. Sure, he could back down when he wanted, but sometimes he was so tired of being pushed around... and his sister definately did that a lot. "And the well-being of this Herd, and those a part of it, is my concern. I am an Outrider, miss, and take that duty seriously."
"I never said you were a fool, nor do I pretend that fighting with horn and hoof is the only 'battle' one can participate in." He looked down at the affronted hind. "And I don't doubt that you could hold your own.... in either case. It is up to you if you wish to do as such." Zanni, for one, was not going to be the one to initiate a fight with a hind. Not only would the other Outriders be mad.... but his sister.... he'd never hear the end of it!
Oh, he hit a nerve..... what did he say? Zanniquin was more than confused as to why this hind became so mand all of a sudden about calling her a female. She was... very... female as far as he could tell. But the Outrider listened to her speech... and couldn't help but agree with her... at least about the mundane information. "Honestly," he said quietly, and sheepishly, "I never understood that. Outriders talk, but it's always about crucial information... not the gossip so many..." Zanni shut his mouth, and audibly. No need going there. He's already had Bluebell go off on him about how it was not 'gossip' but very important and blahblahblah.
"Oh? And what is your pasttime? Bantering back words and.... actions... with a humble Outrider such as myself? I would imagine such a thing boring and trivial."
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:02 pm
"I don't care." As though that wasn't obvious already. His obstinance was doing anything but serving to smooth her ruffled fur. "It is only your concern if I somehow pose or harbor danger to the herd, and regardless of whether or not you choose to believe it, I do neither." She huffed a heavy, exasperated sigh, though it was clear she was still on edge. "Search it if it suits you, just be sure to find the way out."
"An astute observation." Rhian made no further remark, but on some level, the affirmation of her ability did please her.
Not so much so she was willing to invite him to a stroll and dinner though. "You and me both," she snapped, more confirming her estrangement from the other hinds than for the sake of agreeing with him. If nothing else, he had no need to fear her could-be defense of the practice of gossip. The hind would have none of it herself.
"That's one way of stating it, I suppose, if not with unusual and imprecise wording." He got the boring and trivial part right, at least. "And you forgot 'sparring'." For a brief moment, she considered striking out at him... Not to draw blood or cause harm, but to make good on her statement prior. She didn't though; it surfaced merely as a flash in her dark, firey eyes, before she turned and stalked further into the small clearing.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:33 pm
Zanni was suprised... was she agreeing with him? Even maybe just a little? No one of the female kind ever agreed with him. Ever. They always ganged up on him if the could... cooing and caaing until the situation got simply too uncomfortable and he literally ran away with his tail held tightly to his body. "I shall... take your word on it," he eyed her carefully, praying to Herne she would not go off on him again.
All of a sudden, the stag was more tired than he was before. This hind made him think and consider his words carefully. She reminded him of his sister, only rougher and more antisocial might be a good term.
For awhile he didn't want to say anything, it might break the slightly companionable silence the clearing held for that moment.
But it ended, and with what might have been an imbedded insult to him, nonetheless. "Well, 'wording' was never my strong suit. That was left to my sister." Zanniquin snorted, "Sparring, then.... wait, sparring?" The stag looked at her sharply. She couldn't possibly mean, did she mean? The look in her eyes -no matter how brief- seemed to confirm that. The Outrider half smiled in amusement, "Sparring."
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 10:01 pm
Grudgingly, maybe. It was a feeling he was best not growing too comfortable with, as it wasn't something Rhian stooped to often. Provided this encounter lasted so long, anyway... "You do that," she remarked indifferently, clearly unconcerned with her guilt or innocence on the matter.
"Sister? Hmph." So that was the source of his spinelessness. It could have been worse, she supposed. Still, he didn't much suit her taste in company. Not that anyone was a match for her standards, mind.
"Yes, I think that was established," the hind snapped, annoyed by his redundancy. No, his amusement would not go uninterrupted. "You sound surprised." Rhian flicked a notched ear, her tone unamused.
He wasn't exactly the sharpest, was he? After all, her 'passtime' wasn't a particularly difficult conclusion to draw, were he to exorcise the powers of observation. Most hinds boxed, but she was abnormal. Despite her feminine stature, Rhian was well built, with the rough-around-the-edges exterior one might expect of a fighter.
Even the clearing around him was littered with scars, marring trunks here and there, if only he took a moment to notice them. It would have explained the attachment of which he was so insistent only moments ago, if nothing else, but she wasn't about to offer any hints.
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Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 10:50 am
Zanni paused and blinked as the hind made her indifferent remark, "I.... just said I would...." The comment confused him, just a little.
But then... "Sister... yes, Bluebell the storyteller. I was actually looking for her before my nap. You wouldn't happen to know where she might be? I have something for her...." Zanniquin shifted around the package at his feet, a little uncomfortable. Many hinds disapproved of his continuing sibling relationship with her.... and if this one got on his case about it - well, she was already more vocal than the others. He wasn't sure his mind could take the abuse.
"Surprised? About.... you sparring?" He shook his head slightly. "No... but I don't believe I've met a hind so proud of the fact, nor so easy to say she wanted to participate in the act." It was then that he started to see the trees... and now Zanniquin felt really awkward. So.... was this clearing her... personal... space? It looked like that was the case.
His nostrils flaring, he could scent her all over. Zanni was surprised he hadn't noticed it earlier. And now that he knew, wasn't sure how to go about the situation. He felt it was maybe best to not admit his mistake, not yet at least.
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