A day of gathering had allowed the Champion of Wisdom to wander far from the Night Court, to the lands that none but gods ruled to find the herbs that were not at home. Several plants only grew in this particular area, thanks to the creek, and now with night descending, it was easier to see them.
The plant glowed with a subtle softness, even chiming with the magical properties it had. Just a soft hum, it seemed like, enough to be heard and seen. With the moon above, the plant seemed to glow even more, the eerie pale leaves waving. Carefully, she plucked it, using her minor telekinesis to do it, and ensuring she got all of the roots to the best of her ability.
With a gentle motion, she opened her bag, and allowed herself to place the root in among others of its kind, all softly glowing, though no longer making any sort of noise now that it was harvested. It would be good to bring it back home, and use it for salves and potions that the caretakers would need.
Smiling to herself, Araxes moved, shifting to walk along the creek slowly, peering and keeping an eye out for more of the plants. It shouldn't be hard.... -- her ears twitched at a sound, and her wings gave a flicker before her head lifted up, nostrils flaring a little. There was a distinct scent on what little wind there was in the summer night, but it was still.. heavy, and familiar. Enough to make her bob her head just a little and turn her body, almost excited to see who it was.
"Tor!" She was maybe a little louder than necessary, but all the same, she danced forward, her bag flapping a little against her chest before she leaned forward. Wings tucked, and she nuzzled against his neck, almost nickering to herself as she touched against him. He was so warm (as always) and now that she knew him better.. well. Personal space wasn't in the equation anymore.
All the same.
"I didn't expect to see you out here," she mentioned, drawing her head back to look up at him, feathers ruffling and fluffing, almost on a display if she were to be an actual bird of some sort.
@Torstein || bc why not have them in the romantic encounters land lmfao
08-27-2017, 08:39 PM
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inkbone [PM] Posts: 75 — Threads: 5 Signos: 0
In his pursuit of learning the lands, it had brought him to the creek. Nightfall seemed to come much quicker than he expected in this land, but he was sure it was just the days melding together the more he wandered. But even the star-filled night sky did not deter him from wandering; nothing particularly scared him, to be honest.
He trotted lazily along the creek's shoreline, ears uncharacteristically perked forward as his dark eyes scanned the surrounding areas. This was, out of all the places he's seen thus far, probably one of the best lands to sustain yourself on. But at the same time... it smelled of no Court, of no allegiance. Instead, it had a distinct tang of neutrality; this must be one of the "Ruris" lands he had heard about.
But another smell hit his nostrils, sharp and pulling and prominent. Bulky body slowed its momentum, head lifting to scan the farther horizon for its source.
And he spotted her, certainly quick - like a beacon in the night, an inverse of the sky itself. Altering his path away from the creekbed, heavy hooves took him quickly to her. As she neared, he felt a warmth grow in his stomach. She smelled distinct, like something he wouldn't be able to mistake for anything else.
As she pressed up against him, his strong neck leaned over her body. A forehoof pawed hastily at the earth.
Why did he feel like this? Impatient? Needy?
He found himself shifting his weight more often, ears still pricked tentatively forward as he regarded the tiny mare nestled up to him. "I've been exploring as of late, he explained, lips finding a loose piece of mane and tugging at it lightly. "Since I'm not going much of anywhere, I figured it'd do me good to at least acquaint myself with the area."
The massive stallion turned alongside her, standing side to side, hip to hip; stray piece of mane still tenderly between his lips. "And what are you doing out here, wandering alone at night, my little bespeckled one?"
Araxes was grateful for the fact that her leg had healed; she had moved so fast that if it was still injured, she would have regretted it.
Araxes let out a pleased noise at the touch, the press of his heavy neck against her, and she wiggled herself just a little, small hooves pressing down in to the ground and her head lifting a little, eyes bright. Her lips broke in to a wide smile at the gentle pull of a few strands of mane that had fallen out of the braid that it was generally kept in. "I guess this is better than being back in Solterra with all the sand, isn't it?" She wanted to laugh, but she was more distracted by his scent and the way he was acting.
She gave a momentary pause -- his -- and looked at him, before she craned her neck and gently lipped at one of the larger spines on Torstein's chest. It was more so a gentle kiss, her head and wings under his own, the feathers ruffling up slightly to perhaps tickle at his jawline as she pressed herself to his side the best she could.
With as small as she was, she was almost certain she'd end up disappearing under him if she pushed too much, so tall was he compared to her.
"I was gathering the nirnroot that grows here. It's a good herb for healing and can be used in many salves. Easier to see at night, since they glow." She rattled it off almost nonchalantly, her tail giving a rippling flick as her forehooves lifted and lowered in a gentle motion, digging in to the ground.
Something about him.. he was a desire right now, a presence she almost wanted to just find herself drowning in.
So much so that she was having issues trying to come up with conversation.
"It's really good to see you again, this time without a storm."
Crimson eyes regarded the tiny mare with a bout of concern for naught but a brief moment, but her touch illicited a low rumble from his chest. Where her skin met his felt numb and alive with electric shock all at the same time; it was astoundingly distracting, to be honest. But, somehow, it was as addicting as it was distracting. His neck leaned over her own, head coming to rest at the base of her withers, soft muzzle blowing hot breath onto her skin.
"You're a breath of fresh air compared to any Oasis in Solterra," he remarked idly, tone hushed as he took in her smell. It was oddly intoxicating, and make his nerves prickle. Why? Why did it light his nerves on fire?
Her lips along his chest knocked him out of his trance, and he craned his head to peer back at her. Her breath was warm, but shocked his skin with a blast of cold air. He felt so much warmer than her. And he was.
On a normal day and with any other person, her rattling off of facts would simply make him irate. But instead, it brought a smile to her lips. Even he was surprised by the empathy that seemed to take hold of himself, but she looked and sounded so... innocent, naive to the world's intentions, yet never stupid. The knowledge was so second nature to her - very unlike himself, who had stumbled through all of Solterra for days looking for a single damn plant.
"What, do you not wish to experience the storms and lighting again?" He prodded, grooming lightly along her back - lips pressed gently against her withers as teeth brushed gently across her skin. A forehoof dug into the ground and drug backwards, making a large, dark gash in the ground. The needy impatience bubbled again, and somehow he began to feel antsy.
His head pulled up from her back, and he turned his body alongside hers. Lips found their perch in the same small bit of mane near her ears - the same one he had earlier - and gently tugged at it. "Come," he breathed to her, tone gentle but dominant.
As he spoke, he proceeded a step or two forward, the small bit of mane still firmly resting between his lips... but should he feel any resistance, any slight tug, the usually-not gentle giant would stop and peer curiously back at her, his right side still pressed to her left.
He felt like lightning in a bottle, humming with electricity where he touched her, though not shocking. Araxes felt herself almost shiver, tossing her head a little up and down as she did, a small bout of excitement that she couldn't contain, an antsiness that crawled through her muscles and made her not want to remain still. Every bit of her was wanting him. Him, him, him and only him.
"Maybe in a lesser degree than I did." Her leg still tingled, but at least there was patches of fuzziness beginning to grow back, wrapping her skin once more in white and black. His grooming had her lowering her head and stretching her neck, still pawing at the ground slightly, this time with a back hoof that seemed to dig a little more in to the mud than she had meant.
At least it felt better when he was against her side, something that had her up to him and easily rubbing against his side. As short as she was, it probably looked silly, but she was led all too happily forward from the smallest tug. Granted, her wings fluttered a little in excitement, but that was the most of it, and she felt herself almost melt in just the way he spoke. A strange reaction, but not unwanted.
So she was led with his steps, inhaling and taking in his scent as she kept close, as she allowed her head to turn a little and brush against him. She wanted to be impossibly closer, and her thoughts were a maelstrom, lost among emotions and more primal parts of herself that urged her onward, enough that her large tail lifted and shook from base to tip before lowering again, the strands being sent a little awry.
All her thoughts were on him, how he felt. Where they went, she cared not, more than happy to lean to press every touch she could against him, brushing over his side and almost a little eager to step forward, past him, as if to lead him as well, a small game. She would only get a little bit ahead of him, waiting in an eagerness for him to lead again.
She was beyond pleasant in a million different ways. Her smell, her touch, her temperament, her hair, her wings, her spots, her eyes. It lit him aflame, but he didn't know why. It was confusing and confounding, because there had never been a time in his life where he wasn't able to explain himself.
Yet here he stood, tugging the mane of a small mare that had a firm hold on his rotting heart.
What on earth did she see in him? Why was she so drawn to him? He was hardly compassionate, and wasn't even sure what he felt for her. Was it just lust? Was it honest love? What was it?
Guilt dug its dirty nails into the skin around his throat, tightening his chest and suffocating his senses. All he smelled was her. What was he getting her into? ... was he even concerned about that? He thought he was, but he began second-guessed himself.
Heavy hooves trod along the muddy edge of the river, the large stallion standing between the flowing river and the petite little thing that might get swept away, even with its gentle current. Silt and mud soaked into his worn hooves, water drenched the long feathers at his hocks. But his senses were numb to.. most everything.
They approached a small cluster of trees, and when they were within a couple yards, Tor suddenly stopped. With one single ear curiously perked up, lips released the small cluster of mane as he craned his head to peer back at her. Eyes were focused on her own, and he leaned closer to her to nudge her delicate little face.
"Why is it you like me so much?" he questioned matter-of-factly, his stride coming to a complete stop as he stood beside her. "After all, I'm not a figure that's exactly respectable."
Warm breath washed over her face as his soft, mottled muzzle pressed against the bone of her cheek. For a moment, his eyes closed as he took in her smell - a particular tang about it that he was .. quite familiar with. With such a realization came a pang of guilt in his belly, quickly smothered by every other feeling.
It was easy to lead her along, because Araxes went oh so willingly with Tor, the satchel bumping her chest with every dainty step she took. Every single bit of attention seemed to be on the large man and only him; the way he smelled, the way he moved, even the way he simply breathed in tune with her own soft breaths as they trekked in silence. She hardly even noticed where they were going before her ears perked and her wings gave a ruffle of surprise, slate eyes peering up at him.
The question seemed to take her off guard as they stood there in the night, the stars overhead twinkling and the moon at a full phase, filled out and flooding the entire area with a mock sense of light. Ara didn't seem to mind, her head lifting to allow the velvet brush of her muzzle against a much larger one, just resting there before she let out a puff of breath, almost a laugh. More like a soft giggle. "Because you're different," she admitted, her voice soft, a hum in the night that seemed to dance about them.
"Must you be respectable for someone to like you? You are.. an anomaly to me. Not quite the big brute that terrorizes, and not some gentle giant. Somewhere in between. You're hard on the outside, but there's something that seems to draw me in to you. A warmth I sense when I'm around you," she whispered, and her eyes closed as her head moved, just to gently brush a wing over his features.
"A guardian but not quite. You are... breathtaking, exhilarating, and above all... you are a mystery still, one that does not open to others. An opposite to me." He was handsome, tall, and many things that she could not really sputter out at the moment, her head seeming to swim partially in a daze that seemed to come with being around him at the moment. One that she was quite content to bask in.
His idle gaze lingered on her, and that pang of guilt returned. She was far too innocent, far too sweet.. Tor was certain he'd be her end. Or her association with him would do her in.
Must you be respectable for someone to like you? A thousand pictures flashed in his mind. The executions, the whippings, the blood, the demanded obedience, the dictatorship, the anger, the fear, the simmered rage. He felt his throat dry.. she really knew nothing of him. The Warden, the executioner now just as he was in Stolthet, pitied the little bird at his side.
His need overwhelmed his guilt, but he felt it stab him between the ribs. A guardian, but not quite. When would he tell her, when would he bother to show her how horrible of a person he truly was? He knew of it, he accepted it, there was no changing what he was and what he is. You cannot run away from your past and present.
His heart ached.
But his feet didn't listen to his rotten heart, and they moved forward to the trees after nudging her in the same direction. "Maybe you won't believe me," he remarked, glancing over his shoulder at the much smaller mare..
"... but I'll ruin you."
The two would move together, not much more of a word gracing Tor's lips as they entered the dark umbrella of trees where him and Araxes would spend the night at each other's side. -- FADE TO BLACK --
chest: closed // words: 243 // headshot // @Araxes
closing this out! Gotta thin out some of my open threads
