Below Zero
my frost philosophy will put no curse on me
There is a growing unease with in the group of horses that have come upon the Relic's Meadow. Bel herself stood just outside the trees, her eyes dancing from face to face, hardly sparing a second thought to the Relic (at least for now). The subtle shifting of hooves. The nervous twitching of ears, tails, pelts. Ruffling of feathers. Tossing of Manes. Unease ran rampant from individual to individual . . . and Bel herself seemed to freeze as she felt something was coming. Her eyes peered down to the sand below her hooves as she felt it begin to shake, quiver, quake. Was it fear? Anger? Distress? Soon it wasn't just the sand dancing, and the aquatic creature felt her body, her being seem to quiver in time to the land's shaking - waiting for what to come next.
Never in her wildest dreams did she think it would be this. The trees and brush all around her suddenly lifted up, and with that motion did Bel's hooves quick up and draw her closer to the crowd of gathered horses, alarmed when the earth had ripped up from right next to her. She stared with a mixture of horror and awe as the trees, the thicket swirled around in a dance in tune to the molten sand. However the dance didn't stay for long before everything began to form together, to twist and corrupt. Soon the timber skeleton was covered in molten sand muscle, and leafy skin, wrapping and morphing into a snake. And suddenly, Bel was feeling less than sure about her arrival here. Would this? Is this? What it all a mistake?
She stood still as the snake turned to stare them all down, and her eyes met those liquid orbs of the snake, staring the salt-water spheres down, wondering what would come from this. A seaweed tongue hissed out, tasting the air, and seemed to prep for an attack, a strike, and Bel was frozen. Fight? Fight the Island? Would they really have to fight the island? No. No. No. No. No. Not the island, not the island! Not after she'd spent so much time on it, learning to follow it's paths as they came to her, learning it's wise personality, making friends with it's odd magic. Not after all of this. Not after . . . . . But the others seemed to be gearing up. They were going to attack this creature only defending . . . .
There was a pause in that thought. Defending, that's all the island was doing. Defending an item it had been charged with the protection of it. Was this relic really worth so much to destroy the protector with nothing more than the protection and care of the prize. One was already moving in action, and before long others were joining, and still Bel stood frozen, uncertain, hesitating. What should she do, what should she do. Should she help? Should she turn and run . . . . No . . . she won't turn back. She wouldn't abandon the others to their own deathNever again would she turn her back for another to perish She would stand tall, she would stand ready . . . she would . . . . . could she bring herself to attack the Island . . . .
This led to her decision. She'd stay, but she needed to buy time, to find another response, another way to settle the island, to escape what could be a massacre between the Island-Created snake, and the others that prepared to battle it, and so she turned to run around the snake, the horses, buying herself some time to avoid the snake the others attacking it. She'd help try and contain injuries, make sure any that tried to turn tail and escape this madness made it out safe, but she couldn't bring herself to attack the island, she wasn't made for attacking, but rather defending; after all. And on land; she couldn't trust her footing enough to be of help even if she could. So she stood back, she watched, she supported, but she would not attack the snake. She would not attack that which only attempted to defend and protect.
Thoughts
Speech
@Random Events
Notes: Bel chooses Option Three. She can't bring herself to attack the snake . . . . I had expected her to eventually take up a different option >.< But darn it. She took time to grow comfortable with the island, and now it's all breaking her poor little aquatic heart.
Never in her wildest dreams did she think it would be this. The trees and brush all around her suddenly lifted up, and with that motion did Bel's hooves quick up and draw her closer to the crowd of gathered horses, alarmed when the earth had ripped up from right next to her. She stared with a mixture of horror and awe as the trees, the thicket swirled around in a dance in tune to the molten sand. However the dance didn't stay for long before everything began to form together, to twist and corrupt. Soon the timber skeleton was covered in molten sand muscle, and leafy skin, wrapping and morphing into a snake. And suddenly, Bel was feeling less than sure about her arrival here. Would this? Is this? What it all a mistake?
She stood still as the snake turned to stare them all down, and her eyes met those liquid orbs of the snake, staring the salt-water spheres down, wondering what would come from this. A seaweed tongue hissed out, tasting the air, and seemed to prep for an attack, a strike, and Bel was frozen. Fight? Fight the Island? Would they really have to fight the island? No. No. No. No. No. Not the island, not the island! Not after she'd spent so much time on it, learning to follow it's paths as they came to her, learning it's wise personality, making friends with it's odd magic. Not after all of this. Not after . . . . . But the others seemed to be gearing up. They were going to attack this creature only defending . . . .
There was a pause in that thought. Defending, that's all the island was doing. Defending an item it had been charged with the protection of it. Was this relic really worth so much to destroy the protector with nothing more than the protection and care of the prize. One was already moving in action, and before long others were joining, and still Bel stood frozen, uncertain, hesitating. What should she do, what should she do. Should she help? Should she turn and run . . . . No . . . she won't turn back. She wouldn't abandon the others to their own death
This led to her decision. She'd stay, but she needed to buy time, to find another response, another way to settle the island, to escape what could be a massacre between the Island-Created snake, and the others that prepared to battle it, and so she turned to run around the snake, the horses, buying herself some time to avoid the snake the others attacking it. She'd help try and contain injuries, make sure any that tried to turn tail and escape this madness made it out safe, but she couldn't bring herself to attack the island, she wasn't made for attacking, but rather defending; after all. And on land; she couldn't trust her footing enough to be of help even if she could. So she stood back, she watched, she supported, but she would not attack the snake. She would not attack that which only attempted to defend and protect.
Thoughts
Speech
@Random Events
Notes: Bel chooses Option Three. She can't bring herself to attack the snake . . . . I had expected her to eventually take up a different option >.< But darn it. She took time to grow comfortable with the island, and now it's all breaking her poor little aquatic heart.
i feel no cold, i feel no fear inside my mind
Now I'm full of energy
![[Image: i-jTNwWx8.png]](https://photos.smugmug.com/BelowZeroNovus/n-X9d9fZ/i-jTNwWx8/1/e09fb6c3/O/i-jTNwWx8.png)
