Horse Eden : Ara x West

May 15, 2024 10:52 AM

Posts: 1368
#1209517
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Hey, I am the one trying to keep up with you! XD You're the one who's had the majority of longer posts, I'm just trying not to embarrass myself given how short mine usually start before I got back and fluff them out! I'm curious to see his story. Noda's has been super fun given I've had to rethink a lot if her backstory given her attitude change 😂 but I'm excited for some of the ways the past is going to reveal itself- if all goes as I think it might))

There was an awkward air in the midsts of them as neither of the horses seemed to want to speak. As they stood in the sunlight, the pain from her body returned and was growing more prominent as she dried and the water droplets ceased to fall from her pelt. Noda shifted her weight uncomfortably but it didn't seem to help at all. Her body was beginning to feel stiff again. She contemplated revisiting the lake in hopes of easing her pain, but reminding herself of onlooking eyes, she instead just moved to the shade of a single green willow that was a bit of a distance away, but not far off the shore of the lake itself. The earth around it was a bit damper than the firmer ground she had just been standing on, so she was careful to watch her step. The closer she got, the more there seemed to be something that was pulling her towards the tree, but she couldn't quite figure out just what. Her face held a puzzled expression but with one quick, shy look back at the stallion, she decided to follow it on her own. The blood bay really didnt know what she was doing but her amber orbs took everything in as if she was searching for something specific. A single audit tipped back at the commotion behind her, one of the mares from the herd had trotted up to the stallion in her absence. A sigh parted from her tight lips as she refocused on the ground before her and tried more than anything to make something stand out.

In the presence of the tree, she paused, taking in the pale green elongated leaves nearly a foot long. Noda stepped closer, allowing the wide spead branches to drape over her as she moved through them. With the sun directly off her pelt, she could already feel a difference in her comfort. She kept moving through the greenery until she stood before the trunk. The bark of the tree was an odd brownish-grey tint she had ever seen before, with many grooves, making it look easy to pick off. Willow bark. The word seeming to come from nowhere within her mind. She rested her pink muzzle against the tree, raking her teeth gently over its surface and as she predicted, the bark easily shed from the trunk and onto the ground. She stared down at the pieces. This must have been what she was after. Following her next gut instinct, she found herself eating the fallen pieces. Her face twisted in a displeasing manner as she swallowed the crunchy, bland matter. Why did I do that? was all she could think at the moment. From the corner of her eyes, she caught the glimpse of a dark figure. When she snapped her head back around to face it, for a split second, she caught the figure of a dark horse. It was then she had her first flashback:

“Noda, the willow bark will help with the pain, eat it." The solid black equine ordered the filly and she did so. "Good, now take the Marigold to Riptide." The mare pushed a bundle of yellow flowers towards the younger horse as she expected her to complete the task. The dark equine's face was soft and gentle as she spoke which made Noda feel safe in her presence.

But just like that, the brief moment of clairty was gone.

Noda snapped back to reality and she stood there comletely shocked. "What?!" She snorted aloud to herself, looking back to where she had seen the figure, she now swore was her mother. However, just as quickly as she had appeared, her presence was gone in an instant. "I dont -" She paused, trying to find where the stallion should have been still standing. She quickly quieted her words so she wouldn’t have that explain because if she was being completely honest, the memory made her even more confused! Her dam was asking her to take herbs to the stallion, if she was helping him, then why did he hate her? He said they weren’t friends so why would she be helping him? She watched the two horses but she was unable to hear what they were talking about but as they occasionally would face her direction as they spoke, she already had an idea what the topic of conversation might be. Refocusing on her mission at hand. 'Marigold. Where can I find Margold?' she pondered to herself. Again, she had absolutely no idea how Marigold was going to help her, but her gut instinct was pushing her to find it.

****

The petite, dark liver mare trotted gracefully over the hilltop, watching the pair in the distance with a look of concern plastered on her features. As the 'lead mare,' she had deemed herself among the mares, she seemed to be more observant of the things around her, as well as the stallion that protected them. Even though she called herself 'lead mare," she had no emotional tie to the stallion as one would expect, though, that wasn't from her lack of try. "Hey," Minnah started calmly, slowing her pace as she reached Riptide. "Is everything alright?" Her voice was calm and sounded sincere as she allowed her orbs to rest on his face.

Edited at May 15, 2024 01:40 PM by Arabian Heritage

May 15, 2024 12:49 PM

Posts: 12253
#1209549
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XD we're all good then. Honestly it's not too hard to just write and have it flow out- I haven't had to go back and lengthen my posts at all, thankfully.

I'm still trying to figure out the best way to make it as dramatic as possible LOL! I have a baseline in mind, but nothing too fancy.

It's a good thing Noda has been fun so far! If it's not entertaining, no one will keep rping, so entertaining is good. I can't wait for Riptide to start opening up about the past! I have the strong urge to just do it super quickly xD. However, that won't be good for how his character is set up))

The sun had risen high in the sky, a glowing orb of bright hot fire that warmed up everything around it. Riptide assumed that it was hurting Noda's burns, as she glanced back before moving away, towards the shade of a low hanging Willow. He decided not to follow, as he really had no reason to at this point. Even though he could tell she wanted to leave, he could also tell she wanted to know more about her past. Since he had been with her since day one, being only around 16 days older than her, he knew everything she had ever done, essentially. Up to the point he left, of course. Everyone had always expected them to be best friends, as they were the closest in age and maturity, but obviously that never happened. When he turned his head slightly he caught the scent of her still smoky coat, and without his consent, the memory that had been slowly pushing broke through.

It was a dark and stormy night, and that correctly defined it. Clouds covered any moon and stars that may have been up there. The only light came from occasional flashes of lightning, but it was dry. Too dry. The middle of summer, over 100 degrees out, and there was no rain from this monster storm. The small herd huddled together to best they could, with the stallion patrolling the outsides to make sure no one left. The menacing clouds swirled around, slowly at first, but soon quicker and quicker. Riptide crouched down in terror, his wide eyes reflecting the bolts of lightning. Noda and the other foals were hunkered down near their mothers, and he was huddled under his own. He heard frantic voices, and scared cries, but all he could see were the swirling clouds. Mere seconds later they seemed to stretch out of the sky like a hand of terror, spinning faster and faster, and a Roar of wind overtook everything. The flighty horses scattered, and before he knew what was happening, he was bolting for his life, a terrifying wind monster seeming to chase him. Riptide flew into the woods, tripping over roots, getting scraped on branches, pain radiating through his body. The Roar of the wind was still loud. Suddenly there was no one around. Just woods. The Roar of wind. There was a loud boom and a crash as white hot fire blazed down from the heavens and struck a tree too close to him. He was sent flying, thudding against the ground. Thankfully he didn't get knocked out, or he would have died. A raging fire started from that strike, sending blazing hot flames everywhere, and smoke curled into his nostrils. He tried to run, but there was no where to go. Wheezing. Hacking. Pain. So much pain.

The memory faded as abruptly as it had begun. Ripp's skin quivered slightly, and he felt like his coat was on fire, burning in the sunlight. He lowered his cranium, his nostrils flaring as he reminisced in the cool, salty air. Home. Safe. He was safe. He hated all these memories that were getting dredged up from Noda being here. A quick glance up, his audits pricked, confirmed she was still under the Willow- truthfully, to his surprise. He hadn't been paying much attention. Even though only a mere minute passed, it seemed like an eternity. Lifting his cranium as he heard hoofbeats, Ripp turned his umber orbs to a mare he knew quite well, one who had been the very first to join his herd. With a striking dark liver coat, she was impossible to forget. Trying to relax his twitching pelt, he dipped his head slightly in quiet greeting. "Yes, everything is fine. However, we have a ... short time visitor." He answered quietly, glancing over at Noda. "She has been through quite a bit, and doesn't remember her past. Please treat her with respect. I'm guessing she'll leave as soon as she's strong enough." His voice was low, yet more firm than it had been with Noda- more like its normal self.

May 15, 2024 04:57 PM

Posts: 1368
#1209605
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Meh, it's my style. I like to go through and respond or react to the important parts and then fill in the blanks. Otherwise, I always seem to forget something. Noda is very different from the bratty, flirtatious characters I normally Rp with so I find her to be extremely fun at the moment!)

The flaxen mare fixed her eyes on Noda and did an absolutely brilliant job at hiding her distaste underneath a soft and natural looking grin. "Well in that case, we will treat her just as she oughta be treated." Minnah hummed sweetly as she turned her gaze back to Riptide, lingering over his frame. "Is there anything I can take off of your plate?" She asked, hinting around that she could tell he had a lot on his mind but not directly, as to not make him feel anymore frustrated or defeated.

Noda had wandered off in search of these flowers that her dam had mentioned in her memory, but she was having little success in actually locating them. She followed a tiny, faint trail deeper into the wooded area that took her farther and farther from the horse you could almost say was keeping her captive. She was surprised that she had made it this far without being followed. As the time went on, she could feel the pain of her wounds becoming less sharp and actually bearable. Perhaps these flowers could help her get away. I mean, if they worked any better than the willow bark, it was a possibility she could entertain. She thought a little harder about her dam and she walked on. Was she still alive? Where was she now? A lump formed in the back of her throat. She was beginning to miss this horse that she couldn't remember. The few moments where she had felt the mare's presence and felt totally at ease and safe was all she could think about. All she wanted right now was to be safe. Riptide had offered her safety within the herd, but it wasn't the same as what she longed for. She wanted to be with someone she could trust, someone that cared for her and didn't look at her with hatred as he had for the last few hours since their first encounter. Then, she began to wonder if she DID have someone like that. Did she have a mate? Was he out looking for her right now? That was a thought that made her smile. She would love more than anything to be whisked away from this place and taken back home and told the stories she had forgotten. Home. She wanted so badly to go home. Wherever that was.

A sweet smell pulled Noda from her thoughts. Her orange orbs lit up at the sight of the bright yellow flowers growing bountiful in the divine sunshine just up ahead in a clearing. Her sore body moved slowly towards the plants and with one swing of her head, she clenched a mouthful between her teeth, careful not to crush the stems until she could figure out what she was doing. She made a detour over to her right where she stopped at the river which flowed down in the direction she had just come from and fed into the lake she had been standing next to hours ago. It was there that Noda dropped the plants she was carrying and studied them with no success in how to use them. She exhaled a big sigh as she contemplated her next move. Should she go back towards the herd? Or just bite it and take her chances on her own and try to find the one horse she longed for at this moment in time? Both options were tempting, but as the sun moved closer to the western horizon, she thought it best that she didn't run off into the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. Noda sucked in a deep breath, gently picked up the flowers, and started back towards the lake.

May 15, 2024 05:47 PM

Posts: 12253
#1209620
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That makes sense. I'm constantly looking back at the post to make sure I don't miss anything haha.

Yeah- I understand that. Riptide is very different from the welcoming, joking characters I'm used to playing! It's interesting to try out new things))

The stallion flipped his faded grey mane to the other side of his neck, enjoying the breeze that now reached his skin. His mane was long and thick, so his neck could get hot at times. Bringing his dark gaze to Minnah as she spoke, he was a bit glad to see the mare didn't seem to dislike Noda immediately. He didn't want to cause the other mare any more trouble than necessary, as he was still figuring out what to do himself. Minnah's words were kind, yet with his background he hesitated slightly. Was it sweetness or was it hiding something? Internally, he smacked himself. He had known this mare for years; she wasn't like that. Her next, gentle words brought a sigh to his muzzle, yet he didn't show much of a reaction, trying, and succeeding, to hide anything that would hint to exactly what he was thinking about. "Not at the moment, but thank you for offering." He answered curtly, not being sharp with his words but saying them in a way that portrayed he didn't need help. Or, at least, what he was dealing with, she couldn't help. Flicking his tail, he focused a second on sealing the cracks, as obviously Minnah could tell something was going on and he didn't want anyone to be able to. Growing slightly more reserved, Riptide lifted his cranium slightly, turning his gaze to the far reaches of the field, where he could see Noda disappearing. Concern flitted across his face as she faded into the woods completely. Was she leaving? Although part of him would be happy about that, he wanted to know how this happened, and possibly to explain to her about her past. Yes, Ripp had strong feelings towards Noda, and a lot of horses would go as far as to say he hated her- which he wouldn't deny- but long, long ago, he had cared about her, quite a bit, and he was stubborn. Although he had been broken, there was that tiny piece of him that kept his former feeling, sealed in stone. Most of him, however, resented her for ruining his life and getting on just fine afterwards. Until now, of course.

Worry creased his features again as time passed and the mare did not return. He was almost about to go after her when he reminded himself that he wasn't keeping her captive- he wasn't going to control where she went. Even if he didn't want to admit it, he was just trying to help. For selfish reasons, sometimes, but staying here a couple nights would benefit her as well. A random memory popped up as he thought.

He was young, under a year, but of course, full of energy. Noda had just challenged him to a race, and of course he accepted. At the moment he was Galloping full speed through trees, jumping over roots and dodging trunks. He popped out of the forest to see Noda nowhere in sight, but the tree that marked the finish line was right there, so he went for it. A second later she popped out of the trees and crossed the finish line shortly after him, sliding to a stop. "Cheater! You took a shortcut!" She huffed before storming away. Riptide stood there speechless for a second, confused. Why had she accused him of cheating? He blinked once or twice before wandering towards the herd, to have his mother and two other mares come out. "Congradulations on winning the race, my baby Ripp! You did so spectacular! You make your momma proud." His mother chirped, nudging his shoulder. "Strongest and fastest colt out there." Another mare commented. Ripp smiled with the compliments, Noda quickly forgotten.

Coming back into the present, the memory faded as quickly as it had came. How had he not seen that coming? How had he STILL grown to like Noda, even with the way she treated him? He had been so naive- so stupid, foolish, immature. Even with all the warning signs, he had still fallen directly into her unplanned trap. Ripp blew out a heavy breath, wandering over to the water and snorting quietly before drinking, his audits swiveling, nostrils flared slightly to pick up on any strange scent.

May 15, 2024 08:51 PM

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#1209736
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This one is short because I'm running out of things for her to think about on her own that haven't already been said XD)

Noda stopped just at the edge of the woods where she couldn't quite be seen yet but she could just make out the figure standing near the hill. Riptide was alone now but no doubt the mare was probably close by with the rest of the herd. She took a deep breath, was she really going to go back? There was no turning back once she did. With a sigh, she brought her orbs to the willow trees once more. An image of the mysterious mare flashed before her again with the same reassuring look that overpowered the young red mare the first time. She lingered, hoping that the mare would reappear, but of course, that didn't happen. Noda looked back down at the Marigolds between her hooves and studied them for a moment. Finally, she decided to go on a hunch and she picked them up and began to chew them. Their texture quickly changed to a soft sticky mash that wasn't exactly the best thing she had tasted. Not feeling right, she let the substance fall from her mouth and it hit the ground but not without some of it getting on her front leg. Within a few minutes, she realized that some of the pain in that front leg had greatly diminished where it was covered in the Marigolds. This is where it clicked. Noda used the rest of the flower paste to spread across the rest of the crusted wounds. She was able to apply the herb to most of her body with the exception of her neck and withers she couldn't reach on her own. The plants weren't as fresh as they could have been if she had done this immediately after they had been pulled from the ground but already she could feel a slight difference - or perhaps that is just what she wanted to believe through her existing pain. With her head between her knees, the blood bay closed her eyes for a few moments and relished in the relief she was finally feeling.

It was dark by the time Noda broke through the trees. She was very surprised that the stallion hadn't come looking for her by now. Damn, maybe she COULD have left. The thought made her frown as she brought her frame to a halt by the water. She searched for Riptide, wondering if he had already gone back to the herd for the evening. The thought of the night coming stirred her nerves, making her nauseous. She wasn't ready to face the nightmare that she knew was waiting on her to close her eyes. Recently, she had been forcing herself to stay awake as long as possible to avoid it, but today's activities had completely drained her and she feared she wouldn't be able to keep herself awake. She brought her small frame to the ground knees first and stared out at the water, allowing the white noise to chase away the thoughts that racked her brain. She began to focus on the little sounds; the cicadas, the owls stirring in the nearby trees, anything that would distract her from the exhaustion trying to creep its way over her.

May 15, 2024 09:31 PM

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#1209748
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I'll have Riptide go over and ask some philosophical question that she has to think about lol))

The grey stallion flicked his audits forward as he focused his dark orbs on the rippling water. Everything was so confusing right now. Time passed, yet nothing happened as he continued to stare at the water, his mind elsewhere. A second later, he lifted his cranium, his gaze flicking to the forest, a quick bolt of panic stabbing through him. Was Noda gone? Had she left? When he saw a burnished red pelt laying near a tree, he relaxed slightly, his heartbeat slowing. Quickly making a decision, he shook his mane, heading towards the mare. Lengthening his stride into a Trot, he soon drew up near her. "Noda? I... I'm sorry to bother you, but I have .. well.. I know you want to know about your past, and I know you don't want to ask, but I also know you're going to leave soon. You want to, anyway. I can see it. You don't want to be near me, and I understand that, I've been rude and closed off- I'm not trying to, but it's hard. If you want to know more, I can help you.. I've known you since... well .. as long as I can remember. I understand you don't trust me..." He trailed off, shutting his mouth, glancing away. His dark eyes darkened even more, sadness flickering through for a moment before he hid it. Cocking a hoof, not in ease or relaxation but to ... well... fake it till he made it. He shook his mane again in nervousness, not wanting to explain but .. at the same time, wanting to explain. Ripp lowered his cranium and grabbed a bite of grass between his teeth, swallowing it before shifting his weight again.

(Gosh I'm sorry this is SO short! I didn't even realize till I finished. I'll try to male the next one a lot longer!)

May 15, 2024 10:09 PM

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#1209759
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Hey, no thats fine! It makes sense for the conversation pieces to be shorter. I mean, you cant really have a whole conversation planned out by yourself, can ya? XD Totally fine with it!)

Noda nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of the stallion's voice right behind her. She had been in a trance and missed the sound of his hooves announcing his presence. Her amber orbs were dull and slow to react, revealing how tired she truly was. As she spoke, she realized how serious this conversation was going to be and brought herself to stand up. Though her body still popped and ached, it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been without the marigolds. She was so thankful for that. Though he said she could ask him practically anything, his body language was screaming how uncomfortable he was. She stole a glimpse of his face, the sadness expressed in his eyes made her physically hurt. Without even thinking, she stepped forward with her head extended out with thoughtless intentions to comfort him. It was only a second later that her brain caught up with her body and she immeditely turned her head away from him completely before she could touch him, fixing her orbs on anything else but him as her cheeks heated underneath her pelt in embarassment. "Listen, I know you don't want me here, and I don't want to cause you more pain by being here than I already have." She sighed. "Yes, I have questions but ... I don't know if I really want the answers. Obviously what happened ... between us ... was awful and I don't want to make you relive it." She admitted, holding her breath as she had almost been to scared to speak freely.

Edited at May 15, 2024 10:09 PM by Arabian Heritage

May 15, 2024 10:42 PM

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Believe me, I've tried to plan out an entire conversation. It doesn't work XD. Okay!))

The stud flicked an audit as he visibly noticed the mare startle, feeling a little bad he had come up so suddenly. That feeling increased when he noticed how drowsy she looked. This was probably NOT the best time to have a big long conversation, but here he was anyway. The questions... or comments, had been weighing on his chest for a while now, and he wanted to get them out. Of course, there was the normal battle between his two sides, one of which didn't want him to feel bad because she had been a horrible horse and he hated her, and one of which was trying to plead that since she had forgotten everything all should be forgiven, as well. Forgive and forget. Maybe this was just a new way to put those into text.

He had gotten lost in thought again, something he found happened quite frequently ever since he caught the first glimpse of her burnt pelt, and only when he heard a slight hoof step forward did he raise his cranium slightly in surprise, his umber orbs flitting to Noda as she moved. It was obvious she realized what she was doing a second later and drew back, which made Ripp thankful and confused and even sadder all at the same time. It was far too like when she had pretended to like him back, pretended to care for him. Part of him wanted it to be that so he could just get angry again and send her away. However, the other big part was sad that he had been so much of a jerk that she didn't think she could even stay near him. That hurt the most, honestly. He should've gotten over by now what had happened in the past, however traumatic it was. Holding a 2 year long grudge was never going to solve any problems.

When she spoke, his gaze flicked back to her, his audits swiveling slightly to catch her quiet words. Again, the mixed feelings took over, but he pushed them to the side long enough to answer. "You're not- it's complicated, but unavoidable, and causing me pain should be the least of your worries. It's not that I don't want you here. There's more to it than that." He started, pausing with a slight breath outward, shifting so all fours had weight on them equally. "Not to make you feel worse, but to put it bluntly, I've already re-lived most of it and there wasn't any avoiding it. Just means it'll be easier to deal with now. However, I do want to point out, your questions can have nothing to do with me. I knew your mother quite well, and your friends in the herd... but .. I understand if it's difficult to even think about that anymore. I honestly don't know what I would do if I lost my memory.." He trailed off again, knowing he was probably just making things worse. "If.. I'm really not helping.. I'll just leave.." Ripp finally added quietly, lowering his cranium slightly.

May 16, 2024 07:22 AM

Posts: 1368
#1209820
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This is hella short since I'm at work DX ))

Noda sighed, his words not making her feel any better about any of it. She shifted her weight to one side as she looked down at the blades of grass between her hooves. The wind blew gently between them, and for the first time ever, it didn't hurt her wounds packed carefully underneath the paste she had applied just a few hours before. Her audits pricked at the mention of her mother. At this point, she was honestly all that Noda cared to hear about. "What can you tell me about my dam?" She asked him once he had trailed off. She flicked her tail around her hips nervously but her eyes now glinted just the slightest with hope. Maybe he could tell her where she was and she could go find her. As she waited for him to answer, she began pondering just how far away they were from their natal herd. How long had SHE been away from them? Would any of them be looking for her? Given how long she had already been out on her own, it was not very likely, but it was a tiny piece of hope that Noda chose to hold onto ... that somewhere, someone was looking for her, someone cared about her just enough.

Edited at May 16, 2024 07:25 AM by Arabian Heritage

May 16, 2024 07:39 AM