A Ghost Among The Living ~OPEN~

[Arwen]

Pic ©2009-2011 =Fahlaemee




Moon
~.:YOU Don't Impress ME:.~


The early mornings mist had already settled upon the dense forest, leaving little droplets of dew on everything. Few small creatures scurried this way and that before the light foot falls of a equine moving through. She was barely noticeable, her gleaming white coat blending into and complimenting the swirling mist that clung to her lithe form. The only thing abnormal about the average sized mare was her bright blue eyes, peering out. From her steady relaxed pace it was obvious she was in no hurry to get to a particular destination.

I watched with a sort of relaxed awe as the encroaching fog swirled around my hooves as they shuffled through the forest debris. The thick condensation was a wonder really, it was like walking through a low hanging cloud. The early morning air felt clean and crisp in my lungs, the day was still young. I was completely new to this area and for some reason I decided to linger. The woods were peaceful and quiet unlike most regions where equines could be found. I traveled alone and I preferred to stay alone. Upon special occasions I would talk to the locals but I was more interested in what they could tell me about the history of the land. How things worked. There was always one question no one could ever seem to answer for me, why were things the way they were?

My mind worked differently than most. For the majority of our species it was a matter of survival and reproduction before mother nature decided we had served our purpose. I wanted to explore, to figure things out. Some may say I acted like a different creature in a horses body. I was ever aware of my surroundings, except when I was thinking. The trees in the forest around me were tall and thick with age, their boughs hanging high above my crown. The cold would eventually start to seep into my muscles with evident disdain I would lurch into a dainty trot. One could compare my trot to that of an Arabians..though I held none of their blood. I held my silken banner, my crown arched tentatively. Each foot fall was thought out and well placed.

The hearty new scent of nearby water alerted my nares, and I pushed into a smooth lope towards its source. As I weaved in and out of the trees gracefully I came upon a fallen log. Its broke off branches jutted out like razor sharp spears, and moss had long since taken up residence on its bark. With a slight off beat in my pace, I felt my muscles bunch and launch my body into the air. I curled my fore legs to my chest as the log passed by beneath. A irritated squeal left my velvet kissers as one of the spears scraped along the underside of my barrel. I landed smoothly, dancing to a halt a few yards from the lake. Its surface rippled softly though there was no one to be seen. Curiously I began walking around the lake, searching for the source of ripples.

I was careful to stay as far from the bank as was necessary to avoid sinking into the soft muck on the shore where all manner of deer, horse, and other wildlife prints were stuck. The fog was thickest around the water, and it concealed me well. It made me feel safe, gave me the element of surprise should I need it. I continued my search now determined to find the source.

[Dove]

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[atrb=width,300,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][bg=000000] Luna was not one to care for appearance. She simply did not mind getting a little dirty to study what she wanted. This was a bit over a 'little' dirty. She was covered in mud, mainly because she had been "romping" around the edge of the lake, watching as little tree frogs would flee from the muck and lizards would slide further into the water, fish would bubble at the surface to nip up a bug that had strayed to from home and birds would fly irritatedly from the near by bushes as she walked quietly towards them. Her chocolaty black legs and barrel were now a thick gooey brown paste and her creamy white mane and tail were splattered with mud. After a while of pondering the lake life she went into the cool lake to wash off. The water erased the mud off of her silky dark chocolate coat. Luna gazed around her and watched as the fog swirled around her body, which not only caused disturbance in the water but, also in the fog. She flicked her ears as an irritated sort of sound pierced the dense white clouds. She pulled herself to the edge of the lake and stared at the mud, it went three or four feet out from the lake, but, Luna had already prepared for the mud. Since she didn't want to get dirty again after getting clean, she bunched her mussels and leaped. She shivered as she landed, it was cold with the fog and being wet but, although she didn't care about mud she didn't want it clumping up her coat. Her elerticly clear blue orbs looked about her and up into the dense covering of pine needles above her. The forest is so old, it's... it's... Magnificent! Quite amazing really that the fire that devestade the Young Forest had not touched these large old trunks and the boughs of pines. Luna watched as a bird would fly from a branch to another and watched as the needles would fall off as the bough shook with a tiny bird's weight. She happened to glance across the lake right as the fog parted just enough to see a glimps of white, not the unearthly white-grey of fog but, a pure white, a furry white. A pink maw flashed through the mist once more as it closed again, covering up whoever was there. Luna watched, shrugged and turned back to her exploring of the forest, a creature watching her didn't concern her as much as the lovely little rabbit that was watching her with a mixture of "Oh my god what is that?" and "I hope it doesn't step on me!" Luna slowly lowered herself to the ground, carefully edging away from the mud pit behind her and toward the little cottontail rabbite in front of her. She lowered her head to the ground and watched as the rabbit turned and headed into it's burrow. Pateince is a virtue, the little doe will come back and hopefully understand I'm here to observe not endanger. And sure enough the little rabbit peaked it's head out of the burrow and hopped right away into the forest. Oh, that was disapointing... I was hoping I could see what she does for a life... but, oh well... Luna got up from the ground and looked at her wet pelt in dismay as some of the dirt clungs to it. She shook herself off, ina dog-like fashion and smiled as most of the dirt and water flung off onto the fog covered ground below her. I bet it's almost always foggy here because very little sunlight actually reaches the forest floor. Luna couldn't help herself, even though she tried to ignore the presence she flicked her head back towards the spot where the white horse last was. Why is the horse watching me? Or does it even know I'm here? Surprisingly enough Luna hadn't considered the fog could hide her as well, but, she was darker in color so, it would be that helpfull to hide her presence.

[Arwen]

I continued walking, my head low to the ground as my orbs examined the lake. At one point the water became little waves that washed upon the muddy shore, then they ceased to exist. The water remained still and I was left slightly baffled. Well while I was here, it couldn't hurt to go completely around the lake. Who knows I might find something interesting. The fog was beginning to feel more humid as the sun above made it warmer. Eventually it would disapate all together. Where did the fog go once it dissapeared?

I decided maybe I would find out one day and went on my trek. An interesting sound caught my ears. I approached and to my absolute surprise there was another equine standing a couple feet before me. The fog was so thick it was difficult to notice any features right off, other than a dark pelt. I whinnied softly to announce myself, just in case he or she didn't already notice me. The fog also had a tendency to muffle and distort sounds as well. I preferred to be alone, but that didn't mean I wasn't social.

If I chose I could be quite the social butterfly even with my laid back personality. It took me a few moments to realize the other equine was also a mare. That was sort of comforting in a odd way, stallions were always on the prowl for more females to hoard into their territories. My voice was a bit lower pitched than most females, it wasn't the typical annoying high pitch babble of the norm. "Hello there, I'm Moon. How are you?" Though I spoke to the mare directly my aqua eyes were all over the place.

Whenever I stood in place I was always looking around and searching for something interesting. My eyes caught on a little salamander like creature trying to slither out of the mud. It was slightly amusing in a way how hard it struggled to get free, only to slide back twice as far. Why must life be so cruel to those that don't deserve it? After five or so more failed attempts the little creature finally managed to scurry into the cool waters of the lake, creating tiny ripples as it dissapeared beneath the surface. I forced my orbs back to the other mare, concentrating on taking in her appearance, no easy task considering the fog.

Her fur seemed wet, or at least damp. Considering the early mornings chilly bite wasn't it a little cold to go swimming? I thought so. She really was quite pretty, with a creme colored banner and mane. I quietly waited for her to speak with perked ears and obvious interest.

[Dove]

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[atrb=width,300,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][bg=000000] "Hello there, I'm Moon. How are you?" The mare seemed just s curious about the world as Luna was, this was rare, and so far, it seems to only have happened once and now twice! "Why hello! Nice to meet you Moon, I'm Luna and I'm very well, cold, but, well I suppose that's my fault for exploring the lake's surrounding life and then cleaning off the muck in the cold lake. How are you?" Luna shivered as if to show she was cold. The thick fog was dissipating rapidly and Luna's blue eyes could spot the mare as she watched a little salamander squirm in the mud. Luna's blue eyes looked at the snowy white mare with a soft velvet muzzle tinted pastel pink. She looked at the mare and then looked at her Hershey's chocolate colored frame, How and more importantly, Why did horses get splashed such different colors? Her mind drifted from that and went on to her father, he looked almost the polar opposite of her mother and Luna, he looked very much like this horse aside from the fact he was a little taller and a tad bulkier at the shoulders. "You are a really pretty horse, you know? Why do you think you are that color? Were your parents white? A lot of white animals with blue eyes are blind, my mother taught me that." she asked with a soft voice and continued, "I know coloring has something to do with your parents and their parents but, I don't understand how we became all so different." She chuckled lightly, her laugh like the jingle of a store's bell. Her mind drifted from the horse as a flashy colored blue jay swept past her head, she watched it mesmerized as it would beat the air with light blue wings and then dip a bit when it pulled it's wings up and float a little higher when it pushed it's wings down. In her opinion flying seemed like to much a hassle, it seemed to her walking was easier.

[simplydexterous]

[th][cs=3][rs=3][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,500] [bg=000000] ~Ma' Knees Are Shaking Just Like a colts, Mister.~ The petite creature shuddered, huge, topaz eyes closing for the briefest of seconds before she screamed out as her front hoof hit water. She lowered herself into the pond, feeling the cold liquid wash over her filthied carcass in little waves. The mud that had been caked on for many weeks, and the blood, washed itself away with little help from the timid buckskin mare, who was frozen in place. The torment of how it would feel to step out, so clean, from the water was going to kill her, snap her little heart in two, but she bit her bottom lip harshly, and continued to try and remove the muck from her originally buckskin coat. Several hours later, the ninety nine percent Arabian mare lay on the ground beside the pool, panting warily. She felt so wrong, just resting there with nothing to cover her hideous looks, but she simply couldn't move out of exhaustion. Washing herself had been a battle of wills- she hoped to get claimed by a nice young buck, and live her life being protected in a small corner where there was plenty of everything apart from noise, other company, and stallions. She was set to impress, with her beautiful, thick, long ebony mane and tail, gorgeous build, long legs, and stunning face, but yet she thought herself hideous. A rustling of leaves brought the femme to her startled, thin, stilts, and she bolted to the nearest tree, her heart racing. Ten minutes of standing with making only the softest of possible breaths, she strode out, banishing the aching from her legs. The fourteen hands high vixen jolted back and forth at the sound of birds tweeting, and an unusual sound of feet brushing on earth made her leap a mile. Soon enough she was foaming at the mouth, ears right back on her tan neck, only to spring forwards whenever something twitched. White foam was at her ebony kissed lips, and she licked it away, nickering gently. Trotting, her thick mane blew in the wind, a dark banner that announced that Trellafi was present. She let her senses down a little, still watching warily, but half content just to wander for a while. Soon she would have to find some sanctum, somewhere to rest her wary frame for at least a night. She liked familiar places, but wanted nothing to do with her past. At the thought of her history she shuddered, the whites of her strangely orange eyes gleaming. The scent of horses blew into her maw, and she snorted, quickly darting back, pressing herself against a near by tree, relieved only by the fact she was in a dense forest full of fragrant pines. Such would be the perfect place for her to make her home- the little mare had a fear quite the opposite of claustrophobia- Open spaces kicked her heart into top gear. The stench burned at her nostrils, and her eyes watered. She wanted to go, find friends, try and believe that the world was a nice place, but everything about her ingrained fear kept her still. Dished skull looked around the mighty pine tree to catch a glimpse of the horses. Two fine looking mares, both unique. The mares eyes were drawn to the dark femme, with her chocolate coat and silver, waving mane and tail. Pretty. She murmured, tilting her head to the side. Her nostrils flared, and she turned her head to view the other vixen. Instantly she froze, a scream building in her head. Mumma. Here. She's probably asking that nice lady if she's seen me. Oh my god. I can't go back. I can't. Not back to Dadda and the boys. Not back to the pain... A sob ripped through her, and suddenly the mares own head turned towards her. "Trellafi, my darling. Come here, or you'll regret it!" That sweet, beautiful, knowing, and crazy smile plastered onto her Mumma's face. She fought for her own head, but obedience ruled her out. Slowly she stepped forwards, her gorgeous head hung low, her face sorrowful as a tear dripped down her cheek. Guilt enveloped her, and she gulped. How dare she? How dare she run from her parents, after all they did for her? All they did? Another thought questioned, and she snapped at it, feeling more remorseful. No going back now. She was to go to her home lands, back to abuse. One thing she looked forwards to, perhaps, was the comfort of her own little meadow, one no one could find her at. Head still to the ground, she timidly walked forwards, half between galloping off, and her knees jerked at odd angles as she half spooked towards the small group. Tears ran down her beige face as she guessed what would be waiting for her at home, because her dam wouldn't beat her in front of a stranger. Or would she? The humiliation would be fit for her crime, for running away from her parents, the ones who brought her into this world, and Trellafi half hoped she would, for it would at least be something if the contrasting other horse interfered. Perhaps she could run? Or maybe Mumma would take to her legs first, and her ears pinned suddenly. She had seen her Dadda break plenty of horses legs, despite being a small stag. Soon she was in the gathering, submissive as she crept towards the startling white figure. Something wasn't right, she she paused, her head titled as she waited for blows to land. {{ Immerse yourself in me {action} "Hark, and allow my lyrics to flow into your ears." {speech} I am my own prison, closing the cell doors of my mind. {thought}}} Word Count | 941 Muse | GOOOD Notes | Crazy nutter Credit to| Star from Unbridled for this <3

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[Arwen]

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[atrb=width,300,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][bg=040101] I was more than pleased when the other mare seemed just as friendly and curious as myself. Don't get me wrong, but there are some horses out there in need of a serious attitude adjustment. A kick upside the head might do it. Why hello! Nice to meet you Moon, I'm Luna and I'm very well, cold, but, well I suppose that's my fault for exploring the lake's surrounding life and then cleaning off the muck in the cold lake. How are you? The mare, who had introduced herself as Luna shivered visibly and my suspicions were confirmed. Her voice was pleasant and open, a quality I admire. It was always so degrading to run into a equine with the intentions of conversing only to find them leary and rude. I couldn't help but ask, "Did you find anything interesting?" Alright so maybe I sounded a bit young for my age, eagerly belting out questions like a curious foal. You are a really pretty horse, you know? Why do you think you are that color? Were your parents white? A lot of white animals with blue eyes are blind, my mother taught me that." she asked with a soft voice and continued, "I know coloring has something to do with your parents and their parents but, I don't understand how we became all so different. My ears were perked forwards as I listened intently. "You are too, your sort of like my opposite. If I had a brown mane and tail anyway." The question about my parents caught me off guard slightly. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. Slightly flustered I closed my gaping maw to ponder the subject. My mother was white, like the haunting ghost of my past. But my father? Where even was he? I could remember his presence in my life growing up, but I couldn't remember what either of them really looked like. With a slight apologetic grin I thought about the rest of what she said. "Why are some of them blind?" I had perfectly normal eyesight. Maybe I was special somehow. I caught movement out of the corner of my pristine orbs, and I was quite pleased to see a smaller mare coming towards us. Her movements were choppy and nervous as if she her mind was warring with her body. Her delicately dished crown was lowered in a submissive gesture, intelligent yet haunted orange orbs staring out. Small salty droplets cascaded off of her face and it struck a chord somewhere in my heart. She was crying, but why? Had someone hurt her? Was she afraid? If so of what? Before my mind could get too carried away with thoughts and assumptions I realized the mare was looking at me with a shameful, fearful expression as if expecting the worst. Her curved bodice and crown gave me the impression she was of Arabian blood. The faes buckskin stained pelt almost looked damp, maybe she too had been in the pond? I was slightly startled and yet horribly curious as I addressed her politely, trying to make a good first impression. "Hello there" The words uttered from my velvety muzzle were soft spoken and I sneaked a glance at Luna to read her body language and get an idea of what she made of the situation.

[Dove]

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[atrb=width,300,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][bg=000000] "Anything interesting? I think there was a good few interesting things. Like it seems all of the creatures living around there all have scales or are slimy. I think it has something to do with the water, to help them move or something." Luna pointed with her head to the salamander, "See it has a slimy body, smooth, probably to glide through water faster. Also the fish in the lake they have slits on the side of their face, I think it has something to do with however they breath under the water..." Luna trailed off, contemplating the fish breathing under water. How is it possible for a creature to live down there, and what happens when it freezes, do they have something to protect themselves down there so they don't freeze? Luna tossed her head and focused her attention back onto the mare. "Well, uh thank you." Luna was slightly shocked, Me....? Pretty? Luna ears swiveled to the side as she heard something off aways. She wanted to investigate but the white horse, Moon spoke again, Why were some born blind? She sighed and thought about it, "I suppose it has something to do with the traits, maybe when those traits are combined it usually sets off a reaction that makes the horse blind... Or it could have nothing to do with the horse... perhaps it is more of a coincidence, like the people carrying a blindness trait also just happen to commonly have blue eyes..." Luna was more just thinking out loud rather then answering the question. It frustrated her to not know and she wished desperately that she had more knowledge. But, knowledge comes with time, and Luna hasn't been around that long compared to some other horses. Luna looked to the side, hearing the noises at the same time. Her blue orbs looked over the fae coming towards them. The new comer was only slightly taller then Luna but even with the little bit of height she looked small and frail. Her face was quiet gorgeous and she had a dainty look about her. Luna's ears twitched as the newcomer looked towards Luna and mumbled something. Then when she looked at Moon it was clear something was wrong. The fae looked upset, no, more then that, she looked distraught. But, what could cause such a dainty and beautiful creature to look so scared. And why did Moon seem to be the source of it. At first Luna looked accusingly at Moon but, no that's not right, she seems just fine to me... Then her gaze softened, why would Moon, who seems like a decent horse be the cause of the newcomer's anxiety. Luna stepped towards the horse and nuzzled at her. "It's okay... Um, don't be frightened, Moon and I won't hurt you." She tried to smile comfortingly to the fae and she put her head down, copying her submissive state.