Welcome to Gaia! ::

Helaku snorted, laying his ears back as he noticed the black stallion from before. What was he doing here...then his attention was practically yanked to King, and his ears simply flattened. Two stallions he did not want to interact with...but the mare looked nervous, and the filly...he couldn't leave them to the black's mercies. He trotted forward briskly, neatly interposing himself between the black and the striped mare. "Well hello there," he said in a cheery tone.

Ilianna issued a breathy sigh of relief at King's appearance and slid in his direction, her brows knit in worry.
"Hello, King," she mumbled, though she looked pleased that he recognized her. Maybe the black stallion would back off if he saw that the brown stallion knew her somewhat. She even nosed his shoulder gently in a 'thank you' before turning her gaze on the little filly. Poor thing...did she realize what sort of weirdo this black stallion was?

And then suddenly the strange stallion was neatly cut off from view by another stallion that had come up on them without even the slightest notice. He seemed nice enough, but today's encounter made her incredibly nervous and she shied away, glancing at a forehoof to keep her gaze from making anyone mad.

Kaelyn smiled and sat at Rahu's feet. "Okay!" She gave a grinned nod. She looked up at Helaku, he seemed... different to her. She couldn't put her finer on it though.. She Shrugged and continued to be quiet. She didn't know why the others thought Rahu was so... well.. she didn't know what to put there either, but she knew that they thought of him differently. She sighed and laid her head down, watching the others, a semi-fake grin on her face.

Rahu was about to say somethign when the raccon marked stallion barged right between him and the mare, which caused him to back up. having this happen did not sit well at all with Rahu and angered him more. "what makes you think you can barg inbetween two, who are having a conversation." he snaped a the raccon marked stallion who he had saw earlyer that day and was not at all pleased to see him once again.

Helaku looked at the mare. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," he murmured. He then snorted at the stallion. "What reason? The reason that every mare I've seen you come into the presence of has become afraid. Besides...I'd like to have a word or two with him." He gave King a cutting glance. At King's words, he stiffened. "So...you're the one...I thought there was something, but she left...for you."

Ilianna peeked up at Helaku as he spoke, nervous tension running down her flanks as she dared a small smile at him from behind the curtain of black and white mane drooped casually over her eyes. She also looked to the black stallion even though he spoke so angrily. He couldn't lay a hoof on him now...now with two others involved.

"I rather stop the conversation anyway," she whispered, mostly to herself, shuffling a forehoof in the tall grass. "I do not fancy having my life threatened... I don't even know you yet you speak so rudely of me and tell me to watch my back."

Kaelyn stood up and yawned. She looked up at Rahu and gave a small frown, "Sorry. I would stay and hang out with you but.. I think I should be going" She grinned again, "See you again? Later? Tomorrow maybe..?" She rushed off, waving goodbye for the night.

Rahu nodded to Kaelyn and turned back to the three infront of him. " thats because my dear you have things like me to worry about." his eyes flashed angery towards the raccon stallion. " thats because mares are weak and it seems you gotten more courage since earlyer." he shook his head and snorted. " and i find you seem to be asking for a fight, by barging into things that are none of your concern." turning towards the other stallion. " and that goes for you too." giving a wicked grin, he knew that the striped mare would bring something interesting.

Helaku glared at the black. "You weren't actively threatening a mare then." Laying his ears back he looked to King. "Well, King? What have you to say? Did you know while she was being all sweet on you she was flirting ever so prettily with me too?" He stamped a hoof. "I'd keep an eye on her if I were you."

Ilianna had no idea what the two new stallions seemed to be bickering about, but as long as attention wasn't focused on her for the moment, she was fine with it. She flicked a curl of mane away from her eyes and remained by King only because she knew him the most out of everyone.

"I suppose scaring a mare is all you can do to make yourself feel big," she dared to say before clamping her muzzle shut after realizing what left her mouth.

Privately she was cursing herself for coming here again; she desperately missed her home herd, even if they had thought she was a freak because of her coat. What she would give for granddam's comfort right now. She didn't even have any real friends here...she hadn't gotten completely comfortable with -anyone-.

Rahu would have went at the striped mare if it had not been for the two stallions in his ways. " you'll regret you said that." he snaped and bared his teeth at the mare and noticed the other stallion seemed to of liked a mare but it had ran off with this other stallion. his lips curaled into a smirk. " it seems you two big shots seem to have fallen for a good for nothing mare who is playing you both." he figured his remark would hit a nerve on both the stallions.

Helaku leapt backwards and to the side in an effort to get out of King's way. Steadying himself, he snorted. "Yeah, I am. While she's still a friend, I'm afraid I can't bring myself to trust her. I'll find another mare eventually, one that won't play me false."

Rahu was probably pleased when the mare trembled violently and lowered her head, slipping behind King fully, her face contorting as she held back tears that threatened to fall. She hated this place more than ever...not once had she come out and not been threatened in some form. It was almost unbearable.

When King abruptly parted company with her to go after the dark stallion, the striped mare let out a choked whinny in surprise as she was left exposed. She steeled herself, prepared to fight if she needed, but hardly looked in the spirit to do such a thing. She didn't dare look anyone in the eye.

Rahu had backed up while the brown stallion had reared and struck him in his shoulder. this only angered him more and his eyes flashed dangerously and ready to fight, dispite already now being injered. " it seems your quick to defend your so called 'mate', who seems to love playing with other stallions hearts and i shall talk of anyone in anyway i please." he snaped and bared his teeth. " and you seem to be quick to attack someone you know nothing about." taking a step forward, even though his shoulder hurt, he was going to fight back against this stallion that hit him.

"Love? Who says I love Tetyawna. Love takes trust. I don't trust her. I...I can't." Helaku let out a harsh, choked laugh, his knees trembling slightly as he turned away to nudge Ilianna comfortingly. "There there," he said softly. "You'll be okay. I'll make sure of it. This black is acting like a mean-spirited hotshot, but I can take him if I need to. In any case, I'll get you out of here safely."

Ilianna frowned heavily at Rahu spoke. He was so stubborn and ready to fight...she wasn't sure she'd be able to leave without fearing he would follow. An irrational fear, perhaps, but she lived alone now and had no protection. If the black stallion wanted to wound her in some manner, it would not be hard. She was small and lithe in comparison to most mares yet looked bolder than that thanks to her strong facial markings.

She was snapped out of her paranoid thinking by the nudge, nearly jumping but instead only twitching the skin at where she was touched and hesitantly looked at Helaku.

"I would appreciate it," she spoke softly, her voice weary and clearly stressed. "I think maybe I am destined to stay hidden in my home in the trees at this rate...I make more enemies than friends by my mere presence."

Rahu took his chance as the brown stallion spoke to the other and went rushing up at him, knocking the brown one down. " it seems you need to remeber to not take your eyes off a fight when you start one." he back up and got ready for the others attack. " and i find only weaklings like you two, fall for little mares who play games." having his attentn soully on the brown one and not on the others, he was basicly left open to anyone but the brown.

Helaku nudged Ilianna. "Let's go...I'll follow, and make sure he doesn't trail us. If you ever need a place to stay when you're not feeling safe, I've got a place in the forest."

Ilianna was all too happy to leave, seeing how quickly the fight had turned into something so violent. She'd seen stallions fight before, but never to this degree. It was horrible to witness. She nodded silently to Helaku as to not attract Rahu's attention, his offer making her a little less uneasy but she dare not speak yet. Perhaps when they were further away.

She backed up a little bit from the pair of stallions locked in battle before turning on a hoof and moving away, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Helaku was following.

Helaku drifted along about a length behind her, one ear tilted back in case Rahu followed them. He didn't relax until the battling pair were out of sight and sound, before moving a little more quickly and catching up to Ilianna.

As the sound of conflict faded, her steps shifted into something more relaxed and less hurried, yet she continued to look downcast in general. As Helaku came up along side, she glanced at him and gave a sad smile.

"Thank you for getting me out of there...I don't know what I did to even attract his attention in the first place," she said, her voice stronger than it had been earlier, yet held a note of bitterness to it.

Helaku shook his head sadly. "You showed your fear...that's what kept him around. He should have been born a Kalona, that one...then the outside would match the inside." He bumped her lightly with his nose. "I wasn't about to leave you with a monster like him."

She sighed and shook her head lightly to move a curl of mane from her face, blown there by the wind as they moved.

"I wouldn't have shown my fear had it been common for a stallion to speak to me in such a way," she murmured, nostrils flaring with her obvious disapproval. "I've heard mares talk to mares in such a manner...the same for stallions, but never a stallion to a mare."

Ilianna sucked in a deep breath and exhaled as though trying to release her frustration in a less vocal manner, willing her uneasiness to leave. Helaku seemed nice enough...there was no reason to worry now.

Helaku's head lowered a bit. "I did...once...but that was a Kalona stallion. Even more of an abomination than Rahu...at least Rahu isn't an insult to his own kind in form as well as spirit. But...no matter." He heaved a sigh and shook his long mane. "I regret his presence...I wished to speak with King. If Rahu hadn't been there, perhaps I would have found out why Tetyawna...did as she did."

Helaku's head jerked up and he snorted at the white Kalona nearby. She didn't emanate hostility like the red one had, though, so he dared to approach her. "Greetings, miss," he said cautiously. "Might I ask what a...female like yourself...could be doing on such a fine day?"

Helaku didn't think too much of the carrot comment, after all he knew that they were a treat that humans liked to give his kind, and a Kalona like this mare wouldn't be quite so likely to receive such from a human's hands. The horse comment did intrigue him though. "Horses...so...what would that make you?"

Helaku blinked as well at this, utterly confused. This Kalona thought she was a rabbit? How in the world did that happen? "I've seen rabbits," he said slowly. "But you're rather bigger than most rabbits I've seen, and look more like a Soquili to my eyes. A Kalona Soquili, in fact. Although you are white like a rabbit, and eat greens like a rabbit, and our dropping are roundish, that's as far as the similarities go."

Helaku stiffened. This mare was not just a Kalona, she was obviously completely and utterly insane. He started to back up slowly, muscles tensed for flight or battle. "How about you don't kill either of us?" he suggested reasonably. He was young...there were mares he was sure liked him...he wasn't ready to die. Not because some lunatic Kalona decided he should, anyways. He preferred to be able to choose his own death.

Helaku was in fine spirits this afternoon, bucking and kicking as he cantered through grass that was growing well for the season. Leaping a fallen tree, he whirled and halted, blowing for a few moments before lowering his head to crop a few mouthfuls of grass.

The stallion's antics were hardly missed by the young tiger-striped mare who happened to be resting underneath the shade of a nearby tree and nibbling on a few tender leaf buds that she had decided to sample. She was quiet in her observation, as she generally wasn't one to attract attention to herself as of late, and couldn't help but smile. He looked like an oversized foal with all that bucking and kicking.

She decided to watch and see what else he'd do or if he'd notice her. She wasn't hard to miss, but she was off to the side.

Helaku's tail swished back and forth as he grazed, teeth clipping short the grass and grinding it before he swallowed it. Ears flicking forward, his nostrils flared slightly as he caught the scent of one of his friends. Slowly, the path his grazing took brought him closer and closer to the striped mare. Once he was a few lengths away, he lifted his head and grinned. "Good afternoon, Ilianna."

Ilianna kept the smile on her muzzle as he approached, a brow lifted loftily as he greeted her. "Hello, Helaku...I see you are enjoying the day," she said with clear amusement, though it was kind in nature...jesting almost.

Helaku bowed in a gentlemanly fashion, mane brushing the ground slightly as he did so. "Why indeed I am...'tis such a fine day to enjoy. Not a Kalona in sight, scent, or sound as well." His tail switched as he remembered the insane Kalona he'd encountered earlier. Boy had that mare had issues...thinking she was a rabbit? Laughable, if she hadn't been a Kalona. "And how are you?"

"Kalona..." she said, a curious lilt to her voice. She'd never met one, as far as she could remember, but she'd heard of them. Evil beasts, or so she'd been told. It was better not to think about them at a time like this; it was far to pleasant out.

"I am quite well...I went for a long run not too long ago and splashed about in a river too. I'm trying to get the lay of the meadows down so I know where everything is located. You're the first soquili I've seen today."

Helaku bobbed his head. "Cool," he said, pleased that her day had gone well. "So, what would you like to do now? I can show you around a bit if you like."

She considered the offer, still grinning, then swished her tail in a saucey manner as her brow returned to a more neutral stance. "Well, if you've nothing else to do, that would be quite nice," she responded. "Unless I've interrupted your romping, that is."

Again she held a jesting tone to her voice, but she stepped away from the tree as she said it, so clearly she was up for his offer and had figured she hadn't truely interrupted anything.

Helaku chuckled and grinned boyishly as he tossed his head. "Oh no, it would be my pleasure, m'lady. Besides, I've yet to show you to where I spend the night, and how are you to take me up on my offer if you don't know where it is?"

Ilianna laughed at that, her eyes twinkling merrily at his words. "I suppose you're right about that," said the mare in agreement, passing alongside and daring to n** at his ear good-naturedly before stepping away impishly to avoid a retaliation. "I doubt I'd ever find it myself. Not if it's as well-hidden as you imply, anyway."

Helaku ducked his head, face warming as he flushed beneath his coat. "Well...um...yeah," he stuttered lamely as he scrabbled for something with which to recover. "The humans don't come into the forests much unless it's to hunt, and I've only got one that comes around my place. She never seems to be around when I am, but she leaves food and stuff and makes the place comfy."

She giggled at his reaction, having not expected that, and looked at him over her shoulder until she turned back to face him, hooves falling daintily upon the fresh grass.

"It's not a bad thing to have a secluded place to yourself. I'm sure we all have one somewhere...you already know that I do," she said kindly to Helaku, trying to not tease him about the blush that she could just barely detect under his fur. "And you have a human that comes near? I've never really met one. We didn't have many near my home herd and the older soquili were always saying that they were bad to involve yourself in."

Helaku couldn't help but watch the way her black stripes rippled over her coat as she moved. She was a beautiful young mare, and he was a young stallion that knew it full well. He'd been burned before though...it was best to be cautious. He nodded. "Yeah, I've hardly ever seen her though. My parent's humans weren't bad though, but I kept my distance from them. They look kinda odd."

"As long as they haven't caused any harm, I don't see why anyone should fault them...I've heard stories that humans have saved soquili's lives before," she commented, flicking a curl of mane from her eyes nonchalantly. "They could be stories though. My granddam loved to weave tales. Do they truely only walk on two legs?"

The thought of anything walking on two legs aside from a bird seemed silly to her.

Helaku reached out and nipped her mane gently with a grin. "Indeed they do, and most of the time they balance quite well. It's fun to shove them into the river though, they make the most amusing noises splashing about."

She playfully tried to avoid the mane-n** but wasn't fast enough, nor did she try all that hard. She had gotten his ear, so it was only fair that he got her mane, right?

"I wonder how they don't fall down all the time," she mused, side stepping away coyly to prevent another nipping unless he tried harder to do so. "I know some four-legged beings that have a hard enough time not falling over at the slightest gust of wind. It must be comical to see these two-leggers falling over when the wind blows just right. Imagine...a whole herd of them...tipping over just like that."

Helaku let out a great burst of laughter at the thought. "Yeah, I suppose if the wind did blow hard enough they'd fall over. Though so would we if it blew very very hard, I think. That's why traveling in the mountains can be so dangerous." Dancing to follow her, he stretched his neck out for another n**, faster this time.

Ilianna giggled.
"I would like to think I was more sure on my hooves than a two-legger," she quipped, again dancing out of range as he came closer with the apparent intention to n** at her mane. She attempted to look completely innocent as she did so, but the gleam in her eyes said otherwise.

"I've never been to the mountains."

"I've heard stories about them, but I've never explored that far." Suddenly a mischeivous grin crossed his muzzle and a gleam entered his eyes. "Catch me if you can!" He darted into a run, tail flagging behind him.

She was about to inquire further but suddenly he turned on a hoof, uttered his challenge, and was galloping away before she could get a word out. Ilianna gave a huff of surprise that turned into a rolling laugh.

"I think I can," she exclaimed loudly as she started after him, her lithe form cutting across the meadow grasses as though her hooves never truely touched earth. She was built well for running, being as petite as she was, with a decent amount of endurance. It felt good to be able to run again, especially with another soquili.

She tried her best to catch up, her head extended so she could tauntingly n** out towards his flagged tail. Ilianna couldn't quite reach yet.

Helaku was pleasantly surprised when he noted that Ilianna didn't just keep pace with him, but seemed to be drawing closer. Most mares he'd met he was able to outpace easily, but this one seemed to be a match in both speed and stamina. Snorting softly with each stride, he focused on placing his feet on steady ground.

Ilianna's stride was not quite that of Helaku's, but she was graceful and thus required less concentration on the technicalities of each footfall and more on speed. She wasn't sure if he was truely putting everything into his gallop as it seemed she was gaining on him, but it suited her fine.

When she thought that she might be close enough, she again reached out, another laugh escaping her muzzle though it wasn't as hearty as the last due to the running. The ends of his tail were so close...

She had to stretch her neck until she was sure that it would go no further to make an attempt to get at the silky fibers that danced through the air before her.

Helaku squealed in surprise at the slight tug on his tail. Stumbling, he barely caught himself before tumbling headlong into who-knew-what. Slowing down, he grinned back at the tigress mare. "You're pretty fast, not a lot of mares I know that keep up with me when I do that."

"Really?" she said, truely surprised yet pleased at his compliment, slowly down as well and coming up along side him. She was breathing a little hard, but not too badly so her speech was hampered. "I used to race a lot when I was a foal. Not many would race with me when I got older for whatever reason."

She knew the reason, actually...that their parents had warned her friends not to play with her because she bore such an odd coat. That she was a bad omen.

The raccoon-marked stallion looked puzzled at this. "Really? I wonder why...you're friendly, smart, and there's no lack in the looks department."

Ilianna's facial expression turned a little sad at his question, though a flush warmed her cheeks just the same at his words. She didn't think herself ugly, but she didn't feel like she attracted any positive attention.
"The soquili of my home herd weren't fond of anything unusual," she said, choosing her words carefully. "I...I was unusual in their eyes. Or rather, my coat was unusual."

Helaku shook his head sadly. "I wonder how they would have felt if they themselves had been born unusual...it must have been so boring there before you came around. Everyone looking normal, everyone looking the same...what a sad way to live." He arched his neck proudly. "I like looking different. And you should too...you're beautiful."

"I don't think they would ever wonder something like that...I was told that they hadn't had an 'odd pelt', which is what they called me, in a long time." She snorted softly and shook her head, clearly unhappy about it, but she had a resigned expression, knowing she'd never be able to change the past. "The entire herd were buckskins, paints, bays...things like that. My granddam had striped socks, but that wasn't strange, I suppose."

Her cheeks colored again, brighter this time, and she gave him a small smile. "I don't mind that I look different. It just hurts me to think that some soquili are so narrow-minded to think that something unusual is automatically bad. That's why I left."

And that certainly was the best decision I ever made, it appears...she thought privately. He looked so bold then with his dark mask and the way he arched his neck with pride. If anything, he was a wonderful friend, and that's what she needed most out of anything else lately.

He smiled back softly. "Well, you'll find a lot of Soquili around here are very vividly marked. There's some with what you might call normal coloring, yes, but there's also some of the brightest and most colorful patterns you could think of."

After a few breaths, she managed to control the blush, paling back to her stark black and white, and she laughed a little while giving her tail a flick.

"I've never seen such colors on soquili before until I came here. I ran into a flutter male named Narci the first night I stepped into these meadows...at least, I think that's what his name was. He was a bright blue and green that I've yet to see on any sort of flower or butterfly." She looked a little awestruck at the memory, but it was quickly replaced with a calmer countenance as she studied Helaku's dark mask and the eyes behind it.

"I don't mind what anyone looks like anymore...it would be hypocritical of me to be selective when I myself just want to be accepted."

He bumped her softly with his nose, swishing his tail. "You are accepted, wherever I am if nowhere else. I can't speak for the world, I admit, but I can speak for myself. I've seen flutters that were so bright I didn't think it was possible. And my mother would murder me if I judged someone based solely on how they look. Kalonas are an exception, but that's only because they tend to be as foul on the inside as on the outside."

"I've heard stories about Kalonas...I suppose they truely exist in these meadows to judge on how you speak of them," she sighed. Ilianna felt remarkably more and more sheltered as the conversation went along. They didn't have humans, Kalonas, or odd pelts where she came from...what else were they lacking there in her homelands? "And to think I though only Rahu and Chaos were going to cause me trouble."

The last statement was said wryly and the remainders of her sad expression dimmed away into a more upbeat one. She was tired of dwelling on the past, thus made herself make light of the situation.

"I suppose I'll be staying here a good long while, if not indefinately, so I will probably run into a Kalona at some point. Lucky me, I daresay." She chuckled and tossed her mane out of the way again; it had a habit of being unruly most of the time.

Helaku nodded. "Yeah, I've run into a couple. One was simple hostile and malicious as Rahu, but even crueler. The other was completely and utterly insane. When I came upon her, she was convinced she was a rabbit." He shook his mane. "Once I pointed out the differences, she threatened to kill me and the stallion with me, but then decided not to because I'd helped her realize she wasn't a rabbit."

Ilianna snorted and made an incredulous expression.

"A...rabbit?" she echoed, as though not sure she heard him correctly. "How on earth could a soquili, even a Kalona for that matter, think they were a -rabbit-?"

The hostile and malicious part seemed to hold true to what she was told about the demonic Kalona, but to visualize one thinking they were a rabbit was a whole new degree of weird.

Helaku shrugged. "I'm not sure, but she seemed pretty convinced for a few minutes." Stepping around a tree, he smiled as his teepee came into view. "And this is where I go to retreat from the world, or just to grab a snack or get out of the weather." He walked up to the door flap and nudged it aside, obviously proud of his abode.

When the teepee appeared, Ilianna's focus shifted from the stallion to this odd structure. It smelt strongly of Helaku but faintly of something else she couldn't quite place. As he nudged the flap aside, she peered in curiously. What an odd thing to find out here in the wild....

"It looks like it is quite a nice place to go when the weather is poor," she said with an agreeable nod as she leaned her head in a little to get a better look. "Very private I would imagine, when you wanted it to be."

"Yeah, it does tend to be. Warm too, in the winter. Though I imagine in the summer I'll figure out a way to keep the flap open, or just sleep outside unless it's wet." He walked to the opposite end and nosed about in a basket for a moment before coming back with an apple and placing it at Ilianna's feet. "I noticed you liked these, and I had a few here. They're one of my favorite snacks as well."

Ilianna tried to envision Helaku in this teepee, seeing it a little bit like how a badger or fox hides in their den. The notion of a soquili staying in a structure like this was odd, but she was open-minded. Certainly he wasn't the only one to have something like this to go to.

The gift of an apple made her grin widely; she loved them a great deal and she thought it was thoughtful of him to offer her one.
"Thank you," she said gratefully, giving him a warm smile for her generousity. "I am quite full from eating them earlier, but I shall most definately eat it later when I am hungry.

It was then she was aware just how long she had been out in Helaku's company. As silly as it might have sounded, she didn't want to feel like a burden or to overstep her welcome. She really ought to get back to her own hideaway, even if it was much less interesting than Helaku's.
"I really appreciate you showing me around and the conversation, but I think perhaps I should go ahead and let you have some peace and quiet," she said softly.

Helaku gave a gentle smile. As much as he hated to admit it, he was tired, and he'd need to travel to the river for a drink before he went to sleep. He nodded graciously. "And I thank you for your company. Now you know a place where you may always come for shelter, whether it be from the weather or fellow Soquili." Laying down on one of the piles of furs, he shifted around a bit to make himself comfortable.

Ilianna smiled and bobbed her head to Helaku. "I shall see you another day...and thank you again," she murmured before bending down to take the apple into her mouth, then turning away from the teepee to fall into a light trot that would soon take her away from this spot of seclusion to her own.