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 Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2023 1:29 pm
idk who lutz is gonna toss in but this dragon is tired of litter and rocks being moved!!!! 
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Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2023 1:38 pm
"Are you SERIOUS?!"
To some, it was just a small rock pile.
Several small, relatively flat rocks placed on top of each other to make what looked like a cute lil rock tower. Officially called cairns, they were a relatively common sight closer to the base of his mountain (Yes, HIS mountain) where the trail up towards the peak became harder to see due to the fact that not many would make it that far repeatedly.
Now, normally, Thoryn would have no issues finding them in that area. They were usually few in number, and were useful to those who didn't want to get lost and wander off a path. Those, he didn't mind.
This particular pile, however, was one of many that he had found nowhere near a pathway and instead were placed near the river that wound around the mountainside. The rocks were clearly worn smooth from being in the river for years upon years, and upon looking into the waters, he could see the hollows in the riverbed from where they'd been picked up.
Not only did he have to deal with the flow of the river being changed now (even minutely), but all the cairns were an eyesore.
Not to mention, the soquili that had placed left left other things behind.
Trash.
Burned out campfires.
Trampled vegetation.
For some reason, his mountain was getting more popular.
And as Thoryn made his way around the base of the mountain, tidying up the obvious trail that had, for some reason, become absolutely covered in branches, he could only growl and grumble and snarl and thrash his tail in irritation at how he was going to have to go up to the river and put every single rock back where it came from!
[294]
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Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2023 3:24 pm
The weather had been particularly lovely for the time of year and Thornfate was reveling in it. There had been some chilly mornings, but the afternoons and evenings had turned into warm, sunny things that had beckoned her to explore areas she'd not been to often. Today her travels had taken her to the foothills of the mountains, one in particular calling to her that seemed well-traveled. Sometimes the thrill of exploring the less taken path was what moved her, but today she wanted to see what all the other travelers who had come this way had been trekking to see. A shout startled her into stillness about an hours walk up the gently sloping pathway. The voice had sounded angry, frustrated, and completely fed up with something. There was no returning shout or continued talking so she had to assume whoever it was was alone. Making her way carefully up the path, she came to a small clearing where a river ran close to the edge of where she was walking. It was barren due to high travel, she supposed, and in the space she spotted a very irritated looking stallion. Beside him was a pile of rocks, but other than that nothing looked out of the ordinary to her. "Excuse me," she said, stepping off the path towards the stallion, mindful not to get too close. "Is everything all right? I heard you shouting a moment ago." (239)
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Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2023 11:58 am
It had been long enough since he'd actually seen another of his kind that Thoryn didn't seem to know exactly how to respond. Rather, he didn't respond at all. Normally one would assume that to make conversation, one would take care to be cordial and answer anything that was asked of them. Especially if one was in such a visibly bad mood. But Thoryn was just so dang frustrated, so upset with how his mountain was being treated that he himself treated the newcomer as if they were a sounding board that had simply conveniently appeared. Stomping his hooves, attached sickle claws clicking against the ground as he did so, he flared his wings and tossed his bangs out of his eyes. "No, not everything is 'alright'! Do you see this- this- this disrespect?!" He wasn't quite shouting, but a few birds decided to vacate the nearest cluster of trees anyways. "The very notion of leaving nature untouched seems to have gone over the heads of the newest generation of flatlanders!" Thrashing his tail in irritation, his nostrils flared. "Perhaps the removal of a few stones here and there where they come from is no big deal, but they must not have rivers down there! This river has taken years upon years to carve out the perfect bed upon which to flow, and with this-!" He nudged the rock pile closest to him, causing it to tip over. "The work has been undone! Completely undone. Ruined. The flow will never be the same, even if I place the rocks back exactly where they had been taken from! The sediment has already been moved!" Stepping away from the rock pile, a hoof landed on a gathered pile of odds and ends- Leather bags, painted rocks, braided grasses, bottles, shells- Things that very obviously had been crafted and traded for, things that didn't belong there in the mountains in a pile. "Not to mention this...this....this GARBAGE!" Putting his weight on that leg, the glass bottles, shells, and other breakable things cracked and broke. "They can't pick up after themselves?! Can't be bothers to take back what they brought up?! And this is only a fraction of what is all around this mountain that I've been trying so hard to keep everything clean! It's absolutely infuriating, knowing that others have no regard for not only the safety of nature, but the safety of others who would also like to visit my mountain!" Snorting, he finally turned to face his guest fully, pausing to take in her appearance. Or, well, her existence, rather. "....My apologies." He sighed, folding his wings in and overall letting himself a deflate a bit. "That was an outburst I think I've been holding in for a bit and you happen to have arrived at just the opportune moment. Ah...you are...?" He asked, rather sheepishly compared to his anger of before. [481]
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Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2023 4:39 pm
The response that she got was not what she'd been expecting. The stallion stared at her for an awkwardly long time with absolutely no reaction. Not the flick of an ear, not a snort of being startled, not the stamp of a hoof, nothing. The stillness was a bit off putting and Thornfate was about to excuse herself with an apology when the male exploded with words and movement.
It startled her into stumbling back a few paces, his wings making him look much larger than he already was, and his rant was angry and irritated. When it became clear that he was frustrated over things that Thornfate didn't have anything to do with she relaxed a bit, though her heart was still pounding in her chest and everything in her was telling her to run.
As the stallion's rant went on Thornfate stepped just a bit closer, reclaiming the ground she'd given up in her moment of fright. She knew apologizing for the offending visitors wouldn't do any good in this situation and just letting him get out all the things he'd been feeling would probably ease the frustration he was feeling. Sure, he was a complete stranger, but clearly he needed to vent! She nodded along sympathetically: if this was where she called home she wouldn't want people ignorantly ruining the natural beauty of the place.
Finally he seemed to realize the passion with which he was speaking, for underneath all that anger and irritation, Thornfate could practically taste it. She gave him a soft smile and another nod of understanding, supplying her name as he trailed off.
"Thornfate," she said, giving a little bow as she introduced herself. "Though you have nothing to apologize for. I'd probably be just as over travelers ruining my home as you are, especially if it's something you have to constantly deal with." As she fixed her gaze upon the large stallion she hoped her calming presence was enough to take the edge off along with the much-needed rant session.
"I hope it helped," she added with a tiny smile that hinted just a bit at teasing. "And if it didn't, maybe I can?" She knew the stones being put back wouldn't be exactly how they were, but she could certainly help clean up the debris left behind.
(387)
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Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2023 5:25 pm
Puffing his cheeks out as he took another few moment to calm himself down, Thoryn used a hoof to once again pile up the trash neatly.
"I suppose I needed to let it out to something other than the sky." A laugh escaped him as he glanced at the river once more, at the numerous cairns.
"I...Wouldn't be opposed to assistance with taking the ones beside the water and putting them back in. It'll be better than leaving them an eyesore."
"As for the debris...the garbage-" he spat the word like it was a curse. "I do have a place to put what I gather....I would appreciate assistance. Again, I apologize for...." A wig extended to flap around a little. "...Ah, the outburst. If you'd like, instead, I could treat you to a meal...?"
An apology acorn pancake would be perfect, actually.
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Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2023 5:36 pm
Thornfate couldn't help the little laugh that echoed the stallion. She certainly understood the benefit of talking things out with someone to listen rather than just ranting to yourself. It felt nice to be heard, especially when something was really bothering you.
As he indicated that her help would be accepted, she took a few steps forward. Eyeing the piles of stones that littered the edges of the river, she gave a small nod. Even if the stones couldn't be put back perfectly, getting rid of them would certainly discourage others from getting the idea to make one themselves.
"Of course," she said, a smile tugging at her lips as he offered her food in exchange for being his set of ears to rant and rave in.
"I won't turn down a meal." Thornfate knew better than to brush off an apology twice. He probably did feel badly about startling her at the very least. "But let's get this taken care of first. Then we can relax."
(167)
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