& From the sea came a shadow;

[Rayne]

ღ Shadow Dancer

[/size]
_{« and we sang to the wind as we danced through the night »}[/sub][/center]

The black and white outline of a mare could be seen wandering along the far edge of the river.. Her ebony legs fading off into the background, as if they'd become one with the terra's soot-filled ground. However, her torso stood out like a sore thumb -- actually, worse than a sore thumb. At least sore thumbs were somewhat a similar color to the normal flesh around them.. Her torso was pure white--not counting her snout, mane, and tail--which had a similar effect to somebody taking a highlighter and marking a page. However, she had not a care in the world whether anyone noticed. She wasn't here to start anything..

The mare's forelock fell over her face for the moment, covering her eyes with their silky black curtain. Her hooves touched the ground lightly along the river's banks, leaving a faint impression of where she'd wandered. She figured it wouldn't be of too much harm, after all, she'd heard of horses living here--and there wasn't too much to distinguish one horse's hoofprints from anothers. Velvet nostrils quivered softly as the scent of the territory's active volcano reached her--it was of pure sulfur, and soot, and fire.. She wasn't too used to the scent--she'd been born and raised along the shore, and therefore always wandered along the beach or riverbanks, which always lead back to the sea in one form or another..

» Muse: 8DD
» Character: Shadow Dancer
» Notes: --

[/blockquote]

[Vel]

Aiden.

The Fire Lord had been grazing on some burnt shrubbery that was growing around the volcano. Nothing green ever really grew in these lands, and most the Zunden liked the burnt taste better. Aiden favoured both, but since it was early spring, the little green that there was in Fuoco had yet to come in. Plus, getting to the good green food meant that he had to walk for at least an hour to one of the borders of the land, and that wasn't going to happen.

The stag lifted his crown as the breeze carried a new scent to his nares. His maroon optics narrowed a bit as he registered the scent as that of an equine that was not of pure blood. Filthy thing. Didn't it know any better not to walk into Fuoco? A small smile crpet up onto his dun coloured maw. He would have to go teach it a lesson.

~~~~

Aiden slowed to a jog as the creature was visible. He snorted in an annoyed manner, this time producing smake from his nares. It was an idiot mare. They really were stupid. The Zunden shook his crown and halted several strides from her. " 'Ello doll." he said with a malicious smile. "Do you know where you are?" he asked her, his orbs narrowing. Aiden flicked his soot coloured banners. Yes, he could have some fun with this one. He had no reason to keep her alive.

[Rayne]

ღ Shadow Dancer

[/size]
_{« and we sang to the wind as we danced through the night »}[/sub][/center]

Rounded audits quickly perched atop her head as the words of a stallion came to her attention. The mare lifted her head quickly, shifting her gaze from the banks of the river to the other horse.. A chill ran its course along her body the second she saw him--and it wasn't the regular 'cold' chill, no, it was hot, like fire.. Great--Just great, Shadow. Any concern that she might have had for where she trespassed into finally made its entrance--right when it was too late to do anything about it. Irony seemed to be her worst enemy at this moment in time. What could she do? Head off at a gallop in the other direction? Hah, she'd be running for a while if she chose to do that.
Nevertheless--her composure remained calm, making sure that she kept a cool head.
"I know very well where I am..the land of the flame, am I correct?" she responded, making it known that she'd known where she'd ventured into. _{"I just didn't necessarily give a damn `til now.."}

[/sub] she muttered quietly, aimed more at herself than anyone else. She tossed her ebony forelock aside, her odd-colored eyes showing their face, after being hidden for the past half hour or so. She examined his stance carefully..it didn't seem too happy..not happy at all..[/size]

» Muse: 8DD
» Character: Shadow Dancer
» Notes: --[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Vel]

Aiden.

Aiden saw the mare's ears go flat against her head as she tensed up. He chuckled out loud. Ooo, what's she gonna do? Bite me? Ha! Poor little thing just realised she got herself into something she shouldn't. It's sad how slow the normals are. Aiden grinned at her as she tried to back away. "Sorry love, y'ain't gettin' outta this one. You shoulda thought about it before you came here." he told her. These horses that wandered in here, they must have a death wish.

The mare then asked if she disturbed him and she would leave if he wanted her to. "Oh no! Please stay my dear. We could have some fun." he said to her in a sickenly sweet voice. The Fire Lord stamped his hind dagger and a circle of flames danced around the two equines. He grinned at the mare and asked "Reday to play?"

[Rayne]

ღ Shadow Dancer

[/size]
_{« and we sang to the wind as we danced through the night »}[/sub][/center]

Shadow's ears flattened against her skull as he snapped at her. She should have probably kept that mumble to herself--as in, actually in her head rather than just spoken softly. Her muscles tensed under her coat as he circled her, as if she were getting ready to run--though she had no intention to. Her reflexes had always been, by nature, to take flight.. specially in this situation. She wasn't much of a fighter, though she did have a slight flicker of sass to her epersonality. By the looks of it--he was a Zunden. As in, they could control fire. She was flammable. As in, possible grilled horse for dinner.
I am not getting bbq'ed tonight.. she thought, keeping her composure as peaceful as she could get it.
"I was simply wandering..following the river and such.." she explained, nostrils flaring as if in response to his hissing tone. She let out an annoyed snort, taking a step back as she felt the stallion's burning hot breath touch her coat.. What had she gotten herself into?
"Sorry if I've disturbed you.. if you give me the word I'll gladly leave.."

» Muse:
» Character: Shadow Dancer
» Notes: --

[/blockquote]

[Vel]

Aiden.

Aiden saw the mare's ears go flat against her head as she tensed up. He chuckled out loud. Ooo, what's she gonna do? Bite me? Ha! Poor little thing just realised she got herself into something she shouldn't. It's sad how slow the normals are. Aiden grinned at her as she tried to back away. "Sorry love, y'ain't gettin' outta this one. You shoulda thought about it before you came here." he told her. These horses that wandered in here, they must have a death wish.

The mare then asked if she disturbed him and she would leave if he wanted her to. "Oh no! Please stay my dear. We could have some fun." he said to her in a sickenly sweet voice. The Fire Lord stamped his hind dagger and a circle of flames danced around the two equines. He grinned at the mare and asked "Reday to play?"

[Rayne]

ღ Shadow Dancer

[/size]
_{« and we sang to the wind as we danced through the night »}[/sub][/center]

The vixen's nostrils flared with a mix of anger and nervousness as she watched him, her attention soon getting drawn to the flames that had sparked up in a circle around him. SHIT. f----in son of a b----.. she thought, muscles tensing more as she attempted to back up but finding it a pointless move when fire was still circling the two of them.. She was in deep trouble now, and she knew it well. Shadow's grey and green eyes scanned the flames, as if looking for a break or a lower spot between them, where she may seize the opportunity to jump over.. But that was also pointless.
She was messing with a Zunden, what's to say he wouldn't just make the flames go higher just as she was jumping over? He could probably move their location just as easily as he'd made them spark up in the first place. The mare's expressions were still calm--but her eyes, the pupils had grown twice their normal size due to the fear. There was no way out of this.. Her best chances were to try to get his pity--HA!..that was a nice thought. His pity. What pity..?

The mare lowered her head softly as if accepting defeat, though her ebony tail flicked around anxiously as if part of her still had hope for escape.. But then her head rose quickly again, ears flicking up curiously. Over the sounds of the fire's crackling, she'd heard something.. Something familiar--another equine's whinny. One she recognized. Her eyes scanned the area around the two, at least, as much as she could see over the blaze and Aiden. But alas--there she was..

[/blockquote]

« ···· N i n a ···· »

[/size]
_{"When fire and flowers once were lovers,
and our hearts beat not with scorn,
when the world had none of war and gore,
I write of a time which is no more."}[/sub][/center]

The strawberry roan outline of another horse--the one which had whinnied--approached the vicinity slowly, her crimson red eyes lit up by the dancing flames. Her blood red pillars walked with a certain..grace in their stride as she did so, hooves touching the ground lightly. She let out a soft snort as she watched the two, realizing what her old friend had gotten herself into.. Her mother had been a Zunden, though she'd been separated and hadn't found her way back. She still knew all the stories--of their rise to power, the fall, and the attempts to rise again.. It was like Rome, in a way--and thus she admired it.
However, due to her knowledge of the stories, she also knew they were most certainly not friendly to other breeds--even half blooded ones. She needed to think of a way to get Shadow out of there without harming her own reputation--and fast. Her gaze shifted from the other mare, falling on Aiden with a certain curiosity burning in her eyes.
"You know, you'd make much better use of her as a spy.." she commented, raising her voice loud enough to be heard over the crackle of the (rather hypnotizing) flames.

» Muse: 8DD lots..
» Character: Nina & Shadow Dancer
» Notes: --

[/blockquote]

[Vel]

Aiden.

The stag grinned at the mare as he optics widened in fear. Oh how he liked to do this to horses! Seein ghte fear in their eyes before they died, and the pain during their death. It was like ecstacy for a Zunden. Pretty soon their fun would be over when it was all Zunden on the island again. Aiden smiled at the thought, then quickly remembered the task at hand, disposing of the creature in front of him.

Just as he was about to light her up, he heard the sound of hoofbeats. What the hell?! He whipped his head around, his eyes burning with fury for whoever was interrupting him. Since he was distracted a bit, the circle of flames dwindled a bit so it was a comfortable temperature for the average horse.

The hoof beats seemed to becoming from another mare, who this time, looked to be a Zunden. Aiden smiled a bit. More were coming. He knew there had to be more on the island beside his sad looking herd. His horses in the herd weren't sad looking, it was their numbers. There weren't enough.

His audits flicked as the mare spoke. She did offer a good idea. The fire Lord narrowed his orbs at the new horse, still keeping flames around the dirty blood so she wouldn't get away. "And who might you be?" he asked in an almost disgusted manner.

[Rayne]

« ···· N i n a ···· »

[/size]
_{"When fire and flowers once were lovers,
and our hearts beat not with scorn,
when the world had none of war and gore,
I write of a time which is no more."}[/sub][/center]

"My name is Nina," she said, approaching the circle of fire slowly once more, without regard for the temperature. "You probably don't know me; I was born and raised by the shore.." she added, giving an explanation as to why her appearance--end existence--had been unknown of `til this (fateful) moment in time. She could tell from the look of utter fear on Shadow's face--and the look of malice in his--that had she arrived a few moments later, her friend would have been a pile of ashes. What was she even thinking wandering into this land? She snorted at the thought, though not in blame. For had she not followed her here, she would have probably never come across the Zunden lands at all.

"and please forgive me if I ruined your fun for the day, but I figured that getting a normal horse to aid you in taking back over might be a better approach than simply sending out hordes of highlighter-looking horses to burn the island to the ground.. We kinda stand out like a sore thumb." She added, presenting her argument with as much valid reasoning as she could think of, so that he would at least think it twice before crossing her off as a traitor.. She shook her mane softly, her crimson forelock falling to the side of her face as the light of the flames lit up her overall physique.

[/blockquote]

ღ Shadow Dancer

[/size]
_{« and we sang to the wind as we danced through the night »}[/sub][/center]

Meanwhile, Shadow continued standing in the circle of flames--standing no more than a three foot radius away from the stallion. Her pupils were still unnaturally large as the watched the two horses converse--her life was practically in Nina's hands. If she got out of this alive--she'd have to thank her later, somewhere where the stallion wouldn't take note of their friendship..
Beads of sweat had been starting to collect on the mare's snow white coat due to the extreme heat, but soon they began to lessen due to the dwindling flames.. She took a deep breath, her chest heaving before she managed to calm down enough so that her nostrils weren't flaring as if she'd just ran a race. Her gaze was shifting between the two--it's as if she had absolutely no say in whether she died or not. She didn't like this feeling. In fact, she detested it.. but she couldn't do a thing about it. That's what she hated most. Her banner flicked out behind her, a tinge of frustration in her appearance now as her ebony daggers dug subtly into the ground.

» Muse: 8DD lots..
» Character: Nina & Shadow Dancer
» Notes: --

[/blockquote]

[Vel]

Aiden.

Aiden looked at the mare with unintrest as she introduced herself as Nina. She then told him that she was born and raised near the waters. Of course I've never heard of you wench! And do I look like I gave a damn about where you were born or raised? No. I could care less. As long as you're here, in these lands now, I care. Jeez. Maybe shes a half blood? Eh, Ill find out later, right now I have missy over there to take care of.

Aiden kept his cold stare on Nina as she continued talking. This time she actually said something that might matter. Aiden had never thought of using normal horses as spies for the Zunden. He used some of his own, like Aithne, to go 'befriend' normal herds. But her idea was even better.

Without saying a word, Aiden turned around to the mare in the ring of fire. He stared at her for a moment before speaking. "You!" he yelled her. "You wanna live?" The Fire Lord conintued to stare at her, unblinking, as he waited for a response.

[Rayne]

ღ Shadow Dancer

[/size]
_{« and we sang to the wind as we danced through the night »}[/sub][/center]

Shadow's ears pricked up more as the stallion turned his head back to her and addressed her. The sudden offer to live startled her, she had figured she'd be waiting around for at least ten more minutes as the two conversed, but he didn't seem too interested in talking to Nina, just the fact she..was there. However, nevertheless she quickly took the offer, nodding in agreement.
"Yes. I want to live." she responded, raising her head as she watched. "What do you want me to do?" she asked, obviously having payed attention to Nina's idea. Her pupils had shrunk in size, returning back to a far more normal shape..

Nina's nostrls quivered slightly as she watched. He didn't seem interested at all, and that somewhat vexed her. He should be leader of the ice herd, not fire.. she thought, ears remaining pricked as she watched the circle of fire, taking her eyes off the stallion. She could care less right now--her goal was to get Shadow out of here, hopefully in one piece and without smelling like dinner, and that was exactly what she was gonna do--whether or not he took heed of her words. However, that need not be done.. he seemed to have some spark fo interest for the plan

As she watched the fire, she began to..play with it, so to speak, making small bursts of it--much like solar flares--rise up far over the tops of the flames,

» Muse: So-so, but it's `cause I just woke up xD
» Character: Shadow Dancer & Nina
» Notes: --

[/blockquote]

[L Y N X !]

Aithne

[/b][/left][/size][/font]

† The Zuden vixen studied the two newcomers by the ring of fire her leader had produced to encircle the painted mare. Aithne was at first afraid he would roast her alive, which would not be a pleasent sight (or smell, for that matter) but thankfully the arrival of a strawberry roan stopped it from happening. Her ears angled forward to catch their conversation, which becan to prove quite interesting, but also a setback. A spy amoung the normals could easily hijack her plans, and squeal to Aiden if she spotted Aithne with the other herds. She would have to make sure she couldn't become a spy, or silence her. What was one horse to thousands of others?

† Aithne was not noticed before because of her dark gray pelt, blending into the volcanic rock and ash that was everywhere across the territory. But now she choosed to announce her presence, moving her legs forward as she trotted towards the trio with a soft nicker. She slowed and respectively dipped her head towards the Zuden stallion. "Aiden," she greeted politely. Her bright yellow irises shifted to the strawberry roan, then to the paint mare, putting on a false facade of discust. "If you don't mind me asking, but what is she doing here?

[/size][/color]

ooc: Sorry for intruding, but Iah got borededed.

[Magic]

Ooc: Mind if Mili joins in too?

[Rayne]

ooc// I wouldn't mind; ^^

[Vel]

Aiden.

Aiden grinned a bit as the dirty blood spoke to him. "So you chose to live." he restated as if it was a surprise. He then sighed and said "But, I guess any one of your kind would pick that wouldn't they?" The Fire Lord then whipped around to face Nina. "Welcome to the herd love." he told her with a small smile, glad to have another Zunden added to his group.

He then turned his attention to the normal in front of him. "Hmmmm." he said out loud as his orbs rolled upward in thought. "I guess this means welcome to the herd for you too mare." he said with a great deal of dislike. "Since you want to live, which I don't know why you'd even bother, you will serve the Zunden. Is that clear?" Aiden then began to speak again before th emare had time to respond. "Your new herdmate Nina here suggested that you should spy for us. I think the idea is brilliant." The Zunden stag then turned to the mare who had suggested the idea. "And you Nina, would you like to be this lit'le mare's handler?" he asked, this time waiting for a response.

Aiden turned his head as he heard hoofbeats for the third time today. What was it now? He then realised that it was just Aithne. The mare slowed, and finally came to a stop near him, asking who the other equids were. Aiden snorted and then said "This," nodding his head to Nina, "is a new herd member. Her calling is Nina." Aiden then gave a quick nod to Shadow and said "And this pathetic waste of life is going to be one of our spies." He then threw his head over his shoulder to Shadow and told her "And believe me mare, if you try anything, and I mean anything while you are with us, I will personally see to it that your are a pile of ash."