Kick up Your Heels [Musical]

[fennecfyre]

There was something about a coastline that Aryel found utterly intoxicating. Her homeland was dry and landlocked, and so until she had left, she hadn't even been aware that so much water could exist in one place. She was used to endless sky, but to see the sky meet the sea, blue on blue, was something else entirely. The wind carried salt-scent from the water to the land, and the waves rolled inwards in a constant, tuneless song. She had never before seen a place so serene--and yet so alive with movement.

She strode across the damp sand, letting the waves rush past her hocks towards the beach, then retreat back into the ocean. Gulls rode the air currents above, turning lazy circles in the sky and filling the air with their raucous cries. Every now and then, she paused and dropped her head to examine a shell or a bit of seaweed that had washed up, nudging it with her muzzle and turning it over to see each side before continuing on her way. She hummed a little song, one without words or rhythm, as she traveled, feeling happy and carefree. Energy buzzed through her nerves and she pranced as she walked, timing her hoofbeats to her quiet humming. Perhaps she looked a bit childish to an outside observer, but why shouldn't she be frolicking? She had survived another winter on her own, something that was always a cause for celebration, and now she was walking down a beautiful beach with sun on her back and wind in her mane. As far as she was concerned, it was a perfect day, and she would enjoy it to the fullest.

musical

[musical]

I tried to see the good in life
But good things in life are hard to find

She was small, seemingly delicate, and dancing like a fairy across the Ethereal Sands. It was a fitting name for the scene unfolding before soft blue eyes. Adaza was standing between two dunes, and his lunchtime snack of marram grass had been pleasantly disturbed a gentle melody and harmonious hoofbeats skipping toward him. The little fairy had twirled right past him, not noticing and without a care in the world. A smile graced the tattooed mans mouth, and he watched the youthful innocence bound along the beach. It was so refreshing to see that Adaza almost did not want to disturb her, but when she finally slowed to a walk, he picked up his own feet and approached her.

She was a wonderful blue colour, and her skin reminded him of one of the old kings, Paradisum. But there was far too much energy and simple happiness glowing from her for Adaza to even consider them to be related. Gaze sliding upwards, he noticed two feathers tangled in her mane, adding to her brightness. His smile widened, and he stopped alongside her still grinning like an idiot. Meeting a spirit that was this pure and positive is absolutely what he needed. "Hi, I'm Adaza." He introduced himself, nodding to the girl. "What's your name?"

fennecfyre sorry for the late reply, and the crappiness, but Aryel is adorable! <3

[fennecfyre]

Though pleasantly distracted by the sounds and sights of the beach, she still caught the gentle sounds of hoofsteps in the sand, approaching her at a slow, relaxed pace. With her ears perked, she looked over her shoulder to see a reddish-brown stallion drawing near. Though it paid to be careful around strangers, something told her there was no need for wariness with this man. The smile on his face was genuine and guileless, and just a little bit silly. She realized he must have seen her prancing about like a filly to be wearing a smile like that, but as far as she could tell from his expression, it was one of amusement, rather than contempt. Besides, did she really care if someone saw her? If a horse was too stuffy to frolic once in a while, that was their problem, not hers.

He wasted little time in introducing himself. Adaza. A gentle name for a gentle face. "I'm Aryel," she responded, turning to face him. She cocked one of her back hooves in a more comfortable position and set her head to the side, sizing him up. "Nice to see someone else enjoying the beach on a day like this. Most horses I've met don't bother, since there's not much good grazing around here." Sure, there were patches of edible plants in the dunes, but they were dry and salty, and provided less nutrition than the more lush fare inland. She grinned. "I've found it's a great place for exercising, though. Nothing quite like racing the waves and scaring up a flock of seagulls to get your blood pumping."


musical

[musical]

Whenever you need some shelter
We can stand under my umbrella together
Don't need no fortune teller to know it's forever with you

She was unashamed that he'd seen her prancing like a filly with her skirts caught in the wind, and he liked that. Yes she was full of innocence (and confidence), but there was no naivety there, and no head in the clouds. Just a carefree soul with an equally pretty name. That confidence showed itself again as he cocked a hoof and her chin, not hiding the fact that she was sizing him up. Adaza could have laughed if he hadn't wanted to hear what she said, "Nice to see someone else enjoying the beach on a day like this. Most horses I've met don't bother, since there's not much good grazing around here."

He nodded, lifting his head to speak. "I've never been here before, but it's hard to miss the smell of the salt coming off the waves and yes, it's too lovely a day not to enjoy the refreshing breeze. As for the grass, I think it's nice to change your diet every now and again." There was not a cloud in the sky, and the blue stretched for miles and miles over their heads, reminding everything living how truly insignificant they all were. The grass on the other hand was sparse just as Aryel had said.

"I've found it's a great place for exercising, though. Nothing quite like racing the waves and scaring up a flock of seagulls to get your blood pumping." That stupid grin wormed it's way back into his lips, and blue eyes darted to a small flock of gulls that were minding their own business a little way down the beach. The grin intensified, and he teased "Want to show me how, Aryel?" as he leaned back on his hocks, raising a single foreleg before launching off down the beach toward the unsuspecting birds.

fennecfyre || I haven't had this much fun with him for a while

[fennecfyre]

She couldn't help but grin at his reply to her comment on how little the beach was visited. "Words of wisdom." He had an outlook on life that she could get behind. What point was there in living every day the same way, doing the same things in the same place over and over? The world was a big place, and Aryel couldn't imagine not exploring at least some of it. Nobody lived forever, and there was no reason not to spend what time they had having fun and broadening their horizons.

His eyes strayed to the side, and that big silly grin of his returned. Intrigued, she looked over her shoulder to spot a flock of gulls strutting about in a large, shallow tidepool. The same thought occurred to them at roughly the same time, and now her smile matched his. In a moment, he was off, with the little grulla mare in hot pursuit. When Aryel ran all-out, as she did now, she threw her entire body into each stride, making up for her shorter limbs with the sheer force channeled into each hoofbeat. She was neck-and-neck with Adaza when they barreled through the gulls, sending them up into the air with startled squawks. Seawater splashed her belly and sides as she charged through the tidepool, and she whooped aloud, adding her own voice to the cacophony of the seabirds.

She galloped on past the pool, letting her momentum carry her forward and gradually dissipate, leaving her at a brisk walk that eventually slowed to a pause. She was breathing hard, and her flanks were flecked with foamy sweat, but her eyes were alight with energy. Laughing, she turned to Adaza and tossed her head, letting her windblown forelock fall back into place. "I can't remember the last time I've raced anyone," she said with a chuckle. "Or at least, anyone who wanted to race." She hadn't actually bothered to notice which of them was first through the gulls--she hadn't been running to outpace him, she had been simply been running for fun. "Where have you been all my life, huh?"

musical <3

[musical]

Doesn't matter when
We don't even have to try
It's always a good time

Broad shoulders were thrown upwards as Adaza let out a loud squeal to equal the disturbed gulls. He hurled out his back legs in an excited buck, landing just in front of Aryel. But his opponent was quick, and within two strides had caught him again. Suddenly they were in the mess of birds, the wind plastering their manes against straining necks, nostrils glowing red with effort as the white gulls flew up around them. His hooves hit the water, and Adaza snapped his eyes shut to avoid getting the salty liquid in them, laughing at his blind idiocy. When was the last time he'd been able to relax and just throw himself into a bit of fun? He knew the answer involved his lost brother and sister, but he refused to let the memory get him down.

Breaching the edge of the tidepool, he saw Aryel begin to slow, and he matched her pace. Sides heaving, the tattooed man stopped next to hear with a grin as big as when they'd set off. "That was fun huh?" But she didn't have to answer, since the exhilaration in her eyes matched what swelled in his chest. "I can't remember the last time I've raced anyone," There was a pause and a chuckle as they both continued to catch their breath, and Aryel continued "Where have you been all my life, huh?"

"Oh, around." He joked, tossing his multi-toned locks, spritzing the two of them with salty water. "It's been a while since I had that much fun, but did you not have any brothers or sisters to mess around with when you were younger?" His eyes met hers as he spoke, eager to know a bit more about this girl. She was a barrel of fun, and Adaza hoped they could become friends. It's about time he got a few.

fennecfyre || <3

[fennecfyre]

She blinked as he shook himself off, sprinkling them both with flecks of seawater, and grinned. The grulla mare gave her own mane a shake to dislodge the moisture trapped within, though as short as her mane was, it wasn't quite as effective. "I had plenty of siblings, yeah." she said, remembering back to her childhood, and to day spent roughousing and playing with her numerous half-brothers and half-sisters. Adopting a mocking tone and curving her neck arrogantly, she added, "but once you grow up, such games are 'unbecoming'." Or at least, her dam had said so. "Everyone was either starting their own herds or raising their own kids. If you were like me, and didn't feel like doing either, you had to get used to spending time alone." Foals were great, but there was more to life than just popping out babies. The world was so massive, so wild, it almost felt like a waste to not explore at least part of it. And there were so many souls to meet and stories to live that to restrict oneself to a few close companions hardly seemed like living at all to her.

"What about you? Spend much time with your family, or were you a black sheep like me?"


musical

[musical]

With my back against the ropes
We're still undefeated

Facetious words slipped from between her pretty little lips, and the falsely arrogant gleam in her eye just deepened Adazas' attraction to this wonderful mare. She was like a breath of fresh air, as brisk as the breeze rolling in off the ocean, and it was so refreshing. Just like him, so many souls were wrapped up in their own pain and troubles, and never looked to others to drag them from their personal hells, but Aryel was the start for Adaza. She had shown him what he could become if he just let go of the past, and accepted his future. And now he was ready for that.

He sighed, a feeling of utter content settling over his shoulders and hugging his flanks in a warm embrace. It was a nice feeling. "Everyone was either starting their own herds or raising their own kids. If you were like me, and didn't feel like doing either, you had to get used to spending time alone." The tattooed man turned his attention back to Aryel as she continued, nodding. "What about you? Spend much time with your family, or were you a black sheep like me?"

His soft blue gaze dipped south for a few seconds as he composed himself. The big test - could he speak about his family without falling apart? A quick inward rush of breath to help prop himself up from the inside, and his eyes returned to Aryel's curious ones. "My family were all I knew for the longest time. I was shy, uncomfortable around new people, even my sisters' boyfriend, so I didn't get out much. Most strangers I saw were rivals of my father, coming to try and steal his land so I didn't exactly get the best impression of the outside world." He paused for a moment, just enough to time to settle his grip on composure again. "And then Ana, my sister, died, and that was when everything started to fall apart. My mother and father moved on, leaving me with their land when I didn't want it, and a younger brother to care for. I wonder if I had been given the title of king now if things would be different, but I couldn't handle leadership back then." A brief smile passed over his lips. "Sorry to bring the tone down! I've never told anyone that before." He said ruefully. "But it felt good to get that off my chest."

fennecfyre

[fennecfyre]

She could already tell that the painted boy wore his heart on his sleeve, so to speak--he never tried to hide his emotions or reactions from her. And so, when her asking about his own family caused a wave of melancholy to wash over him, she noticed. Her cheeky grin slipped as he glanced away, and she dipped her head as he did, concerned. She hadn't meant to dredge up painful memories. "Hey, if you don't wanna talk about it, that's totally fine." she offered, snuffing briefly at his muzzle in a comforting manner. After a few moments of deliberation, however, he lifted his head and began to speak.

His home had been secluded, his family insular. It had been the death of a sibling that split them up for good, leaving him at the helm of a territory he never wanted. "I'm sorry. That's...rough." she said once he had finished his tale. "I was my mother's only foal, all the kids I grew up with were just my half-siblings. It was never easy when something bad happened, but I can't imagine losing someone as close as a sister. Can't imagine having a title thrust on you so soon afterwards, either." She doubted he was much older than her, if all this had happened in the past, then he must have been young indeed when it happened. She shook her head dismissively as he apologized for darkening their meeting's mood. "Don't worry about it. Talking about the past might not change the past, but it can at least help you come to terms with it." She didn't mind lending a listening ear at all. if it helped him to talk about his troubles.

She chuckled quietly, realizing a common thread between them. "It seems like everyone I've met comes to Tathra to try and get a fresh start. I wanted to live life on my own terms, and you wanted to get away from the memories of home." Time would only tell if either of them were successful in those endeavors.

musical

(Quick question: did you still wanna do a thread with Vanguard and Aryel?)