rise from the ashes; azure/open?

[Wicked Sama]

[atrb=width,550,true][atrb=border,0,true][bg=000000] A gentle breeze ruffled ebony tresses atop the stallion's arched boa as his daggers pressed down into familiar sands. He'd been away from this place since summer, and had missed it greatly. The time away had brought the czar an unsettling anxiousness, one he never expected to feel for his homelands. But indeed, he'd missed Superb Beach. The time away wasn't all good, however. The stallion's twin, Mazkii, had lost himself after losing the lands. His beautiful mate, Aria, who once had feelings for the new king himself, was forced to carry her foal and give birth away from her homelands. The bay overo was finding peace and happiness in caring for his new filly, and had decided to give the throne to his willing brother. Now, the two generations of Sun Runner's family had returned. Only seven equines were left of this great herd now. Nzukii, Azure, Mazkii, Aria, Ophelia, Sun Runner and Moth. A small herd, indeed, but the new king had new found pride in these lands, and was determined to make it prosper once again. Nzukii held his head high, his deep chocolate eyes clear as they stared out over the icy waters crashing across the beach. He'd never felt so new, so strong, so determined. It would almost seem as though he and his twin had switched places. Now Nzukii had drive, while Mazkii had his head elsewhere. The ebony overo felt sympathy for his brother, but not enough to keep him from what were his new duties. He was king now, and was determined to be just as great as his sire before him. They were home. -------------------------------------- nzukii . five . black overo . 14.1 hh . stallion ooc: i shall keep this place active now, no doubt! ^^

[yumpy]

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[bg=997573] The young mare was concerned for her family. Worried for the physical and mental well-being of her dear friend Mazkii, clutching to the hope that his new filly would keep him grounded. Azure left the young family in peace, moving between their retreat and Harmony Isle. From the Island she could see the distant shores of Superb, could still watch familiar waves lapping at the shores as the season slowly morphed to a chilling Winter. It was tragic, really, that the family that had resided in the safety of The Beach had been pushed from the only home they had ever known. Azure coped well with moves, she had experienced far too many of them to allow her youthful mind the worry the universe seemed to so desperately crave. Though she had missed the shores deeply, longing for the day things could return to normal, return to how they had always been. But they would never be the same. Nzukii was king. The careless, free-as-the-wind colt she had always known, suddenly became a stallion. The blue femora had always been able to recognise the potential within him, and perhaps she had been the only one to not hold a breath of doubt to the young male when he had been no more than an image of youth, an image of aloofness. Ferocity was something that lingered within his eyes, a natural strength and security within himself that the femme had never seen. It wasn’t the same as Mazkii’s determination, it was stronger than that. It wasn’t something he had gained, but something that came naturally. An instinct to thrive, as strong as a birds instinct to fly. It captured her, fascinated her. It was refreshing, magnificent. And it would give him magnificence as King. He would be magnificent. She could feel it, sense it in the 10 tonne atmosphere that clung to his monochrome frame like gravity to a walking planet. And it was just that; it could earth you, make you feel so much heavier than you were, feel like your ankles were drowning into the soil; the gravitational pulling at your spine uncomfortable, over-powering. But she loved it. She absorbed the energy like a snake in the sun; using it to lift herself, to refresh her mind. She could see his frame moving in the distance now, a subtle enthusiasm to his stride as if he were walking with a new found purpose. She wondered briefly what position this change put her in, but found it barely interesting enough to dwell over. The mare increased her pace to an easy trot, small strides holding no particular prospect to catch any interested eyes. Her tri-toned pelt was lengthening, the usually sleek blues and greys now extending out to pale tips; her body almost white in colour. She slowed back to a walk just behind him, keeping her distance so as to assure no invasion of the space Nzu seemed to be so keen on. “You’re strong, Nzukii...” feminine voice floated from dark lips, the usual wisdom that fluttered the melody like the beating wings of a thousand moth’s prominent; able to send a tingle to the pores of any equine. “Mentally.” She concluded the phrase before gently continuing, “You will use that. And you’ll make your family proud; just as you already have.” A tender smile flitted across her lips, lengthy lashes batting weakly as her gaze shifted from the stallion to the surrounding scenery. Oh how she’d missed it, missed her home. Superb had reserved a place in her heart, it’s fragile wonders more than enough to feed her ever-curious mind. She had realised she wouldn’t miss the migration of the sea birds, happy to know she could find her way to the shores in merely weeks to watch as they returned to past nesting grounds. They didn’t tolerate her as much as she might have liked, but she kept her distance; happy to watch the fledging of new lives from afar. She wondered momentarily when she’d have her first foal, her lack of direct presence the past season resulting in an empty womb. Despite her bodies crave, despite its pushing instinct to draw her to a fertile stallion; she had managed to use her mind to settle the temptations. Her brain sure that it had not been a safe time to bring another to the world. Dark eyes shifted back to the filled form of her king, watching him, studying him. ------------------------------------------------------------- words; 744 notes; Sorry if it's crap. Azure; Mare; Four; MT 15hh; Light Blue Roan; Mustang Mix; Roxey x Bhaltair; Superb Beach

[Wicked Sama]

[atrb=width,550,true][atrb=border,0,true][bg=000000] Dark eyes watched the white-caps of the ocean, and Nzukii wondered how bone-chillingly cold the water would be at this time of year. He remembered playing in the ocean when he was only a young colt, remembered how easily it could cool you off during the long, hot days of summer. But in all those memories, his dam had always stood far from the water, watching but never participating. Dark eyes narrowed as the stallion lost himself in thought. Did Moth dislike the water, or was she afraid it? He couldn't comprehend how anyone could dislike the ocean, especially on a beachfront property such as this one. So perhaps she really did have a deep, profound fear of the ocean. Nzukii had been weak as a foal, and more than once had been knocked over by the strong waves. He'd never understood the look that would cross his dam's face, but now that he thought back, he knew exactly what she was feeling. As he would tumble across the sand, knocked back and forth by the force of the waves, his dam would hurry forward. but hesitate where the water would touch her hooves. It was as if she were held back by an invisible force, kept from assisting her two weak sons. Nzukii had always thought she liked watching him thrashed by the waves, liked watching him drenched and humiliated. But now he understood. A feminine voice spoke suddenly, her voice washing over him like the waves over the shore. Nzukii did not turn his head, but one aerial swung atop his skull to face in her direction. The words she spoke settled him, although he hadn't known that he was initially anxious. Being the new king came with a burden of responsibilities, and honestly, Nzukii had never though he would be smart or strong enough to lead a herd. Hearing Azure's reassuring words aroused a spark of hope, left flickering inside him. Still without turning, he addressed her, his words quiet, but strong. "There is nothing for my family to be proud of...yet." He narrowed his eyes, still feeling the competitiveness he'd always had with his brother. Although Nzukii was now king, he didn't feel like he had won. He was still the loser. For a brief moment, Nzu turned his head, glancing at the beautiful blue roan that stood a few steps behind him. She could be with any stallion she wanted, could be a powerful and wise lead mare of another thriving herd. But instead, she was stuck here with him. He felt sorry for her. Turning sharply away from Azure, Nzukii sighed. "How do I make you proud of me?" he asked quietly, allowing his walls to fall for a brief moment in time. -------------------------------------- nzukii . five . black overo . 14.1 hh . stallion ooc: i simply adore azure

[yumpy]

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[bg=997573] Azure watched the blossoming stallion’s gaze fall over the tumbling oceans, a silent curiosity developing within her mind as she pondered over whether he appreciated the salty body as she did. She tried to twist her dark skull in a way that might allow her to focus, allow her to quietly crack open his shell and read the thoughts rolling within. Though the monochrome Nzukii was happier avoiding her inquisitive eyes; his attention hovering elsewhere as if he were totally detached from her existence. She didn’t mind, she liked the way he blocked her wriggling and worming, chipping away at his skull; enjoyed the challenge as she slowly built a wall of knowledge regarding the way his marvellous mind worked. A corner of her brain reserved purely for the mysterious stallion, the notes already piled unevenly against the tapering walls of her pallid skull. His words engaged her spirits into a shallow sink; a momentarily worried frown dragging her lips downwards like some form of gravitational force. Though she need remind herself of the ‘yet’ he effortlessly concluded with, a gentle suggestion that told her his definition of pride was far different to her own. She would let him have that sentence to himself, feeling no need to try and convince the head-strong beast otherwise. He would think as he pleased, and although Azure may never understand the reasoning within his mind, she was sure he would soon find a way to discover pride within himself; no matter what it took, or how long. Her deep-brown gaze had not shifted from his dark profile, her visionaries noting the prominence to every delicate bone, the occasional rust-brown hair standing out against an ebony crowd and seeking the evidence of imperfect grass stains against the pallid hues of his unique markings. He was magnificent to look at, his smaller size no influence on his loud, leader-like air as he walked as if every weight of the world was strapped over his sloping wither. Then, unexpectedly, his snow-splashed cranium twisted, vibrant caramel lanterns pinning to her own, holding her in place. It reminded her of the day Moth and Sun Runner had pronounced them mates, the arctic sting to those intimidating eyes threatening to refrigerate her soul. If she hadn’t been so confident in nature, she couldn’t have possibly managed to hold his eyes, but she had that day. She could remember returning the attention with no more than a curious tranquillity, as if trying to inform him his efforts would find no reaction. Not with her. Though it was different this time, and she became increasingly aware that she had never had such a look from the mysterious Nzukii. Intrigued, she held it, waited for him to barricade his walls again and turn away; but it did not come. His words shocked her, as impossible as it was to tell on the outside. A shiver trembling in the pit of her stomach as she searched for the reason behind the words, rushing through her mental notes in an attempt to understand this new side of the young king. Then suddenly, a low sigh fell from her lips, a heavy blink parting their eye contact for a painful second. Features softened again as she relaxed, allowing an inkling of concern to pass the glassy windows of her eyes as she spoke, her voice no louder than a furtive whisper, “I will always be proud of you.” ------------------------------------------------------------- words; 573 notes; This table is awful. I think a new one is in order. Azure; Mare; Four; MT 15hh; Light Blue Roan; Mustang Mix; Roxey x Bhaltair; Superb Beach

[Wicked Sama]

[atrb=width,550,true][atrb=border,0,true][bg=000000] "I will always be proud of you." This surprised Nzukii, as did the tightening he felt within his chest. Was he happy? Embarassed? Anxious? Dark, clouded eyes narrowed slightly. He let his mind wander. Was Sun Runner ever proud of me? What about my dam, Moth? She and I never got along well in my yearling days. It was always Mazkii, Mazkii, Mazkii. The all important colt. Nzukii almost scoffed outloud. But who lost Superb Beach? Who wasn't brave enough to try to get them back. Mazkii. Nzu exhaled loudly, feeling that familiar rush of pride he got in thinking that he was the new King of Superb Beach. His twin brotehr was just anotehr stallion now, busy raising his filly and trying to get over the loss of Aria. Aria. The image of a beautiful, brindled tobiano mare flooded Nzukii's brain from all areas of his mind. He recalled their foalhood, and that day in the rain and fog when they had first met. Nzukii hadn't quite known what to think of Aria. He knew she was beautiful, a gem, but he always assumed he never had a chance. Mazkii was more suited for her. Turned out he was right. "I've done nothing to earn it." He spoke with a clear, firm voice, feeling his walls start to build up slowly again. Nzukii had always had hatred for himself, and a bit of that was still left over from his colt days. Ebony hooves shifted in the unsteady sands, long, tangled tresses blowing gently on an oceanborn breeze. Nzukii cleared his throat. "I'm going to need help now, Azure." He turned his body to face her, squaring his forelegs and chest. "Help from the lead mare. You." Azure was not the greedy kind, and so Nzu had a feeling she wouldn't assume that he would give her the title of lead mare. But he, of course, would prfer none other to assume the role. -------------------------------------- nzukii . five . black overo . 14.1 hh . stallion ooc: finally finished