`forming alliances [Eponine/rebels]

[skibbereenfarms]

The Grove had always been his favorite part of the rain forest, mostly because of the darkness; this way, he'd be able to lurk and plot without anyone really knowing. Not that he was afraid of the northern monarchy, but it gave the rebels a bit of an edge. He would do his part to make sure nothing got out about any plans that they happened to be conjuring up. Right now there was nothing going on, and the rebels themselves were quite scattered, but Duncan was determined to track them down and begin uniting them once again. He was in no way a leader, as he had never led anything in his life, but he'd be willing to do anything to stop the corruption.

Though it was likely the middle of the day, one could never really tell in a place like this. It took time for the stallion to get used to it, but now the lack of light barely phased him. He walked slowly through the dense jungle, occasionally having to stop and paw at the twisted vines and foliage in his way. No one ever said living in this place would be easy, but he and many others were fortunate enough to be able to tolerate it. He took this simple stroll just to clear his head and relax; he did this every once in a while so he wouldn't drive himself crazy with thoughts and ideas. It was healthy, and he encouraged anyone else who decided to cross his path to do the same. The stallion paused for a moment to glance up ahead. Though he couldn't see far, he could feel the presence of others, hoping that they would be as willing to offer friendly conversation as he was.

[Hud]

The rain forest was not new to Eponine. She was of it, for it, and felt as if she were from it. Originally of the sands, she was used to the heat, though not quite as much to the humidity - the only distraction to her. The bay mare loved the beautiful scene around here and brayed loudly in her mind at the thought of it being governed by a king. No one should own such beauty.

Though she did call it her home, Aquicul was to be tamed by no one. The flora and fauna associated with such a place was the only reason it did not have a king yet, but Eponine knew it was only a matter of time. She had been working most of her life to keep it free of any sort of monarchy, though there was not much a single mare could do...

A rebellion had begun to form years before - while she was a yearling. It dissolved pretty quickly as horses began to get cold hooves at the thought of standing up to the Northern government. It would be a rough road, but Eponine had no intention of giving up. Keeping Aquicul from reign would be the first step, and next, the surrounding territories... The mare had big plans. The Homeland needed to be freed.

She had parked herself below a favorite tree of hers in the Agruntha Grove. To any non-Aquiculian, the grove was a frightening place. It was denser than the rest of the forest and therefore, much darker. Luckily for Eponine, she knew her way around it and knew how to avoid trouble, should it approach her. Beneath her orchid tree, she was safe. It was secluded - sure to protect her.

Just as she sighed from the relief of her privacy, she heard hoofbeats. From her position lying beneath the tree, she lowered her head, careful to not be seen. She was not in the mood for pleasantries and tried her best to stay hidden...

[skibbereenfarms]

Deeper and deeper the stallion buried himself into the surrounding jungle. Each tree blended together, creating one individual being that welcomed all those seeking refuge. The source, as Duncan believed, was a lovely orchid tree kept far from the sight of anyone outside of the jungle. It was their special place, not anyone else's. Yet another reason to keep the invading forces from touching their home, though it really wasn't among the top five in Duncan's mind. But the stallion knew how important certain things were to the individual horse, so he did his best to keep everything in mind when it came down to the specifics for the rebellious ways of the horses that lived here. Everyone had their own reason for being a rebel, and of course Duncan was no exception. However, when asked, he could never truly explain why he joined the cause. If there were persistence on the subject, he'd lie; that ultimately meant his story basically changed every time. But besides keeping that hidden from others, Duncan was quite open about everything. There was really nothing that he'd hold back, unless he knew he had to keep it to himself for his sake or for someone else's.

Still struggling a bit in the foliage, Duncan continued slicing through a bit of the blended greenery, creating a special path for himself. By now he was right by that special orchid tree, still in the mindset that he was all alone. The entire forest watched on as the stallion relaxed himself, letting his guard down entirely. He really only did this when he was sure no one could bother him. His neck lowered slightly and he sighed. Ears still alert (just in case), Duncan allowed his mouth to open and the words to flow. "We're safe here. It's home. We don't have to run anymore." Clearly he was only talking to himself, though others around him may have believed he was actually speaking to them. It didn't matter to Duncan, though, since he was sure that he was alone.

[Hud]

As it turned out, Eponine seemed to be excellent when it came to hiding. The hoofbeats she'd heard had been true - the visual of a stallion approaching made sure of that. He was a stranger, and yet she could hear him speak to her. Was he speaking to her? Why would he if she was so good at concealing herself? Perhaps she wasn't as good as she thought she was.

Yes. Now that she'd deciphered his exact words, she could be sure that he had not spoken to her, and therefore must not know of her position quite yet. She was still a pro.

Either he was talking to himself, or he'd brought someone with him. Raising her neck from its reclined position, Eponine was sure it would only be a matter of time before he noticed her, so she decided to seize the opportunity. "Who are you speaking to, Monsieur?" She stayed in her place, her legs tucked beneath her as well as they could be as she lay underneath the orchid tree's budding branches. Her blue eye shone especially well with the lighting; her brown eye less obvious. She couldn't say their focus was not handsome - in fact, quite the opposite. Her search for privacy in vain, she began to appreciate the view.

[skibbereenfarms]

The last thing he'd expected to hear was a response. It actually shocked him a bit, but a rough-and-tough stallion like him wouldn't admit it openly, of course. Well, he saw himself as rough-and-tough, though on the inside he was surprisingly soft. It was that obsession with strength that all males had deep down. But revealing his fear wasn't the big issue here; it was revealing his weakness. When he had heard the voice, he glanced around quickly and tried to find that individual to no avail. Duncan tensed slightly when he coudln't see the stranger right away, and for a moment he was unaware of what he should do. But he wondered why he should be worried at all; he was a fairly young stallion, wandering freely and without a care. Surely he had the energy to take someone down if they threatened him. He shouldn't have even doubted his ability. He could handle himself.

Cautiously, the stallion pressed on, somewhat encouraging the conversation. "Just myself, ma'm," he said, assuming by the voice that the stranger was a female. In that case he'd go a bit easier on her, but still wouldn't hold back if she got hostile. A mare fighting back wasn't scarce nowadays. Still unsure of where the mare was positioned, Duncan simply spoke, hopefully loud enough for her to hear him. "I apologize if I interrupted something. I thought I was alone." He figured that he could at least try to be a bit friendly, just to show that he wasn't willing to retalliate. "Might I ask your name, miss? I'm Duncan. Just a plain wanderer...a rebel, you could say."

[Hud]

Watching as he sought her out, Eponine could not stifle a girlish giggle. Intent on him not finding her, she stood up under cover of her orchid tree and grabbed a nearby limb between her teeth and pulled it to her side, covering his view of her. The limb she'd snatched was completely covered with pink orchids, dense to the point of exposing only her blue eye as she watched him from behind the colorful barrier.

Of course, now her position was rather obvious. She lowered the limb's end to the ground and secured it with her hoof. Watching him from behind her plant wall, she thought about how to respond. "Alone? Sir, you're never alone in Aquicul. The forest is always abuzz with new visitors." The stallion must be new to the rain forest, though she thought it probable that the same went for any kind of forest. Her eye held of a glint of mischievousness as she watched the handsome stallion. 'Duncan', eh? Not a bad name. Not at all. And a rebel at that! This boy was turning out to be a friend of Eponine's, to be sure.

"...Eponine," she said, remaining concealed, save only for her blue eye.

[skibbereenfarms]

The stallion was still unable to see the mare, so naturally, he began searching. So he didn't lose the mare's interest, he continued talking to the trees and bushes, hoping perhaps that the stranger was cleverly hidden behind or within them. "That is true," he began as his eyes scanned the foliage. "But then again there are many concealed places where a horse could be alone." He gave a sly smile, enjoying this little game that she was putting him through. He continued on. "Eponine? Beautiful name, and I'm sure if I could see you, you'd have a pretty face to go with that name." He was aware of the flirting, but he didn't care.

When he spotted something staring at him, Duncan decided to investigate. Head tilted slightly, he slowly crept up to the eye within the bushes, almost sure that it was this Eponine that had been talking to him. He grinned, believing he had won. "I thought finding you would have been much harder than this," he said. With one quick movement, he snatched up the skinniest branch closest to him with his teeth and pulled it out of the way. The eyes he had seen were not that of Eponine, but a deer that had been stirred by their conversation. The creature stared fearfully for a moment, unsure of what to do with herself. Duncan released the branch and allowed it to swing back gently, also allowing the deer to make a quick getaway. Confused (and somewhat defeated) he turned back around and said, "you're going to win this game of hide-and-seek, you know."

[Hud]

Eponine watched the stallion, concealed. He began searching for her as he spoke, clearly eager to spot the creature who had engaged his conversation. A smile crept upon her tawny lips, "Hard-to-Get". Is that what this was called? Whatever it was, it felt good to have the upper hoof for once.

He complimented her name. A gentleman, to be sure. She heard no malice in his voice - she ought not to be afraid of him. It was a hallowing thought. In Aquicul, it was often advantageous to be frightened away by most anything. A rain forest flower like Eponine knew the best way for a lone mare to survive.

She saw him catch sight of something and approach it. He was sure he had found her and said just so. As he investigated, the deer he had spotted made itself scarce. The bay-and-white mare could not stifle a giggle at the sight of such a complete failure on a powerful stallion's part. Irony always got her. No doubt she wouldn't be hard to find now. It didn't matter - she was in a good way.

"Of course I am," she said between laughs. "Why else would I be hiding if not to win our little game?" With that, she took a few steps backwards so as not to be where he might next search...

[skibbereenfarms]

The stallion gave a frustrated sigh, not particularly amused at the moment. Usually by now Duncan would have given up, but he decided to persist in order to not make himself seem like a fool in front of a stranger that he couldn't even see. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was making himself appear foolish. He was fortunate enough to realize that now. So the stallion remained silent for a moment, calming himself down and listening in to the sounds around him. If he tried real hard, he could probably hear Eponine's breathing. There were other noises in the jungle, which really threw him off and made the listening difficult. Perhaps, he thought, her voice would be able to help. "So, Eponine," he began, pausing for a brief moment. "Do you often play games with strangers like this, or do I happen to be one of the lucky few?"

The stallion patiently waited for a response. He was ready to spring forward, or backward, or whichever direction at the sound of the mare's lovely voice.

[Hud]

A light giggle escaped her as she watched and avoided him behind the cover of the tropical brush and branches. The poor thing. She'd relieve him soon, not to worry...

"No mister Duncan, I must admit this is a first for me, " she said softly, not wanting to reveal herself just yet. It was fun having the upper hoof for once. And completely by accident! How lucky she was. "Though I have heard of others' experiences with such frivolous activities as this - they all speak fondly of them, so I cannot think this a game founded in poor taste. You just don't seem compatible with the skills necessary to confound the inner workings of the game," she laughed. Sometimes it was only her that understood herself. This was surely to be one of those times. Eponine did not want to scare Duncan off, though she came to terms with the fact that she could quite easily with such a speech. At least, most stallions did. Behind her beauty was intellect, though sometimes too much for a male to find enticing. Her wit and wiles were her strengths - not always the best combination when it came to courting.

Not that that was what was going on right at that moment. To the girl, the game was simply a fun way to meet another horse. The aspect of mystery had two possible advantages: One, it could tempt him into actually seeking her out after already being exposed to her mind's inner workings. Two, it would provide her an easy and safe exit if her personality did not suit his fancy.

She stopped moving when she reached an elephant ear plant large enough to conceal her just behind him...

[skibbereenfarms]

He was sure that he had her this time. He listened while she spoke, though he didn't exactly pay attention to what she was saying. Besides picking up on her location (which should have been somewhere behind him) he noticed that she used quite a lot of big words. She must have been quite an intelligent mare. Though Duncan couldn't compete with that, he was quite smart in the ways of survival. Really, that was all that mattered in a world such as this, wasn't it? "By the sound of it," he replied, "you know quite a lot for a mare your age." He had no idea how old she was; he was simply bluffing. It's not like he could tell by the sound of her voice or something. Almost absolutely sure that he knew where she was now, he slowly began moving backward, hoping that he would end up running into her. While he slowly moved back, he continued speaking.

He was fortunate enough to have caught the last couple of words that Eponine spoke. "I suppose my upbringing is to blame, then? Or perhaps it's really the mare controlling our little game." He continued moving closer and closer to her at a pretty slow pace. "Does the fact that she is much more clever than I factor in to this?" When he was sure that he had moved far enough, Duncan came to a stop. He turned his head to the side slightly, allowing him to watch for any movement behind him from the corner of his eye. Oh, he was sure he had her now...

[Hud]

The mare giggled softly at her new friend's compliment. Was it wise to already consider him a friend? She didn't think too long of it, though the initial thought of her possible naivety had been present. His response was not one she was too used to. Her cynical views were not always the most accepted by strangers, but Duncan seemed to be okay with them so far.

"Surely it has nothing to do with your dear mother or excellent father. Such an inefficiency's cause must be centered squarely upon the horse's shoulders who performs the confounding. It is I who baffles you, though cleverness has the least to do with it," she laughed. Eponine hadn't made a single move as she spoke, waiting for him to find her. The game had continued as far as she would've liked and Eponine knew she was in control. Letting him win was part of her plan. Flirting was never something she'd thought of herself as good at, though she'd never tried to hard to capture a stallion's attention. This Duncan was a test run. Eponine seemed to be doing well for herself so far...

OOC: That sig makes my replies take WAY longer than they should. xDDDDD What is it from?