Supernova [Notes]

[Kenren]

Even as winter thawed and released its choking grip of icy cold, the inhabitants of the far north could not celebrate the coming of life to the land. Despite the changing of seasons further south, Selbrinar would likely remain cold for another month or so, condensing the breath of the inhabitants and sapping their warmth away at night. The mountains were not a land for the weak - many died over harsh winters, from accidents or starvation. Only the strongest could survive, breeding a very hardy type of equine. While some yearned for the warmth in the south, one stallion, by the name of Nexmason, took one look at the frail equines that lived there and scoffed at such an existence. He was proud of his strong, muscled build, of the winter coat that graced his form for most of the year. He had survived the harshest conditions since his birth, and the smug pride that accompanied that fact could often be seen on his face.

At the moment, however, the only expression on his face was that of sheer boredom. The grey stallion was wandering lazily through the softened snow, dark eyes scanning the landscape in a fashion that showed he really didn't care for the bleakness of it. The flat ground occasionally jutted a rock through the snow, but other than that he saw nothing. The tall male jutted his lip in something of a pout, scraping at the ground with a front hoof in a very petulant manner. He unearthed some growing grass, but moved on without eating it. He wasn't hungry, he was bored. Movement caught his attention, and he turned his head to see a young caribou not too far from him. The creature had spotted him too, and froze. "I could just chase you for the fun of it," Mason grumbled, not caring that the animal couldn't understand him. He sighed. "Go on, then. Git!" he said more firmly, and the young animal took off at the sound of his voice. Far be it from him to torture a poor creature. Or risk breaking a limb in the process.

Mason groaned, flinging his nose skyward, squinting into the sunlight. His long grey mane flowed down his neck and shoulders, creating a dull warmth beneath. "Who killed off all of the other horses in this godforsaken place without me noticing?" he yelled at the sky, as if someone there could answer him. He didn't even care if he looked foolish - looking foolish with someone to torment was better than looking sane with no one but the caribou to admire him.

[Notes]

It wasn't like Notebellum to be so far away from her home of the south. There, the spring season had already gotten hold, and there was almost no remain of what was winter. Clearly things were much different in the North. The mosaic had seen a few of the cold bloods that lived around the area and it seemed that they were truly 'cold-blooded'. The travel up from the south was long and gradual that she hadn't truly minded the change in temperature. Where exactly was her herd. She felt like she had searched the whole world for them. At least what was her world. Notes checked every nook and corner of the South but it seemed as if they had been lifted off the Homelands without a trace. They couldn't have gone too far. Maybe they were in the North, just realizing that they had left someone behind. With a miracle, tomorrow morning, when the mare wakes up from a snooze, they all would be staring down at her with smiling faces. Notebellum continued to wander further into the snow without much of a goal. It had been months, years since she had seen the faces of those that she loved. She stopped for a moment and thought.

It was hot as if the sun had crawled closer to the lands. All she smelled was soot for some reason but the faces of her herd were clear. All she could remember then was the sight of her herd leaving and with every step the mosaic took to follow, they were further and further until they could not hear her shouts anymore.

A sudden blast of wind took her from her thoughts and back to the barren and cold reality. With a quick shiver, she lifted her head and continued to walk. She had seen a sparse number of horses on the way here, And with every one, she had asked if they had seen a herd. With the time that had past, there had to be a horse that had seen such a strange herd. Her mother was a mosaic, like her and a two-toned horse was not something a horse sees everyday. The mare made sure to keep her head up, afraid that she would miss something that could hold a vital clue to where her herd was. And with a hint of luck, Notebellum saw what was a figure of a horse and a equine-like animal running away. A smile came up on her palomino face. The chestnut walked to the stallion as fast as one could walk in the snow. "Hello? Have you seen a herd pass through here?"

occ: soo sorry that this is sooo late and ewwie... D:

[Kenren]

As if some archaic god had heard his petulant shout, his unasked wish was answered. A scent almost immediately came to his nostrils, and he tilted his head, drawn to the sound of movement through the snow. He didn't know how he'd missed her before - it really was as if she had just appeared, for his amusement and nothing else. She was moving quickly toward him, and he had to resist the urge to dance backward - would she chase? No, no, it was obvious by her coat that she was not from the North, so he would try to resist making her stumble after him.

So he stood patiently, then grinned in amusement. "Hello? Have you seen a herd pass through here?" A herd passing through Selbrinar? A herd of equines like herself? Not likely - he would have stumbled across the bodies of the stragglers by then. "... Noooo? Wait, let me guess." He paused, as if contemplating. "You're on a mad search for revenge. No, that's not it. Your lover was whisked away in the night, and you are searching for him. Am I getting warm?" He guessed at random, with a tone somewhere between melodramatic and condescending. He shifted slightly in the snow so that he was looking at her more fully. Her coat was an odd clash of colors, like somebody had taken two horses and sewn bits and pieces together to make one. It was definitely something strange. Not that he cared much for her appearance - he was more interested in how she'd react.

[Notes]

Notebellum was showered with joy as the stallion faced her. But what he replied didn't overjoy her. Actually, she was rather offended by the stallion's remark. She knew that she wasnt like many in the north but this stallion didnt have to be so rude with a guess about her that was far from the truth. Excuse me? No you are not getting`warm`. That would be rather cold if you ask me. What she said seemed to be rather ironic if you were to ask her. After all, they were in a freezing wasteland. The mare was freezing, shivering with every moment the grey blinked, trying not to give the impression that she was strange. The stallion stood there with a grin and Notes snorted into the air, watching as the cold visible air disappeared, once again showing the stallion's grey face clearly. Well I guess you won't be much help. The mare turned around to start walking away in the snow. She closed her eyes once again, trying to think of the last time she had seen her herd. But all that happened was that she smelled smoke and soot. But that was definitely nothing related to the whereabouts of the strange herd she called her own. She saw them leave as she laid on the ground, just as she woke up. I saw them. I saw them. Those words were mumbled under her breath, knowing completely that those were the truth. Opening her eyes, she stopped walking and just stood there, trying her best to think and ignoring the wind sound in her ears.

[Kenren]

Nexmason carefully schooled the unbridled amusement from his face as he watched her reaction to his guesses. She was less than pleased, and very much unappreciative of his humor. As he observed her he saw her shiver, which was not surprising; though the weather was actually rather mild for Selbrinar at the moment, it was as cold as some other areas were in the middle of winter. And she definitely wasn't built for the climate. Angered by him, the female turned away from him in a huff, beginning to walk away. He heard her mumble something under her breath, but didn't catch the words.

Indecision tugged at the stallion. He was tempted to just let her go, as she was obviously not happy with his company. His father's words weighed suddenly down on him, though, reminding him of his title, of his duty. As on Overseer, it was his job to take care of the sparse equines of the Far North - even if it was a female that had wandered far from home. If she had been truly ill-tempered, he would have let her go. But she was not, and he was not cruel enough to let her loose to die of cold. It seemed he didn't have to take the effort to stop her, though, as she paused on her own. With an audibly sigh, the stallion trotted forward, stepping in front of her so she couldn't start moving again without some effort. "Okay, okay, look - you're just going to get lost if you wander off on your own. I'll help you if I can. Give me what information you have."

Damn his conscience.

[Notes]

As the mare heard the grey sigh, she lifted her head to find him to be in front of him. When the stallion asked how he could help, Notebellum had a smile return to her face. Of all the people she had asked, no one seemed to want to give her the time of day but this stallion was actually going to help her find her herd? From the things he had said, Notes didn't think that he would be the type to help anyone -- especially her, a clueless tourist to the lands than anything else. Thank you. She started to think about all she could remeber. Well there were any about five horses in the herd. One of them, my mother, looks like me except just different colors. And I last saw them in the Freelands. And- She stopped before she could finish her sentence. It felt like she was blabbing with everything she knew, which was a lot. So she thought of the important things. There was a fire. And then they left me behind. The memories that she had were just painful and for a second, she almost doubted it had happened. But it had. Right?

The mosaic looked up at the stallion to make sure that he was still there. Not many wished to listen to a mare's sob story about how her herd was missing and the grey didn't sound like one to enjoy listening to one. Well, I would be Notebellum, Notes for short. What's your name?