Keepin My Nose Clean (Yeah Right) (Open)

[coco]

MANIFESTO

Everything went numb when he stumbled upon what he thought
Was going to be another means to the end
Silence

[/size]

Bloody auds were perched forwards on the curved dial in anticipation, silent orbs scanned the horizon for sign of movement. Hooves pulled the bodice forwards. Dust and ashes rose from the ground with each step, dancing around the chestnut paint. The animal snorted, the deathly quietness consuming his trail of thoughts entirely. Though, it wasn't as though he hated the eerie serenity. No, he embraced it, actually. He just needed a purpose in his life. Needed someone to serve with his whole heart and sickened soul. Sigh. The charcoal daggers smacked into the ashen ground with force now, pulling the charriot forwards with acheiveable speed. Once shimmering coat was now dull and lifeless, just as its owner.

And the elders spoke of an antidote in this strange land which smelt of burnt pine and blackened grass. Where was this cure to his poisoning? Would he have to look long for it? The stag snorted again as he came to a crest, the smell of other equines now engulfing his senses. The beast began to turn on his heel, not wanting to be around others. Until he ran into one. An uncertain grumble erupted from the hardly used lips as he mumbled some appology, eyes wandering from the ground to the horizon.

He didn't want to be near other horses, he wanted to be by himself doing his own thing. But that intense fire within his chest screamed loyalty, made the confused stag want to serve the leader with every fiber of his being. The horse straightened a little, waiting for the other horse to speak back.

Sirens
It all went down like his nightmare the night before
I don't want to hear
I don't want to be near
I do what I got to do just to keep my nose clean[/center]

[♫ §kY ☼]

Idiot stallion... thoughts rang out above all else. Head tossed, ears swivelled, nares quivered. The animal was obviously irritated. She had just walked away from her new king. Litterally turned her back to him just to piss the stag off. Many times had she deliberately made her superiors angry with her, but it was only because no stallion had ever truely put her in her place. Now, she was wondering aimlessly through a barren landscape. The fire domain: Agni-Kai. She had made the mental note that there were definitely specific areas in which bending was practiced. The other places were actually fairly lush. The picture suited her eyes.

Suddenly her muzzle caught a new scent. She stopped in her tracks. The wind had just shifted, bringing with it the scent of a stallion. There was something wrong with the male though. Charcoal tail flicked as ebony hooves danced. The dun pulled her head up, trying to get the scent again. There it was. ...the hell? She thought. Definitely a stallion, but what is that? Something wrong with him? Something in the back of her mind screamed at her to be weary but she had yet to pinpoint the location of the stallion thanks to the wind.

Then it hit her. Quite in the literal sense. A bay stag ran into her. Without even thinking, the mare turned and with swift hooves aimed at the stallions head before teeth lashed toward his flanks. All conciousness ceased. Every move was pure instinct. Training for days on end pays off in the long run. Her entire frame shivered as the mare readied for combat, her initial attack already given. Whether she hit or not depended on whether the horse could dodge. But, since it'd been years since she lost a fight, she was fairly confident.

It was only then did the idea register that he had apologized. She glared at him for a moment then spoke. "If I were you, I'd be more careful about where I ran..." The scorched ground flicked with flame at each of her hooves. Her mane and tail tips were also on fire. Orbs burned through to the soul. Needless to say, the femme didn't like being run into without any warning.

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[coco]

MANIFESTO

Everything went numb when he stumbled upon what he thought
Was going to be another means to the end
Silence

[/size]

Mare.. The thought screamed at his head, pulling at the fringes of his sanity. Not that he had any. He lifted his muzzle, nostrils breathing in the fresh scent of burnt tree and the current flame licking the parched ground beneath the two. The next minute, a pair of burning hooves were smashed into his crimson hide. The stag whipped around, teeth bared. The elders had taught him all he needed to know in the way of fighting. And if he were ever selected to serve his master, then it would not matter if the offender were mare or foal, stag or elder, he would demolish any danger to his precious leader.

His lip was curled, though he wasn't prepared to speak more than one word to the mare in front of him. The maw curved into an insane look, the eyes taking a devilish sparkle. Hooves carried a couple of steps back from the dun beast, eyes locked on the burning ones in front of him. Sirens were dashing through his head, telling the chestnut stag to pick up his black feet and run, run back to the elders and forget all about the antidote. But the smell, that burning passion to serve his master kept his feet locked to the ashen ground.

"Run they cried, run to the ashes and find the maid all forlorn"

Manifesto cackled quietly, his muddled riddle a manical whisper. The stag stepped closer again, quietly sniffing the air. This was not the antidote. But the master had not said what it would smell like. Would the master tell him to kill her, like he had killed the scientists?

"No no no" The horse chanted to himself. "You're no maid. No Master to serve. Sad."

Sirens
It all went down like his nightmare the night before
I don't want to hear
I don't want to be near
I do what I got to do just to keep my nose clean[/center]

[♫ §kY ☼]

There was a satisfactory thud as her hooves came in contact with his skull. The mare looked smug, though her teeth missed his flanks. Burning eyes still tried to pierce through the bay, but it wasn't as full of anger. Her body throbbed from the sudden surge of adrenaline. She held perfectly still, reigning in the wild beast of her loner life. Her gaze stayed trained on him. Ears swiveled forward, nose picking up every change of emotion. His scent said alot about him, but not nearly what she wanted to know.

Well...if nothing else, he's got quick reaction time. Obviously, he had no idea I was here. Just another stallion. Inwardly, she scoffed. In her opinion, they were all stupid. Finally, his lyrics reached her ears. Words that were spoken made less than no sense. It sounded more like a prophecy. "Speak up, mule. What is this?" she demanded. His voice was low and it was quite irritating. "You have these things in your throat that vibrate together. They're called a voice box. Use it!" Her tone dripped sarcasm.

His next phrase was just as confusing as the first. Something about being a maid, but he was adressing the mustang. The mare tossed her head. There's something seriously wrong with this boy... The flame died slightly on her mane and tail, but her hooves still danced with fire. No master to serve? ...do what? Slowly her hostility lessened. The flames died completely and she looked at him like he was completely crazy. Which, at this point, she deffinitely believed.

Finally she spoke once more. "I don't know what your problem is, but I bet it's hard to pronounce...as for a whole 'master' idea. How hard did I hit you? And no, I'm definitely not a maid. No stallion can tame me." A cry of pride echoed in the valley. She was very adamant about all stallions being stupid. This stag only helped her theory. "So...I suggest you give me a reason you blindly ran into me."

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[coco]

MANIFESTO

Everything went numb when he stumbled upon what he thought
Was going to be another means to the end
Silence

[/size]

No no no no no, it won't do. Won't work. His mind churned over the possibilities. No, this mare was no docile maid that could offer him a cure to this...this insufferable disease that those water scientists inserted into his mind. The thought of those animals, those horrible horses who thought that their pure aqua lies could dampen his fire mad the stag's lip curl again. A small flame lit itself at the base of his foot, the smoke curling up and into his nostrils. He'd show them. One dayl he'd find the antidote and he'd take it back to those fools and their water bending. He blinked, the fire now slowly beginning to extinguish itself. If this mare wasn't the maid, then who was she? And why did she place her dun body in front of his so that he would run into her? Didn't the elders say that the maid with the antidote would present herself to him? Manifesto stared intensely, thoughts consuming him again. No, she couldn't be the mare. They were notorious for making things hard. She didn't smell like an antidote. But then again, what did an antidote smell like? The elders had mentioned that everything would feel right when he found the maid. The stag snorted again. She wanted him to speak louder? He shook his head.

"No no no. The maid shall present her self. Only then will the skies roar and the oceans sing." He nodded. The anger building up in his chest had now disintegrated and he steadied his consuming thoughts. "You have no master. No stallion. Sad, sad, sad."

He looked up again. Was she like him? Looking for someone to serve with her whole heart and soul? The chestnut hellion sniffed again, the ragged mane falling upon his face. He could smell other horses on her. Another stallion. But were was her master? Where did he go? Did he get poisoned too? A lopsided grin passed his face.

"What did they scream at you?"

He was used to the confused looks by now, also the ones which said he was insane. For one moment, his phrase had made some sense. It was his way of asking the mare's name. He hadn't been taught how to interact when the elders took him on. He was a mute. He had to teach himself, so this was how he leant. When the chestnut colt had arrived in the fire village many years ago, the other horses screamed at him, calling him an abomination, a bloody manifesto. Which was where he got his name from. So, he knew he made some sense to the other horse. And for that, he was proud of himself, the lopsided grin stretching.

Sirens
It all went down like his nightmare the night before
I don't want to hear
I don't want to be near
I do what I got to do just to keep my nose clean[/center]

[♫ §kY ☼]

"Only then will the skies roar and the oceans sing...what? Honey, you've had your head in the water too long. That or I knocked the shit out of you, which is...of course...entirely possible. Ahem." For a moment, the mare debated whether or not she should hit him hard enough to knock him out, and walk on. She shook her head. No...then I'd wonder if he was ok. The fire died at her daggers. Her anger subdued upon finding out that he wasn't a threat. Then he said something that cut her to the bone.

"Sad? Sad!? You think it's sad that I don't belong to a stallion..." Years of practice made her look at him in disbelief even though her mind was screaming at her. He's right! She bowed her head slightly in embarrassment for the hellion before her. "It's not sad. I'm completely capable of looking after myself. I don't need some idiot donkey looking after my hindquarters!" She turned and began to walk away.

He had pissed her off with that statement, becuase of how close it was to the mark. In a way, the two beings were very similar. The difference being that this...thing?...had completely lost his mind. The bay could barely talk let alone form complete thoughts. She had only gone a few steps when she turned and reapproached him. "No...I don't have a 'master' as you continually say. I'm a lone mare." Her words were quieter, less hurtful or hostile. There was something about the stallion that told her to run, but there was also something that trigered her caring side. Once that part of her has woke up, it's hard to turn off.

She waited for him to speak again, wondering if she should ask his name. Luckilly, he did it for her. At first, the femme was a little lost as to what he wanted to know, but with a little thought she realized he wanted her name. She, herself, had never been screamed at like this beast, but she introduced herself all the same. "Sky. My name is Sky. And your's? What's your deeming?" Her voice took a formal tone, but there was still a hint of curiousity and care underneath it.

[coco]

MANIFESTO

Everything went numb when he stumbled upon what he thought
Was going to be another means to the end
Silence

[/size]

The dejected stallion watched on quietly as the mare seemed to embark on a battle of her own. you've had your head in the water for too long... How did she know what had happened to him? Was she a subject too? He shook his head, having a silent conversation with himself. No, he would've remembered if there was a dun subject there. Would've recognized her air of self respect and anger by now if he had been a subject with her. The dark eyes opened slightly when the mare leapt back, the fire dancing through her orbs when he mentioned that she had no stallion. Sure, he hated not serving someone with every inch of his goldish coat, but he wasn't that touchy about it. Manifesto turned on his heel, ready to plod away like the past three thousand times he'd had encountered another horse. They just didn't understand him, didn't understand what he had been sent out to do. But when the dun mare walked back up to him again, the stag spun back around, surprised that she had lingered for more small talk.

The chestnut stallion paused, hoof running itself over the ragged, blackened ground. What was a lone mare? Were they maids who kept antidotes with them? He shook his head, making it look like he was talking to himself. No, no antidote here. He looked up again when she told him what they screamed at her. Sky. How was it that he got a bloody, war driven name and she got a really nice one? She was of the fire tribe, yes, but was she better than him? Was that why she was given the fitting name? A small grin tugged at his lips again, a foolish sparkle glinting in his eyes.

"They screamed Manifesto at me, Sky. Sky, where do you go now?"


Sirens
It all went down like his nightmare the night before
I don't want to hear
I don't want to be near
I do what I got to do just to keep my nose clean[/center]

[vyxaster]

There was much to be discovered and uncovered here, that much was certain. Canicus was, as of now, an empty place aside from the bay-blooded stallion, and while Muse was no stranger to the silent and the empty there was a nagging feeling to recruit or claim that snowballed about in his gut. The beast paraded about the topography, his senses on a euphoric high with the contrast of scents and the many new wonders to discover. Sparks of sound caught his interest, flared about the sonar of his ears. {Voices} A gruff of a snort passed through oxygenators in a satisfactory sound, a wind billowing about the beta brute as he turned against the wind in the direction of the duo playing in his ears. {I hear you} Now he just had to find them. It wasn't a severely complicated task, as the breeze now pushed against his face practically shoved their scents down his throat, his body tugging forward as if pulled by strings in their direction. A puppet master. His appendages were lank and strong as they carried the mutt silhouette of the lead stallion, his gait a severe trot, his muscles rippling beneath an auburn coat. His hooves tapped the ground with flame, any living foliage beneath his feet turned to ash with every touch of a flint. It wasn't as if the land wasn't dead already, but this was unlike his own land, here there was still life. {And I am bringing it death} The scent of decay and ash pressed his nostrils from the path at his feet, from the foliage that burned in his wake. {I've scarred mother nature's tender face} And it didn't concern him.

The pair of equine stock carved into his kaleidoscope gaze and the brujo halted a step, then two, then he was still, a ragged statue against the back drop of this fire hell. His auds flicked with a mild interest, a patience in his eyes as he waited. He dissected them from his roost upon a rolling slope of a hill, his eyes a drifting stare of critical thought as he swept the pair. {An interesting duo} The female was a rowdy sense of no reason, the way she shook her head and stated her claims, that no one can tame her. {No, maybe not, but I could light you on fire rather quick} A snort resonated his maw and he moved, a ghost of a shape, a shadow, towards them. {I'm coming, ready or not}

"A mare with too much personal flare and a stallion who's seemed to misplace rational thoughts, quite a find I would think." His voice broke their personal space and sound barrier as he came to a halt within a few feet of each. "An inquisitive find indeed." His eyes flashed to the broodmare, the more important of this victory. A home can be nothing without a mare. "I am fated with the name of Muse little mare, oh yes I've heard your name pass this other colt's lips but there is no reason for such honor yet, for you are untamed and of little importance to me until you step onto the land I call my own. {Canicus} "You say no stallion can tame you little darling? Well here's where I call such thing false, for my land lies not far fro here and in a matter of moments you shall be a part of it."

The words were an idle threat, and left his fleshy ribbon of a tongue in a baritone hum of sound and vowels. His eyes pulled from the fiery vixen towards the male who stood opposite him, one that seemed slightly ill in the head yet determined. A chuckle floated through the bay figure's lips and Muse took to contemplation, a devious flash behind his hazelnut eyes. {A screwed up thing, let's see how much torture you can stand in my ring of hell} "You my male friend, are an odd beast at best. You spoke of master? A funny name to call a King, yet it would seem that the King is not here..." his eyes took to flash about the territory to confirm his words, satisfied that no royal was lurking in the shadow, he again focused on the brute and continued. "I am no King nor Prince but a Lead I am and in need of good servants. If you wish you may also join me in my territory, Canicus, a desolate place that you can fester about in to your heart's content."

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[♫ §kY ☼]

Sky waited paitently as the stallion comuned with himself in his own head. It would've been quite comical if he hadn't been truely messed up. Gently, she shifted her weight. Something flashed in the back of her mind. A warning signal went off. Auds picked up and her head swiveled. She saw and heard nothing. The wind brought no unusual scent to her quivering muzzle. She sneezed just as the male spoke again. "Manifesto?" Inside, she backpeddled to get away from him. But her face showed nothing. "Intimidating name..." Thoughts of her own name almost made her roll her eyes. Skybelle...the hell were they thinking?

Sky sighed. "What now? Keep wandering," she paused and her head drooped. "...as it always is." She tried to give him a smile. Some part of her, the part that she had burried as deep as possible was awoken. Though he was deffinitely older than her, she felt as if he were a child that needed to be looked after. Not cared for, nessissarilly, but watched. She was pretty sure he could fend for himself as far as fighting went. But, as she looked closer, his mental state was anything but stable. Something within her told her to gently help the hellion. At the same time, though, something much stronger told her to run...and never look back.

That is, until an unfamiliar deep voice sounded from just a length away. She could feel his presense approaching but was lost in her own thoughts for the knowledge to register. However, because it was there to begin with, she didn't spook. She meerly glared at him as his honeyed words fell like daggers. Too much personal flare...bite me, the dun thought. A quick glance at Manifesto reassured her that he was ok. Silently, she barated herself for even caring. More lyrics were heard from the new voice. As he was speaking, she gave his phisique an apraisal. Able to fight...thick barrel...perfect definition...about 7, maybe 6...cold but not heartless...someone I don't want to cross openly. Then his words registered.

"Land you call your own. A lead? Hmph! I see an overgrown jackass. Entirely too proud. A bit of humility will do you good, youngling." She knew perfectly well that he was older than her, and quite definitely in his prime. The flame at her hooves had flared up again. She was being very careful not to seriously burn anything, but whether that was going to happen, she didn't honestly know. She stepped within an inch of his face. "Call me darling again...and I'll rip the lips off your head," her voice was low, low enough the chestnut probably couldn't hear. Her eyes were trained on the stag's eyes. "I'm free to go where I please. No ego-boosted colt is going to give me any orders. You couldn't handle me even if you tried. Sorry to injur your precious pride. Get the hell over it! I will do what I want. You, honey, have no say. Back off."

She turned and stepped away, his next phrase barely catching her attention. He had just spoke to Manifesto. For that matter, he had offered the other stallion a place within his lands. Sky reared just enough to turn on her heels. "You're the beta stag." It wasn't a question. She had come to the conclusion as soon as she heard Canicus. "A stallion that needs servants..." the word dripped like acid from her tongue. "Is no stallion." Outwardly, she made it obvious that she held nothing but disdain and contempt for the newcomer. But, to a trained eye, she was definitely drawn to Muse. He already made it clear he could deal verbally with a rowdy mare. Sky's next test for him was whether he'd go through with what he said...

[coco]

MANIFESTO

Everything went numb when he stumbled upon what he thought
Was going to be another means to the end
Silence

[/size]

The chestnut frame shifted, the wind tussling his threads again. Breathers pulled in fresh air, tanks greedily grabbing for more. A different smell aside from the blackened ashes, the smell of the mare wafted around him again. The thorns stood high and mighty on the bloody crown, dark orbs blinking silently. So she was going to wander for the rest of her life? Did she have no challenge to take part of, nothing to search for? Before the stag could answer back in his usual twisted fairy tale rhyme, another bodice was pulled into the arena the voice cold and relentless.

Manifesto stood high on the daggers, mind quietly churning away at the possibilities. Was he his master? The dark orbs fell into a unassured stare. Why had the bay hellion given a chance so easily? Was he no lead, but a lying thief amongst the ashen tree line? His head turned quickly to Sky, looking for some sort of sign that this stag was worth trusting. The dun mare was backed up on her haunches, teeth bared and poisoned daggers being shot at the Canicus Royal. No, this wouldn't do. She did not like him, so that meant the twisted chestnut bender would not like this newcomer either. His glare intensified and soft rhymes tumbled out of his obsidian maw.

"Around and around the blackened bush, around and around he dances. Lies like sharpened daggers and a tongue of rawhide greed..."

The stag let his muddled wordings fall with a splash of anger, lip tugged up by the almighty puppeteer. Rusty stalks periced the underworld below, his gaze never wandering from the other hellion's face. This may be a fight he could avoid, but there was something not quite right. His master would not be the first stag that happened to cross his path. No, no, too easy. And the elders had said that his 'venture would not be easy. No, no this horse would not do. Manifesto quietly backed over to the dun hide, thorns falling back to his skull.

Sirens
It all went down like his nightmare the night before
I don't want to hear
I don't want to be near
I do what I got to do just to keep my nose clean[/center]