game of life ; eve

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MORDECAI.

frost covered the ground, a thin layer of sparkling ice. he loved the snow, the pristine white, the unforgiving cold, the unrelenting bite. the chill nipped at his hide as his dark obsidian hooves crushed the frozen grass underfoot. it had been hideous before, brown and gray and black scraggles of grasses and shrubs, trying to grab hold of life in this unmerciful landscape. it had been transformed, trapped in the clutches of ice, encased in crystallized water. lovely.

steam rose from his nostrils, rising up towards the dark sky, dispersing in the chilled air. the silence of the land was like a sweet melody to his ears, he wished it would never end. the higher up the mountain he climbed the colder it got. signs of life seemed to vanish, leaving only rock and stone. lifeless. and, at the very peek, untouched snow. out of reach of the mortal world, almost in another world of its own. a higher world.

inhaling, mordecai felt the biting air spread through his body, from his lungs and branching out. spreading across his chest, to his stomach, and down his legs. it spread from his nose through his head, along his throat, filling every crevice. and finally, he felt it in his heart, at the very center. glorious.

snorting, the white stallion shuffled his feet, his hooves starting to go numb. he flicked his tail against his legs, trying to bring some feeling back into the frozen flesh. a quick run around would solve this problem easily, but he hated so to ruin the serenity of the picture before him. such a shame, but mordecai valued the use of his legs more than a bit of frost on the ground. his hooves crunched on the fragile grass, destroying what he had been admiring just moment before.

his feet didn't usually do too well on uneven ground, but he did manage to get up to a decent enough speed without risking harm to himself. with good stretch of flat ground before him, mordecai could reach speeds most horses couldn't even get close too. at this point he was about the same speed, if not a little more, as a horse without extra speed could get too without causing a heart attack. and he wasn't even breaking a sweat. it took a lot more than this to get him working. the air blew back his dark mane like a banner and his tail rode the air like a flag.

coming to a quick halt, the brute reared up, kicking his sharp knives in the air, and landed hard on the ground with a few good shakes of his head. sharp, curled horns swung from side to side and thick clouds of steam rose from his nose with each breath. the run had brought a little warmth back into his limbs, but it would take a long, full out run to get them back to a comfortable state of feeling.

[ForeverPain]

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[atrb=background, img822.imageshack.us/img822/97/middlea.jpg] The loud thudding of his heavy footfalls echoed the empty land that he called home. It had always been his place that he would live he supposed but he knew that in truth it would never be home. It would never be a place he would be proud to call him home and he didn’t even want to think about calling it a happy place. It was hell in reality; a desolate wasteland. There was little to eat and almost nothing to drink in this land of the north. The sun rarely shone and it was almost always cloudy or raining. As it began to get colder it would begin to snow so the weather was always unpredictable. Ice often was covering the rough rocks and the ground making things dangerous. This wasn’t even the top of the list, snow storms, serious thunderstorms, rock slides, the list goes on and on before it finally ends if it ever does. Of course in the south the most they had to worry about was droughts and sometimes fire but that didn’t mean it was harsh like it was in the north. The cold air was stinging against any little bit of bare flesh that would be exposed. His nose felt cold but he wasn’t about to whine like a little girl about it. He had a heavy enough coat as the cold weather was beginning to roll in slowly but surely. Snow was becoming more and more frequent and the small rain storms were not helping with the colt weather. It was certainly making things much more slippery as he made his trek around the mountain trying to let the cold air clear his head. His stubborn little daughter was certainly a little interesting creature but he couldn’t focus right now. It was like this unending discomfort from heart break that he had thanks to Skadi going missing. He would never be able to really replace her but that seemed fine. He could breed other mares and simply have Spartacus as his only heir. That was all he needed really. One son; he didn’t want another one. That would only lead to the crown being fought for when it was his time to step down. The sound of another horse made his attention peak but it wasn’t quite certain whether or not it was one of the northerns or someone foolish enough to wander in. He snorted softly and began to trod over to the place at a high stepping trot being careful not to slip on the ice. ”Hello there stranger..” he said with a snort knowing this was a brute of the north; he did not have the tainted scent of the other creatures that did not live near here. ”Speeeeech!” Featuring;; HellBorn ll gorg x qatar ll eight years old ll 21 hh ll telepath & extra strength ll hellfire, demon form, ram, pulse detection ll dark grey eyes ll Born here, returned in YEAR 1 Character Log;; click! Tags;; Who are you? Muse;; Not Terrible. Notes;; Do I have something to say? Credits;; Table by ME; all images are copyright to their rightful owners

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mordecai hadn't heard the other stallion approach, but he managed to hide his surprise well enough. turning around, he caught a glance of the dark stallion, not too visible against the only slightly lighter wasteland behind. he did let out a bit of a snort of shock at the immense size of the brute. honestly, mordecai felt like puny colt in the presence of this massive horse. not only that, but just the air about him demanded respect. the white stallion raised his head as high as he could get it, showing off his horns and trying to make himself look as strong as possible in the presence of this might steed despite his smaller stature.

then, with a small, slight dip of his head, mordecai gave the other horse the respect he demanded. "and hello to you on this...fine day." mordecai wasn't sure if he'd ever seen sky in the north. sometimes he wondered if it ever existed. the day certainly wasn't "fine", that was for sure. where some prouder horse might have had an issue bowing to a strange horse right off the bat, but mordecai really saw no issue with it. this horse was bigger, stronger, and for the moment the white brute was just trying to protect his own hide and flattery was the easiest way to do that. but, he could tell this was no run of the muck brute. this was someone important, though his suspicions were not yet confirmed.

his black tail continuously flicked against his thighs, trying to keep at least some ounce of feeling in the flesh. all the whipcord did against his hide was sting, but it was something. kept his legs alive anyway and that was all he could ask and want. as long as he could run. if this horse suddenly turned on him he didn't want to get tagged down by a leg falling asleep.

[ForeverPain]

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[atrb=background, img822.imageshack.us/img822/97/middlea.jpg] The massive stag was glad that the smaller brute seemed to know that was to be respected; but of course most gave him a wide berth. He was a massive creature to begin with and his stature helped in many ways. It made going into battle far less difficult when he could about power through anything in his way. He snorted softly and looked at the smaller brute as he dipped his head in a respectful manner causing the black beast to nod his head in response. ”I am fine. I doubt you have been in the north long” he said with a snort and a short chuckle. The other brute seemed to be cold and even with draft like blood he would be cold without being used to this weather. ”Son you’ll get used to the cold eventually..but that would be the key word there.” he told the younger stud with a grunt. ”I am HellBorn. King of the north. Who might you be?” he asked with a gruff snort flicking on ear back and one ear forward to listen to the young stag in front of him. It certainly wasn’t the kind of day for a newbie to the north to be outside. It was cold and the feeling of the stinging chill could be felt to your bones. Even HellBorn did get the chill from time to time. And this was hardly anything more than fall like weather here in this blasted wasteland of a mountain that was so named the north. ”This is middle of the road temperature for the north. You’ll have to get strong against it or die; it’s the same thing we tell our foals.” he informed the other male with a swish of his tail before glancing up at the sky. Great. More snow! ”If you haven’t a place to stay come to the tunnels; a blizzard is gonna be here soon. It’ll be one of the first ones of the season and they are normally pretty violent.” he told the brute deciding he would stay no longer here. It wasn’t worth getting caught outside in a blizzard when he had two foals to take care of. The brute snorted heavily and pirouetted on his hind legs to begin cantering away up the hill being mindful of any ice deciding it would not be best, as per usual, to slip and fall on these terrible rocks. ”Speeeeech!” Featuring;; HellBorn ll gorg x qatar ll eight years old ll 21 hh ll telepath & extra strength ll hellfire, demon form, ram, pulse detection ll dark grey eyes ll Born here, returned in YEAR 1 Character Log;; click! Tags;; Who are you? Muse;; Not Terrible. Notes;; Do I have something to say? Credits;; Table by ME; all images are copyright to their rightful owners

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he was glad to receive a small nod from the large brute back. he would lather on extra layers of flattery just to get nothing in return. mordecai expected a certain amount of respect as well and it was good that this stallion had the decency to give it to him, if only the form of a small head nod. for a stranger it was something. "not long enough to adjust quite yet." he nodded in agreement with the huge stag. he certainly didn't have the build for the harsh environment, but mordecai wasn't about to run away just because he was a little cold.

suddenly his ears host straight up and the white brute immediately dropped into a low bow. "your majesty, i apologize, i did not know." he said, his knee scraping the icy rocks. "i am mordecai and it is truly an honor to be in your magnificent presence." now he was really laying it on thick, but who wouldn't in front of this powerful beats? the king, he could hardly believe his luck. running into hellborn himself, the feared king of the icy north. "i can assure you, i have no plans to die anytime soon." it certainly wasn't in his schedule. no, mordecai had no plans to kick the bucket, not for a long time.

he listened intently, finally raising himself from the low bow, knees aching, as hellborn turned and started off. "i'm honored by your generosity, lord." it seemed he was on the king's good side, that had to be a good thing. something he could certainly use in the future, no doubt. mordecai easily kept up with the large black brute, being extra careful of where he placed his hooves. making a klutz of himself in front of his majesty was not ideal. he did glance up at the sky, noticing the signs hellborn had seen. something was coming, and mordecai's best guess was something violent, and he didn't want to be left out in it.

[ForeverPain]

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[atrb=background, img822.imageshack.us/img822/97/middlea.jpg] The massive stag knew that he at least owed the small creature that; even if the smaller one should be bowing down to him. But he wouldn’t say anything about it knowing it wasn’t worth it right now. Especially for someone new; though if he repeated the offense HellBorn would have to lay some hurting on him. But hey how was he to know if it wasn’t beaten into him? The heavy king chuckled and nodded. ”Yeah; I can see that kid.” he told him with a twitch of his ear. Otherwise he made no real movement not going to show anything against the cold. Cold was a bitter mistress who’s sharp tongue always reminded you that she was the boss in this relationship. It seemed as soon as the fact he was king was brought up the small stag went into low bow. Good; at least he knew his place it seemed. When the brute began apologizing the massive beast snorted and rolled his eyes. ”Yes, yes, your forgiven.” he told the groveling imp. Was he really kissing ass this hard? Well it wasn’t often that the brute had this so why not revel in it while he had the chance. ”Well welcome to the north Mordecai; you’ll get used to the harsh environment eventually.” he assured the other stag before he snorted at the comment of the other. It normally wasn’t anyone’s plan to die but well it happened quite over. Especially here in the north. Hellborn slowed his gait to a walk once they began to get near the entrance to the tunnels. The black hole was hidden and only the view of the guards on the outside gave it away. ”He will be staying in the Inner Reaches from now on. Learn the face.” he told the guards gruffly and they only nodded in response knowing better. The warmth of the tunnels was obvious and it was far nicer then outside. They were dark and only lit by candlelight lanterns along the walls. ”How long have you been in the north?” he asked Mordecai ignoring a group of stunning mares that walked by gawking at their king. Many only wished to carry one foal from him in hopes of producing a colt to rival his only one. ”Speeeeech!” Featuring;; HellBorn ll gorg x qatar ll eight years old ll 21 hh ll telepath & extra strength ll hellfire, demon form, ram, pulse detection ll dark grey eyes ll Born here, returned in YEAR 1 Character Log;; click! Tags;; Who are you? Muse;; Not Terrible. Notes;; Do I have something to say? Credits;; Table by ME; all images are copyright to their rightful owners

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kid, right. mordecai caught the little eye roll directed at him, but hellborn didn't hesitate to make mordecai's inferiority known. not only was he a little small, but he was a lighter horse as well as younger than the large brute. mordecai accepted it, though, knowing there was nothing that could be done at the moment. he was simply a stranger to this horse and to these lands. he had no right going around demanding respect, especially not from the king himself. he was not some all powerful being. no, he wasn't that cocky. he would get there, all he needed was a little patience. mordecai was glad hellborn had turned around, this way he couldn't see the smirk lighting his lips.

"i'm sure i will." he mumbled as they approached the tunnels leading into the mountain. hellborn paused to speak to the guards and mordecai managed to catch the gist of what transpired. as he passed by the guards the white stallion flashed them a charming smile before prancing after the doom and gloom king. they had to learn his face, didn't they? mordecai just couldn't help but wallow in the good fortune that had graced him. and he thought it would have been hard to infiltrate this mountain. all he needed to do was show a little obedience and he was in, nothing to it.

the warmth that hit his face was sweet relief as it started to thaw his numbed hide, bringing life back into his partly frozen limbs. mordecai couldn't help but stretch out his legs a little. he'd heard about the volcano in the mountain, how there was magma in the deepest tunnels that heated all the twisting caverns within. he hadn't quite believed it until now. there was no other way to heat these stone chambers. "few months now, maybe half a year. not too long." he said as he looked around. mordecai barely glanced at the group of mares, but did notice how they only seemed to have eyes for their king. mares were nice and all, but they only really interested him when he could use them some way. daughter of some important leader? he wouldn't hesitate to try and charm her.

he'd heard hellborn had a couple kids of his own. twins actually, a daughter and a son. they were still foals, not even a year old, and neither were of much use to him. who knew, maybe he could find some way to work them into his plan. if he could get them to trust him maybe hellborn would trust him more as well.

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[atrb=background, img822.imageshack.us/img822/97/middlea.jpg] The brute knew that the other one seemed to have an idea of where his place was. He was at HellBorn’s feet like the rest of them. Honestly some may call the king of the north self righteous but it was simply a matter of respect. Although he had hated his own father with a burning passion he had always shown the devil of a brute respect. Probably in fear of being killed since it was not above his father to do such a thing to his own son. HellBorn couldn’t imagine doing something like that to his own son but yet he was guilty of something to that effect. He had certainly put one on poor Hex when the little brute had bred one of his daughters. Maybe it had been harsh but when the demon form came out he couldn’t help himself. He nodded as the young brute said that he was sure he would. Good. They needed more survivors in the north. The war was still there even when it was dying down slowly. With the diseases that had moved through every weak being had been wiped out. It was hard when so many of the north, who already had it hard, had gotten the disease. Of course then it made things open for the stronger horses of the north but now they needed more to fill the space that was empty with the lives of previously there. HellBorn gave the young stag a nod as he said he had only been in the north for about six months; it was certainly going to be interesting to see him in another six months. ”The north is not a place that takes care of those in her icy grip. She allows her terrain to weed out the weak and unworthy. The mountain has it’s own mind.” he explained to the young stag who was following behind him. ”By next year I’m sure you will have found your place in the north.” he added quickly as he flicked the dirt off his feathers and long back tail tresses. ”Speeeeech!” Featuring;; HellBorn ll gorg x qatar ll eight years old ll 21 hh ll telepath & extra strength ll hellfire, demon form, ram, pulse detection ll dark grey eyes ll Born here, returned in YEAR 1 Character Log;; click! Tags;; Who are you? Muse;; Not Terrible. Notes;; Do I have something to say? Credits;; Table by ME; all images are copyright to their rightful owners

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quicksilver eyes darted around, memorizing the path, glancing down every tunnel they passed that branched off the main one. he didn't want to go getting lost. he'd have to do some exploring before he knew the full lay of the land, but he'd have to be careful with that as well. he wasn't sure hellborn wanted lowly soldiers wandering around his fortress. some areas would be off limits to him for the time being. this section of the tunnels wasn't too attractive, he wondered how decorated the other parts were. he would expect a high level of extravagance and only wished he could have a piece of it.

his hooves hit the stone floor in short, sharp notes. mordecai was still enjoying the warm air filling him. he hadn't quite gotten used to it just yet. he was dreading the moment he would have to return to the land outside the mountain. maybe he could hibernate until the weather got warmer. he wasn't a big fan of frostbite, and he hadn't quite built up the king's resistance yet. "only the strong survive." he said in agreement to the dark lord. oh he would survive. mordecai wouldn't let a little cold get him. no, it would take a lot more to end his ambitions.

he was expecting to have more than just a simple "place" by the next year. maybe he was being a little too ambitious, but it was his hope. mordecai was a patient brute, a rare trait to have in this frozen land, but he wasn't that patient. he knew the king wasn't too young anymore. only the strong survive, and old horses were weak. it wouldn't be long now, and when that time came mordecai would have to be in a prime position. no, he couldn't afford to sit back and wait. he'd have to be cautious with his movements. he'd have to take his time, but not everything would be handed to him if he just sat back and waited.

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[atrb=background, img822.imageshack.us/img822/97/middlea.jpg] The massive king of the north snorted and adjusted the new wings that had begun to sprout out of his back over the past month. It was uncomfortable and somewhat painful as they were still growing and the feathers were still filling in at some places. In the places they weren’t fully there and instead it was the same hair that covered his body. For a while HellBorn knew it would take time getting used to the massive wings that sprouted from his back now but when he did he had no doubt they would be of use. The stag grunted as the joint of one of his wings caught a corner and was pushed back making him straighten it and push it back as best as he could. When it was clear he put it back in place. It was a tight corner to begin with that was difficult to get through. The thought of the young brute drifted into his auds making him flick one ear back towards him. ”You will get used to the temperature changes as you stay here longer. We try an hole up here in the winter. In summer we open the vents in the armory. It makes it far cooler.” he told him with a small snort but he wasn’t focusing on what the other equines that were passing by nodding to him every so often. The northern king could only give the young horse a sharp nod at his next words that broke the silence in the air. Yes. That was true in the north. Although the northern’s cared for their foals the ones who couldn’t make it really weren’t saved. When it came to his own son he wasn’t sure that he would be so cruel. The ebony king snorted and swished his long tail back and forth slowly as he listened for the sound of any of the trouble some children. They were already getting in enough trouble he had no doubt. But it didn’t matter at this point; they were old enough to handle most things that came their way. If he took care of everything then they would end up being sissies. ”Here are your quarters.” he said pointing his nose at the curtain that was falling down in the entrance way of the room. He stepped back to allow the other brute to go inside of it. It wasn’t small for sure but it wasn’t as large as some of the rooms. A decent sized bed was in the former, a large bowl that was for water, basket for grasses, and shelves for anything else that he may want. ”Speeeeech!” Featuring;; HellBorn ll gorg x qatar ll eight years old ll 21 hh ll telepath & extra strength ll hellfire, demon form, ram, pulse detection ll dark grey eyes ll Born here, returned in YEAR 1 Character Log;; click! Tags;; Who are you? Muse;; Not Terrible. Notes;; Do I have something to say? Credits;; Table by ME; all images are copyright to their rightful owners

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he nodded his head in understanding to the might king's words. they had quite the system going on in this mountain, very efficient. he was happy to hear he wouldn't be going out too much in the cold, that was a relief, and it was good that the summer months wouldn't be as unbearably hot as the winter months were cold. they couldn't control the heat source so they opened a couple vents, how resourceful.

had they arrived at last? he watched as the large black brute stepped aside so mordecai could enter the room. he pushed aside the curtain with his head, careful not to get the fabric caught on his curved horns. he looked over the room and what it contained. it didn't look like it had been used recently, it was a bit dusty, and nearly everything could have used a good wash. well, he supposed he was lucky to even get personal quarters, being on the lowest rung. it was better than some other possibilities by far. "you treat your subjects well, my lord." he said, sniffing at the dusty bed. he probably wouldn't be using those shelves for much, he wasn't one to collect personal artifacts.

"might you be able to honor me with a tour of your lovely home sometime soon, my lord?" it would be good to know the multiple tunnels and corridors and chambers of the mountain so he wouldn't go getting himself lost at some point and look like a complete imbecile. he wanted to know where everything was.

[ForeverPain]

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[atrb=background, img822.imageshack.us/img822/97/middlea.jpg] The northern king was interested in what his new subject would think of the room he was being allowed to live in while he was here in the north. He had better be happy but the stag wouldn’t pay much mind if he wasn’t; he should be happy he had any home now. He watched the younger brute’s reaction of the room being mindful of his thoughts so he could know how he really felt. Well it hadn’t been used in a good time; of course it needed a wash. ”The room has not been used for some time. It will be your job to clean it. You make sure that everything is kept clean, and looks decent, then you may get a better room as you move through the ranks of the army.” he explained with a sharp nod. This brute would not be babied and have his room cleaned. The best things he would get were about to fetch his own dinner, his water brought to him, armor, and help with his armor being put on. Of course training was included but he would have to pledge himself to the army. The inquiry about whether or not he could take the newbie on a little tour around his home made him give another nod. ”This evening I am free. We often do runs through the tunnels with the young horses. This evening we are doing one. All the colts in training come; they learn how to get through the tunnels with their armor on. It helps them to understand what it will be like if the tunnels are ever under attack.” he explained. Massive brute shook himself off; a few of his smaller feathers falling out. The stallion flicked one ear back listening to someone walking behind him. ”Kludd. Make sure that you pick our guest up for the evening run.” he told the colt not even having to look behind him. The three year old snorted and nodded to the king continuing to walk although he knew that the colt was having a tough time with the loss of Hex. Hex had been the king’s step son and Kludds best friend so now it was just both of them getting used to him not being there. ”Speeeeech!” Featuring;; HellBorn ll gorg x qatar ll eight years old ll 21 hh ll telepath & extra strength ll hellfire, demon form, ram, pulse detection ll dark grey eyes ll Born here, returned in YEAR 1 Character Log;; click! Tags;; Who are you? Muse;; Not Terrible. Notes;; Do I have something to say? Credits;; Table by ME; all images are copyright to their rightful owners

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he held back a sneeze that tickled his nose, threatening to break out. he'd have to be quick about the dust, he didn't want to aggravate his allergies. it might take a while, but he'd have the place spotless eventually. he certainly didn't want to look like a slob in front of his king. he was certainly looking forward to that better room higher up in the ranks. though he didn't much care for shiny baubles or lavish, useless junk, it was a show of power, and with this current room mordecai felt almost like a servant. well, technically he was. by choice, mind. he was supposed to live and die at the word of his king.

his ears flicked up at the king's next words. well that worked out better than he'd hoped. he could tag along at the back of the group, hopefully go mostly unnoticed. he'd be able to learn what he could of the mountain, maybe slip under the radar, and not of the restrictions of being the only one there. it could often have its advantages as well he supposed, but mordecai was one to discover things for himself. he wasn't trusting enough to believe the words that spouted from every horse's mouth at once. "sounds very informative, i'll be sure to show up." he paused as hellborn spoke to a brute passing by in the hall. kludd. he'd be sure to remember the name. the colt seemed to know the king quite well. he'd see what he could do with him.

ooc: shall we wrap this up then? or did you have another idea?