Meali's Tree [open]

[Gaeva Winged Unicorn]

In a relatively open space in almost the center of Deep Forest there was a large tree with a trunk and branches that tried to rival it's neighbors with their own massive sizes. This tree however was far from actually related to the behemoth trees that gave the forest it's distinctive look, and instead looked diminituive compared to them. Still it stood high for a normal tree, and it's branches were strong and thick. Strong and thick enough in fact to support a large, light blue mare as she rested lazily on it's support, one foreleg dangling down as she laid on her wooden perch. Her black tipped wings were folded to her sides as she did not fear a sudden drop to the ground, this seat she had chosen, as well as the very tree it was in were very familiar to her by now and as close to her as her own mind was. This was the tree she had bonded to and now shared a connection with. Twitching her tail upwards and then lazily swinging it from side to side in a similar fashion as a feline would the young mare looked down with a slight grin.

"Actually, I've been thinking about that," spoke the large stallion lying down by the tree's roots, a slight hesitation in his voice that was supported by the backwards angle of his ears. He wasn't facing the light blue mare above him however, but his aunt lying opposite him. This lavender mare was looking very serious as she listened to her nephew, only her manes dancing in an occasional little breeze but otherwise keeping still. Neither of them seemd to be bothered or to even notice the younger towered over his elder, even when lying down.

"I mean, about the Meadow," the black winged stallion continued, "It's been a while, right? I mean, since, well, it used to be protected." He took a deep breath and glanced upwards now, slightly bending his neck so he could look at the mare above, his sister. She was still grinning down at him.

"Maybe it would be a good idea to...you know...?" Again he hesitated, this time because the lavender mare in front of him shifted a little as she repositioned a hind leg, frowning at him as she did. "I mean, I'm not saying I'm as strong as dad or anything of course, I mean, I don't think i could even make a barrier that strong without being a telepath like him. Or at least I don't think so, but-"

"Jahran..." his aunt interrupted him and the lavender mare sighed as she looked away for a moment in thought before returning her dark purple gaze back on him, "That's not how it works, you know this. It is very sweet that you want to offer aid and protection to others in this forest, but if the location doesn't call to you naturally, then you shouldn't force it just because it would make sense, or because it used to be like this."

"But aunt Gaeva," Jahran started in what seemed like a defensive argument but he was interrupted once more, this time by his sister above him.

"I agree with aunt Gaeva, Jahran, just because it worked for dad doesn't mean it'll work for you." She was no longer grinning now and the tilt of her head even indicated some pity. "Don't you think I thought of doing this as well? Bonding to the Meadow and returning it's potective barrier? I mean, I'm even more qualified because I share dad's ability! But whenever I'm in the Meadow, I don't know, it just didn't feel right. It's not meant for me."

Gaeva spoke up again, causing Jahran, the black stallion, to look back down at her again, "That's how it goes, Jahran, just like Meali describes it. You will feel it when you have found the right place, this can't be fabricated. And even if you try to, you'll only end up hurting yourself and whoever you try to bond with. There is no rush."

"Yeah, just because my tree couldn't wait to be bonded with me doesn't mean you have to find someone right away as well," Meali laughed, reaching over to rub her nose against the trunk of the tree she was resting in. Coincidentally the wind picked up at right that instant, causing her magenta manes to float up for a moment. The light blue mare laughed loudly at this, "Yes, I love you too," she crooned to the tree, then grinned down at her two relatives below. Both chuckled at her playful display.

"Don't worry, Jahran, it'll come to you," Gaeva told him, smiling now. The black stallion simply lowered his gaze and nodded, then with a sigh he let himself fall over so he was now lying on his side, and wistfully stared off into the distance.

[Windra]

It was within the very same distance that Jahran was staring down, that a large red splotch appeared. It was formless at first, because it was so distant and distorted through the gaps between the trees ... you could only make out specks of details, and not many of them But then the figure tripped and fell, turned, weaved ... and eventually began to stalk in the direction of the unisus family. Drawing nearer, it took on distinct forms that made it more than a crimson blob Two arms. Two legs. A head. A torso. And ... well, that red stuff? That was its skin, nothing more. Herein strolled a humanoid beast with claws and sharp teeth, eyes as blind as a bat, bleached blond hair with three shock-yellow bangs that dangled and jangled. And yes ... there was a uniform, too. More human clothes, though not the same attire worn last time, two years ago. No, this was full-on military attire, camouflage and steel-toed boots and all. Its long-sleeved vest was unbuttoned, exposing the black tee-shirt underneath. Topping her scalp was a gray cap, styled to match the Confederate army during the Civil War on old Earth.

In essence, she looked like some horribly mutilated soldier, morphed beyond repair. And in retrospect ... that was exactly what she was. Somewhat.

Annoyed with all the branches, she swatted at a few. "Pesky t'ings ... dunno where I bes goin', an' Nay took off and Mishymish's explorin' an' ... Urp!" A branch rebounded, striking her in the face. Now while she felt no pain, the force was enough to knock her down on her back. She lay there with a long red mark on her face, staring blankly at the sky. And then ... laughed. "Hehe, that tickled."

Totally oblivious to the family nearby.
Though the smell was starting to poke her in the undefined nose.

[Gaeva Winged Unicorn]

At first the red in the distance was mistaken for a bird, then when more became visible a possible flock of red birds flying real close together? Too close really, and too low to the ground to be natural, a little suspicious now Jahran lifted his head to get a straight on view, "Somebody's coming."

"Yeah, don't worry," Meali spoke up, lowering her tail to let it dangle past the branch now as well, the tip lazily flicking from side to side.

Jahran gave a quick glance, having forgotten she'd have sounded the alarm by now if they were about to be attacked by a hungry monster, then shared a look with Gaeva before both turned their heads to check out who was coming near, just in time to get the first complete look of the "intruder", "Hey, I know her! That's...something red, I forgot, but I know her!" he exclaimed to his aunt with a growing grin, trying to dig through his childhood memories to locate her name. She wore different furs, but he was sure it was the same person. He'd only met her once as a colt, but her presence had freaked him out enough at the time to have made it a lasting memory. Except for her name.

"Crimson?" he wondered to himself.

"No, Scarlet, I'm pretty sure it was Scarlet," Meali offered, an odd tone to her voice.

"You both know her?" Gaeva asked a bit surprised as she looked from her nephew to her niece and back to the approaching figure again, right as the branch smacked the other right in the face, making all three of the unicorns exclaim out loud in surprise. Gaeva and Jahran both got up from their lying position in alarm, but the black stallion beat his aunt to the punch by quickly running over.

"Scarlet! Are you alright?" he asked, though her comment had already reached him, he still wanted to make sure. "It is "Scarlet", right?" he asked just to be sure. Not that he doubted his sister's memory, but he didn't want to mistake her identity. She also looked smaller than last time, a whole lot smaller! Bending his neck he lowered his head towards her the moment he reached her. But it wasn't Scarlet who had grown smaller, it was him who had grown to gigantic proportions since their last meeting.

[Windra]

Scarlet was, as always ... something very hopeless. She certainly acted it, rarely changing mental form for anybody or anything. Really, though. Nothing was normal about this chick. Her red skin and vile claws only made that fact all the more obvious. For one who belched into other's faces, scratched at areas that shouldn't be, you know ... rubbed in public ... who would pick her teeth with her claws and slobber blood at first sight, there was not a damn lady-like quality marring the V-ACT 32. So it was entirely common for Juggernaut to react the way she did.

The place where the branch had struck was not sore at all. There was no dull, throbbing pain. The flaming sensation of swelling eluded the walking corpse. But it did kind of tickle, which prompted her giggling fit in the first place. She was still going at it when the fully=grown horse approached. Only then did her guffaws stop within mid-breath. A voice spoke. She heard her name. Scarlet looked up. there was no alarm: only vague recognition. Yeah, there were a lot of scents in the area. Most were equine, others lingering with greenery and floral growths. But the presence standing before her now stood out the most not just because it was the biggest beast in the locale ... but also due to ... something. Something in the past. A familiarity. If only she could see ...

"Huh, whozzat?" slurred she, reaching out with a claw, touching the forelimb. She felt fur beneath the digit.

Now it was a common fact that Great White Sharks identified objects by biting them. Scarlet, who was as blind as a bat, functioned in the same way. Her senses of smell and hearing were as keen as they could be, but the sharpest of all remained to be taste. So out came that long tongue. It slipped up, disobeying all laws of physics and logic, until the tip touched the end of the nearest equine's muzzle. One tap was all it took Then the tongue snapped back into Scarlet's open jaw like a released roll of measuring tape. Lips clacked together, tasting ...

And then those milky orbs, they snapped open very wide. Scarlet jumped to her feet and practically tackled Jahran's neck. Arms wrapped about the muscular thing. So tall was he, that the Juggernaut did not realize she was actually dangling off the ground as she squeezed him tight. "Jah-man, I be's rememberin' you! Been so longs, n' stuff!"

[Gaeva Winged Unicorn]

As a young colt Jahran had thought this red "lady" simply had oddly colored eyes, now that he looked at them again he was no longer so sure. He had since learned that eyes without pupils could mean blindness, yet he had also learned that there were exceptions to this rule, especially in Deep Forest. He looked at her clawed hand as she grabbed his leg, wondering if the hit to her head had hurt her after all as she was not responding. Well, not intelligently anyway. Worry increasing he opened his mouth to repeat his question, when suddenly that impossibly long tongue flicked out, and touched his nose! Snorting in surprise he jerked his nose back, his black eyes wide as he stared at her tasting features. "Wha-...oh!"

Suddenly he found himself with a red skinned adornment around his neck. Flustered he simply stood there for a moment, vaguely aware of peals of laughter coming from his sister behind them.

"It's, it's Jahran actually," the black stallion sheepishly corrected her, not quite grasping it wasn't a mistake of his name, "And I'm really, eh...are you ok?" Unlike her he was very much aware her feet were dangling high above the ground. Feeling embarassed at taking the liberty he unfolded a wing to get it out of the way, and then with a quick shake of his body twirled Scarlet around his neck to a safer perch on his back. "I'm really glad you remember me, Scarlet!" This wasn't true, he in fact felt estactic somebody from his childhood bothered to remember him. His ears tipped slightly back at his happiness he tried to look at her, "Even after all this time!"

A quick trot brought them back to the tree where Gaeva was still standing, and Meali hadn't moved from her perch high up in her tree. "Hello Scarlet!" the youngest of the two called out, "It's me, Meali, I'm up here!"

"And this is my aunt Gaeva," Jahran rounded up the introductions.

[Windra]

Scarlet had been intending to let go. But Jahran's shifts made her switch positions to be on his back. It took a good deal of restraint for her not to burst into chorus "Giddyup cowboy!" with spurs jingling. She had no spurs. But hey, look! The V-ACT 32 had learn to keep her mouth shut about certain subjects - that had to be a new milestone indeed! There was also something else that hadn't existed a few years back: couthe. Barely there but present nonetheless. Rude comments, snide remarks, innuendos and otherwise did not slip from her maw on a whim ... depending on who she was with. A lot of things swirled in that chaotic mind that demanded emergence into the real world, but she witheld with all the strength of an ordinary woman.

"'Course I remembah ya!" chided Scar lightly, grinning from ear to her. She looked oddly doggish. A claw stretched out, keen on scratching Jahran behind the ear which she found somehow. "Ya still be's smellin' like a barnyard!"

Okay ... so she could bit her tongue on some things ...

And on that note she promptly lost her balance and fell off the gigantic stallion. The landing took longer than expected - Jahran wasn't as small as he used to be. And Scarlet wasn't as clumsy as she had been, either. She landed on both feet ... and hands. For a moment, on all-fours, a feral appearance came over her. Had it not been for the hair and clothing she could have easily been mistaken for a monster. The resemblance between her and the generic Lickers was amazing. Let's not forget ... these unisi were speaking to a cold-killer with the hunger for blood partnering with her desire to fight and protect even if it meant killing those who didn't deserve to die.

But ... for the moment, that off-the-wall temperment was abated. Like a virus, ever swelling underneath ... not becoming present until moments of weakness.

A voice called from above. Scarlet's head shot up. The glazed eyes squinted but could not see. A vague outline, yes ... but damn, how do you place some horse with wings when there were tons of them in Deep Forest to begin with? The voice was familiar, though. Scarlet did have a good memory, though she was mostly too absent-minded to pay attention ... And when the name was spoken, something clicked. "Jeez, yer all so huge nao," gawked Scarlet. "Ya be's able to be fittin' into da shack over at da Swamp back t'en. If ya went in nao I t'ink it'd be ... well ya wouldn't be able t'a get in!"

A blink.

"Big horsehs."

Gaeva, Gaeva ... she'd heard that name somewhere before. Mentioned by Naira, perhaps, or one of the other forest inhabitants. She looked over and waved, her gesture floppy and hand wobbly. "Hai Gaevalady!"

[Gaeva Winged Unicorn]

Gaeva didn't respond right away as she was too busy staring at Scarlet in shock. Not because the red skinned female disturbed her, or even scared the mare, it was what she had said in that odd little language she used.

"Shack in the swamps? You went to the swamps?!" the last bit was directed at her niece and nephew, then Gaeva turned back to Scarlet, "You took them as children to the swamps?!" Her voice had gotten higher pitched and louder with every word, no longer resembling her normal tone anymore. Both younger unicorns winced. Gaeva took a deep breath to steady herself and continued in a softer tone of voice, "Don't you realize that place is dangerous?"

"It was years ago, aunt Gaeva!" Meali called down from her branch, a big grin on her face, "And Scarlet took really good care of us, didn't you Scarlet?" Still grinning Meali neatly sent a solo message to Scarlet alone by telepathy "Don't mention the explosives."

OOC
Tiny post >.>

[Windra]

Poor Scarlet was never the sort to figure out some things that were painstakingly placed right in front of her face.Obvious notes, big gestures, subtle whispers and hidden hints ... many tended to get lost on she who's mind was constantly wandering off the train tracks. Even Gaeva's raising of the voice - her imminent rage - did not sway the Juggernaut, who simply stood there and grinned like the idiot she seemed to be. But let's be honest for a few seconds: even those who act like air-headed asshats can be intelligent on the inside, and at very random moments when you don't quite expect it.

Then was it very smart or very stupid when Scarlet rose a brutal claw and gestured to her own chest, proudly declaring, "Of course I be's knowin' da Swamps is dang'rous. I live d'ere, don't ah?" Glancing towards Jahran for him to confirm her response, the V-ACT 32 remembered her old home fondly. She wondered if the skulls she'd collected over the months were still there. They were probably nothing but bleached bone and loose ligament now. Shame. She'd have to go collecting soonish. "Notsobad, acshually, once ya be's gettin' over da random snakes and weird swamp-monstahs."

Meali's whisper caused her to look up, questioningly.

"Exp - ahhhh. Oh!" claws slapped together. Sheer glee shone 'pon her maw. Betcha anythin' Sheikka's place ain't been touched since we left it! I'm drop by later, get ya some trinkets if ah see's any, 'kies?" Such a childish expression! Giddy as a fool ... twisting suddenly into perplexion. "Oh hey's ... Meali's here. So's tha Jah-man ... Where's Zahzah?" Didn't the two foals always stick together?

[Gaeva Winged Unicorn]

Gaeva still wasn't happy but she took a deep breath, and let it out again. Giving her tail a firm flick she felt back in control of herself once more.

"I'm sorry, lady Scarlet, I didn't realize you lived there and didn't mean to slight your home of course. I just don't think it is a safe environment for children-"

"NOT kids anymore!" came a joyful call from above, which Gaeva ignored.

"...and I suppose having more intimate knowledge of the area from living there would make you a better companion-"

"It's ok, aunt Gaeva," Jahran interrupted with a nervous laugh, "We get it." The tall stallion turned back to the red skinned female standing next to him, "Right, Scarlet?"

Jahran moved back back closer to the tree where he turned to face the other two, an ear flicking back as a sad look flashed across his face that went unnoticed by the two females of his family as they weren't looking at his at that moment, "Ah, my sister Zahli? Yeah, we used to do everything together I guess...but we went home some time ago. Eh, I mean back to our old herd, this is my home now. Anyway!" he cleared his throated, "Yeah, Zahli stayed there, she didn't really want to come back to live in Deep Forest. And I didn't really want to stay with the herd but wanted to come back here."

"Guess that means I'm your favourite sister now, huh?"

"Shut up, Meali."

"Children behave!"

"Not kids anymore!"

Jahran shook his head, grinning now. "Hey Scarlet, maybe we should go check out Sheikka's place together! I mean, not that I would fit anymore...but still, it could be fun?"

[Windra]

Scarlet did a little guffaw at Gaeva's reply. She really had no idea that the bosslady was so upset over the whole ordeal. Oblivious to any misguided anger, Juggernaut offered a flippant gesture which fully-displayed her very crooked, very lethals claws. "Lotsa dangers d'ere, o' course, but ahm prolly da most fearsome thing yer gonna meet in d'ose Swamps." Her grin returned. Sharp teeth, pin-pointed like needles, took the spotlight. They were slightly yellowish in coloration and if one looked really closely ... one might see a random spot of blood decorating on of the fearsome canines. "Did a lotta huntin' o' oblong beasts back in da day - monstahs that liked to chew on ya while ya were tryin' ta sleep."

She pulled at the camo hat and flipped through it. There was a feather hidden within somehow, and Scarlet pulled it out, stuck it to the side of the cap, and ploppped it back atop her skull. Indiana Bones! Hearing Jahran brought on a strangely saddened epression. Yeah, she did remember the golden filly ... and her stubborn attitude. The kid had spunk - she liked it!

"D'aw ... I be's missin' her already ... " How fast Scarlet perked, though, about the suggesting of more breaking-and-entering. "Yus!" A claw raised in the air - index, she was about to make a point. "New fact-o-mundo! Da Sheikkalady's alive again!"

[Gaeva Winged Unicorn]

Gaeva fought the frown that tried to crawl onto her face as Scarlet spoke and merely listened politely. She also wondered how accurate her statement of being the most dangerous thing in the Swamps was, but decided it wouldn't do any good to speak this thought out loud. She had already voiced her opinion on the dangers in the Swamps, that should be enough, especially for someone who most likely had more personal experience. She could not help letting out a strangled gasp and stare at Jahran when he suggested to accompany Scarlet, nor to have her head snap back to Scarlet when she enthusiastically agreed to it. Oh this was bad, this was horrible!

"Let him go, aunt Gaeva, no more treating him like a kid, remember?" came the calm voice of her niece in her mind. Sighing the lavender mare turned to look up at where the light blue mare still lay on her favourite branch. Gaeva gave her a glare, which was returned by a grin.

Jahran did his best to ignore them.

"Sheikka is alive again?? That's great!...Wait, was she dead? Is, is she an undead now?" he asked nervously, wondering what an undead who lived in the Swamps in a boobytrapped shack would be like. At the same moment Scarlet waved her hand again and the large stallion followed the movement. It didn't really matter how dangerous this Sheikka could possibly be, Scarlet probably knew a move or two herself. Those claws really were sharp. Oddly enough he didn't feel threatened though. Must be because she was so nice. Snorting he impulsively lowered his head and rubbed his cheek against her shoulder.

"Wait, you're not leaving now, are you?" Gaeva quickly spoke up, her front feet shifting nervously. "We could eat first, those fruits will go to waste if they're not eaten soon!" she was quick to add while vaguely pointing with her nose to a patch of low shrubs carrying small blue berry-like fruits.

"I could go for a snack..." Meali mumbled, but didn't move.


EDIT:

The sudden vibrations from the very ground below them caught all three winged unicorns off guard. Startled the three each responded in their own way. Jahran reared up and stayed like this for a moment or two while trying to process that nothing was actually beneath him. His wings were half unfolded, ready to take him up and away from whatever possible danger was surrounding them. As the tremors subsided the large stallion lowered his hooves back to the ground and pressed his wings back to his sides. His eyes remained wide however.

Meali's reaction had been one of surprise as well, though after a gasp at being caught off guard the light blue mare had already jumped off her branch and launched herself to the others standing below her, only the fact that she could fly preventing her from breaking her neck while doing so. An angry look on her face slid over her features as she moved in a circle, trying to look around them and see if any danger approached while simultanously reaching out with her mind to do the same over a larger distance.

Gaeva backed her ears right when the first movement could be felt beneath her hooves. She cast a glance around herself, than remained standing still, only her long tail betraying her nerves by swishing from side to side. Her mind however was racing, busy communicating with the forest around them and trying to get an idea of what was going on.

"Aunt Gaeva! What was that?!" Meali practically barked, still moving around while trying to an eye in every direction at once.

"I don't know, the forest is in an uproar, I don't understand what it is trying to say. Maybe it was an earthqake?" Gaeva answered hesitantly. The lavender mare's expression however wasn't focused on any of them however, her mind still trying to form a stable connection with Deep Forest.

[Windra]

OoC
Sorry for the annoying delay. Life outside of the board, you understand. It happens.

--

Scarlet sort of thrummed when Jahran rubbed his snout against her shoulder. She could not feel it, per se, but could note the pressure ... and that was good enough for the likes of her. With a shake of her head, yellow bangs bobbing this way and that, the V-ACT 32 mused over what was said and tried to figure out how to correct it. "Well, uh ... t'ing is she be's undeadish since before da whole place in da Swamps, n' stuff." A tongue lolled out. The concept confused her, but she made sense of it somehow. Would the Twins be able to, as well? "When I be's showin' you dat place? Yea, 'dat was jus' af'er she kicked da bucket. Big ol' baddie came and swallowd 'er whole, or somethin'. Lots drama revolvin' 'round her and mah buddeh who lives in Deep right nao. Buuuuuttt." Claws waved in the air with excitement. "All 'dat trouble be's ovah nao! Stuff got kinda 'reset' for dem. People 'dat be's dyin' 'fore? They's livin' nowwzz. Most of 'em, anyways."

Gaeva said something. Scarlet turned, nose twitching. She was sniffing the air. Really?

"Fruits?" Curious. She leaned forth a little. The scent was peculiar, kind of enticing ... but not appetizing at all. "Roddy and da others ate fruits n' stuff a lot. I never had 'em ... " This coming from one who usually fasted on living flesh. Jee ...

Then ...

Scarlet had a different reaction to the whole situation. While the three horses may have acted in three different ways but all in all ... they just kinda freaked out ... Juggernaut was a little too adept to the strange. She giggled like an idiot, holding her arms out to her sides. Knees bent. Smile wide. Her body did a bump in one direction, then the other.

"I'm surfin', surfin' in da USAaaaaa ... " Horrifying and tone deaf, at least the last note rolled off with the last tremble. Gaeva tried to make sense of what was going on. Scarlet simply looked this way and that. "Don't s'pose Nore or Juno went and blew somethin' up again, d'ya ting?" Confusion. Forest in an uproar? "Why would da trees n' whatnots be upsetty?"

Better yet, how could they get upset in the first place?

[Gaeva Winged Unicorn]

For obvious reasons it freaked Jahran out to be talking about dead people coming back to life right before the ground started to do things normal steady grounds shouldn't be doing. It occured to him that maybe dead people were doing this, as didn't a lot of people bury their dead? As in, underground? This disturbing comment made the large stallion pick up his hooves rather nervously as he kept throwing glances at the forest floor below long after the slight vibrations passed. If it wasn't strong enough for an earthquake...how much force cold skeletons produce while crawling to the surface? It wasn't a comforting throught, even if Scarlet maintained that this Sheikka person was alright. Thankfully she provided another theory.

"Blow up? You mean like an explosion?" he asked her hopefully, his tail doing a quick flick of excitement over something relatively harmless, "That could be it, couldn't it guys?" This was directed at his aunt and sister, who were pretty much ignoring him, "An explosion, guys? But, without an actual explosion? That could make the ground shake like it did right? If it was far away?" As the other two unicorns continued to ignore him Jahran directed himself at Scarlet again, "Right Scarlet? It was probably somebody screwing up something, maybe even a spell. Maybe it's a kid practicing a spell!"

Meanwhile Meali had stopped freaking out over somebody sneaking up on them and had turned to stare at Gaeva instead. The lavender mare had gone completely still, even her tail had stopped it's movement and was slowly lowering itself to lie motionless on the ground. As Jahran jabbered on Gaeva simply stared straight ahead without appearing to see anything. Meali finally slowly approached her, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

At this point, Jahran picked up on Scarlet's final question, "It would even explain why the trees would be upset, they don't like explosions of any kind as it could hurt them. Is that what happened, aunt Gaeva? Is that why the forest is upset? Somebody messed up and some trees got hurt?" At no response once more he faced his sister instead, "Meali?"

"Just shut up for one minute, Jahran," Meali snapped back without looking at him, "I don't know what Deep Forest is doing but my tree right here is practicaly holding it's breath. Figuratively speaking of course."

"Trees don't get scared or upset easily," Jahran explained to Scarlet in a quiet whisper, "Not unless it's something really dangerous like a fire, and even then they have to be on fire before they really care."

[Windra]

Scarlet's ears had perked up. She was listening to Jahran's theories, and his rambling, and grinning and nodding the entire time. But the distress in the air was evident. It caught her in its snare and tugged her along for the oh-so brutal ride. So ... Juggernaut was torn between imagining little squirrels on fire and actually considering the gravity of this situation. What happened? Where at? Why? How? Deep Forest more than earned its reputation for having trouble brewed up within its confines. Maybe another war was starting or something. Had a natural disaster hit? Or the gnomes finally decided to overthrow the topsoil and implant mechanical worms?

That last one made the V-ACT 32 burst into uproaring laughter. Eventually turning to Gaeva, she could barely mask the hilarity in her voice. Not that she was trying to begin with, really ...

"So 'den, whazzat?" A claw fumbled for placement behind an ear. She listened intently to the surroundings as if trying to pick out a point in the distance ... "Be d'ere trouble afootsies n' stuff? Wanna go checkitout? Eh eh eh?" Scarlet's grin was wide. Any wider woul dhave ripped her face in half. "Cinnae be finding new stuffs without explorin'!"

[Gaeva Winged Unicorn]

Gaeva and Meali treated Scarlet to some of the same lack of notice as they had the black stallion so far and simply ignored her words. Gaeva had not shifted or even blinked. Meali however was starting to show some signs of nerves, mostly through the agitated movement of her tail and her twitching ears, but no sound was made by either mare.

Jahran on the other hand was making up for it by laughing nervously and shifting around without stop, his hooves disturbing every leaf, rock and twig beneath them as he did. Scarlet's laughter had spooked him rather badly. Though largest in the company, the black stallion was looking anything but secure as he tried to gain some kind of reassurance from the three females around him, looking at one after the other. He did not seem to be finding what he hoped for however as his nervous chuckles subsided into uneasy silence. Until he spoke up again. To Scarlet. Again.

"Maybe that's a good idea? I mean, maybe we can find out what is going on if we look around. Maybe from the sky?" At this Jahran shuffled his wings a little, letting the feathers slide against each other to back up his suggestion.

At that moment the same deep rumble could be heard as before, spooking Jahran once more, alarming Meali into gasping as she looked around for something that wasn't there, but not getting any response from Gaeva. Just as Jahran opened his mouth to shout something the ground started to move again but it wasn't the same as the first time. Meali was nearly sweeped clear off her hooves as she her balance had been off by looking around, but the light blue mare managed to somehow throw herself upwards as her wings scrambled to keep her up in the air. Jahran, though his stance had been balanced enough to keep him safe from falling, he was now doing his best to keep his hooves underneath him, his frantic steps and his flailing wings threatening to harm Scarlet by standing closest to him. Gaeva had started to try to catch her balance but seemed to topple over almost right away, making no effort to get up while the ground shook beneath her.

[Windra]

Scarlet started to nod in agreement, but whatever was going to be said failed to reach her lips. The rumbling began again, fiercer this time. The V-ACT 32 was not a model of balance to begin with. Her manner of walking sometimes mocked the efforts of a drunkard who saw the room breath: stumbling, erratic, wild. Yet her body swayed with the shake, refusing to get knocked over even in the brunt of it. A laugh of mockery prodded the innards of her throat. Damn ground. Did it really expect to one-up her like that? Well ... hell no! She wasn't about to be taken down by no stinkin' -

And then Jahran's wings came a-flailing.

They smacked her once against the face, then the chest, the shoulders ... Footing died. Juggernaut went down like a sack of very heavy, very rotten potatoes. She landed on her back and barely rolled away in time to avoid being crushed by some harsh equine hooves.

"Mother of pearl!" she yowled, flopping out of the stomping-vicinity but not getting up until the trembling halted.

[Gaeva Winged Unicorn]

Jahran sighed deeply as he watched his sister pace back and forth, then looked over at Scarlet. It had been a while since the shaking had stopped, but the two youngest unicorns remained worried as their aunt had not gotten back up to her hooves even once since falling down then. The lavender mare didn't seem hurt but remained lying down with her legs and wings kept close to her body. Her gaze looked somewhere between sleepy and pained, her eyelids continually creeping down before opening up again. Her panting was shallow, but had not prevented her from telling the others around her not to worry about her and to give her a moment. That was many, many moments ago. Jahran was lying down next to his aunt, more for moral support than actual physical. Meali took turns between staring worried at the others and pacing around the large tree they were gathered beneath, muttering things Jahran could not understand.

"Oh come on! This is getting ridiculous, aunt Gaeva! If you won't let me or Ran go and get some healer, then how about Scarlet?" Meali finally shouted as she returned from another circle around the tree's base.

Jahran jerked at the sudden shout, but then immediately looked back at the red female in question, "Yeah, that's a good idea! Then we'll stay here with you, and Sc-..."

"No, no.." Gaeva panted, "I'm not sick, just give me another moment...and I'll figure this out...alright?"

"Not alright," Meali muttered, but made no move to disobey.

Just then, after all the silence a loud explosion could be heard from the east, where the boundary mountains stood. Startled Jahran and Meali looked over, but the trees blocked their view, Gaeva made no move to show she had heard anything. When after a little while nothing else happened, the two siblings shared a glance, "Go look," Jahran told his sister.

Meali moved closer to Scarlet, "Get on if you want, let's check it out," she told her while unfolding her wings, ready to take a closer look above the forest canopy.

[Gaeva Winged Unicorn]

A slight noise made Jahran jump. Quickly he turned his head to look to his other side, but saw nothing. Deciding it must have been a small animal skittering about the young stallion turned his attention back to the much smaller form of his aunt. His ears turned slightly at the sight and he threw an anxious look up at the sky, hoping to see the familiar light blue color of his sister, but saw nothing. Looking back down he swallowed and tried to say something, anything, just to hear a voice, "Ehm, aunt Gaeva? Are you, ah, alright?" He winced again, this time as his own words. It was fairly obvious she wasn't alright, even if the last thing she had said before going completely silent was that she was fine, it was her forest which wasn't. That didn't make him feel a whole lot better.

"So maybe I could, ah, go and get some...help? For you?"

Gaeva did not respond in any way. The mare was still lying down beneath the large tree, her wings held closely and rather stiffly against her side, her head hanging down low as her shallow breathing had become more rapid. But worst of all she had stopped talking and kept her eyes firmly squeezed shut. He just couldn't get any kind of contact with her!

Tentatively the black stallion stood up, keep his motions as smooth and slow as he could manage with his large form, so as not to disturb her. Though far from graceful the unicorn finally managed to stand up straight, but then hesitated, not knowing what to do next. He needed help, answers, something! Again he looked up, and again, saw no sign of his sister. "Come on, Meali, come back and give me some answers!" he whispered, "What's happening out there?!". Jahran hoped it wasn't some kind of big apocalypse like the disasters from the past. He'd been young then, and some had happened before he even ever arrived in Deep Forest, but he'd heard about it. What if some big battle was going on right this very moment?? What if Meali had caught sight of it, would she have gone to help? Would she come back? Would she get hurt in a fight? She could even be dead right now!

"Don't be dead!" Jahran whispered urgently at the canopy above, his own worry rapidly rising towards panic. What was he supposed to do if his sister died? And what if his aunt Gaeva died?? What if they both died right here and now?! In his worry he did not notice how a small area around each of his hooves slowly turned brown as the smaller flora he was standing on died off, leeched of life by him in his desperation to receive aid.

[Windra]

Okay so ... when did she pass out? Groggily, Scarlet sat up from her prone position and rubbed the back of her scalp. If it was sore, she couldn't tell. Using her free hand to grope the ground by her rear, her claws stumbled upon a rather thick, burly branch. A vague scent of flesh slipped to her nose and Scarlet's long tongue slipped out to swipe clean the blood caked onto the wood. So it seemed a branch fell at some point or another and conked her on the skull - the blood on the limb tasted of her own brand.

"Derm," coughed Scar, chucking the offending piece of fauna aside. Words filled the air - hushed, worried, frantic. Good times! The V-ACT 32 attempted to stand up and found her equilibrium off-balance. Onto her rear she fell with a dull thud, and for the millionth time in her life she was grateful for the lack of living nerve cells to cause pain.

Somewhere nearby, a person coaxed her to come along .. somewhere ... and Scarlet complied. Using her claws to drag her along until the strength returned to her legs and what was left of her brain, the Bioweapon pulled herself onto Meali's back. Aloft they went, soaring above the treeline .. looking ... watching ...

"Fer what?" Juggernaut's voice was slurring horribly as her destroyed mind to even out a little. "Hrrr ... I's a blind bat, so I cinnae be's seein', ya know?" To emphasize this fact, she pointed to her milky eyes. "But sumthin' smells odd out d'ere. Not normal or nuthin' ... Ain't hearin' nuthin' other dan dat throbbin' down below."

In the silence, though ... Bingo! It was plain as day!

"No chirpin' birds, no cricketin' crickets, no barkin' cats, no mooin' crows or' nuthin'! Too quiet. Da hell?" That was perplexing. Normally Deep Forest was abound with noise! Was everything spooked?

[Gaeva Winged Unicorn]

Meali was boiling up with frustration as she stared aimlessly at the Boundary Mountains in the far distance. She had flown a little closer, realized it was too far away to just go back and forth real quick, resorted to hovering, and finally just picked a thick sturdy branch of one of the taller trees to land on. Her weight made it sag a little, but thankfully it held. She kept one ear trained on Scarlet as she continued to stare.

"I know you can't see, I just figured you'd want to get out of there as well," she mumbled to her without looking back, "And you're not missing much, there's nothing to see." However when Scarlet started to ponder out loud the light blue mare shifted her head a little so she could see the red skinned female from the corner of an eye, interested in what she had to say now.

As Scarlet revealed her revelation Meali felt herself surprised, physically perking up as she looked down. While as too far away from their current position, she knew Scarlet was right. Even here in the canopy they should be hearing something, there was life everywhere in the forest nowadays, so where had it suddenly gone? She'd been so focused on both her aunt and the forest itself, she'd completely missed the slowly departing animal life.

"They're not keeping quiet, Scarlet, they're simply not here! They all left!" The mare made a few steps in her excitement at this discovery, but the branch made an unsettling noise so she quickly kept still again. "The question is why and where though." Meali turned her head to look at the mountains again and frowned. Normally one would flee to higher ground, but when the higher ground means going to the Boundary Mountains, especially after all that noise? She turned her head in the opposite direction and tried to focus her mind. Yup, there were many more life forms that way.

"You're a genius, Scarlet. I still don't know what is going on, but if the ones led by instinct say it's time to run for your life, there's gotta be a good reason for it!" And as she spoke the last few words she threw herself off of the branch, going down at pretty much a free fall speed for half of the way to the ground before using her wings to slow down enough not to kill both of them once they hit the ground.

Jahran saw the light blue shape approach from above, her speed making his heart skip a beat. Did they have bad news? Were they being chased by something bad and nasty? His ears shifted back as he moved closer to his aunt, unsure whether to protect her or to seek protection himself. As Meali made a rather hasty landing it became clear nothing followed them however, so Jahran quickly ran over, "What did you find? What was that explosion?"