Pretzelparty Posted July 2, 2017 Report Share Posted July 2, 2017 It was a quiet day in the imperial gardens. The head chef of the Palace had found a moment to relax. Lunch had ended and the... qilin had decided to go relax in the gardens, laying across one of the benches and gazing up at the sky. The sweet, fragrant scent of of all the flowers around her filled her nostrils. While it was hardly the same, the smells reminded her of that time she'd spent back in the forest. She couldn't say really that that was... a cheerful time. The events that lead up to it for fun, but being trapped in a place against your will and with virtually noone to talk to was never something you'd ever think of as a positive period. Back then she'd had a very unconventional lifestyle, probably weren't that many in this land who could truly relate to that past either. Well, maybe a few who were sealed away long ago for more severe trouble making. Now though she'd known only one being in the palace who might understand life, but even then: that one person seemed hardly the social type. A weary sigh was uttered as she lost herself in the great , infinite blue of the sky above and let her mind drift into her younger years. ---Feng Mushan Forest, Several Years Ago--- The constant drone of Cicadas filled the forest on this hot summer day. In a small burrow underneath and old tree where was a rather large looking fox. Normal foxes in Long guo would be, normally smaller than a dog. This one however was about the size of one of the breath wielding dragonhorses that called this their homeland. A specimen of fox that under normal circumstances might have been studied by scholars or possibly considered a rarity that tourists might have flocked to catch a glimpse of. She was an old creature, very old, old enough to have lived in this land before it'd even before those who ruled it had decided to open themselves up to trade with the countries beyond. Yet, she was not a native to Long Guo. Her real name was a testament to that fact: Hanabi no Mikoto. Back home she had been named for he ancient fireworks that were seen above a neighponese town on the night of her birth. Her reasons for coming to this land were summed up in a single word: Curiosity. What had gotten her to stay so long was the food, and the locals for a time. Now what kept her here were the consequences o her actions. Not long ago a certain banquet wound up being the target of her desires and she'd given the emperor quite a fright by spiriting his wife away and taking her place. The empress was fine in the end but it seemed the spiritual advisor of the ruler's court decided she should be bound and kept watch over until further notice so she could pay for her misdeeds and the disrespect paid to the divine ruler of these lands. Here she was now, magically bound by foreign sorcery, most of her own power stripped from her, even her own 'regal' appearance. Her treasured ball still technically in her possession, but now sealed behind some magical barrier that she could not touch. Tired eyes would twitch and soon with a big stretch and a yawn, Hanabi would rise up and huff sharply at the annoying drone of the cicadas. "Wee-ehhh weee-eeeehhh... You all never have anything new to say, do you?" She would mutter as she crawled out of her burrow and stretched out, "I swear if I ever get out of here I'll only come back to toss rocks at the trees." Normally she might have enjoyed the cicada serenade, but given her situation she felt she earned to be something of a grump. She glanced to her magically messed with treasure and sighed, "That monk will be around any day now... then it's another few years here." At least there was one thing she could look forward to. Actually now that she thought about it, the way the shadows leaned seemed to imply it was almost time! Company was coming! Knowing that her treasure orb wasn't going anywhere, Hanabi ran off to the forest's edge: Listening carefully for he sound of cloven hooves approaching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted July 5, 2017 Report Share Posted July 5, 2017 "Han-AH-bi!!" Had the speaker been any larger than a foal, it is likely the sound of his voice would have preceded the sound of his hooves by at least a minute. As it was, young Feng's lungs were yet so small, and his little hooves so eager, that he practically tumbled into the copse ahead of his own words! "I'm here, Hanabi!" The longma's wings were already unfurled, though as yet he could get little air however furiously he flapped. Still, he liked to feel the wind through his scales and feathers. In truth, he looked forward to these visits as much as much as the yokai; his family weren't exactly the most... well-regarded in the village, and that translated to a lack of playmates for the young foal. The only consistent one he could count on was Yin, and she had lately been so lazy that he could hardly get her to come with him into the woods! Well, that was alright; he hadn't yet introduced her to his secret friend yet. And now he could visit and play! Hooray! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretzelparty Posted July 6, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2017 Among the great line of trees, all magnificent shade's of green stood a splash of vibrant orange, white, and black. Tail behind that splash of color in the verdant green would start to say delightedly as her ears picked up the voice She'd been hoping to hear. Feng had been her little hopeful beacon in this woeful time, being limited and left almost entirely alone could have driven her entirely insane if she hadn't run into this little longma one day. From what Feng had told his friend, he and his kin were outcasts of some kind back in town. Even now she wasn't sure exactly what was the cause of the collective spurning of her friend's family and given her current situation, it wasn't very likely she'd learn it very soon. The moment that Feng entered the forest's edge, Hanabi would pounce. The full, lustrous fluff of her orange coat engulfing the little colt as she hugged him in her paws. "Feng-san!" The fox yipped in delight, "You're gaining quiet a voice! Maybe in the future, you'll be one of those stiff looking guards in the watch who yells at new recruits." Hanabi would pause a moment and narrow her eyes at him, the neighponese fox would rapidly sniff at the young colt. "Did you just finish eating? I smell dumplings on you... You had better bring some next time! Do you have any idea how hard it is to find decent food out in this forest?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted July 7, 2017 Report Share Posted July 7, 2017 Given that he was the village troublemaker, Feng found the mere idea of him being a law enforcement officer hilarious. He burst out laughing at the suggestion, his fertile imagination already conjuring up the image of himself, clad in shining armor, going out to the parade ground to shout down gormless recruits. "Yeah!" Puffing out his chest, he set out into some serious pretend timing. "Listen up, you sugarstick-sucking saplings! You are not to bully little colts who only want to get their sister some fruit to snack on, no matter whose tree it's from!" Well, that served as good an explanation as any to how he'd gotten into trouble this week. In all honestly, he probably shouldn't be in the woods right now, only his parents figured that it was the least of three evils; the only alternatives being confining an extremely energetic and active foal inside their house, or letting him roam around the village, getting into who knew what kinds of trouble. "Uh-huh, I just had lunch. And I did bring you something, Hanabi!" Fishing into his tunic pocket, he brought out what had once been a delicous dumpling, but was now a brownish mashed lump of dumpling ingredients. Complete with sauce, the fox could now see, seeping through the cloth. "Shh, don't tell my parents I got you one!" After handing over the treat, Feng extricated himself from the tackle through use of judicious and vigorous wriggling. "So what did you wanna do today? Sorry my little sister couldn't come; Yin doesn't want to do anything anymore!" A note of concern could be detected through the querulous complaining, but he continued, "Almost no one else wants to play with me, or their parents don't want them to." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretzelparty Posted July 16, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2017 The large red fox would jump up on her hind legs and give a dutiful salute to the tiny drill officer, "Yes sir!" At least now Hanabi knew what had been occupying her friend's time before he'd arrived. She'd heard a few stories of her little friend's misadventures back in his home village that seemed so far out of reach for her. "There are a few fruit trees in this forest you know. " Hanabi would scan around the multitude of trees all around them and soon zero in on a certain type of tree, "Ah-ha! Jujubes! ... Yare yare, they sure are high up though. If those dumb monks hadn't taken my treasure I could just grab a basket's worth of them." Hana would let out an irritable huff through her nostrils before sitting down before beside the little colt. Big, fluffy ears would perk at those sweet words from Feng. "Oooh! You little charmer, you!" Hanabi would hug the small colt to her, her thick coat of fur almost submerging the little creature in its volume, "If I had lips like yours again I could kiss you! Although coming from me I suppose that's as appealing as getting a big wet kiss from your Ah-ma." A smug grin would flash some conical teeth at the longma before the large fox would take a step back to show her what he'd brought. Hanabi had to keep try to keep her smile straight when she saw the state of her dumpling. It was a bit of a trial trying not to grimace at the now thoroughly smashed treat, but one look at Feng's face and she knew she couldn't turn it down or criticize her attempt at generosity. A paw was lowered to try and grasp it but, seeing as they'd been treading in the dirt and grass throughout this long imprisonment: It would likely be better to just eat it the natural way. Even if it was reduced to a mostly flattened disk, it still held the flavor and had absorbed some of the sauce. Before she even knew she'd finished it, Hanabi would find her nose in the ground chewing at nothing. One sad sigh later and she raised herself up and licked her chops. "Thank you again, Feng." She looked off to the forest's edge, her mind drifting to future feasts to come once this binding had ended. "Well I would like to meet your sister one day.... if she can be bothered to come by! Maybe you can drag her down here someday." A paw would scritch beneath her chin while she thought, "And for a game... How about Hide and seek? An old favorite!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted July 16, 2017 Report Share Posted July 16, 2017 Feng laughed as he felt Hanabi's muzzle and tongue lick up the dumpling remains from his hoof. "Heehee, you're welcome! And if you want, I can climb that tree to get you some fruit, too! Can't be harder than Old Wu's peach trees!" He grinned in recollection of his escapades. "Too bad about losing your treasure... I didn't think monks could be so mean! I'll get it back for you one day, and then we can play wherever we want!" The promise was made with all the sincerity of foalhood, all it's conviction and love of freedom that couldn't stand the thought of a friend left in the lurch. "I'll do my best, once I get a little stronger! She's a little too heavy for me right now, haha!" Wiping his damp hoof off on his tunic, he leaped to all fours, ready to go. "Sure! You hide first, OK?" Impulsive as he was, Feng had already closed his eyes and started counting even before hearing assent to the plan. "One... two... three..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretzelparty Posted July 27, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 Hanabi gazed up at the tree and and laughed slightly. She'd seen Feng fly and clearly he hadn't yet gotten to that height just yet, "Maybe you can gab one for me when you're older! Then again If I ever get free of here I'll probably be able to get them down myself... Especially in a few years or so ... or was it months? Time can be so weird." With another foxy grin she would happily nuzzle the generous colt, her tail wagging rapidly at the idea of her little friend coming around and dispelling that weird magical barrier that blasted monk set up ages ago. "Either way I hope I meet her one day! If anything we have a bit of common ground in that we both like to slack off sometimes..." The fox woudl stretch outbeside the longma and nodded, "Just give me a holler when you're ready to give up!" With that cocky little remark Feng would hear the rustlign of leaves and feel a small rush of air as the nimble creature bounded off into the woods to find a perfect hiding place. Hanabi had prepared a few places that she knew she could try to use... one was a small den she'd dug up herself and covered up with some dried leaves. Her ears perked as she heard her friend's countdown growing closer to ten and dove down into the hole, raking and pulling in leaves over the spot as best she could to keep herself hidden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted July 30, 2017 Report Share Posted July 30, 2017 "Eight... nine... ten!" And he was off! Feng's wings were buzzing like a bumblebee in excitement as he sprang from his crouched pose, bounding off through the brush in search of his friend. Unlike the paradoxical abilities of the bee, the young longma could not yet attain full flight. Instead, he more or less bounced along the ground, occasionally diving into promising-looking leaf piles or crooks in the roots of trees. His search was random at first, but after a while, he found that this approach wasn't working. "Hm... now where could you have gotten, Hanabi? I only counted for ten seconds..." The little wheels began to turn in his mind, as he buzzed and bounced back to his starting point. "Hm, one... two..." He bounded outwards again, counting under his breath as he marked a radius from his source. "Somewhere around here..." Once he marked out the maximum distance, he spiraled inward methodically, sweeping away the leaves and brush with the wind beneath his little wings. Soon enough, he blew away the covering from the fox's little hole. "Found you, Hanabi!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretzelparty Posted August 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2017 Gah! So fast.Was the little one getting better at this or was she just getting worse. Could be a bit of both. Hanabi groaned as the the various leaves flew up into the air when the little colt buffeted them. She wrinkled her nose and snorted one of those wayward leaves from her nose and leapt out from her hole and brushed the excess dirt from her coat. "You must have cheated! How did you find me so fast! Whatever you did I promise you I'll find your hiding spot twice as fast! With my secret weapon!" The excited fox eagerly bounced and bounded around Feng, only occasionally bumping into him so she could nuzzle his side. By this time the little colt had to have figured out what her 'secret weapon' was: Her sense of smell. Seeing as she was still a fox she could very easily just sniff out any mischief making colts hiding in these woods... so long as they didn't manage to mask their scent! "Alright! I'll Start counting then..." Hanabi curled up and draped her thick tail over her face, "... Ichi... Ni... San... Yan..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted August 10, 2017 Report Share Posted August 10, 2017 "I'm just that good!" Feng laughed in his answer; he was already becoming a methodological investigator, even if he barely knew how to use those words. Some spark of destiny in him was already flying up, just waiting for the right fuel to light him ablaze with passion. He bounded alongside Hanabi, trying to follow her vulpine dance as best he could. "Ooh! Your nose is cold, Hanabi!" He had indeed figured out that foxes could smell him out, and Hanabi was even more of a fox than foxes themselves! His own search for a hiding spot would rely on many things. Fist, making a beeline for a brook, searching for a way to mask his scent trail. Second, a slimy mud embankment full of rotting vegetation. Surely, that would be enough to hide him! It actually took him longer than ten seconds to find such a place, so much so that Hanabi might well have been able to use her ears as well as her nose to search him out. At least he managed to cover himself before her eyes would be upon him.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretzelparty Posted September 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2017 "Go... Roku... Shichi... Hachi... Kyu... Ju!" Upon reaching the number ten, Hanabi immediately got back up on all fours. She lowered her head to the ground and began to rapidly sniff at the ground. A grin spread over her muzzle as she caught on to his scent. The fox bounded through the forest, hopping and weaving through the trees as she followed the trail until she came by a brook. Oh! He's getting clever. Not clever enough to outsmart this nose however. A few sniffs later and she was again on his trail. He'd left a few prints in the dirt she could see. With her nose still to the ground and her eyes following the marks in the soil, Hanabi flinched as a pungent odor wormed it's way up her nostrils. The fox backpeddeled and retched from the horrid stench of rot and mud. With her black paw rubbing at her nose she glared at the embankment, "Well played, Little Long... ma." Her voice sounded congested, most likely from trying not to breath through her nose, "But I'm sure you'll have to make a sound sooner or later." The fox got low and calmed her mind, her eyes fidgeting on her head like precision instruments, listeningfor the faintest sound and pouncing just before it to point her hoof at... a cricket. Hanabi stared down the insect and growled at it, only for it to hop nonchalantly off. That iindignity suffered she went back to stalking the embankment, looking for anything off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted September 5, 2017 Report Share Posted September 5, 2017 Watching from his little hidey-hole, Feng had to put his dirty hoof in his muzzle to stifle his laughter, as he saw Hanabi fall into his little red-herring. Her enhanced fox sense might pick up a little snort, a giggle interrupted, followed by a slight rustling of leaves. But then, stillness. Feng was actually holding his breath, as he watched his friend look for him, seeming to find something... only to pounce upon a cricket. "Krrkks!" Another little gasping laugh. Maybe holding one's breath wasn't such a good idea, as one became so desperate for air, that one's next breath would be that much louder. No way could Hanabi have missed that one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretzelparty Posted September 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2017 The fox's ears perked and swiveled to the sound of stifled laughter. Hanabi got up again and stared in the source of the sound's direction. Her black paws battered the moist soil as she bounded towards a few stable, rocks in the mud. She really wasn't hoping to get her coat dirty... well anymore dirty at least. She stumbled a couple times on some of the smaller rocks in the mud embankment but soon found a large one and was soon staring at several bumps in the bog, each one covered in leaves. "Hm... " She lowered herself to peer at each one, "They're all about his size..." Hoping to find him sooner, Hanabi swallowed her pride and took a whiff of the bumps in the glorified mud puddle. Immediately she regretted it. The vulpine recoiling and retching at the foil scent now filling her muzzle and tormenting her nostrils. Even with this horrid stench in her way, she could still detect the faintest hint of her little friend's scent nearby. Before she tried to tag the leaf piles, the fox would rub her forepaws over her muzzle and nose to calm her senses. Hanabi hunched down and outstretched a paw... gently batting each of the little piles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted September 11, 2017 Report Share Posted September 11, 2017 *Getting warmer, Hanabi...* Feng was indeed to be found in one of those piles, though there were a great many for the fox to search through first. At first, the little longma tried to be as still as possible, hoping against hope that Hanabi would not be systematic in her search, and somehow pass him by. Each passing second made that less likely, however. There was also the fact that staying absolutely still meant holding his breath, and there was only so long he was going to be able to do that... Well, if he was going to have to be found eventually, might as well be found on his terms! Waiting until Hanabi's back was briefly turned, Feng suddenly sprang out of the leaves to ambush her, yelling "Surprise!" with all the captive air in his lungs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretzelparty Posted October 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2017 Hanabi rubbed her nose with her paw as she glared at the foul smelling piles before her. No reaction from any of them... Maybe it was the wrong group? The fox gave a snort of annoyance and turned around to poke gingerly as some other piles of leaves and forest refuse. Little did she know there was an adorable bundle of longma creeping up from behind! Just as she reached the little colt managed to pounce right on her back, making the oversize fox jump high up in the and make her tail shoot out straight and fluff up! When she came backe down she was holding herself up on four seperate piles with all her legs spread apart and her back arched with feng still clinging to it. The nervous fox gagged at the wretched scent beneath her and smiled back at her little friend, "Um... Feng... could you please get back to the clean land and grass and um... help me out so I don't need a bath?" She asked in an almost pleading tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted October 18, 2017 Report Share Posted October 18, 2017 Feng only answered her pleading with the sort of wicked grin that only a young colt could muster. "Uh-uh, I'm gonna have to take a bath when I get home, why shouldn't you?" And with that, he began to bounce up and down upon Hanabi's back, aiming to make her loose her paw-grip on the top of the piles and collapse. Of course, this also loosened his own grip, so that a sudden rearing from her could just dump him in the stream. All depended on her presence of mind in that moment... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretzelparty Posted November 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2017 "... Noo..." She whined as the first bounce on her back made her fall closer towards the muck. Her tail stiffened as slide closer still, "Nooo...." She shivered as her nose came a mere inch from the slick slimy mud... and then the final bounce made the ips of her paws meet the cold pond of mud. Her desperate attempt to try and ump back failed as she reared and sent her little friend tumbling into the grime. Then with a squelching noise she landed in the muck. The nimble, shiny coated fox's coat now sullied by brown and damp twigs and rotting leaves. The jumped around and scrambled, eventually pulling herself out of the mud and onto the nearby land, all the gunk still clinging to and hanging off her fur as she stared down her friend. The stench made her nostrils burn and she already couldn't wait to bolt over to the nearest stream and try and wash it away as best she could... ---The Garden--- Yanhua scrunched her nose as that horrid stench returned to mind. So many days that she remembered and would ultimately keep to herself if things went as she hoped in this palace. Soon she saw fit to get back onto her hooves and stretch out as she looked around the admittedly lovely royal garden. She's been here once before a long time ago and it had ended quite badly involving food... now she had returned and food is what brought her here. So curious how her life now seemed to wrap around itself now that she'd gained such a fixation on a certain stallion. Her ancestors could only guess where this might lead her, but hopefully it wouldn't end in another lengthy imprisonment. (END) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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