Steeldust.

[Nadia]

How dare he say such a thing to her?! The girl was sure she'd know very well when his hulking body would try pulling itself over her own. A sigh left her and the girl only grew more frustrated. He wanted to go didn't he? Didn't want to leave her here had he? No of course not! Though now he seemed to change his mind about this; she did not care.

She felt exactly the same way - almost. Except the whole going to her own home part. That was at least a days travel at least - at a gallop; in good weather and body condition. Calmly her body rose but her face showed clearly that she was annoyed with him. What exactly was wrong with this man? Normal men would have carried on and let her go. Of course the whole getting on her feet part was a bit rough but she did get up and began walking away from him.

"Fine with me." she said bitterly. She'd worry about what soil had caked on her later. The girl just wanted to get away from this man! She was not at all in a pleasant mood; though she would admit maybe she should have not been so gruff or rude with him but damn it. She just wanted to rest for a bit - maybe she should have made that clear but then he didn't need to lay down with her. "You'll be alone then." she state simply.

She had nothing there anyway so she did not have to worry about coming back to pick up some useless thing she might need. Of course she could just add more fuel to the bonfire and say she was pregnant but that would be foolish - and perhaps seal her own death. She honestly did not know - nor care right now. There were...ways of dealing with such things. Snorting she at least brushed off her stomach and arms while she walked at her snails pace. Hopefully in the direction of her last known camp but away from him and his little abode.

She shouldn't feel so burdened by him sending her away but she was rather heartbroken over it. Not like he cared. No she would not look back at him and simply kept going on and even pushed herself to walk normally; even if it was a bit sore and stiff. Stupid bastard. Foolish her for dropping her guard so quickly and having sex with him. Damn it! She did reach the beach eventually. Slowly but surely she was heading south or southwest in a bit of a diagonal. Of course the sand flicking into the healing scrape did not help and it hindered her stride a bit. She sighed a bit heavily as she was conflicted about this. She hated or rather disliked him right now but yet loved him? Such a strange world this was. The girl would get over it though..eventually.

[Citadel]

beneath the eyes of the gods,

Citadel said absolutely nothing to her, just stared without emotion as she threw her little fit and wandered off. I'm better off without her. Or, so he told himself. In all honesty he needed her to break up the endless hours of tiresome work he would have otherwise put himself through. He needed her to make him something more than a mechanical drone, a worker in a hive which paid him not the slightest hint of gratitude. He needed her to make him feel real... to feel alive. He needed her for... everything.

Citadel pushed the thought away, deciding to be selfish and focus more on how she had hurt him and to ignore all the things she had brought to his aid. Who cared if she gave him a purpose, made him a man, held him ever so incredibly softly, daintily, affectionately? Who cared if she could hold some sort of adoration for him even through his plethora of quirks?! He did, of course, but now was not the time to admit his need! Now was the time to be a horrible, gruff man and make his point through tormenting her... even if it meant tormenting himself.

His body moved hesitantly at first, and then forced itself into some regal and focused path in the direction of home. It was hell trying to avoid watching her go, but the beast would not dare let her be the winner with the knowledge of his shuttered regret. The distance between their resting point and home was short and unmentionable, cleared in five or six minutes without trouble on he way. Citadel found his home empty of everything: no girl, no food, no fire in the pit. The only hing waiting for him was a hut filled with nothing but deerskins and the tools of a workman which were rarely utilized.

There was no use moping. He would find another girl... one who would not argue or deny him anything he pleased... one who actually wished to bear his children and sleep next to him rather than flaunt herself only to remain isolated. With these thoughts still swirling in his head, he lay down to sleep. No blankets were pulled over his body, and his forearm made a suitable pillow of sorts. Citadel lay deathly for an hour, two hours, three. The night went on, buy he never fell away into it until he was almost ready o give up. Sleep was some elusive siren.

Dreams. Nothing special. He did not remember them when he awoke at the first rays of light which struck him square in the eyes. He did no move. He did not think.

here lies the littlest of lambs

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[Nadia]

She was walking slightly better but not by much. It would take her days to get back home or the area they had last camped. Hopefully her stuff had not been separated or destroyed; just simply left there for her to come pick it up or for some passer by to sort through the junk. If she ever got there. Idly she folded her arms against her stomach and tried to keep herself from shivering. The cool beach air seemed colder than that of the swamp.

Sighing she stopped and shivered a bit; maybe if she had more fat on her body she wouldn't be so bothered by cold. Just a rest and she would get going again. He'd have to understand she couldn't exactly canter off away from him and she didn't exactly want to leave but he could easily push her around if he wanted. Even more so now that she was injured. well, might as well.. She began walking again; though more slowly since she didn't want to get even more sand in her wound.

She stopped again and tried stomping the grains off; she couldn't exactly reach down and brush it off. Most likely the soil was stuck to whatever fluid was on the wound. Snorting she awkwardly side stepped a bit then walked toward a lone tree, deciding to lay down and trying to sleep. She couldn't be expected to travel that much tonight. It was so cold out here but she dare not attempt to try sleeping at his camp. Though she did manage to make a small pile of wood and set it on fire.

A meager fire but it would keep her warm. She didn't have the energy to search for rocks and make a proper circle around it. She wasn't that close to it anyway. She felt better though; sleep soon came and soon the light peeked over the horizon. Grumbling she got up and brushed her torso off. Stretching she looked at the nasty scrape on her foot - well not foot but a little above her fetlock about five inches long. Nothing too bad. Yawning she stretched a bit and awkwardly stood up. Things were stiff but she could walk normally; though anything faster was a bit too much.

Sighing she wasn't sure what to do; as she couldn't leave it like this or maybe she could. He had told her to leave. She couldn't leave on an empty stomach though. The girl decided that fruit would be alright for breakfast; it didn't need to be cooked. At least she had dug a pit in the sand though; as difficult as it seemed to be she had done something right. She stretched a bit more and walked over to the apple tree; plucked a fruit, bit into it and thoughtfully walked over to the nearby pond. The wound needed to be washed. Though this water seemed stagnant and was a bit green. eww

She wasn't that stupid to dip her foot in this. Sighing she trudged back over to the tree and plucked another apple. Sighing she wasn't sure if she should go apologize or not; deciding not to. He might get angry that she had even stopped to rest and sleep or eat; or even think about apologizing to him. The man didn't have feelings anyway! He had cast her away so easily anyway - so it seemed that way. Probably didn't even feel remotely close to the way she felt; might even just see her as something to have sex with.

[Citadel]

beneath the eyes of the gods,

The great hulking beast lay silent for a long time, half convinced by the time he got up that it must have been sometime in the early after noon. It was not. It was ten. Ten in the morning. And his day was sluggishly pulling through the gates as if on its last leg. Citadel was hung over with guilt, but repressed the thoughts into the furthest recesses of his mind which could be managed. What use was she, anyway?

The thick curtain of woven fabric swung aside. The black behemoth trudged through. He stunk, but he did not care. His hair was a rat's nest, but he could not be bothered. Citadel chewed on a hang nail and wandered in a circle around what was once a fire without the slightest semblance of aim or use. A bird scurried off with the rotted bits of a past meal. A seagull. "I'll eat you, you damned bird," he grumbled, still chewing at the offending cuticle without success. It squawked and took to the air in the direction of the sea. A sigh, knowing he was lying. This tough act? It was all just silliness. Cato was just tired of being used.

He thought he would sit back down, but halfway through the act realized he should not. How late had he managed to lie around already? His stomach should have grumbled, but it mostly only shared with him a piercing, sickly pain. He thought he might vomit. The man refused to admit that he was worked up with worry. That girl would not make it alone. A grunt. He spat on the ground. She's not my problem. She's not my girl. Oh, but how he wished she was.

Turning toward the sea, Citadel could see the swooping bird meet up with some comrades in mid air. He followed their path on foot with little thought. Perhaps today was the day for a swim? A run? What would he do now that he did not have to chase a silly girl? Nothing? Nothing. The idea was satisfying... albeit a tad scary. A canter materialized, heavy hooves leaving craters in the powdery sand. He would swim today.

Water. It was always cold. His body stopped with his cocks submerged. A large fish avoided him entirely, a crab scurried off. Citadel wondered for a moment how many small creatures he had killed in his life simply by stepping on them. It had to be in the thousands. More? Probably.

Gaze wandered back to the beach, looking it up and down. He did not feel alone, but assumed it was just his hopes getting themselves riled up for nothing.

here lies the littlest of lambs

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[Nadia]

Three apples had been eaten by now and she would be sure to pay him back eventually for it. The only thing left of them were the small stems which she dropped on the ground. Sighing she stretched out her limbs a bit; deciding it was better to leave now and get on with this. The beach was probably the best way to go since that was how she got here; by following the beach.

Well the beach was at least a half mile away so she started moving in a south like direction. Sighing she brushed off herself and finger combed her hair. It was only right to try and clean herself up. She was a mess and stunk. It was infuriating to be this dirty and stinky for a woman. Ugh she felt like such a man being covered in filth.

A bath was needed. The sea was close by she decided it was the best option but she diverted from the objective once she saw the beast in the water. Well she could always wash later. don't cry..don't cry.. she turned to walk south and well what else could she do? Walking up there was a bit of a no go since he might hit her..or worse. She was not sure if that was his style but Nadia was not taking that chance.

Well she could always just - wash later. The woman shivered slightly as she continued walking; well she couldn't just run off. Her leg still hurt a bit but at least she was able to walk on it; bear weight on it and move it almost freely. Sighing she veered off toward the shore more; trying to avoid him but she was perhaps three hundred yards away from him. She kept walking though her feet went into the water; it stung but she needed to have it rinsed out and well she needed to get going. He had told her to leave so she was leaving; it was a bit slow but she was in fact leaving and going back to her home. She wasn't sure if the warm liquid that was running down her leg was blood or if it was just water but she kept walking. After several long moments the burning had stopped and felt a bit numb or something. She was not sure. The girl did stop to stretch out the offending limb and bent to look at it.

It was bleeding. Well might want to get out of the water then. Plus it was not good to soak her feet continuously. So back onto the damp sand. She had looked behind her toward the man but decided it was better to just leave. He was the man after all and assumed owner of this little place.

[Citadel]

beneath the eyes of the gods,

Being alone again was strange and full of wonder... but it was not satisfying in the least. The brutish man had grown used to having someone there to at least hear his opinions: hear, yes, but certainly not listen. She did not truly seem to care what he thought, but a nod was enough to appease him. Now there was only the horizon, the trees and the vermin to applaud or deny his musings. The idea was depressing. It was only more depressing to again realize he had no one to voice his quandary to. What a puzzling predicament.

His body swayed with each pummeling wave, the front of him taking the full force of the water which came up to his belly and splashed his face and neck with dribbling bits of salty water. Gray eyes scanned the water as if looking for something, but he was not truly seeing the water at all, nor the ocean bottom or any other tangible thing. His mind hummed so steadily with strings of other things hung like cobwebs, shivering and begging to be the first thing considered, that he did not bother to see for a long time. He did not see, he did not hear, feel, taste, smell... breathe? Was his heart even bothering to beat? He did not have his thoughts gathered well enough to bother to wonder.

A sigh. If anything, it was proof that he was man and not marble, flesh and not bronze. Citadel paced a few steps out and away from the shore. The bottom was slick and steep here, but the breadth of his hooves provided adequate traction. Sand swirled up with every step, making the water murky in the surrounding radius. "I ammm... such... annnn idiot," he admitted to himself, voice a strange sing-song conglomeration of ironic humor with a faint wash of anger. A grunt, under his breath. A strange hop, turned trot... as if leaving the spot would get rid of the feelings he felt while standing there. It did not work.

Anger. Or was it pity? Self-pity. The later seemed quite a bit more plausible. He would call it that, always able to admit his own follies. He was not mad a the girl - not anymore, anyway - even though he wished he was. Cato knew she was near, having caught a glimpse of the back end of the red-toned fay amidst his little jig of stupidity. Seeing her did not bring any sort of frustration to him... just embarrassment... perhaps a bit of hope that she was here other than to tell him off or steal what little he had.

He moved slowly, parallel to the beach, following but not really following, watching enough to keep track but certainly not fawning or staring. There was no point in walking up there, he decided, until he could figure out what she was up to. Sure, he looked a bit like a creeper... but he did not really care at all. Why should he?

"Li-ttle girl," the sounds came slow, quiet, thoughtful. His body stopped fifty yards from hers, well away and out of earshot. He would just... watch.

here lies the littlest of lambs

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[Nadia]

She kept walking the bleeding had subsided and it was sore again but hopefully infection was not setting in. Sighing she looked down at the sand finding that it was actually quite smooth here - well it should be it was near the shore for crying out loud! Still smooth sand hid lots of things, shells, clams and rocks. It seemed that she was finding little stones here and there; smooth quarter sized pebbles that she couldn't help picking them up.

Awkwardly her front legs would splay to a bow and her hands would quickly pick it up and look at it before finding it nothing special, drop the stone and stand up again. Only to take a few steps and do the same thing several more times before she grew bored and this was burning daylight. Periodically she would stop to listen behind her but with the waves, birds and other noises she couldn't tell if anything was behind her - or even to the side of her hiding behind the few medium sized rocks. Such a foolish thought; anything that small couldn't hurt her. She hoped at least.

Well it seemed like she was leaving but stalling; something she seemed to do when the girl didn't exactly want to do something. Maybe she should go back and apologize, make things right before she did leave; without so much hesitation. Not that she would run off and away from this place swiftly but would actually put an effort into it.

Her tail seemed to flicked itself in every direction possible as she stopped and thought about this. She couldn't exactly urinate in the ocean but nature was calling - and she wouldn't be the only thing to have messed in or nearby. Man, she did have to go and her body reacted as any animal should. Her tail lifted in that awkward way and she relieved herself. Well it was at the shore and by this time tomorrow it would have been mixed in with all the other undrinkable water. Normally she would have found a suitable place to go but the pressure and need was too much to be picky. She hoped that her direction was home. It seemed away from the camp.

She shivered slightly, noticing the water was now moving in more. At least she wouldn't have to worry about stepping in it. A few more steps forward and she just could not leave it like this. Her head dropped slightly and she moved to turn around; only to be startled by how much closer he had gotten. Damn it! He sure did have a knack for sneaking up on her and scaring the crap right out of her. Still she wiped at her eyes. The salty air was bothering them or she was crying or starting to. She did not know and would not admit she had been shedding tears. Embarrassment took over though as he probably had just watched her take a piss.

Her face grew bright red but noticed the water was slowly working its way back up to where high tide seemed to wander. This still did not help that he had actually seen her do it. "I'm sorry about last night. I-I let fatigue get the best of me." It was faint and meek. How could he hear that?! She was not going to get closer though; he had been rude to her as well but then Nadia was not so sure if she should let him get too close. The female's feet planted themselves though. The worse thing he could do was...well tell her to leave which she was slowly but surely doing.

No. He had to hear her so she could leave. Like she had been told to. She took steps forward and around her puddle; walking toward him. Her eyes for a moment glanced toward the ocean then back up to him. The gap was closed with about three feet to spare. "I mean I apologize for last night. I should not have been so rude and disrespectful." Honestly according to how she had been raised the girl should have let him circle her and do what he wanted. Well within reason. Obviously she wanted him last night but was not sure if having sex in a mosquito infested swamp was an intelligent choice. "I'll be going now.." she trailed off after a short pause then moved to turn back around.

[Citadel]

beneath the eyes of the gods,

He was not interested in watching her, just shepherding her to where he intended her to be. There was no point staring at the girl as long as she was moving in the right direction. Eyes would wander over on occasion, keeping track of her location. When she stopped, he stopped. His body remained half submerged, soaked to the hip. He did not bother to stare as she relieved herself, but knew well that it was happening as he turned his nonchalant mug out to sea. Toilet tasks were not his idea of prime entertainment, nor did he find any humour in seeing her vulnerable.

She spoke in her far off state, and he could have heard her over the roar of the water if he had been paying attention or even bothering to listen. As it were, he knew not if she knew his proximity to herself or that he was even in his home. A long pause. She had to have moved on by now, right? By the time he looked up she was advancing toward him. His posture straightened, covering up the ashamed lump in his belly and overall downtrodden appearance of him. There was no point in appearing broken down, especially when he had been the one to let loose.

Nadia stopped in front of him. Citadel stood, almost as a fortress in protection of himself, rigid and unemotional. She spoke, and his eyes were the first feature on him to soften, let down their guard. The corner of his mouth pulled in an uneasy, nervous manner. One thick hand scratched at the back of his neck in his usual nervous way.

Again, she spoke... began to turn around. Oh, shi-... And there she went again! His brain scrambled silently, body acting without direction and pulling into motion to come up to her side, cutting in front of her in a brash grasp at control of the situation.

"No, no," he told her, voice meek but intentionally so, "just come home." He was not ready to admit to her how wrong he had been, but it would come about eventually.

here lies the littlest of lambs

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[Nadia]

She had not really minded that he seemed to be ignoring her at times. What was he doing? Standing there watching her? She stumbled back as he cut in front of her and her rump fell down into the sand. God he could be a little more gentle. Grunting she struggled to get back up and did after the second try. "Alright" she said softly.

Of course she could yell him for knocking her down; in fact she should. The man couldn't just throw his weight around like that! Well he hadn't bumped into her. Sighing softly she was not surprised he had changed his mind; but the time he had did. Surely she was to get to the very edge of his territory then he'd come and apologize; trying to get her to turn back. Well this saved them a lot of time and energy.

He did not have to apologize. She had been rude and if she had been him; Nadia might have even hit her but that was what she had seen and how she had grown up. True and utter disrespect was punished in some way. Though most didn't resort to hitting. Obviously a hit from him would knock a few teeth out. She'd have to be careful then.

Not all males hit but some could be poked and prodded after enough force. Still she found herself coming close to him, wrapping her arms around him; resting her cheek against his chest. She held back a sob as she then rested her head again his chest. Nadia didn't really mind that he smelled a bit; hell she probably smelled too. It seemed to be this musky male scent that most men had. Something that was strangely turning her on. Well she'd let him decide rather than pushing him to get on.

A tender kiss was placed on the man's chin and she coyly smiled up at him. A foot that had been resting was placed down and weight was bared on it. Her stomach growled though. Well three apples was not going to keep her full for now. They did have food though right? If not she could dig for clams or something that fell in line with her womanly duties. "How do the women behave where you come from?" she looked up at him and scratched his sides. She was curious to how they did react and act. Did they just submit or did they beat up on the men? That was absurd though; women beating up on the men? "What do they even look like?" she tilted her head a bit and continued scratching his sides.

[Adina]

The air seemed to blow pass the woman's ears as she looked down to find a rather large clearing. She had circled this area quite a few times from the mountains to the two oddly colored beaches to this one. Of course she had taken breaks here and there but her endurance was building up but so was her appetite. The woman descended rather quickly on the beach; perhaps a few hundred yards from the pair. Adina paid no real attention to them though as she spat out this chewy gum like root she had found. No real taste but it kept her mouth wet and occupied.

Her delicate wings slowly folded up as she turned to face them. From here it look as though they were quite small - she was use to small. The creature was not that large though. She had seen plenty of those that were bigger than her; more than what she would like to admit. Lately she had seen small beings of her species. Her body turned to her left to face away from the ocean. Looking around she figured this place would do for whatever it was she needed. Food, shelter and possible female companionship. Not that she was attracted to women but she seemed to get along better with them.

Men she seemed to be too competitive with and women most did not do the activities she did. Such as hunting. In fact if she had the presence of mind she could carry a deer on her back and with it properly tied could fly with it. That was a bit foolish though. Usually she ate most of the deer and gave the skin to the women to tan it into leather or whatever they wanted with it.

Large yet delicate and feminine looking hands came up and brushed off the front of her body, face and hair. Still a test of her whatever so called powers was needed as she dare not approach the two. They or the male could approach her. A foreleg pawed at the sand as she rested her hands on her hips looking down at it. Obviously she was catching her breath after such a flight but she did want to try practicing. How exactly did it go again? Well she could start with trying to grow something useful, but what exactly was useful to her? That was a plant? By now she had dug a small little hole; well it was not small larger than her own hoof and rather six inches deep.

These birds she despised though as a few seagulls flew around above her. One even dared to land on her bent elbow. Such boldness could not go unrewarded. The bird was still struggling with trying to perch and it was rather annoying. Quickly it was snatched, its neck snapped and the still beating heart ripped out and eaten.

Needless to say the woman was not in the mood to be pestered with such annoying birds. Normally she would not have done that but she was hungry and the organ was meager to her anyway. Blood dripped into the hole or rather spilled into it. Without something to hold the liquid most of it had spilled out during the process. Sighing the woman then threw the bird to the side. Such a waste but then she rather eat fowl a bit more pleasant. Perhaps turkey or something. Her wings ruffled a bit as she turned toward the sea. Surely after something like that they would be hesitant on approaching her. Just something to rinse off her hands and to wipe her mouth; something the sea provided and soon the skin was clean. Though now she risked getting her wings wet and having to wait for them to dry; not that she could not fly with them wet but it was much easier dry.

More steps were taken out of the sea and she again looked over to the pair. The woman was not here for a relationship. The gods only knew how many of those she had in her life; she was just looking for something different. This male - from what she could see - could not provide what she wanted. No offense of course. She just wanted a place to stay for a bit and wouldn't even consider staying with them but within this area.

[Citadel]

beneath the eyes of the gods,

The man tried carefully to aid her as she recovered her footing, feeling guilty for knocking her over but unable to find apologetic words. He was stunned, really, that she was not screaming nor shouting nor running away. Usually she would have done one (or, more likely, all) of those. Nadia's words only left him with a greater feeling of shock. She's... agreeing? It almost seemed too good to be true! "Mmm." The sound was something of an agreement, praise and show of satisfaction all rolled into one. He could not believe that after all of that she was going to cooperate, but figured that perhaps she truly wanted to come home just as much as he wanted her to. Citadel believed whole-heartedly that she was glad to be taken back, not simply dealing with it for the fact that she had nothing better in this world. In all honesty, Cato was the only thing Nadia had. Nadia filled the same void for the man.

A sigh. Arms snaked around him in a familiar way. He was confused at the affectionate movements: why were they coming now? Last night, even when they had been on good terms, she had not treated him this well! What was this girl up to? Citadel was suspicious, but tried with fervency to bring the beast to its knees. There was no use questioning a miracle, no matter how auspicious it seemed. A heavy arm returned the embrace in his usual awkwardly detached manner: Citadel was not born to be a lover, after all.

The kiss that met him caused a smile to pull itself over his formerly stoic lips, her gaze met without a tinge of the questioning he felt welling up inside. The girl's question caused his forehead to wrinkle in a concerned manner, lips twisting from their casual smile into something thoughtful and confused. Citadel had thought on this topic many times - the girls at home versus this girl, that is - and had never really come up with any opinion that was correct and neutral enough to share. It all seemed sexist enough to get him slapped, kicked, screamed at. He would try and keep his words censored.

"They are," a long pause, his nose crinkled with what might have been annoyance, "obedient, useful... quiet." Another long pause. The man sucked on his tongue. "But in a way that... makes them stupid. And their stupidity gets them abused." The words were not exactly what he had meant, but he could not word it any better for the moment. How was he to say that they were all brainwashed prostitutes without actually saying that they were, well, brainwashed prostitutes? It was impossible. "They're arrogant, but without a reason to be."

Citadel turned inward here, unsure of his words but comfortable in the fact that he could not take them back. It felt strangely to actually speak badly of his extended family. Citadel had never voiced his opinion before. Through it all, he was mostly only bothering to revel in the affection that the girl offered.

Another question. Citadel frowned almost exaggeratedly. "They look like girls... I don't know," he told her, feeling a bit strangely about the question. He moved to begin the walk out of the ocean, legs begging to be relieved of their duties in supporting him against the battering waves. "They're like me... bigger, some of them. Me with tits." The words were dead serious and without a lick of humour, but did show some semblance of embarrassment.

Citadel could see the intruding female along the shoreline, but said nothing as Nadia could very well see the behemoth herself. He simply met her gaze and then nodded in the direction of the shoreline, hoping this would urge the girl to tell him what (if anything) she knew about the invader. "No, but really," he returned to the previous subject, "I don't need a girl who'd strong enough to pick me up and throw me." It seemed a strangely fitting subject considering the size of the unfamiliar female.

here lies the littlest of lambs

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[Nadia]

She was trying to be a little more reasonable and less...free willed? Well not less but there was no real reason to fight and argue with him about her falling. The brute seemed to..forget at times she was much smaller than him. Still she looked up at him as he seemed to be thinking or just simply looking confused. It was amusing to say the least.

"I..see.." she said slowly as she was taking this in. Was that how he expected her to be behave? Surely not! He would be taking measures to make her into what he wanted. The scratching continued even when the woman seemed to pop out of nowhere. She was not aware that they could have wings. Still it looked like a woman. A fairly large woman. Well of course they looked like girls! She had meant more along what their body types were.

The girl had not taken her eyes off the woman even as she killed the bird. Such..a savage display; though if the beast she was touching were to do that, she might be intrigued by it. She snaked an arm around his waist as she stepped to the side of him. "Surely they are bred to fit the surrounding men's needs." Bigger was not always better. He could not help how they looked; nor could she help how the women in her group looked. They were small, curvy, beautiful really; most. Doing jobs that were considered woman's work.

There was no need for them to be large and bulky. "A girl like that can't be easy to get along with...but then what woman is?" Something strong and overly huge; something he might not be able to mount in the first place. There would be no real reason to be with a girl like that then. Had she said something clever? She was not liking this water anymore. So she simply walked out of it and toward the woman. Obviously her steps were a bit slow and cautious. This woman looked huge from a distance and as she got closer the female looked even bigger. About two hundred yards away was enough for her. She stopped; though she was not sure what exactly to say.

Surely most if not all women at one time or another were difficult to get along with. Personally she only seemed to play well with those that were uglier than her. The plain looking ones that were not hideous but made her look better in comparison. The ones that were prettier usually had an attitude about them.

[Adina]

She paid no real attention to their public displays; if it could be called that. They were not groping each other but they weren't exactly standing at an arms length either. The woman was still hungry though. A thin line of grass began sprouting from underneath her hooves and slowly made its way toward the woman; who seemed to be approaching her.

Snorting she pawed at the sand and ruffled up her feathers a bit as she watched the girl come closer. Eventually she stopped and Adina took slow steps toward the female. Strides were bigger and it seemed to only take five to close the gap to ten feet or so. Men might have been in charge but the women decided who got to stay. She swayed and rocked a bit as she looked this woman over and was..slightly appalled by her appearance. How a woman displayed herself was how her mate or man allowed her to be.

Another snort and she idly flicked her tail looking way down at the girl. She barely seemed to come up to her shoulder! Equine shoulder that is. She was about the size a foal would be back home. How odd. How did they get that small? Better yet how did they get this big? Her large hands came together and knuckles were cracked; not in a threatening manner but just bored. "I don't mean to..interrupt anything but I am just looking for a place to rest." her voice was a bit deep but still very much a girl's voice.

She hated talking to women that had high pitched voices anyway and was glad her own was not one of them. It was nowhere near a man's voice. Her wings opened halfway; adjusting idly as her gaze went to the male. She would find a different place to sleep. Whatever shelter they had built would be much too small for her. Of course she could always get closer but then she would have to staring directly down. Not a wise decision as a sore neck was always a pain. Snorting she swayed a bit and again pawed the ground. The ribbon of grass had stopped long ago, but was slowly growing out again in a random winding way before it got too far and began again at her feet.

[Citadel]

beneath the eyes of the gods,

Nadia seemed unsure of his words, and offered up her own in what seemed to be a search for either clarification or self-loving reassurance. What did she expect him to say? That they were beautiful? Perhaps this was the anticipated answer, but he was not going to lie. Perhaps if he still lived there and was still immersed in the closed off little society he would have thought so. All the men at home seemed appeased and actually quite content with the builds and flaunts of the almost masculine women. You can smear makeup and a tiny bikini over a body builder, but it does not in any way make her more attractive to the general public. This was kind of the same scenario. It's just human nature: women are attractive when they are weak, small, fragile. This was something the man had learned only recently, and could not figure out his prior preferences. He knew though that his culture was the main culprit.

"That's just the way they are," he explained, sounding a bit exasperated. "That's how they like 'em. You can't have a big man if his mother isn't the same way, usually." It was genetics. That was the only thing to it. Even if Citadel was not schooled in the sciences (why the grass was green and the sky was blue was well beyond him), he knew well enough that like creates like and like bonds with like. Big men needed big women to carry their big babies. He would not try to explain this simple concept to Nadia unless it came to seem that she could not grasp it herself. Not only would it likely anger her, it would also make his chances of getting any that much smaller. He would play it safe.

Her next comment brought a light-hearted chuckle from his gut. So she admits that girls are a pain in the ass? The idea of such a guarded girl admitting such a thing was humorous. "They're just girls, Nadia. They're catty just the same," he told her, half-stumbling on a large rock that lay just out of view in the murky ocean water. "They're loved just how they are, I guess, even if they're not what you think is right."

Through it all, Citadel kept tabs on the woman at the shore, watching as the gap between them closed. He did not target himself toward her, nor away. There was no want in him to associate with her or to snub her: she was just there, and as long as she did not cause trouble or bring any unwanted males into the area she was perfectly fine. Citadel was really only protective of two things - his lunch and his girl - other than that, he was not an aggressive beast. For someone who had been born to be an artisan and trained to be a warrior, he was neither crafty nor combative. Cato had often wished in his youth that he had born a baker or farmer's son... but it was nothing he could change now.

It came to be that Nadia and the foreigner were engaged in the starts of a conversation. Citadel kept his distance, watching but with an air about him that obviously expressed his wish to be left alone. There was not a chance of him leaving the girl alone with a stranger, but nothing had yet happened that encouraged him to become standoffish or violent.

here lies the littlest of lambs

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[Nadia]

She nodded to the woman and took a slow step back, she was huge; a giant really, but peaceful? Nadia could only assume this as she was not yelling at her nor was she trying to crush her skull. "uh..sure.." The redhead could only assume Cato wouldn't mind another woman here. She was big but was nowhere near looking like Cato. She actually had some shape to her. The girl nodded again and took a few steps back before returning to the man. She'd much rather be dwarfed by him as their heights were so drastically different.

Did he think she did not get simple genetics? "Of course they do. Though if I were a man I would rather have a girl that did not look like me." She honestly could not imagine a woman being so muscular and built up that she'd look like Cato. Though if there were women larger than him there were also men bigger than him. She could not imagine having something that big climb on top without crushing her. The girl shuddered a bit at the thought. Something bigger and heavier than Cato wanting to pull himself over her? Her back ached at the very thought of it.

Her arms came up to his sides again, scratching through his fur again. "Yes, but I'd rather have my hair pulled than getting a black eye." She had to get something to eat though. Her stomach felt as though it was trying to digest itself. "I'm going to get something to eat." she patted his muscled stomach and turned to walk off in the direction of the trees. Far off they were but she could get there within a half hour at her slow normal pace. He might even follow her being the protective beast he seemed to be.

[Adina]

Again she paid no real attention to the male more than she did the female. So much for actually trying to be friends. She was much too small to be of any use to Adina. Sighing she continued digging a hole in the sand uprooting the weak stems of grass. Another snort and she watched the girl retreat to her mate or she assumed mate.

The girl seemed very friendly and affectionate to him, but then he was bigger than her so she might just be playing along. This was unlikely though; her body language showed no signs of her not wanting to be with the man. In fact it said the opposite. Snorting she wiped off her nose and tried to get rid of the flowery fruity smell. Her head shook and she understood why the woman seemed so urgent to get back to the man.

Every woman's scent seemed to be slightly different but good god. It seemed the smaller they were the more potent it was; her theory at least. The man might be use to it considering they were in close proximity of each other. Another snort and she half reared only to swing off in the direction opposite of the sea in a gallop. It seemed to thunder for a few strides before her wings opened and she took to the air easily it seemed.

It had been quite awhile since she had been around women in heart much less herself. Smaller women were easier to mount for most men and thus went into heat more often. She could only assume this anyway. She ascended to about five hundred feet before circling around and then descending to a clearing. She was off to find some form of food.

[Citadel]

beneath the eyes of the gods,

Citadel watched the exchange between the two females in a half-hearted way. Trouble did not seem to be brewing beneath the surface and they both seemed congenial enough... and, frankly, Citadel did not see himself as any sort of referee - especially not in the catty quarrels of women. Their conversation was short and gruff. He could not remember their words only a split second later, but he did not fret because they were obviously unimportant. The idea of another woman hanging about this place was accepted and feared at once: one woman was easy, but keeping a group in line was like breaking up a fight between dogs... the peacemaker was always the one with the worst wounds at the end.

In an instant, the intruder had lifted off and Nadia was back to her attempts at what he saw as snarky, misplaced humor. "It's not something we really have a choice in," he told her, voice patient as it ever was. "The women are what they are, and we like 'em because that's what we have." In truth, the rule probably worked in reverse as well: those women only dealt with the cruelties of the men because they had to and there was no escape. It was pitiful and heartbreaking, really.

Hair pulling and black eyes? Cato quelled a chuckle, allowing it to well up only as a sly smirk. "Well if you'd be nice no one would want to beat on you," he teased, kissing her head and vaguely interrupting her pat on his stomach. A low grunt at her words, something of an agreement. "Alright," he finally said, allowing her path to veer off from his own. He would go find her later, but if food was to be found he would prefer to have a bag in which to carry it. His hands were big enough to carry a meal, but his clumsiness overwhelmed the gift he had been given. You had to be pretty special if a whole apple could slip through your fingertips.

Camp sat a hundred yards down the coast. Winds the night before had done a bit of damage to the roof of his home, and he could see that even from this distance. A groan. The work seemed never-ending. Oh well. It'll get done. The beast picked up his gait and made his way home in less than five minutes. His obsessive compulsive nature ordered him to pick up the fallen shingles before anything else could be done. He set them in a pile inside the fabric door, then grabbed his bag and set out with it slung over a shoulder.

here lies the littlest of lambs

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[Nadia]

Sighing she kept walking, could he not leave and find another woman that did not look like him? Well of course and in fact it seemed he had. Be nice? She was nice! Was she not? A bit rough around the edges but nice. She thought so anyway. Snorting she decided to try trotting, her leg wasn't that overly stiff. Though after a few strides it was proving to be a bit too much and so she stopped and stretched out her injured leg.

It seemed like it wasn't extending properly or something. She wasn't sure; the girl wasn't a doctor. Well she could still keep going; which she was, slowly. Ever so slowly, walking was so slow. She wanted to be able to run! Sighing she brushed off her stomach, then just decided to lay down for a bit. It seemed fall had crept on them and the leaves were slowly starting to turn colors. This was not good as she did not have the proper attire for it and she very well could not travel the three or four days for her things.

Snorting the girl stretched out her leg a bit; feeling something strain or twitch for a few seconds. That was probably not good. Well no time like the present to try standing up again. She did so easily but found it rather painful to lift the leg up entirely. Well that would come with time; she hoped. Walking was again her main form of transportation and still slow. Oh how she hated this! She could not run away even if she wanted to!

Grumbling she laid down again; only this time at the base of a tree. It seemed to be cooler here; something her human half did not like. It riddled itself with goosebumps and she shivered slightly at times. If only mother was here; she'd help with getting her things. Hell, might have even brought them with her. Well she could always go fetch them. At least her clothes. The girl felt too lazy at the moment though; and it was not the best idea she had today. Hopefully the winter wouldn't be so harsh. Surely or hopefully if someone as big as that woman were to pick on her - through no fault of her own, she'd at least get some support. That woman could easily pick her up and throw her.

[Sef]

He had chosen a simple walk today, a bit fancy but his body was fancy. When he ran his tail would fly up in classic arabian style, even if the threads were purple. Most considered him pretty because of his coloring and perhaps saw him as a homosexual but that couldn't be farther from the truth. In fact he was doing a bit of an extended walk. The horse part had died shortly after the accident when they were fused; allowing him control over everything on his body.

Though that was not to say a pretty girl did not make his equine parts drop and become aroused but he could control his human half quite well. It only seemed to come alive when it was touched anyway; by something living of course, that he found attractive. Though he could control both parts quite well and his horse part seemed to become aroused only when sex was imminent. Sighing he thought about how things had once been. He should have just called in sick that day or resigned without going to work but he had been greedy and wanted the money. Of course now, none of that mattered. He had probably been declared dead upon arriving back and his wife had probably cashed in his insurance, remarried and lived happily.

That gold digging bitch. He should have listened to his parents about her. Oh well, she was long gone now. It was depressing though, to know that he had no children yet. Sure he had some close calls but..they died or the woman died as well. He had not reached them in time and the dead could not be brought back.

Sighing he stopped to lean against a tree. He was heading south and now there was a clearing. He continued walking after a short break. There was really nothing to be afraid of; anything that could harm him he could easily harm back. Though looking around he came to find a girl laying under a tree. Why exactly was she laying down? Sighing he turned to walk over to her. A slow walk. Due to his human features he did not have a good sense of smell; meaning he could not detect the flowery scent that much, he did smell it but it was very faint. He could also not smell the musky aroma of the nearby male either.

Smoothing out his make shift loin clothe he continued walking toward her. "Aaare you okay?" He paid no attention to how the girl was not dressed. He had seen a topless woman many times before. In fact it seemed to be the norm for most of his species. He sided stepped a bit to look at her leg. Even bending down awkwardly to touch it - well it was not that awkward but surely she could not bend down this low. He saw the scrape, and of course healed it and whatever was afflicting her.

He righted himself after that though. She seemed bigger than him, if only by a foot perhaps. She did not look gigantic. She was pretty. It would be best not to try flirting with her before knowing her situation. She could be pregnant for all he knew, the jealous protective male lurking around somewhere. Steps were taken to move himself into a turn. He had only nodded to her then began walking off. Sef knew better with human behaviors and horse tendencies to stay for too long with a lone girl. A peach tree grew in front of him as he stopped. It kept growing to full height before rapidly flowering then the fruit appearing. Reaching up he pulled off a few or just two and took a bite.

A few days from now though this tree would start to follow the rhythm of the season; losing its fruit and leaves. His tail hung lifelessly behind him, though his skin twitched and flinched as the flies bothered him. He did not have the mind to continuously move the banner to shoo the insects away for a few seconds. Waste of energy to flick and slap himself.

[Citadel]

beneath the eyes of the gods,

Hymns. He hummed them, he sung them, even the way he moved seemed to be some horrible melancholy drone diffused out through the fervent grasp of religion. Citadel knew every word, but often mumbled his way through specific parts... usually the ones of which he was no longer sure of the message. Did he believe everything he had once believed? Of course not! If he had, well, he would not be here. Nor would there be some possibly pregnant girl out in the middle of the woods, essentially stranded without his knowledge. Well, there might have been... but it would be someone else's girl. Citadel had not been brought into this world with the intention of procreation or love. He had been born in the caul, destined for something great! Something that was not knocking up tiny women who were probably not capable of carrying gargantuan foals to term. Either way, here he was: Citadel was a force, whether good or bad was unimportant.

Singing was maintained, though under his breath, as he came to the edge of the large stand of trees which he claimed as part of his land and home. Within the shaded space always seemed as something of a dusk world... eternally dim or dark, never entirely in focus. His vision was not good, but fair enough to take him through here. His hearing and his sense of smell were the old standby senses. Still, what told him more than anything else were the little hairs on the back of his neck. They would stand up and, even in their vagueness, told him a thousand times more than twenty-twenty vision ever could. The blessings of his non-human lineage had never failed him, and he did not take them for granted.

Now, though, the hairs said nothing. He could hear crunching leaves in the distance, birds, swaying branches, what might have been a voice here and there. This seemed entirely feasible and he did not worry immediately: Nadia was here! Then again, did she normally walk about talking to herself? Cato knew that she did not, but felt no need to worry. Nothing off kilter seemed to be going down. The quiet was too content.

After a few minutes of walking the proximity of the others did seem to be coming closer, but he could never seem to stumble over them how he hoped to. Worry started to flutter up. Normally she did not remain out of sight for long...

here lies the littlest of lambs

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