A queen out of her throne(Aikoa)

[ღE/m/i/l/yღ]

Mozart

I was tired of acting so queenly and proper. I had recently become Queen of Cutberry Downs, but I needed just one moment alone. I wandered down to the stream that ran across my and Twilight's Terra, and I watched the happy bubbling of it. It leaped and glinted, and when the sun hit it, it was like my own little magic. I wasn't expecting anyone to come down here, our herd wasn't the biggest in the land. Their were no Neutral horses anymore. Most of them have joined the Dark land, so all the other herds were pretty poor looking.

I was endorsed in herd thoughts, and I caught myself in time. The only reason I came down to the lower end of Cutberry Downs was to get away from the herd blah. I was here to relax by a cute little stream, and not to stress about who's heard was bigger. I stared into the trees, and suddenly, there was a little movement.

I looked closer, my eyes zeroing in on what seemed to be another horse. I stiffened; I wasn't to used to anyones company, especially someone I had no recollection of. Maybe it was Twilight, wondering where I was. But this horse had a different pelt, a different way of walking. They seemed friendly; was that why I was so calm? I should be panicking.

But I wasn't.

[.:-Aikoa-:.]

Dun hide glinting, dark earthen banner flowing as he walked, the stag strode from the shelter of the trees. His strange cat-like black orbs took in everything at a glance; the mare standing beside the stream, which appeared by its scents to be a border of some sort. The stag's broad shoulders rippled with untold strength and his curled nares flared as he drank in the scent of the mare. Nuetral, by appearance and smell, he decided. That was alright with him. Equines didn't have to have a set list of morals, as long as they were true to himself. It was his common philosophy that a horse should say what they think and think what they say. If they didn't do that, they may as well call themselves ducks.

"Greetings, Fae," the stag called, his appaloosa-painted hide catching the rays of the sunlight. His stocky but powerful legs guided him forward a few strides, and then he stopped, dipping his blaze-adorned boa in respect to the mare. He did not know her ranking, and it was always good manners anyway. He was a loner himself, and he prefered that life to many another. Adventures and new places to explore, it was all something that added to his love for freedom; Kiba wouldn't give that up for anything. He was strangely named, it seemed, for Kiba in his home land's ancient tongue meant "fang" or "tooth". While he did have teeth, they could hardly constitute as fangs. The truth of the matter was Kiba had been born during a time when wolves had stalked the land, and killed many a foal. It was almost a foreshadowing of his entire childhood, being named after the horrible incidents related to those wolves. But ever one to not dwell in the past, Kiba brushed the thoughts aside and pulled his maw back to reveal his actually surprisingly-sharp white teeth. It was a smile that had been described as dazzling, friendly, and disgraceful.

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Mozart stared him up and down, the stranger. He was handsome, but not nearly as handsome as her Twilight. He was overly polite, for a stag that didn't know her rank. She was flattered, but it made her a little cross that it was so obvious she was a queen. She held her head high; he was kind of tall, taller than herself, at least. She met his warm gaze full on with her confident one. "Salutations," she said, her voiced eased. "My name is Mozart, Queen of Cutberry Downs, the land you are standing on right now." Her dappled pelt moved snake-like in the late afternoon sun. The stream gurgled along, like a charming music from above. "What is your name?" she asked. Her neck starting hurting; he head was so high. She tried to relax it, but it just seemed so... weird to be shorter than him. It didn't matter, but still....

[.:-Aikoa-:.]

It was plantively obvious by her reaction to his size that this fae was of a higher ranking. When she introduced herself as Queen of this terra, Kiba felt stirrings of many different emotions. He felt respect, admiration, but also a shadow. That little shadow that always haunted his steps. He remembered his mother, so gentle and kind... her smile and shining eyes... She had been nothing like Mozart. This Queen before him stood trying to make herself feel bigger than he. But Lyla would have not minded it so much. She had told Kiba many times that "strength does not come from the body, but from the spirit." He fixed his strange gaze on her and his maw curved upward slightly in a less flamboyant smile.

"It is an honor to meet you, Mozart. I am called Kiba." He said, his eyes narrowing and his ears flicking as his lips formed the name that had condemned him from the beginning. He flicked his tail, trying to release some of the pent-up feelings that he held inside. It was a terrible thing to be exorcised from the very beginning. He had been looked down upon; despised, even. But again, thoughts must no linger in the past. Kiba's returned to the present, and he tried to look as cheerful as before. His wild banner, sticking up in seemingly-random spikes and bunches, shifted in the wind that stirred the meadow. He flared his nares once again, tasting the scents for any trace of danger. Senseing none, he relaxed and let his weight shift onto one side.

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His smile was charming, I thought. Kiba. What a strange name "Kiba, let me ask you this. Where does your name come from?"I had met plenty of equines with odd names in odd dialects. I had been places, that was for sure. In fact, most of the horses I knew had twisted names, or two-part names. My name was a little weird, too. I had asked her mother many a time what her name was about, but, alas, my mother had always said 'Mozart is a music to good for lyrics.' I had always been flattered by this, but now it kind of seemed.... flakey. I wondered why I was thinking these strange thoughts, but I was a strange horse. Definitely.

[.:-Aikoa-:.]

There was that question again. Kiba would never let anyone know how much it hurt him to have to explain it. But no one had ever asked, anyway. He was pretty good at hiding his dislikes from other equines. After all, his smile was so strange it usually took away from any discomfort that remained in his stance. This showed by the replacing of his weight on equal pillars. His tail flicked back and forth, almost as if of its own accord. Flicking his harks, the stag took a deep breath and curled his lip back into a smile, revealing his oddly sharp teeth.

"It means "fang", where I come from." He replied. He didn't have to ask for the meaning of Mozart's name. He knew a little about where it came from. Not enough to come up with a definition but enough not to be curious. Kiba's cat-like eyes flashed as he gazed at her with a calm expression. There was no outward signs of the choas that reigned in his heart.

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"Ah ha. I see. Any reason you are called 'fang'?" I didn't want to be too nosy,; it wasn't like me to be like that. I wondered why you would be called Fang unless you were... mean. And Kiba certainly seemed very nice and friendly. His smile was charming, his voice was like a chord of soft music. There really was no reason for someone so honest and sweet to be named Fang. It seemed kind of wrong, but I let it go. It wasn't my place to mess with others lives, and prevoke questions that could be painful. I shutup, me eyes on the stream. I counted the seconds.

[.:-Aikoa-:.]

Kiba stiffened. His head moved slightly to the side and back, in a sort of shrugging gesture. His eyes followed Mozart's to the river that shone beside him, dancing playfully to the sound of the day. His eyes narrowed and he looked up to the sky.

"There had been a lot of wolf raids in the area... even the night I was born. My father named me because he said I would become a terror to the valley, just like the wolves." Kiba said, surprisingly able to keep his voice cheerful. It was strange, he thought. His father had singled him out for disaster from the very beginning. He wondered why.

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Odd, I thought. So cheerful about a horrible burden. How could a father be so cruel? I would never know, I never had a father to take care of me when I was a filly. I looked down, my eyes settling on a odd colored mushroom. "I am sorry," I say, my words hollow. "That must be hard.. to live with." I wondered if Kiba was hiding something, something important to go along with his name story. I couldn't be sure, but something.... was off. Something I didn't recognize at first. It was like a puzzle had been set to my mind, and I was having a terrible time figure it out. I usually didn't let these thoughts take over my mind, but they tended to creep along the edges at first, and then swarm me with a floods or fire's power.

[.:-Aikoa-:.]

Kiba could tell that Mozart decided he wasn't saying something. He wasn't showing something. He looked away, his expression thoughtful. It had been hard, working since he was a little foal to impress his father... He closed his eyes and remembered...

"Daddy, daddy!" Kiba raced towards the tall, stocky black appaloosa whose stern blue eyes were set on the valley below. The stag turned and glared down at his son.

"What is it, Kiba?" He demanded. Kiba smiled.

"I climbed all the way up here, all by myself!" He exclaimed, looking down at the steep plunge into the valley. For a foal, it had been quite a impressive climb.

"You foolish colt," Shadow sighed, "Why do you waste my time with petty little triumphs? Go whine to your mother and learn to keep quite like your sister." He snapped. Kiba's ears flattened against his skull and his eyes widened.

"B-but daddy..."

"GO!" Shadow shrieked, kicking Kiba in the side.

The pain of that first kick still remained. Kiba blinked opened his eyes and sighed softly. As a foal, his mother had told him that his name meant he was strong and fast like the wolf. But he had soon learned differently from the other horses in his herd. With a nod of his head, Kiba spoke again.

"It... was. My father never really accepted me. He loved my little twin sister, but for some reason never would give me any notice... and when he did, it was only to scold me..." He looked up into the sky and wondered why in the world he was telling all this to this Nuetral Queen. Perhaps he just wanted it off his chest.

"I grew up never knowing the praise of anyone... not even my mother ever told me 'good job, son'. I guess I got used to it... still." He looked back and Mozart and smiled crookedly.

"Still, I wondered what it could have been like... if things had been different."

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I nodded my eyes sad. That's a horrible way to live, for anyone. My mother had always praised me, even when it wasn't really necessary. If things were different, though, Kiba might not be here, in Penori. "Kiba, do you have a heard?" I asked. I didn't mean to be rude, but maybe, just maybe, he could join Cutberry Downs... No one ever joined here anymore. It was a sad, pitiful land, with not many horses and even less happiness. I loved Twilight, and Sequin, but... it was a little tedious without any herd members. And besides, I think Kiba and I could be good friends. He was very sweet and nice, and friendly.

[.:-Aikoa-:.]

Kiba looked at Mozart keenly for a few moments, and then grinned slightly.

"Nah. Haven't really found a place I want to settle down in yet." He said. It was somewhat true; he hadn't found any place that appealed to him. But perhaps there was another reason. Perhaps he just didn't want to feel he had failed his purpose? Determination had replaced so much of his previous common sense. If he had ever had any to begin with. But now... Kiba wondered if it raelly would be a bad thing to settle down.

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I nodded; understanding. Before I had met Twilight, I had not wanted a herd for myself, either. That was acceptable. "What's the prettiest thing you have seen in Penori?" I asked carefully. There were a lot of pretty things in Penori; I had seen millions-Cutberry Downs; The land for wolves called Celestial Terrace, Namids Icy Mountain- all of the were appealing. I waited patiently, a kind smile on my otherwise troubled face.

[.:-Aikoa-:.]

The prettiest thing...? It was an odd question. Kiba had never really considered it before, even though he loved scenery as much as the next horse. But somehow it had never occured to him that anything could be better than the rest. He looked around him and smiled slightly.

"Well, I honestly don't know. But somehow this place... this river especially... the friend I've made beside it... it's all very special to me. I guess you could say I find it all very... pretty." He said, laughing softly to himself.