Post by RandomWiktor on May 9, 2008 19:28:46 GMT -5
The story so far:
Shakti and Stag, the ultimate odd couple, are a curious female rat and a nervous gamecock who team up to seek adventure. Tired of the city, they hope to find a way out - and stumble upon it after taking refuge in a carriage horse barn. Sarge, an elderly carriage horse soon to be sent to an uncertain fate. Together, the three will cross paths with another group of misfits on an odd rescue ranch in the country. Origional Thread
Last two posts:
Sarge and Stag
((Soon-ish, we should get them to the farm. Maybe tonight while they're all sleeping, the trailer could come pick them up and ship them out? Also, do you want them to go directly to the farm, or do you want them to go through a stockyard first? The latter will take longer, but might be interesting if they try to stay in contact despite the confusion and crazyness))
<Sarge might have been spooked at the rooster's sudden words were he not trained for years as a police horse. He could have a moltov cocktail explode at his feet and still wouldn't spook, so a rooster suddenly blurting out a greeting at his side did not elicit any more of a response than a flick of his ear. For that, Stag was lucky; many horses were so high strung that a fly landing on their rump could set off a flurry of bucking and stamping, and for creatures as small and delicate as a rat and a rooster, the results of such behavior could be... unpleasant, to say the least.
Sarge was about to answer the strange bird, who seemed allready too distracted by the buzzing insects that filled the barn to be much of a conversation partner, when Shakti spoke again. It was probably a good thing; Stag had the attention span of.... well, a chicken. His pupils were expanding and contracting rapidly as his head moved jerkily to and fro, following the whirling paths of the flies as they sped past. Eventually, temptation was too great when one landed on the edge of the bale, and the 'roo made a mad dash, snapping his streamlined, comb-less head out and snatching the fly from the air in an instant.
Sarge was, admittedly, impressed by the bird's speed. At this rate, mused the old horse, we'll have this barn clear of flies in no time. Of course, he didn't know that the duo was necesarily staying. It was possible they'd just stopped for some food and were now going to be on their way. He supposed that might come up in conversation, and thus directed his attention to the rat, who was actually willing to focus and speak instead of chase bugs. Indeed, she'd continued the conversation while he watched the fighting cock, and he was very much amused by her next statement. Chuckling, he replied,>
"Oh, I think you'd be hard pressed to hurt this old fella. Only thing that has me down these days is walking all day on that hard pavement - a bit too much for an old timer like myself, you see."
<He paused. Speaking of walking on pavement, he had no idea how the rat and rooster got here, if not by humans, as most rats had been poisoned or killed by barn cats, and roosters or other chickens were all but absent. It made him wonder how far they'd come, and where they planned to go next>
"Well now, I imagine you two had something of a journey to get here. Mind if I pry?"
Shakti
((Sounds good to me. Anyway, if you don't mind, I'd like to take them through the stockyard. I think it'd be fun to RP, especially considering how Shakti is delighted by anything remotely strange/risky))
Having spent most of her life underground, Shakti didn't know how most horses acted -- After all, the equines didn't exactly fit in the sewers below nor the alleyways they opened up in. Really, Shakti was oblivious about bigger beasts in general. She could tell you how a chicken, cat, or even a human was going to act. Ask her about horses or cows, however, and you would only get a bit of somewhat intelligent guesswork. That may have been why she was so fearless; she didn't know what to expect. However, the female showed nothing but boldness in the face of Stag as well, so it was probably just an odd part of her personality.
Another part of her personality was being able to focus on many things at once without getting confused, though her train of thought would often derail and explode in flames. While waiting for the horse to reply, she turned her head toward Stag and the flies she could barely see buzzing around. Rats don't have amazing eyesight, but when she saw Stag's head move and a blob of a fly disappear, she could guess what had happened. She nodded her head in approval. He was a natural... Well, obviously, he was a bird. Bobbing herself mentally over the head, Shakti still had room in her head to think that at least someone was getting some food.
When Sarge chuckled, Shakti's thoughts were brought back to the conversation, something she must have stored in a safe in her brain to have not lost track of it. At his words, she was both relieved and sympathetic. She was happy to not have hurt him, but understood what he meant about the pavement. It was rather rough on her paws -- Didn't have cushioning like the sewers, though sewage probably wasn't what most animals considered comfortable to walk in. For once, however, Shakti didn't berate herself for having absurd thoughts, because Sarge had brought up a very interesting subject.
He didn't have any idea how fascinating it was! Shakti had smelled, seen, and heard all kinds of amazing things. Recalling it made her once again near-bursting with the thrill of it all, and she couldn't wait to yack someone's ears off about it. It was only the fact that the horse may not particularly want a lifestory that kept her from launching into an epic tale. On the other hand, she constantly reminded her not to talk too much as she began to speak. However, Shakti never did seem able to get her mind to do what she wanted.
"Yes, pavement is rather rough on feet. As for our journey... It was very interesting. We came from across the city. We had to cross plenty of streets and avoid many predators. We were almost eaten by a few of them -- one cat could have gotten me, for example, but he chased me to a hole to hide in. I thought cats would be smarter than that, really. Humans tried to capture Stag or kill me as well. Of course, the big monsters wanted to charge and kill us as we crossed over here, but strategy and quick feet averted that danger."
Realizing that she was rambling, the rat paused in her tale to take a breath and see if Sarge was bored yet. If he was, then she'd shut up and see about that grain. If not... Well, she could talk forever. Just summarizing the tale made her remember all the thrills all over again. Life was more exciting with a little danger, and with that discovery, she would be willing to go on another adventure if given the chance...
((Well, this was certainly an odd post, though I like it, heh))
Shakti and Stag, the ultimate odd couple, are a curious female rat and a nervous gamecock who team up to seek adventure. Tired of the city, they hope to find a way out - and stumble upon it after taking refuge in a carriage horse barn. Sarge, an elderly carriage horse soon to be sent to an uncertain fate. Together, the three will cross paths with another group of misfits on an odd rescue ranch in the country. Origional Thread
Last two posts:
Sarge and Stag
((Soon-ish, we should get them to the farm. Maybe tonight while they're all sleeping, the trailer could come pick them up and ship them out? Also, do you want them to go directly to the farm, or do you want them to go through a stockyard first? The latter will take longer, but might be interesting if they try to stay in contact despite the confusion and crazyness))
<Sarge might have been spooked at the rooster's sudden words were he not trained for years as a police horse. He could have a moltov cocktail explode at his feet and still wouldn't spook, so a rooster suddenly blurting out a greeting at his side did not elicit any more of a response than a flick of his ear. For that, Stag was lucky; many horses were so high strung that a fly landing on their rump could set off a flurry of bucking and stamping, and for creatures as small and delicate as a rat and a rooster, the results of such behavior could be... unpleasant, to say the least.
Sarge was about to answer the strange bird, who seemed allready too distracted by the buzzing insects that filled the barn to be much of a conversation partner, when Shakti spoke again. It was probably a good thing; Stag had the attention span of.... well, a chicken. His pupils were expanding and contracting rapidly as his head moved jerkily to and fro, following the whirling paths of the flies as they sped past. Eventually, temptation was too great when one landed on the edge of the bale, and the 'roo made a mad dash, snapping his streamlined, comb-less head out and snatching the fly from the air in an instant.
Sarge was, admittedly, impressed by the bird's speed. At this rate, mused the old horse, we'll have this barn clear of flies in no time. Of course, he didn't know that the duo was necesarily staying. It was possible they'd just stopped for some food and were now going to be on their way. He supposed that might come up in conversation, and thus directed his attention to the rat, who was actually willing to focus and speak instead of chase bugs. Indeed, she'd continued the conversation while he watched the fighting cock, and he was very much amused by her next statement. Chuckling, he replied,>
"Oh, I think you'd be hard pressed to hurt this old fella. Only thing that has me down these days is walking all day on that hard pavement - a bit too much for an old timer like myself, you see."
<He paused. Speaking of walking on pavement, he had no idea how the rat and rooster got here, if not by humans, as most rats had been poisoned or killed by barn cats, and roosters or other chickens were all but absent. It made him wonder how far they'd come, and where they planned to go next>
"Well now, I imagine you two had something of a journey to get here. Mind if I pry?"
Shakti
((Sounds good to me. Anyway, if you don't mind, I'd like to take them through the stockyard. I think it'd be fun to RP, especially considering how Shakti is delighted by anything remotely strange/risky))
Having spent most of her life underground, Shakti didn't know how most horses acted -- After all, the equines didn't exactly fit in the sewers below nor the alleyways they opened up in. Really, Shakti was oblivious about bigger beasts in general. She could tell you how a chicken, cat, or even a human was going to act. Ask her about horses or cows, however, and you would only get a bit of somewhat intelligent guesswork. That may have been why she was so fearless; she didn't know what to expect. However, the female showed nothing but boldness in the face of Stag as well, so it was probably just an odd part of her personality.
Another part of her personality was being able to focus on many things at once without getting confused, though her train of thought would often derail and explode in flames. While waiting for the horse to reply, she turned her head toward Stag and the flies she could barely see buzzing around. Rats don't have amazing eyesight, but when she saw Stag's head move and a blob of a fly disappear, she could guess what had happened. She nodded her head in approval. He was a natural... Well, obviously, he was a bird. Bobbing herself mentally over the head, Shakti still had room in her head to think that at least someone was getting some food.
When Sarge chuckled, Shakti's thoughts were brought back to the conversation, something she must have stored in a safe in her brain to have not lost track of it. At his words, she was both relieved and sympathetic. She was happy to not have hurt him, but understood what he meant about the pavement. It was rather rough on her paws -- Didn't have cushioning like the sewers, though sewage probably wasn't what most animals considered comfortable to walk in. For once, however, Shakti didn't berate herself for having absurd thoughts, because Sarge had brought up a very interesting subject.
He didn't have any idea how fascinating it was! Shakti had smelled, seen, and heard all kinds of amazing things. Recalling it made her once again near-bursting with the thrill of it all, and she couldn't wait to yack someone's ears off about it. It was only the fact that the horse may not particularly want a lifestory that kept her from launching into an epic tale. On the other hand, she constantly reminded her not to talk too much as she began to speak. However, Shakti never did seem able to get her mind to do what she wanted.
"Yes, pavement is rather rough on feet. As for our journey... It was very interesting. We came from across the city. We had to cross plenty of streets and avoid many predators. We were almost eaten by a few of them -- one cat could have gotten me, for example, but he chased me to a hole to hide in. I thought cats would be smarter than that, really. Humans tried to capture Stag or kill me as well. Of course, the big monsters wanted to charge and kill us as we crossed over here, but strategy and quick feet averted that danger."
Realizing that she was rambling, the rat paused in her tale to take a breath and see if Sarge was bored yet. If he was, then she'd shut up and see about that grain. If not... Well, she could talk forever. Just summarizing the tale made her remember all the thrills all over again. Life was more exciting with a little danger, and with that discovery, she would be willing to go on another adventure if given the chance...
((Well, this was certainly an odd post, though I like it, heh))