Two for One Deal [P]

Matteo Trovato · 11-19-2011, 03:43 AM

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Set around noon on the old highway towards Halifax. Matteo is in Optime form, wearing a winter coat like in his avatar.

With Gemma no where to be found, Teo'd been a lot less willing to stay in AniWaya's village; he hoped to god he'd find her if he went out of the territory more often, maybe run into her by chance someday. He was frantic, worried about her, scared for her health... terrified for her life if Alaki had found her.

Claudius had informed him of Alaki and Panda's visit to AniWaya. The angry rakeebnow knew where he and Gemma had fled to, which meant that should Alaki ever deem it worth his effort, he could come and beat on Matteo whenever he wanted.

Lovely.

So Teo had taken to travelling around, mostly making the excuse of 'finding medical supplies' whenever someone asked him why he'd been away for so long on certain days. Ayasha had been told the real reason and on rare occasions even came with him, and on those days, the two would spar and train in territory they weren't used to, to sharpen their skills. Teo had to admit; he was starting to get into the whole sparring routine he had going with Ayasha. She was a great girl and he enjoyed being her friend.

Today, his excuse was going to find himself a horse. He'd taken some of his extra coin and pelts along with him, as well as a promise to hunt, in hopes it would be enough to trade some poor sucker for a horse.

It was to his great delight that, on the main road to Halifax, Teo happened across a young man on his own with two horses too many; "I didn't mean for the male to follow but he won't leave the mare alone," he complained. Teo, being the nice business man he was, decided to rid the man of both the newly broken mare and the wild stallion. The boy was glad to be rid of them and even happier to have the coin Teo'd given him; that meant he'd be able to live for a while in Europe once he got there! The walk to the coastline would suck without a horse but at least now, he'd survive.

Teo might not, though. The stallion was as wild as the boy had described. As soon as he'd taken the reigns and the boy was out of sight, Teo was left to handle a very upset wild horse, one none too happy to be tied up to some flashy white thing with teeth. The mare, on the other hand, did nothing more than flick an ear at the loud stallion, irritated but not at all spooked.

Probably because the mare had a beautiful blue roan coloration, almost white in color with darker hues of gray-blue on her legs and a black trail down her chin to cover her soft nose. Her tail and mane matched, starting off white near the roots and quickly turning black for the rest of the length. Despite her beautiful coloration, the mare had unremarkable hazel-brown eyes.

The stallion was a bay color, as expected from a mustang cross. Dark socks and a white blaze across his face, with jet black eyes that were too dark to be normal, in Teo's opinion. His mane and tail were streaked with brown, but otherwise remained a steady coal black.

Just as Teo thought he'd had the horse tightly in his grasp, the animal reared up and kicked out, forcing the albino to make a quick dodge into the mare's side, letting go of the reigns in the process. Taking his moment, the stallion fled a few dozen feet away, stopping only to turn and face Matteo with a look that screamed gloating victory.

Damn it, get back here you wild beast! Teo snapped, recovering from the sudden onslaught of hooves. I'm not going to hurt you, now come on! He couldn't let go of the mare, though; doing so would risk her spooking and running off as well. However, approaching the stallion would only upset the thing more... now what? ...stupid thing.

Tedros Talik · 11-19-2011, 06:09 PM

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HORSIESSS! Big Grin

YOU'RE HERE AND THEN YOU'RE GONE

Tedros Talik had spent the past three days wandering around south of Inferni. He had stumbled upon broken down buildings full of small trinkets, and thankfully, he was able to pick up a few things that he’d left at his old pack. Walking now in optime form, the red-colored coyote had collected a pocketknife, a bottle of whiskey, and a knapsack to put it all in. His quiver and bow were stationed tightly around his chest, and overall, he was completely decked out in human things (aside from clothes, as usual).

The crumbling buildings in the city of Halifax were so strangely beautiful. As the sun rose high into the sky, light began to hit them at just the right angle. Their shadows reached towards him; the seemed to be begging him for just one more day of company. He grinned a little, but then remembered the Inferni lands that he had still yet to explore. This area was all so new, and Tedros Talik loved exploring every minute of it.

He started his journey home reluctantly, following the long span of highway before him. A strange smell was blown towards him in the wind: two horses and a male hybrid. The last pack he was in wasn’t crazy about equine training, but they realized their importance. As a scout, he had been given the rights to a horse for patrolling purposes only. Tedros didn’t always use him, but he certainly had come in handy.

The closer he got to the scene, the more he noticed that the tan stallion was giving the owner hell. A smirk crossed his face, remembering how quickly he had taken control of the stallion he rode back in the day. It was just something that seemed to come naturally to him. So when the horse broke free of the hybrid’s grasp, Tedros readied himself to aid the white canine. The horse, in a moment of deliriousness, had galloped away from one canine, and towards Tedros instead. Once the timing was right, Tedros darted forward and grabbed the reins with force, shoulders held high and teeth bared, showing his dominance.

The horse struggled for a few moments, neighing loudly, and snorting at the surprise of being captured once again. But once he realized the coyote meant business, the mustang settled down and gave in. It was obvious that he had been broken in very recently, and that this owner was new and was not re-enforcing the stallion properly. Tedros Talik outstretched one hand while the other held its grip tightly around the reigns. He let the horse sniff him before sliding his hand up and down on the horse’s face.

With that, he walked towards the hybrid, having to only pull once to get the stallion to follow behind him. “It appears you’ve lost something,” he said with a grin. Tedros inhaled, holding a rather dominant position purely for the sake of keeping the male equine under control. Wine-colored eyes stared at beautiful mare that seemed to be acting much better.

“Where did you find these horses?”

(WORD COUNT — 512)

Matteo Trovato · 11-20-2011, 09:00 PM

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8D omgyes. That's amazing. Thank you! Her tail and mane are perfect!

Teo must've had some sort of sign on his back saying 'fair maiden', because as habit would suggest, in came yet another knight in shining armor. This time, it was a coyote just a few inches shorter than himself, with chestnut colored fur and wine red eyes. Teo guessed that this man, with a way with horses and a fitting grin that Teo recognised almost instantly; only a coyote could sport a familiar expression like that. Wolves and dogs just couldn't pull it off.

The young Trovato felt his interest peak almost instantly. With all his time spent in mixed packs, coyotes were hard to come by. It had been more than a year since he'd met another coyote, half or full. Plenty of mutts, but it didn't matter; coming from where he did, Teo could always stop to appreciate his mother's race, stranger or not.

Ah, Teo smiled, ears flicking back in mild embarrassment as he came back to the situation. Yeah, he didn't really take to me like she did. I guess it's a matter of jealousy for the mare. A small laugh followed as Teo moved to rest his hand on the beautiful mare's nose, enjoying the feel of her soft velvet fur under sensitive pads.

A boy heading for the ship traded them to me for a pocket of gold coin. Coin's no good on this side of the water, but I hadn't known that before coming over from Italy. Came up to Halifax to get rid of it and sure enough, these two weren't needed anymore either. A fair trade, considering where he's heading. Gold coins were harder to come by than horses there; hopefully a little bit of that Trovato blessing would do the travelling boy some good luck on the other side.

I was gonna take both back home with me, but I don't think I want my sister riding him... and she's too tiny to ride the mare. In other words, the albino coydog had no use for the stallion anymore. Don't know what I'll do with him now. I doubt I'll even get him home without a fight. He's not fond of me, as you saw. Talkative, today... but the more he spoke, the less he thought about Gemma and the less he thought about Gemma, the less stressed he was. This coyote was a life saver in more than one way. ...thanks, by the way. Name's Matteo. He offered a hand in greeting, holding the mare's reigns in the other.

Tedros Talik · 11-22-2011, 10:39 PM

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Big Grin Glad you like 'em! Also, I figure they can go riding for a few posts, then settle down/sit and talk/get a lil flirty? If you're still up for that! I love Teddy in inner-turmoil mode. Tongue

YOU'RE HERE AND THEN YOU'RE GONE

Tedros’ question hung in the air for a moment as his red-toned eyes fell upon the albino hybrid. His grip held tight around the leather reins, feeling the mustang’s breath calm slightly. Ted couldn’t keep the grin off of his face, proud that his talent with horses could be utilized every once in a while. The hybrid made a remark about the mustang’s jealousy, and Tedros chuckled a little. He figured it was much more likely that the young attractive canine simply didn’t know how to control the horses, but he wasn’t going to say anything about it.

“The mustang’s probably just worried they’ll be separated. Horses like to stick together,” Tedros said nonchalantly, watching the other’s hand move up and down the mare’s snout. At least she had seemed to take a liking to the snow-colored luperci. The other talked about a form of currency and his trade; Tedros had never been too interested in the human way of buying and selling that he had read about. It seemed silly for people to destroy the lives of others – and their own – simply for a few coins.

When he was done explaining their origins, he continued to explain that he did not really have any need for the mustang out of protection for his sister. For a moment, he felt a pang of guilt, remembering how he had cared for his sister similarly, wishing for a moment that he could see her again, make sure she was okay. But then his mind traveled, thinking of himself again, realizing that he could take advantage of this situation. The slightly taller, handsome young man introduced himself as Matteo, and added a small thank-you. “No problem,” Tedros offered, shaking the man’s hand.

“I don’t have much to offer in return, no coins or any of that nonsense, but I could take the stallion off your hands, if you’d like,” Tedros said, wondering if he should have even bothered to tell him he didn’t have much. But that was in the past now, he simply stood there, smiling at Matteo. “I’m Tedros Talik,” he quickly offered in return.

The male horse exhaled slowly, finally getting over the passing outburst. Ted patted the side of the horse’s neck, excited about the possibility of owning his own horse. Briefly, the thought crossed his mind that it would make his travel to Anathema much quicker. He was almost embarrassed at his boyish feelings he had for Alaki, but wrote them off as rebound instead.

“Do you ride?” he asked, motioning towards the horses. He assumed one of the reasons that the newly broken stallion was so antsy was that he had not had much time to run freely in the past few weeks. Being cooped up didn’t do anyone any good. Plus, if Matteo would really let the stallion go with Tedros, he’d love for the stallion and mare to ride once more together before taking them in separate directions. Maybe Matteo and Tedros could even make a habit of it, for the horses’ sake.

(WORD COUNT — 508)

Matteo Trovato · 11-23-2011, 02:14 AM

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Sounds good to me. :3 Even sounds like they might go riding more than once, cause Teo would for sure like the idea if it came up. :o

At the mention of the mustang maybe being worried for his lady, Teo's ears shrank back. ...hadn't thought of that. He murmured, looking between the two horses with a derailed concern; he'd hate to cause the two horses any stress. What if they'd been together a long time?

But then the older fellow mentioned taking the stallion off his hands after a moment of idle silence. Teo glanced over and flicked his ears forward. He slipped his hand back to his pocket finally, feeling comfortable with the mare's calmed mood. I suppose it's not too bad an idea, is it? He's nice and steady with you. A good sign if there ever was one; he didn't much like the kid either, but at least he didn't try to run from him. Teo grinned again, this time in a nervous laugh sort of way. He knew full well that he had no chance with the mustang. That much had already been proven.

At the mention of riding a moment later, Teo lifted his chin up. Would I be buying a horse if I didn't? He retorted good-naturedly, an almost coy smile on his face. It's been a while, but I'm still up to speed. He hadn't ridden since he'd been a new member of Anathema, and that had been a lucky break. Prior to that, he'd been home in Italy, riding whenever he'd gotten the chance to; horses had been his escape.

I haven't had the time to get away from home much. Not used to the area. If you are though, maybe you wouldn't mind showing me around? Some good trails, maybe? A slight flick of his head, almost unnoticable, was the only giveaway that Teo had just been suggesting more than an impersonal tour.

Maybe Tedros had impressed him with his abilities with horses, or maybe Teo simply found the coyote to be attractive. Either way, it had Teo acting a bit more... friendly than usual around strangers. Fine line being, this Tedros had attracted the albino's curiousity. Blah.

Tedros Talik · 11-23-2011, 11:21 PM

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Yay Big Grin

YOU'RE HERE AND THEN YOU'RE GONE

Tedros’ smile widened when Matteo said that it wasn’t a bad idea for him to hold onto the mustang. He was slightly surprised that he asked for nothing in return; he figured that the coins must have meant at least something to the albino hybrid, regardless of their value here. But he wasn’t going to mention it again, truly happy that he had run into such luck – and such a nice guy.

After Tedros asked his question, he let his posture fall slightly. The stallion was calm, for the moment, at peace while nuzzling and whinnying to the mare. He wondered their relation for a moment, curious as to whether or not they were related or simply friends. The tan-colored horse buried his head into the mare’s neck affectionately, and Tedros realized that he probably wouldn’t have a choice as to whether or not they would be riding together multiple times. The mustang wouldn’t let it be otherwise.

The coyote chuckled a little, ears going down slightly when Matteo answered with a rhetorical question. He figured he had had some experience with horses, but he couldn’t have been sure. Every one has their first. Either way, he more meant the question as an invitation to test out the horses. Then he asked about whether or not Tedros knew any good trails, and Tedros’ smile fell slightly.

“I haven’t been around the lands for very long either, I’m afraid,” he said, eyes moving back and forth from the horses to the light-colored eyes of Matteo. He readjusted the bag on his shoulder and changed his grip on the reins. “I was a member of Inferni a long time ago,” pausing as he remembered the days near Hell’s Coast, “before the fire. I only happened upon Inferni again by a chance of fate, a few weeks ago. I’ve only done a little exploring through the woods near Inferni, and I spent the last few days around Halifax.” The male coyote shrugged slightly, figuring the hybrid didn’t want to hear any more about the past of some stranger.

He looked up and down the hybrid, getting a good look for the first time since the horses had previously distracted him. The hybrid wasn’t much taller than him, a few inches at most, and the afternoon sun illuminated his white fur magnificently. There was no doubt that Matteo was attractive – even if he didn’t fit the normal characteristics of Tedros’ ideal man. There was something sweet and innocent and overall good about Matteo, and Tedros liked that.

“But if you want, I would love to ride and find some new trails together.”

(WORD COUNT — 438)

Matteo Trovato · 11-24-2011, 08:54 PM

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I had trouble with this post. x: Blargh.

The coyote, Tedros, spoke of travelling and the pack called Inferni. Matteo had only heard rumors about the northeastern neighbors. They were a clan made up of only coyotes and they welcomed wolves the same way Teo's family had back in Italy; with bared teeth and sharpened claws. It was, in Teo's opinion, a less-advanced version of his home in Italy.

That alone perked the boy's interest. He liked it in AniWaya but perhapes some time away with his own race would be benificial. He made a note to himself to ask Tedros of his life in Inferni, what it was like, how things worked there. Maybe there'd come a time when Teo would have a reason to make a trip to the borders of Inferni; having a friend on the inside would help him stay in good regards to the rumored vicious clan.

Then Tedros offered to go riding together, to find their own paths, and Teo couldn't have thought of a better idea. This darker 'brother' seemed nice, strong even. Matteo wouldn't mind spending some time with him. It'd keep his worries away, at least for a little while... plus, this guy wasn't half bad, as far as Teo could tell.

Sounds like a good plan to me. He smiled, his tail flicking behind him as he turned to mount up. The mare was calm and settled, distracted by the stallion and not at all bothered by the rider on her back. She'd accepted this albino as her new caretaker already, though Teo was hesitant in every move he made.

By the way, the guy who sold me the horses told me their names, but I'm not fond of the stallion's. This lady is Jericho and he's Elvis. Teo wrinkled his nose at the name, showing his distaste for it; who named a horse Elvis? Jericho was nice, but as much as Teo had enjoyed the musical masterpeices Elvis had made, it just didn't suite the wild mustang. I was going to rename him... but he's yours now, so it's up to you.

Tedros Talik · 11-28-2011, 01:33 PM

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Feel free to PP Tedros to get them started! Big Grin

YOU'RE HERE AND THEN YOU'RE GONE

Tedros was glad that he had been in the right place at the right time. It did not happen to him that often – occasionally being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But today was a good day, and he felt a strong connection growing through the reins, reaching out between the coyote and his new mustang. Once Matteo agreed to find new trails together, he mounted the mare. Matteo’s horse remained relaxed and calm while being mounted, but the mustang became spooked for what Tedros could only assume was the mare’s well-being.

The Infernian was quick to correct the stallion’s behavior, pulling the reins gently backwards. He walked back a few steps away from Matteo and his mare, and proceeded to mount his tan-coated horse. He made a mental note that he should find a pelt or blanket of some sort to make for more comfortable riding, but knew bare-back was not that bad. Tedros could feel that the mustang was a little uneasy, but figured he would calm down after they began riding together. In a few moments he was on top of the horse, and to Tedros’ surprise, the stallion made little objection. Perhaps he was more broken than he had originally thought.

He squeezed his legs together, applying pressure. Where he was from, this was generally how they controlled the horses. He was glad to see that it hadn’t changed, feeling the stallion agree to move forward. Matteo announced that his mare was named Jericho, and that the stallion was named Elvis. Tedros snorted at the name and quickly dismissed it. It would take Tedros a while before he would figure out an appropriate name – he always liked doing research for that sort of stuff. So he said, “Yeah, Elvis is certainly not suitable for this mustang.” One hand let go of the reins and ran through the horse’s mane. “Ready to go?” Tedros asked, adjusting the bags on his back.

(WORD COUNT — 326)

Matteo Trovato · 11-28-2011, 10:28 PM

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My new avie. xD

When Tedros mounted up and nudged the stallion into a walk, Matteo nodded. Mm. Let's ride. He grinned, nudging the mare with his boots and leading the way in a sense.

It had been a long time since Matteo had ridden a horse he could actually call his own and somehow, Jericho seemed to fit him perfectly. Each stride was easy to ride with and every little movement was matched with shifting weight and an easy posture. Bare back was something new for the coydog, but he liked it; it felt more natural than a saddle... though he made a note to remember a blanket next time.

So you're from Inferni? What's it like there? Teo voiced after a moment or so, voice genuinely curious and polite. He'd heard very little about the coyote-prominent clan to the north. It seemed as if it were a place of war and chaos, from the rumors, but surely that wasn't true; Tedros seemed nice enough. Why would such a nice guy be in a pack like that? Having his doubts, Teo was sure that there was more to Inferni than the rumors led most to believe.

Tedros Talik · 12-20-2011, 03:33 PM

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TEDROS TALIK

I guess it just suggests that this is just what happiness is

Word Count :: 311 Sorry for the wait!

Tedros set his bags into position before nickering at the horse. He smiled at the white hybrid as he mounted the mare, stroking the mane of the stallion. Matteo took the lead, but the stallion was right behind the female. Tedros barely had to do any sort of communicating; the formerly named Elvis wanted to be as close to Jericho as possible. And that worked, for now.

The male horse was strong, young, and wild. It had only been a few months since Tedros had last ridden, but his old companion was much different. He had been calm, old, and tired. It had annoyed Tedros at times, when the border needed patrolling but all his horse wanted to do was bury his face in the grassy fields. Whenever it was important, of course, Ted was able to convince the horse to get something done, but he was just a stubborn old male. Quite similar to Tedros at times, in fact.

Matteo spoke, asking the Infernian about his pack. The red coyote looked at Matteo’s light blue orbs, smiling a little before answering. “It’s interesting,” he said, adding a pause before continuing. “It’s both the same and different from when I used to live there. It’s still filled with Lykois,” he said, name-dropping to someone who probably didn’t even know what a Lykoi was. “But they don’t seem to hate wolves quite as much. Most of them are hybrids, now. I remember the racism the amount of racism they used to have, the Lykois. My father, who led Inferni for a while, never seemed to be quite racist enough for them. But maybe he made more of a difference than I thought.” He stopped speaking, realizing that he had been rambling quite a bit. He wasn’t usually that much of a talker. So he changed the subject.

“Anyway, where are you from?”

Image courtesy of seyed mostafa zamani & DyingBeautyStock

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