//-------------------------------------------------------// Coming together -by Feral Eris- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// They be daft! //-------------------------------------------------------// They be daft! The morning sun beat brightly upon the lush land, hanging high overhead with a powerful heat. Below it a young male tilled the earth of his family's farm land, the sweat dripping from his brow doing little to disrupt him from his work. Not too far off from him the family hound was chasing off some crows as they perched on the wooden fence of the rising corn stalks. The dogs' attention was brought away from the troublesome birds as her eyes fell upon strangers approaching her master, and proceeded to bark and growl at them. Noticing her barks becoming more rapid the young male set his ho down and chastised his companion. "Willow! If'n ya don't shut yer muzzle I'll-" His words trailed off as he saw what made the creature so riled up. There at the wooden fence stood five cloaked figures, each cloak bearing different colors and ensignias. They stood together, not even flinching as Willow tried to snap her fangs at them through the fence. The young male brought his fingers to his lips and let out a sharp whistle, beckoning for the dog to retreat. Turning to her master Willow huffed at the strangers in warning and ran up to the young male. He bent to give her a calming pet on her head and grabbed a piece of dried meat from a pocket in his belt and threw it in the opposite direction. The loyal pooch barked excitedly and pursued the airborn treat. He then approached the figures standing at his fence, surprised that they had remained where they were. Still, he kept his gaurd up in case they were up to mischief. "Top of the mornin' to ya, fellows. What can I do ya fer this day?", he spoke out loud and clear. The center cloak, a deep purple color with golden stars embroidered all over, stepped forth. "Greetings, sir. Mightn't this be where one by the name 'Amelia' resides?" It was the voice of a young female by his ears guess. They twitched at the mention of the name "Amelia", the name of one of his younger siblings. "You be havin' business with muh sister Ames* now?" "Something of the like, yes. Is she about?" He cast a suspicious eye to the lady in front of him and then appraised her company as well. They were unarmed from what he could tell, though he took into consideration the thought of concealed weapons. With an uneasy sigh he pointed towards the northern fields, where their orchard was. He wasn't sure if he was damning his younger sister or not, but he learned long ago to never trifle into her doings whether they were good or otherwise. "She be yonder. Keep it peaceful and leave soon as yer business is through." Without waiting the young male returned to his work of tilling the earth to make way for a new carrot patch. The cloaked woman bowed in regard to the male and motioned for her companions to follow suit. He kept his eyes on them as they went past the fence and into the direction of the orchard. As soon as they were out of sight he shrugged and went to work. 'Hope I didn't jus' send five poor souls to the after life. A tussle with Ames an' they'll surely be will'o'the wisp by sun down.', he mused to himself as he struck the earth. Far beyond the fields of potatos, celery and cabbage stalks lay the family's prized apple orchard. It was twice as vast as the initial fields with trees lined as far as the eye can see. The cloaked ones made their way over to the fence leading into the orchard. From the entrance they could see a lone figure approaching. They were carrying, actually carrying, two crates full of ripely picked apples. One in each arm. The young female, Amelia, was a tall being with long fair hair and sun kissed skin. Her eye was a deep emerald and her body was beyond strong, the casual way she carried those massive crates being proof enough. Even at a distance the cloaks could sense her intense presence, nearly overwhelmed by it. She notices them by the fence and sets her loads down. Wiping the sweat from her face with the back of her hand Amelia makes her way to greet them. As she approached, the cloaked beings noticed her hands and hind legs wrapped in nothing more then bandage wraps and clad in a belted pair of slacks with a half torn tunic. There were scars all over her face and any part of skin that was showing. What was interesting to note was how her fair hair, as long as it was, was covering the righ tside of her face. Still, she smiled pleasantly nonetheless. "Mornin' to ya lot! How can ah help ya?" The purple cloak was the first to speak. "Greetings to you, Miss Amelia. I and my companions have traveled from far across to seek out your assistance." "Did ya now? An' what is it you wanna ask of me?" As the purple cloak spoke the others stepped up to stand beside her, emphasizing their unity. Amelia flicked her ears in response. To any other mare it would've looked like an attempt at intimidation. However for Amelia knew it was meant to convey the seriousness of their request. "We've come here to ask you to join in our struggle to overthrow the chaos master, Drust, who is oppressing our kingdom." Amelia flicked her tail to and fro, her gaze never leaving the group in front of her. She then let out a grin and, moving swiftly, broke a part of the fence with a fast hand and threw it at the purple cloaked figure. The sharp end of the projectile stopped a hairs breadth away from the figures face as it was caught in a lavender grip, and was shattered into splinters. Immediately the others cloaks sprang to life.One who was clad in a deep red velvet cloak took to the sky on cyan wings and swirled overhead. Amelia tracked their movements before driving her fist through the ground and chucking a huge piece of earth toward the winged cloak. It missed her target by mere inches, making the flyer stop in her flying for a moment so as not to get struck.....only to be felled by a second chunk of earth. As the red spiraled down, a cerulean colored cloak jumped high into the sky and caught their companion in that single bound. A pink colored cloak had taken advantage of the moment and came up behind Amelia, tapping her shoulder politely and stepping back. When she turned Amelia was met with a white hoof to her face. She hadn't even budged, the force behind the blow was so weak! She saw a flustered violet cloak stumble away from her and regroup with the pink cloak. Soon the entire ensemble of cloaks surrounded her and altogether they pounced on Amelia and wrestled her to the ground. After an irritating struggle (as one-sided as it was) Amelia decided to end it here before she forgot herself and did something she would come to regret. With a strong voice and powerful force Amelia knocked them all away from her and shouted out "ENOUGH WITH YA!!!" They were all spread apart and were winded from her force and yet their hoods did not fall from their heads. The purple cloak spoke. "We've...certainly chosen wisely in employing your strength." "And what makes ya think ye got muh answer, lass?" "Because I know you from tales and legends, Miss Amelia. Or shall I call you....'Cadeyrn'?" At hearing that name Amelia tensed instantly. The other cloaks gathered again around the purple cloak and became afraid at seeing the mare so serious. Even as they tried to subdue her Amelia wasn't even glaring or scowling. She seemed to react naturally. That name, however, made her tense in posture and flatten her ears against her head. With narrows eyes Amelia regarded her company with a stern scowl. "Explain yerself further, if'n ya please. An' enough with the damn hoods! It's flippin' hot as hades out here an' all 'a ya are prancin' around in those heavy get-ups! Y'all look daft!!" -End Author's Note My attempt at anthro AU. Cover art is mine. :3 *pronounced "aims"