Life in the Mixed Flock

[wynnyelle]

{It's its own land, really, no specific place on Earth at all. Totally made up}

Carni strode out from under the tree, the sun glistened on his jet black pelt. The mareep turned his crimson eyes towards Epona. " Good morning."

He was afraid to say more. What if she had changed her mind about wanting to be friends?

[Ruin Queen of Oblivion]

(I meant the poll, Wynn.)

"Good morning to you too, Carni," Epona says, giving the Mareep a smile.

[wynnyelle]

ooc: Whoops! hehe. It's in the Character Submissions forum, but announced on all the OOC forums.

ic: Carni felt his young little heart warming. Yet he refused to trust it yet. He could be dreaming or something, like he always had been in the past when someone besides his mother was nice to him. He looked down at his hooves, two cloven black hooves standing there in the lush grass. How he hated being black all over.

[Ruin Queen of Oblivion]

(Don't worry, I voted earlier.)

"Take my advice, don't let what they say get to you, its not what they think about you that counts, its what you think about you that counts," Epona says.

[Pax]

Duke had silently listened in on Epona and Carni's conversation while grazing, ands was slowly taking it in as the storm rolled by. When morning broke, he was still asleep under the shelter, but the words sank in like the lightning on a Mareep's back. He loudly yawned, glanced over at his snoring parents, and plodded off towards the two.

He stood nearby, close enough to hear, but kept his distance.

[fya]

ooc: Excelllent this caught on. =D

ic: Rallin had slept a little and thought about Carni. His father must know something about Carni. He knew that his father could have driven Carni and his mother away if there had been something really wrong the large black ramling. But Cottonflash had let the ramling stay. And Rallin was glad. Carni seemed cool.

"Phos's light, everybody," said Rallin, coming over to the group. He smiled at Epona. "I'm Rallin." She looked nice enough. Her flames reminded him of water and he wondered if she was a fire type despite her blue flames.

Lilly looked at Duke. The miltank calf gave him a nudge. "What do you think is up with Carni?" she whispered so that no one else but the rhyhorn would hear.

[Pax]

The Rhyhorn shrugged as best he could. "No idea. But some kids have already gotten used to being around him, as if they don't care," Duke glanced at each of the Pokemon. It was about as mixed as mixed could get. He looked back at Lilly, "What do you think? Is he really that bad?" he asked.

[fya]

"I have no idea." Lilly shrugged. "But there must be -something- wrong with him because all the moms think he's crazy...but the gundah doesn't." She really didn't understand how the leader of them all, Cottonflash, thought that the ramling was ok yet all the moms didn't want their children near him. Her own mom felt that way. "I don't think he -can- be that bad. He's only a kid like all of us." But she was a little worried about Carni. He was different, and even though they were a mixed company, different that looked like a predator scared her some.

[Pax]

Duke was wondering about Cottonflash's allowance as well. "Hmph. If the gundah doesn't mind his presence, neither do I. We have to follow our leader, right? Which also means his examples." he smirked to Lilly, then took a quick glance at his parents - still asleep. Excellent. "I'm going over there. You're welcome to come along if you want, Lilly." With that, he slowly crept up to Carni, step by step..

[fya]

"Ok I'll come," said Lilly. Duke was right. They had to follow their gundah even if the moms weren't willing to be nice to poor Carni. She wondered what it felt like to have most of the adults hate you. Lazily, Lilly got up and followed Duke over towards Carni, Rallin, and Epona.

From a distance, Cottonflash grazed. The gundah was proud that his son had started the trend of being nice to poor Carni. He himself had come from a different flock where many sheep had looked odd. Therefor, the ram knew he had to treat Carni fairly even if the ewes were against it.

[Pax]

The two Rhydons, Duke's parents, slowly settled into consciousness. They each yawned, scratched random parts of themselves, and were about to go graze when his mother saw Duke near Carni. She was thoroughly alarmed.

"What is our son doing now?" she asked his father. He looked over at the children, then to the gundah, who wasn't doing anything.

"I don't know," he snorted, grass blades shifting under his nostrils. "But we can't do anything if the gundah doesn't! Just let them be... for now..." he glared at the black and sat patiently on the ground, keeping a constant eye on the kids.

Duke was now an equal distance from each of the other kids, Epona, Rallin, and.. Carni. He looked the black Mareep up and down. After a few moments, he stubbornly spoke up. "Hey," he said, and quickly began grazing with the rest. Duke hoped this would serve as a sign of acceptance, however tense, it was true.

[fya]

Cottonflash could feel things getting bad. With so many of the children being interested in being Carni's friends, their parents were bound to get angry. The gundah ram sighed. If things started to go wrong, he'd get in there. He desperatly hoped things wouldn't. The ram worriedly glanced back at the group of children.

"Hi Duke," said Rallin. The ramling smiled at the rhyhorn. "Hi Lilly," he added, seeing the miltank calf was there as well.

"Hey," said Lilly, nodding to Rallin.

[Pax]

Duke smiled inwardly at this achievement and hoped the other kids - and maybe even parents - would take it into consideration. "Hi Rallin, Epona.. Carni," he added. "How was the storm for you last night?" he asked, knowing how the electric sheep loved the bolts of thunder and lightning.

"Maybe... you should let them be, dear," Duke's mother suggested. "It at least looks like they get along. They're kids."

His father rolled his eyes. "I'll be the one to determine that," he sniffed, stared at the children for a moment, then nodded knowingly. "Yeah. They're fine. But! I don't trust them any more than I trust rain or something. It may look good, but for some it's a mixed blessing."

A heaving sigh. "Whatever floats your rump," she chuckled, stomping over to other mothers grazing.

[fya]

ooc: Whatever floats your rump...lol

ic: "It was fun," said Rallin. A few sparks jumped from his coat at the thought of the storm. "I hope there's another one." He knew that was a mixed blessing since the fire horses and rhyhorn didn't terribley like rain. But most of the mixed flock was sheep so he was excited for more. He awaited being old enough and big enough to catch thunder bolts on his tail light.

[Pax]

Duke shivered at the idea. "The lighting part is neat, I wouldn't mind that," being part of ground elements, the shock wouldn't hurt him, but the rain would. "It just figures. Why do storms have rain?" he pondered.

('boat' was going to be used, but there aren't any boats! so rump was the next best thing, haha)

[fya]

ooc: Oh lol.

ic: Rallin nodded. "I'd be cool if it was just lightning. That's my favorite part. And I like how it gets all dark," the ramling said, smiling. He hoped another storm would pop up soon.

[Pax]

"Maybe there are rainless storms out there, somewhere," said Duke. "And the dark is nice. Hey, have you ever heard of a water-loving Rhydon? My parents used to tell me stories of this guy. Weird, huh?" he chuckled.

[wynnyelle]

They were probably all talking about him. Carni heard his name mentioned at least once, though he couldn't hear all the talk. He grazed his way away from them a little, wishing he had never been born.

[Pax]

Duke noticed Carni inching away ever so silently. Why? The Rhyhorn couldn't figure it out... He looked to Rallin, Epona, and Lilly, as if asking with his eyes what they should do.

[wynnyelle]

Carni's mother walked after him, " Carni, you shouldn't wander so far from the edge of the flock."

" They were talking about me," said Carni with anguish in his eyes. " I couldn't stand it. I can't stand it anymore, Mama."

[Pax]

"H-hey, wait, Carni!" Duke hated seeing the Mareep so sad and walked over to him. "What's wrong? Whatever it is, I'll... oh I'll ram it good!" he stomped the ground once.

[wynnyelle]

" You can't ram away my black colour," said Carni. " Ram me good and hard...then I'd just be a -dead- black mareep."

[Pax]

Duke blinked. "I would never do that!" he huffed. "You're not the threat, everyone else is! And that's not fair." The small Rhyhorn glared at the staring mothers. "And I don't stand for unfairness. It's not your fault, Carni. Maybe if we ignore their sneers and hate, they'll see how nice you are. Come on, if Rallin can be friends with you so can I!" he declared.

His father had fallen asleep out of boredom. (*cackle*)

[wynnyelle]

" I'm thinking of just running away but I could never leave my mama," said Carni. " I want a flock that respects me...a flock who understands."

[fya]

"Carni, Duke only wants to be friends," said Rallin. "Same as me." He thought he sounded kind of dumb, but he didn't care. It was true. And the 'ramming' stuff was only a figure of speech, anyway.

"We weren't talking about you, Carni," said Lilly. The miltank calf was starting to get annoyed with Carni's distrust, but she figured he had a reason.

[Pax]

"We could start a brand new flock, one of acceptance and justice..!" Duke began, then he stopped. "But we are a bit young. With only five members, it's much to dangerous if predators came. And you're right," the Rhyhorn smiled. "Who'd want to leave a caring mother like that?" then frowned. The only logical thing to do would involve waiting in their current flock, until the five friends were old enough to strive out on their own. But Carni would be forced to deal with the flock's harassment until that day came. "Well I don't know. We could wait. Or maybe ask the gundah to fix it?" he asked Carni.

[wynnyelle]

" I want to be friends with you too," said Carni, forcing himself to say it. Even though it was true he found it hard to say, and put himself out on the line like this. They could crush him now if they wanted to.

[fya]

"Yeah my dad likes you anyway...I think," said Rallin, glancing over at his gundah father. "he doesn't say mean stuff." He'd always felt bad asking Cottonflash for stuff, but this wasn't for him. It was for Carni.

[Master Chief]

Furiko sat quietly out in the daylight. He sat, remaining rather quiet, and looked at the huge herd before him. He still felt bad about what had happened to his flock, and he was wondering where his parents are now.

[Pax]

Between the other flock members, Duke noticed the rust-colored Rhyhorn in the distance. Strange... he'd never seen one like that before. The small Rhyhorn decided to keep an eye on Furiko, wondering why a stranger had walked into the herd without a sound. He shook his head and looked back at his friends. "And even if the gundah doesn't want to do anything, we're here to help you out, Carni!" he said courageously.