Racing to Sunset {The Perennials; Day 1}

[Tom]

Almost as if Caspar and Caspian knew that they were heading for the land of prairie pups with the way that they were wiggling to get out of his grasp. A groan from his throat as he climbs down from his horse who has yet to be named, but he wasn't going to name her anyways. Ole Reliable was a better name for her anyways than anything he would come up with. Eyes glancing to the two prairie pups that seem to squirm in his arms like he was nothing more than an awful person. They weren't wrong, but he wasn't going to let two pups get away from him just because of the area.

As far as he can see, there is nothing but holes and holes and holes. Pups that must have been digging for years if he didn't know that the gamemakers created this entire place. Eyes glancing from hole to hole as he shivers in annoyance as the sight. Don't get him wrong, he can handle anything, but this place gave even him the creeps just a little bit. Eyes glance to the distance where others were coming in from or had around arrived. Taking his horse, they walk closer and closer, until he gives a smirk to the group and speaks.

"Who's the winner?"

Fingers twitch at the desire to go write some awful letters to his competition. Eyes glancing from Raven to Rory to Severus before the sound of a prairie pup comes out of the ground distracting him just a tiny bit. A smile on his face as the scythe in his hand looks like it could easily slice the little guy in two. Instead, he opts for the lasso as he stares openly at his allies. Fingers twirl the rope above him as the shin guards get warmer by the minute since he put them on.

Everything is hotter in this arena. Fingers begin to unbutton his top to let some air in and expose some of his chest. God, he was not going to let himself get sunburnt in this fucking weather. A grimace on his face as he turns to pat Ole Reliable on the head focusing back on the pup. Letting go of the rope, he turns to the others before speaking.

"Looks like this place is crawling with these guys."

(Ronan tries to catch a prairie pup)
xNuK0KL09N1-2

1-2

[Stare]

shadows hanging over this town
dreams gone to waste like broken bottles
what goes up, must come back down
when karma comes around, my dear

There's a rush in her veins, the wind tearing through her hair. She clings to the horse for dear life as it surges forward, the beats of its steps jostling her bones. For a moment all she feels is pure terror, convinced that she'll fall off and break her neck. Perhaps that would be a blessing. At least it would be quick.

Slowly, though, Rory manages to ease into the thrill of it. The world whizzes by at an exhilarating pace, setting her heart galloping almost as fast as the horse. She eases away a bit, letting the breeze cool her sun-warmed skin, and embraces the light fluttering in her chest. This, she decides, is the absolute best way to outrun one's problems. Rising up slightly more, she closes her eyes and lets out a whoop, urging her horse on faster and further.

With death nipping at her heels, she's never felt quite this alive.

By the time they finally stop she's breathless. She nearly falls flat on her back trying to dismount, stumbling back and giving a half laugh as she tries to sort through her windswept hair. She has absolutely no clue who won and can't bring herself to care, instead desperately clinging to the thrill while it lasts. Glancing at Ronan unbuttoning his shirt, she raises an eyebrow. "Giving us a show, then, are you?"

It's not a terrible idea. Glaring down at her dusty, bloodstained skirts, she sets to work half cutting, half ripping them until at last she's formed a ragged, raw hem just above her knees. She tosses the obnoxious scraps of fabric away with a glare, then pulls her hands up behind her head and lifts her face toward where the sun dips into the horizon.

I killed a girl today.

The reality of it crashes upon her so suddenly that she nearly gasps, eyes snapping open. No. Don't think about it. Her gaze subconsciously finds Severus, then slips toward Raven and Ronan. Don't think about it.

"The stars will be beautiful here." She doesn't know why she says it. Maybe because she's desperate to discuss something other than the hideous game they've become trapped in. "Does anyone know any good ghost stories?"

[lyrics: one man town, elmore]

[Arrows]

Very brief filler post since I am about to be on a train into the mountains with no service but will fill on the moment I do! <333

[Cameo {RIP Charlie}]

“Just don’t get in my way.” Words sprinkled from the boy of Six, in quite a demand that nearly speaks of a threat. Eyebrows furrow upon my features in question, wondering if disapproval silently contorts his opinion of the matter of my company. Or perhaps he simply despises of positive affirmations, similar to myself. But an objection doesn’t coil from my lips, eyes piercing over to the tiny one of the group with determination to at least keep him alive for a bit. And then we’ll take it from there. For now we dash off upon our horses into the sunset, as if this were some kind of peaceful journey ahead.

A length of outstretched land greets us on our next journey of this unwanted adventure, grass and burrows being its sole occupation with the occasional plant spotting the ground. Horses scuttle to a halt, while the open field leaves me weary of the foes we could welcome upon us in such a clearing. And the creatures that may have created these holes, will they be pleased by our intrusion? A sigh scuffles across my tongue in disapproval, though I say nothing of such.

“Who’s the winner?” Ronan jokes as if disgust didn’t ache his heart just a bit ago. A smile surprisingly folds across my lips at this fact, amused by our unlikely similarities.

A shrug engulfs my shoulders, truly I had forgotten about the race. “We’re all rotten, does it matter?” Another joke attempts to slither from my depths. All that I could consider was the horse riding lessons that Dove managed to get us after we generously returned the horses to their breeder.

Accusations of theft instinctively sparked from his words, brewing a range of screams and curses to swirl from my resentment. But Dove prevented such before a single letter could even flutter from me, just as she’s often done. Sweetness curled from her tune as always, explaining the misunderstanding as if not insulted at all by the accusation. And with her kindness, came reward - riding lessons.

“Looks like this place is crawling with these guys.” Ronan mentions, and it’s not till then that I realize he’s somehow already collected two pups. Maybe my concentration needs a bit of improvement. He goes after more, that I do notice at least.

The girl from Three speaks of the site in the sky this location will surely bring. Aurora is her name, or did she go by a nickname? It’s hard to remember any names, even my own. “Yeah, beautiful. And beautifully deadly, especially with these beasts it’s quite easy to spot us.” I mention without the insistency of escaping such a place. A lack of concern has never embraced me more, with the desire to reunite with Dove. “Or perhaps after the Bloodbath everyone is scared shitless of us.” Another shrug rolls my shoulders without care over anything we do.

“How are you doing little man?” A sincere question surprisingly seeps from my voice in a soft tune towards the boy version of Kestrel.

{Beautiful Table made by the lovely Tom}