The Alunlanta Falls were a beautiful place. A ridiculously beautiful place. Breathtaking only served to describe the physical affects- once one got off the road and meandered for a little bit the Falls... sort of just crept up on ye. The road got progressively colder and a light snowfall had started, muffling forest sounds. One moment all there was the crash and roar of falling water and the next- the next you just saw the falls and the sight was like a physical blow to the gut. Standing open-mouthed at the glory that were the Falls, especially in the winter when some had frozen solid and some had not, Robyn just stared.

"It's... it's so... beautiful." There was a catch in her voice. Some would wonder at the fact that she hadn't used the word 'bootiful.' "Thank you Stella!" She said, throwing her arms around her friend (or at least trying to anyways, for some reason after the whole bug incident, Stella had always stayed at least two or three footspans away from her) "I'm sure Robyn's Mommy will be here! In a place as beautiful as this- yes, Robyn's mommy *must* be here!" She let go of her friend (or what she assumed to be her friend) and started twirling around, her footsteps making grooves into the virgin snow.

"Thank you Stella!" She said again. "Thank you, thank yoooooooou-." Having been twirling without the slightest whit of caution, the undead girl had managed to twirl right to the edge of the bank and then proceeded to fall right off and down ten or twenty feet to hit the ice on the bottom.

"Owchy-owch." Robyn said, rubbing her head. Then she laughed. "Robyn-rin is okay!!" She said, waving to Stella. Luckily, the ice seemed thick enough to support her weight and the waterfall of this particular body had been frozen solid. "Come down and join Robyn! Robyn's mommy must be here somewhere!"

The sight of the vast amount of falling water brought a warm - fuzzy feeling to wash over her. A quick glance about the falls, Stella was aware that they where the only ones here. Her eyebrows rose, and she glanced quickly at the water. Had... the other fallen IN?! Surely not... Letting out a sigh Stella sat down on the soft grass, and watched as her familiars went to go get a drink.

From out of her cloak she pulled out some more chocolate - the only food she carried, and offered some to Rinny before taking a bite from one herself. Chocolate was. So. GOOD! She licked her lips in enjoyment, then once again looked around carefully, taking in everything. No sign of ANYONE!

"Uhm, Rinny? Where's your mummy?" She asked carefully. She had come to really like Rinny - see her as a close friend even, but she wondered whether Rinny just wanted some company to this place, although if she hadn't Stella would completely beleive her. The air was clean and rich, smelling like fresh cut grass and general vegetation. Stella had been here before - Long, LONG ago, and those memories flooded back to her.

Last time she had been here, Stella had been robbed - then ATTACKED. The memory of that day returned to her, and she glanced around once again, making sure there really was no one about. It would not do to get robbed or attacked now, with Stella unprepared and all.

OOC: Might as well give ya the chocolate IC.

IC:

Robyn gratefully accepted the chocolate and then, wiggling her fingers, producing three more. While it may have looked like magic, it seemed like she had just so happened to fall on some... chocolate. Yeah. Just... happened... to... fall... on... some... chocolate. In the middle of the Alunlanta falls. Just like that. Out of nowhere. just because it was... like that. Because the world was like that. Yeah. Errr... well...

Odd to say the least. Very odd. Deliciously odd though.

"Stella-Friend-Friend-Friend-Friend's," Robyn took in a breath, "cho-co-late had baby chocolates!" Robyn said happily, giving the baby chocolates to her Quadruple-F friend. "Stella-Friend-Friend-Friend now has more cho-co-lates!!" Robyn smiled happily and munched on her own cho-co-lates. "Stella Friend-Friend-Friend-Friend should keep cho-co-lates safe!"

They munched and then the question came.

"Robyn-rin's Mommy?" Robyn rubbed her head and stuck out her tongue. For some reason it helped her concentrate. "Robyn's mommy... Robyn's mommy... was supposed to be at the library!" She said, finally remembering. "Momma Bear and Poppa Bear said that Robyn's mommy was in the room with lots and lots of booksies! Like the library!" Then she considered something. "Buuuuut... Momma Bear and Poppa Bear didn't say it was a library. Just that it had lots and lots of booksies. Yea. Booksies."

She stopped to consider that statement. "Does Stella-Friend-Friend-Friend-Friend know of any such rooms around this... place?" She waved her arms about, encompassing all the falls. "It doesn't look like there are many booksies around this place! Maybe there's only *one* place with allllll the booksies that has Robyn's real Mommy!"

Stella took the chocolate bar and smiled gratefully. Rinny really was a nice girl! After eating the chocolate, Stella listened to Rinny talk about where her mother should be, and Stella found herself frowning. A place where all the books should be... wasn't that the library? They had just come from there. She turned around and around, taking in every spot, every movement, every gap in the falls. They where the only ones there.

"Rinny... your mummy isn't here, and she wasn't at the library either.." She trailed off, then sighed. "Are you sure she said she was here?" She mumbled, then began to walk towards the water. Removing her shoes, slowly her toes went below the surface, the icy coolness of the water causing her to gasp, then sigh. Ankle deep in the water, she began to walk about, lifting her dress up, and tipping her head back.

It was nice, relaxing, specially after all that walking. Opening her eyes she looked down at the water, and splashed her face, having a quick wash. After she had done all this, Stella made her way out of the water, and put her shoes back on carefully. "Rinny, is there anywhere else your mummy might be?" Stella asked, trying to work out where lots of books could be found - other then the library. She didn't no Arda that well, so she wasn't completely sure.

Robyn was about to answer when a presence made itself felt. The harsh winds of winter steadied and then died. The roar of the falls became... somehow more delicate and the snow that had just been starting to fall descended only to melt- like sweets that were too delicate to touch. Warm, fuzzy feelings- good feelings- crept up as odd spurts of growth and restlessness appeared near the frozen riverbank where they were. It was accompanied by a creature that seemed to exist only in storybooks and myths- the mounts of only the purest in soul and intention and easy members among the select group that could be considered as the 'purest' creatures on Arda.

"Horsey!" Robyn exclaimed happily. "Cute horsey!"

The unicorn seemed unperturbed by the dead girl's words, its own expression almost impossible to decipher in the aura of radiance that surrounded it, helping things to grow and live. Normally- normally- his merest presence would have caused undead creatures unbearable pain and even as he watched the curious undead girl seemed to be slowly losing cohesion. He had come from faraway, an odd scent having attracted him to this spot. He knew why he was here now.

"Greetings." The unicorn intoned gravely. He nodded to Stella. "You have been here before- and you are welcome so long as your... other self is kept in check." He turned to the dead one. "Even if your kind is allowed here... which is rare... you carry a curse. I cannot allow you to go any further into our home." The tip of his horn turned pearly white as he focused his powers. "Begone! We cannot cure your-"

"Are you Robyn's mommy?"

The innocent question took the unicorn a bit by surprise and though he normally wasn't one to stop in mid-monologue he took a moment to get his bearing.

"Errr... what?"

Snow?! Stella looked around, general surprise in her eyes as she watched the fluffy specks fall to the ground, melting to form a tiny wet patch of water. Snow... She yelped happily, and began to twirl around, watching as the tiny flakes stuck to her hair, her eyes bright with excitement. Stella had never seen snow before, and the sight was amazeing.

Lost in her own childish games, she had not really being attention to the lands around her, or even the people. "Horsey!" Rinnys voice called out from a little way away from her. "Cute horsey!" Horsey? What the... Stella stopped spinning, the shaky, dizzy feeling flooded through her. After several head shakes, she looked back at where Rinny was, a... horse with a horn? Odd...

Stella walked up to them, her eyes looking over the creature, taking in every physical detail. Now her first glimpse at a unicorn! "Greetings." Said the horse, nodding to Stella, who nodded back politely. "You have been here before- and you are welcome so long as your... other self is kept in check." The the snow that fell, Stella froze where she stood. How did the best know? Taking a little step back, Stella's eyes widened.

"Even if your kind is allowed here... which is rare... you carry a curse. I cannot allow you to go any further into our home." He announced at Rinny, causing Stella to look at the little girl curiously. Curse? What was the horse ON about? "Begone! We cannot cure your-" It began, before being interrupted by Rinny's outburst. "Are you Robyn's mommy?" Another wide eyes look. Rinny's mummy was a HORSE? She had heard of half breeds, but this was... well, this was entirely odd.

"Errr... what?" The horse spoke, almost as confused as Stella. Obviously it wasn't her mummy, and taking a step forwards, Stella raised her hand, cracking a smile. "No No, Rinny, this isn't your mummy!" She anounced, then turned to the Unicorn, smiling apologetically. "Sorry about that... but.." Her eyes turned speculative.

"How did you no about me? And more importantly, why can't Rinny come?" She asked, though she wondered if this horse had merely guessed. Perhaps it wasn't even a unicorn! For all she knew, it could be a summon, or an illusion of some sort! She had seen stranger things in her time for the thought to come across as silly.

The unicorn seemed to be stumbling through its thoughts at a breakneck pace if one stared at its eyes. Vague and unfocused they twitched two and fro without seeming to move... a poetic statement that some might be able to interpret but one where dear little Robyn-rin found nothing of mental use. Truth be told, she didn't even notice the unicorn's frantic thinking (it *was* rather young and its first taste of fighting and drawing blood against pure ebil was turning out a lot less heroic and noble than he had expected) and was instead trying to figure out how Stella-Friend-Friend-Friend-Friend knew that this horsey wasn't Robyn's Real Mommy.

Before her thoughts could go on the wild and dangerous track of Stella having stolen and locked away Robyn's real Mommy (yes, dangerous indeed) the cute horsey opened its mouth again and revealed itself to be-

"I am a male." The unicorn intoned softly and confusedly. Robyn groaned and flopped to the ground. Her body language seemed to shout 'I'm never going to find my mommy!' The unicorn, however, seemed to gain confidence from his own voice and this act of submission- his mane was perking up again. "And I know because the forest and falls know. It is our duty to protect and preserve and such a fight is carried out with both knowledge and force." His eyes, no longer vague and misty stared shrewdly at Robyn. She stared back and he looked away, disturbed as if he had seen something more than a pseudo-zombie with the mentality of a four-year-old.

"As for the... childe. Un-childe. The thing. Errr... the Cursed One..." He stopped as if unfamiliar as to how to go about this. Existing on several planes of reality at once probably had something to do with it: he could see things that others could not.

He gave up.

"She just is. Can't you two just go away?" He pleaded.

"As for the... childe. Un-childe. The thing. Errr... the Cursed One..." The unicorn faulted slightly, before finding a blunt way to say things. "She just is. Can't you two just go away?" He pleaded, and Stella found herself frowning. Taking a step towards the creature, she shook her head madly, her hair flailing everywhere as she did so. How could a creature so... nice looking be so cruel! Rinny was here, and she wasn't doing anything wrong, so why couldn't she stay?! Stella just couldn't understand it at all. "No she can not!" Stella announced, then stamped one of her feet. She was acting like a child but Stella didn't really care right now. Why should Rinny leave? She wasn't doing anything wrong! All they where doing was looking for her parents. That Unicorn was obviously very grump.

"Why cant you just let us do what we came to do, then we will obviously leave you wont we?" Stella anounced, then her eyes narrowed. "Unless thats not in your authority, in which..." She drew in some more breathe, let it out in a almost sigh, then smiled playfully. It wasn't a time for playing games, but yet Stella was having fun taking on the almost... parental roll, the adult one. It was fun!! "Why don't you take us to the Unicorns in charge eh?" She said, crossing her arms across her chest, almost triumphant.

He would *have* to take them, and that way Stella would change their minds into letting Rinny stay all the time, and and.. and make a difference! Yes... that was why Stella believed she was put on this Earth anyway, to make a difference, and that is just was she intended to do. It was silly, them not letting Rinny stay here, what was she going to do, eat their people?

The unicorn pawed at the ground, shaking its magnificent mane in a parody of shame and anger. A parody because such a magnificent animal could not possibly embody such down to earth emotions- as a being of higher learning, higher power and a higher existence it was no doubt pretending to be confused and conflicted. Yar.

"You would not understand dear child but our society is not like that which you believe." He paused, his mane tossing in the air like something out of a bad play where the actors overacted and the narrator (cough!) was being silly. "We live peaceful, co-existences where nothing and everything matter very little." He seemed to be tangibly aware that he was making absolutely no sense.

"What I mean to say is that... well, we don't have 'leaders' or 'people in charge as you would understand the term." Robyn made a fart-fart noise and started to giggle uproariously, apparently laughing at the ground as she lay there, lamenting for a mommy lost. The unicorn, to his credit, ignored her as he would any other demented, undead, Misfortune-cursed, spawn of a souless, barren world-eater.

Wait, what?

In any case, he said: "It's complicated." and apparently tried to leave it at that. Apparently, because it became pretty obvious as the sun moved that he was patiently waiting for some sort of answer- and one that came from Stella. While Robyn was certainly part of the equation, it was Stella that kept him here for from her he could offer no true excuses. Curses were curses no matter the origin and if it be undead or living they were technically supposed to let them in but still... such a curse! Such an evil!

"You would not understand dear child but our society is not like that which you believe. We live peaceful, co-existences where nothing and everything matter very little." Stella frowned. Wut? She had not understood a WORD of that, and... in fact, she found anything this guy said made little sense...

"What I mean to say is that... well, we don't have 'leaders' or 'people in charge as you would understand the term. It's complicated." She nodded, as though that cleared up everything. But no... it didn't. Shaking her head suddenly, she stamped her foot again. "NO! Robyn is doing no harm. How about you let her stay, and if she *does* do any harm, she can never stay again!" Stella bargained, then smiled, as though he had agreed.

"Great! Well, it was nice seeing you... uh.... unicorn sir! But we have to be off..." Stella grabbed at Robyn hand, and began to walk, hoping she had followed. All they needed to do was get farther enough away from MEANY unicorn, and they could do what ever they where doing before here Look for Robyn's mummy, yes, that was NUMBER ONE on Stella's list.

And she would do it. She had promised!!

The poor little unicorn was momentarily flabbergasted by the ridiculous amount of impudence this young two-legger had. Didn't she understand- he was a unicorn! Admittedly, a very young unicorn, more a foal than anything else, but still! He had the childish urge to whinny and stomp his hoof on the ground, but through an amazing amount of self-control squashed the sentiment. He didn't want to look... inexperienced after all. "No!" He said, sounding more confident than he felt. Those little eyes from the undead monstrosity were... not so friendly all of a sudden. Eww, had she turned her head one hundred and eighty degrees?

"She cannot be allowed in!" He continued hurriedly, dodging his conscience that was trying very hard to make him pay attention to the Bigger Picture. Fie on that conscience! He knew what the Bigger Picture was. The Bigger Picture was that this undead thing would come in, consume a few beasts and come out with a retinue of more undead creatures. He had seen her cat! "She is a menace! You don't understand!"

But they were walking off already. Ignoring him! This time he did stamp his hoof irritably. He was allowed to do it when there were impudent mortals about. No doubt the elders would have found a more graceful means of communicating their irritation but he was a young one, and young ones were allowed to have their little moments of doubt and pain and social klutziness.

Despite being the chosen, most holy creatures of the world unicorn bodies were equine. So he just galloped off gallantly and very quickly and managed to get in front of the two young (appearing) girls. The undead creature was looking a bit malevolent and there was a decidedly evil buzz in the air. But he had to stay his ground!

"Halt!"