Leopardstar
New Member
Leaping, dancing, unicorn stalking.
Posts: 40
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Post by Leopardstar on Nov 9, 2009 22:49:10 GMT -5
Iole was a little confused as Lilani spoke to her and she rubbed her hand against her thigh, a little nervously. Who was Kal? And why did Lilani guard this place she had called Kalidore? From whom? The questions jumped into her mind and begged to be asked but Iole said nothing of these questions, instead she asked a more important one. "Where is Kalidore?" Her voice was quiet but she felt more reassured and her lips curled upward in a half-smile of wonderment.
It seemed logical to assume Kalidore was still on Earth, but after what the young woman had seen so far it seemed...different. An untamed wilderness that didn't abide the natural rules of human habitation. A place filled with nature....and magic? Iole had once hoped dearly that magic was real but as everyday went on back in America she had given up on it, mostly. Still hoping but not truly believing. Fairy tales, for children. They had science and the only thing of magic she believed in were miracles and sometimes prayer. Almost completely different things.
Again, she pulled back a strand of hair and her eyes flickered to Tiponi as she approached Lilani, a "guardian of Kalidore." She then eyed one of the supposed "unicorns", a what she supposed must be a handsome stallion from the way he held himself. Again, she could have sworn that the unicorns seemed to be speaking. And what was that little bird-creature flying about? How puzzling...And even more unicorns and humans seem to be entering the grove or Iole had just not noticed them before.
She bit her lip, suddenly drained of energy from the tramp through the forest and wonderment of all that was going around here. She still didn't know if this was but a dream or living reality. And the girl did not like not knowing what was going on and happening. She much preferred being the boss of things then the lost lamb.
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Post by pinkmoonbeam on Nov 10, 2009 0:12:05 GMT -5
Sitting atop Asarte, Sapata was vaguely aware that Lyonee kept glancing her way.
She wanted to speak to the girl, but wasn't exactly sure what topics to bring up... the fact that at first Sapata had thought that the youngster might be part of the native fauna, perhaps a race of diminutive dwarfs, seemed rather rude.
And when it became clear that, in fact, Lyonee was a child, and a stranger in the land as much as Sapata was, that took out asking her questions about Kalidore. Bringing up where exactly the child was from might just drive the tired young one to tears, and the weather didn't interest Sapata unless it directly affected her. It was also out of the question to ask if her looks were normal to her people or the result of an unfortunate illness. The girl was alarmingly pale... every bit of her but the eyes. The truth of it was, Sapata hadn't ever really had any conversations with children since... well, since she was one herself. In her tribe the youngsters just were. The tribes elderly cared for the gaggles of children. Adults didn't really pay attention to them until they were about thirteen seasons old. Before then it was just too likely that they might not make it to adulthood to bother much with them when there were plants to gather, deer to hunt and skin, shelters to make... life was full of busy days, and the children just had to stay out from underfoot.
Asarte herself had fallen oddly quiet in the presence of the fire colored Fiera. Sapata wondered at the change in her companion. She'd ask about it later when they were alone. Sapata still wasn't sure exactly how the mind-to-mind communicaton worked, or if other unicorns could listen in.
Her train of thought was interrupted when the little rag-tag group suddenly met with a gleaming cream unicorn. Sapata was surprized to see that this particular unicorn was male... of course if she had thought about it it only made sense that there were male unicorns, it was just that thus far all those she'd met had been female.
Gwyniera took over introductions, and the stallion Arieon agreed to lead them to a camp. Sapata sincerely hoped that camp would have food of some sort; after all she'd had only a bit of flat bread, and an apple in two days.
As they arrived, Sapata just had time to get a glimspe of a multitude of people, surrounded by unicorns of every color, when Asarte gave a snort, and sort of hopped. The mares' pack bags bumped into Sapatas' knees rather painfully leaving her to wonder what in the world her companion kept in those things.
She didn't wonder long, however, for she immediately had a much more pressing concern. Namely, a small blur of claws and beak that was latched onto her arm. Her first though was that the little wood owl that had attacked her in the forest had somehow found her, and was seeking vengeance. Before Sapata could properly react to the threat it was already gone. Whipping her head around she saw that now the chestnut, and child were being fully explored by the odd creature.
This turn of events sent the little Lyonee into gales of tears, which must have frightened the animal away from her, for now it was upon Gywn, and clawing at the pouch that held something called Mio. Sapata hadn't seen the Mio as it had already been secreted away when she'd joined the group, but it suddenly dawned on Sapata that perhaps the Mio was a very important object, and that the unnatural creature was some sort of demon or witches familiar sent to steal it. Her suspicions were confirmed when, as the imp pushed itself into the pack, a most terrible din of noises issued forth mixing with Lyonees' sobs.
Sapata had had ENOUGH. Without thinking, she lept from her perch astride Asarte, and with quick strides came to the rescue of the Mio. She plunged her hand into the pack, determined to either wring the beasts' neck or, if it be immortal, fling it away till she could secure the Mio.
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Post by Admin on Nov 11, 2009 8:32:50 GMT -5
Adar was having a bad day. No, he was having a very bad day. First, he spent half his day chasing after a beetle, only to catch it and have it not be the delicacy he had thought it would be. Then he flew back to find Lilaini so that she could comfort him, and feed him, only to have her completely ignore him. And now this! Two humans who had NO food on them whatsoever, and now he was fighting with some type of shrieking plant. The plant, upon closer inspection, did not taste good at all, and it bit him also, which all seemed entirely like too much considering the confided space he was in. The pocket griffon decided this was enough and began to try and extricate himself from the bag he had crawled into only to find a hand darting into the bag after him. Well good, it was about time someone decided to help him out. The griffon quickly latched onto the hand and scurried up the humans arm squawking out all his woes at her. He was past the point of being annoyed. He was scratched and bit and very empty bellied, and feeling all together rather detjected. He scuttled up the woman’s arm and attached himself to her shoulder. His feathers were sticking up all over at odd angles, and made him appear quite pathetic. Clicking his beak in distress he sat there, flicking his tail, ears down and eyes half closed, hoping she would either feed him or give him a good scratch.
“Why thank you Tiponi,” the Guardian said with a smile, taking the jumble of greenery from her hands. “These certainly will go good with the beans.” She glanced from the young woman to the young man who was standing behind her with an armful of wood. Her eyes flicked back to Tiponi and while she seemed a bit agitated, she was maintaining her composure. Your doing well, she mindspoke to the other and gave her and her companion an encouraging look before turning back to the supper she was preparing. Turning back to the youth who was standing with her she address her queries.
“Kalidore is not on Earth, but the two places are connected by the gates which you have come here through.” The Guardians eyes followed Iole’s which were studying the unicorns with a mixture of awe and disbelief. “Talking Unicorn’s must seem like a bit of a shock to you,” she said with a smile. “Why don’t you tell me about where you are from while I continue to prepare the meal.”
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Leopardstar
New Member
Leaping, dancing, unicorn stalking.
Posts: 40
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Post by Leopardstar on Nov 11, 2009 12:53:38 GMT -5
Not on Earth? Instantly more questions tumbled into Iole's mind only for the girl to shove them away again. "A gate, huh?" she spoke suddenly lost in thought. So, she had tumbled, no, stepped through an invisible gate connecting her home in Arizona to...Kalidore? Not even on planet Earth? It was quite unbelievable and she highly doubted that the laws of science could explain this phenomenon. If she started suddenly talking about unicorns back home her mother would simply start smiling and shaking her head while Takuya would crack up and probably tease her all day about it. And talking about real unicorns outside of her family? The horror....
"A shock? No...." Iole couldn't help but add the sarcasm in there. It was a natural habit. She watched Lilani prepare the delicious food, trying her best to ignore everyone but Lilani and herself. Harder than she thought when you were surrounded by...talking unicorns! She calmed herself with a deep breath and was only too happy to oblige telling Lilani a little about her home in Arizona.
"Well....I suppose you have actually never been to Arizona before seeing as Kalidore is probably in another galaxy entirely....but Arizona is on planet Earth, green and blue which you seem to know a bit about. Where I live is located in North America on the west side of the world up toward the north....then zoom in a bit more on the middle and you get the United States of America or simply U.S.A. Next, imagine going toward the west area of this land mass and stopping about short of the coast and a little downward." Iole paused for breath, annoyed at how difficult it was to explain things such as this. She rubbed away a fallen eyelash from her cheek before continuing to the guardian. "Sorry, it is so hard to explain!" the young women added.
"Anyway, Arizona is a land of deserts, a hot, sandy climate. I originally came from California, a little to the west of Arizona and a land of hot summers and beaches." A wistful sigh came from Iole's lips like a breath of air then. "Summers are very hot in Arizona, up to a 100 degrees and beyond. Arizona is known well for the Grand Canyon, a great colorful gorge with a winding river through it. It is a breathtaking sight and one I am able to see often now when my family goes on camping trips. The city I live in is nicely populated, but still steadily growing." A sudden smile brightens up her face beside the normal smirk as a sudden idea comes to her mind. "No talking unicorns, sadly, but when I was younger I did have a horse until....we had to sell her when we moved."
A slight frown replaced the smile and Iole looked thoughtfully at Lilani, preparing the meal still. "Hopefully I didn't sound too boring, like my History instructor." She rolled her eyes at this where the woman couldn't see it. Her History teacher was always one to make kids fall asleep in class and drone on and on. She shifted her weight and stifled a yawn and curiously eyed the commotion of the red bird-creature, something in a pack on a unicorn, and an....Indian girl? She was surprised. True, natives lived in Arizona still but they were uncommon and more modernized. And this was a Native American Indian young women of about her own age more or less.
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Post by Lady Whimsy on Nov 12, 2009 22:56:31 GMT -5
The arrival of the small group in the clearing had been remarked with relief from Rhaine, the bright chestnut mare returning with as little fanfare as when she had left, and the woman gave Ali another squeeze. “Well, what have we here? It seems Fiera has brought us more visitors!” And that was true – because she had two mares in toe, and two riders astride. Rhaine lighted on each in turn, delighted to have more people to share their company with.
Adar’s arrival, however, was something not to be missed by anyone. Chaos erupted everywhere the griffon landed, before finally it caught up with him in Gwyniera’s sholderpack, but Rhaine’s attention was struck by the now sobbing child and was already moving towards her. “Goodness, sweetling, that must have been a fright! Did Adar hurt you?”
Through the tears Lyonee became aware that someone was speaking to her. At first she ignored them, engaged with her own misery as she was. Curiosity won, eventually, and she peeked through damp curls to see a woman standing at Fiera’s side. She was a strange as the rest of the world, her appearance foreign and dressed in odd clothing, her voice too had a different cadence from any the girl was used to; it made Lyonee all the more homesick, and she felt tears prick her eyes again. “I do not like… adars,” she spat the title which must have been for the little winged beast. “I do not like them at all!”
“I understand,” the woman nodded reassuringly. “We will see that he doesn’t bother you again. Did you want to come down?”
Lyonee considered this. She realized, she had found a sense of security sitting up and high on Fiera’s back, as sore as her bottom was as a result. But the unicorn stood by placidly, and it occurred to Lyonee that maybe a unicorn had other things to do, too. She swallowed her disappointed, because it was childish to have thought that this unicorn would say with her forever; everything ended, in its time; even fairytales. She slowly nodded.
The woman outstretched her hand, smiling encouragement, and caught hold of the child as she slid down. And she kept holding, all the way to the ground, which was good, because Lyonee was surprised to find her knees had gone to jelly. She held onto the strange woman who smelt like forest and spice, glancing around her sleeve to where Sapata had gone to deal with the adar. She didn’t want to see what happened, and buried her face again while the woman remained patiently quiet while she found her balance.
“Better?” she finally spoke. “You must have had quite a day,” she smoothed the hair out of her face. “Now what do they call you, sweetling? I am Rhaine.”
“Lee-”she sniffled sharply “Lyo-nee.” The exoticness of everything stung, sick like too much candy, and all she wanted was something – anything – that was ordinary, familiar, plain. She wanted her nanny; she wanted to go home.
“You’re shivering,” Rhaine said, and swept her corner of her cloak around her. “How about we get you some hot cocoa to drink?”
Cocoa? Cocoa was normal. In fact, cocoa was better then normal, because on further reflection normal meant things like Olivier putting beetles on her pillow and nanny brusquely brushing the tangles out of her hair before bed. “Can Sapata have some too?” she asked.
“Yes of course, we’ll ask her,” Rhaine smiled, turning her attention to where the young native American girl had finally got a handle on that rouge griffon, the frazzled animal now shrieking his way up her arm. “What a terrible nuisance you are,” she reprimanded the griff sternly, noting Lyonee clung even tighter as they neared. She smiled at the woman apologetically on the shameless griffon’s behalf. “He is intolerably spoiled I am afraid; ‘tis all Lily’s fault and one day it shall truly get the better of him. I hope he caused you no real harm. Do you need a hand?”
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Post by dawnstar7 on Nov 13, 2009 0:22:16 GMT -5
Erilynn's eyes widened in anxious dismay as Tyden and Odin set forth in the direction the cries, shreiks, and bugles had come from. Biting back her protest, knowing it would do no good whatsoever, she wrapped her arms a little more snuggly around Tyden's waist.
As their steady pace drew them closer to their as yet unkown desination, Erilynn let herself be distracted by the warmth of the strong back in front of her, the way the muscles rippled with the slight, subtle movements needed to maintain balance while riding. Erilynn jolted back to herself when she started to breath in his scent. She shook her head, somewhat dazedly. "What on earth am I doing?!" she thought. "I hardly know this man, or anything about him, or this place he calls home. I can't allow myself to be attracted to him. I won't be attracted to him! For goodness sakes, he might even be married, or seriously involved, for all I know."
She continued to berate herself as they rode, keeping herself stiffly away from leaning against him. However, as they crested the rise, all she could do was stare. They'd come to a stop at the edge of the small clearing before she realized it. The sight that greeted her eyes was, at once, baffling, wondrous, and amusing. However, not sure of the intelligence of these creatures, she refrained from showing her amusement, lest she anger them. As she stared at the scene playing before her, her eyes were drawn to the skycat, who bore a rather close resemblance to the griffons portrayed in stories and myths on earth. Quite a lovely, lithe creature, if a triffle upset at the moment. Next was the mammoth, and a great furry brute he was. Yet, she felt that, for all his size, he had a gentle soul. And last, but certainly not least, the cerewynne. Oh, he was marvelous to behold! He bore a great resemblance to the deer she'd seen, though on a larger scale. The resemblance ended there, however, for this creature looked like silver snow, with magnificent golden antlers sweeping gracefully over his head. Sadly, those same antlers were stuck in the mammoths fur, as impossible and unlikely as that seemed. This made it practically impossible for the poor mammoth to rise from his current position on the ground. Also, it was the mammoth being harassed by the skycat flying and shreiking over his head. Erilynn couldn't help but wonder how these three creatures, so different from each other, had come to be in such a predicament.
Unexpectedly, Tyden slid off the unikorn's back and was striding towards the group. Erilynn stared as he moved closer, wondering if was a fool, brave, or a bit of both. She sat and watched as he drew close, speaking to them. So, they were intelligent, and she was grateful she'd kept her amusement to herself. She heard the skycat screech out something about a shiny, which, apparently, was under the mammoth. Her eyes bugged slightly in her effort to keep her face straight. She felt somewhat bad for being amused, as it was obviously not amusing to the parties involved, and she did feel sympathy for them. Perhaps she'd just been teetering on the edge of hysteria after finding herself in this strange new world, and was finally starting to fall apart.
She pushed those thoughts away, however, when she heard Tyden shouting. Faster than she knew what was happening, the skycat swooped towards him, swiping at his head! Next she knew, he had his sword out, and very obviously meant business. She caught herself admiring the way his clothes fit him, all lithe, sleek muscle and sinew. Shocked, she looked away, furious with herself. She did have to admit, however, that he cut a very striking figure. Like some hero out of a storybook, rescuing the damsel in distress. The fact that she would rather die than be called a damsel was of no matter. She turned back to the scene before her just as Tyden glanced in her direction. She felt herself blush slightly. Scowling slightly, she slid off of Odin's back and cautiously made her way to his side.
Smiling at him gamely, she asked. "So, what are we going to do about this little...conundrum? We can't very well just leave them here like this." She paused, eyeing the situation before them once more. "Although, exactly how we're going to fix this is beyond me." Looking back over her shoulder at Odin, who hadn't moved, she wondered if he might have any suggestions on the matter. But, as she knew Odin was an intelligent individual, she guessed that if he had anything to add, he would do so. Turning once more to the trio in front of her, she glanced once more at Tyden, awaiting his response.
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Post by pinkmoonbeam on Nov 15, 2009 17:38:11 GMT -5
When Sapata plunged from her back, and took off towards the commotion surrounding Gwyns' pack, Asarte couldn't have been more surprised. She momentarily was baffled as to the reason for Sapatas' swift reaction, but when she caught a glimpse of her companions face, the bay mare balked. There was murder written all over it, pure and simple.
"Sapata! Sapata, stop!", Asarte called out, but she saw that the girl was intent on fulfilling her mission, and paid no heed to the unicorns cries. As the Indian maid thrust her hand into the leather pouch Asarte did the only thing she could think to do. She called out though her mindlink as loudly as she could: *Sapata, STOP! He's a friend, for goodness sakes!*
The mares mental voice broke through Sapatas' mindless bloodlust. But she was already wrist deep in the pack, and the "friend", as Asarte called him, attached himself to her hand, then scuttled up her arm. As the little ball of fluff and feathers made himself at home on her shoulder, Sapata was afraid to move... she'd seen the beak on him, and rather feared for her ear. He was just out of her line of sight, and though she couldn't see what her was doing, he was making some rather ominous clicking sounds. She felt soft feathers puff against her neck with every breath the animal took as he sat in the nest of hair that fell over her shoulder.
Sapata turned her wide fearful eyes to Asarte, as if to ask how she'd managed to get herself into this situation... one moment ready to pluck the creature bald, the next afraid that he was about to do the same to her.
She tried to hold her chuckles in, but Asarte finally broke into gales of laughter. She could feel Sapatas' unamused glare on her, but she just couldn't help it. She was so relived no lasting damage had been done to anyone. For a moment she had been sure only bad things were about to happen. And Sapata looked SO funny with the disgruntled Gryphlet swooning and venting his irritation at her nape.
An elegant lady with Lyonee in tow approached Sapata. She gave the beastie a bit of scolding, and then inquired if Sapata was in need of aid. Sapata barely nodded a yes in reply, as she was still unsure what mischief to expect from her hitchhiker if she were to speak, or reply more heartily.
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Post by Lady Whimsy on Nov 15, 2009 18:37:20 GMT -5
The feathers on the back of the skycat’s neck bristled as the second human approached, for as far as it was concerned, everyone was competition for the wonderful shiny that lay at the bottom of this mess. But as Tyden’s sword remained keen, so the did the griff, and merely hissed when Erilynn approached. In response the sword canted slightly, as Tyden moved to keep between them. “My shiny,” the skycat grumbled, just as a reminder.
Tyden had caught the hint of a scowl just before the woman dismounted and frowned inwardly; mayhap this was not the best introduction to Kalidore a person could hope for. At least there were no cavebears. On further reflection, he had a hunch the Guardians might scold when they caught wind of this side adventure, too. But Erilynn was smiling again by the time she spoke, and what was life without a little excitement anyways?
“My concerned is that our spotted friend may be difficult to dissuade if a solution is not efficiently met,” his voice kept low, hoping that Erilynn had sense enough to keep her distance from the gryff. Adding another element to the mix he had to worry about was just icing, really, in the face of this bizarre Mexican standoff; was it he who had remarked, just the day before to Odin, how he was eager for whatever challenge Kal threw at them? He would have to remind Odin to bite him if ever said such a thing again. “I believe this means we need to first take care of the cerewynne…”
“Brilliant,” snorted the buck sardonically.
“Oh, hush,” Tyden strode forward. “It is by good manners alone our mammoth friend hasn’t hauled himself to his feet and you with him; I believe he will be just as cordial to assist in our helping you.” The play-on-words of a great hind stuck to a great behind nearly made him snigger, but out of respect for the parties involved he remained mum. The cerewynne stamped and fell silent, eyes roving backwards while its head skewed at an odd angle, fixed as it was by those great horns worked into the hair. Winter’s growth had come in thickly, and the mammoth was enveloped in the densest pelt of any Kalidorian mammal. The snag was taught and it was deep, and Tyden reserved cutting it all for fear of leaving the animal with a bare patch, so close to winter. “I think I can work it loose if you lean towards me a little, good sirs.”
The mammoth shrugged compliantly and rolled towards them, enough to spook the cerewynne who nearly bolted. “Whoa there,” Tyden grabbed for the near antler, and with a deer the size of a unicorn, even for him that was a stretch. Hot air pursed the hind’s nostrils and froth spattered around the corners of his mouth; whatever was left of the creature’s stately reserve was wearing thin. “Steady him?” Tyden pressed to Erilynn, sheathing is his sword so he could grasp a handful of thick wool. The smell of the beast was pungent, but a familiar odor for one who had grown up in the skylands, and his hands disappeared into the auburn mass as he worked, expression scrunching to belay the progression of the knots. And they were a doozey; how nature could so casually design ties that man took years to perfect always amazed him. The mammoth too had shut his eyes as if deep in mediation. Even the skycat remained unobtrusively still, though her tail rapped and eyes marked his work with scrutiny.
At last he had to reach for his sword to cut away the final few strands of hair. The release was spontaneous and the cerewynne stumbled forward and onto his knees.
It was by grace of Kal that the beast managed to flail away from both humans, scrambling as he was to get his feet beneath him again. A few haphazard steps and he rightened himself, snorting loudly, throwing his magnificent antlers about to ensure they really were free. Tyden cheered, the mammoth sighed, and even the skycat looked marginally impressed. The cerewynne regained his composure with another snort, and turned to the small crowd. “I am most grateful for your timely assistance; I dear say we should all be fortunate to never again find ourselves in such a fix. Good day sirs and madams, I will now take my leave; I am most, most anxious to put this day’s event behind me…”
At the word ‘behind’ Tyden did snicker, but it was brief, for just as quickly the skycat was aloft and squalling again. “Now up!” she demanded the mammoth. “Promisesssd! My shiny—”
“Sit and desist!” he turned on it again. “I did not forget about your shiny, but we’re going to do this with a bit of civility, hear me?” Infuriated the griff snarled, weighing options, but eyed the man’s sword and dropped to the ground again with a hiss. Tyden glanced over his shoulder to ensure Erilynn was still okay, then gave the mammoth a reassuring thump with his hand. “Stand clear;” he addressed first the party, then “you are free to rise at will.”
A mammoth rising to its feet is a measured ordeal; first the great weight shifted, rolling back as the front legs and tucked and braced against its chest. Then momentum swung the other way and the back end shuddered. The young bull dug the ground with his tusks as he lurched forward, pausing in mid movement as if time suspended, blood working its way back into cramped and tingling limbs. He rumbled, deep in his throat, before finally, delicately, with the grace of a dancer, rose to his feet with the whisper of woolen red hair.
If sitting the size of the beast was impressive, standing it was all the more; even more so when given that he was certainly not full grown. It had been so long since Tyden shared proximity with a mammoth he couldn’t suppress the boyish grin as the beast turned at last to regard them. He was about to speak when a noise from the skycat had them turning, and from the pitch in her voice it was clear she unwilling to play along any longer.
“My shiny! NOWWWW! Wherrrrrrrrre issssssss it? Wherrrrrrrrre did it goooooo—” for daylight revealed the space beneath the mammoth contained only damp and trampled grass; the cat was beside itself.
He felt his stomach sink as the realization dawned, instinctively reaching back to make sure Erilynn was behind him as he countered the griffon with his sword. Its had regressed to name-calling, squalling profanities like a harpy, marking each and every one of them as conspirator and thief. Further reasoning would be futile. Tyden sensed Odin was now standing beside them, horn leveled, and he was scrambling for a way to end this standoff without bloodshed when a flash of colour caught his eye.
There – stuck fast in the thick fur of the mammoth’s underbelly something glinted; no one else had seen. It flashed again as it caught the refracted sunlight off his sword.
Now, there were certain lessons the Daiga had driven into him as a boy, such as: don’t converse with cavebares; bathe regularly, but not near urdvoggens; and, never under the belly of a mammoth go. In the face of it all he didn’t see another option; besides, he probably already smelled like mammoth anyways. He glanced to Odin, then spun and thrust the sword into Erilynn’s hands. “Pointy end that way!” he shouted, and ducked underneath. The mammoth hiccupped. The skycat crouched, preparing to pounce.
“SHINY!” Tyden exclaimed, emerging from below with a dazzling red object hoisted above his head. At its appearance, the skycat recoiled in mid leap and landed short, a few inches away from the startled group. Its whole demeanor changed. Its pupils dilated as it fixed on the object. “Mmmmmmmmmine?” it purred.
“Yes,” said Tyden, heaving a sigh of relief as he thrust the glinting object forward. For the first time he got a good look at it – a large scale, sharp-edged and thin, smooth and sleek as polished stone but weighed nothing; when the sun caught it, it gleamed with every hue of orange-red garnets, sometimes ruby, sometimes plunging into the rich of burgundy. For a moment he was mesmerized, a memory tugging at something very old and very vague, and he was not sure how long he was transfixed until Odin’s mind brushed against him. He blinked. The skycat was looking at him. He brought the prize all the way down and placed it before her. With a thrumming purr she licked it up into her teeth, and quick as scoot was bounding away. Another leap and she was aloft, wings spread in the direction of her nest, eager to add the beautiful new shiny to bright collection that adorned each and every griffon’s roost. It was not until the skycat was out of sight did the mammoth sigh, and everyone realize just how still they had been holding.
“Thank you,” said the mammoth.
“You’re welcome,” was all Tyden could muster in the moment.
The young bull extended his trunk, testing the wind. “My herd is that way.” He made to move forward, then stopped, turning his great head again towards them. “There was something, I saw it; and then I did not. And then here we all were,” he replied, in answer to the unspoken question smarting on the tip of all their tongues. He shrugged. “So I will go.” And the mammoth ambled away.
More questions tumbled through Tyden’s mind, but there were no answers. His hand found Odin’s nose, and he stood there silently until the unicorn spoke, “We has best move on now, if we want to reach camp before dark.” The man nodded, awakened to his duties. A pang of guilt stuck him as he turned to Erilynn again.
“I can assure you that not every day on Kalidore will be this… exciting. In fact, a lot of them are downright boring. I promise. But at least you get to tell all your friends you saw a cerewynne?” He managed a faint grin. “And I thank the lady for the good care of my sword; why, a few more lessons and we’ll make a regular warrior out of you! Though… I must humbly request it back now, so that we may mount quickly… Erilynn…? You are all right? Here, let us get ourselves moving,” he extended his hand towards her.
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Post by Lady Whimsy on Nov 16, 2009 18:05:22 GMT -5
The look in Sapata’s eyes were answer enough even before she managed a stiff nod. Rhaine’s gaze fixed again on the diminutive griffon who sat squalling for pity, but she remained firm; *Off with you, silly one, you’ve quite worn out your welcome. Lilaini will see to you now* Adar hesitated another moment, and then with a most melodramatic and dejected squeaking, took off in search of someone far more receptive and indulgent to his most important and pressing needs. “Better?” Rhaine smiled. “I’ll say!” Mio lolled his head out of the bag. At the Guardian’s surprised look, Lyonee supplied helpfully, “he always says; he’s Mio.” “Kaus Phaeo-Mio, son of Pharon, son of Udun the Fierce, son of Kaiso, who ate Parthor, son of Hon...” the plant corrected dourly. “And woe, woe, and woe betide, such is the fate of a Seed of Hoth to parish here, apart from clan and colony, hung ‘round the neck of a unicorn to be mauled by beasties and extinguished by thirst…” “Goodness!” Gwyneira’s ears pricked forward as the alarming realization dawned. “Water! I forgot – he must be parched, all those hours… excuse me to the stream, good ladies!” the mare spun off before Rhaine could make mention of the water skins. She was still rather puzzled about the business with the plant, but a questioning glance at Fiera revealed nothing. She did recall reading about sentient vegetation, but had never come across them herself (if memory served, they lived to the far northern forests where she had not been since youth) and wondered if Liliani in her study of the isle’s botany would have more insight. Her thoughts were interrupted by a tugging at her sleeve. “Sapata wants hot cocoa,” Lyonee informed her. “Right Sapata?” The Guardian laughed. “Yes, I’m sure she does.” She turned back to the young woman and extended the invitation. “Come and get warm by the fire; the water will be boiling soon, and there is plenty to eat for dinner.” * Meanwhile, Adar arrived by the fireside only to find that - oh anguish of anguishes! - both Lilaini's arms were full, still currently in the midst of making dinner as she was. Steam swirled around her head as she bent over the lentils and stirred torn handfuls Tiponi's greens into the mix, the savory aroma of the herbs permeating the legumes and the surround air. And just when he was about to forgive her for taking away his lovely, most beautiful pink shiny this morning, and leaving him to find his way from the yaks by himself, and having nothing to eat but boilled lentils.... The griffon had no choice but sprawl at her feet, between Tiponi and Iole, and wail his lamentations to the people above like a strung cat...
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Leopardstar
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Leaping, dancing, unicorn stalking.
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Post by Leopardstar on Nov 16, 2009 21:56:54 GMT -5
Iole was clearly surprised as Adar landed beside her to woe and scream his unhappiness. She stared uncertainly at the creature as the delightful aroma of the dinner treat that Lilani was currently making reached her nostrils and made her belly rumble in hunger. It ached for food now and to help stop its grumbles she stuffed a piece of bubble gum in her mouth, strawberry flavored. She chewed as her mouth was instantly delighted with the sweet flavor and she continue to eye what seemed a very pathetic and spoiled feather ball below her.
The young women could barely resist not to instantly dive to the creature's rescue, it seemed so unfortunate and her natural instincts to help hapless animals surfaced and gnawed at her open mind. But there was something about this creature that seemed....vicious or something of that sorts. Finally she couldn't resist his Cries and for Adar's sake went through first her pack and then her purse in search for some little morsel of food or something of that sort she had overlooked.
Suddenly the crackling of what only could be a wrapper reached the sounds of her sensitive ears and she withdrew her hand to find a small packet that contained a dark chocolate and blueberries. No wonder Iole had overlooked such treats! She disliked dark chocolate with a passion, it gave her such a thirst. And blueberries had an odd flavor to them from Iole's point of view and her often picky taste buds. She doubted dark chocolate was very healthy to a bird-creature such as Adar and so, offered the crying creature that sounded like it was being strangled the few blueberries from the packet.
Her golden-brown eyes stared hopefully at him in the hope he would stop crying and take the few blueberries the girl had.
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Post by Admin on Nov 16, 2009 22:27:49 GMT -5
[red]Adar[/red] was terribly upset. He had such a bad day, and then Rhaine had yelled at him! He had certainly done nothing to deserve that, and yet here he was, looking for sympathy and all Lilaini did was talk to him in that voice he liked and tell him she’d see to him in a minute when she was done with supper. This only increased his upset chattering, when finally, finally, someone paid him some attention. A girl who had been standing nearby seemed to recognize the starving state he was in and was digging through her bags. His squawking ceased as his beady eyes followed her movements. When she stepped towards him with something offered in her hand he gave a loud shriek of delight and hurtled towards her. Scrambling across the ground, he reached the girls offering and sniffed it over. He smelled the blueberries and quickly determined these were indeed edible. Grabbing the fruit with his beak he smashed the berries against the room of his mouth and licked the girl’s hand to get anything accidentally left behind. He was about to crawl into her arms and demand she scratch him and fix his ruffled feathers, when smelled something else on her arm. Something very, very sweet. He paused, and sniffed the girl’s hand again. She was holding out on him. There was more food somewhere. It smelled sweet and delicious, the way sticky buns smell sweet and delicious. He must have it. Must! Diving forwards, the griffon plunged into the bag he had seen the girl digging through and began to root around looking for the source of the smell. Finding it, he clamped onto the chocolate with delight and began breaking it apart with his beak before the girl could take it away from him.
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Leopardstar
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Leaping, dancing, unicorn stalking.
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Post by Leopardstar on Nov 17, 2009 22:06:17 GMT -5
Iole watched as the bird-creature hurled himself at her hand, desperate to have the offered blueberries. He seemed to feast himself on them like a hungry jungle cat gorging itself after not having eaten in weeks. Poor thing...she couldn't help but think. When his slimy bird tounge tickled her hand she resisted the urge to draw it back and wipe the licked hand upon her clothes. Instead Iole waited patiently for Adar to make his next move. What she had not expected was for him to smell the dark chocolate on her and hence tackle her purse in pursuit of the sweet treat she had purposely held away from him.
The young women stifled a cry and hoped he wouldn't get sick because of the chocolate. This was no regular parrot or other type of bird like back on Earth after all. This looked like a mini....gryphon creature of sorts. She picked up the bag that the delighted Adar rested in as he chomped down greedily upon the hapless chocolate, it had never stood a chance. She gently carried it upwards to peer at the creature better with a small smirk and the hint of a smile pushing up at her lips. "What's his name?" she suddenly asked Lilani.
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Post by Lady Whimsy on Nov 18, 2009 15:22:12 GMT -5
Free of packs and relieved of duty, Xanthe was feeling much better. She’d had herself a good roll and a drink from the stream, and while the guardians set about to prepare the dinner and settle everyone for the night, she wandered off to graze. Asides from the commotion caused by a small urdvoggen which had been accidentally packed into one of the saddlebags, the humans seemed to be adjusting cheerfully and without incident. Xanthe grinned to herself. She rather liked humans; having grown up in the temple with Rhaine, they as a species completely fascinated her. Not only did their wonderfully dexterous hands allow them to do all sorts of amazing things, but their way of thinking was so unlike that of a unicorn; you never knew exactly what a human was going to say. That and the whole thing about fun and adventure that tended to follow, or maybe that was more just following Tyden; she wondered suddenly when he and her father would return.
In the distance, she could hear muffled strains of conversation from Gypsy and the great dark stallion. She longed to move closer and know exactly what was happening, but had a hunch this was one of those things her mother would frown upon, and had she had been so very, very good all. She was rather proud of herself for that. As she grazed, she contemplated the journey so far, and wondered what direction tomorrow would bring, now that Ulysses had been found. A small pang of disappointment bit her at the thought of the adventure’s end and return to normal life in the temple. Xanthe sighed. Above, the first stars of twilight were piercing through, the orange glow of sunset giving way to evening’s silver and indigos.
Bored with grazing she headed back towards camp, hoping for some rolled oats and maybe even a honey bun. She came around one of the many protruding rockheads that sculpted the landscape and suddenly froze in place. There, a mere stride’s length away, was him… the soldier. Waterskins were balanced over his shoulder, and he was humming a tune under his breath as he picked his way back in the falling light. Oh, he was horrible! Her whole body shuddered at the shock of finding him there, in such close proximity and alone; the scars on her neck seemed to burn again at the sight of him. She didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath until he turned the corner of the rock and disappeared, which meant she had to scramble quietly if she wanted to keep him in view. He moved somewhat stiffly, actually his movements were downright grotesque she determined, and he had no sense of musical harmony at all. And his smell… her nostrils flared to catch wind of the odor, as best she could while still keeping a short discrete distance behind undetected. The soldier seemed oblivious anyways, probably busy scheming about his next dastardly deed, and it pained her that the whole came was so unaware about the imminent danger except her… and she stepped on a twig.
CRACK.
Liam paused in mid-step, the hairs on his neck prickling at the noise. Instantly alert he listened fiercely to the sounds of evening, but there was nothing else. So late in the season there weren’t even crickets, and laughter from the camp drifted up to tickle his ears. Ach, ye old fool, he chided himself. Now you’re imagining there be beasties in the trees… Shrugging the waterskins back into place he resumed him tune with determined fervor, and hurried to where Rhaine and Lilaini were putting more pots upon the fire to boil.
When he was gone, Xanthe poured from behind the rock she'd wedged against with a huge sigh of relief. She felt a little giddy, and had to school herself the proper procedures, lest she go running off to Rhaine now and spill all her trepidations in a mangled heap. Rhaine, she knew, was utterly unaware; so was Phae, and she thought better then bothering Lilaini. Really, there was only her. And maybe Kynn (tho she had left him at camp poking the urdvoggen; sometimes koros were just so small picture). She wasn’t entirely sure what she was going to do, or how she was going to do it, but somehow, somewhere, she knew… she was going to have save them all... from Liam…
It was then she realized her subject was completely out of sight, and that she was wholly slacking on her duties. With an anxious meep she scampered back to camp as quick as she could, so quick in fact that she couldn’t quite put on the brakes in time and slammed in to Astarte’s backside….
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Post by pinkmoonbeam on Nov 19, 2009 0:05:00 GMT -5
Sapata was just starting to feel a bit better after the woman had relived her of the bird-like animal, when a voice rose from the pack on Gwyneria's back. Turning to see who spoke, she was alarmed to find that it was a plant, of all things, that gave utterance.
She was even more baffled when Lyonee explained that the rather upset piece of vegetation was, in fact, the Mio which Sapata had so recently tried to protect. She'd been envisioning a valuable artifact, perhaps a rare magical item, not a seedling! Her face colored as she realized what a fool she must look to the group, who had probably all known the Mio was in no danger at all from the unruly winged beastie. Her embarrassment was interrupted when little Lyonee piped up, "Sapata wants hot cocoa, right Sapata?”
Sapata had no idea what hot cocoa was, but if Lyonee liked it Sapata thought she probably would too, and when the lovely lady mentioned a fire and food she was more than pleased to accept the offer.
"Thank you, and a fire sounds wonderful. I'm afraid I lost most of my things when I...," she paused remembering just how she'd lost them, and grinned sheepishly before she continued, "first got to Kalidore, and my shawl was with them. A meal sound even better... with hot cocoa of course." She turned to Asarte. "Coming?", the girl asked hopefully.
"Actually I think I saw a nice little patch of grass that the frost hadn't gotten to over that way... you go on, I'll be there shortly.", the bay responded with a wink and headed off. She knew full well her companion just didn't want to be left with the strangers, but she was in more than capable hands, and the unicorn reasoned that the sooner she was tossed among them, the sooner she'd find herself comfortable. Besides she really HAD seen a clump of greens, and with winter coming on you just didn't turn your nose up at something like that! Asarte had just located the spot they were growing in when... "Ooof!" Something collided with her rather large rump. The mare turned around and was surprised to find a pretty dusky colored kore panting, and looking up at her with big blue eyes.
"Well, hello there. Where are you going in such a hurry?", she asked with a twinkle in her eye.
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Post by geob on Nov 19, 2009 13:27:53 GMT -5
While Tiponi's eyes followed Liliani's movements her thoughts were far away. Okay, maybe not so far. She was very aware of every move this new stranger, Ryan, made as he moved about making himself useful. Really she should be doing the same, but as her skin rippled with apprehension she just couldn't focus long enough to figure out what needed doing even though she could set up a night's camp with her eyes closed (so to speak).
Moving quietly up beside her new companion, Luminista rubbed her cheek gently against the girl's arm. As much as she wanted to take away the pain she sensed in the girl's past she knew that Tiponi would have to work through this issue largely on her own. Still, she wanting her to know that she was there for her. Meanwhile, she would lend her whatever measure of calm serenity she was able.
Her eyes shifted as Liam came into view carrying the water skins and another layer of unease washed over her only to dissipate upon recognizing the man. As she realized what had happened surprised overcame most of her unease. Her head cocked to the side as she stared openly at this oddity (a man she could be in the company of without being overwhelmed with wariness). She gave a slight start of surprise when she heard Luminista chuckle beside her, but other than that and moving her hand up to rest high on the red mare's neck to scratch idly she gave no acknowledgment. Instead her eyes began to shift back and forth between the two men as she pondered her different reactions to each. She could discern no physical reason why one would be less of a threat than the other, quite the opposite in fact. They were both men in good physical condition which to her translated to Threat.
Absentmindedly Tiponi moved aside as Rhaine came to the fire with two newcomers in tow.
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Post by Delicious on Nov 20, 2009 0:35:07 GMT -5
As he bustled about the camp, Liam was actually surprised to find himself fairly... content. Here was a job that he knew well - and all other irritations and problems faded to the background as his years of experience kicked in and he moved practically on auto-pilot. A sea of stampeding yaks, or a particularly prickly unicorn were problems he was unable to solve - but setting up a camp? Simplicity itself!
Granted, he was a little warier than normal as he wandered out of camp to get water, recalling the LAST time he attempted to help this group situate themselves, and the unfortunate and embarassing mauling that had resulted, but after the second such trip to the stream without incident he found himself fairly assured of both life and limb for the night.
With every trip back into camp, he was amused to note the continuing increase in population. For such an undeveloped land, these Kalidorians veritiably seemed to pop out of the woodwork. He was particularly pleased to note, however, the addition of another man to the group. As pleasant as the Guardians and the the rest of the ladies seemed to be, with Tyden's absence absence Liam felt a bit odd to be the only human male in the group as both protective escort and assumed travelling companion. The younger man seemed to be of the solid, upstanding sort, and just the extra balance of testosterone had him breathing a bit easier.
Putting down the final set of filled waterskins on a rock near Liliani, Liam too a moment to stretch and eye the now bubbling pot of vittles. He sniffed, and was pleasantly surprised by the rather pugently appealing aroma. "Och. Now that's a sight better than the ol' shoe leather my ol' lot was use te' on our scouting circuits." He inhaled deeply and smiled before addressing Liliani as she continued in her dinner preparation. "Lady, ye folks certainly have a magic about ye when it comes to yer cookin'..." Liam said, and chuckled before continuing. "Now m'self mind, I 'ken cook well 'nuff not te' kill a person, but that's all I 'ken promise! So consider yerselves fair warned!" And with that, he touched his head respectively before ducking off into the woods again - of a mind to get any and all latrine perparation done well BEFORE dinner completed.
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Pasipahe sat in mute silence for several minutes, processing all of the harsh words of the arguments and the snarled rebuttals. Slowly she worked through the myriad of revelations - the existance of Ulysses, the negativity against Companions (and the thrill she felt at finding feeling that paralleled her own!), and finally.... Dragons? She shivered, and at the dark stallion's further words on the subject... Night followed?
"The wolves." The thought slipped out unbidden. She looked about, unsure if any had heard her - and loathe as she was to get into the middle of another fight of sorts, the mare felt the need to have the connection known. "The wolves of Kaedon. They said the sky fell, with teeth. During the night... surely that wouldn't have been....?" She waited on a response, sure that she'd be told her thought was nothing but folly. Surely dragons wouldn't have made it so far into the heart of Kalidore ALREADY....
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Kyn had grown bored of pestering the Urdvoggen. After the flight from the sea of yak-doom, somehow poking the large smelly reptile paled in comparison, despite the fond rememberences of the activity from the night past. He harrumphed and looked around for some other sort of entertainment... but Xanthe was nowhere to be seen. The yearling let out a long suffering sigh, and scanned the rest of the party for someone else who looked interesting enough to accost.
When his gaze lighted upon some of the newcomers.... particularly the very SMALL human that accompanied a small party that also included what looked like a talking... plant? Kyn blinked and moved closer to investigate. As he neared, however, the plant was whisked off in a hurry by the Gwyneira (whom Kyn only knew through the interactions with several of her bountiful kore). The yearling considered following after, and investigating the curious creature, but was distracted when the small girl talked. So small! Kyn had never seen a human so small, and was extraordinarily curious.
He inched forward, trying not to spook the wee one who clung so charmingly to Rhaine's hand. Stretching his neck out eeeeeever so slowly, he snuck out his muzzle and tried to snuffle at her hair, wondering if she smelled like the others did, or of something entirely different. He was just about to take a nice loooong whiff, when Xanthe seemingly flew out of nowhere and collided loudly with Asarte's rear, and Kyn startled with a yipe - forgetting all attempts at stealth.
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Post by angelofmusic on Nov 21, 2009 13:28:45 GMT -5
Trinity chuckled softly in hearing what Tien Mu was going to do to her, though she grinned. "Really? Well that little outburst seemed to have thwarted your plans," she shook her head. Aurellie chuckled as well and tilted her head a little. "Well at least she didn't come up behind you and scare you into the stream." the mare said all the while looking as innocent as she could. Trinity raised a brow. "Ye jus' wait. I do'na get mad, I get even." Her voice held a bit of a mischivious tone. She then looked back to Tien Mu and looked around slightly. "Do ye have a companion?" It seemed like a bit of a dumb question, but she was curious.
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Post by Admin on Nov 22, 2009 11:07:54 GMT -5
The guardian paused in her dinner preparations to gaze at the ridiculous manner in which the griffon was acting. “His name is Adar, although a name which referred to mischief or perhaps gluttony would have been more appropriate for him.” Her voice was laced with mock exasperation, but her gaze was one of adoration. The griffon had finished licking the chocolate from his beak and wore a rather triumphant expression. He began clicking his beak at Iole who was holding the bag that the griffon had attached himself too. “He would like you to fix his feathers. It troubles him terribly when they are sticking out at such odd angles, he likes them to be laid out smoothly.” Lilaini explained as she turned back to her dinner preparations, a slight grin pulling at the corners of her mouth. As if he was agreeing, Adar clicked his beak louder and chattered at the girl expectantly.
Lilaini was watching the group as she let the food simmer. She was glad to see everyone seemed to be settling in and that their recent misadventure hadn’t seem to negatively affect anyone. [color=teal[/color]Liam[/color] seemed to be glad to have something occupying him and busied about his chore of fetching the water. She laughed when he commented on his own cooking skills. “Ah friend, I am sure your cooking is better than all that. But it certainly does help to know which herbs and spices to use to make even the most meagre of fairs seem like something more.” As he retreated into the woods, her fellow Guardian approached with more newcomers in tow. She studied the expressions on the two newcomers faces and briefly locked eyes with Rhaine. “Welcome,” she said warmly. “You two look as though you could use some hot cocoa.” She stood up and wandered over to a nearby pack and began digging through it’s contents.
Ryan’s smile faltered slightly at the reaction the woman seemed to have again, but he followed behind her with the load in his arms and deposited it where the red unicorn had instructed him. He stood there momentarily, realizing that his task seemed to be complete and wondered what he should do next. He looked for Cadence, but he was off grazing somewhere and the young man couldn’t locate him from where he was standing. Turning back to the group, he thought he might find the man named Liam who he had spoke with earlier, but he could not locate the soldier either. Running his hand threw his hair as he thought, he sniffed the aroma that was swirling off the dinner pot and decided to sit down on a log near the fire and just relax.
His hind end had barely touched the piece of wood when Rhaine appeared and Lilaini got up in search of hot cocoa. He quickly sprang back to his feet, not wanting to take the nearest seat when three more ladies had just arrived. “Here, please sit,” he said with a smile looking from the guardian to [color=indianred[/color]the two[/color]newcomers. “I can pull it a bit closer to the fire if you’d like.”
Cadence was grazing quietly by himself. He was giving Ryan the chance to have some human interaction. The stallion had thought the young man would have difficulty adjusting to everything that had happened in the last few days, but he seemed to take it in stride, he wondered if it was always like that for humans. He flicked his tail lazily and was about to move off in search of a more interesting grazing patch when a noise that sounded like a collision caught his attention. He stopped grazing and turned himself around to see what had happened. He saw a [color=indianred[/color]bay mare[/color] with a bewildered looking dun filly standing directly behind her. Neither seemed to be harmed by incident but he wandered over anyways. “Are you both alright?”
Tia had watched the strange way Tiponi had hurtled off and looked at the others in the group questioningly but they all seemed to have the same expression she did so she shrugged and tried to stifle a yawn. “Hrm...maybe sitting down isn’t such a good idea for me. Haha, I feel like I could fall asleep. Does anyone want to wander closer to the fire?” She stood up and dusted herself off, picking a few stray blades of grass out of her fishnet stockings and looked at the others in the group.
Arieon had not needed to intervene during the entire scene involving a certain griffon because Rhaine had luckily shown up. He had wandered back to camp with the rest of the group, feeling much better than he had when he had went down to the stream. He looked refreshed and clean, and those two things always managed to improve his mood. There was obviously a direct correlation between looking good and feeling good. Which was why the stallion always tried to ensure he was looking good. Well, one of the reasons anyways. His eyes swept over the encampment once they had again reached it. Everyone seemed to be preparing dinner and he did not see anything that required his immediate attention. The pale stallion saw a certain bay mare standing off to one side and was going to go and strike up a conversation with her, but upon closer inspection she was standing much closer to his brother and Gypsy than he would like, so he decided against it. Everyone else seemed to be rather engaged with one another so he decided to remain where he was and graze quietly.
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Leopardstar
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Leaping, dancing, unicorn stalking.
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Post by Leopardstar on Nov 22, 2009 12:17:27 GMT -5
Iole gazed at Adar with a mixture of love and thoughtfulness, a hint of a smirk pulling at her face. "Really, well..." she replied softly. "....I think it's a good name, what do you think Adar?" She could tell from the way Lilani spoke about Adar that she actually loved him and knew all about what he needed. "And of course we can't have any feathers sticking out no," she said almost thoughtfully and grinned.
The girl quickly reached a hand into the baggage the griffon almost regally rested in after finishing the once hidden piece of chocolate off. If Iole ever got back to Earth she would have to remind herself to bring more chocolate for special treats. Not that she wanted to go back to Arizona for at least a while now, no. Kalidore seemed like a much more exciting place and where could you find griffons and unicorns on Earth? Except in stories of course.
She began the work of smoothing out the ruffled feathers of Adar gently, each stroke careful and graceful. Iole's lips had curled up into a smile as she worked and was almost expecting the griffon to purr like a cat, he certainly had a sort of manner like one. She still chewed the piece of bubblegum in her mouth but failed to notice it much more and the flavor was already slowly vanishing. She scarecly noticed Rhiane and the two newcomers as they came, so content was she with helping out Adar. This was why she missed having a pet, a companion and friend besides a human back home.
Hot cocoa? the girl thought suddenly. An image of breakfast mornings on Saturdays flashed into her mind as a young girl back in California when her mother hadn't been so busy at work and the two children would sip their hot chocolate happily and gorge themselves upon the eggs and toast before them like a feast. Iole was saddened by the memory knowing that it almost never happened anymore. The aroma of the steadily cooking food reached her nose again and her belly stirred in hunger. Yet, she never paused smoothing out and Adar's feathers and wondered if he would accept a petting after the work was done. A sudden question jumped to the girl's mind and she couldn't help but ask it.
She turned to look at the indian girl and quietly asked, "Where did you come from, back on Earth I mean?" Her brilliant eyes burned into Sapate's and she hoped she hadn't sounded rude. She would ask the other girl in a second, once she knew more about the Native American Indian. "I'm Iole," she offered then almost apologetically. Suddenly she remembered that she was forgetting about the ball of feathers in her purse below and turned to look at the griffon. "And this is Adar, a little demon sometimes isn't he?"
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Post by Admin on Nov 22, 2009 22:02:17 GMT -5
A deep thrumming noise was reverberating out of the griffon, and it caused his whole body to vibrate slightly. It wasn’t like a purr of a cat, but perhaps that is the closest comparison that could be given. If one didn’t know better it might actually sound somewhat alarming if not for the contented look on Adar’s face. His eyes half closed and his tail flicked about lazily as the girl finally began smoothing his feathers out. That silly plant had made quite a mess of them and it caused the griffon to look crazed or pathetic depending on what angled you viewed him at. He was thoroughly enjoying himself when the the girl turned and started speaking to someone. Glancing up with little interest he saw several humans one of which was Rhaine, who we was quite sore with for being so terribly mean to him not long before. Clambering out of the purse, he scurried up Iole’s arm and jumped onto the other arm, forcing the girl to hold him across her chest. He did so, just as the girl was talking to one of the useless humans who had not had any food earlier. His new perch seemed ideal, then Iole would be able to pet him with the other hand if she would ever let go of that bag. He began to make the thrumming noise again, waited expectantly to be petted.
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Leopardstar
New Member
Leaping, dancing, unicorn stalking.
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Post by Leopardstar on Nov 22, 2009 23:58:01 GMT -5
Iole was surprised to hear Adar make an almost feline purring sound as she finally finished smoothed out the last ruffled feather. She felt his sharp little claws as he climbed out of the purse to rest upon her other arm and obiedently bent down a little to drop her baggage onto the dirt floor. Her free hand then went upon his little feathered body to stroke each soft feather lovingly, each thrumming noise vibrating into her own body. A soft smile was upon the girl's face and the ache for not having a companion and pet herself eased and was soothed by this special little moment with Adar. The indian girl was not forgotten, nor Lilani or anyone else, but they did fade out of her world slightly and the only thing that could bring her back was a voice addressed to herself. Iole scarcely noticed that her gum has gone bad, needing to be spit out and tossed away (she distantly wondered what was the closest thing to a trash can here on Kalidore) with the chocolate wrapper and blueberry container. "See," she whispered softly to the pocket griffon. "You just needed someone to smooth out those feathers of yours and pet you and now look at you, King above all."
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Post by pinkmoonbeam on Nov 23, 2009 0:54:13 GMT -5
Sapata cast one last longing look at Asarte's retreating form, then followed the lady and Lyonee to the fireside where they were welcomed by yet another regal lady with offers of hot cocoa. There she also encountered the first man since her arrival to this land. Kalidore seemed to be overrun with females; both unicorn and human tribes were predominantly filled with ladies... at least from what she'd seen so far. She looked the fair colored man up and down in her strait forward way. He was finely built with a glow of health and youth, and though he seemed to defer to the women, she found herself wondering if perhaps these people's society was like that of herd animals, with a principle male bonded to a group of females. If so she best stay on his good side. It'd be a disappointment to be kicked out of the group before she had a chance to learn more about these people, and she did want to find out what the hot cocoa these people set so much store in was. So when he asked if they would like the log moved closer to the fire, Sapata grinned and responded heartily, "Oh, yes please. I could do with a bit more warmth. And hot cocoa of course." Then she stood there feeling self-conscious, and silly. She did hope she'd said the right thing... but her worry was cut short by a smacking sound followed by a grunt behind her.
She turned around to see Asarte and a young unicorn. It looked as though the little one had ran into Asarte. Sapata thought it was rather good timing too, for neither unicorn seemed hurt, and the man was going over to them so that got her out of that.
A voice came from beside her. "Where did you come from, back on Earth I mean?" Sapata turned an found herself face to face with a girl. She introduced herself as Iole, and then looked at the face of the bird-thing peeking from her bag. "And this is Adar, a little demon sometimes isn't he?", she said just as the creature scrabbled into her arms.
Sapata wrinkled her nose. So the thing had a name did it? Well this Iole could let it crawl all over her, but Sapata could still remember the feel of it's claws in her shoulder, and she didn't envy her at all. Now that she saw it close up it was sort of pretty in a way, but still... this Iole was fawning over it like it was a baby.
She chose to ignore the Adar, and answer the girl. "I'm Sapata... and I'm of the Miwok tribe of Broken Rock. I'm afraid I don't know what you mean by where I came from... we are all from the Great Earth Mother. What tribe are you?"
She thought the girl had a Blackfoot look about her, with her golden brown eyes, and long chocolate hair, though her skin color was all wrong of course. Perhaps the sun just didn't shine as strongly where all these people were from.
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Leopardstar
New Member
Leaping, dancing, unicorn stalking.
Posts: 40
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Post by Leopardstar on Nov 23, 2009 12:34:51 GMT -5
Iole looked up at Sapata as the girl spoke and smiled at the mention of the Indian's name. "You're from the Miwok Tribe?" she asked then in thought. "I think that tribe is in California, the state that I was born in..." That question having been answered she shook her head as the Indian girl asked for her tribe. "I don't really belong to a tribe...but I am a citizen of the town Kalahari, the closest thing to a tribe." She still thought the Native American girl had come from her time in the modern world but lived in one of those special reservation areas for Indian tribes. Still believed in the Miwok tribe's religion too from the sound of 'the Great Earth Mother' stuff.
Iole then as she thought about it remembered the name of an Indian tribe that lived in Arizona and some of the ones in California. The young women had done a project on Native American Indians and what she remembered was from that project. "We do live near the Hopi tribe though," she tried to add in. "And the Washoe Tribe of California is nearby where I was born." Though trying to sound helpful she just felt that she was confusing Sapata even more and smiled apologetically. She decided it was time to move onto another subject. "So," Iole asked as she smoothed back some chocolate brown hair behind an ear before returning to petting Adar. "What do you think about all of these unicorns?"
Just in case the Indian girl hadn't caught on (as far as she recalled Native American Indians didn't call unicorns, unicorns, or even have them in mythology) she waved a hand at the magnificent mares and stallions nearby. Ugh.... Iole thought. This conversation isn't going as well as I thought it would...
(OOC: Bleh, I don't like my post but so far things are interesting and it's fun to look up Indian tribes. ^^)
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Post by Lady Whimsy on Nov 24, 2009 23:01:18 GMT -5
(woo! I think I responded... to everyone....)Gypsy had forgotten the presence of brooding Phae until she spoke, and found herself startled to discover the mare a short distance away. Am I really that distracted? she shook her head ruefully. So many thoughts and questions tumbled through her mind – not only about Ulysses’ spanning journey, but new ones about the war itself, and what had happened in all the years between. At the mention of Al’therwen memory stirred, and she lunged to catch hold of it before it slipped back into darkness. It was told, centuries past, before the war when the universe was at peace and trade throughout the Nations of Gates, elves had enjoyed a healthy commerce with the isle, mining in the mountains for precious ore and exchanging their wealth of knowledge and ideas. It was then that the Temple Library was built, and so was Al’therwen – the City Among the Clouds. High up in the mountain it severed as a hub for the mining communities surrounding, and a centre for export and trade. It was also one of the first places struck when Thaedor’s Night first fell, and plunged a city of light into eternal darkness. Ages pass, and dust to dust returns; of Al’therwen now, a kor’s story. And yet had not the Daiga spoke of ruins that night? There was no doubt it was Ulysses whom she saw there, nor was he alone; the gates are open, the stallion had said. I followed them here…Night fell, and it had teeth…And that was Phae, and her thoughts derailed, even before the stallion turned and spoke. Whether Ulysses noticed the red mare or had merely ignored her he remained indifferent, but when she ventured, his attention pivoted slightly, and his eyes fell across hers, burning fiercely as if daring her to flinch. But when she didn’t turn and run immediately he reconsidered. After all, misery did like company! So instead he snorted. “You doubt what a dragon is capable of? Many did, in the early days; they did not see the end of the war. You and your companion should be wary,” he spat the word between his teeth, recalling the dark-haired girl who had ridden up on the bay mare’s back. “And into the Kaledon you say? ay, maybe I am already too late…” * As they neared the fire, Lyonee wrinkled her nose at the strange smelling brew that bubbled in the pot. Her stomach growled in response despite her reservations, and she deducted that this must be gruel – an integral part of any fabled adventure, and while not particularly appetizing it would provide the hero (or heroine!) with all needed fortifications to take on the next day. Her hand still snug around Rhaine’s, she was starting to feel much better again, and decided it wouldn’t be much of A Test if she went on crying for home the first night out; also the prospect of cocoa seemed to make everything better. She was glad Sapata was coming too, because for the time being the young Indian woman was the most familiar human to her in the group. It further pleased her to find Sapata didn’t think much of the Adar either, and eyed the new woman who stood their babbling at it as if it were a small pet. The sight recalled stuffy aunt Germaine, who had a little white dog that would sit on her lap at the table and steal bits off her plate. Her mother and father both disapproved, but one really couldn’t say no to aunt Germaine – she was a lady of society, after all! The dog itself was similarly ill tempered, and had bit Lyonee when she went to pet him. Germaine said it was because he didn’t like children; Lyonee rather thought her auntie didn’t like them either. She was about to inquire whether the Adar also had fleas (most miserable creatures seemed to have them, thus Lyonee was convinced that it was bad humour that attracted them and not the other way around) when a small wuffling sensation at her ear made her turn. There she met the soft whiskery nose of a young unicorn – or what she presumed must be young, weighing on the blunt horn and still rather unruly hair that refused to fall neatly onto one side – who was extending his muzzle towards her most cautiously when a commotion erupted behind them (or more pointedly, behind Astarte) and it yeeeped.The look on his face that followed was so comical that all thoughts of the awful Adar left Lyonee and she laughed. She tugged on Rhaine’s sleeve again. “I like this one; does she belong to anyone?” Rhaine glanced up from the sachet of cocao Lilaini had just retrieved to asses what the child wanted. She smiled. “ His name is Kyndrienn,” she said gently, hoping that Kyn didn’t take it personally that Lyonee had mistaken him for a filly, “and unicorns don’t really belong to anyone, just like you and I; but I am sure he would like to be your friend, if you were to ask him.” The child took confidence from her response and turned to the young Koros again. “Pleased to make your acquaintances, Kyndrienn,” she put forth her most proper and courteous front. “I am Lyonee Ameline Lassier, of France. Formally,” she added, as an addendum. “Would you like to be my friend? We are having cocoa, and the Adar is not allowed to bother us anymore.” The guardian chuckled to herself as she turned from them, attending now to Ryan who had just spoken. “Goodness, stay where you are and sit yourself! There is plenty of room for all of us. You and Cadence have been traveling a while, have you not? Now’s the time to rest while we can.” Even as she spoke her mind had nudged Liliani again, awareness slipping out to beyond the trees. *Ulysses is uneasy; it makes me uneasy. I wish Mare Imbrium was here, there is so much I would ask her…* she broke off for a moment, redirecting her focus. Out loud, “have you noticed Tali? I have not seen him around camp; I do hope he faired well this afternoon.” * Xanthe blinked, staring up at seal bay mare, embarrassment pinching her features. Beyond the large rump, and to her dismay, she noticed Liam was quickly getting out of sight. She was about to rush some haphazard reply and get going when suddenly a dappled koros had also fixed upon them, and discretion at this moment was totally blown. “I was… securing the camp for the night,” she answered truthfully, because the way the mare was looking at it she had a sense of her own mother, and that concocting a story would probably get her no where. “Can never be too safe you know,” she smiled up helpfully towards the stallion, too. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Liam disappear into the trees and inwardly she groaned. She looked around for another source of distraction and noticed Kyn, engaging with a remarkably little person. She carefully pushed her feet beneath herself. “Sorry about that,” she directed to Astarte. “I suppose I got… a little too into it. And also this area looks quite secure already,” she nodded with approval. “So…I had best be… securing some more over there.” She gave both adults her most heartful and genuine smile, then bid her leave. She slipped to Kyn’s side beside the fire. “Hssst! Kyn! Quickly! He’s up to something – I know it!”* Luckily for Liam it was not Xanthe who wandered upon his path next, but Gwyneira, returning from the stream with a slightly sopping satchel and a rather rain-drunk plant, who was singing something about “the fern with extremely green leaves”, or as much as could be made out through the slight slurr in his speech. She happened upon the solider digging behind a large tree. “Oh, helloooo there!” she greeted brightly. “ You are one of the new companions, aren’t you? I am Gwyneira, I don’t believe we’ve made acquaintances yet. It looks like quite a lovely little adventure you have set yourselves upon – what fun! My children will want to hear all about it when I return home. Goodness they didn’t hear about it before hand, for then they’d be all rearing to go! and then where would I be? left home… alone… and childless…” she sighed heavily, purging this thought by remarking how good her luck was to be in such opposite a position. “….aaaaand the wind o’er the trees, for the fern (hic!) with extrem— extre— extremely green leeeeeeeaves!” gurgled the dripping satchel loudly and off-key. * * * Slowly, a small, shrinking feeling was filling the place of that almost euphoric reprise which followed the creatures’ happy departure. Tyden swallowed slowly. “ Erilynn?” he tried again, hoping for a reply or any kind of response really, even that strange, erratic babbling about National Junior Champions as when they first met. But as she continued a blank, it was futile. “I think… she’s in shock,” Tyden said. “A little help?” he dipped back to silver and ebony unicorn behind him. “Take the sword,” Odin nudged him aside, and as the man worked the metal gently from her hands, returning it safely to his scabbard, the stallion brought his nose up to level with her face. He breathed, deeply. Her eyes fluttered. And then she went down. Startled, Tyden scrambled to catch her before she met the ground, glancing at the stallion with alarm. “She’ll be fine,” was all Odin said, calmly, and with utter self-assurance. In fact, he looked downright impassive. “We’d best be going now.” Of course. Because that makes it so much easier this way! Tyden’s eyes on him were incredulous, but the stallion had already moved and was waiting for him to ready himself. He glanced down dumbly at the comatose woman and tried to constitute a reasonable course of action when he heard the stallion sigh, and ever so gracefully get down on one knee. Tyden took his cue. He gathered Erilynn up in his arms, and as efficiently as he could without jarring her, swung them both over the stallion’s back. She was settled before him, secured with one hand and the other looping through the unicorn’s dark mane. Odin lurched to rise. “We will not reach them before sundown,” the stallion rumbled quietly, picking a careful pace over the uneven ground. “I shall do my best.” Tyden nodded silently. A sigh left him, but it was mostly relief, that they were moving, and at the very least, Erilynn would be okay. He was content with the silence too, his mind flitting over the event unfurled, the sleek, shimmering shiny still glinting in his mind’s eye… (.....and we're off to see the others, the wonderful others of.... er, yes. We're off now. >.>)
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Post by dawnstar7 on Nov 26, 2009 20:50:47 GMT -5
The skycat had become more agitiated at her approach. Looking at the creature with a wry smile on her face, Erilynn said, peering around Tyden's shoulder, "I have no desire to abscond with your shiny. I would never steal from another what is rightfully theirs."
She met Tyeden's eyes as he spoke, serious now and intent upon his words. At the cerweynne's remark, she turned a steely glance his way. She followed behind Tyden as he approached the entangled pair, keeping a fair distance back. Catching herself admiring his backside, Erilynn quickly jerked her away, focusing on the mommoth and blushing furiously. "What is wrong with me? I'm here in an unknown world, surrounded by strange new creatures, and a stranger I've just barely met. There is no logical reason for me to be even remotely interested in him." she thought.
Reterning her thoughts to the present situation, she couldn't help but snicker silently at Tyden's comment to the cerewynne. He was, while a very handsome and regal creature, far to snobbish in her opinion. You would think a creature that looked like that would be a little more...gracious and stately, rather than behaving like a spoiled nobleman.
At Tyden's urging, the mammoth leaned slightly towards him. As he set to untangling the snooty cerewynne's antlers, he turned slightly and asked her to steady the cerweynne. Looking somewhat skeptical, she said, "If you think it necessary and as long as he doesn't object." Moving cautiously forward, she she placed one hand on the cerewynne's neck, the other on his side, near the flank. She marveled at the feel of his pelt. It was smooth, soft and as ethereal as gossamer silk, and she couldn't help but smile in delighted wonder. Turning her head to watch Tyden untangle the unruly mess of hair and antler, she became so engrossed that, without thought, she started to stroke the hair beneath her hands in a slow, soothing manner. Much the same way that she would reassure and sooth a horse.
When finally the job was done, she stepped back as the cerewynne broke loose, scrambling most ungraciously to maintain his footing. She had to admire his agility, however, in that he managed to keep his antlers away from both her and Tyden. Smiling slightly as the cerewynne said 'behind', Erilynn's attention was drawn once more to the skycat as she shrieked at the mammoth to get to his feet. She cast a sympathetic look at the mammoth, who looked quite weary, and wondered at his long suffering nature. He certainly seemed to be taking everything with a great deal of patience and fortidude.
At Tyden's urging, she moved back, giving the mammoth, hopefully, enough room to rise to his feet. As he slowly stood, for his legs had been folded and cramped for quite some time, she gazed in awe at just how big he was. The wonder was made even greater when she recalled that he had not yet reached his full growth. Once he had finally risen to his feet, the skycat once more set to making a ruckus about her shiny.
Out of curiosity, Erilynn looked where the mammoth had lain, looking for the infamous 'shiny'. However, after a few moments, it became quite apparent that said shiny wasn't there. Glancing at Tyden she said, "Um, I do believe this could be a problem." The skycat was in a frenzy over the missing shiny, shrieking, screaming, and wailing, calling them all sorts of names and spitting out profanities that would make even a sailor's eyes to bug out of his head. Making sure to stay behind Tyden, she eyed the griffin uneasily, knowing this could turn uglier any moment. Odin was suddenly beside them, ready to fend off the griffin. Glancing towards the mammoth, her eyes was caught by a spot of color on the fur of the mammoth's belly. She turned to say something to Tyden, only to find that he'd noticed it as well.
Suddenly finding the sword thrust into her hands, Erilynn stared as the owner of the sword dashed off towards the mammoth. She was quite offended at his assumption that she didn't know how to handle a sword, and was debating whether or not to stick him with it when he returned. A wicked smile crossed her face at the thought, and a mischievous glint sparkled in her eyes. However, as Tyden had gone beneath the mammoth, the skycat dove, and as he emerged, he shouted, holding up a brilliant red object. She watched in amazment as the griffin turned agilely in mid-leap to avoid hitting Tyden. Keeping her eyes on her shiny, she walked forward, stopping in front of him, waiting. After gazing transfixed at the shiny for a while, a slight frown creasing his forhead, Tyden set it down before her. Licking it up into her mouth, the skycat took off, doubtless flying towards her nest or lair where she would safely add it to her collection.
Finally, as the griffin flew out of sight, everyone relaxed. The mammoth let out a sigh, turned to Tyden, and said, "Thank you." As Tyden responded with a polite 'You're welcome', the mammoth lifted his trunk to test the air. Having located the direction of his herd, the mammoth made to walk off, then turned back towards them. Erilynn stared in puzzlement at his remark.
For some reason, as Erilynn ran the mammoth's comment over in her mind again, a strange, sinking feeling filled her heart and seemed to seep into the marrow of her bones. She just stared, off in the direction the mammoth had taken. As Tyden called to her, she heard, but was, for whatever reason, unable to respond. He came up and removed the sword from her hand, at Odin's urging, and still could not bring herself to react. She was lost in a strange sort of fog, able to hear and see, but not speak. Suddenly, the stallion was before her, and as he breathed on her face, she fell into complete darkness. . . .
Erilynn's eyes slowly fluttered open, and then she squinted them closed once more. The light of the fast-sinking sun glared at her, and she turned her head towards the strong, warm chest of the man cradling her ever so carefully before him. With sudden realization, her eyes sprung open, and she glanced up at Tyden. They were moving, riding towards the mountains, and away from the glade in which that curious scene had occured. Her mind drifted back, once more to the mammoth's comment, wondering what it might mean, and whether there was any significance in it.
Suddenly realizing exactly what position she was in, she struggled to right herself, embarrassed to find herself being carried like a child. She looked once more at Tyden. "Where are we, and what happened, exactly?" she asked. She tried to remember what had happened after the mammoth's departure, but couldn't. Everything was wrapped in a dense fog. "I . . . I didn't faint, did I?" she asked, her voice small. If she had indeed fainted, she believed she die of mortification. She had never fainted before, and if she had fainted in front of him . . . well, she couldn't think of anything much worse.
Dreading what his response might be, she turned her head towards the mountains, which were now so close they loomed over them, rising into the sky like jagged teeth. In truth, she could hardly wait until they reached the camp he spoke of. Couldn't wait to get away from him, and this strange effect he was having on her. Hopefully it was only because he was the only other human around, at perhaps the presence of others would negate it. She hoped.
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