RP Areas for Hoofed Tribe - 11.

[Incognita Ninja]

Meyaira Firespring

Hoofed Tribe
Large Forest near Purri Town

Eralin looked at her strange. "Why is that such a surprise to you? Elves have very keen hearing, and some can even read minds. Lady Galandriel can not only read minds, she can speak into their heads. She told me and my sister that, when the Fellowship came to her lands, Lothlorien."

Eralin got up and gently took the plates from Peridot. "Lord Elrond would be ashamed if I didn't do these for you. I may be a prince, but I will not have a guest do this for me." He gently put the plates on the ground for a minute, as he needed to tie his hair back. His hair glinted softly in the firelight, and it almost look like snow, only off colored. Once his hair was tied back, he gave Peridot a smile and picked up the plates off the ground.

"You stay here, I don't want you to hurt yourself anymore. I'll go wash these up." With a smile, he was gone from the clearing towards a stream that he could hear and wasn't very far from the clearing. It seemed like he had passed through here before on the journey to Purri Town proper.

When he came back, his eyes seemed sadder, and if he saw Peridot sleeping, he gave no notice. He gently put the plates back into the pack and quietly tended the fire. The breeze seemed to whisper a song, and he quietly hummed it, and at certain points began to sing it. He was mindful to be careful of not waking up Peridot though. The breeze seemed to sense his sadness and gave voice to the song.

I hear the wind across the plain
A sound so strong - that calls my name
It's wild like the river - it's warm like the sun
Ya it's here - this is where I belong

Under the starry skies - where eagles have flown
This place is paradise - it's the place I call home
The moon on the mountains
The whisper through the trees
The waves on the water
Let nothing come between this and me

Cuz everything I want - is everything that's here
And when when we're all together - there's nothing to fear
And wherever I wander - the one thing I've learned
It's to here - I will always....always return

Sighing, he unrolled his bedroll and settled down on the other side of the fire. After he got himself ready for bed, he banked the fire and crawled into the bedroll. They were needing good night's sleep if they were gonna cover more distance tomorrow. He dreamed about his home, the warm sun filtering in the leaves of Lothlorien, and the solidity of his father's tree palace. He also dreamed of the Shire, and the curious folk in there. Even though he hated to admit it, he was lonesome for his home, Middle Earth.  

[Viper 9000]

Meyaira Firespring

In a small cave in large forest near Hoofed Tribe

"Best we keep that information to ourselves." Morning replies, watching the firefly's speedy retreat into the distance. He quickly lost her however as her light winked out and she disappeared into the night sky.

Midnight, having ditched the conversation early, had no problem taking Bess' suggestion and was once again snoring away. "Poke me if you need anything. I'm a fairly light sleeper." Morning says before rejoining his wife.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Fully rested and pregnant as ever, Midnight got on her feet without complaint the following morning and the three companions resumed their trek.

"Think those wandering canine members will give us any trouble?" Morning asked Bess.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Viper 9000

Incognita Ninja

Hoofed Tribe

Large Forest near Purri Town

Peridot fidgeted at his question. Guess he wasn’t going to tell her where the nearest stream was. “I…I forgot. I guess. I’m not used to being around anyone with such good hearing” She didn’t know who Lady Galadriel was but her ability to read minds made her feel uncomfortable. That would be awful. What if she read something you didn’t want her to see? Peridot sincerely hoped Eralin didn’t have that ability. “She sounds very powerful” the girl mumbled, looking at the dirty plates in her hands.

She lightly protested when they were taken from her. “Ah, really, you don’t have to…!” There wasn’t much she could do after he took them. He seemed to have some code of honour that made sure he was going to wash these dishes despite her offer. Peri was surprised to feel a little indignant. She knew how to wash a dish. She did them all the time at the café back in Purri town. And besides, he was a prince, way more important and noble than she was. She should be doing them, really.

He put the plates on the ground and she snuck a peek at what he was doing, watching him tie back his long, silken hair. It was pretty and in the firelight she thought it glimmered with an ethereal glow. Something about that unnatural beauty of his reminded her again how plain she was. Well, not plain maybe. Her fingers tugged a strand of her pale blue hair and she inspected the colour. Blue hair and Mauve eyes. Her name didn’t suit her at all anymore since ‘they’ changed her colours. Peridot meant a light green; she’d been named after her birthstone.

That made her think of her family back on Earth and she shook her head, pushing the old hurt away. “Okay” she nodded and sat down on her sleeping roll while Eralin disappeared into the trees on soundless footsteps.

Geez, he must think she was so incompetent. She hadn’t hurt herself yet. Just made some mistakes and had fears and worries. That he heard. Another groan had her placing her face in her hands and wishing she never said anything. She took off her boots and leaned them against the tree then got into the bedroll and tried to sleep. The forest floor was uncomfortable with twigs and rocks and she could hear all sorts of weird insect noises but she was tired and eventually drifted off, her blanket clutched tight to her chin to prevent any unwanted bugs or snakes crawling in.

***

Sunlight danced over her eyelids and the sound of birds rang in her ears. Peri stared at the leafy canopy above and smiled at the sight, admiring the way the leaves danced amongst light and shadow. A bird trilled as it hopped around in the branches with something in its beak. She sat up stiffly with a moan of discomfort. Sleeping on the ground was hard! She ached in several places. “Yeeesh, that was rough” she complained loudly in her sleep-grated voice. It wasn’t the best rest she ever had. But at least it was something. Getting out of bed she began to roll it up and put it back with her pack, looking around for Eralin. She woke up fairly easily once she was out of bed, being a morning person. After a quick snack she’d be ready to travel to the hoofed tribe some more.

For Viper:

((I can’t remember what Bess is wearing. I think her outfit randomly changed somewhere along the way. cat_sweatdrop Pretty sure she’s wearing a shift dress but at one point it was a skirt and tunic. Oops. Kept forgetting she had a bow and quiver too, and three throwing knives strapped to her leg. Or maybe not. I got confused at what point she changed her clothes))

Large Forest near Hoofed Tribe

She assured Morning that she would poke him awake if needed and stayed by the entrance for the remainder of the night. Not much interesting happened, though and she was relieved when the greyish green light of dawn gave way to clearer morning light filtered down into the forest.

Grabbing up her bow and quiver, she checked the campsite one last time to make sure to erase traces of their presence and then continued the way back home with her friends.

***

They walked quickly and as quietly as possible, not talking much. Bess checked around frequently, listening out for trouble, wary and alert. She had taken them closer to the border of the Canine tribe territory than she normally would have, in order to avoid the insect people that were searching for them but she didn’t feel comfortable having to trespass.

After hours, most of the day really, of walking, they stopped at the river crossing where they could cool off and have a break when Morning asked his question. “I’m hoping not. So long as we hurry up into our borders our sentries should guard us well enough to…oh. Darn” Bess started to answer but then stopped and pointed to something she saw.

Out of the bushes nearby emerged a handful of cat people, carrying spears, knives and hunting bows, apparently looking for food. They had a net and started to set up near the river’s edge of the clearing, to be fishing off the bridge that crossed the water.

“Okay, nothing to worry about. Just a couple of cat folk. They had to come across dog territory to get to this spot. Either they’re brave, or they don’t have any respect for the canine tribe and are rubbing it in their faces” she whispered, taking a sip of her water and keeping an eye on what the felines were doing. The cats were well known for antagonising their enemy tribes and taunting them. They hadn’t seen Bess and co. as the three were partly obscured by the trees and bushes that grew near the river edge.

But as the cats foraged the clearing for food, on the other side of the water, she spotted some canines coming out of the trees, carrying fishing rods and baskets and also weapons. Bess gritted her teeth. She sighed. “Of course…spoke too soon” she rolled her eyes, heavy with sarcasm. “Not again. Those two are always at it”

It didn’t take long for the two tribes to spot each other, sure enough. There were arguments, barks, growls, hisses, accusations…name calling…and before she knew it, spears were flying and the two parties had engaged in a violent scuffle over a territorial dispute. So much for being able to refill their canteens and cool off their feet in the water. The fighting had blocked the bridge across this part of the river.

“Kay, we have two options” Bess smiled, picking up her bow and nocking an arrow to it. “One, we find an alternative route, and leave them to it. Or two, we clear the path”

 

[Viper 9000]

Meyaira Firespring

((Yeah, her outfit shifted or was altered after she fell in that river I believe. I'm not sure about her weapons but I remember her having a bow.))

Large Forest near Hoofed Tribe

Peering over Bess' shoulder at the growing conflict along the riverbank, Morning shakes his head and tsks in disappointment. "Look at those fools. Wasting their lives and energy fighting each other in a pointless squabble. Such energy would be much better put to use grinding those 'scientists' into the ground and expunging them from this land."

Such words from her normally laid back and relaxed mate caught Midnight by surprise. Thinking about it, Midnight never really considered the horrors those scientists must have put a healthy test subject like her mate through. The thought had her shiver in terror. Wrapping an arm around Morning, she gave him a side-hug and loving lay her head against his shoulder.

"We should find a way around them," Midnight says, strangely being the voice of reason. "We've been walking all day and don't want to get embroiled in a conflict that might cause backlash for the hoofed tribe."  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Viper 9000

((Whoops, my mistake. I'm going to say she's still wearing the skirt and tunic top then, cause I like that outfit better. Lol))

((Also: Tektek Bess! ))

Large Forest near Hoofed Tribe

Bess sighed and nodded knowingly. "Yep, that's the problem. If we could find a way to stop the petty bickering, we could finally gain our freedom. I know the science labs have a portal system of some kind that lets them go to other worlds. Or maybe it's one of their monster's powers or something. If we could take over the labs, we can go back to our worlds. Or stay here. But at least we'd have the choice" she murmured to them, keeping her voice low. Even so, she swore she saw several ears perk up across the way. The canines and felines were renowned for their excellent hearing.

Bess started to creep away from their hiding spot, motioning for her friends to follow. "Come on, I know another spot where there's a big fallen tree across the water. It's covered in slippery moss, but we should be able to crawl across".

She led them to the fallen tree; a large ancient behemoth with its roots high in the air and its branches on the other side of the riverbank. Moss and water weeds draped all over it like tatty green beards with tiny flowers sprinkled through them as decoration. The ends of the moss swayed gently where they trailed in the currents. The whole thing appeared to be solidly in place, yet slimier than a toad.

((Dice roll: anything above 5 is a no, anything below 5 is a yes))  

[Viper 9000]

Meyaira Firespring

(Hehe, very nice! ^^ Wish I had more patience to deal with tektek so I can make one for Midnight and kids. Also I thought Bess had hooves?)

Large Forest near Hoofed Tribe

"While I'm normally quite confident in my ability to balance on such things, I do not see myself being able to cross that with the little ones throwing off my center of gravity..." Midnight comments, a hand bracing the small of her back upon seeing the tree.

Morning nods in agreement. "As refreshing as the river might be, I fear what might happen if Midnight fell off into it in her condition."

(How wide and deep is the river? Is the current slow enough that a person could walk/swim through it?)  

[WritingTime]

Meyaira Firespring

The gentle walk through the countryside calmed Misty's nerves. She had said a lot of stuff she'd realized she shouldn't have to Riven, but it was to up her spirits and his own. She knew as they crossed the bridge that they'd be entering another territory, but did so anyway out of necessity to get rid of the heavy chest on her back. It was important to deliver things where needed even at the risk of one's own life, even if she still hadn't gotten used to walking around as a four-legged centuar quite yet.

She looked at Riven as they walked and asked him, "Just how many guards might it be that we are bringing on this quest. If you say some of the hills might be dangerous I really hope they did give us enough. I'd hate to pass into mermaid lands without proper protection." She had no idea what this world had to offer her, but she was fairly certain Riven had seen or done things here before based on the way he had just spoken. She gulped in the fresh air and could smell grass under their feet the moment she clopped on beyond the bridge.

The place beyond the horse was horse country and the thought of grass as far as the eye could see caused her belly to sag as she thought one thought aloud for him to hear, "I'm hungry again."  

[Incognita Ninja]

Meyaira Firespring

Hoofed Tribe
Large Forest near Purri Town

Eralin was up a couple seconds after Peridot. "Good morning! How was your rest?" He stretched his arms and legs, getting warmed up in the cooler morning mist and fog. He went back and sat on his bedroll.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not much of a morning person. There should be some food left in one of the packs." Eralin yawned and flopped back down on his bedroll, but he wasn't sleeping. In fact, he was wide awake.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

WritingTime

Viper 9000

Incognita Ninja

Large Forest near Hoofed Tribe

((It’s about five to six metres wide and the depth varies depending where in the river you are. I’d say it’s one or two metres deep along the sides but the closer you get to the middle, the deeper it gets, so that you can float a boat along it. The current is slow to medium paced and it’s medium strength, so if your character is a good swimmer, they should be able to get across. When it rains, the current is a lot stronger and faster. No, Bess doesn’t have hooves; she’s just in the hoofed tribe because she’s a boar girl. I didn’t think that through too much. She has traits from her animal type, such as good stamina, can be stubborn, loyal, good at hunting things, and so on. Maybe I should give her the ability to turn into a wild boar later)).

Bess looked from the log to the woman and back again, calculating the course she would have to take. “What if you turn into your werebear form and go on all fours and dig your claws in?” she posed, thinking it over.

“Otherwise, you could try to swim across and grab onto the tree for support, if you’re a good swimmer. The current’s not too fast and it hasn’t been raining. It’s going to be cold though”. She did know another way across, yet they’d have to backtrack a long way and their chances of being caught would be much higher.

“Oh wait, I have another idea” So saying, Bess took her bow from where it was slung on her back, and nocked an arrow from her quiver to it. She took aim and fired the arrow into the top of the log, then another, a little further away, then another, next to that. “You can use these arrows as handholds. They will snap under a full weight but you should just be able to use them to help balance on the way if you go all fours” she smiled, letting another arrow sink into the mossy log. That was what Bess was planning to do. She doubted she’d be able to walk across upright with all the slippery moss, but if she crawled over it like she’d done in the past, she knew could make it to the other side.

Shouts and yowls from the fighting canines and felines filtered back to them through the forest. It sounded like quite the ruckus had broken out. Glancing that direction, Bess sighed. “I just hope no one cuts down the bridge again. That was a pain last time”.

Hoofed Tribe
Large Forest

“Oh, um…it was good” she lied. Her rest had been uncomfortable, as she wasn’t used to sleeping out of doors or on the forest floor. She had small bruises all over from the little rocks and twigs on the ground. But she didn’t want to sound whiny and spoiled. “How was yours?” She asked him in return, noticing that he seemed to be well rested, though she couldn’t fathom how.

Peridot watched Eralin with a modicum of disbelief as he flopped back onto his bed roll. He wasn’t in much of a hurry to keep moving, even though they were meant to be going to the hoofed tribe to get horses, in order to look for his missing sister. Surely that was important enough to him to keep him on the move? Every minute, his sister could be getting farther and farther away, and he was so calm. Then again, Peridot thought, Nabelin had been lost for quite a while by the sounds of it and she was one-thousand-and-something years old. She could definitely take care of herself, right? Maybe it didn’t matter how long they took to find her. It was probably just the fact that Eralin wanted to see her again that made him want to search for her.

“Food. Okay!” nodding at his mention of breakfast, she knelt down and began to look in her pack, knowing she’d packed some rations in there. She pulled out two apples, a block of hard cheese and a bag of trail mix, holding it up to show Eralin.

“Will this do? I know it’s simple. I could cook us something if you like” They could eat while they walked, if Eralin wanted to, but Peridot loved cooking and wouldn’t mind if he wanted her to make them breakfast.

Hoofed Tribe - Grassy Fields

((Note: They will go through the grasslands and then skirt around the star fields. After that it turns into swamp and then savannah...until they reach the ocean where the aquatic tribe resides))

The two continued to talk as they travelled. Hearing Misty’s question, he replied. “They’ve given us two guards for this assignment. Aidenna gave you a medium level task, so I’d wager she didn’t expect too much trouble on the way. But since all the tribes are fighting and there are monsters and wild animals roaming around, she would have made sure those guards were fit for the job. They’ll be well trained and well able to protect us”, he explained reassuringly. As he finished speaking, his ears caught the sounds of hooves thudding the earth, and he felt a slight vibration in the ground beneath his hooves.

“Oh, oh wow, Miss Misty, I think we’re going to have some company” Riven announced, looking towards the sounds. “They’re coming from that way” he pointed to the right and sure enough, a herd of wild horses appeared on the horizon and thundered into view, running across the pastures together, with several centaurs in their midst. The horses tossed their heads joyfully, running wild and free. The centaurs waved to Riven and Misty as the herd galloped past and Riven grinned and waved back energetically. When they had gone, he looked up at Misty again.

“Ha ha, those are some of the nomadic folks that like to live around here. Not everyone prefers to live on farms or in houses. Those centaurs we just saw watch over the herds, live with them and look after them. They feel like they are truly free that way” he explained as they kept walking. “They can communicate with the horses, so they gain their trust and friendship more easily than most. You might also have that ability”. He couldn’t know for sure as that ability was given to some centaurs and not others.

Just as they reached the borders of the tribe’s grasslands, where the wild lands lay beyond, two guards came up to meet them. One was female, a red deer taur with a tan hide and tanned skin tone, like a centaur but instead with the body of a deer and a svelte human form from the waist up. Her hair was long, and ran to her mid back. She carried a bow and a quiver of arrows, and looked to be fast and agile. The other was a cow human hybrid, similar in appearance to a Minotaur, yet differing in his markings of black splotches on a white background; a Holstein Friesian, usually known for being dairy cows, although only the females produce milk. He carried a large axe and several smaller throwing axes on a belt around his waist. He gave a gentle snort, his axe hefted over one shoulder “Come” was the single word he uttered, beckoning them to follow as his companion fell into step on their left and he guarded them on the right.

“We go now into wild lands” the deer taur added, cooly and calmly. “There is no turning back” Meaning, if they did decide to turn back, the guards won’t follow. They were hired to do their job and that meant moving forward to their destination.

 

[Viper 9000]

Meyaira Firespring

(Oooooh, we could have one of Midnight's kiddos bite Bess after they're born. Given she's already part animal she wouldn't contract the full lycanthropy but it might awaken something deep in Bess' DNA allowing her to make the change from human shape to animal. biggrin )

Large Forest near Hoofed Tribe

Being born of a tribe of hunters, swimming was nothing new to Midnight. In the right conditions she rather enjoyed it. Testing the water with a foot Midnight shrugs. "Its not too bad, but I imagine the babies won't enjoy it, bear form or not."

Like his mate, Morning was an experienced swimmer. Although after nearly drowning and being ship wrecked on Purri it was a activity he tended to avoid.

"We should try it in our bear forms as Bess suggested." Midnight nods in agreement.

Shedding their human forms, the pair of werebears mounted the ancient tree and slowly started their way across with Midnight in the lead. The going was slow but thanks to their claws the path was far less dangerous than it normally would have been.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Viper 9000

((That sounds good. Let’s do it. And I was going to wait until I had my Springfog post done before posting this. But I'm having trouble with that one so I decided to finish this first))

Large Forest near Hoofed Tribe

“Sorry about this, guys. I know it’s not the ideal way across” Bess apologised, with a meek grin. “It’s the best I could think of, given our circumstances” She knew the cold probably wasn’t too good for Midnight’s belly and hoped her thick bear fur and her internal body temperature should insulate them enough to make a crossing.

Bess waited for her friends to cross, shooting enough arrows into the log to last them the whole way across. She then crouched down and carefully crawled onto the mossy log, grabbing the shaft of an arrow to help balance as her knees slid on the slimy moss. She plucked the arrows out as she went, putting them back in her quiver, getting green stains on her hands and the sharp scent of the moss infused on her skin. She wasn’t one to waste arrows, when they took precious resources to make.

As Midnight and Morning reached the other side of the river, they would see a collection of small, furry animals clustered on the ground. The animals looked almost like rabbits with their paws and bouncy movements, except they were equipped with long skinny trunks in place of noses, and had slender, pointed ears like gum tree leaves, which stuck straight up in the air. They had round, beady black eyes, and were mostly browns and tans, covered in a light coating of downy fuzz, with long tails that looked like those of an elephant and had tufts on the end. They appeared to be hopping around grabbing trunkfuls of grass and popping it in their mouths, their little tails wagging. As soon as they saw the bears approaching however, shrill tiny trumpets erupted around the clearing and they scattered, hopping off into the bushes. Except for one. It came up to Midnight, trunk raised, sniffing at her scent. It was a little different to the others, with a ribbon around its neck tied with a bell that tinkled softly. Tiny shrill trumpet noises issued from it’s trunk. It seemed skinnier than the other Mellies and looked almost happy to see them.

Bess, from her place up on the log, leaned forwards trying to get a closer look. “Wow, a friendly Mellie. They’re usually so shy” she leaned forwards a little more to look at it and somehow without meaning to, accidentally slipped.

"Aah!” Bess flailed, skidded and ended up landing in the river shallows with a splash, her clothes streaked green from the moss. She got up and waded to shore, climbing out with a frown as she wrung out her wet hair. “Darn it! That's two times I've fallen into water!" she chuckled, seeing the humour in the situation. "Oh well, I'll dry''

 

[Viper 9000]

Meyaira Firespring

(No worries. ^^ Take your time. Are you planning on drawing these melly creatures next?)

Large Forest near Hoofed Tribe

Shedding her werebear form, Midnight approaches the curious Mellie and kneels.

"It appears to be somebody's pet if the collar and bell are anything to go on." the female werebear comments, offering the creature her hand so she might pet it.

Having never seen a Mellie before, Morning kept his distance and watched over his mate's shoulder. Or he did until he heard Bess fall into the river. "Water just isn't your friend..." He says with a smile as he helped Bess onto solid ground.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Viper 9000

((I did a rough sketch of one in my art book back home. cat_3nodding House sitting and kitty-minding at a friend's atm but as soon as I can, I'll post it up so you can see. AND: Midnight just went into labour 'cause the dice rolled a 4. They’re almost home but depending on how things work out, she may end up giving birth in the forest. Want me to roll for difficulty and duration, or make those up as you go?))

Large Forest near Hoofed Tribe

The strange mix of rabbit and miniature elephant raised its trunk and gently tickled Midnight’s palm as it sniffed her. It let out small squeaks and raised up onto its hind paws, its front paws tapping at her hand as though it expected to find food there. When it got close enough, Midnight would be able to see a small lightweight wooden token threaded onto its makeshift collar, bearing the symbol of the hoofed tribe.

Bess took hold of Morning’s giant panda paw and waded carefully over the slippery pebbles and rocks on the bottom of the riverbed, climbing out onto the shore and trying to wring out her hair and clothing. There were green stains on her knees, skirt and tunic, as well as on her arms and chin, but she was otherwise unharmed apart from being soaked to the bone. “Not today anyhow” she agreed with Morning’s analysis. “I’ll get into some fresh clothes when we get back. These’ll need to be soaked” she remarked, pulling her wet top away from her skin with a grimace. Ugh, wet clothes were heavy and cold.

“Huh? A pet?” Hearing Midnight’s comment about the Mellie, Bess looked the same way as Morning and saw that the little critter did indeed have a ribbon collar with a tag and bell. It was acting friendly towards Midnight, another hint that the normally shy animal was used to being around people. Wandering over, Bess placed her hands on her knees and leaned down, watching the Mellie interact with her friend. “Well, that’s odd. I wonder whose it is. Does the tag say anything? One thing I know about Mellies is that they tend to be very loyal once tamed. It’s strange that it’s strayed from its owner. Anyway, it’s not safe here. This part of the forest is still canine territory. We should get going.” Bess could feel her heart strings being tugged as she looked at it. It was kind of skinny. “Maybe we should take it with us”.

Now that they were across the river, the trio were nearly into hoofed tribe borders. They just had to get through the bit of forest that the canine tribe had claimed and they’d make it to the booby trapped forest patrolled and guarded by the hoofed tribe’s sentries.

 

[Viper 9000]

Meyaira Firespring

(Oh snap, I totally paid zero attention to the dice roll. My bad. xD Go ahead and toss out some rolls to work off. We can't go into detail with her birth so we'll have to know what happen for a time skip. If nothing else, Midnight giving birth in the forest will alert the guards and they will bring help.)

Large Forest near Hoofed Tribe

With Bess on dry land, Morning shook off his werebear form as well. As he turned and followed Bess back to Midnight, he sensed something was wrong. Midnight, while still in the kneeling position she had been in moments ago, was now leaning forward with one hand clutching the side of her belly.

"Oh sheet..." Morning muttered, rushing to his mate's side. Unfortunately the sudden movement startled the Mellie and caused it to skip away from Midnight. Midnight's expression was twisted in pain as the babies moved about and prepared for their impending birth.

"What do we do?" Morning asked Bess. He tried to keep the hint of panic out of his voice, but having zero knowledge of what to do in this situation didn't help much.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Viper 9000

((Lol, I had to back-read over my comments to remember which number meant what. And sure, we’ll be skipping over most of the details. I’m keeping Gaia’s PG 13 limit in mind ^_^

Duration: 6 hours (rolled a d12)

Difficulty Level: 1 – easy (rolled a d10) 'easy' meaning, easy as far as labours go. XD

Looks like there’s plenty of time to get back to the village, or get the sentries to send for help))

Large Forest near Hoofed Tribe

The Mellie skittered away from Morning’s sudden movements, hopping to hide behind Bess. It leaned in close to her legs, it’s trunk raised in the air, sniffing cautiously, its long, thin ears quivering.

Bess knelt down and gently petted the Mellie, before picking it up, stroking its head as it sat in her arms. She could feel that it was shaking, so she continued to pet it to calm it down. Looking at its collar tag, she was surprised to see the hoofed tribe symbol etched there. It must have come from the village.

Looking up at Morning’s exclamation she couldn’t help noticing Midnight’s painful wince and Morning’s slight panic. Midnight was clutching her belly…Bess quickly put two and two together. So, it was time, probably didn’t help with everything Midnight had been through the past couple of days. Or maybe it was the shock of cold water from the river crossing. Whatever it was, there was no stopping it now.

“Well…I-I’d say that we should keep walking, as careless as that sounds” Bess advised them, trying to stay calm as she went over the things she had heard their tribe’s healer say. M’rala assisted with their tribe’s deliveries, not that there were ever many. Walking and gentle exercise could be helpful for those in labour, taking their mind off the pain and even helping things along, Bess recalled.

“We can stop to take breaks whenever Midnight needs to and then keep going. I remember M’rala talking about it. The timing’s not that great but I’d wager that we have at least a few hours before any of them arrive. If we can just make it into the Hoofed tribe’s borders, the guards will send for M’rala and her assistants, so there’s no need to worry” she smiled at them, a little excited and anxious herself.

“The important thing is to stay calm” Bess reminded everyone, looking pointedly at Morning while putting emphasis on the last two words, petting the Mellie again. It had started to calm down, looking more relaxed.