|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 8:36 pm
 |
|
|
 |
 The journey home--if it could be called that--had left the doe a little more than frazzled by the anxiety of the buck she'd met at the obelisk. He'd called her clever and lovely. He'd wanted her to travel with him, to find his twin, and she'd run like a scared rabbit.
A measure of shame and regret burned at the memory. She was a predator, not prey. And to be scared of an acha--an acha--she couldn't help feeling like a cowardice failure. It, however, didn't stop her from wondering if she might see him again. To be fair, she wouldn't have called it hope. She didn't pine like some silly creature infected with puppy infatuation. (The fact her tongue twisted into knots whenever the thought of l-lo-like came up...) Indeed, just that morning a perplexed Giveforward has asked why she wasn't in a hurry to go back home. The doe had mumbled off a preposterous mingle of nonsense before volunteering to hunt for breakfast.
It was far past the morning meal now and still, she sat perched by a popular lake. From the desert, it was one of the first ones kin might wander upon. Even to herself it was hard to lie about why it was this spot she'd selected. Although she definitely wasn't there because he was--she rolled her eyes at herself. She just wanted to greet him, if she saw him. For the length of her life, she'd focused so much on the beast of her naming, on the ocean, that the idea of a friend was intriguing. That was all. And so she sat, waiting to see if he might appear.
Besides the odds she would even see him were likely terrible. There were tons of acha, both in the swamp and not. Surely there would be more making the trek into the native home of the kimeti. He may not even decide to come. Not everyone cared to see what was beyond their home. And if she hadn't herself wanted to venture away from her birthplace, she might have thought that no one ever did. But she had. And maybe, maybe he might, too. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 9:03 pm
|
|
|
|
She'd been... oh, how beautiful, how clever, and how coy. She hadn't shut him down, just stammered and made a motion of impulse, and that had definitely made Sea of Butterflies interested in pursuing her, at least to apologize for making her uncomfortable, and to see if a friendship couldn't be salvaged from the ruins of his budding infatuation.
Either way, it was a win. He got to see the world– the plains, stretching far and broad, with herds of male-centric kin roaming defined territories of hypnotically-waving grasses– and now the swamp, which to him seemed to be a beautiful, wet, oasis bursting with life... and... honestly a little overslimy from all the life about.
He'd since mired himself in all manner of mud, scum, and goodness-only-knew what else, and he'd been told of a body of clear, fresh water to drink and bathe in– a paradise in what had turned out to be maybe a little too damp and overrun with vibrant, riotous living to really be a paradise any more.
As soon as he saw the water, his pace sped up, his nose carefully lowering again so he could make certain he didn't hurt himself on the altogether much more solid terrain than he was generally used to, and then, when he hit clearing, he ran for it.
He didn't stop until he hit the water, and shrieked in pleasure and surprise. So cold! Oases were never this cold!
"Bitter-cold! Coldy-cold! Oh, you wicked stuff...." he chided, carefully dancing his hooves in a little deeper– and hissing at the feeling of it. His hair, his poor, tangled hair, started soaking in the water, and let loose a clouding miasma of murk into the otherwise fairly clear water.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 9:49 pm
|
|
|
|
There was a splash and a voice somewhere to her left and she turned, eyes blinking as she saw a figure prancing into the lake's waters. It took a moment to take in the brown muzzle, deep purple hair, and hint of horns. He'd come. And she didn't know whether to rush out to greet him or hide behind a tree with the way air choked in her lungs as her heart took that moment to explode. It was all she could do to stay upright, not wanting to look like a complete fool.
Breathe she reminded herself as she moved forward. Now whether it would be best to walk around or swim... She huffed at herself for being so caught up in whatever it was that had her acting like some newborn foal who was being asked to leave its mother for the first time. She was confident; she knew who she was. Or had.
Breach let her hooves touch the water as she began to walk out into the lake. To her the water was warm, not at all like the chillier waves of the ocean she frequented. Desert water would be far warmer than even this though and she reminded herself that she'd shrieked as bad, if not worse, when she'd swam in the rough waters for the first time. He had a right to be surprised by this new environment.
"Hello," she called as she swam effortlessly through the calm lake water. This she could do, although the closer she got, the more she felt a strange thrashing in her stomach and chest. "I have been keeping a watch to greet you," and then wondered if her words were too open, too friendly. Why was talking suddenly so damn hard?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
