[PRP] Copper Clouds (Raikinti and Whisper)

[~Latonia de la Courtel~]

((This Stallion is Maxed. Lat Teepee Here.))


((Ebonrune's Teepee Here))

 

[~Latonia de la Courtel~]

Raikinti gave himself a nerve-steeling shake as he gazed down the path that lead into the black heart of the woods. The forest ahead of him was dense, promising plenty of shadows in which danger could lurk. It was also outside of his usual wandering zone, nearer to the foot of the mountains than he regularly wandered. Still, there were supplies to fetch for his friends, herbs or mushrooms for the Shaman or flowers for the sea-born Soquili that had never seen them before. A dozen little errands he had put off until they had sufficiently accumulated.

But now there was no avoiding it. He had tasks to complete and things to fetch, and thus a wandering he would go. As soon as he could make himself do so.

"Come on, get it together." The striped stallion muttered to himself. "So what, the last time you were in the woods a Kalona chased and hunted you for sport. But you made it, and there are others counting on you... So, get ready."

Moderately cheered by the mini-pep-talk, Raik flipped his heavy ears forward and searched for signs of danger. The woods head of him was relatively quiet, the silence broken by the wind rustling the leaves. Small mammals scurried through the branches, ruffled the shrubbery. There were also distant birds cheerfully whistling and singing, and their sound alone made him drift into the woods, his mind half-lost in listening to their songs.

'There, see? Not so bad....'

 

[~Latonia de la Courtel~]

With careful steps, the half-Cery stallion progressed down the path and entered the mouth of the woods. Tension skittered over his withers and down his spine, a fear-reaction-memory stirred by being in the shadows of the wood once more. There was a time he felt most safe in the forest, but that had been somewhat tarnished by his run-in with the Kalona stallion that had tried to make him lunch.

'Probably want to forget about that, 'Kinti.' He scolded himself, and draw his head up as he stepped further into the embrace of the trees.

The forest itself wasn't bad, lending the patching sunlight and greenery to help him hide from those who might want to make a meal of him. And he wouldn't let one bad experience tarnish that safety forever. Besides, there were new sights to be seen in the safety of the trees, and maybe he'd make a friend or two.

On the heels of that thought he caught scent of another, and twisted his head as his nostrils flared wide. It wasn't the musty-predator scent he associated with danger, so he refrained from fleeing. The snap of a tree-branch made him want to startle, but through sheer force of will he remained.

"Hello?" He offered in a soft voice, turning his head toward the sound of the other's approach. There was a dim shape around the next tree that made him think a mare or at least a young Soquili had found him. The shape was lean and graceful and did not speak of danger, rather a shyness like his own. "I mean you no harm, honest..."

 

[~Latonia de la Courtel~]

Raikinti could tell that in spite of his soft tone and his gentle words, the mare was still moments away from bolting. He could tell, because he'd been in her place more times than he cared to count. And he'd found those in this land who said they meant no harm one moment, and tried to eat you the next... So he understood her being somewhat distrustful of his promise as well. But he wasn't resentful of that and he couldn't blame her for the wordless fear.

So instead he remained very still and watched her with gentle eyes, not staring outright but giving her his attention. Her careful steps forward made him give a faint smile, trying to be encouraging without spooking her off again.

"A pleasure to meet you, Whisper." He offered gently. "I am Raikinti. My friends tend to call me something sort, Rai or Kinti. Feel free to do the same, if it suits you?"

He glanced around when she stated that she was alone, then nodded. "I am as well.. Though I have some friends here, in this land. They're a little unusual, but good-hearted."

The copper-colored stallion gave a bit of a shrug. "Do you have friends or family here? Someone I could help you find, maybe?"

 

[~Latonia de la Courtel~]

Though he drifted a half-step forward to ensure that he could hear her the next time she spoke, Raikinti made sure that he didn't get too close to the shy mare. He didn't want to scare her into running off. He would prefer to help her find, well, whoever she had lost.

"I am sorry to hear that you have lost your friend." He murmured. "And if he has changed it, it will be that much harder to find him... If you could describe him, maybe I could help?"

He flicked his ear when she said one of his nicknames, grinning faintly and bobbing his head. "Yep. That's me."

The fact that she took a step toward him made him tilt his head, thoughtful as he considered her. He glanced around the clearing quickly, half-hoping someone would appear claiming to be this mystery friend. When no one turned up, he gave a faint sigh.

"Well, I don't know where he is... But I would be happy to try and help you find him."

 

[~Latonia de la Courtel~]

This was one of those times when Raik was thankful to have Delri as a best friend. Not only was a sociable sort with a vast group of friends scattered across the land, but thanks to his wings the silver stallion was uniquely suited to searching for lost souls. Not that the copper stallion believed he could get Whisper to meet his best friend, but maybe if she could give him enough of a description he could pass it along.

"A Kelpi?" He echoed. "Ok..."

That made things somewhat easier, actually. He could probably put a word in with Sahaena and the Mer she knew, maybe they would know where to find a yellow Kelpi stallion.

"Chances are, he'll be near the ocean." He offered carefully. "Kelpi like the ocean... I'm sure there are some that have moved to the fresh water like lakes or rivers, and I know there is a band in the swamp.. But they are different..."

The more vibrantly colored ones were ocean-dwellers, at least of that he was quite certain. So from the description, he was willing to bet they needed to go toward the sea.

"I have friends that live in the ocean, if you want company looking... They might be able to lend some help."

 

[~Latonia de la Courtel~]

Raik somewhat worried when her immediate reaction was little more than a nod. It seemed like she was even more shy than he was when he had come to the lands, or perhaps he'd overwhelmed her? He hadn't intended to, of course... But it seemed he'd managed it anyway.

"I don't know much about Kelpi, though a friend of mine is one and she's started teaching me." He offered in gentle explanation. "From what I understand, they tend to favor the sea. If he's not there, she can put in a word with the Pirate band and we can try to meet some of the Swamp-Kelpi, maybe they've seen him or know where he's gone. It's a little tough to tell. Can you tell me more about him?"

It seemed like she had forgotten, like maybe there was an accident and she'd lost her memory? Raik was pretty sure he'd heard a similar story about a different mare, a unicorn had healed her though. He wasn't sure if or how that could apply this situation, and it didn't seem like the type to bring it up jut yet.

"You are most welcome, of course. A pleasure to help someone in need." He returned with a gentle smile. He could tell she was still nervous, but he didn't really know how to fix it. "How about a gentle walk in the general direction of the sea, hmm? You can tell me if you remember anything else along the way."

 

[~Latonia de la Courtel~]

As they talked the copper-painted stallion began to realize the task might turn out more difficult than he anticipated. Something must have happened in her past, and he didn't want to ask the wrong thing and remind her of it. She seemed so, fragile, and he just sort of wanted to keep her safe. At least, until he found her friend for her... Then he could at least be sure she'd be ok, right? Hopefully this was a friend and not danger.

But aside from the sea, and much of the cost was various terrain by the sea, what did he know? Not enough to really help. Still, hopefully with the help of friends and a little luck they could find the one she was looking for... And hopefully it wouldn't be too stressful for Whisper, either.

When she repeated herself, Raik nodded understandingly. Maybe if he asked a different way, it would make more sense? "Yellow, Ok. That probably hasn't changed, so we'll start looking for a yellow stallion. But like a daffodil or a buttercup?"

He considered what he remembered of Sahaena. "Does he have a flowing mane, like you and I, or is it all spines and frills like that of a fish? My Kelpi friend, she has no mane... It's all lovely red and black spines."

He didn't want her distressed, so he tried to give her an encouraging smile. "You'll remember, I have faith in you. And until then, we'll head to the sea. Maybe smelling the salt will jog something? A friend of mine who is a very clever lady told me that smell helps you remember things better than any other scent. I don't remember why, but she was very convincing. And it's true! To this day I think of her and I smell the flowers in the meadow we were laying in, when she told me that."

Ebonrune