A Charming Place (Jarita/Eversong/Oloneric) FIN

[JetAlmeara]

Jarita just couldn't believe it. How could Bangil do this to her? The brown mare had to know - did know - how badly jarita wanted foals herself, how hard she and Eversong had been trying to have children...and what did she go and do? Have some fling with an arrogant stallion and get pregnant! It was nearly enough to make Jarita want to tear her hair out. She was supposed to be the first one to find a mate, to start a family. Everyone knew that was just the way it was supposed to go...and now Bangil had gone and ruined it all.

Well...Jarita was sure she hadn't meant too, she highly doubted that her friend had gone and done this on purpose and thankfully Eversong had drug her off before she'd voiced some of these thoughts to the brown mare. It just hurt a bit..she wanted foals and now she had to watch her best friend have them first and it just...wasn't fair!

At least she had Eversong she reminded herself the stallion had been incredibly supportive throughout this whole ordeal and had suggested this little trip as a way to relax and calm down a little after the news. They had never been to this particular part of the land before and she had to admit it was pretty nice looking...in fact it looked just like a place she would want to raise foals in a thought which instantly soured her mood and made her heave a deep sigh.

Quite frankly Eversong hadn't really known what to do when Jarita had wound up starring blankly at Bangil after the mare had revealed that she was expecting. He had sensed however that he had to act fast or Jarita would start spouting off things that she would surely regret later on, so he'd spoken a few quick words of congratulations to the mare and then spirited Jarita off on a day trip so that she could cool off.

He hadn't really had a destination in mind but upon flying over this secluded little valley he'd thought it looked like just the place. Although Jarita's heavy sigh so shortly after landing made him wonder if he had made a good choice. Perhaps he should have taken her elsewhere...or to visit her mother - Char wa always good at calming her daughter down. Ah well too late now the stallion told himself and turned his attention to the present "Well this is a rather charming place isn't it?" He asked.  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

Today was kinda warm, almost bordering on hot, so Oloneric had taken a trip to his favorite spot - the stream that ran along the edge of his families territory. He spent a lot of time here both alone and with various family members. He was on his own today, but didn't mind it so much. There was plenty to do and look at here, so he enjoyed his time. Of course the heat he could go without, and it was still not even summer which grandpa had told him was the hottest time of the year. After spending a good amount of the morning chasing after butterflies, grasshoppers, dragonflies and any other insect he could find Oloneric decided it was time for a swim.

The water in the stream wasn't overly deep in this section, though he couldn't stand on the bottom just yet without being submerged, but the cool water was just what he needed. Of course he had made sure there were no tadpole or fish int he water before splashing his way in., since he wouldn't want to hurt any of them during his play. Kicking his legs about Oloneric swam about the water, his mother had taught him how to swim and he did enjoy it thoroughly. He however didn't notice that the flow of the water was pushing him further down stream to where the water was much deeper - at least not until it was too late.

Try as he may Oloneric couldn't swim fast enough to counter the push of the stream. Panic gripped him a bit but he forced himself to remain as calm as possible and swam towards the shore instead. Problem was this section of the stream had large rocks along it's border and he couldn't jump over them. Water splashed high as he tried over and over again to get up onto the rocks. His front hooves would catch on them but because they were wet they would slip off after a few seconds of scrambling sending him splashing back into the stream. He considered calling out for help but remembered what he had been told about predators going after animals that did just that so he kept quiet and continued to try his hardest to get free from the stream himself.  

[JetAlmeara]

Jarita snorted a little bit and looked back at her mate with an arched brow before turning her attention back to the little glade they were standing in off to the side was a small stream and from here she could see the flowers swaying above the rocky banks, the dappled shadows from the trees overhead and the little green foal struggling against the current. "I Suppose it's..." Jarita started as she turned to look back to Eversong before pausing - wait a minute..what was that last one again? Jerking her head back to the water Jarita Squealed "Oh my gods! Eversong theres a foal in the water!"

Without waiting for the stallion to respond Jarita was galloping the few paces to the stream, drawing up by the bank to prance nervously along the side. What was she supposed to do? She didn't want to get her hooves wet - ick that water looked muddy and gross - but she couldn't very well just let a foal drown either. Of course that's why she had Eversong now wasn't it and turning to the stallion she stomped her hoof demandingly "Eversong! Do something!"

Eversong gave Jarita a chagrined look as she glared at him "I don't think it's all that bad now.." He muttered to himself as he turned to look at the woods behind them - which was when Jarita suddenly freaked out about a foal being in the water "I'm sure he's just swimming dear...foals like to do things like that" He assured her over his shoulder before turning to amble in her direction.

He was sure Jarita was over reacting - she had a tendency to do things like that and just because she was paranoid about dirty water didn't mean a swimming foal was in deadly peril...of course when she stomped her hoof and demanded he do something Eversong knew better then to argue her and picked up the pace.

Upon reaching the bank he could in fact see that the foal was swimming and he did look to be in a bit of distress "Alright alright" He assured Jarita as she continued her fretting on the bank. Holding his wings high he jumped into the stream - which was thankfully not very high for him at all and waded over to the very tiny little foal "Hold on there little guy..I'll help you out!" Eversong called out gallantly. He hoped Jarita was paying attention while he played Hero.  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

His legs were starting to get tired and Oloneric wasn;t sure how much longer he could keep trying to get out before the current of the water pushed him even further down stream. How would his mother or grandfather ever find him if that happened? And would he be able to get out further down? Honestly he couldn't take the chance so he would just need to keep trying for as long as possible. This time when he jumped there was a flash of black in his view before he fell back into the water. Then he heard a voice, one that he didn't recognize followed shortly by another and a large splash from behind.

Kicking his legs against the current Oloneric turned his head around to look towards the large stallion wading into the water. There was definitely a look of relief on his face when the stallion announced he was here to help. "I can't get out." He said in a quiet voice, though that was pretty darn obvious at this point. Still he couldn't stop swimming against the current until he was freed from the water, so Oloneric forced himself to keep his legs moving, though it was getting extremely hard now that his muscles were becoming exhausted.  

[JetAlmeara]

Jarita fluttered her wings and otherwise pranced about rather uselessly at the top of the embankment, once in a while sticking her head over the edge and getting close enough to send little showers of dirt and small rocks into the water - and the two Soquilli - below. "Is he alright?" She asked frantically from above a she chanced another trip closer to the edge so that he might pee down at him. "He's quite small..I think it's a runt" She remarked as she got a closer look at the foal 'Perhaps he could grab onto your saddle and you could just wade him down to the quieter water?" She suggested with a glance downsteam.

It did look to be a bit quieter and shallower in that direction - what on earth was teh foal doing playing in the water way down here where it was clearly far to deep for him - and better ye, where was his mother?! What type of parent let their foal wander about like this all alone?

Eversong tried to be patient with Jarita's fussing he even used his wing to quietly cover the foal and keep him from being bumped on the head by the gravel and stones Jarita's flailing hooves sometimes showered down on them "i think he'll be alright" He tried to sooth the mare above before looking back at the colt. His legs were still moving but Eversong could see that he was getting tired - far to tired to keep trying to jump his way out. And Jarita was right - he was a very very small foal, an usdia then he guessed and it occurred to him that Jarita in her sheltered life might no have met one before.

Of course that was something to worry about later - right now he had to get the foal to safety and despite her useless flailing Jarita had actually made a decent suggestion 'It's okay" He told the foal "i'll help you out...do you think you can do what she suggested and grab hold of my saddle with your teeth? Then I can pull you downstream...but you mustn't let go!"  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

Oloneric was grateful that the stallions wings provided protection from the small falling rocks from above due to the mares pacing. But really he just wanted out of this water already. He didn't care how they did it really, he just wanted to be able to rest. Finally when the stallion gave instructions on what they would do Oloneric was relieved. But wait...what was a saddle? He had never seen nor heard of one before. Turning around in the water to face the stallion Oloneric kicked his legs hard one last time to get closer to the stallion. Now he just needed to find this 'saddle' before the water pushed him away.

Let's see here. Mane, nope. Wings, nope. Leg, nope. Strange thing on the stallions back - well if that wasn't a saddle he didn't care cause that's what he was aiming for. Clamping his teeth down on the saddle he hoped the stallion didn't move too quickly or take too long in getting him downstream or else he might lose grip and be swept away again. He couldn't exactly say anything, but Oloneric wanted to make sure the stallion knew he had a hold of him. "Mmrph!" That was really all he could say with a mouthful of 'saddle' and he hoped the stallion would understand what he was trying to say.  

[JetAlmeara]

"Oh do hurry up!" Jarita urged Eversong along from the top of the embankment "He's likely to drown before to much longer and that would be a shame" A real shame indeed, it was rather ironic that she had come here to escape foal talk and here they were rescuing one for a certain and horrible death.

Hey...maybe if it didn't have a mother around then she could adopt it - then she'd still have a foal before Bangil as the mare hadn't even begun showing yet. That was an intriguing thought. Maybe she should take the foal even if it did have parents just to beat Bangil! Though nearly as soon as such a dastardly plot entered her mind Jarita was scolding herself for thinking it. That would be a terrible thing to do and she might be many things but not a kidnapper. Or a murder. Or a their. Or anything else not well...good and perfect to be honest.

shaking her head a bit she turned her attentions to the situation at hand trotting down the stream a ways before calling back to Eversong and his floating foal "It looks pretty gentle here and the inclines not so steep. I think he could make it up"

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Eversong told Jarita before glancing back at the foal. Hed taken the muffled sound the colt had issued as the que to start making his way down the river. Fortunately for the young creature the streams current wasn't nearly strong enough to dissuade Eversong and the much larger stallion was making short work of the trip back up stream. He could have done it much faster of course but he was afraid of jolting the colt loose.

Jarita would absolutely freak out of the green foal let go and went spiraling down the stream. He was pretty sure it wouldn't be all that good for the boy either, there were quite a few rocks downstream and the water grew increasingly rougher the further one went.

Thankfully so far the colt had managed to hang on and Eversong dutifully drug him up until his little hooves could touch the ground and he could hopefully scramble his way back up onto solid ground. 'It's a good spot" He agreed with Jarita "Up your go little fellow..try and get back on solid land" He encouraged with a gentle push of his muzzle.  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

Though his teeth had a good grip on the saddle Oloneric still used his legs, kicking them slowly, in an effort to stay attached to the stallion. His eyes flicked to the mare as she trotted down stream before turning his attention back to the stallion. When his hooves finally touched the bottom of the stream Oloneric blew a sigh of relief, though he didn't immediately let go of the saddle either, even after the stallion gave him a nudge. Making sure that he was steady on his legs and that the current wasn't going to push him away again Oloneric hesitantly let go of the saddle. Though his legs felt like jello and he wasn't sure how long they would hold his weight he managed to take a few quick steps to get out of the water before promptly collapsing on solid ground.

His breathing was heavy and the muscles in his legs burned from the work they had been doing but he was back on dry land. Rolling onto his side he looked towards the stallion who had rescued them and then to the mare. Wow, from down here they looked absolutely huge! Oloneric smiled softly at the mare, she was pretty just like his mother and aunt were. Oh and she had a funny tail too! He'd never seen a tail like that. Her hooves were similar to that of Aunt Mercy's but also seemed different, a bit longer perhaps. As his breathing steadied he looked at the stallion and the odd things that he wore. Oloneric was certainly lucky the pair had come along when they had and while he knew he should thank them, or say anything right now, he was stuck in a moment of observation, curious eyes roaming over the two adults before him.  

[JetAlmeara]

Jartia blinked a bit as the foal staggered out of the water and then collapsed on the ground - well...that was a bit anti climatic now wasn't it? She wasn't sure what she had really been expecting - something along the lines of the green foal singing their praises or rushing to her side for safety. Seeing him just plop down in the mud like that made the mare wrinkle her nose slightly. He was going to be filthy - absolutely filthy. Perhaps she didn't want to adopt him after all.

"Well?" she questioned Eversong with a 'now what' look on her face as the foal continued to stare at them. "And do come out of that filthy water" She demanded of the feathered stallion after a few moments of thought.

Eversong willingly wadded the rest of the way out of the water at Jarita's command - and thankfully remembered not to shake the excess water off of himself to close to her. Jarita hated to be splashed. "I think he just needs to rest some" He told his mate after looking the colt over carefully "I don't believe he's injured...just tired" Which was good - tired would resolve itself with a bit of rest, Eversong wasn't sure what he'd have done if the boy had been wounded in some manner.

He hadn't spoken yet thought he kept staring at the both of them with big curious looking eyes. Most foals Eversong knew talked nearly non-stop and he cast a look to Jarita "You don't suppose he's mute do you? How are we going to find his parents if he's mute?"  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

As the two adults talked, mostly about him, Oloneric simply let himself rest and catch his breath. Slowly he rolled onto his belly, legs tucked underneath him. He remained laying down as Oloneric didn't quite trust them to support his weight just yet. Tipping his head he looked over the two larger Soquili more. He was so curious about them. Where did they come from? Why was her tail so short like that? What was the stallion wearing on his body and why? He had been told to hold onto the saddle, which as far as he knew he did, but what about all that other stuff. He had never seen anyone else with such stuff on them.

After a few moments of looking them over and a million questions race through his mind Oloernic spoke. "Th-thank you." His voice was quiet but he was certain they would have heard him. Perhaps he should have said more, but Olo was not the talkative type unless prodded into conversation or told about something that interested him. What could these two teach him about the world?  

[JetAlmeara]

Jarita was about to agree with Eversong about the whole mute thing when the colt decided to speak after all "Well that answers that question" she remarked to her mate before giving the green boy a warm look "Well your welcome of course but whatever were you doing swimming in such deep water?" She asked him with a slight motion back towards the stream. Not that she thought the foal would have forgotten where the team was but because Jarita simply had a habit of talking with gestures.

"And where in the world are your parents!" She demanded only a few moments later as she looked back towards the woods - almost like she expected a worried mother to come crashing out of the woods at any moment "and why are you so small?"

Well Eversong couldn't offer any other questions Jarita asked of the colt and he too was starting to wonder where the colts parents where - but when she asked why he was so small the stallion piped up "He's an Usidia I believe dear" He told her brightly, glad to have something to add to the conversation while he dripped dry a few feet away with his wings held out to catch the sunlight "They are very small Soquilli" He added at his mates somewhat confused look.

"But as Jarita was asking...I think perhaps we should find your parents" He told the boy with a slight nod.  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

Now that he had time to rest and let his muscles recover her was feeling strong enough to stand. Pushing himself up on his hooves Oloneric looked up at the two adults, they were still huge compared to him but at least from a standing position he didn't feel so completely dwarfed by them. "Well...it...it wasn't that deep where I got in." He told the mare in his typical quiet voice. When she asked why he was so small Olo went to answer when the stallion went ahead and answered for him. Giving his head nod in agreement he looked back up at the mare. "Yes, I'm an Usdia."

Looking up the river towards where he had gotten in, where his family lived. It wasn't until now that he realized just how far down stream he had floated. Oh dear, grandpa would certainly be worried about where he was, and mother too if she was back from her daily wandering. Glancing up at the mare he offered her a nervous smile. "My parents...well father doesn't live with us...mother is busy today. Grandpa told me I could go swimming...I...I didn't think the water would push me like that, it never has before."  

[JetAlmeara]

"An Usdia" Jarita replied rolling the word over her tongue as she eyed the small foal - even standing he was a good deal smaller then any foal she had ever seen and she found herself wondering how large his parents were - obviously they would be small as well..but how small? Of course there was an easy way to find out...they could take this foal back to his home and she could see for herself.

"Where have you seen such before?" She suddenly asked Eversong with an inquiring look before shaking her head "Well I suppose it doesn't really matter" She allowed "We can talk about it later, in the meantime we had best take.." And she paused "I'm sorry I don't think we asked for your name"

Eversong had the opportunity to look a bit uncomfortable before Jarita thankfully changed the subject - though he was sure that it was not the end of the discussion. He loved Jarita he truly did but she had a tendency to be a bit of a jealous mare from time to time and discussions about the things he had seen or done prior to meeting her had a way of going...badly.

So he seized upon the topic change rather quickly and shook his head "Yes indeed how dreadfully rude of us!" He told the young colt "I am Eversong and the lady here is Jarita" He introduced themselves " And I agree we truly should get you home if your family will be worried...and do not fear the water - it is likely raining somewhere upstream and the down wash merely made the current stronger then normal" He assured the colt.  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

Glancing between the two adults he caught a moment of what looked to be displeasure in the females tone of voice and the look in her eyes. Well what was that about? He didn't have time to ask as she changed the subject quickly enough. But before he could say anything the stallion spoke introducing them to him. Introductions had been skipped earlier due to the circumstances. "I'm Oloneric." He said with a bob of his head, as if to confirm his name. "It's...nice to meet you." And it was certainly extremely well that they had came along when they did.

Eyes looked down the river, towards the direction where he had started this journey. "Home is that way, not far..." Looking back up the stallion he gave a bit of a shrug. "I think." It was honestly hard to tell exactly far down the stream he had floated, but it couldn't be that far really, considering he had only been in the water for a few moments before realizing his predicament and thusly becoming rescued by this pair.  

[JetAlmeara]

"Well thats a bit of a mouthful to say" Jarita stated as the colt shared his name with them. Who would give their foal such a hard name to say? When she had foals she would find nice sounding but simple names for her children - like her own name and Ever's name. But perhaps these small Soquili - Usdia - had different customs, in any case she doubted that it really mattered at the moment.

"No matter however, shall we start heading that way?" She asked Eversong after a few moments pause, they couldn't very well just walk off and leave the colt to find his own way home now could they - it didn't seem the boy really knew how far he had been washed down stream and while it could only be a short way she wasn't about to take the chance and leave him in case it wasn't.

"pleasure to met you" Eversong told the young colt with a slight wink before turning his attention to Jarita "I suspect that we should" He agreed before motioning with his head in the direction the colt had indicated and starting that way leaving Jarita to follow along with them. "You'll tell us when we start to get close?" He questioned the boy - he would hate to just run up on someone else's territory without knowing, that would be rude.