[PRP] What's All This? [Mercy & Bernard]

[medigel]

My Teepee // Jet's Teepee

It was beginning to grow dark, and Bernard had managed to leave the river once the afternoon's heat had died down. But he was terribly unfamiliar with this area, and as the sun began to dip below the horizon the war horse found that more and more the unsettling unfamiliarity was, well . . . almost unwelcome. Which was silly to think, as the land couldn't have feelings, could it?

Well, that was what he thought until he tripped over an above-ground root, nearly toppling. "I didn't mean it!" he exclaimed at the trees, carefully placing his hooves own now - or as carefully as he could with the twilight. "Guardsman's honor, nature is what I rely on, and trees for shade especially!"

Chunk chunk chunk went his hooves on the tall grass, spooking birds.

"Oh heavens, this forest will swallow me up . . ."

 

[JetAlmeara]

This was normally the time of day when Mercy started to head back home from her daily wanderings and to be truthful that had certainly been her intention...she'd started out heading back towards home anyways. But she'd gotten distracted..by a stranger. A very peculiar stranger who seemed to be talking to either the forest or himself , Mercy wasn't entirely sure but she was curious enough to stick around and find out.

Ever the friendly type and despite the fact that this stallion might very well be crazy - as talking to the woods would seem to indicate - Mercy veered off from the pathway and trekked off after the purplish form she's spied and herd a little distance away. Pushing through the brush and into sight before the stallion she pricked her ears and regarded him "Who are you talking to?" She asked him, allowing for a moment her curiosity to override her manners and warming slightly when she realized how rude she must have sounded. "I'm sorry - I'm Mercy..and I just overheard you talking and as there was no one else around, I was curious" She attempted to explain herself.

 

[Mediciner]

Regardless of how noisy her approach was, Bernard appeared a little spooked when she spoke, jumping a little when facing the mare. "Talking to? Oh! Er. No-one really," he replied abashedly stepping back. "I thought talking to myself was a wonderful idea; long journey, little company, you find what you can you know?"

Or maybe she didn't? Really, Bernard, he knew what they said about assuming!

"Actually, I've never been good in secluded areas like forests, so I've been making a bit of a buffoon of myself," the war horse went on, almost yammering. "You probably heard all the noise, right? I don't know this area so well . . . And in the dark, well, it's a death trap."

Somewhere nearby, a bird chirped as if it thought the notion was hilarious.

"Yes, very much a death trap. Are you from around here, miss?"

 

[JetAlmeara]

While it was a little odd that he had been talking to himself - she had thought maybe there had been a small hidden familiar round somewhere that she hadn't seen - she supposed she could see how traveling alone might lead someone to such an action. Mercy honestly didn't know exactly what the stallion meant , she had yet to travel beyond her families happy little herd. Heck she'd only recently learned to fly properly! But she wasn't one to judge another and this stallion seemed nice enough - if a little bit skittish so she nodded agreeably to his explanation.

She had to chuckle a little at his description of the forest however "Oh I don't think it's quite as bad as all that" She told him cheerfully "Although I've been running through this area since I was just out of my basket - my family's herd lives in the area" she went on answering his question as well. "My names Mercy" She introduced herself. She was rather glad she had happened across this poor stallion, it was evident that he was somewhat lost and unsettled in the unknown area.  

[medigel]

"Mercy? Oh yes, you mentioned it before. Right. Er." He stood up a little taller in an attempt to look professional - and then semi-knelt on one thick leg. It was a tad shaky from the exercise of the day. "Bernard at your service, my lady," he said, and then stood up with a soft grunt. "You said there's a herd here? Oh thank heavens . . ."

Bernard gave the trees a wary look, as if they were behind his multiple near-face-plants while in the forest. "How far away are these soquili? I'll work for my stay, anything to be out of this place."

 

[JetAlmeara]

Maybe he was settling some - at the very least he seemed ot have caught her name this time around. Mercy wasn't offended that he hadn't noticed it the first time she'd mentioned it, the poor stallion had been so startled by her appearance that it wasn't surprising. She had to remember to not to startle Soquili like that in the future she told herself mentally even as she gave the stallion a cheery look.

And it was so sweet the way he bowed like that "It's a pleasure to meet you Bernard." Mercy was flattered, only Soquili in stories did things like that! Surely no one she had ever met before had ever acted so gentlemanly. "Yes" She assured him "My family's herd shelters just in the next meadow, it's not to far" She told him, motioning with her muzzle in the direction of the herd. Of course..once he saw the herd she expected he might be a little bit..shocked. It was probably best to warn him. "Although I must tell you that its an Usdia herd..I was adopted as a basket and have lived here my entire life, they're sure to shelter you they're a friendly herd..but we don't get to many large visitors such as yourself so some of the young ones might stare or pester you a bit" She warned him  

[medigel]

Usdia or not, however, it was a place of reprieve from walking onward alone. "I'm fine with that," Bernard shrugged off, because how hard could it be to live among tiny soquili anyway? Big ones, like the real war horses he grew up with, were such a hassle. Even Dendro, the . . . what was he called? Pixie? Dixie? Well, Dendro was far easier to talk to even with that sour attitude than any of the cheerier war horses of his old herd.

"Just, ah . . . tell them to be careful. Around me." His ears shifted back. "You've seen my handy hoofwork in the wood, but even on flat land I can trip. I'd hate to squash one of them accidentally . . ." Like a rock squashing a bug almost. "Do lead on, though, before total darkness sets and I really start to get clumsy."

 

[JetAlmeara]

Mercy laughed somewhat as she began to lead him back towards her herd "No worries, I think they all got used to getting out of the way when I was younger" She had been somewhat clumsy as a youth - though she had grown out of it, attempting to learn how to untangle both her wings and her legs without the help of a fellow winged Soquili had been a bit of a challenge really, but she'd managed to get through it without hurting anyone with many thanks to her adopted family.

Turning about she led the stallion off towards a much clearer trail - he would likely be more comfortable in the wider pathway, less things to trip on which was something he seemed to worry over and with the failing light she couldn't see the harm in following the better path anyways "there is a bigger pathway over here" She told him "Should be easier to navigate in this light"