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 Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 8:49 pm
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:00 pm
 The day was drawing to a close. The sinking sun painting the world with golden light. A gentle breeze rustled the bare branches that were less intimidating with their artificial gilding.
Auri had been traveling all day, searching. Again. He had spent time flying, but wings do not last for hours on end and he was walking now. His head drooped, as he plodded along. He allowed his eyes to rest, knowing Tiger, who was currently perched on his back, would keep an eye on the road and make sure he didn't wander off of it.
It was nice to know his friend had his back, even if at the moment it was a bit literal. Though when Tiger tensed, claws flexing unconsciously, Auri stopped. The hawk had seen something. His eyes much sharper than his Soquili companion's.
Auri tried to focus on the road ahead of him, but the setting sun blurred his vision and caused his eyes to water. Whatever was ahead of them blended into the golden light on the horizon.
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:14 pm
Naomi knew however, that she would have to stop walking soon. Her breath started to grow heavier. Her companion, Fluffy, quickly came to her side. "It's time to rest again, huh Naomi?" The little lion walked around Naomi and watched with worry. Naomi nodded her head at Fluffy. Without a word, Naomi's legs gave out under a tree and she just laid there.
The mare laughed. "I guess this is our resting spot tonight, Fluffy. I don't think I have the strength to move elsewhere..."
"I'll stay on--" Fluffy started before she heard a noise. The mountain lion growled as the noise seemed to be coming closer. "Naomi... I think something's close by!"
Naomi was tired, but knew that Fluffy would bare her teeth if she felt threatened. "Come here, Little One," the mare said. Instead, she announced herself. "Hello? Is someone there?" With the brightness of the sun, Naomi couldn't tell that there was a stallion approaching.
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:23 pm
Auri didn't bother to ask Tiger what he saw, knowing the hawk would tell him in his own time. But before his friend said anything, the sound of a female voice calling out in greeting came their way.
"Hello. Yes, there is someone here." Auri moved forward and into the shade of the trees as he spoke. A moment of blinking cleared his eyes of the sun glare so that he could peer into the shadows and see the mare laying under a tree.
Another blink, "Oh, hello. Your pardon, lady. I could not see you for the setting sun. I did not mean to disturb your rest." Auri's eyes were still adjusting to the shadows and he wasn't quite certain, but it seemed there was another, smaller body near hers. Was it a foal? An Usdia? Or something else?
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:31 pm
"See, it's fine," Naomi said to Fluffy. "Now come back here and stop being so mean to everyone!" The mare laughed as the lion let out a small 'hmph' before snuggling back besides Naomi.
When she saw the stallion, Naomi tried to pull herself off the ground again. It was a sad attempt as her legs would not bring her up. Fluffy nuzzled Naomi's side, signaling that the lioness would be upset if the mare tried to get up again. "Sorry, sir," Naomi said with an apologetic tone. "It seems like my legs as well as little Fluffy here refuse to let me stand up again."
Naomi laughed and looked at the bright stallion. "You're definitely a new face.... You're as bright as the sun!" The mare giggled. "What brings you here this fine evening?" There was some pain on her face from the aching muscles, but Naomi still held a smile on her face.
Fluffy, on the other hand, wasn't so pleased and the lioness was on guard, growling under her breath.
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:43 pm
Tiger, deciding thing didn't need him, spread his wings and flew to a nearby tree branch. Eyes alert, he watched the road, the mare and her lion, and his charge. Tiger was already feeling the day behind him and hoped they could sleep soon.
Auri's expression showed his concern, "Oh, are you injured? Should I try and find a Uni healer? I saw one earlier today, around noon. She was traveling in the other direction, but I'm not too tired to fly and get her if her services are needed."
Auri wasn't sure what was wrong with the mare, but he was concerned. Then he realized that she didn't seem all that concerned, and that she had asked a few questions.
"I'm sorry. I sometimes allow my concern to overcome my reason. I do not believe I am as bright as the sun, my lady. Though it could be it's light is reflecting off my hide in great measure at the moment."
It was as he thought on his reason for being here that he realized she might not only have the answer to his searching, she might be the answer. Surely her hide was as golden as his own. Though now that he could see, the animal at her side was clearly a lion, and not the bear he was looking for.
Shaking his head to clear the cobwebs, Auri smiled. "I am on a bit of a quest. It requires more journeying than I care to recall. I've been following this path for a few days now, hoping to find a bear called Spike and the Wind Soquili he was charged with watching over. I begin to fear I may never find them. But I can't stop until I know for certain what has become of them."
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 10:11 pm
"Oh no," Naomi said as she shook her head and smiled. "No need for a Uni healer..." Her voice trailed on a for a little bit before she spoke again, in somewhat of a whisper. "My family and I have tried that... But what I was born with can not be cured."
Naomi's eyes definitely carried some sadness as she told the stallion that her 'problem' could not be fixed with a healer, but nonetheless, the mare still smiled. "You might not see yourself as bright as the sun, but there seems to be a warmth that you emit like the sun does." She reassured her words with a firm nod.
When the stallion mentioned his quest, Naomi seemed to sense some sort of sadness and longing. She was unsure of what it was exactly, but she knew that sense of longing in a different sense, and when she heard the stallion was doubting he'd find what he was looking for, Naomi shook her head.
"Don't give up on your quest," Naomi told the stallion with an encouraging smile. She moved her head, signaling for the stallion to look at Naomi herself. "My body gives out on me as the sunsets and comes back to me as the sun rises. I know that it holds me back from what I love to do, but I do it anyways."
Naomi continued to stare and smile at the stallion. "Please don't give up on what you're looking for... At least, don't stop until I stop traveling. And I wouldn't stop wanting to travel the world until I was unable to."
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 12:59 pm
Auri smiles, "There are more ways to travel than upon roads. The mind can soar through imagination, the heart can move to another through love, and the soul can circumnavigate the whole of creation. Maybe a healer can not strengthen the body, but a willing friend can help another travel in ways before unknown."
As he realized just how forward that might have sounded, Auri blushes. Between the shadows of the trees, the light of the setting sun, and his own completion, he hopes it will go unnoticed.
With a slight shake of his head, "But do not worry, I will no give up my quest. I can't until I know for certain. Even if they are dead, at least then I would know. Until I know . . . I hope that I am not alone in the world."
That wasn't what he had meant to say. A bit more personal and defiantly more morose than his norm. Auri knew he was tired, but he didn't think he was that tired.
Sighing, "I am sorry, lady. It seems my wits and manners have left with the sun. I am Auri. I feel myself fatigued and am poor company at the moment. I should find a place to rest and leave off bothering such a lovely mare."
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2012 7:31 pm
Naomi laughed as she heard Auri's words. "That's definitely true," she responded with a smile. "My parents as well as this Little One here have tried to convince me to do that... But so far, nothing has compared to stepping on fresh grass... Taking in the new sights and the new smells." Naomi could clearly remember all the places she's been to, day to day, even if the traveling was strenuous on her body. When she heard him mention a traveling companion, Naomi cocked her head to the side. Of course, she had met others, including Fluffy, on her travels, but she hadn't thought of another traveling companion since.
She saw the blush that grew on his face and smiled. Naomi tried to stand up again, and somewhat succeeded, leaning against a tree. "I actually hadn't thought of companion besides Fluffy, but..." Naomi looked down at Fluffy, whom wanted to be the only special companion. "I would mind having another to travel with. I think the only thing I'd be scared to do would be to... Well, slow others down."
Her body collapsed from under her as she let out a sigh and then a laugh. "My body pretty much won't let me stand up once the sun goes down. Strength comes back the next time the sun rises though." Naomi smiled again as she looked up to Auri.
"It's very nice to meet you, Auri," she said as she bowed her head a little bit. "My name is Naomi, and the Little One here is Fluffy." The little lioness huffed and puffed out her chest as her name was mentioned. Naomi laughed. "Don't let her size fool you.... She has pretty sharp teeth!"
Naomi looked back up at Auri again. "I have to admit, I am curious to whom you're looking for and the journey that is at your feet. I've traveled a long time, but never really had any real... Direction to head in..." The mare had helped many others on her travels, guiding them, but she knew that for herself, Naomi didn't really know where she was supposed to go. The only thing she did know was "go".
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Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 6:22 am
Feeling a bit awkward standing while the mare can't, particularly after watching her struggle to try, Auri folds his legs under him to join her on the ground. It was a bit odd. He had never really spent much time laying down, preferring to sleep standing.
"It's a bit complicated. You see, my mother died when I was still in my basket. Tiger, my friend in the tree, was my mother's friend before me. As my mother died, a flighted Skinwalker stole my basket. Tiger gave chase, and with my adoptive mother's aid, was able to save my basket."
"But my sibling basket, left in the charge of a mentally feeble bear, was no longer there when he returned to look for it. In fact, the river it had been near had swollen and the banks were eroded where it had been. But there was no sign of the bear, Spike, either."
"I believe, at least I hope, that Spike managed to save himself and my sibling. But I do not know if I have a brother or a sister out there, where they may be, or what my sibling might be called."
"While we were still in our baskets, our mother named me Auri and the other basket Pele'. I know this only because Tiger stayed with me to tell me. I do not know if my sibling was given our mother's name for . . . him or her. No more than I know if either bear or basket survived the flooded river."
"But I travel and search, hoping to find them, or to find some tale of them. It is all I can do."
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Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2012 3:51 pm
With all the strength she could muster, Naomi walked towards the stallion and landed herself right next to him. Naomi looked at Auri and smiled while Fluffy plopped herself in the middle of the two, just in case anything happened. Out of breath and sweating just slightly from the stress, Naomi spoke again. "Is it odd that I believe your sibling is alive?" The mare smiled again.
"Maybe it's just the odd hope I hold for everything," she paused just a little bit. "But with such a devoted brother, I doubt that Life would be so cruel to leave you by yourself. I think your quest is valiant and the Spirits must look highly upon you!"
Naomi thought back to her own quests, about what she wanted to do. She realized, that compared to the stallion, she really had nothing that she was really doing with her life... Just going. Looking down at Fluffy, the lioness saw that her friend had a weird look on her face, but all the two ended up was exchanging smiles. Naomi looked up at Auri again.
There was a long pause before she spoke again, but when sound came out of Naomi, her normally calm and straight-forward demeanor came off as a little bit shy. "W-would.... Would you be willing to have someone travel with you? Even if this someone were to be... A little... Weak?"
It was the first time Naomi spoke out about her weakness. She always knew it was there, but had never spoken nor really acknowledged that it was a weakness. To Naomi, it was always just a flaw she would over come with time. "Too see the world... For a reason... Maybe afterwards I might just come to accept that... I can't travel forever..."
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Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 6:30 am
Auri looks surprised. "You . . . you want to travel with me?" He had talked to many a mare and stallion and no one had ever asked to travel with him before.
"I . . . I don't mind. But, you understand, I might never find anything that would lead me to them, right? I just . . . I might end up wandering forever. I don't know that the Spirits really even notice something like this, it . . . doesn't seem like it would be important to them."
Realizing he's sounding about as flustered as he is, Auri takes a deep breath to calm his thoughts. "I would be honored if someone wanted to join me. Even if only for a time. I'm not really sure I'm anything like good company." He blushes slightly at that last admission.
He doesn't say anything about her 'weakness' as though he didn't hear her admission or doesn't find it of note. To his mind, if she's been walking since sunrise, it only makes sense that she would be having problems. After all, he only spent half the day on hoof, half on wing, and he couldn't imagine trying to walk all day. If he had any reservations it was about her lack of wings, not her strange weakness.
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Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 7:47 pm
Naomi down at the ground as she gave her head a firm nod. She knew that, no matter if they both wished Auri's sibling was alive, it wasn't a guarantee, but at least it would give Naomi a purpose. It was hard for her to admit, but Naomi knew that her aimless wandering would lead her nowhere. "I want to be like you... I want to have a purpose. Even if it's not originally my own, at least I can help, yah know?"
She nudged him on the side just a bit and smiled. "I personally feel that the Spirits are noble, just like a lot of us. Even for myself... I probably should have passed on by now, but they led Fluffy to me as well as... Others on my travels." Naomi, although she enjoyed the company of Fluffy, was glad to have more friends, especially one that could tolerate her... misfortunes.
"I think you make wonderful company," Naomi said, despite the look she knew she was getting Fluffy. "Not the same as Little One here, but a company that seems... New? And... I'll definitely stick with you... Either until I can't anymore, or until we find what we're searching for." She left out the possibility of not finding anything at all as well as the fact that she could possibly pass away before any luck.
Naomi knew that despite her body, the Spirits have been good to her. Even if they found nothing by the time her body completely gives out from under her, she would be happy that she would be able to assist someone as kindhearted as Auri with his quest.
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Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2012 6:59 pm
Auri thinks about it for a moment before nodding. "I can understand that. Maybe we can look for a purpose of your own while we look for my sibling. I . . . this is my purpose because I need it to be. I need to find family, to know . . . I think sometimes that even finding out the basket and bear didn't survive would be better than not knowing."
With a great sigh, Auri's eyes close for a moment. "I was very fortunate. A skinwalker would have taken me for its breakfast had my foster mother not rescued me. The Spirits have done much for me, I suppose. Saving me from the floods and the skinwalker and my mother's death. It just . . . it doesn't seem right asking them for more."
A slight shake of his head as he continues. "So I don't ask them for help. This is my journey, my task. Either my sibling lives, and I will find him or her, or the small life in the basket perished. The Spirits can not change the past. This journey is mine. To ask for more than I've been given . . ."
"But it seems they still are looking out for me. Sending a companion to aid in my search. I . . . " Auri looks at the dirt under his chest. "You barely know me, Naomi, but already you pledge to keep me company. Sometimes I lose my way, lose heart that I'll ever find what I'm looking for. You . . . you make me hope again."
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Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 9:44 am
Naomi smiled gently. She knew that he wasn't the only one that had avoided an attack from another, and maybe the spirits watching over the both of them wanted them to seek aid from each other, to be there to watch and protect each other, even if it was only for a small amount of time. "If not help from the spirits... Let me try and help you. Well, at least keep you company. At least until you find out about your sibling."
"There are sometimes... First meetings don't feel like first meetings." She laughed slightly. "Maybe it's me being easy to trust others, but I don't think you can say I shouldn't trust you, am I correct?"
She laughed again, not meaning to make him seem bad or anything. Naomi knew that she would encourage him, and anyone else, to keep going. Sometimes she could go a little too far, which was the reason why Fluffy was there, but maybe... Just maybe, Auri could be her tie to the reality of her disability. "I know for myself, I keep pushing myself forward. We could always help each other, me encouraging you forward and you... Slowing me down sometimes?"
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