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 Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 3:02 pm
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 3:44 pm
Rhia was on her way back to camp from Lake Sandar, carrying the water she needed for her meal. Free was nowhere to be seen, nor was her one remaining colt, Frezien. That had been a surprise, when Free had returned after one of her jaunts, to find out that one of the Azrein who followed the Six had had his way with her, against her will. That encounter had resulted in the birth of three little colts. They were old enough now, that two of them had decided to go off on their own, but Frezien had made the decision to remain with his mother. Months had passed since she had last seen Zander, and she hoped that he would remember that their next agreed upon meeting was only days away. She set about getting the camp ready, just in case he did remember. While she was busy putting things in order, Free and Frezien returned. "Where have you two been?" she asked the two Azrein. She had to admire the look of her bonded's son. His coat was a shade of purple that seemed to glow. While he sported only a small area on his back in the color of his mother's coat, the hair itself was the long, warm hair of the Capra. He also carried the horns of his mother's race, but there were small tokens of his father in him. Free had refused to speak of the male who had impregnated her, other than to say that if she ever came across him again, he would regret that meeting. Though Frezien often asked about his father, Free refused to speak of him. But she did not let her hatred for him harden her heart towards her children. Rhia knew that she would willingly give her life to save any one of them.
"We were inspecting the perimeter, making sure all was safe," replied Frezien. "And did you find anything out of the ordinary?" asked Rhia. "No. All is quiet. We found no evidence of anyone having been here in quite some time. It should be safe enough for the length of our stay," answered Frezien. He walked past Rhia and headed down to the lake for a drink of cold water. His mind wandered to thoughts of the human male they were supposedly waiting for. His mother had explained the relationship between the two humans to him over the past couple of days as they made their way to the rendezvous. The man did not seem like the sort of person that his mother's Chosen would choose to associate with, but then who was he to judge? Relationships were beyond his understanding. Something had transpired between his own parents that kept them apart, and kept his mother from even telling him and his brothers their father's name. One day he would learn the truth, but he was still young enough to know better than to push the topic with his mother.
Rhia had finished setting up the camp and was banking the fire to heat the water for her stew. Freezia found a clear area to lay down in, far enough away from the fire that any stray embers would not endanger her long hair. She was glad for this break in their travels. Under normal circumstances, whenever Rhia's mate joined them, she would take her leave of the humans, and go off on her own. However, now she had Frezien to keep an eye on, and so she made the decision to stay in camp this time. It still remained to be seen if Zander would even show up. "Do you think he will come," she asked Rhia.
Rhia stopped what she was doing momentarily to ponder Free's question. Then she resumed her actions as she answered. "If he is not hiding from the King's men, or locked up in a jail somewhere, he will show up." That was always her fear, that one of these days, he would not show up for just one of those reasons. It was her life's dream for her husband to give up his chaotic ways, and allow them to settle down once more. They had tried it once, and it had worked until their son died and Rhia nearly died at her own hand. She blamed herself more than her husband for their parting of ways. If she had been stronger, and not given in to her grief, they might still be living their lives together in the cabin in the forest, rather then traveling apart, only to meet at predetermined times. She sat there by the fire, stirring her cooking stew, and let her mind travel back to those happier times. Free could sense her Chosen's state of mind and left her to relive those memories in peace.
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Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 3:59 pm
Zander had taken Goral's suggestion of returning north, to meet up with his wife. He'd been away for some months now, and their next rendezvous was fast approaching. He hadn't planned on meeting her for this one, what with the King's men actively looking for him, but Goral had changed his mind. He really did want to talk to Rhia about making a change in his lifestyle. They had been traveling north now for almost a week, and the landscape had slowly changed over the last couple of days. Their meeting place was a clearing in the forest on the northern edge of Sandar Lake. They'd used it once or twice before, so he knew exactly where to go. Goral had been teaching him about the Capra, and what it meant to be one of the Azrein. It seemed that the Capra were all Azrein, which was quite extraordinary as far as Zander was concerned. For there were many horses on the island that were not one of the blessed ones. Those didn't have the gift of speech, or abilities like the Azrein did. Nor were they able to bond with a human. They were simply tools for those like Zander. Used to plow the fields, pull wagons, and carry people who were not fortunate enough to be Chosen. Zander was still in awe at being chosen himself by the male Capra. When he had first met Rhia's Azrein, he was surprised that she had been chosen by one, and he never dreamed he would be traveling back to her with one of his own. They'd been walking since about an hour after sunrise, and it was now after midday. They had not encountered anyone since they headed north, but that was mainly due to them staying off the main roads, and not entering any towns along their route. Suddenly, Goral stopped and said, "Get up on my back quickly! We must run, and run fast and you will not be able to keep up with me."
Zander didn't question his request, for it was not a request as much as an order. He quickly swung himself up onto Gorals back, shouldering his pack, and taking hold of a handful of the Capra's mane to keep himself from falling off. Goral immediately took off, quickly picking up speed, and galloping across the landscape. "What is it?", asked Zander, concerned for their safety. "I sense Azrein nearby, and they are not aligned with the King. It is best we not let them find us. If they are aligned with the Six, then both of our lives are in jeopardy."
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Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2012 9:57 am
Zander quickly looked around as Goral sped off northward. He couldn't see anything at all that resembled a horse, but then Goral was Azrein, and had senses that normal horses did not have. He could see a tree line looming ahead of them and hoped that they would reach its safety before any Azrein could notice them. For if Goral could sense them, was it not logical to assume that they in turn could sense Goral? "Yes, that is true," said Goral, "but I have been keeping my mind closed while we travel, so as not to broadcast our whereabouts. The ones I sensed were not being so careful, so it was easy to detect them. Once we reach those trees ahead, we should be safe enough. Do you recognize where we are? I have not been this far north before, so I do not know the territory around Sandar Lake."
Zander took a moment to scan the countryside, and once he was certain of their location, he conveyed the information to Goral, and the Capra altered his course to the northwest a bit. They were just coming up on the southern most edge of the forest that bordered Sandar Lake. Zander was astounded at how fast they had traveled. On foot, it would have taken him a day and a half of constant walking to make it this far. If they didn't stop for the night, they would make it to the campsite a day early.
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 10:46 am
Rhia was just putting another log on the fire when Free informed her that someone was approaching their campsite. Rhia's heart started beating faster. Could it be Zander? If it was, he was early. And not only early, but obviously making enough noise that Freezia could hear him when Rhia couldn't. That was unlike Zander. He was always careful to go unheard, especially when he was this close to the King's lands. Freezia could sense her bonded's confusion, so she informed her that there was an Azrein approaching, which is what she heard, not a human. This confused Rhia even more. What would a lone Azrein be doing out here? Unless of course, it was aligned with the Six, and looking for trouble. "Quickly Free, Frezien, come closer to me." She wasn't about to let anything happen to her bonded, or her son. Though Frezien was big enough now to defend himself should the need arise. "Come son, let us do as she asks. All will be revealed shortly, and then we can relax again," Free said to her son. The two Capra moved closer to Rhia as the sound of approaching hoof beats could be heard by all. They didn't have to wait long, as suddenly a burst of red could be seen running towards them through the trees. It was definitely another Azrein, but sitting on it's back was....Zander? Rhia almost fainted dead away when she saw her husband astride the large male...Capra? What was going on? Azrein did not bond themselves with someone like Zander. At least not to her knowledge they didn't. Could Zander somehow be compelling the Capra to bear him here? She had so many questions for her husband, but they could all wait.
Zander was having trouble staying seated on Goral's back as the Azrein raced through the trees. He had no saddle, and no harness to hold on to. He smelled the campfire long before he saw it. There she was, standing near the fire with Freezia beside her. But what was this? There was a purple horse standing on the opposite side as well. He was staring at this new horse as Goral came to an abrupt stop. Unprepared as he was, Zander suddenly found himself flying through the air, only to land flat on his face, at his wife's feet. He heard her gasp, as he looked up into her face and said, "Miss me?"
Rhia looked down at her husband, tried to stifle a smile and replied, "Miss you? Who are you? Have we met before? I'm sure I'd remember meeting someone who had a Capra for his steed."
Freezia sent a mental message to her son, telling him no to fear, that this man was Rhia's husband. All the while, Free kept her eyes fixed on the male Capra. He was the most spectacular male she had seen in many months. His beauty far surpassed that of Frezien's father. She sincerely hoped that Zander was going to stay with her bonded for a while this time, as she wanted very much to spend time with this stallion.
Rhia reached her hand down, and Zander took it, lifting himself off the ground with her help. He rubbed his backside, to get the blood flowing again. "Oh, I'm sorry madam. I could have sworn you were my wife. You look so much like her, you could be her twin. You haven't seen her around have you? Her name is Cherhia, and she likes to sing all the time."
She couldn't hold the laughter in any longer, and they embraced, and stood there for what seemed like an eternity, holding each other in their arms, kissing. When they finally pulled away, Rhia wasted no time asking the multitude of questions she had stored up. Zander sat her down near the fire, and began to answer each question in turn. He told her of how he had met Goral. How the Capra had convinced him that it was indeed possible for an Azrein to bond with someone with his mindset and lifestyle, but that Goral had seen deep within him, and believed that he was due for a change in his life. He told her of their travels through the King's lands, in order to reach her.
Meanwhile, Freezia took all of this in, constantly shifting her gaze from Zander to Goral. Her respect and impression of this new male in their lives, kept growing as Zander regaled them with his tales. This was a male she could see herself spending the rest of her life with. The only problem was that he was bonded to Zander, and Zander never stayed with her bonded for very long. Freezia didn't think she would like having her mate constantly leaving her.
Goral had been watching all of this with increasing interest. The woman seemed to genuinely love his bonded, and this realization brought a ray of hope to the Capra. Perhaps his job would not be as hard as he had anticipated. Getting his bonded to change, and put his evil ways behind him might be a possibility after all. The woman's bonded had not escaped Goral's attention either. He could not remember ever having seen one of his kind that had the coloring of this female. She was simply beautiful, and he didn't miss the many glances that she kept throwing in his direction. What he wondered was, who was the young male beside her? He was clearly at least part Capra, which made him think that perhaps she was already mated to another and this was her son. However, there was no indication of another male nearby, and he would have sensed it had there been. He would have to tread lightly, so as no to offend the female, as he tried to acquire the facts.
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 11:03 am
When he was done telling her his story, and answering all of his questions, it was his turn to ask her, "So tell me darling, who is your new addition?" He pointed to the young stallion standing beside Freezia.
Rhia looked at Frezien and his mother, turned to Zander and said, "Long story short, Free got knocked up by one aligned with the Six, against her will. That is Frezien, the only one of her children that chose to stay with us." She looked over at her bonded, and realized that Free was not really paying any attention to her and Zander, but instead was staring intently at Goral. She couldn't tell what Frezien was thinking of all of this, but he definitely looked uncomfortable in the situation. "Why don't we take a walk sweetie, and let our friends here get to know each other better. I have so much I want to say to you, and even more I want to show you, in private." She stood up and took Zander's hand, and the two of them walked off into the woods.
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