Teepee
This is a self RP between Temperance and her newly found familiar.
(Hadn't had her cert updated yet)
Temperance walked slowly through the twilight lit forest, dragging her hooves and claws. She was so tired, but wanted to make it home before she slept. It had been a long day and she was ready to welcome the night and find rest, but felt it best she return home before she did. She knew her area wasn't safe at night, especially on her own.
The forest was alive with sounds. Bugs, frogs and other nighttime creatures made their calls and chirps. It had become a lullaby to Temperance. She would fall asleep to the forest's night song.
Just as she was about to reach her little hut she had made from thick, leafy fallen branches, she heard a screech, growl and a scuffle not far from her. Her sleepy haze lifted, and her adrenaline spiked. She quickly ran towards the noise to see what was wrong. She couldn't just go and sleep if she could help.
She followed the sounds of the screeching and saw ahead of her a black mountain lion jumping up at a tree towards a frightened looking blue owl who was flapping her wings furiously and screeching at the jumping cat. As Temperance neared, she cried out at the lion. "Arrrr!!! Get!! Get out of here! Leave that owl alone!!!" The lion turned and just stared at her, eyes glowing in the moonlight. Temperance wasn't going to let it intimidate her, so she ran at it, charging. The lion looked like it was going to pounce so she stopped and swiped her own claws at it. She did have the bigger pair afterall. "Scram kitty!" she hissed. The lion, not wanting to tangle with her, took a step back, looked up at the owl still screeching down at it, turned and bounded away. He didn't seem to want the owl that bad.
Once the cat was out of sight, Temperance looked up at the owl in the tree. It looked like her wing was injured. The owl looked down at her, still weary of the cat, she didn't move from her spot, but she did close her uninjured wing, while holding the other stretched out. Blood dripped down from the arm of the wing onto the feathers. It looked like the cat had gotten a good swipe at her.
"That looks pretty painful," Temperance said quietly. "Are you alright?" she asked. The owl blinked at her, not sure if she wanted to trust her or not. It did hurt, a lot but there was nothing she could do but bear the pain.
Temperance thought a second, "I know of some herbs that could help with the pain. Stay there and I'll go get them," she called up to the owl. The owl wasn't going anywhere with an injured wing, so she quickly dashed off to find the herbs that grew nearby and brought them back. She chewed them up and spat them onto her front claw. She lifted her claw as high as she could and offered it to the owl. "There," she said, "If you'll eat that, it should help with the pain." She waited patiently to see if the owl would trust her.
The owl watched her go and come back quickly, and when she offered her claw up to her, she just stared, unblinking. After a moment of more pain, the owl decided that this clawed mare might be safe. She jumped down onto a lower branch where she could just reach the offered claw and herbs. She reached her own claws out and took a glob of the herbs, and quickly ate it, keeping her gaze locked on the mare.
Temperance held her claw still, not wanting to startle the owl. "It's okay," she spoke softly. "I won't hurt you." She watched as the owl took another clawful of the herbs and then lowered her leg. "There, it should ease your pain at least. It will still take a while for your wing to heal though." She could see the injury better now, and noticed that she'd been scratched in the meaty part of the wing, as well as on her side. She felt terrible for her. "You poor thing," she whispered.
The herbs were already making her feel a little less pain, but she wouldn't be up to flying for a long time. She was grateful to the mare, for she had helped her twice now. "Thank you," she said quietly. "You rescued me from that lion and now again from the pain."
"It was no problem," Temperance replied. "I'm just glad I heard the commotion before I went to sleep." At the mention of sleep, Temperance suddenly remembered how tired she was. "Speaking of which," she yawned, "I think it's time for me to get home and find my bed of pine needles." She looked around a moment and a thought struck her. "Will you be safe if that lion returns?" she asked.
The owl shuddered at the thought, for she knew she wouldn't. With her injuries, she'd be lucky to survive another encounter with that lion. "No, I'm afraid not." she sighed.
Temperance frowned and dug her claws in the dirt. "Well, if you want, you can come with me back to my nest. It's safe there, and I'll be there if anything does try to attack you." she offered. She doubted that lion would come around while she was there.
The owl pondered her offer for a moment. "Yes," she replied. "I think I would like that."
"Great," she said, "It's settled then. Hop down from there, and you can ride on my back to the nest." Temperance turned so the owl could safely land on her back.
Wyntre hooted softly and jumped to a lower branch, and then another before jumping down onto the mare's back. She was a little apprehensive of trusting this mare, but she hadn't given her a reason not to. As the mare walked back to her nest, Wyntre admired her beautiful tail feathers and the small feathery cape she wore. It looked like the cape was made from her own feathers, like a pair of wings, but she could tell they weren't real wings. Wyntre wondered if the mare wished she had wings of her own. "Your feathers are beautiful," she said out loud.
As they reached the nest, Temperance ducked her head to enter, leaves brushing against her neck. "Mind the leaves," she said as some of them brushed softly against the owls head. "Thank you," she replied to the owl's compliment. "I adore my feathers, and the feather's of others," she admitted. Her adoration was somewhat of an obsession actually. The nest that she lay on consisted of not only pine needles, but many feathers that belonged to both her and others. The others were mostly ones that she had found on the ground, or that she had been given. One particular feather that she treasured belonged to a beautiful peacock stallion whom she dreamed of bearing his children. She knew that the day would never come, but she couldn't help what she dreamed. She broke out of her reverie and offered the owl a place to perch on one of the branches that she had used to make her nest. Some baubles hung from the end of it, giving enough room for the owl to sit comfortably.
