Young love needs space to grow. And that's why Branwen was sure to give Tesni and Koletis plenty of alone time. She was grateful to have their companionship after spending so long traveling on her own, but she didn't want to stifle their blossoming romance by sticking around the couple constantly. Even if it had been stated several times that her presence wasn't a bother.She didn't mind wandering off on her own for a short while. It was always nice to take a walk and admire the scenery of whatever place their traveling had taken them. And she was never alone. Gethen made certain of that. While the owl had undoubtedly grown to accept the two new Soquili in their lives, he still didn't trust them completely. And he definitely didn't trust what might be lurking around any corner, tree, rock, small patch of grass. Branwen couldn't help but wonder if her familiar would ever relax enough to think every little thing was a threat to their very lives. Just the thought of being so incredibly high-strung all the time was exhausting to her. And she knew it was exhausting for him- what with missing out on so much sleep just to make sure nothing was going to try and attack them in broad daylight.
Branwen felt lucky to be so calm about most things. Of course she worried about harm coming to herself or anyone she cared for. But it wasn't a constant worry at the forefront of her mind. More like a lingering shadow in a distant crevice of her mind, too lazy to make itself present unless it was actually necessary. This allowed Branwen to actually appreciate the life thriving around her, instead of suspecting it of foul intentions. The trees were vibrant, their boughs full of green and the twitters of small birds. The ground covered in lush grasses where animals were feeding and hiding and playing with their newborns.
And it was as she enjoyed these wonders of nature that a strange color caught her eye. A flash of orange, like the fires the Kawani lit when the sun went down. For a moment she worried that something was actually ablaze and, as any intelligent creature would do, she ran towards it. But this was no flame, though it was easy to see why she had mistaken it as such. What laid tucked away in the thick grass was a basket with bright orange reeds woven into it and a brilliant red gem clasping it closed. And beside it sat another, almost identical but with deep blues like a night sky. It was a relief that the grasslands weren't burning, but now a whole new slew of concerns arose. Where were the parents of these baskets? She hadn't seen any sigh of others around recently. Surely it wasn't safe to leave them here all alone. Branwen certainly wasn't going to leave them. Not until their parents showed up and she gave them some gentle suggestions on how to properly raise foals. And if they didn't come back....
She herd the concerned chittering of her familiar as he approached and spotted the baskets. One could see his mind working furiously at the situation before them, "Don't even suggest that this might be a trap. Even if it is, I absolutely will not leave these baskets unattended." It was so clear by his expression that the owl didn't know what to do. His bonded needed to be protected, but so did foals. If something were to happen to them because of his decisions, he would feel almost as guilty about it as if something were to happen to Branwen. After a long moment of silent contemplation he responded with reluctance.
"We'll stay for a while. And if no one shows up...I will find Tesni and let them know the circumstances." This was a plan Branwen could agree to. So, the two settled down beside the baskets and waited.
