With his strong start from Homewood, once the verdant sight of home drew distant behind him, Dousan slowed his speed after a time. The hard packed earth didn't take to leaving footprints well, so the scattering of hoofprint he spied here and there didn't help in determining which exactly belonged to the magical gift hopeful that he was needing to find. Think. There was an answer to suss out. His walking pace slowed, so he could focus more on searching for a lead than how fast he was going and where.
Sight wouldn't be of much use for him until he actually got closer in proximity to the doe he was needing to deliver the gift to. She'd be too far for him to hear anything other than the howling of the desert wind, the shushing of dust and sand flowing over itself, the sounds of his own footfalls, his own breathing. He went on eliminating senses. Touch and taste were just out. Scents, however, had potential. Heat made smells stronger. The youngster who had tasked him with this mission seemed close to the sister that was making her pilgrimage out of Homewood. It would stand to reason that they'd have similar scents!
Dousan was travelling in the right direction. It had taken him some time, following ghosts of scents but eventually honing in on a trail that bore a familial resemblance to that of the young buck who had requested him to go out. With a more certain path to follow, the buck squinted his eyes against the peaking sun's glare. He had been advancing across the Barrens for a few hours. The sun was ferociously heating up the packed earth below him as well as beat down from above him.
Taking a deep, centering breath, Dousan called upon his Solar gift. He squared his shoulders and pressed on. He'd Endure. His path was clear and his mind focused. The scorching heat seemed to perceptively lessen to him, like the hot gusts of air that buffeted him sped him onward in lieu of stinging his eyes and burning his lungs. He felt like he caught his second wind. The dryness of his throat diminished. The cream champagne buck sped along his way, following the trail.
Day crept on toward sunset. The scent trail he was following was becoming clearer, though it seemed to have started to worryingly veer from side to side. Finally a figure came into focus ahead of him. A petite doe walked onward, staggering every few steps. Dousan called the name the youngster had given him earlier that morning. She paused, craning her head around to see who called. So, it was her!
Trotting to her side, he sighed and offered her an encouraging smile, introduced himself. "I'm glad to have caught up with you. Your little brother sent me with a gift for you, saying you had forgotten it upon your leaving. But first, please, have some water. Feel free to drink your fill. Truly, I don't mind." It didn't take much convincing and Dousan patiently, quietly waited for her to drain the container that he wore of water. Already she seemed to have livened up some, her eyes seeming more alert. Good, good. He shook his head at her thanks. He unwound the cord of the necklace from his foreleg, then used his horn to lift up the trinket, the bored riverstone swaying gently from its being held aloft.
The younger doe looked utterly touched, chuckled at the sight of it. "My brother had actually accidentally fallen asleep on it. Last night, before I went to sleep, he told me that he was going to charge it up with luck and that he'd give it to me when I left or leave it next to me before he went to bed himself. Well, I got up so early that he was still asleep and I wasn't about to try to slide it out from under him. Thank you for this."
Dousan smiled and offered to help her put it on. He angled his head so there was as much space as could be managed inside the loop of the cord. First she slid her horn through, and with some maneuvering, her snout. With the difficult bit out of the way, he let go and she threw her head back with a shake, the necklace falling to rest about her throat. "I feel luckier already!"
"Wonderful! I'll be sure to send word to your brother when I return. Best be carrying on since you're feeling so much better. Now, you're closer to your destination than you think, and I've no doubt it'll go beautifully. Best of luck to you on your way. Farewell." He nodded to her as the two of them turned about. The newly revitalized hopeful pushed on with pep in her step, her weaving gone. Dousan turned and faced home. The sun was creeping down behind the horizon. The cooling of night would help comfortably speed his return trip home.
[WC: 836]
Reply
