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 Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2020 8:05 pm
Exploring the dark earth of the damp forest shadows was always an exciting venture for Vermina. Even without a particular task in mind, she would find some treasure to return home with on practically every trip. She enjoyed taking what she could find to turn it into something useful for her sisters. Plants and skins into clothes, stones and bones into tools, berries and critters into food... so much could be used!
Today... today, she hoped the forest would give its best treasures. She had invited Danika to go on today's foraging trip. It was their first planned meeting, and she found herself nervous. Was it too simple? Too laborious? Too dirty?
Ugh! Well, it was too late now! She chewed lightly on her lip as she waited, trying to focus instead on picking a route to take through the trees. If Danika got bored, she wanted to be sure they could return quickly... but if Danika was enjoying herself, she also wanted plenty of path to explore.
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Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2020 9:15 am
While Danika adored presenting new mothers with their blooms, she was thankful that today was a quiet day for the Great Mother. No new blooms had blossomed just yet and those that had already emerged days prior were quietly growing with healthy petals. A soft smile crossed Danika's features as she ran her fingers along some of the blooms, her tough as gentle as the softest of spring breezes. Every touch, every moment with a bloom gave her a vision of a faint aura, a sign of the baby growing inside. Once she had finished her inspections the young mystic found herself wandering away from Aisha and towards a more distant path where she knew her friend was waiting.
"Are you deciding on a route?" Danika called out once she spotted Vermina and noticed the thoughtful look on the other Alkidike's face. Walking closer, the mystic could not help smiling. Wherever today's adventure took them did not matter to her much after all. She was just thankful to be spending time together with Vermina once more.
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Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2020 2:15 pm
Vermina's gaze focused on her surroundings once more, and readily returned a smile of her own. "Actually, that is exactly what I was doing," she said with a chuckle. The pressure was still on, but Danika's ability to put Vermina at ease was already taking affect. It was time to just go for it and forget about the planning. "I think we will just see where our feet take us."
"Thank you for coming along," she offered, shifting her pack more comfortably on her hip as she turned for the forest. "It has been a while since I have been able to explore with company."
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Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2020 7:07 pm
Danika laughed softly. "That sounds like a good plan to me." She encouraged Vermina as she stood alongside of her and studied their surroundings. Honestly she preferred wandering without a path sometimes. It was so stressful just trying to plan each and every hour of her day that when she could let go of everything it was a blessing. "I should thank you for inviting me instead." She replied with a slight smile, "What do you think? Should we try the straight path before us and decide upon a new direction once the path diverges?"
The mystic studied the path thoughtfully. She had her weapons at her side, a companion and a small satchel that hung on a strap which crossed her body. She was prepared for gathering and if anything were to occur she was also prepared to fight. Danika was not quite so delicate as her guards would have others believe. No, she was a warrior in her own right as well. Her fingers trailed along her weapons' handles before she glanced back to Vermina with a smile. "Shall we?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2020 3:18 pm
"You're welcome." Vermina just stood for a moment and smiled back. How could she not? It was so enjoyable just being around- "We shall," she replied happily, walking a little faster to catch up to walk alongside Danika.
The first thing she noticed as they headed further along the path was the trail of paw prints that followed the same path. "It looks like a family of nizda was here recently," she said, pointing to the prints. "Oh, there are smaller prints, too! The young must be getting too big for their mothers to carry." Her eyes rose to scan the trees, but they must have moved further ahead. Her lips pursed slightly, brow knitting in thought. "I wonder how Aisha decided we should grow from blossoms, when everything else come from with another of their kind. We are certainly blessed to come in such a peaceful manner."
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Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2020 7:07 pm
Danika's gaze followed to where Vermina was pointing. "Ah." She blinked in surprise before grinning. "It seems so! Do you think we may stumble upon them?" She asked almost as innocently and as eagerly as a youngling would. Surely she had wandered throughout the forests before but it had been such a long time and she rarely got to see many wild creatures. Honestly she even adored the sitara that she had seen riding along the shoulders of some of her sisters. It was cute how their tails glowed in the darkness and she wondered if they would encounter any of them during their walk as well as the nizda.
Her thoughts drifted until Vermina's voice brought her back to reality. "Hmm?" Danika's lips pursed as she pondered the question. "I suppose it was a necessity for the way of life she planned for us. We surely could not reproduce like the earthlings so she decided to give us life directly from her branches instead. It builds a closer connection to our mother rather than allowing us to forget how much we owe her." She nodded her head as she thought about the mysteries of life. "We must be dear to her for her to save us from such pains." Danika had heard about the pains of birthing for other races and even for creatures. It was a mystery indeed why they were so different but she would not change it for the world. After all what better gift was there for Aisha to give them?
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Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2020 5:31 pm
Vermina knelt to take a closer look at the tracks and nodded. "I don't believe they are too far ahead," she assured, looking up with an encouraging smile. Danika's eager tone was so sweet. When had the mystic last gone on a walk like this? Vermina was regularly there for foraging or hunting, so having someone to reignite the joy of wandering was refreshing to her.
Her nose wrinkled at the idea of how everyone else reproduced. She had never seen it in an earthlng, of course, but she had assisted a few times with the birthing radaku; from what she heard, there wasn't much of a difference. All in all, it seemed a horrid challenge to go through. It was no wonder that some earthlings sought to share the blessing of a blossom rather than to go through that pain. "Aisha truly is wise beyond us. She has given us much to show how much she cares."
Further ahead, bushes rustled and parted ways for an excited young nizda. It was chasing after a bug, little handpaws grabbing at the insect as it fluttered ahead. A deep call came from beyond the trees, and the baby chirped back without pausing its pursuit of the bug.
Vermina laughed. "I suppose that is something that all young have in common, though. Such curious and precocious little things when they are small."
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Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2020 9:14 pm
"Oh?" Danika could not resist the smile that crossed her lips. Both Vermina's company and the excitement of seeing little ones was too enjoyable a thought for her to hide behind a more solemn countenance. She couldn't even stop the small laugh that left her lips at Vermina's reaction to the talk of babies. "Agreed. Though I'm sure there's something precious in growing a child of your own....something that connects a mother to a child like we are connected to Aisha." She gave a slight shrug of her shoulders because none of the Sisters would ever know such a thing nor was she tempted to. Still, it was interesting to think about how life grew in so many different ways. Did Aisha have birthing pains when she bloomed a flower? There were simply too many mysteries still in this world for anyone to truly know all the answers. "Perhaps one day we will know truly how it feels to be connected to our own blooms...." She mused out loud before realizing how her words sounded. A slight flush decorated her cheeks. "I mean...that is every one of us one day may have a bloom. It certainly is an experience whenever I gift a mother with their blossom."
Biting her bottom lip, Danika glanced back towards the path and walked forward quietly. How could such a conversation make her stumble so? Was she even stumbling? It truly was puzzling for her to feel such strange feelings. Why did she feel shy about her words when she was simply musing about Aisha's blessings? When the young nizda emerged, Danika could not help feeling relieved for a distraction. "You're not wrong." She replied with a soft laugh. "Though I admit sometimes I still tend to be a bit like that myself." She knew that her actions as mystic was something that had others whispering in surprise. To be so open towards relationships with earthlings and to even support planting a new tree...it was all so drastic from the elders who preferred to keep to themselves and stay to the older traditions of the Alkidikes. Danika, however, had been born simply too curious for this world. She was like a tree who may grow in one place but her roots spread deeply beneath the surface and throughout the lands. It was a blessing indeed that she had managed to see so much progress in so few years. "I believe it's a brave one to chase its interests so." She mused with a small smile towards Vermina. "What do you think?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2020 1:07 pm
Could there be a good side to being the one to grow the child? Having to adjust to that growing belly with the baby's limbs jabbing at your insides? "Perhaps there is, though I am content to leave the birthing to Aisha," she decided. All the fun came after the baby was born anyway, once one could interact with her. Vermina's mind had started to go in the same direction as Danika's, and her mind turned the other's words just as personally. Our own blooms...
Her cheeks were warm, only able to give a nod in return as the point was clarified. Masked by the complete blackness of her eyes, her gaze shifted to peek over to her companion. What sort of mother would Danika be? An amazing one, surely...
"Brave, yes.. at that age though, it is also naivety and innocence, is it not? Young are taught to be cautious of the world, but they do not truly understand the risks it holds. I believe that is where bravery finds its source though. We learn that we can when we are young so that we continue to do so when we come of age." The nizda leapt, grabbing the bug successfully. With a pleased chitter, it promptly shoved the bug into its mouth. "Now it knows it is capable of reaching what it desires..." Realizing her mind had wandered into an unexpectedly reflective tone, Vermina blushed and smiled apologetically. "I mean.. it is a good thing, is all I am saying. ..I apologize for rambling."
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2020 9:16 pm
Danika let out a soft laugh. "After the stories I have heard about the earthlings giving birth I am inclined to agree with you, Vermina." They were warriors and taught to withstand pain but something about the idea of giving birth honestly made Danika almost fearful. It sounded so dangerous and so important at the same time, both a rewarding yet painful experience. It truly made her respect Aisha even more for carrying such a burden for their kind. As she spoke she was watching Vermina for a reaction to her stumbled words about blooms and the realization made her own cheeks flush more before she quickly glanced away.
"Fair enough." Danika replied softly as she listened to Vermina's wise words. "You speak a lot of truth." She smiled towards her companion as the nizda continued eating its prize. "You need not to apologize. I rather enjoy your ramblings. It honestly makes me think. I wonder what desires we reach for and when or if we ever learn when to stop? I suppose even now I'm reaching and still trying to learn my own desires and their limits." She answered honestly as she reached over to hold a hand out towards Vermina. "I'm sure the nizda's herd is nearby. We should probably give it space so that they don't feel threatened by us." It was cute and she found herself glancing over at the young creature a final time while waiting on Vermina's response.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2020 2:20 pm
The little nizda turned to head back for its family, eyes finally landing on the pair standing down the path. It cocked its head and gave them a curious coo, leaning over onto its foremost paws toward them.
Vermina watched it, her smile softening as she listened. They were all curious creatures at the beginning; while some seemed to try to grow out of that state, others embraced it for their lives. "You should never stop wanting to learn." She looked over to Danika and smiled brighter, reaching out to accept the assisting hand. "We should all.. we should all always strive to find out what we want, and what will make us better versions of ourselves. For our sake, and the sake those we care for. There wouldn't be anything left to enjoy if we knew everything." Hearing rustling getting closer, she gave Danika a gentle tug away from the baby ahead.
As if on cue, out trotted an adult nizda to the baby's side. With a little growl at the Alks in warning, the adult grabbed the baby up with one arm. The baby struggled only a little before deciding to cling to its mother.
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Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2020 5:19 pm
"I wish everyone thought in such a way." Replied Danika honestly as she squeezed Vermina's fingers in appreciation. This was someone who could listen and understand her desire for knowledge. Others were simply too stuck in their old ways and hated the idea of learning anything about the rest of the world. They were simply too good to know about earthling cultures whereas Danika pushed to learn more about their world as a whole. They could benefit from each other after all. "I agree. We should always strive to better ourselves, especially for the sake of the future generations." They were the ones to instruct the young and teach them about the world they were to inherit.
Danika tugged Vermina to her side in response to the adult nizda growling at them. It was a protective gesture but one that pressed Danika and Vermina tightly together. Her cheeks flushed ever so slightly as she glanced towards her companion but she did not move away. "I suppose we should give them a bit of time to pass or find another path around." She murmured quietly as she stood there.
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2020 4:09 pm
There were many curiosities in the world. Some were brilliantly shining and waiting to be discovered while others perhaps did not need to be uncovered. That was the draw of the new, though. One never knew which lesson a secret was going to give. Playing it safe meant you avoided the bad results, but even Vermina, who liked to keep life fairly simple and traditional, felt the good rewards were worth the risks.
A warm tension spread over her when she was pulled closer, face turning to see Danika a little more clearly.
..that treasure was shining particularly bright behind the film of risk.
"Yes. We should let them be," she replied, though she remained tucked against Danika for an extended moment. Pressing her lips into a bashful smile, she ducked her head slightly and turned away to head back along the path. "Come on. There's another way we can go," she offered, still holding Danika's hand.
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2020 4:25 pm
"Alright, lead the way." Replied Danika quietly as she followed behind Vermina. The faintest of flushes had decorated her cheeks and she pondered the dual meaning of her words. Exactly where was Vermina leading them? More so than just through the forest of Chibale but somewhere more....special. Danika felt her cheeks warm even more at the thought and she was thankful that the other Alkidike was facing away. It was strange that after years of being alone, of being surrounded yet not truly seen, of having friends yet nothing more and the like that the mystic had allowed someone to slip through her guard. She didn't know when or how but despite her best intentions to ignore it the realization was slowly blooming with every moment spent together.
Perhaps it would not be such a bad thing to let someone else into her heart. Would it be so horrible and greedy to want a little piece of happiness for herself? Her expression softened at the thought as she clung to her companion's hands and enjoyed the warmth that they brought both to her fingertips and her soul.
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