Welcome to Gaia! ::

While singing and dancing in the snow might not have been Kaia’s personal cup of tea she was quite similar to a certain snow-adept fairytale princess. All her life had been surrounded by the white powder, whether it be in the frozen tundra her mother preferred to call home to the chilly mountain peaks she lived on with her mate and family. The cold didn’t bother her. Why others adapted to the cold; she was born in it, molded by it to her very chilled core.

However, admittedly, Kaia was not expecting this kind of snow this late in the season, especially in the normally mild-tempered lowlands of Kawani. She had carefully planned her expedition to the northern deserts for an archaeological dig around the winter months, planning to be away in the dark winter months when the temperatures in the sandy dunes were cool enough to work without worry of heat exhaustion or sickness. She was set to return at the beginning of spring in Kawani when the weather was still cool for easy travel but with little risk for weather-related travel problems aside from a spring shower or two.

Mother Nature had laughed at her calculated plans and reminded the harpini that the only thing you could predict with the weather was how unpredictable it could be.

Kaia’s harpy lineage propensity for stubbornness shined through in her determination to press on traveling. Kaia was not about to let a silly snowstorm stop her from seeing her mate and children, dammit! She was prepared for this; she was always prepared for every scenario, no matter how ridiculous the odds were! When faced with Mother Nature’s winter wrath, she just pulled out her backup snow cloak made of colorful downy feathers, her fur-lined hood and mask, and wooden goggles with a small slit cut into them to avoid snow blindness and pushed forward!

ONWARD!

Admittedly…did she look like a crazy person? Yes. Could people mistake her for some yeti hunting out in the blizzard for its next meal? Most definitely, with the current visibility conditions. But she wasn’t expecting anyone else besides her to be stupid enough to be out braving the storm.

Oh, how wrong she was about to be proven.

“Hey, I don't know if you know this, but it's a bit stormy out right now.” Stopping dead in her tracks, Kaia’s ears swiveled around in a frenzy, trying to locate the source of the voice cutting through the deafening wind. She could barely see out of her snow goggles, but that didn’t mean that her ears were broken.

“I am well aware of the current weather conditions, thank you.” She acknowledged the warning, her voice not hiding the obvious hint of annoyance and dry sarcasm. What an obtuse statement. How could she not know it was storming!? Did he think her simple!?

Finally, her eyes locked on the small black and white figure huddled underneath the barren tree. An eyebrow cocked at the sight of the obviously ill-prepared and very underdressed Usida who was wasting precious energy resources being snarky towards her rather than trying to save his own butt.

“The better question would be why someone would not be seeking his own advice,” she replied as her neck craned down to meet her front leg, pushing up her goggles to the top of her forehead so she could get a better look to assess the situation. “You don’t have a lick of winter protection on right now. What in spirit’s name are you still doing out here?” She inquired, her face scrunching in concern. “The average time it takes to die of hypothermia in this weather is an hour or two at most.”

(WC: 612)

Sarcasm. Ugh, as if she didn’t experience enough of it at home from her mate and children now she was forced to endure more of it from a complete stranger. And people wondered why she preferred not to interact with others. If this wasn’t a literal life-or-death situation she would have been inclined to simply walk away without another word from the stallion with an obviously oversized chip on his shoulder for one his size.

“Traveling,” She shot back plainly as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I’m going home to my family after my expedition.” She elaborated further, her voice still carrying a low and even tone laced with annoyance.

Her lips pursed as her face contorted into a worried grimace as she watched him struggle to stand, shivering from head to toe and teeth audibly chattering. He could be as stubborn and sassy as he wished, but no amount of sass could alter the harsh reality of his situation or the rapidly dwindling time he had left in these freezing conditions.

Kaia needed to act quickly, regardless of whether he accepted her assistance. If not, this seemingly "friendly” meet could swiftly turn into a somber affair, with his belongings being returned to whichever next of kin he had.

She snorted, rolling her eyes at his crude humor aimed at distracting her. With a disapproving shake of her head, she shrugged off her hefty travel backpack, letting it drop to the ground with a loud thunk. As soon as it hit the ground, she dove into it, rifling through its contents to locate her desired item.

Her motto of caution and over-preparedness was once again proving to be ideal for both travel and life. Her family often teased her for overpacking; well, who had the last laugh now?

“Ah-ha!” she muttered under her breath as she retrieved a thick, padded blanket lined with fur on one side and soft leather on the other, designed for insulation and waterproofing.

Perfect. Exactly what the little smart-a** needed.

“You might think your tongue is sharp,” she scoffed, taking the blanket in her mouth. With a vigorous shake, she unfurled it and swiftly tossed it over him. “But the sharpest thing in this conversation is your survival rate plummeting as each second passes without proper snow gear.” She stepped back to admire her handiwork.

“Now, can you walk on your own, or do I need to carry you? I sincerely hope it’s the former. Also, I’d rather not waste more time arguing about this. If you can’t walk, please just admit it instead of dragging us down while we search for shelter to save your pride. If you would be so kind, sir."

(WC: 454 words)

Kaia couldn’t help but pause and give the Usdia a bewildered look. “I began my travels long before the storm. Snow and blizzards are typical where I’m from during winter, so I had no reason to stop because this,” she gestured toward the still-raging snowstorm around them, “is quite mild. It’s annoying and cold, but not impossible to navigate.”

Once more, her eyebrow arched at his begrudging apology. She was uncertain about who this man usually interacted with or how sensitive they might be, but it would take much more to rattle her. "No need, I’m not offended."

Was….was he of simple mind or was he just playing stupid? He actually couldn’t tell a metaphor from a factual statement? Kaia couldn’t honestly tell anymore when he stuck out his tongue and made himself go cross-eyed just for the sake of proving her wrong. She gave one slow blink, then another, then yet another before shaking her head to knock herself out of her disbelief.

Gods above, if they were listening please give her the patience to be able to help this stallion without chunking him into the nearest snow bank and leaving him to fend for himself against the rage of Father Winter.

Letting out a strained sigh she lowered her body down onto her knees. A shiver ran through her from the shock of the cold snow pressing against her suddenly. "Yes, yes, you certainly look like a grand adventurer who has conquered many foes and perilous situations," she scoffed, fighting the strong urge to roll her eyes at his boasting. If she pampered at his little ego perhaps he would shut up and finally put some of that energy to better use, like self-preservation!

“You never answered my question, so I’m assuming you can’t walk. Hop on.” She instructed firmly, her tone giving no room for disagreement or objection from him. They didn’t have the damn time to waste for him to be continuing to prattle on like a prideful peacock. “I travel this route twice a year. We’re near the base of the mountains, about a mile north, where a series of cave systems are located. I had planned to stop there for the night, but there is definitely space for two to wait out the storm," she explained, nodding her head to encourage him to climb on her back.

“Now that I’ve given the travel itinerary can you please climb on so we can get you somewhere we can focus on regulating your body temputure? First aid is not my strong suit so I won’t be able to help much if that rounded tongue you keep wagging about gets frost bite and falls off.”

Though, he might make more pleasant company in her opinion if that actually did happen!

(WC 463)

“This is at best a mild blizzard. A squall or ice storm would have provided more reasons to complain.” She paused, pursing her lips as she tried to recall the last time any of those weather patterns had graced the Kawani lowlands. “Of course, you might not have encountered such conditions. To you, this probably feels severe...” Her voice trailed off as she reflected on how her words had subtly reminded her of her place.

Everyone is unique, with distinct experiences. As her mother often said, what can be fatal to one might only graze another. She needed to remember that and acknowledge her own biases before forming judgments.

His abrupt shuffling brought her back to reality. With a slight shake of her head, she redirected her focus to the sight of a half-frozen Usdia, buried under a heavy winter blanket that was far too large for him.

It was truly a sight to see, albeit a rather sad one. How could anyone not feel pity for the poor lad in that situation? Even if his demeanor was as abrasive as sandpaper to her. But she had to remember that differences exist, and personalities vary. While this journey home felt typical for her, to him, it was... cold, dark, and miserable.

Remember unconscious bias, Kaia.

She let out a soft grunt as his weight pressed against her spine while he scrambled up. Carrying her heavy travel gear was already a challenge, but it was a whole nother challenge having a fully grown Usdia joining the weight!

Thankfully, her experience raising children who enjoyed piggyback rides had prepared her for this exact moment.

With a light chuckle, she gradually rose from the ground, shifting her shoulders to better balance his weight on her back. “In this position, I could do a lot more than just pull your leg if I wanted to. I have access to legs, hooves, snoot- anything I like,” she joked, a small smile breaking through her usual stoic expression, though it quickly vanished, replaced by her typical stern glare at his nonsensical chatter.

Unconscious bias. Unconscious bias. Unconscious bias! Even those who might not be the sharpest tools in the shed deserved to be heard and seen. And they certainly didn’t deserve to be left out in the cold!

Ugh, though why did she have to be the hero!?

Ah, at last, he replied with actual words. “And off we go. Harpini express, next stop: cave safety.” She retorted with a dry, humorless tone as she moved ahead.

She was uncertain about how she would endure the next few hours with him until the storm cleared without pulling out most of her feathers. However, she had a feeling that night would become an intriguing - albeit infuriating - tale to share with her family when she finally returned home safely.

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