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 Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 6:24 pm
Ahote winced and slew down a little at the other stallion's piercing cry. With a deep breath, he continued on, drawing up alongside the distraught form even while the last syllable fading into the cooling air.
He really, really hoped the familiar was nearby.
It wasn't that he wanted to get away, necessarily, he just... wanted everything to be okay. For the stallion's sake. If these were the hysterics faced when he was merely missing, what...
He stopped that line of thinking firmly. It was never good to get carried away, and start inventing problems where none existed.
His ears flickered to and fro, searching for an answering rustle to the cry.
He waited... and then glanced at the stallion, and turned aside, and kept waiting.
The sound would come.
It was not blind confidence, it was his conviction and firm belief that everything would be alright. Rabbits were flighty creatures for the most part, instinct driving their darting movements as much as their seemingly natural high-strung temperament. If one had bonded to this stallion, surely it would not have gone far... surely, Alice would not have gone far.
Matching his pace to the other's haste, he focused fully on the noises of the surrounding forest.
... Right?
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Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 1:53 pm
Alice's nose twitched, his ears flickering to catch the sound of his best friend's wail. Pinning his ears against his skull before lifting himself up onto his haunches and peeking about, ears perked once more, he frowned slightly, and then peered down at the remains of his meal.
Judging by the amount of clover he'd consumed, as evidenced by the now-cleared little patches scattered throughout the underbrush, he had been gone for... oh. Well. That was why the large white one sounded so desperate.
Feeling a little sheepish, the rabbit familiar hopped off towards the general direction of the sound, moving as quickly as his now-full-belly would allow him to.
Peter pouted, taking the silence as a general rejection.
His face twisting up a little, he took a few quick breaths, fighting down the tears.
He would not burst into hysterics around this stallion, even if he was generally inclined to. He was reacting logically to the situation at hand, for Alice was m.. m... missing.
Peter threw his head back, ready to call out again, when a sound in the bushes caused him to freeze.
Alice...?
Alice hopped out of the bushes, his little heart beating frantically from his racing pace. He hadn't been moving quite so fast as he would have been if he'd been pursued by some predator (his eyes darted around at the thought, but nope, safe) but he had been moving fast.
He didn't like it when Peter got worried... he tended to... fret.
And, anyway, Alice didn't much like being too far away from his best friend for long either.
Reaching out, he layed a paw on the stallion's hind leg, a silent Hello.
Heart beating rapidly, Peter twisted himself around to stare at the little rabbit, his neck beginning to turn just as the bushes to his left rustled and then his ribcage contorted as he bent sideways to see better.
"ALICE!!!!!" he cried, the joyous sound ringing out, almost as loud as his previous cry. Realizing this, he repeated "Alice. I was so worried!" softer, almost at a choked whisper. Spinning around (carefully keeping his hooves away from his beloved) he turned and began to nose the rabbit familiar all over, checking for injuries, bruises, anything out of the ordinary and entirely unwanted.
Dealing with his best friend's attention stoically, Alice's nose twitched as he peered suspiciously at the large feathered stallion nearby.
Thumping one leg, he pointed, demanding at explanation even as Peter finished checking him over. He'd already looked his friend over visually, and there was nothing unusual just a little sweat from being so worried, which was entirely normal for Peter, and now he wanted to know who Peter had found to keep him company.
And, Why.
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Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 4:23 pm
Ahote blinked, tensing slightly and then relaxing as the little rabbit came bouncing out of the bushes. He pulled his head back slightly and stared as Peter went through his odd contortions, thinking idly to himself that it wasn't that unusual (he could reach his own tail, if he must) but that such movements were often reserved for a nasty itch or pesky fly.
Though, he supposed, greeting a good friend was as good a reason as any.
He found himself smiling, genuinely relieved that the little rabbit was okay.
And the other stallion... yes, it was nice to see him relaxing ... slightly... well, still excited, but for different reasons.
Blowing a strand of hair out from his eyes, the behemoth watched as the reunion, content.
He didn't have anyone who would greet him so fondly. Or be so concerned if he was gone. He traveled alone, and he spent most of his time alone, and though he usually preferred solitude over these at-times-puzzling other Soquili... he sometimes wondered if it would be nice, perhaps, to... have... someone. There. A friend.
The rabbit turned to him, thumping its foot impatiently and seeming almost to demand an explanation.
Clearing his throat slightly, he spoke "I'm Ahote. I was... helping... Peter find you." he explained, somehow feeling not at all silly for defending his presence to a rabbit. Jealousy, perhaps, or some protective instinct shared between friends.
Somewhat uncertain of his welcome, now that the two were reunited, he shifted his gaze towards the sky, wondering if perhaps he should take off... and just melt away, like he always did, once he became.. un-needed.
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Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2014 9:45 pm
Peter nodded emphatically to confirm Ahote's words, his giant ears flopping as he peeked happily from Alice to the large stallion who had accompanied him on this most-recent of... rescue missions.
"You were lost, and Ahote was here, and he's really not scary even though he is big- quite nice, actually- and I couldn't find you but he came to help and we couldn't find you and I was so worried but i'm so glad you're back, I really wish you wouldn't do this you know I should very much like it if you would at least tell me where you're going and maybe come back to check in every now and then, though I know sometimes I move around too but really we should have check-ins if you're going to be gone for long spurts of time like this, I Worry you know and I wish..." he gasped for air, staring at his best friend's rather scolding expression and wilting slightly. ".. I wish you'd just... stay close." he finished weakly, sighing a little. He knew Alice didn't like it when he got like this, but... well... he was thrilled that Alice was around to not be happy about something, so he'd be quiet.... a little... well, for now.
Eying the large stallion rather dubiously, Alice stared at Peter nodding up and down over and over and over again, and sighed a little at his friend's scolding lecture. Waiting with a stern expression for Peter to catch on that he really wasn't taking this right now, he nodded in thanks as the stallion finally trailed off weakly. Resting his paw on Peter's nose again, he hopped solemnly over to Ahote's legs, his heart-rate slowing back to normal.
Sitting up on his haunches, he reached forward, seeking to make contact with the large stallion. A gesture of trust, and of thanks.
Peter had lurched forward to follow Alice as he hopped away, then caught himself; he wasn't going far, and he'd said goodbye after all. Well, that touch had felt more like 'stay here' with the slight pressure against his nose, but Alice liked to be cryptic sometimes and he didn't always like to use the handful of words of the Kawani tongue he knew to communicate.
Gestures were much more natural for the little rabbit, and Peter... well, he did more than enough talking for them both.
Fighting back the little spurt of jealousy, he watched Alice reach up to thank Ahote, still smiling.
He was just happy to have his friend back.
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Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 4:38 pm
Ahote watched silently as Peter spewed his explanation, talking earnestly to the little rabbit that had peeked at him with such righteous demand.
That floppy-eared confirmation of his word was all the little rabbit seemed to need to believe him- and to... accept?... him.
He stood stoically as the little rabbit eyed him, then watched his friend, seeming to sigh and then stare sternly at the white stallion. He felt almost like an intruder, witnessing their dynamics like this- he knew they were close, but they seemed to communicate without words... well, on the side of the rabbit of course; he knew familiars could learn to share a few words of their bonded-one's tongue, but he wondered now if all were inclined to do so.
He was still wondering, seeming to prefer the mental wanderings to staring so intently at the two, when the rabbit began to approach.
He waited, feeling almost as if he was drawing in to himself even though he hadn't moved a muscle.
And then...
A white paw moved forward, reaching up in a gesture of.... acceptance? trust? ...
Without thinking any further, Ahote's large nose moved to press against the little white paw, his breath warm and his nose tingling slightly as they made contact.
Big, glowing orange eyes stared into tiny beady red ones, shielded behind spectacles much like Peter's own.
Thank you...
He honestly didn't know if those 2 words, a single expression, had been what he'd finally settled on as the rabbit's purpose, or if... it was a sincere thanks from the part of him that... wanted... to be needed... for more than just a little while.
For more than just until the task was done.
And to... stay, a little while... even if there wasn't a pressing need for him to do so. Just, to be.... wanted.
He blinked, breathing once more and then withdrawing slightly, turning his gaze back to Peter.
Without quite knowing why, he smiled.
"I'm..." he considered it carefully, finally understanding that many courteous phrases, so often spoken by routine, originated in the sincerest of feelings to express a common good "... happy... to have met you both."
Whomever he met, and whomever he helped, he was of course glad to encounter... after all, if he had not been there, who could know if another would have happened by soon enough to lend aid? Or if that other would have wished to help at all, or merely twisted the situation to their advantage? He didn't pride himself over much, but he did understand that he was... a little unique, perhaps... in never really asking for anything in return. It was enough to feel needed, if only for a little while.
Even if he did truly like his time alone.
Were they all social creatures, in the end?
He held the smile, thoughtfully, feeling a little tired and yet strangely at ease in the company of these two rabbit-eared beings.
"And i'm glad I could help."
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