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 Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 4:55 am
Vasilissa watched eagerly as the foal made its attack on the basket. She was hoping with every bit of her and then some that the foal wasn't a walker. She wanted desperately for it to be.. allowed to be with her. For it to be normal for her to love it as much as she already had. So when the foal finally emerged, she sucked in a breath. No pelt. Though she didn't know if walker foals were even born with pelts. His mouth was like a birds and little wings fluttered on his back. Was he some kind of wind?
The sound that came from his mouth shocked Lissa at first and she gasped a little. She certainly wasn't prepared for that. As the foal tried to walk and fell over, she giggled softly, already amazed by everything he did. Eyes wide, she stayed perfectly still as he walked towards her. As his head met her leg, she froze unsure what to do. After a few seconds, she leaned down and nudged the foal, nuzzling his cheek softly.
"I think it's safe."
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Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 5:19 am
Alexi watched carefully as the foal wiggled out of the basket. Like Vasilissa, he was happy to see he had no pelt. But, he also wasn't sure if children of walkers were born with pelts. Like a hawk, he tracked the foals movements, as harmless as they seemed. It was simply his nature, his need to protect what was important to him; even if the one he was protecting didn't realise how important she was.
As the foal moved towards Vasilissa, Alexi pressed himself closer to her, staring at the foal. He stiffened as she leaned down and nuzzled it. She was so.. frustrating at times. With a grunt and a flick of his mane, he moved away from her.
"For the time being."
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Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 5:24 am
Laeh had moved behind Vasilissa, as she was told. Despite how brave she was in her adventures and how excited she was at the thought of dragons breathing fire and witches placing curses on her, she was not excited for or wanting to be food for a skin walker.
But when the foal came out of the basket, Laeh was the first to jump forward from behind Lissa. Nosing at the foal, she sniffed his wings, his claws and nosed his beak. She had never seen such a wondrous creature in her life! But, she had heard stories. Horses mixed with birds. What were they called? Hippo.. Hippo...
"Hipogryph!" She called out, excitedly. "He's a hipogryph! Not a walker, that's for sure."
Wiggling excitedly, she nosed the colt and bounced around. "What's his name?"
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Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 5:33 am
Yálie stood directly behind Vasilissa, peering over her shoulder at the basket as it wiggled and was torn to shreds. She couldn't help but imagine herself as the basket, suffering the same treatment at the claws of the monster inside. When the foal was out, she took a careful step back. She wasn't ready to let her guard down because the creature had done something cute.
As Laeh jumped forward to the foal, Yálie nearly had a heart attack. She was so close! But the little putti called out something that registered a piece of information in Yálie's mind.
"Oh!" She moved forward, still carefully. "Laeh's right. I feel stupid for not realising sooner. It's a hipogryph alright. Definitely not a walker; for some strange reason, they're immune to the corpse powder. It just falls right offthem like dust. Taking a few more steps forward, she nosed the colt much the same way Laeh had. "He'll be a powerful flier. His wings are so strong already."
Standing up, she looked at Vasilissa and the others. "He's fine. Safe as a foal with talons and a beak can be." Pursing her lips, she looked at the foal. "A name would make it easier for me to make a log of him." Watching the sparkle in Vasilissa's eyes, she frowned lightly. "Don't get too attached, Lissa. Someone could come looking for him and take him back as quickly as he came."
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Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 5:51 am
Eäryendë moved a little further away into the water when Lissa issued the command. She wasn't in any particular danger where she was. On land, a walker was fast, but in the sea she was much, much faster. Even still, she feared for her friends and hated that there was nothing she could do without putting herself in danger which would only make things worse for her. As the basket wiggled and moved, Eäryendë watched with a careful and cautious gaze.
When the foal emerged, her eyes widened in shock. She had never, in all her years, seen such a creature before. She was prepared to flee, to swim to safety. But the fact that everyone else was still and there were no cries of pain or terror stopped her. Was the foal as innocent as it appeared to be? Were they safe?
She watched as the foal nuzzled Vasilissa and raised a brow. She had seen foals interact with their parents much the same way. She wondered if Vasilissa knew what was happening.. Moving a little closer, Eäryendë called out. "It think your its mother." She shied away a little, embarrassed that she had referred to the foal as an it. "Sorry.., she mumbled. "I mean he."
A wave rolled up flicked her mane about her face. Shaking it loose, she looked at Lissa. "You should move away from it now if you're not ready to take on the responsibility." Eäryendë suddenly realised this was quite possibly the most she had spoken to them at once. "I'll be on my way. Let me know it.. his name." Turning, she dove into the water to return when it wasn't so crowded and loud.
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Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 6:38 am
Yggdrasil was slower to get behind Vasilissa, but he made sure to put himself in front of the others, except Laeh who managed to wiggle her way between everyone, much to his dismay. He seemed to calm down the same time as everyone else once the foal had emerged and made its intentions as clear as he could make them without saying anything.
Eäryendë's voice floated into his ears and he looked from the mer to Vasilissa. She made a very, very good point. The foal was beginning to bond with her as he would have his own mother. Something that was dangerous since they didn't know if his real mother was coming to collect him.
But it was obvious, to his eyes at the least, that Vasilissa was smitten. He wondered how she would handle giving the foal up should his mother come looking for him. Part of him wondered if she'd give him up. "Vasilissa.. You need to be careful." He spoke kindly. He didn't want to offend her. She was a wonderful leader, no one could doubt that. But she was young and had never been in or considered she'd be in a situation like this. He was worried about how she would react.
"You should prepare yourself for him leaving. Even if it doesn't happen, it'll be easier if you think it will."
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Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 6:50 am
Vasilissa looked down at the foal, lips pursed a little. She listened to Yggdrasil and Eäryendë's concerns. "I know.." They were right, of course. She was being a little bit ridiculous. She didn't even know the foal and here she was, fawning over him as if she had given birth to him, placed him in the basket and been waiting eagerly for his arrival. That was someone else's experience and he was someone else's son.
But what was she to do? Tell him know and do damage that could shape him for the rest of his life? He'd been abandoned for long enough that he had grown inside the basket. Surely his mother would have found him by now. Looking down at him, a faint smile crossed her lips and she realised that he indeed needed a name.
"Any ideas for a name? He may very well end up staying with us and we can't keep calling him 'him' or 'it'."
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Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 6:54 am
Erynion was on the ground now, having come down when his fears were proven to be unnecessary. He had had his time to poke and sniff at the foal, much like everyone else had and now he was simply hanging around to hear final decisions.
"He's been in his basket for a long time. Someone would have found him by now." Looking at Vasilissa, his eyes were serious. "The decision is yours, whether you keep him or not. We simply don't want you to be hurt."
At the mention of names, his wings fluttered. "I'm afraid I don't even know what I would call my own children. Perhaps someone with a more creative mind would be better."
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Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:00 am
Laeh was silent, in deep contemplation. She was trying to remember the story of the hipogryphs she'd heard. It was one of her favourites, but all the excitement of the foal was confusing her brain. And then, it hit her like a ton of rocks.
"Vestiarian. He's the hero who rescues the captured hipogryph princess."
Bouncing around once more, she looked at the foal, a grin across her features. "You'll be a great hero when you're older! Alexi can teach you." She ran around, pretending to fly. "Some aerial assault would come in handy if we're attacked by a dragon. I bet his claws are sharp!"
Sitting down on the ground, she watched everyone, her excitement exhausting her just a little bit.
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Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:04 am
Alexi snorted at everyone. They were mad, the lot of them. Vasilissa especially. What was she going to do? Be a mother? And what would that make him? A father? He shook his head. Of course not; she didn't even know how he felt. Stupid.
A warrior, eh? "We'll see what happens when he's older. He might stay scrawny," he gave a half chuckle, half snort and turned away from the group. "I'm going to train. Come get me if you need me. I'll be in the usual spot." He walked off into the woods, shaking his head and mumbling to himself.
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Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:06 am
Vasilissa looked at the foal. "Vestiarian.." she tested the name. It was.. perfect. "I think that's wonderful, Laeh. That's his name, then." Leaning down, she nudged him. "Shall we go, then?" She turned and walked toward the location of her teepee, moving slowly so the foal could keep up on his shaky limbs.
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Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:10 am
Vestiarian had been too busy discovering his limbs and how they worked to pay much attention to the adults that surrounded him. Even as they nosed at him, he continued bumbling around, used to their antics now. He stayed close to Vasilissa, feeling safe around her more than anyone else. She had a pretty voice and smelt sweet.
She looked at him and said something. His name? Oh! So he was Vestiarian. A hero? What was a hero? He would ask later, certainly. As Vasilissa began to move off, he followed after her, taking a few tumbles before he managed some level of stability. He chirruped happily, wings flapping in excitement.
He turned to look behind him, watching as the other adults who were around him went their own ways. He wondered who they were. Some of them had weird things growing on them. One of them had feathery wings like he did! He wanted to know them all. To stay here forever.
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