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 Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 12:45 pm
'You should have woken me.' Chatura said, glancing up Sastimos again. She really was trying to be more herself, and her usual self would have probably been questioning him in detail about his spiritual beliefs and practices, but she was still embarrassed about how they had met. What must he be thinking of her? That she was a weak mare that needed rescuing all the time, and whilst she wasn't a particular powerfully built Soquili, once upon a time she felt that she could think herself out of any situation.
She tilted her head at his suggestion, wondering if he had an inkling how she was feeling and a smile appeared. The mare dipped her head, as she would in any normal first time meeting, and straightened, giving a little shake as she did so to move her mane from her eyes again.
'It is good to meet you sir, I am Chatura.' she said and then continued.
'I'm lost, how about you?'
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Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 1:41 pm
"Nice to meet you, Chatura," he said with a deep bow, his long mane draping to the ground and the bells in his tail tinkling again. "Yes...pretty lost as well..." he said looking around. Everything was foreign to him despite what he had seen last night, and even that was different because it had been dark. He looked back at her, and couldn't help laughing. Soon, he could not stop. All of the stress from last night was falling away with each giggle.
Lost! He had never believed that he could be lost; not with the spirits to guide him. But their guidance and advice escaped him now, and he laughed at his pathetic situation. "I don't mean to offend," he said in between chuckles, "it's just, I've never been this lost before!" Now that he had a home, he had something to lose. This made him happy because although he had something to lose, he had something gained, something important in his life to return to.
His laughing subsided and he looked down into her eyes and smiled, hoping she wasn't offended by his random laughter.
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Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2012 3:13 am
Chatura was disheartened at hearing the stallion was just as lost as she was; she had assumed that as he had led her along he knew whereabouts they were.
'You seemed to know your way last night..' she said, her words tailing away as he started laughing, her body stiffening, ears twitching. What did he find so amusing? Was he making fun of her, or was he jesting about being lost? Either way it was not funny, or she was not in the mood to find it so.
'Offend? No, I don't suppose you did, but I don't find being lost in strange surroundings too amusing. It's hard to escape a predator if you do not know where to escape to.' she felt herself bristling and attempted to calm herself.
It wasn't his fault, he could take off any time he wanted..and on that thought she nodded towards his wings.
'How about you get us a better view, see the lay of the land from above.' the mare suggested.
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Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 10:08 am
"I was following the guidance of the spirits last night..." he said, ruffling his wings. He knew he could have endangered them even more last night, but he knew the spirits were watching over them. Otherwise, they never would have found shelter for her last night.
She was upset. And the uncomfortable feeling came back. He couldn't help being a little angry because of her tone. "I didn't even see a predator last night...How do I even know there was anything to escape from?" he asked, immediately knowing he shouldn't have said it. "Oh, and my wings won't help you...I...can't fly," he muttered, shame overtaking him.
Why had he bothered saving her? Why had he bothered trying to start over? He was no hero. He was not fit to rescue strange mares and save them from evil. He was a teacher of meditation...not a fighter, not a protector. He had never felt this upset before. He had never felt so let down and full of shame. He looked over at her purple eyes, now angry from the conversation. Then, he turned to go. She didn't need him now.
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Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 12:20 pm
'They needed to give you explicit directions then..' Chatura muttered, still feeling prickly and out of sorts. Normally that sort of thing wouldn't have slipped from her mouth, she was mostly angry at herself for putting them in the situation in the first place.
'The predator you don't see is the one that kills you.' she said, her words icy. Had he never been attacked? His attitude spoke volumes though; he'd never come close to danger she felt sure.
His reply came as a shock though. How could that be? They seemed neither deficient nor injured, at least from what little knowledge she had about winged Soquilis, and hurried in front of him to stop him from leaving.
'Sastimos. I am sorry. I have been unnecessarily sharp with you and all you have tried to do is help me. I apologise for my behaviour.' Chatura sighed, and then spoke further.
'I was embarrassed at how we met, I am not one for acting the 'damsel', but I was attacked some months ago and it has left me with a persistent fear of Kalonas. I got spooked, I feared I was being hunted, I know there was one in the vicinity, whether it was actually hunting me I do not know, my fright got the better of me and then I ran into you.'
She stepped to one side after speaking her piece, if he wished to go now, she would not stop him, only regret causing a good stallion trouble.
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Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 11:38 pm
He hadn't mentioned that he was terrified of flying. He wasn't sure if it was the heights or the open sky, or the thought of his wings suddenly failing. Either way, he had only used his wings once, and it hadn't ended well. He didn't even really know how to fly, and he certainly didn't want to learn.
Her sudden movement in front of him caused him to stop abruptly. At first he was angry, and wanted to be stubborn and to pout. But the spirits prodded him lightly, reminding him to calm down because there was a lady present, and that lady was trying to apologize. He sighed. "I also apologize for my behavior, Chatura," he said honestly, hoping the fight was over now. "No need to be embarrassed...I...I am afraid of flying," he blurted out, "much as afraid of flying as you are of Kalonas." He blushed and looked down at his feet, shuffling them around uncomfortably. "It seems we both have something to be afraid of," he looked up at her with an embarrassed half smile.
"But know this, Chatura, no matter what happens, no matter what you are afraid of, I will protect you from any harm, at any cost to myself," he said quietly, making a personal vow to stick to his word.
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Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2012 7:41 am
'Fears are so irrational.' Chatura said, pleased that he hadn't simply taken his leave, which she wouldn't have blamed him for doing.
'I know this logically, yet I cannot help it, and I think you must be the same way with flying.' she thought for a moment.
'Would you want to fly? One day? I was just thinking, my Grandmother has wings. So if you wanted, well, whenever we find our way and get home, I could ask her if she would help. If, of course you wanted it.'
A flush of colour rose on her cheeks at his words, she couldn't remember the last time or if at all anything like that had been said to her.
'..Umm. well. Thank you.' she said.
'Let's see if we can find our way..together, shall we?'
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Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2012 10:59 am
The thought of flying made his stomach do backflips. But he knew he would have to face his fears one day. He nodded. "That sounds...nice," he said and smiled at her. But a gnawing feeling wouldn't leave his brain. He didn't want to leave his herd, not now that he was a part of it and in good standing with Jeremiah. He glanced back towards the trees, wondering how far off from home he was, and how far away from here she needed to travel to get home.
"Yes, together. Where do you need to go? I will take you," he said, deciding that her needs were more important at the moment. He could always return home after escorting her to her destination. He was sure his absence would not be missed, as most of the herd did not really know about him because he was such a new member.
He felt dryness in his mouth and knew water had to be first on their list of things to do. His ears perking, he picked up the sound of running water, somewhere off to the left. "Let's go this way first," he said, nodding in the direction of water and smiling at her.
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Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2012 1:00 pm
Chatura didn't believe he meant that, but she didn't push the offer. It would just be there for whenever he felt that he could face his flying fear.
'If I knew that, I wouldn't be lost.' she reminded him.
'I honestly couldn't tell you in which direction my family home is from here, nothing around seems familiar, no scents or scenery ringing any bells. I walked about a day or so before I found myself in the area where I took fright. Maybe if we backtracked I might remember where I veered off track.'
She nodded, and followed him quietly, her ears picking up the same sound he had heard. She seemed to recall she'd followed a river for a while, but the running water didn't sound anything like fast enough to be the same one.
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Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2012 8:52 pm
"Good point. Yes, let's back track," he agreed while walking towards the trickling sound of water. He moved through the trees a little ahead of her, checking over his shoulder every few steps to make sure she was ok. His urge for water made him move as fast as he could, and finally he rounded a particularly large set of bushes and jumped for joy at the sight of water in the form of a small creek. He allowed Chatura to go ahead of him to drink, it was the gentlemanly thing to do.
"So, where were you going before you were frightened?" he asked after he had finished gulping water, thinking about where to start to backtrack. If he knew where she was going before, maybe he could get her there easier now. He knew it was none of his business, and if she wished not to tell him he would not ask again, but he thought it might be helpful. He silently asked the spirits to guide him as he helped her home. He knew they would do their best, but sometimes the spirits worked in mysterious ways.
He slurped again from the water, ears still upright and listening for any foreign noises. The only thing he heard was the birds above and a slight breeze through the leaves in the trees. It was a peaceful sound and he smiled, lifting his head from the creek.
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Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2012 4:00 am
Chatura watched him hurrying forwards with a little amusement, especially when he seemed to give a little hop on the spot when the creek came into view.
She took a few sips of the water, enough to wash out her mouth, and get rid of the cottony morning feeling. She stepped away so he could quench his own thirst, taking the time to pick the mud from her fetlocks.
'I was searching out my siblings, I have a sister and a brother. Haven't seen them in a good while, and my mother mentioned something about having seen them last in a large forest near hills, so as I set out before the weather go too bad.'
She let slip a little sigh.
'I'll have to wait till next year now, the weather will only get worse as the season goes on and I don't wish to be travelling when it does.'
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Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2012 9:55 pm
He looked at the sky, which was already cloudy with the promise of winter. He looked back at her sympathetically. He wished he had siblings, and if he did have any he didn't know. He didn't even know his parents. Those lustful and ignorant fools. Because of them he had no family to search for. He sighed as well.
"What are you going to do until next season," he asked curiously, "where will you go?" He looked at her reflection in the water and then at his own. Perhaps he would have to ask his herd leader if she could stay, at least for the winter season. He didn't want her out here alone in the cold trying to survive. But then, that would mean finding home.
He smiled at her, trying to remain optimistic despite the weather and their circumstances. "Alright, so, do you remember seeing this little creek here?" he asked indicating towards the water. It seemed to go farther down and he couldn't see an ending, so perhaps it could serve as a landmark for her.
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Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 11:52 am
Chatura gave a little shoulder shrug;
'Winter with my mother and possibly father if they are spending time together, but that is if I find my way home. Which I'm less and less hopeful about, as I think it might have been more than a day that I travelled before reaching an area I hadn't yet travelled. I remember spending two nights out in the open.'
She shook her head;
'Too small a watercourse, I would suggest following it to see if joins the larger river I did see but that could just lead us the wrong way.' she let out a small huff, irritated with herself.
'I'm sorry, I'm not being helpful am I? Besides,' she poked him with her nose.
'What about you? How will find your way?'
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Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 12:57 pm
"No, no! That is perfect," he said, reassuring her, "if we follow the wrong way and nothing looks familiar, we'll just turn back the other way." He nodded, confident in the current plan. It was simple, but it was something.
"Do not worry about me, Chatura. I must help you first and then the spirits will guide me home. That is how I got to my herd, and that is how I will return," he stifled the tiny amount of worry in his voice and smiled at her.
"Shall we?" he asked and stepped aside so that she could go ahead of him. He indicated downstream, assuming that this small creek would join the river somewhere that way. But then, he didn't know much about rivers. The creek could have come from the river instead of joining it, but he would let her choose which way to go. She seemed more knowing than he did. Just as he allowed the spirits to guide him daily, he would allow her to lead him now.
And then he thought of something. Perhaps the spirits had sent her. Perhaps she was a spirit. He knew that everything had a soul and therefore a spirit, but perhaps she had already undergone the transformation from the physical to the spiritual world. He blinked at her, wondering why the spirits had sent her. What would she bring to his life? What was her purpose? What was his?
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Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 1:16 pm
'Really? Well, please don't blame me if it turns out to be a waste of time.' Chatura gave another little shrugging motion. Maybe he liked being out in the water, or maybe he just wasn't so lost that he didn't have some inkling of how far he was from his own home.
'So, how is it your spirits know the way but you don't? What would happen if you 'lost contact' with them?' she asked, as she did as he indicated, stepping forwards and following the winding creek. There was a possibility that if it didn't join directly to the river she had seen that maybe it would join to another part and that could be followed, but she wouldn't want to follow it fruitlessly for hours.
It could also just as easily head into the hills to a source there.
Had she been able to hear his current thoughts, Chatura would have laughed; not at him, but at the idea that she was some spiritual being.
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