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 Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 8:45 pm
"The road has always welcomed me with open arms. I have rarely slept in the same place twice. I... would be surprised if I am not ready for travel in the morning, and truly be remiss if I were to burden you and make you wait on me, Naja." Truth be told, he desperately hoped that she was even there on the morning. He could read the disappointment on her features when he finally found the words to answer. However... Garret wouldn't lie to her. Not outside of the confines of a story, at least. Storytelling and promises,those were vastly different things.
He sighed as he watched her curl up beneath the tree like a cat with her long, sinuous tail. For a brief moment, his mind went back to his mother before he shook his head and cleared it. Then, mimicing Naja, as he deferred to her expertise in how to survive in this strange land. He chose a spot beneath a different tree and bedded down, drawing his back close to him and spreading out the sash as much as he could. It was too risky to sleep standing here - too much body heat could be lost.
He worried he may have been as cold to this helpful mare as the desert. He owed her a debt, but the only payment she had requested.... Garret didn't feel right taking on such a permanent companion under his care. But... he owed her his life. He sighed to himself, feeling uncomfortable and decidedly guilty.
It took quite some time for sleep to finally claim him, despite his utter exhaustion.
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 10:40 am
Naja was awake for a couple more hours. She laid quietly under the trees, her wings keeping her warm as she laid quietly under the tree. Eventually she did slip into slumber, her ears alert and her tail flicking every once in a while. She slept until the sun started to just peek over the sand dunes. Her eyes opened slowly at the first light, even though it was still rather dark. She lifted herself slowly off the ground, her muscles giving a small quiver, before she shook herself free of sand. Her wings beat a few times, stretching out. After a few quiet moments of her morning ritual, she moved over to the water. She dipped her head down lightly, lapping at the water, before lifting her head to peer up toward the sky. Her tail flicked once more, before she moved back to her sleeping spot.
After a few moments, she dipped her head and nibbled at a bush that grew near by. Her eyes closed as she ate, her tail flicking behind her lightly. She still wanted to go and see the things she hadn't in a long time. But she was scared she wouldn't be able to find her way back to the desert. Or worse, others would die if she didn't stay in the desert. Frowning some, she shook her head, before continuing her meal. Her wings folded lightly against her back. She wiggled her nose some, suppressing a sneeze. But after a few quiet moments, she couldn't hold it back any more. She sneezed loudly, shaking her head and backing up a few paces as she did, her ears pinning against her head.
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Posted: Wed May 21, 2014 3:23 pm
Garret eventually drifted off to sleep, though it was a tumultous one. Guilt mixed with the strange environment. The cold night air sapped most of his heat, though the sash aided in contaniing some of it. The winds blew fine partciles of sand back into his fur, tail, and mane, and got into his nose. And strange dreams of scorpions and desert flowers eventually filled his thoughts.
He slept past dawn, his intermittant shivers finally subsiding as the sun rose again to melt away the desert chill and begin to cook the sands once more. But he did not wake until the sneeze. He started witha jerk, eyes blinking open as, for a moment, he forgot his place. He looked around,bleary until he saw Naja once more, and the memories of the night before flooded back.
A little stiffly, he got back to his hooves and shook some of the sand away before going and taking a morning drink from the stream.
"Good morning..." he eventually spoke with more awkwardness than the confident stallion usually did.
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Posted: Wed May 21, 2014 10:50 pm
Naja's ears flicked slightly as she tried to get her nose back into order. She wiggled her nose lightly, nostrils flaring some, as she got the sand and sneezes from her body. Her muscles gave a small quiver, before she turned her head to look back toward the stallion. It seemed he was waking up. She blinked, and looked away quickly to give him some form of privacy. She dipped her head down some and shuffled some sand at her hooves. She flicked her tail some, the movement causing sand to splay as the flick knocked it over. She nibbled a bit more at some grass, before lifting her head some and peered over her shoulder once more when he spoke.
Naja blinked at him, before sending him a small smile. "Good morning yourself, Garret. Did you sleep well?" She asked, voice curious. She tilted her head slightly, before moving toward the edge of the green and blue oasis. They needed to start out if they wanted to get close to the edge of the desert before the sun was too high in the sky. Otherwise he could end up getting rather toasted. And being in the heat for too long when one wasn't used to it was not a good idea at all. She shuffled her feathers some, before pausing to look at him, eyes flickering along him.
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Posted: Thu May 22, 2014 6:43 pm
Garret wasn't caught off guard for long. Regardless of whether or not he was feeling uncomfortable, he slipped into an easy smile and a charming demeanor that he wore sometimes like a coat. He looked forward. The sun was rising and sending brilliant streaks of color across the sands outside of the oasis. He checked his bags, and made certain that they were full of water, yes. Good.
"I slept well enough," he responded with an easy cadence. "Have you ever heard the story of the princess and the pea? A charming story. But that's neither here nor there." Garret felt more himself this morning having slept through the night, even uneasily, and his life no longer immediately in danger.
"But most importantly... have you decided if you are going to stay or go?"
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Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 8:46 pm
Naja blinked, her eyes flickering over toward the stallion. She smiled some when he said he slept all right. Though, deep down, she knew that was a lie. No one slept well in the desert their first time; it was too cold and too uncomfortable. Especially those that didn't have wings; they couldn't keep their bodies warm enough. If they were alone, it was even worse. Her ears flicked a bit, before she moved out of the oasis, and started toward the mountains to the north. She knew the pass into the valleys was easier to get to than the pass through the mountain range. Her tail skimmed the desert sands, and she tilted her head toward the east, looking at the position of the sun, before her head snapped to the side to stare at the stallion.
What did that mean? She frowned some, before looking back forward. Naja's wings shifted and settled on her back, before she shrugged her shoulders as she walked, her pinned up hair shifting when a small breeze shot through the desert. That was always nice; a breeze. And if today was going to be a breezy day, it would be amazing. "Well, I have no one to show me the way, so... I will stay. I don't want to be a burden." She stated, her head held high. She could save people here... and if she wasn't here, who would save them?
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2014 3:01 pm
Garret flicked an ear, a brief look of indecision crossing his features before it smoothed out as if it had never been there in the first place.
"Well now, that just isn't true, m'dear." He responded as he took a few hoofsteps closer. "Didn't you say you'd show me the way out? Well... once we're out I can show you anywhere you'd like to go. I know mountains... caves... grasslands and forests. I could take you to any one of those. ANd with wings like those, well, 'm sure it would be no problem for you to find your way back to this little piece of paradise if you change your mind."
His tail whisked behind him. Garret certainly didn't mind showing her around a little bit. Maybe tell her some stories. Just nothing... permanent. In fact, he'd feel better about a sense of debt to her if he could do at least something for her.
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