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 Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 1:05 pm
She nodded. "Most of us hang around at constant intervals. Most of us are mares, but Ohanzee, Duo, and even my father sometimes swing by our teepee and stay the night. We don't have a bunch of teepees, we have one central teepee, and then the others are built around it, and linked, so it hardly looks like a teepee anymore. Our two-legger has an odd sense of architecture, and the mares for the most part get along. I have heard rumor of there being Soquili my two-legger helped to care for that no longer remain with the herd. Or are too wild to. But there's, oh...." she pondered. "Seven or eight of us that are there on a fairly regular basis."
Oh, wonderful. So it wasn't a dead lake. There could be salmon, or fish, or whatever! It has water flowing in and out, just a stop off for the water. A resevoir. "Mmmm, I'd say lets start with the cold springs." her gaze was playful. "That way, when I get you to drag me to the warm ones, I'll appreciate them that much more!"
And as for his comment about her wings.... She tilted her head, giving him an arch look. "As if I'd mind. Come on, Mister! Show me the way!"
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Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 1:13 pm
Zaphiro nodded as Yue explained her herd set-up, which was far from strange to him. He'd met enough other Soquilis to realize that his own herd-that-wasn't-a-herd was pretty unusual..not that that stopped any of them from roaming! Actually, the fact that he, Ladius, and Safi had all appeared at roughly the same time was downright remarkable.
"Seven or eight? Discounting Safi's basket, there are eight in our herd...though I actually haven't met one of my herdmates. Since Elizabeth lives full-time at the teepee, she updates the rest of us as we come and go, an unusual system but one that works."
He smiled at her comment about the springs, though; a change of subject and yet not one at the same time, he supposed it was her delivery that caught him off-guard. "Well, I assure you that there'll be no dragging; after all, you look like the type who'd get annoyed at being dragged anywhere, and I've never been one to tangle with mares. But I WILL lead you, and cold it is. Try to keep up!"
Giving the mare a challenging grin, he kicked off the ground and was up in the air in moments, winging his way higher and higher off towards the trees. She'd keep up...somehow. He had a hunch she wouldn't leave a challenge like that alone!
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Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 1:40 pm
She flung herself into the air, always one to accept a challenge. Especially one with a handicap. It was a split second of surprise admittedly, as she'd reacted more on instinct than anything else, to find herself in the air, but she was after him in a matter of moments. She'd spent most of her childhood on the ground, her training-muscled body making it almost too heavy for her wings to hold up. But her wings had gotten stronger, and so had she. And by the time she was a mare, she almost hated the raw earth. The air, now that was a many-spendored thing. Breezes, and the birds, and all the things you saw...
Bit no time for contemplation. She had a stallion to catch up to! And so she drove forward as quickly as she could, not pushing herself yet. After all, he did have to lead the way.
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Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 1:47 pm
Glancing backwards, Zaphiro grinned to see the mare gaining on him. And even once he'd found her, it wasn't hard to keep looking; that chaoticly colored mane of hers whipps about her head, caught and buffered by the breezes. And as he took note for the first time of the fact that she had a horn...an alicorn? Wow.
He'd never seen one of those before, though he knew that they existed. Astonishing!
Chuckling, he turned his attention back to the flight, looking downwards at the trees they were passing over. The cold springs were located deep in the woods, near the river; so he just had to keep his eyes out for the break in the canopy that indicated said river.
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Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 2:01 pm
She snorted, flinging herself forward at a faster pace, wings pumping. She barely registered eyes on her, so single-minded inn catching up to stallion she was. And yet, at the same time, she found her eyes drifting down, to the trees below. Such life down there, among them... it amazed her. She had to stay focused though. Zaphiro was a very rich blue... so very vibrant. It surprised her every time she looked at him. He reminded her, looking at him... of her mother?
Oh, eww. The thought was banished. Blue and gold did not look-alikes make. But he was very exotic.
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Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 2:07 pm
Golden eyes skimmed the trees, then Zaphiro was pulling back his wings and diving down, down, down into a narrow cleft in the canopy that marked the place where the river passed. Alighting gracefully on the ground, he folded back his wings, then gazed upwards, waiting for Yue.
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Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 2:13 pm
She hit the ground like a shot, legs loose to absorb the impact of her body. She hit hard, stirring up no small cloud of dust. Grace was not something Yue cared for, nor excelled in, unless it suited her. She hated to manipulate, but she'd learned from watching her mother that if one used their gender carefully, it could be a useful trump card. However, graceless as her landing was, it was precise. And she hit the ground, lready turning her body, one eye out for any potential threats. Bee-free, no wild dogs around she could smell. The only real vibrations underfoot were from her landing, no snakes. And she allowed her feathers to relax, settling herself. "So, where to next?" she asked, disregarding already the fact she hadn't quite caught up to the stallion before the landing. Which was a good thing, he'd had time to settle, hopefully, before she'd slammed into the earth like a lead weight.
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Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 2:24 pm
That was an interesting landing. Zaphiro wanted to laugh, but since he didn't know Yue well enough to guess either her reasons for that landing or how she'd react to his laughter. She hung around with Safi, true enough, be that didn't mean she acted like him! So instead of laughing, Zaphiro supressed his amusement down to a simple smile...and a few jabs
"Well, if you're not too worn out from the difficulties of landing, it's just this way. Obviously the springs thought that they river would be lonely, so they popped up just a short bit away."
A few meters away, to be exact. Turning, Zaphiro lead Yue into the trees...and then out almost immeadiately as the two stepped into a decent sized clearing composed almost entirely of two largish ponds and one smaller one. "And there you have it; the cold springs."
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Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 2:47 pm
"Difficuties?" she rose to his small jab. "There were no difficulties there. That was on A-okay landing. No broken bones, no broken Soquili. Possibly a few dead spiders. I'd say it was sterling." her voice was almost sulky, but underneath it was a current of laughter. She was always getting teased by her companions for her brutish landing method. "And are you sure they were so close to the river because they were lonely? Or did they move because they knew I'd have a landing issue if they happened to be, well, here."
She tossed her head, throwing her long forelock out of the way and following the stallion. When they entered the clearing, her eyes widened in comprehension. "Oooooh, how pretty!" she smiled, admiring them. They were... ponds. "And you said the water in them comes from underground, correct? So they are always fresh? Then how do they feed the other waters, keep from overfilling?" They looked like normal ponds to her...
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Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 3:02 pm
"Whatever you say, Yue." Naturally he wasn't going to jump to conclusions; it's true that the rough method could be the way that this mare always landed, but it was also possibly she was trying to get a rise out of him. She DID hang around with Safi after all, and he was always pulling pranks. It was enough to try Zaphiro's sanity at times, but on the other side it meant he was always at least one the LOOKOUT for potential jokes. Though he had to wonder how long it would be before THAT drove him insane.
Without really realizing he was speaking aloud, Zaphiro smiled and murmured to himself "At least I'll know when it happens..."
Then Yue's comments about the springs drew his attention back to the water, and he was looking at her curiously. She knew about springs, but not about how they worked? "The water feeds out underground as well..into the river, I think, or just elsewhere. Whatever the details, they never overflow unless we have exceptionally heavy rains." In which case the whole area was flooded, from the combination of river and spring and rain. But it had been some time since the rains had been that heavy, and the springs were at their usual level...
"Do you swim, Yue, or are you planning on staring all day?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 3:07 pm
"When what happens?" she asked curiously, moving forward and splashing into them with a happy noise, as a response to his question. The knowledge about springs was incredibly intriguing to her, and she found herself ducking under to try and see if she saw little tunnels leading out in other directions. Surely they'd be tunnels, right? "That's so interesting!" she mused. "How often do you have heavy rains in this area? We're lucky, for even though we live by the river, we've never had any real issues. Well, except for the one time Feryal almost drowned because she was asleep in the river, and didn't notice the rain start. By the time she woke up, the water was about to carry her away. At least, that's what Duo said. But then, that wouldn't mean much to you probably, you've never met our little family."
She took a sip of the water surreptitiously, hoping he didn't notice, and then continued. "So, what is Safi like when he's at home?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 3:20 pm
Zaphiro stared at the mare for a moment, confused as to what she was referring to; but since she didn't wait for an answer, he assumed that there hadn't really been a question after all. Instead, he dove into the water himself, bursting to the surface with a laugh. "Brrr, that's brisk! Cold enough for you, Yue?"
Grinning, he paddled around the spring with enthusiasm; he'd always loved cold water; heat of any sort made him wilt like a flower in the night. But that didn't mean he wasn't paying attention to what she was saying.
"This area doesn't flood often; the hills tend to funnel the water to the lake, unless they're really heavy. From the sound of your story, your herd has it much worse!"
Her question about Safy brought him up short, though. She was asking him about Safi, when she spent so much-well, actually he supposed that they had only met Safi in passing. Anything was possible.
"Well, he's a screwball; always energetic, always friendly, but a bit overzealous sometimes.He's got a good sense of humor, if a bit too sharp sometimes...though it's been a very long time since the two of us have been around at the same time, truth be told."
Though that actually got Zaphiro's curiousity piqued, piqued enough for him to ask her a couple questions of his own. "Do you see a great deal of Safi, Yue? Or I suppose a better way of putting that is, what are you and your mother to him? Do you spend much time with him?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 5:28 pm
"It's Brrrr-fect." she quipped, and floated around a bit more. "You never answered my first question." she pointed out finally, lazily. "You said you'd 'know when it happens'... What are you expecting to happen?" she gave him a curious look. "And heh. I was too young to remember that rain, really. So I don't know. Duo also has a tendency to exaggerate. But he never lies outright." she shrugged. Ahhhh, so relaxing!
"Hehe. So Safi doesn't change much between being at home and not." she said with a grin. "He's pretty screwy anyways. But that's what attracts my mom to him so much." she said, musing. "Safi and my mom are really close friends. She wanted them to be mates, but it didn't quite work out. My Dad and Mom didn't get along, and Safi kind of... stepped into the role as one of the male influences in my life. I know he's not my father, but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't respect him at least as much as an uncle."
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Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 5:39 pm
First question...know when it happens...OH! Realization finally hit as Zaphiro figured out that Yue had been referring to his earlier mumblings, mumblings that he hadn't even remembered uttering. Ah well, it's not like it was anything problematic. "Sorry, I didn't realize I'd said that aloud. I was merely accepting the fact that insanity is sometimes inevitable in life, but that hopefully I'd know I was going insane before I was fully gone." A pretty convoluted answer, but nothing was simple there says...as Yue's statement brought home.
Good grief, Safi was so involved with another Soquili that he even had a pseudo family? Zaphiro wasn't sure which little tidbit was a bigger shock; that Safi had a family-ish unit, that he could have been mated, or that he turned down a mare like Selene. Zaphiro had only seen the other mare in passing, but she was quite lovely. Amazing. Of course, looks weren't everything in relationships, as he himself knew, so there must have been something else that kept Safi from becoming mated. Yet in spite of his refusal of Selene's suit, the two were still friends; close friends, it seemed. Truly remarkable.
Tilting his head at the mare, Zaphiro truly looked at her. She was the other mare's daughter, that had been mentioned...by another stallion, apparently. But Safi had appeared on the scene when Yue was young enough to accept a father figure, so...
He couldn't do the math himself, and quickly gave up trying. But he was a bit in awe, all things considered, and couldn't keep the sense of amazement out of his voice. "Astonishing. I had no idea that Safi had such a full life beyond the teepee...but it's touching to know. And if I still know my herdmate, he'd be touched to know you care for him so, Yue." And the smile that Zaphiro gave her was real.
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Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 5:50 pm
"You know, talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity." Yue said, voice grave. "Maybe you should see someone about that." then she cracked a small grin. A small snarl at a bird passing overhead had the creature fleeing in terror, and Yue smiled again. "I hate birds." she decided not to worry about odd looks and just explain. "They're always buzzing about overhead, not looking where they are dropping. Ridiculous."
Not that she'd ever inform him one of the greatest traumas of her young life was resting under a bird nest in her youth, and, well....
It happened.
But she smiled back at Zaphiro's comment. "We aren't telling him that, by the way. He likes to think he'd just a big nuisance."
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