Of all the things Tempest was prepared for, an intruder was not one of them. It was something she should have thought of, seeing as the oasis wasn’t necessarily hidden from view or hard to find. It was also an ideal place to snag a drink and take a rest after walking through the heat of the barrens. Helios, being a young foal, wasn’t thinking about such matters. His mother did, that’s why all the food was hidden away. She did inform him the if he saw strangers of any sort in the oasis, to hide in the cave. Something he didn’t do when Tempest came along.
So imaged the surprise awaiting Tempest as she sauntered out from under the trees and there was a blood bay and white noul standing hock deep in the pond, guzzling down water. But what more caught Tempest’s eye, was the striking black horn rising up from the noul’s head. Well this can’t be good, she thought to herself. Carefully, she stepped backwards towards the trees. She needed to make sure Helios stayed in the cave and kept quiet.
The black horn’s head suddenly rose up and instead of looking at Tempest, it was eyeing the garden. It moved through the pond and came out the side with the garden. Tempest had been slowly working on making a ditch to the garden and around it to provide water. Something she still wished Cordy was here to help with. The neat little rows of steadily growing sprouts, along with the shallow ruggedly dug ditch, bespoke of noulicorn activity that was consistent with someone being here regularly.
The steely blue gaze of the black horn looked over the crops and then moved around the oasis. Tempest had managed to slink backwards the rest of the way and was hidden by the shade of the trees there. She watched with held breath as the black horn scanned the immediate area, then left the pond completely. They shook themselves free of the water and looked around again. It was clear to Tempest that this noul was well versed in surviving in the barrens, something that was even more clear as she spotted the scars on the black horn. They walked back around the pond towards the trees. Probably deciding to make sure they were completely alone and possibly take a rest.
Tempest was inwardly cursing. She was afraid that at this point, the black horn would find her. Getting to the cave wouldn’t be a good idea, the noul was too close and would hear and follow probably. The black horn wasn’t someone Tempest had much of a chance against in a one on one fight either. They were muscular while Tempest had a runners body. The black horn suddenly stopped, raising their nose to sniff. Tempest felt a cold sweat break out just as the hard blue eyes of the noul turned towards her general direction. A sneer appeared on the mostly white face.
“I can smell you,” they jeered. “Come out, come out, come out and face me.” The black horn backed up and paused.
Tempest pressed her lips together and summoned what courage she could before stepping out of the shadows. The sun beat down upon her back right away and she narrowed her eyes against the light. The black horn’s eyes looked Tempest up and down before flashing at the sight of the blue swirls of her adept marking.
“I see you are a blind follower of the tree,” they spat. “You trying to claim this little piece of reprieve for yourself?” They asked, mostly in regards to the garden that they glanced at before looking at Tempest again.
Tempest also side glanced at the garden before looking at the noul. “Uh, no…?” she squeaked out.
The black horn gave Tempest a dead panned expression but then suddenly smiled in a way that sent a tingling down Tempest’s spine. She didn’t like that look, it screamed danger.
“You know, last time I wondered through here, I encountered a young doe named Suri. You’re not Suri, clearly. Where is she?”
“S-s-Suri?” Tempest managed only to receive an unamused look from the doe before her. “The bay doe? She...she died, in an accident. Feel through a pocket in the ground….” Tempest finished weakly. This noul was more intimidating than the skull masked buck her and Helios had run into at the painted geyser.
The noul’s eyebrows went up and expression changed to something akin to pity or remorse. Clearly acting instead of feeling them. “What a shame. Suri wasn’t too bad of a noul. Rather fat for someone living out here though.”
Tempest’s ears perked up slightly. This noul must have run into Suri when she was pregnant with Helios. Did she know about the pregnancy and just being rude or did she not actually know. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted as the noul introduced herself, “Well, I’m Shappa. An exiled black horn if you didn’t realize that already. You play nice with me, I’ll play nice with you…..?” Shappa left off indicating she required a name as well.
“Oh, I’m Tempest.”
“Tempest. Fitting name for an atmos gifted noul.” Shappa’s eyes narrowed. “Tell me, can you make it rain?”
Tempest looked mildly surprised, “Um, yes.”
“Oh good. You see, I don’t believe us noulicorns should be tethered to the inclinations of a tree. That we should be allowed to do what we want in life and not what a tree wants us to do. Do you follow?”
Tempest simply nodded her dark head, eyes keeping watch of the black horn doe.
“Lovely. I’m a survivor and can go through life without the use or need for magic. However, I wouldn’t mind some reprieve from the wretched sun. So, if you could be a dear and make it rain for me, I’d be most delighted. And then I’ll be out of your mane until next time I pass through.”
Tempest could only blink for a moment. This black horn was fine leaving her alone so long as she made it rain? Almost seemed too easy but Tempest wasn’t going to look a gift rat in the mouth if it meant not being dealt a blow. She expected more outwards aggression from the black horn before her. She had heard that they could be dangerous. Tempest wasn’t going to let her guard down though. Shappa could still turn on Tempest at any moment and worse, any moment Helios could wake up from his nap and stumble out here.
So to make sure this encounter ends sooner and without incident, Tempest reached for her magic. It was wanting to fight her a bit more than usual with all the adrenaline flowing through her veins. Easy now, Tempest thought to herself, we’re just going to make it rain for the noul. The blue swirls along her back glowed to life and Tempest gazed skywards. Clouds, heavy with rain, rolled into view and blocked out the sun. Fat drops began to fall around them, hitting the dry ground with an audible plop. Small dust clouds poofed with each rain drop and the smell of cool water hitting dry hot earth filled their noses.
Shappa tilted her head towards the sky, her eyes closed, as rain fell over her. It felt deliciously wonderful to have a break from the sun completely. The rain soaked into her pelt and cooled her to her core. It would be nice if Vykeli would just do this on it’s own, making it’s own creatures do all the work for her was akin to slavery, Shappa felt. She hoped one day, Vykeli wouldn’t rely so heavily on the noulicorns and allow them to live their lives more freely.
As the rain began to lighten up, Shappa turned her attention back towards the dark striped doe. “I shall be going now. Remember, don’t let a tree control your life.” With that, the blood red and white doe, trotted off and away from the oasis.
Tempest was truly astonished by her encounter with the black horn. Not to mention the audacity the black horn had, assuming gifted nouls were controlled by Grandfather. Grandfather blessed them with magic and in return, the nouls worked to heal their world. Tempest thought all nouls felt that calling deep within to make their world better and healthier. Where did it go wrong for someone like Shappa?
A yawn and lip smacking of a newly awake Helios had Tempest spinning around. A blessing that he slept through the whole encounter and is safe. She watched as he looked around suddenly and then at her, “Aww, I missed the rain?”
WC: 1,447
Ability Used: Rain
