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 Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2020 5:31 pm
The healer had been most amiable to letting her use their spare space for the day, so Tomyris was well rested and woke up at her usual time with the setting of the sun. Thanking her host, she went, grabbed a suitably filling meal, drank plenty, then returned to marketplace as she had agreed to. Once more, she had donned her typical gear for crossing the open desert. There was still some activity here, less so than that morning, but there was less crowds. The doe scanned around to try to spot...What was he? Her employer? He had asked her to take him to this Mistfruit Forest place and she had agreed. Her ward? She felt like she'd need to keep alert, keep him out of trouble. He seemed to have a youthful spirit. If not youthful, then inexperienced at the very least. He was eager, to be sure, but he had made steps to prepare to go, with his map, directions, and some word on their destination. Perhaps he wasn't such a lost cause. Tomyris wasn't about to slack off keeping an eye out just because he had demonstrated having a lick of sense. Ah, speaking of! His light coat was pretty easy to pick out of the growing dim.
Yarah walked with his head held up high, but, boy, he was fighting off some serious brain fog. He had done as his guide instructed, collected supplies, drank plenty, slept. Or tried to sleep. So unaccustomed was he to sleeping in the daylight hours, what rest he had been able to get had been shallow and fitful. He did sleep, just not very well. The buck felt like dragging his feet as he had gotten ready, but worried that if he dallied around too much Tomyris would leave without him if he didn't show up relatively promptly. Blearily, the palomino merle buck shook himself violently to banish the lingering cobwebs of sleep from his consciousness. The marketplace was ahead and, looking up, he spotted the dark doe who was waiting for him, looking his way with a mildly amused expression on her face. Well, she seemed to be in somewhat brighter spirits. Of course, their initial meeting had been while she was battling exhaustion, so the mood change wasn't totally unexpected.
"Good evening, Tomyris," He chimed as he approached. "How are you feel-" His inquiry tailed off as his guide left her spot to circle around him, apparently inspecting his set up of supplies that he had chosen to bring along on this venture. "An-anything the matter?"
The pack he had opted to stash his gear and supplies into was equal parts decorative and functional. The straps and places that it rested against his body were solid, well woven fabric, seemingly padded where friction and chafing were more likely to happen. Good. But the flaps, pockets, and upper surfaces of the pack appeared to be made with similarly well woven color coordinating, patterned fabrics. The effect wasn't unpleasant to look at, but, if Tomyris had to hazard a guess, it had been selected because it was pretty. It was definitely an artisan's piece. Maybe it gave him comfort or confidence? Who was she to say? At least, it looked like it could hold a good bit and it wasn't festooned with tassels or lined with bells or trailing ribbons. "Did you pack more water than you think you'd drink? Do you have stable foods? What of medicinal herbs and wraps, just in case? A blanket large enough to cover you?"
Nodding with each question, Yarah confirmed that was the case. He couldn't fault her. She was a survivalist and she had agreed to take him, just some native Homewood stranger, to some unknown location. He didn't expect that she was going to carry his weight, so he had done what shopping and gathering what he could to cover any base he could think of before he had retired for the day.
[WC: 662]
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Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2020 5:34 pm
Finally she stopped circling him, seemingly satisfied and nodded. "Good. And to answer your previous question, I'm feeling right as rain. Did you sleep well?" His vague, neither here nor there answer wasn't a surprise to her. It usually took a couple of days to adjust to opposite sleeping or waking times. "Once we're moving, it'll get easier for you. Since you're ready, let's get going." Tomyris nodded eastward. That was the closest outer edge of Homewood. Once free from the foliage, they could then start making their way more northeasterly.
The pair headed off, making pretty good time with the pace that Tomyris set. Yarah found that the doe had been correct. Once they had set on the way, his mind wasn't looking back to the comfort of his den. He was looking forward, imaging what lay ahead, questioning what might be in store for them in the barrens. Some of her answers made him regret asking, but it was better to be informed than be surprised by potentially deadly threats. The vast expanse of stars above them was nearly enough to take his breath away. Their conversation seemed to come in fits and bursts, but Yarah was content to try to name what constellations he could recall, drinking in the sights of the barrens at night.
Their road was a long one, so when the sky began to show the beginning tendrils of sunlight peeking over the distant horizon, Tomyris had stated that they'd need to bed down for the day. Yarah protested, saying that he could go farther, that it wouldn't be too bad in the early morning. The pointed, steady stare she had levelled at him quieted his objections. The doe found a relatively small rocky outcropping and dug down into the sand along its base. Confused, Yarah had watched on for a moment, before his guide had snapped his attention from wondering to asking him to help. She explained that the sand deeper below was cooler, would hold on to any scant moisture the cooling of the night had brought better than the surface sand would, and that the rock would help shield them from the worst of the sun for a good portion of the day. It wasn't going to be some soft, moss lined den, but it'd suit their needs. She told him to give her his blanket and for him to settle into the depression they had dug, quickly.
The sky seemed to lighten so fast out here. With him stowed, she tossed his blanket over their hole, then layered her own sandy colored one on top of his, to better camouflage their spot and to better insulate them. Slipping underneath, Tomyris tugged each of the corners into their shelter, telling Yarah to tuck what he could underneath him. It was close quarters, but the shade and the relative cool, coupled with the stillness after a full night of travelling, Yarah soon nodded off. Tomyris had no issue sleeping this way. The day wore on and they woke without having being disturbed. She set to shaking the sand off from her blanket, rolling it up once more, and instructed Yarah to do the same. The buck required some stretching, since he ended up feeling quite stiff from their little sleeping sanctuary for the day. They drank, ate, consulted the map, and pressed onward.
[WC: 561]
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Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2020 5:36 pm
Many hours on, they found the edge of the Mistfruit Forest. It was cooler here and, as Yarah had heard, everything appeared dead. Grey brown or yellow grasses lingered where they had once grown. The skeletal trees were devoid of any sort of leaf or seed or anything. The pair wandered deeper within, following the downhill grade toward a gully. Tomyris had frozen when they broke the treeline, gasping at the sight that met them there. This place had a river, but not just that. The river fed a lake the size of which she had never seen before in all her days. There was so much water...It appeared to have been stopped up by a massive structure clearly having been built by the Others. Tomyris took the lead, unable to hide the fascination and near awe from her expression. The sounds of their hoof falls echoed off the concrete of the structure, but she needed to see the other side. Dust...They had reduced the other side to nothing but dust...How? Could it reasonably be undone? Or even just a little to allow some water to flow into the parched earth below. Probably not without risking the devastation of the ecosystem. Damaged though it may be, there was a sort of balance here.
Clearly dealing with a myriad of thoughts, Yarah took it upon himself to act as look out for the time being while Tomyris investigated. This was interesting and all, but he was more intrigued by the possibility that there was a lone grove in this place that still lived. More than that, it thrived due to some currently unknown magical element. What did it look like? Wanderlust had said that this grove bore fruit that they had never seen before. What did this fruit do? What did it taste like? Mysteries abound! Yarah became aware of the diminishing sounds of hoof falls. Craning around, he realized Tomyris had headed back off of the concrete structure, bee-lining toward the nearest lakeshore. Oop! He trotted after her, softly calling her name. She didn't appear to hear him. She took off her gear, resting it carefully on the ground. She then proceeded to wade into the water until it was just shy of lapping at her belly.
[WC: 377 ]
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Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2020 5:39 pm
The water was quite cold at first, but she acclimated to its temperature pretty quickly. Her mind was buzzing with questions and ideas. Exactly how deep was this lake? Surely, there had to be something else to the structure the Others built. Why would they wall up a river fed lake? Had none of the other nomads made it this far to the north-east? She would absolutely have to get the word out to them about this location. While their nomadic existence was practically etched into their very bones at this point, this place could offer an alternative place to rest for a time if folk weren't inclined to go to Homewood for whatever their reasons may be. There wasn't politics here. There was plenty of water here. What sort of dangers lurked here though? Doubtless, there had to be some sort of predator that had found this place and found it similarly sufficient to rest or as a place to take up residence. Finally, Yarah calling her name managed to breach through the miasma of her ponderances. The buck looked quite anxious, his front hooves in the shallow water that edged the shore, his tail swishing nervously behind him. Tomyris sighed, offering him an apologetic smile, and whipped her tail in his direction, sending a fine spray of chilly water droplets at him. He yelped, jumping back out of the water when the arc of water hit him. "No need to look so concerned, Yarah. Sorry if I worried you. I got a bit lost in thought there." She trod her way back to the shore and worked her gear back on, with a little help since straps weren't wanting to slide quite so easily over her wet hide. "Now that I've detoured us, did you want to see anything particular while we were here?"
The little smile and the flick of water, while he hadn't been expecting the latter, had been a welcome sight. And, was that a little show of playfulness from his oh-so serious escort? How about that! When she was back in her travel gear, Yarah perked up. "Oh, yes, actually! There's a tiny grove of oddly twisted trees somewhere within the forest that bears fruit in spite of the death that surrounds it. I would like to find it and bring a fruit back home with me. Once we grab one of the fruits, I think I'd be okay heading home so I can report what we've seen and done while it's all still fresh. You know?"
That was fair; and making a point to quickly complete Yarah's objective and see him partially or all the way home meant that she too could find her folk and start relaying what she had seen and experienced while here. Tomyris agreed. The two of them wandered hither, thither, and yon through the stretches of long dead timber before they spied the sought after grouping of odd living trees. The doe stood on the edge of the growth while Yarah took his turn to gaze about in naked curiosity. Rearing up onto his hind legs momentarily, he plucked one of the pale pink speckled fruits, stem, leaves, and all, from the branch that it grew from. He trotted over, beaming around his prize. She assisted him getting it tucked away securely in his pack.
Consulting the sky, the pair agreed that, while not originally the plan, to keep their nocturnal travel plans, they'd need to overday in Mistfruit Forest. It took some hunting to find a place that both seemed satisfied with as a safe temporary den. They slept, woke, ate, drank their fill, then once more headed back in the direction of Homewood. Tomyris agreed to take Yarah to within a few miles of Homewood, since she'd have to do some further travelling to get to where she was needing to go. The buck felt he could handle the last few miles on his own. Much of their return trip was travelled in companionable silence.
[WC: 669 ]
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Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2020 5:45 pm
Upon reaching the place of their parting, Yarah paused and offered Tomyris the map, partially in thanks. She looked touched and accepted the parting gift. That was going to be useful. While she was adjusting her pack, the buck hesitantly glanced in the direction that he needed to go. "Say, Tomyris...Ah, do-do you think we'll see each other again some time? I know I was a bit contrary early on, but I did enjoy this trip with you. I think I've learned a few things from our time together. I don't think I've got any other friends quite like you, ya know...?" An ear swiveled in his direction as she paused her fiddling with her straps. He had no friends quite like her? Oof, tugged right at her heart strings with that one. While she typically travelled alone, there was companionship to be found whenever there was any sort of gathering of her nomadic kith and kin. There were remote enclaves scattered about if one knew where to find them. However, she couldn't say that she really had made any significant friendships among those who dwelled solely within Homewood. Perhaps, she was overdue. She slowly shifted her gaze to look at him fully. Tomyris gave a throaty, deep thoughtful hum as she made a show of considering the buck, making his shift uncomfortably under the weight of her stare. She then straightened to her full height, head held high, and spoke very clearly, with a touch of authority edging into her tone. "I can assure you that, with utmost certainty," She paused for effect, watching the palomino merle freeze in nervous anticipation. "You will absolutely see me again." Tomyris cracked a cheeky little smile and Yarah burst out into relieved laughter. "I can't say I've got any friends quite like you either. You may not get to see me as often as the friends you have in Homewood, but know that you do have a friend out here. I can send messages. Or make a point to swing by. Or...you could always visit me, and run with me for a bit if you want to see how I live. You might even get to meet some of my like...Just let me know first, so I can find you before trouble does." She nudged his shoulder with hers and stepped back. "Safe travels, Yarah. We'll meet again. Now, go on, before you lose the details you're wanting to share." Echoing a farewell of his own, the buck turned off and headed in the direction of Homewood. She watched for a time before turning off and started her trek to seek out the nearest nomad enclave. Tomyris had knowledge to share. [WC: 449 ][RP Total: 2718 ]
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ll Grandfather Tree ll generated a random number between
1 and 100 ...
3!
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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2020 1:56 pm
REDEEMED
rolling for exploration
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ll Grandfather Tree ll Vice Captain
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