Izusa kicked over a basket, watching as apples spilled onto the earth. She whickered with mischevious glee, looking around to make sure no one was looking and filled her belly with the tart sweetness of the apple. She licked juice from her mouth and then stomped on the remaining apples, bruising and cutting them with her cloven hooves, making them dirty and ruined. She skipped away from the pile of destruction and wandered off behind a line of teepees, sniffing the air as she went.
'Oi!' called out a voice as she passed a load of clay pots. She turned, her tail flicking a little and her wings rustling restlessly on her back. From the shadows behind the containers a small figure emerged, a furred creature. She tilted her head at it, curious as to what it was.
'You new arent you?' it asked, its voice rough but definately feminine.
'You have lived around here a long time have you?' Izusa asked, shifting on her hooves, curious now.
'A while, never seen one like you that's for sure,' the little furred creature walked around Izusa, little black nose atwitch as it sniffed at her.
'What are you?' Izusa asked, turning a little to keep it in sight.
'You dont know what I am? Where you live, in a basket?'
Izusa snorted in amusement.
'Yes actually,' she said, her wings stretching out a little more.
The fox blinked.
'Well that told me huh? I'm Yzma..I'm a fox..' she stood in a fallen spot of light.
'And I look a little like you.'
Izusa nodded, as the sunlight made the fox's pelt shimmer. It was silvery-lilac, and was pretty to look at; but not as much as mine Izusa thought.
'So do the humans know about you?'
'Nah,' Yzma shook her head and hopped onto a basket, tail curling around her feet as she looked at the Soquili.
'They don't notice much..too wrapped up in their own silly human stuff. They don't see me steal food. I bet they don't see you do the same either.'
Yzma chuckled at Izusa's expression.
'Yes I've seen you. First time I've seen one of your kind steal from the humans.'
Izusa nodded again, her mane falling around her.
'All the others are so...good,' she grumbled. Yzma nodded back.
'They do seem that way for what I've gathered just hanging around here.'
Yzma had also seen the looks Izusa's appearance had garnered from humans and Soquili alike. She had a feeling that sticking around with this filly would be to her advantage as things could get interesting in the Village and she was nothing if not opportunistic.
'Come on,' Yzma motioned with her head.
'I know where the soft fruits are stored.'
Izusa liked the sound of that, and followed her new vulpine friend eagerly.
Yzma the fox familiar stirred, uncurling and moving away from Izusa's flank. The fox had taken to curling up with the foal at nights; it kept both of them warm as Izusa still refused to have anything to do with the human who had the basket she emerged from. Yzma stretched, coiling her tail and then turned around to see if the Kalona had stirred. She yipped in surprise and Izusa stirred.
'What..?' she said sleepily.
'You..you grew!' Yzma barked. Izusa scrambled onto her hooves, turning around, trying to see herself. She knew she was taller, the ground seemed further away. Stronger too, and she cantered about, then ran, away from the sleeping spot and away from the Village outskirts, revelling in the new found reach in her legs. As she ran, the wind caught her out spread wings, and she staggered, stopping. She cantered, then drew to a halt. Izusa flapped her wings, beating them against the air, and she drew up from the ground, her hooves leaving and she pushed herself forwards a way before falling back to the ground.
'Ouch..' she grumbled. This was obviously going to take some time to get used to. Practice, practice. She got to moving again, and cantered around, then headed off towards the river. She had to see how she looked now.
Kaliska sat on a small earth mound, paces from her teepee. She sharpened her axe head, the sharpening stone grinding against the stone of the axe head, the tip of her tongue protruding from her mouth as she concentrated. Every so often she would pause, wipe her neck and head with a cloth and look across the Village. From where she was seated she had a good long view, and she cast glances around for Izusa. She hadnt seen the Kalona for weeks now..
'Stay out of trouble,' she whispered fervently, more a hope then anything as by now she had heard all the tales of the demonic Soquili's. It seemed that as quickly as she had had one come into her life, it had left her again. Finally she was done with the stone, wiping the axe blade with a clean piece of cloth. As she was finishing with the cloth she heard the leaves behind her crunched, and she whirled around, getting to her feet as she whipped the axe behind her. As she turned her head she stayed her arm, lowering the axe again.
'Sorry,' she said contritely when she saw both the brown, and blue and yellow coloured mare. The brown mare nudged the hand holding the axe and she put it down quickly.
'You startled me,' she reached out with outspread fingers, touching the softness of the brown mare's nose. The mare shyed away a little, before staying still again, letting Kaliska touch her nose. She examined the flowers adorning both tail and mane of this one.
'Ardia..' the indian warrior maid said suddenly.
'You seem to have sought me out, and I hope you will stay,' she looked at the brilliantly coloured one.
'Dory..' she reached out her other hand, touching that mare's soft nose.
'Come..' she beckoned.
'I have some apples stored, if you want..' she went towards her teepee, heading for one of the baskets there. The Soquili's followed, and she fed them apple slices, feeling happier in herself for a long time. If they stayed..when then it would make up for fact that Izusa had vanished on her.
