[PRP] First Impressions (Hakumei & Amarant)

[Tanakako]

Snorting she forced her chest through the thick bush, vivid aqua-coloured hooves scrambling for purchase on the steep rock slope. The thick vines that hung from a myriad of tree branches seemed to reach out, tangling round her neck and legs, and catching in her hair, as if they wanted to keep her from completing her climb.

She had been in few jungles as thick and rough as this one. It was a new area to her and the density of the forest had startled her, but she had long ago committed herself to this path and even if she had wanted to turn back, it was impossible. Tossing her head to free her curly mane from the sharp grip of jagged boughs she scrambled higher, forcing her slim body through the bushes and wines with their tufts of old-man's beard until suddenly she burst out into the top of the rise. A huge tree had fallen, leaving the small area clear and offering a view over the forest as it dropped away down the gently rolling hills of the landscape.
 

[Lady_Ourania]

It was uncommon for Amarant to be found in places where others frequented the landscape, his nomadic nature a holdout against something as trivial as establishing a homestead where others could track him down without effort. He was not a social creature by any means, typically only permitting company when he had initiated a contract or some sheepwit had actually managed to stumble across him during a day filled with quieter hours. The second option appeared to have acquired the lion's share of his luck lately, something that the stallion was painfully aware of as he nursed his brooding mood with a jaunt in exertion. Tangled plants that crisscrossed unhelpfully across paths were of little consequence to him, snapping across his broad chest and thick legs while the biggest problem proved to be low-hanging branches that tried to score out his reclusive eyes. Still, he traveled at a fair enough speed, ignoring the occasional shots of pain from his head or flank when a forest-related obstacle yanked at the tangled mass of red hair. Troublesome, but not injurious enough to make him rethink his chosen path; he'd endured far worse before, and was not about to let something like tree limbs turn him away. Beyond that, the Soquili had walked up this particular incline too many times to feel wary about his footing, precarious though it was.

A slant of sunlight cut a line of buttery color just ahead, and the male knew that he was near to a break in the wall of green and dun, leaning his head down for a final nudge to increase his pace. When he arrived, it was not to the solitude he had anticipated, a quivering chord of warning awakening the senses that he'd shut down to concentrate on paving the way. He scoured his surroundings with a glance, locking quickly onto the obvious discrepancy among the grove shapes and shades. Melancholy blue mashed with abraded purples, all forming a lithe figure that had somehow come to the spot slightly before him and now seemed to be admiring the vantage point. Another female, this one scratched from what he assumed to be her own doing rather than another's deserved brutality.

With that thought fresh in his mind, Amarant briefly pondered chasing her off by brandishing his own temper, already tested by the trip up and in no condition to play pleasant when he was anything but. Still, if this one was like the last, then he was going to have his mouth full with just talking her down, not to mention any misguided efforts at fighting she might have put up. At least the Kalona from days prior had the benefit of being fanged.