Her head lifted as she woke. Her vision was burred only slightly, clearing as she blinked and looked around. She could see the faint outlines on the rocky walls where cracks or drawings or something were there. It was all made more visible from the glow put off by the stallion beside her. A glance to the opening of the cave showed her that the day had passed as they slept and made way for night. Wiggling slightly, she moved careful not to awaken him as she stood and stepped lightly for the caves mouth.
Sleeping soundly, the Croatan stretched and moved in his sleep, giving a soft sigh as the mare left his side. He hovered between waking and dreaming in that strange twilight haze he liked to refer as the Noland, where the spirits could cross over and mortals could glimpse their realm. It was here in the Croatoan's foggy slumber that the forest was whispering to him of his father and the mare that was to be his mate.
She left the cave to look over her things as they still laid scattered about as she'd left them. Grabbing Jose`'s stick in her mouth, she looked at the cave's mouth as if debating where to place it. Finally finding a place, she stepped over and jammed the stick's base into a crack so that it wouldn't tip over and fall.
The stallion woke with a snort at the sound of the stick hitting the hard earth outside his cavern. Slowly his mind unwound the memories of the mare and her collection... and Josè. The mare. His mate. He got to his hooves and strolled outside to see what was going on.
Stepping aside, she admired her work.Satisfied that Jose` looked decent in his new home, she went back to her collection and started to carefully pile the things back into the small pack. She'd put them in the cave till her underwater cave could be dug out in which to keep them. Her mind then wandered to how she would keep them safe no longer sleeping with them.. She'd nearly lost one piece to a small sethi... she didn't want the rest of her collection gone... Perhaps just keeping them in the cave would be best after all.
"What are you doing?" the Croatoan asked, watching her from the cavern's entrance. He was amused by his mate's antics. Her collection of trinkets was interesting to him only in the sense that he'd never known of anyone to collect things before.
"I'm gathering my things into this... thing.. so I can take them inside and place them about our den.." She snickered and shook her head as she picked the pack up but the strap and headed towards him.
"Why do you keep these things?" the young stallion asked, watching her walk past. He was curious about this collecting obession of hers.
She chuckled around the strap in her mouth and looked back at him. " Cush day intresht meh" She looked back into the cave as she walked inside and once more tumped out the contents of the bag before setting on putting them here there and everywhere in a finicky manner.
The Croatoan watched her take over his lair, tilting his head a bit. "Where did all of these come from? The Croatoan has never seen things like this before. They are not from his swamp."
Her smirk grew to a grin that flashed her sharp teeth yet once more. " I found these all over the place.. a pity others left them behinds.. but I found them.. I found them beautiful and unique and brought them home with me." She places what looked to be a broken off crystal formation onto a small ledge of the cave and stepped back to look it over before nodding contently.
"You have traveled many places?" the stallion asked. A small worry settled in him that she would grow bored of life in the glade and travel again, perhaps find another mate.
"I've been known to meander about.. though I seem to favor the old camps of the two-leggers in which to find new bobbles at.. they always leave the most wondrous things behind.. but I always return to where I sleep and call home." She glanced at him with an impish glint that said she guessed maybe he was afraid of loosing her. " Remember.. you are mine.. and I never leave my things for others to take."
"The Croatoan will remember that," he told her. "Do not forget, though, that you belong to him as well. Perhaps he will travel with you when you go to collect sometime."
She smiled some. " You'd go on a collection with me?" She chuckled. " perhaps I should take you with me when I return o my old lair for the rest of my collection." She thought about how that might end should her parents or brother be there when they arrive.
Jynk: "That would be fine. The Croatoan would like to see where you came from and if it will help you settle here with him, he would help you move your collection," the stallion told her.
She smiled and nodded. " Alright then, if you really want to help then I guess I can agree to that.." She snickered lightly but placed one last trinket into it's spot before returning to his side to take it all in. " What do you think?"
"It looks nice. The only things in here till now were what the two-leggers left behind," the Croatoan said, nodding to the pelts and a few broken bits of pottery scattered about.
She lipped at his mane some. Strange.. was she actually happy for once that some one other than herself was pleased with how her collection looked? Shaking the thought from her head she nipped him lightly. " Maybe I'll go back for them tomorrow..."
She nodded. " I would.. as to if they understand or not... they'll come to terms with it or not..." She shrugged some. " They are family and some times.. families need to part ways.. in the end I'm sure they'll understand." She looked out the cave and nodded. Her family had been all she'd had and now she was leaving them behind. "They can always visit if they want."
"Yes, they'll be welcome to the Croatoan's glade. It's your glade, too, now. We'll protect it together," the stallion said, resting his head across her back, content.
She gave him a cheeky look. "I should hope they'd be welcome... I'd think meeting my father would be a highlight of your life." She snickered remembering how he'd called him a god. She nudged his shoulder before heading back outside of the cave once more. " I need to take a dip in the water..."
Following her, the stallion yawned, still waking up a bit. "Your father is most welcome here, as are all your kind." By kind, he really meant her family. "The Croatoan would join you if you'd like the company."
"I don't mind the company." She chuckled some. The water was a welcome feel as she slid down, sinking so that her head was just above the water. She gave a content sigh. "This... is a most welcoming feel." She chuckled lightly.
The Croatoan stayed closer to the shallow water, happy to just be near his mate and watch her enjoy herself. "Do you like it here in the glade?"
"It is a pleasent change.. much bigger than the family pond." She smiled and ducked her head under. she was creeping up on him slowly under the water. She wanted to see just how creeped out he'd be if she popped up beside him.
Nodding, the stallion chuckled. Dipping his head down for a drink, he lost sight of the mare. "Enakai?"
Her head popped up just under his own, her hair matted to her face as she chuckled. " Loose me?" She nuzzled his neck, splashing at him with her tail, playfully.
The Croatoan jerked back, eyes wide, before realizing it was his mate. "That was not a nice trick. The Croatoan thought you were a crocodile."
She jokingly snapped her maw at him. "Crocodiles don't life fresh water.. more likely I'd be a gator.. but I thought I was far too smooth on the nose to be such a reptile." She pouted at him cutely before nuzzling him once again.
"The swamp is mostly brackish waters," the Croatoan pointed out. He smiled and nuzzled her back, giving a content sigh.
Standing, she stepped out of the water and looked back at him. " If we're going to go to my family's pond then we should get a nap in.. It's a bit of a walk and we'll need to start at first light."
"As you wish," the stallion answered, following her. He seemed to know that, in some way, he would always be following her.
