[PRP] What a Distant Land (Kayla & Saluki)

[Nyhility]

Heavy hooves sunk into the muddy earth as the mare pressed forward, her path having taken her....slightly off course. Not that she had a specific destination in mind when she had fled, her heart and mind having been too panicked to even think so far ahead. But no...now was not the time to reflect on such embarrassing mistakes. Setting her mouth in a taunt clench, Nhekayla lifted her chin as she gazed on the new land before her. Mistake or fate, this was now her homeland and she had a long way to go. Firstly, with getting out of this barren and flooded meadow.

Picking up her left hoof with some effort, Kayla couldn't help but grimace at the 'slosh' sound that followed. Hopefully this wasn't all she had to look forward too in this new terrain. But perhaps this was all she deserved after her cowardly act. She had traded in war and honor for shame and mud. There was no room for her to complain. Giving a muted sigh before returning to her aimless walk, the massive mare sent a glance to her left, then to her right. The skies were clear and pleasant, so whatever storm had drowned these lands earlier was now long gone. With any luck she could come across dry hills soon, and maybe even cross of fields of lush greens. Making a guess of chance, Kayla turned her attentions to the left and marched on, her only comfort being the heavy reminder of her armor.

 

[Seruta]

"Would you please keep up?" Saluki grumbled to his newest friend. She was an odd sort of creature. A Buffalo. However, she was always laid back and proved to be a bit of a hassle to travel with.

"What's the rush, darlin'? We're just going to the meadows..." Roami half sung - as she always tended to do. Everything was a song to her. She liked it that way.

"Yes, but..." he grunted then snorted softly. He hardly ever was impatient. Perhaps he was just a little too eager to see if any of his Soquili friends had returned for a visit? Yes... that had to be it. With another glance back at Roami, he sighed.

"But what, darlin'?" she asked, picking up her pace just a bit. "Don't worry. The sweetest patches of grass'll still be there... if not a bit mud ridden. But that's fine. I could use a bit of a mud bath, myself."

"It's nothing." he sighed again. He saw the clearing up ahead and decided to get a quick look beyond the treeline. One could never be too careful. As he trotted forward, he raised a brow at her comment. A mud bath? Wow. This creature is a bit strange indeed. But his human seemed quite taken with her...

He lifted his head and scanned the area carefully. His gold and white painted figure barely seen amidst the trees. He didn't see anything right away, but once the mare within it started to move again he caught sight of her. She was heavily armored, but that didn't seem to worry him too much. He knew a few armored Soquili already. He lived with one, in fact. What bothered him was the way she walked. Something about her treading made him feel as if she was distraught by something.

"Yah see somethin', darlin'?" Roami asked as she caught up with him. "Well, I'll be..." she half gasped, also spotting the mare. "You should go say hello!" she chuckled and nudged the back of his legs.

He jumped just a bit to her nudge and blinked a bit before following the suggestion cautiously. His hooves started to squish in much the same way and he frowned to the pulling sensation it gave his hooves, but he made his way towards her easily enough. He kept at a safe distance. He hoped that she was a decent enough mare. He doubted that he could outrun her in this muck. She seemed to have quite a bit of strength to her body that could easily come in handy when pushing against the forces of nature.

He stopped when he was in a decent conversation range and bowed his head gently. "Greetings..." he started, trying his best to act the proper gentleman. His ears swiveled nervously upon his head, however. He had grown weary of meeting new Soquili since his encounter with that skinwalker a few months back. He had met a few gentle Soquili since, but one could never be too careful.  

[Nyhility]

It took near no time at all for Nhekayla to spot the other individuals. But even if she did see them, the details were sparse with how far away they stood in the treeline. Her yellow eyes glinted under her helm as she squinted, trying to get a better view. There were two of them, and they were of different forms. One was more massive than the other, but the other seemed lithe and just as healthy despite the size difference. Kayla snorted through her nostrils as she flicked her short tail, standing her ground hesitantly as the others obviously had clear sight of her.

Should she continue in this direction then? What if they were there as a sign or an omen, placidly warning her away from this territory? She was so lost on what to decide, that she nearly jumped when the lithe figure finally trotted forward. Keeping a wary eye as he approached, the brown mare stayed in place like a still statue, not willing to risk looking away. However, when the stranger drew close enough for her to easily see and hear, Kayla skittered.

In a misunderstanding, the foreign mare had interpreted Saluki's bow as a preparation to charge her. But...that didn't make sense if he was greeting her at the same moment. Still taking caution, Kayla lowered her own head in display of her helm and horns as warning. She wasn't going to attack, but she wasn't going to turn tail and run either. Again.

"Orange fellow....," Kayla paused as she lifted one brow. Oh, how odd this stranger was. "You....seem to be missing all your horns." o__o?  

[Seruta]

In a slight jump of panic, he lifted his head and his eyes rolled up and in to try and get a look at his horn. Nope... It was still there. He quirked an eyebrow at her and tilted his head somewhat in confusion. "My apologies, but I assure you that I was only born with one." He blinked and flicked his tail softly. "I am of the Unicorn breed. I am Saluki." He looked her over briefly, noting her tense stance. "I will not harm you unless you have it in mind to hurt me or my own."

Roami hummed to herself upon being left at the trees. In her mind, it was always good to walk with a strong Soquili at her side. She got into less trouble that way. Especially when he generally took it upon himself to approach a stranger.

She watched carefully at the pair, though she was too far away to truly hear anything they said. After a moment - and after what appeared to be an exchange of bows, Roami smiled and began her slow and slightly winding journey to join in on the conversation. She occasionally spotted a deliciously looking green patch that she would veer off to nibble on before continuing. She was in no rush... and Saluki seemed to have things under control for the moment.  

[Nyhility]

Now it was Kayla's turn to quirk her brow. Was the other being honest, that he was born with a single horn? What twist of genetics caused such a thing? The mare shook her head as she tried to gather her thoughts. In her homeland, it'd been a common sight to find other Soquili with the traditional four horns. Anything less was....well, a misfortune to a battle.

"Unicorn Saluki." She led the title rest in her mind, putting that new information into focus. It made sense considering the single horn, and Nhekayla assumed she would only find more of these Unicorns types as she explored these lands. "No, it's my apologies that need to be spoken. I reacted poorly towards you." Her tail flicked against her armor as prrof of her anxiety. Especially as the other stranger began meandering closer to them. Though it seemed hardly a threat by how it skipped about, as if it was lost in a dream of sorts. Even so, Kayla could easily see the potential in the purple individuals girth and horns.

Best not to annoy that one!

"Oh, and you may call me Nhekayla." And with that she relaxed her stance to help ease the situation.  

[Seruta]

Saluki smiled softly. "A pleasure to meet you, Nhekayla. And there's no need for you to apologize. I must look... pretty strange. Are you passing through? Or looking for a place of permanence?"

He briefly caught her gaze and followed it to see that she had eyeballed his companion of sorts. "Oh. That's Roami. She's a bit of an odd creature. Just to warn you... And she has a kind heart, so you won't have to worry about her using her brawn against you. Unless you use yours first, of course...." he chuckled nervously then cleared his throat a bit.

He returned his gaze back to her and gestured towards her armor. "Well... That's quite a lot of gear you are carrying. My human can help you out of it for a while if you want some rest." He then gave a soft chuckle. "She might even clean it up for you if you let her." He smiled warmly to the thought. His human was always trying to please him and his friends. It was her own special way of showing she cared.  

[Nyhility]

"The same goes out to you." Nhekayla bobbed her head in true greeting this time, before flicking her ears. "Oh, you're not strange looking. Just...foreign to me is all." She was certain that through his eyes, she appeared just as strange a sight, if not more so with her armor! "As to my location, I've merely been passing through. But it seems I'm still not truly 'through' these lands yet. Am I?" She glanced at the terrain around her, finding it all so vast and unfamiliar. "A place to rest would be nice though..."

Then her eyes landed on the Bison in question. So long as it was a companion and not some odd intruder on their conversation, then she didn't mind. "Roami, you said? I hope I haven't given the wrong impression that she remains so far." After all, Kayla had behaved rather poorly.

Smiling almost bashfully at his statement of her armor, the mare shook out her mane, as if to shrug off the detail. "Not necessarily. Just....a few really large items. But they work just as well." Then her eyes lit up as she focused on Saluki and took a step forward. "Humans? You have companion humans in these lands?" What a joyful discovery! Alliance or not, at least it was someone with hands to assist with her gears. "I would love their help, if it's not intruding of me." Already her skin was itching just at the thought of fresh air and less weight.  

[Seruta]

Saluki looked briefly in the direction in which he had seen her coming from and frowned a bit. "I regret to inform you that you have barely just begun your journey through these lands. My human and I came a long ways from the direction in which you were headed."

He think blinked a bit as he shifted his gaze back towards Roami... who... currently had plopped her large rear down in some soft grass to sniff slowly at a patch of wildflowers. ".... I think your first impression was fine, to be honest!" Saluki chuckled a bit and shook his head. "Trust me... She's most likely forgotten we're existing at the moment. She's..." he seemed to struggle some with finding the right words. "... she's a bit lost in the head."

He then smiled warmly and shook his head to her sudden excitement. "I do. But not everyone does. There's a human village not too far from here, but my human doesn't believe in the tether, so we don't journey there often. We roam as we please. The only thing she wishes of us is our company from time to time."

His gaze returned fully to Nhekayla with another one of his warm smiles. "I can guarantee you that she will be more than delighted to pamper you. And you are more than welcome to back away from her if she starts to smother you." he chuckled and turned to begin leading the way towards his human's teepee. "She'll understand that you wish to be left alone upon doing that."

With luck, the rest of them would all be gone and he wouldn't have to hear any rumors beginning amidst them. Or worse, his son trying to swoop in and force his charm upon the poor mare when she needed her rest. He made a quick and silent prayer to the spirits that they had all gone elsewhere.

"She set up her camp this way. It's a very short walk. A few minutes, tops." He gave a soft gentle nudge to Roami as they passed her. "We're heading back so she can rest. You coming?"

"I'll be along shortly, dear!" she practically sang. Her green eyes flitted to Nhekayla with a welcoming smile and a wink. "You two run on ahead."  

[Nyhility]

The mare visibly sagged at the news of her travels, and how truly unimportant they had been. "I take it this is a vast valley then? So long as there are territories of peace around here, then I am pleased." Anything would be better than the war-scarred homelands that she fled from. But all the same she didn't get her hopes up, as the stillness of these lands could just as easily be deceiving to newcomers like herself.

Perking her attention with a blink, Kayla glanced sidelong at the massive bison in the distance. "Oh, I see then. She does seem a...bubbly individual all the same though. I'm sure she makes grand company?" Then she gave a soft smile under her rough faceplate. "And it sounds like your human companion is of the same nature. A mutual respect seems like the best sort of bond with the two-leggers, and you've managed to snatch it. Congrats." Weighing her options as the stallion pointed the way, Kayla stayed stiffly in her spot for a moment. Should she really trust the very first face that she met in these new lands? Than again, what choice did she have compared to the wonderful offer?

Taking the wink as permission, the brown mare took step to follow Saluki to the village.  

[Seruta]

Saluki led the way to the small little camp. His human preferred solitude, though kept in decent proximity to the rest of the village for it to be seen a bit off in the distance. Nothing a small canter couldn't achieve in a short amount of time.

As the two neared, soft chimes of a flute danced upon the wind in a chipper and merry tune. This made Saluki smile. She only played this particular tune to the birds, which meant the Human was alone. He turned his grinning muzzle towards Nhekayla. "C'mon!" he seemed to chuckle a bit then began a canter towards the human.

Lenmana blissfully played her tune under the cool shelter of a tree next to her teepee. Her dark skin covered (where it mattered) with bits of fur and leathers. Her hair was long and black, fell to the middle of her back and it straight until the very end where a few thick curls bobbed. Her dark brown eyes flitted open as she played a few final notes. She had heard the hoof-falls of one of her friends and now saw him come into view. She beamed a wide smile. Always happy to see her friends.

In one swift motion, she sprang up and bounded over to the Stallion, wrapping her arms about his thick neck and hugging him tightly. Her way of saying, 'Welcome back, friend!'

Saluki dipped his head to 'hug' her back, tail flicking in joy at the affection before he side-stepped and turned his head to look in Nhekayla's direction.

Lenmana patted his neck and shoulder a moment before she saw him gazing off, then her brown eyes followed suit. She was awestruck a moment, eyes flitting over the regal appearing form before a warm smile graced her lips. She then turned a bit and moved back to the tree for a brief moment. Beside where she had been sitting was a basket filled with apples she had picked earlier in that day. She plucked one of the recently ripened ones and returned back to Saluki's side, holding the apple out towards the mare in offering.