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 Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 3:27 pm
 It was hot today, Aquitaine was regretting spending the day out instead of at home where she had cool shade to lay in and an ocean to swim in to beat the heat. Even her dragon was suffering from the heat, his almost constant rumble of displeasure were an utter distraction. At least she was getting closer to that stream near the trees. Earlier when she had found herself in the middle of this large grassy plain she had truly questioned her sanity in leaving the forest before that. Honestly she hadn't expected it to be this hot today. Yesterday had been a bit on the cool side so she had assumed today would be so as well. Guess that assumption was horrible wrong. Well there was certainly no turning back, and if she kept in the direction she was headed they would be at that stream before too long.
"Not much further, then we can cool off." She reassured her dragon, though knowing his hatred of water cooling off in the stream would not go over well with him. But it was either that or pass out from heat exhaustion, which would only likely annoy him more. It seemed like an eternity before they finally reached the stream and Aquitaine quickly lowered her head, gulping down the warm water. She wished it had been cool, but thirsty as she was she knew better than to complain - warm water was better than no water. After drinking a bit she waded into the water, before she even got up to her knees the dragon growled, shifting on her back. "I won't get you wet...if I can manage it." She said before wading in deeper. Ah the water felt great as it hide her belly and splashed up a bit on her sides. Aquitaine took a few steps deeper, so that the water came nearly up to her back but stayed just out of reach from her dragon hair. Another rumble escaped him but overall he seemed content with her actions as long as she didn't get him wet.
Aquitaine decide that she would remain in the water just long enough to cool down before moving on. Even in the water the heat beating down on her made her want to return to the shade. Her long slender tail waved behind her in the water, sending ripples out along the slow moving stream.
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Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 4:00 pm
 Atayohkan really wasn't too sure where exactly she was going. The soft-colored mare was new to this area, and she was sure she'd gone the wrong turn trying to make her way back to the tee-pee. Though these thoughts were only playing at the back of her mind, as a moment ago, the mare was sure she'd heard a river or a stream. The heat was terrible today, and she panted a little as she weaved her way through the trees, stepping over bushes, branches, rocks and fallen trees. It wasn't much cooler in the trees than it had been when she'd been on the trail. That trail, however, had ended a while back, and for some reason which she couldn't recall, Atayohkan had decided to continue on into the trees.
Bright green eyes scanned ahead as she stopped, and the mare's ears perked, swiveling in attempt to catch the sound of running water. She paused in a spot where there wasn't so much littering her path and listened. Tayo could tell she was getting closer to the stream, and her ears stopped when she had figured the direction she needed to go. The bright green feathers adorning her crown ruffled a little, and she flicked her tail, snorting softly in determination before plunging back into the trees. It wasn't long before she began to see it growing brighter, and there was an obvious thinning of the trees.
The mare came out onto a small piece of bank before the stream and looked down upon it. She instantly spotted another mare, seemingly accompanied by another strange sort of creature which groaned, and her eyebrows lifted in curiosity. However, Tayo decided to remain quiet for a moment and observe. The breeze from the open ruffled her head and tail feathers as she stood, gazing down.
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Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 4:17 pm
Aquitaine was aware of the stranger before she even saw her. Her dragon let out a growl, unhappy with a stranger nearby and Aquitaine's head shot up. Fear from past experiences caused her to hurry to the edge of the water, if it was a skinwalker or anything else evil she did not want to be up to her neck in water if they got any close. With a splash and a wave crashing around her Aquitaine hit the bank of the stream and got free of the warm liquid before fully analyzing the situation. Her eyes fell upon a mare standing not too far off. Seeing no pelt or leathery wings on her Aquitaine couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. That didn't mean she was free from danger, anyone could cause harm to another if she wished, but the instant alarming features were not there. Suddenly a bit embarrassed by her flighty actions in the heat of the moment Aquitaine smiled a bit sheepishly at the mare.
"Sorry...you kind of startled me." In truth it wasn't the mare who had started her, but her dragon and the memories of past experiences. Perhaps one day she would be less jumpy. At least her lessons were making some progress, she had stopped and assessed the situation before completely running away. One step at a time. Now that she was no longer in panic mode Aquitaine could take a good look at the mare. Her eyes gazed on the brown pelt, mane and then settled upon the feathers. She had never seen anything like it. Oh sure plenty of Soquili wore feathers in their manes as decoration, but this manes feathers didn't appear to be that kind. In fact from the look of it they seemed to be growing out of her forehead and at the base of her tail much like hair would. How very interesting. Suddenly Aquitaine realized that she was staring at the stranger and quickly averted her eyes. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to stare, but I've never seen feathers like that." Her dragon shifted slightly, watching the mare from his perch atop Aquitaine's back. "My name is Aquitaine. Are you from around here?" It was entirely possible the mare was, after all Aquitaine wasn't from this area so had no idea who lived here and who was merely just passing through.
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Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 5:39 pm
Tayo's bright eyes watched the creature that she now realized was attached to this other mare. She had barely seen the mare trying to get out of sight, as she had been pushing through the last bit of brush, and it was rather bright out in the open by the water compared to where she had just been in the forest. She blinked for a moment longer in the sunlight and shook her head lightly. The pale-colored mare caught the smile that the other had offered her and was quick to return it- she didn't want to cause any trouble. While it seemed that this new acquaintance was a kind enough soul, Atayohkan was unsure of her companion. This...dragon. If that's what it was anyways- Tayo had only ever heard of a dragon once from another traveler she had passed on her way here, and though he hadn't been able to show her one, this is how she imagined it from what he told her. "Nothing to be sorry for!" Tayo said, chuckling softly and advancing toward the mare a slight bit to see if it would go over, "To be honest I didn't think anyone would be down here so...guess we're both surprised, right?" She laughed again, flicking her tail, the bright green feathers rustling a little.
Tayo watched the mare's creature companion, observing him as she interacted with the other mare. The brown and white female caught herself staring as well, and only seconds after she had looked away, the other mare confessed to the same crime. Tayo giggled again and then just grinned. "I'll admit to the same, that creature you carry with you is quite an interesting companion." The words left her mouth before she could think about them very much and the pale-coated mare hoped that it hadn't come across as a rude comment. "It's quite alright, really..." She switched the topic to answer what else the other mare had commented, "My father was a Hippogryph, if you've ever heard about them. Anyways, it's a whole story, but...that's where my feathers come from." She smiled kindly, shifting her weight as she stood, and then progressing again down the bank, her hooves splashing into the water at the bottom- she paused again.
"Aquitaine, that's a pretty name. Mine's Atayohkan. Tayo, if it's preferable for you." Again, the soft brown mare offered a smile, enjoying the feeling of the water passing over her hooves.
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Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 6:16 pm
Hearing the other mares laughter Aquitaine felt a bit more at ease. At least she had seen the humor in the situation, even if moments before Aquitaine had felt nothing but fear. It was amazing how stopping, assessing the situation and thinking really changed ones perspective. "I was actually thinking I would end up finding someone here when I first came, given how hot it is." Aquitaine told the mare with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "But it looks like they must be seeking shelter from the heat in the trees instead." Had she not found herself in the middle of this open area as the hottest part of the day rolled in then she too would have been in among the trees waiting out the heat. It had been her own choice to venture out this way, so Aquitaine had no one to blame but herself for being out in the heat. At least the stream had given her some temporary relief from it, though even now as the sun cause the water on her body to evaporate away she felt it's cooling at work. As the mare came closer the dragon let out another growl, his red eyes trained on the pale creature.
Aquitaine was not surprised to find out that the mare had been staring at her, it was something that happened quite often and she was fairly used to it. With a smile Aquitaine glanced back at her dragon and then returned her gaze to the mare. "Ah yes, he is a bit on the interesting side...though he makes my life not only interesting but problematic at times." She admitted openly. "He doesn't particularly like when others get near me." Best to warn the mare before she got too close, as he could lash out at the mare should she get into biting range. Ears perked up as the mare explained her feathers origins. A Hippogryph? "I've...never heard of a Hippogryph before." Then again she stuck close to home most of the time so anything she knew about any of the different Soquili species was generally passed on to her from her parents. So either they had not gotten to the lesson about Hippogryphs or they were unaware of the species as a whole. "Could you tell me about them? The Hippogryphs?" It would be nice to learn something new, make this trip out truly worth while.
"It's very nice to meet you Atayohkan." Such an interesting sounding name, and Aquitaine hoped that she pronounced it right. Aquitaine chose to remain on the bank of the stream, not only to allow Atayohkan to get some time in the water but because she knew her dragon would be angry is she got him wet, plus it would put her too close to the mare for his liking.
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