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 Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 8:38 am
 Kaliri had certainly not intended for this to happen, the ground had look perfectly stable when she went to land but falling leaves had obscured treacherous holes and cracks in the ground made my moles and as luck would have it her foreleg had gone right through one of them. Thankfully she had managed to keep from falling and really injuring herself, a sprain perhaps..but not a break and for a Soquili that was a life saving difference.
Unfortunately however her leg Armour had managed to get itself stuck on an exposed tree root making the easy fix of just pulling her leg out all but impossible. She had tugged and jerked and struggled enough that she'd rubbed her fetlock raw before she'd given up on that particular tactic and now in a dejected and miserable frame of mind she stood pondering another solution. She couldn't, after all, just stand here and starve to death..what an embarrassing way to go...death by mole hole. Snorting at the thought and spurred on by the mere suggestion of starving to death she nibbled at a few overhanging leaves while she thought. This was certainly not how she'd wantedto spend her day, There was a storm brewing and she had been looking forward to riding the wilder wind currents such weather created, there was only a limited amount of time you could take advantage of such things before the winds got too crazy...sadly it seemed that she would instead be riding out the storm here on the ground. Getting soaked, like some sort of drowned rabbit. Sighing heavily she tried to think of a positive..perhaps the rain would soften the earth and let her pull her foot out..but with her luck today? It's probably make a mudslide and bury her completely.
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 9:31 am
 He could almost feel the storm off in the distance, though certainly he didn't have the affinity to storms that his brother Thunderbird did. Even so Derecho found the nature phenomena often relaxing even if he did occasionally get sick from getting too wet during the various storms that came. Hopefully that would not be the case with this one. He had grown tired of getting sick of being weak. Yes, he was stronger now than when he was a foal but whether that was simply because he was older now or actually getting stronger no one could say for certain. But as Derecho looked at it, it was a positive and he would not easily ignore it. If things continued to progress as they were going, albeit slowly, he may very well be strong enough soon to make him parents proud and be a true member of the herd. For the moment he was out walking. Walking had been a staple activity in his foalhood and continued to be now that he was an adult. It allowed him to get some exercise and use his muscles without really straining them too much.
A snort in the distance grabbed his attention. As far as Derecho could remember none of the herd members would be traveling out this far today, since he was a bit past the borders now. Intrigued and having nothing else to do Derecho turned towards the direction of the sound. A short distance later he came upon an interesting sight. A purple winged mare seemed to be just standing there. Then as he let his eyes sweep over her he noticed something was a bit off, her one hoof appeared to be stuck in the ground. Odd that she didn't just pull it out. Taking a few more steps forward Derecho came to a stop several feet away from the mare. "Hello." He said and then glanced at her stuck hoof again. "Did you need some help?" Obviously she did, but he knew how independent some mares could be and so he thought it best to ask before diving right in to help her.
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 9:48 am
It was actually a great deal more tiresome just standing here then she thought it would be, given that she had to splay her legs and stoop down a bit to accommodate her trapped leg and her back and leg muscles were starting to ache just a little bit. Unfortunately she had yet to come up with a decent plan and so there was little else that she could do about it. She was still attempting to come up with said plan when a voice startled her out of her thoughts.
Lifting her head suddenly she almost whacked it on the overhanging limb she'd been eating leaves off earlier and gave the stallion a cross look. Not that she was angry with him...but anyone in this sort of situation could probably be forgiven for being a bit cranky. Did she need help? Yes..she supposed she did unless she really did want to stand out here and get soaking wet when the storm hit. "My leg armour is stuck on a root, at least I think it's a root..in any case I can't pull me leg out so if you can come up with any sort idea to get my leg out then yes I expect I need your help..if not...then there's no sense in you standing here with me to get soaked in the storm too."
Now that she had explained her problem to the beast Kaliri took the time to look the stallion over. He boasted a rather magnificent mane and tail, one that would certainly have made her mother jealous if she saw it...probably her Grandmother too come to think of it and while she admired the way it made him look Kaliri herself was less concerned about such things and so was free to admire how handsome it made him look rather then attempting to picture it on herself. Black, winged and with a faint purple reminiscent of her own feathery markings...well she could hardly be blamed for thinking him quite fine, which of course made this whole situation even worse...an ugly rescuer she could have shrugged off but to meet a handsome stallion with her leg stuck in the ground? Utterly completely embarrassing.
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:34 am
Others may have been offended by her cranky tone but Derecho understood that while under stress others may not entirely be all that pleasant. She was stuck and having to stand awkward because of it. Who knows how long she had been like that as well, he was sure that the longer she had been here the crankier she would be. It was quite fortunate that he decided to wander this way. Not all other herd members would be so open to helping her, even if she did have wings. Listening to her description of what had happened Derecho gave his head a nod. Ah well that would certainly explain why she was standing here instead of moving about freely. He should have realized that she was waering leg armor when he first looked her over but it was hard to notice such details at first when looking at a beautiful female.
"Well, let's see what I can do." He stated as he walked closer to her. "excuse me a moment." Lowering his head he inspected the hole closely, trying not to bump her leg with his head but he did slightly only to get a better look at the hole and her leg inside. "Looks like a root. I might be able to dig you free but will take a moment." It was really the only option he could think of. Anything else would possibly injure her and that was the last thing he wanted to do. "Try not to move, I don't want to hurt you." He told her before using his one hoof to paw at the ground a few inches away from her leg, he wanted a bit of clearance on the hole he was digging in case the root was entangled around her leg armor more than he expected. At least the ground wasn't too hard here or he would likely need ot get help as digging would tire him out quite quickly. Slowly his hoof began to scrap away the first layer of dirt.
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Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 5:46 am
Kaliri regretted her somewhat snarky remarks almost as soon as she said them and she regretted them even more when the stallion proved to be of the helpful sort. Part of her wanted to apologize but she could think of a way to do so without sounding even more foolish then she must look so she kept silent and merely stared at the ground mumbling an 'It's alright" when he accidentally bumped her leg during his inspection.
When he finished..only to declare what she already knew, that it was a root - she almost snapped at him again. Of course she knew it was a root! She'd already learned that much during her struggle...but then he said he could dig her out - which was something she couldn't do on her own as she needed to keep her stable foreleg securely on the ground to keep from falling and likely breaking her stuck leg - a death sentence for almost any Soquilli. "Thank you." She finally managed to tell him, getting a better look at his markings now that he was closer and she could take a gander while he wasn't paying attention. He had an eye marking on him that reminded her a little bit of her mother and one of her brothers, shifting her wings slightly she decided to try and fill the silence with some sort of small talk while he worked, anything to take her mind off the way her shoulder was starting to ache from baring the brunt of her weight. "Do you live around here?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 10:37 am
Derecho dug slowly and carefully at first, more testing the ground to make sure it wouldn't give away suddenly. One could never be too careful and if there was more holes underneath them similar to the one she had her hoof stuck in then digging could prove dangerous for the both of them. Once he was certain that it was just a freak hole and not some underground cavern of holes he dug at a more steady pace but was still careful not to hurt her leg should the ground shift or his hoof get too close. It was lucky that the ground remained relatively soft the deeper he dug.
"You're welcome." He said as he paused in his digging to glance up at her. Derecho went back to digging his hoof a furrow in front and beside her hoof to get her room to move it once a bit more dirt was removed. He had nearly dug deep enough that he figured she might be able to pull free or at least test to see if more digging was needed when she asked a question. "Oh I live close by. My family, my herd, the Thunderbird Herd, lives only a short walk away from here. My parents lead the herd." And I'm their disappointment, he added mentally as he scraped another hoof full of dirt away. "Try now, you might be able to wiggle it free now." He might need to dig a bit more but he wouldn't know for sure until she tried to see if this was enough or not. "And you are just traveling through? Or do you live somewhere around here as well?" He doubted she lived too close considering the herd knew of other herds in the area dn he had never seen her before, but then again he didn't travel much out of the herd territory anyways so he wasn't an expert on these things. Most of his knowledge of the area came from the scouts and other herd members.
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Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 7:07 am
"Ah I see" She replied as he related his family's herd - it was unnerving to think she had come so close to another herd without knowing it. At least this stallion seemed friendly..but that was not always the case and she generally tried to avoid walking into the territory of other herds if she could help it. Of course the approaching storm had forced her hand a good deal - without it she never would have been here. Any further thought on this matter was forced away however when he told her try and free herself, bracing she pulled on the hoof, nearly falling over when it suddenly broke free. Catching her balance she tested it on the ground lightly and was relieved to find that it could bear weight..it was sore from her struggling and no doubt she would be stiff for several days but nothing permanent had been done and that was the important part.
"I was just passing through, I wanted to fly in the storm winds actually..but then I got stuck and now I fear the storm is far to close for such things - my family lives in the mountains a way's off." And she motioned with her muzzle towards the distant peaks. "I hope I haven't upset your herd by coming so close.." She added, glancing towards him cautiously, he had helped her and she didn't think he was dangerous but now she was thinking he had been sent to check on her as an intruder or something.
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Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 7:57 am
Derecho took a step back to give her room to try and get free. A smile came to his lips when he saw not only that she was able to pull her leg from the hole but that it could support weight on it as well, which meant there was no injury to the leg. "It might be sore for a day or two but otherwise you seem injury free." Had she been injured he would have taken her back to the herd to be looked at by one of the healers. No sense in doing so when it was just a sore muscle from the strain of standing there.
Her mention of wanting to fly in the storm winds made him look up. The storm was a great deal closer than when he had first ventured out and now he was hoping he could find shelter before the rains came, she might need shelter as well. "My brother loves flying in storms, he controls them too. Bet he's up there now. One day I might be able to fly like he does." That last part was said in a quiet but hope filled voice as his gaze returned to her. "You might be able to fly in the winds once the majority of the storm passes over." His gaze shifted to the direction she had indicated she lived in. "That's a pretty good distance away." When she said something about upsetting his herd Derecho couldn't help but let out a bit of a laugh. "You are winged, you would are welcome on their lands." A crack of lightning in the distance returned his focus on the situation at hand. "It will rain quite soon, there is a small cave not far from here that we can shelter in until it passes." He offered and then realized in his effort to help her he had forgotten to introduce himself. "My name is Derecho."
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 9:34 am
Kaliri nodded slightly distracted as she was still testing out her leg. It really did seem like all it needed was some rest and she owed this stallion quite a bit for all of his help. Who knew what might have happened if he hadn't come along - why she could have been stranded here for days, until she grew so weak that she could no longer hold herself up...and that would have been the end of her. Returning her attention to the stallion she was on the verge of thanking him once more when part of what he said made her pause slightly. "I'm sure your a wonderful flyer..why your wings look marvelous." Not nearly as marvelous as his hair...but then not many things were. Perhaps his brother was simply an extremely great flyer.
"I think I would rather rest my leg a bit more before trying..wouldn't want to stumble upon landing or something. I guess I'm ground bound for a little while..." Turning her gaze towards the distant peaks of home she sighed slightly, while it wasn't unusual for her to stay away for several says...they were expecting her return within a day or so and would no doubt worry when she failed to show up.
Well..some things just couldn't be helped and when she told them what had happened they would just be glad she wasn't hurt herself any worse. When the lighting cracked so close she glanced at it and then back to the stallion. "I think that cave might be a good idea...I'm Kaliri, I'm very grateful you happened to be walking by Derecho." She told him sincerely.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 9:55 am
Derecho watched her as she tested out her leg, she seemed alright, at least she could put weight on it but it would still do her some good to rest it for a bit. A slight frown pulled down the corner of his mouth at her words. "Actually, I can barely fly. I don't have the strength to stay airborne for more than a few moments...even if my wings do look nice." He told her with an awkward smile. Then he realized what he said. Seriously, throw a pretty face in front of him and he would tell her his pathetic truth. His frown came back for a moment. Why had he just revealed his shame to her? She would probably laugh at him and leave him standing here feeling embarrassed for himself. With a slight shake of his head Derecho forced those thoughts back. No, she seemed like such a nice mare he couldn't imagine her doing that.
"Rest would be the best thing." He finally agreed, glad to see the subject had shifted back to her. Though her mention of being ground bound did ate at him just a bit. That's what he was, and not just for a little while, he was almost permanently stuck down here walking around as if he had no wings.
His gaze slowly rose to the sky after the crack of lightening. Thunderbird was probably up there now guiding the lighting to strike in certain places. With a slight sigh he returned his gaze to the mare as she introduced herself. "Well I'm glad to have stumbled upon you Kaliri, but mostly I'm happy to see you are unhurt." He started walking, motioning for her to follow him. "The cave is just this way, it's not far so it shouldn't stress your leg any." He could hear the rain closing in on them, hopefully they would make it to the cave before the rain reached them or else it would make the ground a sloppy slippery mess.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 10:12 am
Kaliri was momentarily puzzled by the stallions words..not by his frown, certainly being stuck on the ground when you had wings would be galling..but why couldn't he fly? He looked healthy enough..perhaps lacking a bit of muscle tone but she could see no scars or other sign of injury which would indicate a past problem....it seemed like a sore spot however so she didn't want to pursue it any more - she doubted the stallion really wanted to tell a perfect stranger his sordid past anyways. She was of course a little bit embarrassed by her own remarks..if she had known she never would have said what she had..but she hadn't known and he couldn't have expected her too, so hopefully he wouldn't hold it against her. Not knowing what to say and 'sorry' seeming to be a bit on the pitiful side..and no one liked to be pitied Kaliri decided it was probably best to just let the subject drop entirely. Maybe someday she would find out.
Of course that would mean she got to know this stallion a bit better and that was thinking a bit far ahead of herself now wasn't it? Favoring her leg just a little bit she began to follow him towards the cave he had spoke up, since she didn't know what to say the silence seemed to stretch on for an uncomfortably long time until she just had to break it with something...anything. "So your herd, what are they like?" She asked him because well...everyone liked talking about theirs homes right?
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 10:36 am
While he regretted telling Kaliri about his inability to fly he was also relieved by the fact that he did. It wasn't something he talked about often, since there was no need given that the entire herd knew about his weaknesses, and while blurting it out to a practical stranger made little sense to him it felt good to talk about it. Maybe that was what he needed to do all along, just to talk about it with someone who didn't know him. A silence stretched between them as he pondered these thoughts and attempted to think of something else to say to her. Should he explain to her why he couldn't fly? Or wait to see if she would ask. Though something told him that she wouldn't go out of her way to find out about it, the silence was testament to that.
He slowed his pace down a bit so they could walk side by side without her needing to strain her leg. The question about his herd broke the silence and he was more than happy to answer it as it meant they no longer had to suffer through that awkward silence. "Well...for one thing it's quite large. A lot of it is family, my parents lead it, then there are my siblings and half-siblings, there's about a dozen of them, and then cousins and aunt and uncles. I seem to have lost track of how many there are my family is so big." He said with a soft smile. A big family that he loved and yet felt like the odd one out because of his weakness. "And then there are other members that have joined over the years. They are all winged. Father won't allow any non-winged members to join. A lot of them are the warrior type, then of course we have healers and nannies and your typical herd roles." His role was still unknown, mostly because he couldn't fly and secondly because he was too weak for most normal roles.
"Ah there's the cave." He said as the distinctive rocks came into view. The rain as close now, and he was beginning to think they might get a bit wet before they made it. He glanced over at her, feeling confident to say his next words. "You know, it's not so bad being ground bound most days. There's a lot of things you miss down here while you're soaring high in the sky."
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Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2013 10:17 am
Kaliri nodded slightly as he spoke of his home, it was strange to think of a herd which did not accept non-winged members - anda part of her wondered what this stallion would think if he knew the herd she had grown up with. Kaliri decided that for the time being - unless he asked about them - she would refrain from saying anything about home. "Ah, it must be nice having such a large family around - my own family is not nearly so big, its mostly my siblings and parents with brief visits from our grandmother now and again." Supposedly there were some more family elsewhere but Kaliri had never met them.
"You are not the first Soquili to say something like that to me." Kaliri remarked as he spoke of being ground bound. "And I admit there are many things that get passed by when you are up in the air." Turning towards the cave she squinted slightly into the interior. It seemed like it would be a decent enough shelter, it wasn't huge but it was certainly large enough to keep the two of them dry..and they would likely get there not a moment too soon as the wind was starting to whip and the temperature had dropped several degrees in only the short time they had been walking, A sure sign that the storm was very close.
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Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2013 10:57 am
"It is nice in a way. There's always someone there for you." He told her with a smile. Not only did he have his parents and siblings around all the time, but then there were his aunts, uncles, cousins and other family members not to mention family friends as well. "Though I will admit some days I wonder what it would be like to have a smaller herd and family." Some days the presence of the herd and his family was overwhelming, especially when he was feeling the pressure to no longer be weak and to be a fully contributing member of the herd. Not to mention it could be hard to find alone time. That was the one advantage he had being ground bound, while the rest of the herd spent their days in the air he had the land all to himself. Oh, he was insanely jealous of their ability to fly so well and dreamed to one day be among the clouds like them but for the most part he was content with life.
A shiver ran down his spine as he noticed how the temperature had dropped with the quickly approaching storm. He could hear the rain hitting trees behind them and knew if they ran that last little bit to the cave they could keep dry, but he didn't want to stress her leg any and so they could have to suffer with getting just a bit wet before reaching the cave. As the first raindrops hit his pelt Derecho lifted his wing and held it above Kaliri to try to shelter her from the rain. He had done so in such a natural way that he didn't even give it much thought. He would have done so for any of the female herd mates had they been in a similar situation so why not do so for Kaliri. But it wasn't just that, something else had made him protect her from the rain, perhaps it was her kindness when he told her about his inability to fly or maybe it was just how easily they conversed, but Derecho wanted to do what he could for her, to protect her and befriend her.
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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2013 9:38 am
Kaliri nodded slightly at his words on family - while her family were always there for her when she needed them it was hard to ignore that once in a while her siblings were a bit to busy to help her out right away - if her family were larger, or even if her extended family lived closer well...she imagined she wouldn't have that problem. The usdia's tried to help whenever they could but given their small size there were some times where they couldn't really do much. Still she had never really considered herself neglected nor wanting for attention and there had always been playmates around even if they were a good bit smaller in stature. "Yes, I can see how that would be nice. The herd I live with isn't too terribly large." And she had to smile a bit in amusement at the double meaning of that phrasing before she went on. "But they are good and kind and would do anything to help if it were needed...even if not all of us are actually related."
When the rain started to hit her she tried to pick up the pace, sighing inwardly as her leg made that far more difficult then it normally would be. There might not be any long lasting damage but it was sore enough that running on it wasn't going to be happening anytime soon. She was somewhat started when Derecho lifted his wing to shield her from the rain - she'd never met a stallion so gentlemanly before and she gave him a bashful smile. and a murmured "Thank you" Because she didn't really know what else to say. With his wing outstretched she was able to see the subtle shading of them more clearly. It really was a pity that he couldn't fly well..she was willing to bet that he would look magnificent in the sky. Perhaps some day he would tell her why he couldn't fly, if they spent more time together and Kaliri was finding herself rather hoping that they would. She was starting to enjoy her gallant rescuer's company quite a lot."Will your herd worry about you out in the storm like this?" She asked as they came to the caves entrance.
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