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 Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 11:36 am
Cooper ventured closer, careful to skirt around the mob. He held his head high in an attempt to catch a glimpse over the crowd. Finally, two of the spectators' heads moved far enough apart for the alicorn to peek into the middle of the excitement, and what he assumed to be the cause. Perched on his knew was a dark man, and in his hands, a stick with a bulb toward the top of it. It must have been hollow, for the man was blowing into it and swaying in an odd manner. His fingers moved effortlessly across the holes drilled onto the front of it, and it took the stallion another moment to notice the snake rising from a small basket directly in front of the two-legger, mimicking his movements as if entranced by the tune. His thoughts instantly went to his daughter and her tail shared with a snake eerily similar to the one he was watching now. He remembered her confessing her fear of the cobra as a fool, though he heard less of it as she grew.
The girl had her mother's strength to aid her in dealing with that fear. But that didn't mean it was gone. Perhaps, if he could get her one of those instruments, she could control the cobra and live a normal life. But how would he get one...?
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Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 11:45 am
It didn't take long for the stallion to be noticed snooping about among the two-leggers. A group of men surrounded Cooper as one of them approached slowly with a rope with a large loop tied into it. The man spoke quietly, his voice unsteady. Cooper stood still, remembering his first encounter with the Kawani tribe. They acted similarly, unsure of his presence. Moving at a snail's pace, the two-legger lifted the loop over the Soquili's horn as not to hurt it. Once Cooper was "caught," the tension in the air lessened, and the men began to inspect him.
They seemed particularly interested in the beads securing his mane, and they took them out. The man holding the rope tugged, and Coop gave little resistance, following the lead. They circled the small village a few times, and the alicorn couldn't help but notice all of the stands with their jewelry and fine cloths, along with other trinkets he'd never seen before. One stand in particular caught his eye. This merchant was selling intricately woven baskets, but those were of no use. What sparked the pale stallion's interest was the string hanging from the side of the cart, and carefully tied along it were three unpainted wooden snake charming flutes.
Once they'd walked around the camp several times, the two-legger handed the rope to a young girl, who stood about half the man's height. Her long, dark hair swung behind her in a braid and her brown eyes looked at the man as he gave her instructions. When he stopped speaking, the child nodded and led Cooper away.
The stallion followed without worry as they headed toward the edge of the makeshift village. She tied his rope to a stake in the ground and disappeared into a shambled tent. Cooper wondered why he was still tethered, but figured he could escape rather easily if needed. After a few moments, the girl emerged from the tent with a basket filled with brushes and combs. They were much more elaborate than those of the Kawani.
First, the girl examined his muddied fetlocks. She allowed a look of distaste, and plucked one of the combs from the basket. Without warning, she pulled it through the hair, tugging mercilessly. He pulled the hoof up and away from the creature, but she followed it, giving him a gentle pat on the nose. The stallion grunted and winced his way through the three other hooves before she started on the loose hanging fur on his tail. He stiffened, expecting pain, but the girl was much more gentle here. Relaxing, the horse gave the girl a small nudge to show his appreciation.
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Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 11:55 am
Cooper was doted on for hours, and the entire time he was thinking of ways to retrieve one of those flutes. When it came time for his back and his mane to be groomed, the stallion had to lay down for the small girl. She worked carefully around his wings, jumping whenever they'd twitch. Finally, she combed and brushed his long mane, which was now hanging into his eyes. He flicked his head in an attempt to free his vision, but failed. The girl appeared puzzled, murmured something, and ran off into the village. Cooper sat silently, puzzled himself. A few moments later, the girl's voice could be heard again. She returned with an older, larger version of herself, who was smiling and holding the horse's beads. The women fastened his hair in a similar fashion as it had been using the jewelry. He gave the two a satisfied nod and the girl hugged him around his neck before taking her tools and disappearing into the tent.
Coop was well attended with hay and fresh water, and saw no danger in staying there for the night. The alicorn rose with the sun, as did most of the village. His ears perked at the sound of a shriek coming from the little girl's tent and watched, confused as the small two-legger emerged, stomping her way to the horse. As he bent down his head to investigate, the girl wrapped her arms around his face and hugged tightly. Although dreadfully uncomfortable, he waited for the girl to release him before moving.
Gently, she patted the hair on his face back into place before scanning their surroundings. All of the others seemed busy, and she slid a knife from her sleeve. Becoming a little unsettled, Cooper watched the girl. Her reassuring pats were of no help. The girl eyed the others as she slid the knife between the rope and the horse's throat. Cooper could feel his body stiffen as he let out a worried neigh. Patting his nose gently, the small two-legger let out a "hush," and quickly began to saw at the rope.
Watching with slight confusion, the stallion relaxed. But what was so urgent that the child had to free him from the rope? He felt the humans were being rather hospitable. Once his bonds were severed, the girl pushed him toward the forest, mumbling words he could not understand, but they sounded urgent. From a distance, a booming man shouted at the girl.
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Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 12:02 pm
More men appeared and started toward the horse and his rescuer. The girl shouted and shoved at Cooper. He took the hint and bucked before running off.
Instead of taking for the woods, he skirted around the edge of the camp, remembering the cart on which the snake-controlling instruments hung. Behind him trailed a mob of angry-looking two-leggers. He had no time to stop. On his way past the cart, Coop snatched up the middle of the rope with his mouth. With some ease, the string snapped and one of the flutes fell, but he took the others with him, jolting toward the forest.
Soon enough, the men gave up, hunching over and heaving for breath. The stallion continued on for a way before stopping to examine his spoils. One of the instruments had snapped and cracked at the bulb from hitting so hard against the stallion during the escape, but one was salvageable. He gently set down the rope and stepped on the end of it. Using his teeth, he pulled the broken Pungi from its harness, leaving the other in the string to carry. Cooper carefully slid his horn through one of the holes that had previously held the instruments. It took him several tries, but he managed.
Now, he planned to take the device to the Kawani village to have it painted for his daughter.
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Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2014 10:29 am
The familiar village was a few days' walk from where he was. He was too nervous to fly an awful lot, as images of the snake flute flying from its holder crossed his mind often. When he reached the mountains, though, it seemed there was little choice. With much reluctance, Cooper gently slid the pungi from his horn and laid it on the ground. He inspected it for a moment before rolling it to ensure there was no damage as of yet. With a sigh, the alicorn gently took the hollowed wood handle between his teeth, feeling for a comfortable and secure way to hold it without using too much pressure. After several minutes, he looked up and took flight. His strong wings carried him upward and forward rather quickly, and he peered at the ground below to find his bearings. If he were to fly the entire way, he figured, it'd only take a few hours. However, the instrument between his teeth was less than comfortable, and he knew he would have to stop fairly soon to spit it out, or at least to adjust it. The corners of his mouth had been pushed back by the wood, causing his cheeks to stiffen and his lips to curl.
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Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2014 10:46 am
Once the mountains were far behind him, Cooper landed as gently as he could manage. He laid the flute onto the ground as he licked his dry, cracking lips. A huff emerged from his nostrils as he began to gnaw on a leaf for moisture. This snake controller had to make it back to the Kawani village, but the task seemed more daunting than it had appeared when he'd first set out. Looking around, the stallion tried to think of an easier way to get the tool there safely for the rest of the journey.
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Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 8:01 pm
A sigh escaped the stallion's mouth as his imagination fell flat. It seemed as if the only way to transport the device was going to be by mouth or by the string it had been hanging from. He worried that his saliva may damage the fragile instrument, but he also worried that the wood may crack should it hit against him or a tree when travelling through the forest to the settlement of tepees. After a few moments, Cooper decided that it would be best for him to carry the pungi by its holster for the time being. His jaw was still sore and he felt he may chomp at it absentmindedly. With a slight huff of discontent, the alicorn stretched his mouth before plucking the flute from the ground and carrying on. A simple, muffled tune could be heard between clenched teeth, which seemed to set the pace.
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Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 8:09 pm
After what seemed like days (although it was a mere few hours), the stallion broke through some bushes and onto a familiar-looking trail. The footpath wasn't horribly wide - about three two-leggers from shoulder to shoulder - but it was well traveled and had several indications on trees that it led to the village. He smiled contentedly, relieved that his journey had nearly come to an end. Of course, he hadn't thought of the trip he still had to make back. That didn't matter yet, though. He still had to figure out a way to communicate with the humans to let his needs be known. For the next leg of his trip, he thought long and hard about his daughter, and about what she may find appealing. He hadn't seen her in so long, it seemed as if he couldn't remember her at all. This thought saddened him for a moment before he thought of how pleased she would be with his gift.
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Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 8:19 pm
The Kawani village was always a bustling place. Hunters rotated around the clock, bringing in small deer and rabbits, as well as some other small prey, for food. There were always several sitting around a fire, skinning their spoils and handing the pelts over to two-leggers who would clean them of blood and hang them to dry. Furs that were dried were then soaked in an unknown solution by another two-legger who would hang them up on a different line. Then yet another two-legger would take them and make shoes or blankets or other goods from them. Along with the hunters came women and children with baskets full of berries and leaves. Every so often someone would pluck a leaf out of one of the baskets and stick it into their mouths, only to have their hands slapped away by the gatherer. Some of them sat in a group and hammered or whittled wood. This particularly interested Coop, because where there was flat wood, there were baskets. He knew that where there were baskets, there were foals, and not far from the foals, there was a painter who would capture their essence and paint it onto the wood.
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Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 8:31 pm
Sure enough, not far from the baskets, a two-legger was crushing berries and flower petals and other sorts to create paints. Coop breathed out heavily, relieved that he'd finally met his task. He sidled up to the Kawani, careful not to startle him. Gently, he nosed at the human and the pungi bumped against him. The villager allowed the horse a puzzled look before taking the flute to examine it. He put the narrow end to his lips and sucked on it as if it were a pipe, and the stallion shook his head. Then, he took the other end and tried the same. Coop shook his head again. After a few tries, the human blew into the instrument and was startled by the sound. He gave the stallion another odd look. Growing impatient, Cooper nodded toward the paints. Seeming to understand, the two-legger took out a board of wood that had a selection of colors. A small smile breached the stallion's face as he gently used his horn to tap on the pink and the white. The two-legger gave a nod and scratched the stallion between the eyes before pointing to the colors to confirm the order and disappearing to find supplies. As the two-legger left, Coop emptied a bowl of blackberries intended for some paints before scurrying off to see what other attention he could get while he waited.
Once the pungi was done, he would wait for word of his daughter. News of a serpent-tailed, fiery-tongued mare seemed to travel quickly.
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