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 Posted: Tue Dec 31, 2013 11:35 pm
The wind feels nice, Frances thought, one hand resting on Caspian for balance as she made her way downhill. It was, perhaps, not the most astute of observations, but what was the point of strolls if one could not delve towards the philosophical as much as the mundane? And the opinion was like to be shared by many besides, for the breeze did much to cool the flesh and stir the plants, filling the air with flowered perfume and – Caspian sneezed – pollen.
Her guardian was her escort today. The role seemed to please him, if his proximity towards her was anything to tell by. It was not often that they were together, and rarer still that they be alone. He stared at her as a dying man might eye an oasis, as if fearing she be nothing more than a mirage if his gaze did not tether her to him. His ears would press forward and his tuft of a tail would wave like a flag in the wind whenever she returned his look, but she rarely did so, and once the steep incline smoothed into a field, she dropped her hand from his side to maintain some distance between them once more. Her fingers had brushed along his cheek as they parted – a silent note of thanks, though Caspian thought it more akin to a farewell.
If his disappointment reached her, however, it was not long noticed. Bleating could be heard behind the next hill, announcing the presence of a shepherd and his flock. Frances had never met one before, though she knew her caretaker would not approve of the company. Before she could decide whether to continue on her way or avoid them entirely, however, the first of the sheep rounded the bend.
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 12:10 am
The wooly parade continued past them for some time; it was quite the flock headed down the road today, be it to market or to fresh pasture. The figures that drove them at their stately pace from behind were perhaps unexpected; A young man with longish brown hair drawn up under a cap, sporting a longsleeve shirt of unbleached linen and brown leather vest with matching trousers and boots, with a large white doe ambling companionably along at his side. Both figures looked up as Frances and Caspian hove into view; a welcome relief to the monotony of watching the backends of sheep all day. The young man waved and the doe belled a greeting as she caught the scent of a brother on the wind. "Hail and well met," the lad said with a grin as they drew close enough they wouldn't have to shout. His voice was a bit high for a lad his age, but perhaps he was simply a tenor. "Fine day for a walk," he commented, pausing as the sheep continued to mill slowly up the road; they'd be fine for a moment or two. His brown eyes glinted curiously at the unfamiliar faces of guardian and chosen. "I'm Mark Peregrine, this is Nuala," he said with a polite tilt of the brim of his cap and a hook of his thumb towards the doe, who was stretching her nose out towards Caspian, her ears cupped forward and her tail switching across her haunches in a friendly manner. "Pleasure t' meet you, miss." At this range, it was clear that Nuala was blind, though that fact seemed to perturb neither the lad nor the doe herself.
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Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2014 2:19 am
Silk dresses and wool still on the sheep was not a combination many would like to see, much less be a part of, but the shepherd had addressed her before she could slip away, and she was not so rude as to leave it unanswered. Besides, it was not any real aversion towards the man (or even the sheep) that made her wish herself elsewhere, so much as her guardian's presence – and the doe's appearance was enough to assure her that this meeting, at least, would not be full of gawking and questions she could not answer.
"Greetings; it is a pleasure to meet you as well." She curtseyed, but her eyes were drawn more to the doe than the man she was addressing, whose open friendliness and curiosity was a stark contrast to Caspian.
The buck stood beside her with ears laid back and nose dipped down, as if to point his antlers at them, though vestiges of adolescence left his ears a tad too wide, and his legs a little too long, for him to truly look threatening. At Nuala's easy cordiality, however, he blinked and looked up at her, and his nose reached out to brush against her own before he could restrain himself. His ears lay flat again at that, though his huff suggested that, this time, it was more out of embarrassment than caution.
"I'm Ms. Balfour – Frances Balfour – and my good companion is Caspian."
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Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2014 9:36 am
"Caspian, eh? That's a fine name for such a handsome fellow," Mark said with a grin, offering her hand for the wary buck to sniff. Nuala's whole demeanor seemed to brighten as Caspian accepted her greeting, and she took a careful half-step forward to better catch his scent. If she minded his hostility or noticed his embarrassment, she didn't seem to indicate it. Satisfied with the information she'd gathered, she turned her attention to his chosen, extending her muzzle cautiously to sniff, but not really approaching the woman. Humans, she had found, could be nervous around creatures as large as herself, and she didn't wish to appear intimidating. Mark looped his arm over Nuala's neck companionably. "You two just out for a ramble this morning?" he asked by way of making conversation. "It's a good day for it."
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