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 Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 8:38 am
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Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 9:05 am
As the sun set Fletcher and Thatcher found themselves crossing into familiar territory, the hot springs. As usual it was by Lorenna's will and guidance that they had come to be there. Immediately after determining that the kalona were well and truly gone after springing Lorenna's brilliant trap the flutter mare had determined that it was in their best interest to visit their allies at the hot springs. Along the way, after a good deal of prompting from Thatcher, Lorenna revealed that she wanted more information on the different types of traps that Hisoka and Torao knew how to set. Fletcher understood her desire to get this information well, she hoped to teach her allies up and down the line how to set traps for themselves should they ever need them. It had risks, of course, but the benefits could outweigh those easily. Sure, the information could end up in the wrong hands but if she could teach people how to set them then should could teach them how to detect them just as easily.
If Thatcher had caught on to the finer details of what Lorenna was up to he didn't let on at all. He was preoccupied with his shoulder. A thin line of scabbed flesh covered what had been a cut from a kalona tail not long before. Thatcher looked at it so seriously that Fletcher was forced to shake his head. His brother was being ridiculous. He was still concerned about having a scar to show off.
"You know, if you tell girls you fought off a kalona army they'll be just as impressed. You don't need a scar." Fletcher said kicking a stone so that it jumped into the air and landed with a sploosh in the heated water pool they stood by.
Thatcher blinked a few times and furrowed his brow in confusion. Usually he felt very in synch with his brother but right now they seemed to be on different pages. Fletcher, noticing his confusion, nodded to Thatcher's shoulder.
"Oh!" Thatcher said with a laugh. "That's not what I was thinking about." Thatcher watched with some amusement as Fletcher's brow wrinkled just like his had moments ago. Sometimes his big brother underestimated him. "I was just thinking...Lapointe said he wasn't much of a healer but he still managed to do this much." Thatcher nodded at the wound.
"And?" Fletcher prompted still not following his little brother's line of though.
"And I was wondering if maybe we should look into getting some healing stations involved in her network. So people can call for help or alert someone that they're coming so everyone's ready...or at least know where to find someone!" Thatcher expanded a bit annoyed that it was taking his brother so long to catch up.
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Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 9:33 am
Devmani had arrived at the hot springs only a few hours before Lorenna and the twins had shown up. He hadn't even realized that they were there at first. He had been very busy checking in on his ocelot Aditi. He couldn't tell if she was pleased to see him or not. All of her sounds sounded so very angry. Low and grumbly each and every one of them sounded like a complaint about one injustice or another. She had not tried to scratch him when he had reached out to pet her back a few times with his talons which was a very good sign, though she had run off only a few minutes later. Devmani had watched her go with conflicted feelings. It used to be that he spent all of his days just following the untamable cat around. Since meeting Uwasa in the jungle that first time those days had become fewer and fewer. He had even lost Aditi entirely once only to find her not long after.
"How did I get to catch you?" He asked the spot where Aditi had been aloud. By all rights it made no sense. He had no idea how to take care of anyone, not even himself, and still somehow she lived. Perhaps it was because she actually understood how to survive. Devmani couldn't even decide between a pair of kalona targets trying to kill his friends. It should have been an easy choice but he had failed to do anything. In the end it had turned out alright. Fletcher had been saved by Lorenna, who was not their mother and she made absolutely certain that everyone understood that, and in the end he had managed to stop Thatcher's throat from being slit open.
As Devmani thought about the fight the very familiar, business-like voice filtered through the trees and to his ears. Lorenna was here and where Lorenna was the deer children were sure to be as well. Devmani clicked his beak thoughtfully. Did he wish to go see them? Would they be mad at him? They were usually such jovial and gentle creatures but he had seen them charge into battle all fire and fury. They had inherited some of Lorenna's blazing temper even if she was not the one who had given birth to them. She had still rubbed off on them. Would they feel some of that rage towards him? The thought made Devmani shuffle uneasily. He liked the deer ones. He didn't want them to dislike him.
In the end Devmani made no conscious decision but he had set off to find the twins anyway. After several long minutes of searching the trees he found them up by the springs themselves talking about something. "Hello, deer friends!" Devmani greeted as though nothing had changed between them. "What are you talking of?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 1:06 pm
Fletcher turned his head at the thickly accented voice that joined their conversation. The twins had known that Devmani would be returning to the hot springs but neither of them had really expected to see him. At least not so soon after their arrival.
"Devmani!" Thatcher exclaimed in greeting. "Good to see you!"
"Hello, Devmani." Fletcher said with a nod of his head. "We were talking about...well...healers." Feltcher tilted his head to look at his brother. It was a decent idea that Thatcher had on his mind. They just had to figure out the finer details. "We just have to figure out how to make it work."
Thatcher snorted rudely. "No we don't. All we have to do is tell Lorenna and she'll figure it out."
Fletcher rolled his eyes. "Feeling lazy, are we?"
Thatcher shrugged, "She'll just change whatever we say so it works anyway."
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Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:40 am
Devmani was both confused and relieved. For all that he had been nervous that they would dislike him for his indecision in saving them they didn't seem at all bothered. In fact, they didn't act like anything had really transpired over the last few days at all. Although, Devmani had to admit that this talk of healers was a new subject for them.
"Healers? For Lorenna?" Devmani was certain he was missing something. The twins had such an odd way of talking to one another. For them it seemed to be a complete conversation but as an outsider Devmani felt like he was only catching half of what was being said. "Did she get hurt as well?" He questioned in a strange cooing way reminiscent of a mourning dove. Lorenna had seemed completely unscathed at the end of the battle, at least physically. Mentally she had seemed rather on edge, but most of those involved had shared those symptoms.
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Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 9:00 am
Fletcher and Thatcher lifted their heads to stare at Devmani with widened eyes at an alarming speed. After a moment they relaxed and Thatcher started laughing in a nervous sort of way.
"No...no. Lorenna's fine." Fletcher insisted as his eyebrows came together. The thought of Lorenna being injured or sick wasn't a pleasant one for either of the young bucks. Devmani's observations were fairly accurate. Lorenna had raised them and while she was more of a tutor or trainer than a parent she was still what the twins had. "We want healers for the network. Sort of a sub network though since the main goal is to stop trouble from happening. This would be more of a damage control or back up if bad things happen anyway. Right, Thatcher?"
Thatcher nodded his head slowly still laughing quietly. He wasn't sure why he was laughing. For a second, he had thought something awful had happened to Lorenna. It really wasn't anything to laugh about but he couldn't quite stop.
Fletcher looked at his brother worriedly. His nerves were frayed. They needed a little bit more time to relax. "We were just about to use the hot springs though, since we're here." That had never actually been the plan but it would be good to get Thatcher somewhere more comforting and Thatcher wouldn't say no to warm water. The little pools were too hot to get in but they could hike up to more suitable ones. "Will you join us?" Fletcher made the offer with narrowed eyes to threaten Devmani away. He said the wrong thing too often. It wasn't worth the risk.
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Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 9:16 am
Devmani's beak clicked shut as the two young stallions looked at him wide-eyed. What had he said? Thatcher started laughing like someone had told a stupid joke but Fletcher seemed angry about something. Devmani had done something wrong after all but he wasn't sure what. Fletcher continued speaking like nothing was wrong but everything about his body language spoke of tension and unpleasantness.
"Healer network! That would be good!" Devmani agreed enthusiastically hoping to correct whatever damage he had done. Being agreeable made people like you. It wasn't working. Fletcher was excusing them. Devmani shuffled his feet and ruffled his feathers to comfort himself. When Fletcher extended an invitation Devmani perked up. But, no, Fletcher was glaring at him. It wasn't really an invitation. No, this was he opposite of what Devmani had wanted.
Devmani's head sunk down and he shook his head. "No, I better not. Wet wings aren't fun, deer friends. I should go, I just wanted to know that you were alright." He turned away from the twins sadly to go in search of Uwasa. Uwasa understood people so much better than he did. She could explain what he had done wrong. Next time he could fix it.
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Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 9:26 am
Fletcher felt bad sending Devmani away like that but he couldn't be babysitting the older stallion while trying to comfort his brother. Devmani had grown up spoiled, that's what he'd been told. He didn't have a good grasp of reality and he didn't need the spacey, fantasy world of Devmani colliding with the truth of things. It often seemed like Devmani only caught half of what was going on and that wasn't useful especially not now.
Fletcher sighed as he looked at Thatcher, he had stopped laughing but there was still a distance in his eyes. Fletcher could apologize later, this came now. "Come on, Thatcher. You're gross and need a bath." Fletcher said giving his brother a nudge to get him walking.
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