Welcome to Gaia! ::

There was no way around it; Zapina was feeling very exposed. Exposed, alone, isolated...and oddly free.

It had been a few weeks since she and her Hacker companion, Server Unavailable, had crossed the Firewall for a bit of reconnaissance and information gathering beyond the lands of the Mal'waari. Zapina had initially been hesitate to take this step; after all, the Firewall was there to protect the world beyond the Troupe every bit as much as protecting the Troupe itself. Just because the torches were no longer tended and the physical firewall was no longer in existence didn't change the fact that they had remained largely separated for a reason; Zapina, like many other members of the Mal'waari, was infected with the psychological virus that had come to be the herd's defining feature.

But in the end, a strong sense of curiosity and a desire to do her duty had prevailed. Since her youth, she'd known she wanted to be a File, a lorekeeper; she had loving gathered stories and histories, telling them in turn to young and old in her herd alike. She had lived those stories, feeling herself becoming a part of them in each retelling. This had made her final diagnosis with the virus so devastating, as those afflicted with the virus were known to have numerous mental issues running from tics to memory loss. Her body was nothing; her mind was everything. The idea of losing her memory, losing her stories and her knowledge...it was too horrible to contemplate.

And indeed, for a time it had looked like she would be hit with the same diminishing mental faculties. Her symptoms had started with a low, continuous crackling hum, which she couldn't control. Later, her voice started to break and crackle as well, and then she started to actually lose her train of thought. Terrified she would lose her actual memories, she started to analyze her habits, and eventually came to the sad, but not devastating, realization that her mental derailment was directly related to speech. The more she spoke, the less she could remember; while the thoughts seemed to come back later, she had no way to know if and when that would change. So finally, she gave up her storytelling; speech was kept to a minimum, so that she could retain her lore. There were other ways to communicate; the knowledge was the most important thing.

It was at this time that she formed her close bond with Server Unavailable, a mutant wolf who had served the herd as a Hacker, or information gatherer, for years. Server had always worked closely with the Files, Zapina among them, but she displayed an uncanny ability to decipher Zapina's crackled and terse pronouncements. Eventually, she became Zapina's familiar and near-constant companion, serving as Zapina's mouth. There was no way Zapina could have gone on this journey without Server.

~~~

That was why it was so weird for Zapina to be alone right now. Server had gone off to hunt and scope out any nearby Soquili herds; she had hated to leave Zapina, but both had agreed it was for the best. Zapina would stay where she was, mostly hidden by the small copse of birch trees, and could rest, graze, work on memory exercises, whatever. Most likely, no one would even notice her!