[SRP] Changing Winds (Valsier & Atlas)

[In Good Faith]

Teepee





heart

 

[In Good Faith]

Valsier landed, rather harshly, in the grassy plains of a territory he'd never been before. Ever sense Rohen had started taking more charge of the herd, he'd found himself less interested in sticking to their willow tree forest. Instead, he'd decided to take to the sky until he found somewhere that interested him enough to land again. This plain caught his eye because of the golden glow it was giving off, now as the sun was setting. Not to mention a pond that was glittering so attractively, Valsier's throat suddenly felt like he was in a drought.

Walking in a way to stretch out his legs, he made his way towards the water--all the while keeping an eye around the area for whatever could be lurking. To his embarrassment, Valsier still jumped, startled, when he broke through the tall grasses to the pond. There he found a mare, lounge beside the water, her wing's tip stroking the water so that it would ripple. He'd must have assumed she was boulder or something when he'd been flying over, she was so still. Flustered, he let his temper slip out of his mouth. "What the hell are you doing?"  

[In Good Faith]

Atlas, at the sound of the harsh stallion, jumped herself. "Excuse me?" She craned her head in an offended manner, her wing closing back to her side. She was used to travelers coming through the plain, and this stallion wouldn't have been a surprise except for his tone and... his strange coloring. Looking at him in more detail, Atlas was interested to see the tone his hair and wings took in the light. It reminded her of her own markings, and the coloring of her father.

Still. That didn't temper her irritation with the stallion's indignation.  

[In Good Faith]

Valsier paled a little when he realized how he'd sounded, and then reddened again with further embarrassment. "You shouldn't just be-- be hiding in the bushes, scaring anyone who wanders by for a drink." He grumbled, stomping his way in the wet sand to the edge of the pond until his shins were about mid in the water. He'd gone out of his way to skirt the water away from the mare who continued to stare at him with an expression that somehow made Valsier feel... cowed. The look that was presently in her expression seemed to convey that he was going to be in for it because of his big mouth.

Instead of letting it get him into more trouble, Valsier dipped and drank deeply from the pond, never taking his offs of the mare. Couldn't let her think he was afraid, could he?  

[In Good Faith]

Hiding? I'm simply relaxing by the pond THAT I LIVE NEAR.

Instead of screaming like a banshee at the stupid idiot stallion, Atlas instead narrowed her eyes and stared at him with the same expression she'd seen her mother use when she was right and... well, everyone else, was wrong. It seemed to work better than words would have done, because the stallion was obviously uncomfortable, squirming as he drank. He even avoided being close to her. She wanted to chuckle but kept going, waiting for him to apologize. The poor guy was so scared, he couldn't even look away.  

[In Good Faith]

Why isn't she looking away? Valsier, having drank more water than he would have normally, came up from the pond's surface and broke eye contact to skim the surrounding area for others. If this mare had gotten passed him, what else might have?

Feeling an itch behind him, he glanced over his shoulder to find that the mare was still staring at him. She blinked... and blinked again. "What!" It came out sharp, his tone rude and insolent again. He felt flustered by his temperament lashing out without his permission. Grumbling to himself, he faced away from the mare and decided to head north, making his way back to the willow forest as the sun was closer to being swallowed by the horizon.  

[In Good Faith]

"Hey, wait!" Irritated, Atlas quickly stood from her lounging spot and skirted around the pond to the retreating back of the stallion who was slowly being obscured by the dimming light and the tall, golden grass of the plain. Angry that her facial-expression technique didn't work, she took the more direct approach. "You can't just go around yelling at people!" She realized she was yelling, but chose to ignore that fact given she was justified in doing it in the name of justice... Not just for the sake of being an a**.

"Hey! I'm talking to you." Atlas darted to stand directly in the path of the stallion, her wings splayed out to either side. "I don't know who you think you are, but you can't just go around being a jerk!"  

[In Good Faith]

About the time that Valsier was going to respond with some not very nice words, Bas burst through the tall grass to where the two were at a stand off. "Val! There you are. I've been tracking you forever! Cato has called a union. We need to head back." Bas checked the mare out with his pariphreal but he really couldn't care less about who Valsier was currently arguing with. Couldn't take the man anywhere.

With an exasperated snarl, Valsier rolled his eyes. "What for this time?" With his leather wings unfolding, Valsier leaned down to allow Bas to climb and jump onto his back where he settled in, his teeth gripping the blue scarf around Val's neck. With the wolf's weight, he'd fly more slowly and lower to the ground, but it was still faster than running.  

[In Good Faith]

"What the heck?" She whispered it more than said it out loud, but the stallion heard her all the same.  

[In Good Faith]

"If you're done screaming, I'd like to be on my way, thanks." He snorted and turned (gently with Bas on his back) to begin a gallop to take flight. Before he could take the first step, the mare's wing was coming towards his face. He flinched from her and barred his teeth. "What are you doing!"  

[In Good Faith]

With an expression of awe and adoration, Atlas continued to stretch her wing out to the wolf that was placed on Valsier's back. "I've never seen one these before! He's so... cute!" She squealed quietly to herself, doing a little dance by putting weight in one hoof and then the other. "I want to touch him! Can I touch him? Can I pet your fur, little guy?" She began to talk as if speaking to an infant, with no care for being heard.  

[In Good Faith]

"You've got to be kidding me." Bas murmured, his ears flattening as he leaned away from the mare's feather.

Valsier, to everyone's surprise, erupted with laughter. "You hear that, Bas? You're cute!" his body shook with rumbles, imagining the look of his wolf-friend at the idea of being called cute and cuddly. "Hey-ow!" Valsier felt the warning n** from Bas behind his ear. "Fine then." Valsier leaned, dumping the wolf down to the ground.  

[In Good Faith]

Aghast and without thinking, Atlas reached out and bopped the back of the stallion's head. In the same swoop, both wings reach forward and covered her muzzle with a gasp. "I... am. so sorry! I-I I didn't mean to do-that." Eyes wide, she glanced down at the wolf and back up to the stallion with apologetic eyes.  

[In Good Faith]

It was Bas' turn to bust out with laughter. The wolf, laying on the ground, was laughing until he couldn't breathe and small tears rolled down his muzzle. Valsier's shocked expression made it all the more funny, as he stood motionless, eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

Valsier just stared at the mare, stunned with disbelief. Several heartbeats later, the stallion was able to mutter: "Did.... you just hit me?" At the mare's responding nod and innocent eyes, Valsier finally thawed... and began to laugh himself. Bas was too contagious, and Valsier through his head back with laughter. "Well, well. PHEW." He grinned at the mare, her feistiness warming him to her. It reminded him of his mother, in a way. "Name's Valsier. And that's Bas. What's your name?"  

[In Good Faith]

"Really? You're not... going to... like attack me? Or... something?" Realizing the stallion wasn't going to retaliate, and seemed to find it all amusing, she slowly lowered her wings, and let a little grin show. "I'm Atlas... Where are you from? Are there more of those where you live?" She was really fascinated by Bas, and was itching to pet him still, but she resisted... barely.