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 Posted: Tue May 02, 2006 3:27 pm
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Fri May 12, 2006 4:50 am
Quote: Reserved for RP with Grand Dynasty (and his killah eagle).
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Posted: Fri May 12, 2006 6:23 pm
Dawn was creeping over the ocean. Cowrie rubbed her arms, chilled from the morning air, and squinted in the direction of where the sun was to rise. No Soquili yet. Ortzi had cheerfully fluttered back from who-knew-where in the middle of the night, and now perched on a rickety tree branch hanging overhead. He looked oddly pleased with himself, shuffling, cackling gently every once in a while.
They were sheltered in another dune a ways from their teepee, so hopefully the Soquili would go over there instead, thinking they were still inside. It was cozy enough here; she'd brought lunch, if it ended up taking that long, and when the sun rose it would become very warm compared to this chilly morning, prickling bumps up and down her arms as she was reminded of it. Indeed, the sun was soon to rise. Bright color was already seeping over the horizon. Then...then...well, she'd have to think about that part. Snuggling back into the sand, the girl made herself comfortable, waiting.
She waited a long time.
The sun was well overhead now, the warmth dragging Ortzi off to sleep. Watching him, she felt her own eyelids start to droop closed. The combined efforts of sleepy seagull, heat, and tiredness successfully took her away. So much for the great Soquili hunter.
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Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 12:51 pm
An acrid smell was what woke her up; sharp and smoky and unrecognizable. Murmuring to herself, Cowrie shifted on the sand. She felt itchy and hot all over, and when she opened an eye had to snap it shut against the sun. Ortzi cawed from overhead. Making an effort to sit up, she finally realized where she was - on the beach, still waiting for the Soquili to come back.
What was that smell? She got slowly to her feet, making the seagull shuffle along his branch, and stepped over to the tree, where it rose on a mound of dune. By squinting she could make out what was happening. There was a camp of sorts on the beach. Strange men were cutting down the trees and the smoke was thicker than ever down there. Cowrie felt her knees go weak. 'What's happening?' she wondered, baffled and suddenly worried. This...what was this? What if they found her home? Backing away from the scene, she whistled to Ortzi and fled to her teepee. It was thankfully undiscovered, but she wasted no time in packing. Even that was cut short - the sound of an incredible BOOM splitting the air sent her into a terrified rush.
It wasn't often she visited the village, but this was an emergency. Cowrie set out on foot, making sure to keep out of sight, while the seagull winged in the sky overhead. Thinking of the pink Soquili, the girl felt sad. She'd probably been scared away by the noise. As proven by their encounter before, she wasn't a particularily brave (or at least friendly) mare. Well, Cowrie would be happy to know if she was all right or not. That was what mattered.
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Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 1:35 pm
Typical of her, Cowrie soon forgot her fear and began whistling, steps turning from a hurried scuttle to a strong stride. Also typically, when it came to saving the village, she turned away from the path and wandered off into the woods, Ortzi cawing nervously from above. Gripping a branch, Cowrie grinned at him and levered herself into a tree. The seagull landed next to her. "There you are. Don't seagulls like forests?"
Being a seagull, Ortzi couldn't say. But he didn't need to - another enormous BOOM! shuddered the entire forest. Several things happened.
Cowrie shrieked in terror and fell from the branch.
Ortzi took off; a cloud of birds rose from the trees to join him.
And a pink streak went thundering beneath them all only to collide with the falling girl. Both went sprawling to the forest floor.
In an instant the Soquili was on her feet, suffering only a few scratches. The girl spat out dirt and leaves and rolled over, letting out a hiss from the pain that pounded all over her torso. It felt like her ankle may be hurt...she'd broken bones before and it didn't feel as bad as that. Rolling into a sit, she looked up - and felt her heart stop. The pink mare was standing right there.
Both of them stared at each other for a long moment, the Soquili clearly thinking about bolting. The girl swallowed and coughed slightly from the dust, and then, in a rough voice, "I think you've killed me." Carefully, she held out a hand, which the skittish mare regarded like it was a poisonous viper. Then, like she was doing a favor, she sniffed it. Taking this as a sign they were friends, Cowrie rose to her feet.
"Now, then. My name's Cowrie. Cowrie?" She pulled at one of the shells braided into her hair, then thumbed her chest. "We've the same name. Got it?" Cowrie frowned at the Soquili. "Your name..." Well, maybe she could figure this out. She sniffed at the salty tang of sweat and the familiar tang of sea. The animal's tail flicked nervously as she moved to run a hand through the silky lavender mane, now tangled with twigs and leaves, and had to soothe her with a murmur until she relented. And there it was. Hidden underneath the sea was a faint breath of flowers. "You've a thing name, like me!" she exclaimed, delighted. "Now what sort of..." She cocked her head to the side.
"Lavender?" The mare looked positively insulted.
"Azalea?"
"I've got it! Verbena!"
NOW the mare - no, Verbena - whipped her head around and stared at Cowrie, who shrugged her shoulders, grinning with pleasure. "Everyone has their talents." she said by way of explanation. Even the sulky mare was impressed. Still puffed up with pride, Cowrie happened to glance at the sky, and felt a shock shiver down her spine. It was almost sunset! "Verbena?" Verbena glanced at her. "Please take me home? You can run away when we get there. I don't think I can make it on my own." She tried to look as pitiful and pleading as possible. It had to work...!
With a sigh that sounded almost human, the Soquili offered her a side to lean on. Cowrie hid her grin and looped an arm over the arched neck, favoring her injured ankle. "Thank you."
And most surprising...when they reached the beach and she collapsed in the warm sand, Verbena didn't leave. The mare stood guard while the sun fell beyond the waves. The girl fell asleep underneath her shadow, glowing faintly in the moonlight.
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Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 7:40 pm
"See?" Cowrie scooped a hand into the water, shuffling it through the sand at the bottom. When she pulled it up shells decorated her palm, mostly small, but of different sizes and shapes. "You can find fish and things in tide pools sometimes - usually it's just clams, though." she told Verbena, who leaned forward curiously, peering at one of the shells. And with a startled snort leaped backwards, ears standing straight up, nose dripping with water and suds. That stupid clam had squirted her!
The girl laughed. When she turned back to the pool, Verbena snatched it out of her hand like a flash and vengefully tossed the clam on a small fire they had made, watching gleefully as it sizzled. Cowrie swallowed. "That wasn't very nice." she murmured.
It was several nights since the two ran into each other and the mare had never left, despite being taken to wandering. The two shared an uneasy truce - Cowrie was thrilled by this - and now she was being introduced to the wonders of a clambake, the best way of cooking on the beach. Or at least the most fun. Cowrie hummed to herself, sifting through the tide pool's bounty, laying her finds out on the ground by the pool.
Halfway through Verbena left to walk along the beach. The sand was soft and still warm - she rolled in it and then plunged into the waves, tossing water over her back. You had to be clean for supper, after all. When she felt clean Verb shook herself off at the edge of the water and continued her walk, picking up her hooves so they didn't get covered in wet sand. Clams were not her thing. Or fish, or oysters, or anything like that.
But then the Soquili came across a clump of green...stuff. She sniffed it. Ortzi landed next to her in a flutter of wings and pecked curiously at it. "Do you know what this is?" she asked him.
The seagull nodded. "Kelp! It's good. Good, good, good." He pecked at the kelp and came away with a snail, with he gulped back, giving her an open beak seagull-grin. "Good." he confirmed. Verbena made a face. Urgh. But she picked it up in her mouth, hoping Cowrie could pick the snails off. Ortzi could have them. She started to trot, a loose gait, a relaxed one, back to their camp on the beach. Verbena was taking her time, and was almost surprised when Cowrie came hurrying up to her, jabbering in her human tongue and waving her arms. She caught the gist of what was being said - 'where on Earth WERE you?' - and dropped the kelp at her feet for an answer, swishing her tail expectantly.
Cowrie looked confused. "...seaweed?" Utterly blank. "Oh. OH." A hand went up to slap her forehead, recognition dawning. "You don't eat clams! I'm sorry!" Scooping up the kelp (and making a similar face on seeing the snails) she went walking to the fire, shedding snails on the sand as she went.
The seaweed was cooked through in due time, and they settled on the sand with their respective dishes. Verbena nibbled at the kelp and found it to be well seasoned with salt, but otherwise tasting mostly like grass...which was fine. Cowrie happily popped open shells and slurped clams down in a most unladylike way, licking her fingers between bites.
She cocked a mischevious eye at Verbena when they had finished, rising to a crouch. "Race you to the water!" Verbena's surprise was the only thing that lost the race for her - she snorted indignantly and chased the girl down into the waves, sweeping water over her sandy self in revenge. Teach her to trick THIS Soquili!
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