[Forge Solo RP] Gemhunting (Sukari & Tsuri)

[Kyaishi]

In all honesty, Sukari wasn't sure how she ended up in this situation, struggling to maintain her patience while scanning the stone ahead and beneath her hooves for a telltale glitter or shine that would give away the presence of valuable trinkets. In a cave. On the eastern border. Near the mountains. Where it was cold. She was trying valiantly not to scowl, but judging by the look on her wolf companion's face, she was failing spectacularly. Why wasn't Merric asked to do this task? Or Merric? Either one of them would have leapt at the chance to grant Evie the favor she had asked for, and been happy to venture out of their homelands in the dead of night to do so.

A heavy sigh that she gave up trying to repress escaped her, all at once losing the battle not to glare at nothing as she continued her quiet hunt. The truth was, as indifferent as she acted towards the small mare, she was unable to deny that her bubbly nature could be somewhat charming- in small amounts. Small amounts. The older winged mare had never been known for her patience, even as years with family had softened her, and the constant chatter that the Usdia kept up did tend to grate on her nerves, though she always found a way to excuse herself before anything came of it. Even Nahuel seemed to antagonize her less, although she never hesitated to let Shadow know when he was being an idiot.

At this moment, she was wondering what was so important that warranted hunting for shiny rocks in an abandoned cave, miles away from her herd without even a light to illuminate the dank recesses.

Tsuri wasn't oblivious to the rising tension in her dear longtime companion, but she'd found it was sometimes better to let irritation run its course than to say something and risk Sukari's wrath, even softened as it might have become over the years. At present, her warm and familiar presence was enough to soothe frayed nerves, and she knew even without acknowledgement that it was a balm to her Soquili friend's annoyance in a way that few other things were. She might have been out hunting had Sukari not asked her for her help, but she had sensed that the request came more from a desire not to be alone than anything, and she had agreed, even if her eyesight in the dark wasn't what it had once been.

Her nose honestly wasn't much help in this endeavor, but she scented the air all the same, hoping beyond hope that they could find something in here that would allow them to complete their task without testing her winged friend's patience more than absolutely necessary.  

[Kyaishi]

While she might not have been a fan of the idea of venturing out this far without significant cause, Sukari did find herself slowly relaxing bit by bit as she and her wolf friend ventured further into the darkness of the cave in companionable silence, rather than a tense one. She hadn't been away from Hakan in quite some time, it was true, and for once she found she appreciated the quiet more than she thought she would. She did love her family and herd dearly, as one might expect- even if she was more outwardly stoic about it than most- but she couldn't remember the last time she'd had any time to herself, and it was calming in a way that up to this point, she had forgotten could be soothing.

Another soft sigh escaped her as the last vestiges of irritation fled, and her tensed shoulders relaxed... just in time to spot a glimmer on the cave floor, some distance ahead of them. "Tsuri?" she murmured, squinting into the darkness and trying to confirm her find with poor vision alone. "Is that what we're looking for?"

The silver wolf could feel her friend beginning to relax as they both ventured further, and at the soft sigh that reached her sensitive ears, Tsuri let herself relax completely as well, smiling and letting her tongue loll out of her mouth in a canine expression of calm that she didn't often afford in the presence of anyone but her bonded. At the soft tones of her voice, though, she stopped, turning her head and pricking her ears to attention as she tried to follow whatever Sukari was gesturing to. It didn't take much to find it, and a quick sniff of the air confirmed it- it was indeed what they had set out for, and she allowed a wag of her tail, pleased at their sudden unexpected find.

"I believe it is, 'Kari. I'll get it for you." Trotting forward, she pawed delicately at the gem, making sure that she wouldn't damage it before her claws pried it away from its stone prison, and she sauntered back to Sukari's side with a grin before depositing it in her makeshift shoulder bag.

Well, that wasn't too difficult. Hopefully the rest of this would be just as easy.

Gems: 1  

[Kyaishi]

Heartened by their progress, the silver mare seemed to relax a bit further and allowed herself to openly enjoy the leisurely walk through the cave, now only occasionally casting critical glances around her for their shiny quarry. It was a good idea, she conceded- she would have to thank Evie (in her own way, at least) for the idea, even if she did provide it under the guise of running a tedious errand. She missed her quiet walks with Tsuri, and the break from the loudness of Hakan and the constant bustle of activity around her was a breath of fresh air that she hadn't been aware she needed.

Tsuri was all too happy to fall into locked step with her bonded as she felt the last of the tenseness in the air around them finally disappear, and she allowed her tail to continue its pleased wag as she scanned the cave floor for more of their needed gems. No sooner had she stopped to consider the faint glimmer she had spotted at the edges of her vision, scenting the air confirmed her find as another bright smile heralded a second success. What a find! There were so many.

"'Kari, over here!" In her excitement, she bounded forward towards the group of gems with little care for dignity or poise as she normally did, gratified when she heard a similar noise of enthusiastic approval from her companion. Diligently, she began pawing them out of the ground, careful not to chip their edges before adding them to Sukari's bag.

Gems: 6  

[Kyaishi]

It was remarkable, how quickly the mood could turn- no sooner had Sukari begun feeling grateful for this venture outside of her herdlands in the company of her quiet bonded than a screeching above ended any notion of this being a relaxing getaway. A bat dropped suddenly, noisily from the ceiling and directly onto her head, and in her frenzied flapping to get the thing off and out of her mane, she failed to notice that she had dislodged her sack of precious gems until it was too late. The bat's sharp claws tore open the delicate cloth as she pulled herself away, finally managing to separate it from herself with Tsuri's careful help, but not before she heard the telltale tinkle of falling stones.

Huffing in ill-concealed frustration, she examined her bag- not a complete loss, but they were certainly down a couple of gems. She sighed at Tsuri's sympathetic whine as she set herself back to rights, waving off the concern she could feel coming from the golden eyes focused upon her. "It didn't hurt me, Tsuri, it's fine," she grumbled, feeling this situation was far from fine, but it certainly could have been worse.

Gems: 4  

[Kyaishi]

She could have cursed herself for the last thought that had flitted through her brain as a rumble above them heralded trouble, and not a moment later, the ground beneath them began to shake and crumble. The cave seemed to tremble, and rocks began falling rapidly from the ceiling. "Time to go!" she shouted urgently, steadying the bag against her shoulder with one wing and glancing back at Tsuri to make sure she was with her as she bolted forwards, out into the light.

"Right behind you!" the silver wolf called in return, following at Sukari's heels and paying careful attention to the rocks that fell to either side of them, making sure that none wounded her friend as they cleared the cave's mouth. When they were both free of the destruction, she heaved a sigh of relief, slumping against Sukari's back ankle and letting her head fall back in exasperation.

"The next time you need to get away for a bit, can we just take a nice, peaceful walk around the forest borders?" The low chuckle she received in return made it almost worth it, even if they had come a hair's breath away from getting caught in a cave-in. At least, when they got back, they'd have an interesting story to tell.

Final Gem Count: 4