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 Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 4:01 pm
 It was dark. Far too dark to have been out wandering this long. But Ni'awtu couldn't help it. Her stores of herbs had run dangerously low without her noticing it. She had blamed Prism for distracting her for so long. It'd been such a long time since she'd been so happy anywhere, let alone with anyone. So long roaming the lands by herself, not knowing what she was going to do with this life she had been given. Everyone she had ever known in her short lifetime was gone, destroyed in a needless war between herds. The whole thing had been so traumatic, she wasn't sure she'd ever truly get over it. But she felt like she maybe finally would. She had a place in the world, she had a business of sorts, and she had someone to stick by her, through all the good as well as the bad times. And, most importantly, there was no feuding herds between them to destroy it. In fact, there wasn't really anyone between them. He had family, though she had never met them, yet. Still, from what he had said about his family, she didn't think there was anything to worry about from them. Not any more. All her worries were gone.
So the night now found her, far faster than she thought it would, crouched her a root clinging as tightly to the ground as it possibly could. She had spent much longer on it, digging around it, trying to get it to let go just enough she could pull it out without damaging it too much to use. She had been so distracted by her task, she had, for reasons she really couldn't explain, never realized how dark it was getting. Finishing up the job as quickly as she could, she put it into the basket next to her and quickly took to the air. But it was too dark for her to see and she feared hitting a tree midflight. So she picked what she thought was a good spot to land and go it on foot, misjudging what she was seeing in the darkness. Her front hooves hit a branchless trunk and she went toppling down to the ground, stabbing a sharp stick into her shoulder. Before she could stop herself, she had given a shriek of pain. Oh. Way to announce yourself to the whole area and the fact you were now injured. Way to go, Ni'awtu.
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Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2022 8:17 pm
 It had been a relatively peaceful day. Which were most of Ezekiel's days, really. Not that he was complaining, not in the slightest. Peaceful was nice. It was far preferable to how he'd grown up. But it did also leave him a bit restless some days. It was quiet, it was relaxing. It was also sometimes really boring. He hadn't made any friends since he'd escaped and thus had no one to keep him company. He just wandered around on his own, not even a small creature as a companion like some other Soquili he'd seen with. That seemed so nice, always having someone around with you, who could even ride on your back.
His thoughts were interrupted all of a sudden by a cry of pain. He rushed towards the noise without hesitation, until he came upon a mare who had stuck a sharp stick into her leg.
"Oh, uh...Hol-hold on. I can help." The alicorn lowered his head, preparing to grab the branch with his teeth. "Don't move, please." Holding onto it tightly, he pulled it quickly, but not too quickly, out of the wound and lay his horn down on the hole. Instantly it started to close, leaving no scar behind. He'd always had fantastic healing abilities, though the way he'd trained for it still gripped his heart with guilt. "There. Did you have any other injuries?"
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Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2022 8:27 pm
Everything had happened so fast. One second she was alone in her pain, afraid to cry out for help in case someone less than kind was around. The next, someone was there, pulling the branch out of her leg and healing her up with such proficiency. It was something she could only have dreamed to do. Instead, to make up for the horn she lacked from her Kirin side, Ni'awtu had made due with gathering herbs and making poultices with them. With the help of her little mouse friend, of course. She knew what to add to each mixture and Skikoba obeyed her instructions on what to add to what, how much of it, and how long to mash everything together. Even helped her to apply it to the injured, when he was with her. She was the only one he would listen to like this.
"Thank you," she told the stallion slowly, looking down at her leg in wonder. It must be such a great feeling to be able to do this for someone so quickly. Everything she did took a while and left a scar. She'd be able to go home and no one would have known what had happened. "Um..."
The branch lay on the ground near her, half of it covered in her blood. Disgusted by the sight of it, Ni'awtu pushed it away, into a nearby bush so she didn't have to look at it. The sight of blood still made her a bit uncomfortable, especially when it was her own. Everyone else, she could pretend easily she wasn't bothered, as she helped work on a wound. Seeing her own was a bit too close to home. Guess sometimes she forgot she wasn't invincible.
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Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2022 8:50 pm
Ezekiel continued to smile at the mare as she went silent. He didn't really mind that she hadn't answered his question. Some were just quiet and that was okay. He himself was a bit quiet. Not out of a desire to be alone. No one had come around to offer themselves as his companion. Not even the small creatures of the world. He met others and than they went their own way. It was just how life went, even if it made him feel a bit lonely and inadequate of others attention.
"You are welcome." He nodded his head at her, preparing to turn around and leave her.
"Um..." Ni'awtu continued to stammer. The rescue of this alicorn had been so sudden, she couldn't seem to get her bearings right. Nearby, her basket lay on its side, the contents spilled over the ground. He hadn't seemed to notice them. She wasn't sure why the sight of them made her feel suddenly worthless. "My name is Ni'awtu."
The Alicorn stallion stopped mid-turn, his head shifting back to look at her. What a pretty name for a pretty mare. She made quite the sight, laying down still on the ground, her hair a tussled mess all around her. How did creatures like her manage to keep it looking as nice as she did? Perhaps she had a companion. Some sort of animal that could hold things in its paws to help her get the tangles out. It sounded like a fairytale.
He bowed his head once more. "I am Ezekiel. You are sure you have no other injures?"
"No....I am fine. Just....A bit startled." Heaving herself to her feet, Ni'awtu went about loosening her hair from the various branches around her that had her in their clutches. The stallion stood by and watched her, not making a move to help. She felt better that way. She didn't need someone in her personal space right now, the entire experience had her feeling strange. "That is some amazing healing you have."
"Yes. I learned how to from a young age." Ezekiel kept out the part about how this skill was cultivated in him. It was irrelevant knowledge to share with someone else, his personal past. Than it dawned on him, as she stood up and flexed her wings. She had kirin scales on her body. It had been hard to tell while she was laying down, with her wings more spread out around her and covering her body. Her long forelock hid the set of black scales on her forehead, while her thin tail had been hidden behind her. Those were the only Kirin traits he could see.
No horn. He wasn't sure what he'd do without his. He certainly wouldn't have been captured by those humans, that was for sure. He had no use to them without a horn. Than he could have grown up with his mother. How different his life could have been.
It was than he noticed something else on the ground. Moving closer, he saw it was a basket, with plants scattered on the ground near it.
Ni'awtu envied that horn on Ezekiel's forehead. More than she could ever voice. To be able to instantly heal anyone with the touch of it was a miracle, to her. Than again, had she a horn of her own, she wouldn't have learned the equally amazing art of medicines. There were so many different plants out there with properties to heal or harm that is was so fascinating to her that she continued to learn even more. She was always experimenting and studying them to learn more things she could do. Had she a horn, she wouldn't have even began to learn about the world around her.
He started to move, towards where she had noticed her basket had fallen. Despite these thoughts in her head, she still felt panic. Than confusion. Why did she feel so ashamed of what she was doing? Why was it so shameful that she didn't have a horn and thus had none of the Kirin's abilities? She felt like such a failure in the presence of this truly magical creature.
She tried to move to block him, backing up and placing her hindlegs in front of her basket. "Uh...Don't mind that. It's....It's nothing."
When she moved, Ezekiel felt disappointed. He was very curious about the plants he had seen. He had caught a glimpse of a few roots and some leaves before she blocked him.
"But it's yours, isn't it?" he argued, his tone of voice puzzled.
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Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2022 7:07 pm
"Well....Uh...Yes. They are mine." Ni'awtu was at a loss of what to say. She couldn't lie. Had never been very good at it. Besides, he'd seen the basket, what was there to say? She couldn't deny its existence. It was there! And she was proud it was there. Wasn't she?
Sighing softly at herself, she moved forward two steps, revealing it fully to the stallion. She wasn't sure what she was expecting. Him to laugh at her having to rely on plants for heal? To be told how foolish she was? How she got the short end of the mix of her parents. A Kirin without a horn wasn't much of a Kirin, that was what she had been taught by the full Kirin relatives in her family tree. The Wind side has always been more accepting. She had wings, after all. That was the only thing that mattered to them. She could still fly. But a Kirin without a horn was a disgrace. Useless.
At least he had the horn from his Unicorn side. He'd never be called a disgrace. Ni'awtu bowed her head in defeat as Ezekiel moved foward.
The Alicorn had never seen so many plants in one place before. He couldn't imagine what she was doing with them, there was such a variety here. Herbs, leaves, flowers, berries. Everything but branches from the trees. Was she taking this to someone? Maybe one of the humans was making a stew. He knew some who choose to be around humans. Even if he knew a nice person, he didn't think he would have stayed with them. He had had plenty of people for his entire lifetime. He was enjoying his earned freedom.
"What are these for?" he couldn't help asking, looking up at the mare with his head still lowered towards the basket like a curious foal. There were so many different scents coming out of it, he was quite enjoying this position.
The panic was getting stronger. Now the mare was dancing on her feet, doing a fancy trot in place. She couldn't tell him to mind his own business and go away. That would be rude. Even if she'd feel so much better if he did just that.
She stopped dancing and turned around, flicking her tail against the sides of her body in growing anxiety. She could grab the basket and run for it. She'd miss some herbs that were now laying on the ground, but that would be a small price to pay.
"F....For.....Healing...." She said the last word softly, hoping maybe he wouldn't hear it.
For healing? Perhaps she did have a human friend after all.
Without a horn, she couldn't heal on her own. Equines like them could do a variety of amazing things he had come to learn. But without the kinds of strange hands the humans had, how could they do things like create medicines and poultices?
"Oh! Let me help you, than." And he picked up the basket, righting it back so he could start gently placing everything back inside it. She quietly watched him work. She didn't seem to like to talk much and when she did, she was so nervous. Must not be used to socializing. Ezekiel could understand that. He hadn't been much socialized until just recently. He would continue to be gentle and quiet with her.
"There you go! Do you need anymore help? I could carry this back to your person."
Her person? Oh, he thought she was helping one of the humans that lived nearby. She sighed in relief, glad to have an excuse to not tell the truth without having to also lie. Of which he would have known straight away, she was so bad at it.
"Uh..No. it's alright. I got it. Thank you very much for the help." Picking up the basket, she trotted out of the forest, to the small clearing nearby where she flapped her wings and took off, flying carefully back home.
Ezekiel watched her go, not making a move to follow her. Clearly their conversation was done. Still, he hadn't come out of it feeling all that disappointed. He thought her a very nice mare, kind to be helping other creatures out. He would have liked to follow her back to the one she was bringing the supplies back to. It always interested in, seeing other equines with healthy relationships with humans. He'd have liked to see one up close. Oh, well. Perhaps another day.
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