(SOLO) Guided Search? (Spearmint Balm X Shizukage Myoubu)

[SilverShieldwolf]

Quote:

Wintertime in the Kawani is in full swing, and February is no exception! A strong snowstorm and cold front has blown into the lands, blanketing much of the land in white. Some areas have completely been overwhelmed by snow--and places that are typically warmer or never see the stuff have also been covered in the white stuff.

How is your Soquili handling this snowstorm? Were they caught unaware? Are they experiencing snow for the first time, or are they used to it? What do they do now that they're living in a winter wonderland?

Spearmint Balm stepped out of the dense thicket of trees she had claimed as her home area. It wasn't very large, but it gave cover to many of the animals in the area. There was snow on the ground, more then she expected and she shivered. The mare glanced back over her shoulder, watching as the trees dropped snow from their weaker branches and leaves. It was unusual to have so much here and Spearmint was thankful for the unwanted visitor who brought warning to her. The white mare was not afraid of the snow, nor was she used to it, the snow was just a hindrance for the mare to find dry place to rest her head.

She braced for the cold as she stepped into the snow. Instead of a solid step, she sank to her knees, Spearmint Balm was not happy. "If anyone came to ask for guidance we will be useless." Sighing because she actually did need to search for someone. Last she knew, they had gone east of her thicket and looking that direction, her head dropped a bit further. It was white, no tracks, no markers for her to follow and if the step into the snow she took was any sign, a lot deeper. Swallowing the scream building up at herself for not going as soon as she was told about the storm, the white and green mare pushed herself back out of the snow. It was horrible and the more she pushed, the cold seemed to dig in to her hide. Finally free of the white, sickly wet stuff, she went back into the thicket. It was time to see if the stranger knew anything.

The male was watching her, the cold was no place to be right now and he was quite content staying in the branches covering him keeping his body warm. Shizukage Myoubu cocked his ear as the mare spoke and shifted his weight. It seemed like he would need to give some help, help persuading the young mare to forgo looking for the one out there. He knew the cold, and this was COLD, as in best to stay huddled up with others to keep warm until it was dire need of leaving others. "Problems out there?" He called out to her, still trying to figure out her name. Did they even exchange names when he arrived late in the day. Shizukage waited patiently for a response, the idea of moving even to relieve the ache in his hip from sleeping on it too long was quelled by the wind that shook the branches again.

He was just about to shake off the branches to help Spearmint get out of her wrong move and heard, "I am FINE!" Ah, yes, he probably would have been wiser if he had told her more about the hidden dangers with a large snow dump that happened. Taking, perhaps the smarter move, Shizukage moved a few of the branches so he could squeeze through and stand up. "Deep out there?"

Spearmint glared at the male. Of course he would say something like that, right? Hiding under branches, while she went to help find others. Setting her lantern down, not so gently, "It goes to my knee after one step out there. Is that deep enough?" It came out as a growl. "What am I to do for those I said I would help? How am I going to survive if this...This storm returns with even more?!" Pacing and rambling, she packed what snow was in the clearing. "I am grateful for the short notice warning you gave. It helped with the small animals, but what about the larger ones?"

The glare made him smirk, females are really no different. It doesn't seem to matter on the season or location, as he has seen that glare many a time. "So I see. Well that does seem to be a small problem." Well now she was warming up, but not in the best way in his opinion. "I would take a step at a time there, umm.." He looked at her hopefully for a calmer answer, though uncertainty was in his eyes. "The weather is going to be like this for a while. So either we help each other, and survive, or we go our separate ways and hope to survive."

(wc 727)  

[SilverShieldwolf]

Did he seriously just say she would not survive without him? That stopped her in her tracks, paws digging into the snow build up. And it stopped her rambling. Turing her back to him, "Spearmint Balm." It has been a while since she had been in company of others, and normally it was a group, not this one on one thing that seemed to have happened. Her manners slowly returned to her as the thoughts flowed quickly. "My name is Spearmint Balm and what might yours be? I was about to ask you if you had any way to help, I apologize for my outburst." Dipping her head as she turned, a blast of freezing wind hit. It appeared the male would be correct in needing to stick together.

Shizukage did his best to listen to her, as the body language suggested he hit a nerve with his last comment. Ah, there was the name and aptly fitting for the mare. "Shizukage Myoubu at your service." He stepped towards her, blocking as much of the wind as he could, which wasn't much as it came about faster then expected. "As to helping, we should make a stronger sleeping area. And possibly larger." The last was spoken quickly and quietly. "Body heat as it gets colder out here will help us survive." He would not be surprised if he found some of the smaller animals in the shelter, taking refugee with the larger heat sources.

Annoyed with Shizukage's arrogance as she seen it, Spearmint appreciated the attempt. "Like the area you were in?" That was new for her, the outside with the high branches suited her best. Could she face her fear of being so enclosed, just to survive? The place where the stallion made a shelter looked so small for him that she started shaking her head. The cold biting into her neck where her mane had laid still. "I...I don't think I can handle that."

This mare, the one he heard stories about guiding others out of every sort of predicament, was afraid of being to closed in? It surprised him and he started to think fast in how to keep it warm, but spacious. "Well, not that small. I was not expecting the temperature to drop quite this much, nor the amount of snow. In all honesty, I expected to just stay the night and be on my way." Which that posed a problem for him too, as his friends were waiting for him to come back soon and now, well it will be longer. Maybe...Going up to a sturdy looking sapling, tall and lean, but bendy, Shizukage pulled down on one of the snow filled branches. "I will need your help here. We can use a few of these to have a high spot inside, will that help?"

Having confessed a fear and the stranger was willing to work a way to ease it was shocking. The sapling he pulled was now leaning towards one of the sturdier trees, roots down deep and the trunk wide. Not to mention blocking the bigger area she had walked through to get out of the thicket. "How are they to be held in place without us?" Even with all the branches and what not to keep warm, Spearmint wasn't sure about the process to work them together. Grabbing the branch from him, the height did not seem too bad, yet it was only the one so far. The stallion worked methodically with what was around and movable, and maybe talking to the animals in the woods. She wasn't sure if she had heard him asking if they would assist with the shelter, but a few of the smaller nimble animals approached. String in their beaks or small paws and they quickly weaved the trees to one another.

Shizukage liked the fact he wasn't asked a lot of questions as he worked his way around to make the shelter. Oh there was bribing happening, he promised a few mice and birds pieces of his tail and mane along with bringing different foods when the weather cleared. Speaking of food. "Spearmint, do you mind if I call you Balm? Either way, where do you store any extra food you might have?" If it was close, that would be no problem, but he felt it would be further away.

As the shelter took place, food came into the conversation. "Oh, I actually foraged every day. There was a berry bush..." The day had gotten darker and with the snow her sense of direction started to fade. "I believe it was down to the west, past the tree that has three tops. There is also a rock or pebble mound near it too." Cold and hungry, she picked up the lantern to shine light towards the path that she was positive led to the berries.

She got about half a pony ahead of him, before he caught up. "Best we travel together, even if it is close by." The green of her lantern gave a bit of light to follow and he marked the larger trees as they passed. He looked up at the tops, but the sky was too dark for him to know if they were close or not. It wasn't looking so good, when Spearmint jumped. "Right here! And more around too."

"Find a shell or bag like item so we can bring some back with us. It would be nice to not have to walk this far next time we are hungry." It took longer to find a container of sorts to carry back with them, then it did scrapping the berries into it. The container held in his mouth, the lantern in hers, the two made the slow walk back. Shizukage made sure to find his marks and guided them. The shelter, even with the small gaps, looked inviting to get out of the wind and settle down. He nudged the mare in first, letting her get comfortable, before stepping into the opening and laying down. "I will block the wind from this spot for us as best I can." The inside wasn't large, but it started getting warmer with them, soon enough he seen the animals who helped scurry and hop in, some for the food and others to curl up in the manes.

As he started to doze off to the sounds of the howling wind, he knew it would be a long winter.

(wc 1,076)