Hoshor Plains The Splendid Angharad

Naturalist thread AW!

The summer air was thick with humidity and rolling purple clouds smattered the blue sky towards the East. Soon, a summer storm would be upon their plains... probably hitting around dusk, Vitihi calculated. She watched the bison in the distance, moving slowly as they grazed. The herd had huddled together, youngest towards the middle. No doubt this formation was in preparation to weather the storm. Predators had the advantage in these conditions. Sheets of rain could cover their small and provide better cover to hide. However, slippery footing would be tricky if there was a chase.

The maiden turned, considering heading back to camp. Yet she wondered if there would be a lightning show tonight.

*makes cooing noises at your avatar* I don't think we've had a thread since the SC days? Or maybe Valtyr. I can't even keep track of who people play anymore. *__*

Tomahawk could smell it on the air. Storms rarely made a sneaky approach, and anybody who was listening with their nose could expect them hours in advance (if the creatures of the wild could even conceptualize "hours"). The slave girl continued to seek out her superiors, asking each one of them how she could assist. It seemed a good way to repent for her sins, even if the result of said sins were unavoidable. Tomahawk knew they would be coming in another six weeks (if she could even conceptualize that measure of human-created time), and there was little she could do to stop it. She could only pray that some of them would be the coyote's children to make up for the hybrids that she would surely birth.

She noted one of the newer recruits(?) coming back to camp, and Tomahawk greeted her with a wagging tail between her hocks, flattened ears, and submissive licks to her master's chin. "May I do anything to help?" she asked, crouching low in front of Vitihi.

Confident that the bison were unlikely to move before the storm hit, Vitihi swiftly moved towards camp. Though the Dothoran hardly blinked an eye at inclement weather, the maiden knew this system would last through the night... and she wasn't keen on being soaked until morning. Especially after having just traveled so far to be with this Khalasar.

The topography changed from flat lands to rolling hills as she neared camp. A small coyote awaited her arrival. She was overtly subservient and kissed Vitihi's chin in defense. The Doth woman, used to the culture of slaves and handmaidens, accepted her ministrations and thought how lucky Rakharo was to have such a creature in his party. However, Vitihi was unaware of the tryst between the coyote and the Khal's bloodrider, Lavakho.

"Lekhaan," she told the coyote with a soft inflection. "Find me a place to weather this storm, zafra. The clouds quickly approach."

"Of course," Tomahawk replied, rolling her shoulder forward so that the Dotharan woman would be tempted to follow. It was a rare occasion that Tomahawk found herself leading the way with anybody, let alone a wolf. Still, it had been asked of her, and so Tomahawk obeyed. She led the girl toward a thicket of trees on the northern edge of their territory. It would not completely stop the water (provided they arrived before the storm), but it would certainly help.

The coyote did not attempt to make conversation, knowing that Vitihi would ask for it if she wished for such things to transpire.

Popping in!

Lavakho hated trees.

They obscured the sky, which he thoroughly enjoyed watching, but shelter had become a priority with the coming storm. The clouds overhead twisted into ominous and dark shapes as they blew in the wind. He had watched from the plains for a while before setting off toward the northern reaches of the territory in search of shelter.  By no means was the bloodfang a smart man, but luckily for him, it didn't take a genius to realize that the clouds where a harbinger for rain. While the subtle signs of nature were lost on him, this time it screamed in his face.

He had settled in the thicket where the canopy of trees were thickest to wait out the night.  The deep roll of thunder echoed across the flatlands and Lavakho closed his eyes and listened to the dull rumble in the distance.  However, another noise apart from the thunder had caught his attention.  A voice.  One that he hadn't heard in a a very long time.

Vitihi?

He watched the slave lead her into the thicket with a wide grin of anticipation.  It had been far too long since he had seen her face.  The two had practically grown up together in Khal Drojharkosi's Khalas, but he hadn't seen her since she had begun to serve under the crones of the Dosh Khaleen.  Childhood friends, reunited once more.  He rose from his spot and bounded to Vitihi's side, practically knocking the slave girl who led her to the ground.  "Vitihi!" he exclaimed, showering her in licks and affection.  "You came!"

The coyote slave was obedient and dutifully led Vitihi to a small copse of trees amongst the vast plains. Though the maiden was accustomed to sleeping in the open, as all Dothoran were, she knew the storm would prove to be terrible. The rumbling temme boomed amongst the distant purple clouds. Sisi would soon follow, she thought. Quietly she evaluated the shelter, but a figure soon appeared from its shadows.

‘Vitihi!’ He called. Instantly, she knew the voice’s owner. “Lavahko!” she cheered as she bounded towards her friend with equal delight. The man was quick to greet her with lavish enthusiasm and ministrations. How good it was to see him well… for they had become distant with age. It was the nature of their kind, Vitihi has always supposed. They were on different paths. Though she had hoped Lavahko had followed his brother, she couldn’t have been certain he had come to Hoshor Plains. “Of course I did!” she exclaimed, nibbling at the man’s ruff amiably. “I was tending to my father before I arrived. He sent me on ahead to join Rakharo’s Khalasar. Your brother greeted me once I got here… how has everyone been? How is this new land? It’s been so long since I’ve seen you!” Her amber tail was a blur, eyes alight with joy.

Lavakho arrived, showering Vitihi with affection, and Tomahawk felt the slightest bubble of... well, something unpleasant in her chest. She stamped it out quickly, looking away from the pair and focusing on other things. She was not, and would never be, a wolf. There was a time when she had thought such things were possible, but those days were long gone. She was theirs, a slave, and she was not worthy of Lavakho's affections.

"Shall I leave?" she asked, not wishing to intrude upon their happy reunion. A quick to Lavakho informed her that, yes, she should leave. Tomahawk wasted no time scurrying away, leaving the two childhood friends to their own devices.