(I still do not have the title page drawing. I'm waiting until I can get a new digital app and stuff so that I can make a better quality illustration for our RP) (HAHAHAHA YES. I HAVE IT NOW)
Last comment: (I chose this one because it has to do with the main significant thing that had happened)
Ulrani:
She briefly placed a hand on his shoulder before approaching the doorway. She stepped inside. The Healer knelt beside the body and uncovered his face. Colchi… another one she did not save.
A heavy silence filled the room. Ulrani took out a rag and a flask of water and dampened it. She then tenderly wiped away the dry blood from Colchi’s nose and lips. Ulrani passed her hand over his eyes, closing them to look as though he were sleeping.
“Be at peace, Ian Colchi… at peace,” she murmured, gently caressing his cheek with one hand. Ulrani then covered his face again with the sheet and got up to return to the others.
Only when she faced Ben did an almost unbearable lump gather in her throat. She could hardly meet Ben’s gaze. Ulrani inhaled slowly. “I’ll need help to get his body out,” she whispered and glanced behind the Tavern owner as the redhead, Bhearit, came around the corner.
“Who is it?” he asked and then stiffened when Bjorn came up behind him and lay a hand on his shoulder.
“Not now, lad.”
Summary: (As of December 15)
Okay, so the main big thing that happened was that Ian Colchi (AspidistrasBoo!'s OC) died in his room in Ben's Tavern in Johirestown. Colchi's body was only just recently found out. Bjorn, Ulrani, Bhearit, (My OCs), and Ben (Riverbreeze's OC) are all there in the Tavern.
Meanwhile, in Iraweigh, there's a cricket game going on. I can't remember exactly who is involved (of the audience and players). There are a lot of centaurs though.
Kilroy and Aaron are eating at Aaron's house.
Oliver and Topaz are at Declan's house with an abandoned baby centaur they had recently found in their care.
Oh yeah, less important, but Callum and Fawnroot are heading over to Bumblewind's tribute in Sun Herd.
Post your latest replies below!
Don't make any more comments until I've posted Part 37!)
(No problem with keeping it interesting!!!)
Kavani:
She slept soundly, yet dreamless. Her mind was blank with sleep, until something distant, very distant, made her ears twitch. Still asleep, she didn’t stir. Until another noise, this time less distant and louder, awoke her with a small jump and she rapidly sat up. Momentarily groggy and confused, Kavani wiped her eyes and rubbed her face. Being a light sleeper was more of a curse than a blessing, she thought to herself with a sneer.
Then Kavani heard it; the subtle sounds of sniffling and mumbling. She gasped and quickly fumbled to her hooves, grabbing a lantern. Dull orange light lit up the tent. Kollin was still asleep, and even snoring gently, near her hooves. She looked up and saw a hunched figure in the corner of the tent, and Kavani immediately tensed and placed her body between the stranger and Kollin.
“Intruder! Get ready! His back is turned! Find an opening and-“ As she approached to grapple the stranger, she paused and held the lantern up higher. The two-toned hair. The colorful coat. Realization came to her all at once and she exhaled a long breath.
“It’s just Bhearit. But…what’s he doing? Is he awake?” She thought to herself. He sounded like he was crying and this made her hearts seize. Unsure what to do, Kavani hesitantly approached him, “Bhearit…?” She whispered softly to not startle him.
(until I get a better idea or an opportunity comes up , I'll leave Oliver and Declan alone for now)
(This is literally the third time I've had to write this)
(I hadn't been sure how Haziel would meet the foal but this is perfect! Btw I was thinking that Haziel could have problems with her pregnancy and maybe lose her foal. It would thus lead to her affection for the abandoned filly, making it more meaningful)
Haziel:
"Hello, Doctor. What is it that you wanted me here for?" she asked, glancing at the filly. She was small and appeared to be a little malnourished. Instinctively, Haziel looked about for any adult who would seem to be the filly's parent. Finding no one, she frowned.
Gail/Tala:
At one push, the handle immediately went down with ease, and Gail laughed with glee. Water gushed out of the faucet and into the bucket underneath. "Thank you, thank you!" she cried and turned the handle up and down a few more times for good measure. Gail straightened up again and smooth her red hair back, beaming up at Romie. "You both are such gentlemen!"
Gail then grabbed Romie and Kilroy's hands, kissing both their cheeks. Tala immediately pulled her estatic friend away, stomping down the urge to scold her in public. "Yes, um, we're very grateful. We must be going now, have a good day!" Tala said, her own face flushed red from embarrassment.
Gail waved back at the two stallions as her friend dragged her away. "What about the buckets?" she asked as she turned forward again.
"We will get them later," Tala replied rather breathlessly as they both crossed the street to the other side. Her hearts were beating rapidly, and she held her hand to her chest.
"Your face is as red as a tomato, Tal," Gail giggled and looked back at Romie and Kilroy.
Sultaan:
He felt his cheeks grow warm as Reba linked her fingers with his. Her hand was warm compared to Sultaan's; and at that thought his hearts began to beat faster. As a result, Sultaan's hand also began to tremble, so he gave Reba's a squeeze to indicate a goodnight and then let go.
Bjorn:
He grunted. "Aye, I know. It will be difficult, but I think it should be good to let them both know that the incident was their fault. In fact, if possible, I should like to confiscate that boy's weapon for misuse of firearms. In the meantime, they should be escorted to headquarters as soon as possible for questioning," he murmured, watching the pegasi under furrowed brows without so much as lifting his gaze.
Bhearit:
(I've never slept walked, so ima just describe whats happening) Two or more hours had passed by the time both Kavani and Bhearit eventually dropped off to sleep when Bhearit stirred. He was not awake, so he did not realize his own movement.
Bhearit shifted onto his back and mumbled something softly. Then he sat up. The young stallion looked around and slowly got to his hooves. For the next few minutes, he just stood there with his head slightly lowered.
"No, go away," he mumbled suddenly and swatted the air as though someone, or something, were pestering him. (The "or something" sounds really dramatic, but it doesn't have any significance lol)
Bhearit then suddenly sat down, missing his bed, and thumped onto the hard earth. There was another several minutes quiet, just with a few indistinct mumbling here and there. Bhearit then whimpered and covered his face, and began to sound as though he were crying. (I have no idea what I'm doing XDD Just trying to keep it interesting!)
Kilroy: He returned the wave. “Likewise, Haziel,” a real smile briefly lighting his features. He wondered what this was about - she was pregnant, he realized as she walked away. Urgent request from the doctor… he hoped that she was all right.
He glanced over at Romie as he helped the women with the lever, seemingly more comfortable now. Maybe this centaur was less antisocial than he had thought…
Mottel: The colt clopped down the cobblestone road, leading Haziel to where Mottel’s practice was, and pulled open the door for her when the arrived, bowing in mockery to let her in.
Meanwhile, Mottel was using a special scale to measure the baby’s weight. Currently, it was healthy for a girl her age, but it was something he should monitor if she stayed in Irichad.
“She’s here…” sang the little boy.
“Oh yes. Hello Haziel,” said the doctor.
(Haziel probably doesn’t know about this baby yet. Topaz found her abandoned in the woods :(
Reba: “I see you are,” she murmured, reaching up and holding his hand. How long would he be this chaste? she wondered briefly, before putting the thought from her mind. His nobility wasn’t an affectation for him, it was in his character.
The tension left her body and she closed her tired eyes. “I sleep now,” she said. “I am ok.”
Fig: “Heading back to town,” he said in a low voice. “But… Bjorn… he isn’t just any stallion. He’s a prince in Mangrove. And that mare with him is a princess.” He shook his head with disgust. “If it weren’t for that, I would have arrested him already.”
@Ashsong (yeah we can skip!! The only idea I had was that Bhearit actually did sleepwalk and Kavani would wake up but that was just an idea! It doesn’t really matter to me but it probably would take longer and we can maybe do it another time if we just want to skip)
(I also don’t have that much to do since most of my main characters are asleep… I could do something with Declan or Oliver now that Romie and Kilroy are in Irichad?)
(Recomment for @Firesong
Glacierclaw:
His gaze passed between the centaurs gathered around him and Silverlily, before finally landing on the stallion who had spoken. Glacierclaw's eyes narrowed, just slightly. Who was this centaur to ban pegasi from traveling throughout their own homeland? Didn't he know that pegasi lived here long before the centaurs? These creatures were foreign; they had no right to simply claim a part of Anok that they liked and grew comfortable in. Anok was for the pegasi, and Glacierclaw thought these strange creatures belonged on the other side of the Great Sea, where the other Land-walkers resided. However, Glacierclaw kept his opinion to himself; he didn't think it would be very popular amongst the strange horses.
Glacierclaw offered a small, hollow nod, knowing that the centaurs would be wishing for some sort of response, even if Glacierclaw himself had no jurisdiction to make such a decision. Nor did he want to make such a decision. He would tell his over-stallion about what has occurred. He would tell his over-stallion everything; he would not leave out a single detail.
He set his jaw and looked at SIlverlily. The 'stitching', or whatever it was, seemed to work; the bleeding had stopped and the wound was closed. "Think you can fly?"
Romie:
He couldn't help but feel like there was more to Haziel's words than she had said. Even still, he felt very reassured that she was leaving. Now, if she would only keep what she had seen private...
He finshed adding more oil. "Try the pump again," he instructed Tala. There was more than enough grease on the mechanism to enable it to work, unless there was another problem that he hadn't considered.
Haziel:
She saw Tala look at her expectantly, and she sighed. “Yes, lead the way,” she said with a small smile towards the boy and then turned toward Romie and Gail. “I hope you fix that pump.” As well as you family issues.
Haziel followed behind the colt past Kilroy, whom she gave a smile. “Goodbye, Kilroy. It was wonderful to meet you,” she said and waved toward her friends.
Shahn:
He raised his mug slightly in a gesture of farewell and then drank the last of his beer. He watched Deva walk away from over his shoulder until he could no longer see him. Then he turned back forward, fingering his mug. (🎵Allll by myselfff 🎵) Shahn knew he was in no hurry.
Sultaan:
It was too dark now to sign, and he doubted Reba would understand clearly if he did it by touch, so he moved again to indicate that he was, in fact, not quite asleep. And as gently as Sultaan could—as not to startle her again— he moved his hand over to Reba and touched her arm.
Bhearit:
He inhaled. “No, no, thank you,” he replied with a soft chuckle. “Goodnight.” Turning about until he found the most comfortable position in bed, he quickly drifted off. His last thought was the wish to sleep forever. (Should we skip until morning? I don’t have any plans)
Bjorn:
He watched the two pegasi interact, deciding to stay until they had gone. “Fig, where is that Mangrove stallion who initiated all this chaos?” he asked as he scanned the area for any signs of Keanar and that mare.
Callum:
He looked over at Fawnroot, barely able to make out her figure. The quiet of the night almost made him believe that everything that had happened and that will happen was all just a dream compared to this moment. The sound of the crickets outside and the slow breathing of the steeds inside were comforting. He sighed softly, eager for sleep to overtake him.
(Sorry y'all. It's a good deal shorter this time!)
Kavani:
She wriggled against the blanket, trying to find a more comfortable position without bothering her sore shoulder. "Nah...we should probably get to sleep. We've been up long enough." Kavani stretched her injured one as far as it could go without hurting, which wasn't very far to her utter frustration.
"Well...I guess I'll see you in the morning." She rolled onto her good side as she spoke, "Or, I'll see you sooner if you start sleep-walking." Kavani chuckled lightly to herself and smiled at Bhearit, and this time, she felt a twinge of sadness that he couldn't see it.
She yawned again as her mind grew drowsy and her thoughts slowed. "Thanks for spending the day with us. It was nice."
Glacierclaw:
His gaze passed between the centaurs gathered around him and Silverlily, before finally landing on the stallion who had spoken. Glacierclaw's eyes narrowed, just slightly. Who was this centaur to ban pegasi from traveling throughout their own homeland? Didn't he know that pegasi lived here long before the centaurs? These creatures were foreign; they had no right to simply claim a part of Anok that they liked and grew comfortable in. Anok was for the pegasi, and Glacierclaw thought these strange creatures belonged on the other side of the Great Sea, where the other Land-walkers resided. However, Glacierclaw kept his opinion to himself; he didn't think it would be very popular amongst the strange horses.
Glacierclaw offered a small, hollow nod, knowing that the centaurs would be wishing for some sort of response, even if Glacierclaw himself had no jurisdiction to make such a decision. Nor did he want to make such a decision. He would tell his over-stallion about what has occurred. He would tell his over-stallion everything; he would not leave out a single detail.
He set his jaw and looked at SIlverlily. The 'stitching', or whatever it was, seemed to work; the bleeding had stopped and the wound was closed. "Think you can fly?"
Fawnroot:
She preened her wings, picking out any bit of sap or stained feathers that Callum had missed. Once she grew too tired to continue, she laid her head down again and sighed lowly. Fawnroot's eyes rested on Callum's figure. She could barely see him, but she could hear him and smell him. He was so close...but yet, he's never felt farther. (so close but yet so far DXXX) He laid across the cave with his back to her: Fawnroot felt her throat tighten.
She folded her wings tighter against her abdomen. He clearly wished to be alone, but why? It certainly wasn't her business, but yet, she was still concerned.
Clarity would come with the morning. Right now, she needed sleep.
Allowing her eyes to close and her breathing to slow, her sleep was consumed with distant thoughts of her herd, the captured foals, Coalwing, relations with the centaurs, and the impending sense that something terrible would come from all of this.
Kilroy: As he waited for Romie to finish his little good deed, he studied the women through the corners of his eyes. They were centaurs, like any others in Johirestown. It wasn’t that he was surprised, no, and yet -
He was interrupted from his internal monologue by the loud hoof steps of a little boy. “Ms. Haziel?” he asked, his voice peeping out. “Dr. Mottel wants to see you at-your-earliest-convenience!”
Another important person, Kilroy thought. A doctor, not a healer. Interesting choice of terminology.
Deva: He looked up at Shahn, a little surprised to receive such a frank answer. “I see,” he said. After a moment, he stood up and brushed off the table. “Well, I better head back. Wife’s waiting for me.
I’ll see you soon.”
Without looking back, he trotted home, distracted with thoughts of what Shahn had said. Who could “do something about it”? The hereditary council? Guran the priest? How could he make them listen? Well, there were ways. Very many ways.
Reba: She stiffened momentarily at Sultaan’s touch. “You are not sleep?” she asked stiffly. Slowly, she shifted her hooves, as if to remind herself that she could still move.
Fig: Oh yes, that talent of diplomacy - that weird skill that he had yet to master. Bjorn had it, somehow, but he did not. It was a weakness and Fig detested that. To be able to snake out of anything -
There was an old proverb he had once heard from his mother that heaven was a place where everything was true and there were no lies. He still believed that. If only centaurs were angels, and none of this would be necessary. But centaurs, and pegasi, were mortal.
Anyway, there was nothing more he could do to emphasize his power without hurting his image. Sometimes centaurs had to stand down.
Romie:
He hadn't been expecting it to take this much oil, either. He carefully added some more. "It might be good to keep some of this close to the pump if something like this ever happens again." It was bound to, with all the rain and use this pump got.
Instead of trying to take the job slowly like he had before, now he was rushing to get it done. He wanted to avoid Haziel's scrutinizing gaze and get somewhere less in the open.
(I’m back kinda!!)
Haziel:
She inhaled slowly and shifted her weight backwards as she watched Gail and Romie begin to fix the pump. After a few moments, she tried to relax in a different way, but could not find any comfort. Standing was becoming more exhausting than usual, plus she hadn’t eaten that morning yet.
“Okay, I’ll try the pump,” Gail said and pushed down on the lever. With a loud creak, it managed to budge an inch down. “Might want to give it a little more of that oil.”
Haziel sensed Tala looking at her, and so she met her eyes. “I’m okay,” Haziel whispered. Her friend did not look very convinced. Thankfully, however, Tala did not say anything. Her friend knew her well.
Shahn:
He sighed softly and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Conversations like these were not rare for him. “Maybe you should take your concerns to somebody who can do something about it,” he suggested, twirling his fork around in his salad. “We need wood, Deva; it’s an inevitable thing. However, there are ways of going about it responsibly. After all, not every logger is mindless and uncaring.”
He scraped up the last of his salad and took a bite. After finishing it, Shahn moved his plate away. “Not that you’re saying that. It’s just important to look at things from both sides of the coin.”
Sultaan:
He moved on his side, tucking his arm beneath his head. Sleep had not yet overcome his mind yet, so Sultaan was still dimly aware of what was around him. Clearly Reba wasn’t asleep yet too just by her movement.
The mute centaur moved his free arm, and in doing so, brushed his hand up against her arm by accident. He hadn’t realized he was that close when he moved on his side. Sultaan inched a little farther away quietly.
Bhearit:
He swallowed. “What? Oh. I, uh—I’m not sure. Maybe the beach? Haven’t been to the beach before, so maybe there,” he replied softly and proceeded to pick at a loose thread in a seam of the quilt. “I mean, for now I don’t have any plans, so I guess I’ll just live here.” Bhearit shrugged to himself even though he knew Kavani couldn’t see it. Her voice sounded raspy, he realized. Not that there would be much he could do about it. And besides, within every minute that passed got them closer to the time they would rise for the next day. Plus, Bhearit was finding it more and more difficult to keep a consistent trail of thought, especially in staying awake. “Um… do you want to go to sleep now? I mean, if not then that’s fine. I can probably pull an all-nighter,” Bhearit said with a chuckle.
(Got lost in the comments!)
Callum:
He heaved a soft grunt as he lay down. Callum’s choice spot of rest was nearest to the cave’s entrance, so as a result he had more light than the others. Remaining upwards, he lifted his shirt. Although it was dim, the scar in his abdomen still caught the moonlight, being smoother and shinier than the rest of his skin. Callum smoothed it over with his thumb and then suddenly shuddered. He had no memory of dying; in fact, he could barely remember that night or the short time in… what was is? Ah, the golden meadow. All he could picture were the lights and the bright, bright, colors. No faces.
Callum rubbed his face and then lay down finally, letting out a long sigh.
Ulrani:
“What a beautiful name,” she replied with a soft smile as she finished up the last stitch with a knot. “Whoever thought of your name must have been proud.” Ulrani smiled again and stepped back with her bag.
Eira:
“I will tell you once we get you in bed,” she replied calmly, however her eyes were solely on her cousin. Keanar, seeming to feel her intense gaze, gave a glance back at them and met Eira’s eyes only for a moment.
Knowing that he would most likely not want to listen to anything she had to say, the mare decided to take a different way to town—any path that didn’t lead back to the chaos.
“Where are you going?” Keanar called when Eira walked away from he.
“To town. I’m not going back to the pegasi if that’s what you want. You can come with me or not, it’s your choice,” Eira called back as she lead Lehman by the hand.
Not to her surprise, Keanar reluctantly followed.
Bjorn:
He turned and fixed his gaze on Fig and seemed to consider what the general said. “Yes, I realize that,” he said solemnly with a furrowed brow. He then turned back to the others. “Ulrani, have you done everything you could?”
“Yes, sir,” the Healer replied and adjusted her satchel strap.
Bjorn inhaled slowly as he prepared to address the pegasi. “Misunderstandings happen,” he began, not taking his eyes from them. “However, misunderstandings can turn a good deal more ugly if one does not handle them well. In this case, it was not handled well at all, resulting in a unnecessary injury. Thankfully, it did not become worse.”
Bjorn rested his eyes on the pegasus stallion firmly. “We do not hold you accountable for damages caused, but we do ask (nice way of saying demand) that you never enter this land again unless you have come to negotiate. We will do the same.”
Fig: He watched the scene in front of him quietly. Ashamed? He wasn’t ashamed. He was merely doing what had to be done to defend his herd. But those Mangrove interlopers had ruined things! If they hadn’t been royals, Fig would have arrested them and thrown them in prison!
“Bjorn, our soldiers need to meet the Sun Herd Pegasi. En masse. We can’t have another attack like this happen again.” If Johirestown soldiers could recognize allied Pegasi, this would not have escalated nearly so fast.
(*waves* nothing like vanishing for lengthy stretches of time. Here is my attempt at actually responding :D. I had to scroll for a long time to find it as my search feature wasn't working, but I'm here! Hopefully! Crazy how fast time zooms by)
Lemonade:
"I'm ok." He whispered softly. "I was just scared for you..." he shut his eyes and let her lead him wherever it was she wanted to take him. "What happened?"
Silverlily
She hated the needle. It hurt when it pierced her skin. Every little prick of it made her want to trample the steed who got her with his gun. What a nasty thing to exist.
Her eyes turned to her companion. He seemed worried...she didn't blame him. This 'stitching' thing seemed to have stopped the bleeding, but it didn't stop the firey feeling in her wing.
Would she be ok? Would she fly again? She didn't really have the answers to that and lowered her eyes from his gaze and glanced at the strange medicine mare instead. "Silverlily." She answered softly.
(I have the other comments saved if anyone needs to see them to jog their memories. I hope to not vanish for another month...but who knows! 😅)
Kilroy: He watched Romie placidly. Handy guy, was he. Well, not everyone needed to know how to repair a lever if someone else could be relied upon to do it.
He glanced back at their guard. Though he hadn’t been paying much attention, it was good to know that he was this relaxed about foreigners. There must have been other foreigners recently in Irichad, he realized suddenly. That was why the response to he and Romie’s arrival had been so muted.
Who were they, then, and did they have anything to do with Snow Herd or any of the other Pegasi? Or, had the Chiefs contacted other settlements as well and invited their representatives?
Deva: “True,” he said, fingering his turban. “But there won’t always be trees. Have you noticed how much thinner the forests around town have become? People are having to get their firewood farther and farther from town.” The more he said it, though, it seemed like silly worrying.
Silly worrying until deer got into his crops because they couldn’t find enough food in the woods, and the mushrooms and ants were gone.
Reba: Night hung heavy over her eyes and it wasn’t long before she was asleep too, listening to the sounds of Anokian night. The darkness of her dreamscape thrummed with energy, the darkness of the desert as she climbed the dunes alone, forever scanning for the hoof prints of help or of danger.
Behind every rock could be her salvation, but deep in her heart of hearts she knew it could only be an enemy raider. The shadows in front of her morphed into the suggestion of his shoulders, the fringe of his cloak…
She ran, kicking up gray sand into the night air, sliding and crashing down the hills, clambering to the stones, crawling into the crevice. I am invisible. I am invisible.
The hotness of his breath burned her ear, his tail brushed down her back. This could be happening, it just couldn’t -
Reba woke up before she made and sort of noise, and the sensations on her skin slowly died away. Her heart raced but she breathed slowly, not wanting to wake Sultaan. She stared at the surroundings of his hut until her eyes went dry.
Kavani:
"Hmm...I'm not sure. I haven't really thought about where to go first." She said truthfully then fiddled with the blanket that was strewn over her horse body. "Somewhere peaceful I suppose, but that could be anywhere outside of Jonirestown." Kavani took another moment to consider his question. Now that she was thinking about it, she realized that his voice had changed tone.
There was something deep and forlorn in his voice, but it was concealed with exhaustion. Her smile faded slowly and she turned her head to the side to look back in Bhearit's direction. The darkness hid him, but it was oddly comforting knowing he was there, even if she couldn't see him. Perhaps he was looking at her, too. Staring through the darkness.
"Where would you go? If you could leave, I mean. The ocean, the mountains...? Or, do you plan on staying here?" Kavani's voice was quieter than she anticipated, and she tried to swallow to wet her mouth, but her tongue ran dry.
Declan:
He smiled at Topaz as she handed a little carved mushroom to his daughters. They inspected it carefully and spoke a slew of compliments about Topaz's handiwork. Declan looked up and glanced around the herd momentarily. Towards the edge pf the herd, he suddenly noticed something. His brows creased together in confusion. How bizarre. A group of Irich females were huddled around a pair of foreigners. Except, as Declan looked closer, one did not appear to be foreign. Yes, now Declan was sure of it; one of the strangers was definitely of Irish-blood. (They would probably notice Kilroy and Romie speaking to the Irich women by now right?)
The group was being escorted by a border guard, who seemed slightly bored and looked unthreatened by the strangers presence in the herd. This made Declan relax and he looked away from the small group, not meaning to stare. Perhaps they were simple travelers from Jonirestown?
Unsure of what to do, Declan focused back on his daughters, who were still in awe at the little carved figures Topaz had made for them.
(Declan probably wouldn't recognize Romie since that's just who he is. Oliver might recognize him though. If we don't want Declan or Oliver involved just yet, let me know and I can edit this!)
Romie:
It was nice to have someone interact with him who didn’t know who he had been, like Gail or how Kilroy had been at first. He could show them how this new Romie was, and they didn’t hold him to old standards. This was part of the reason why he had avoid Irichad for so long. Maybe Haziel could understand his decisions with time.
”That is perfect.” He calmly extended his hand for the bottle and rag. “Fixing this will be quite simple.”
(Alright guys, bye! I’ll be gone for the rest of this week!) Bhearit:
Something in his chest seemed to squeeze his heart, cause his throat to tighten. Was it selfish of him? Bhearit held the blanket up to his face and inhaled slowly. “That sounds amazing,” he said softly and cleared his throat, but found it hard to do so.“Sorry, that came out unenthused. That sounds amazing.” Bhearit forced a quiet laugh. “Any place you’d go first? The mountains, the ocean…?” It was exactly what others had told him—dreams of world travel, to get out there and pursue their dreams of freedom. Whether it was for riches or peace or both, it was always the same thing. Bhearit held the corner of his blanket and twisted it back and forth. No, but Kavani is different. Kollin is different. What’s it to you if they leave? You can’t keep them.
The room suddenly felt stiflingly hot. Bhearit slid his blanket off and moved about until he had found a cooler position. (When the pillow gets too warm. Ugh) You’re overreacting. Yes, I know, it’s been a hard day. That’s a stupid excuse. Bhearit, with trembling hands, pulled back his hair and tied it so that it was off his neck. He tried to relax again. But I’ll be left. He closed his eyes and ground his teeth, trying to silence his loud thoughts.
Haziel:
She smiled slightly and was about to reply just as Gail trotted into view, bottle and rag in hand.
“I’m back,” she puffed and didn’t stop until she came to the pump. “Anything I miss?” Haziel caught her friend’s gaze, and she shook her head.
“Ah, well, let’s get to work on this thing and then we can all go our ways,” Gail said cheerfully and looked at Romie.
Haziel caught Tala’s gaze and shrugged.
Shahn:
He looked over at a fire pit nearby where several centaurs stood around warming themselves and conversing. “Always will be stars. Campfires aren’t going to do anything to them,” he replied and took another bite of salad. “In any case, there are always going to be places where you can see the stars.” At this, Shan craned his head back to gaze at the heavens so sprinkled with little twinkling lights.
Sultaan:
He watched Reba for a few moments before reaching over until his hand was up against her arm. “Goodnight,” he signed and wondered whether or not she could understand. Sultaan turned back on his side again as sleep mercilessly pressed against the back of his eyes. With a long sigh, he relaxed happily.
Topaz:
"If you're sure," She said to Declan, a hint of fear in her eyes. "I'll make you guys a special mushroom." She said to the girls, picking up another piece of wood. She worked for a few minutes and finished, handing it over to the girls so they could look and inspect it. She smiled at the girls as they were transfixed on the mushroom.
Kavani:
Her brows pressed together at Bhearit’s random question. Not only did it come completely out of the blue, but it also didn’t make sense. “Live here? Like… in Jonirestown?” Why would that matter? What would Bhearit think if she said no? Her face scrunched and she hesitated a long moment, unsure what to say. She took the moment to prop her head up with the crook of her elbow. “Well, I haven’t thought about moving. I’ve got duties to the herd and I see no reason in living anywhere else. I like it here and it’s one of the safer herds to raise a growing boy.” Kavani paused and frowned. “But…I would like to travel one day. Maybe when Kollin gets a little older we’ll leave and perhaps bounce from herd to herd. See the world, you know? There’s so much more out there than Jonirestown.“
She flipped onto her back and stared up at the tent’s ceiling. A wide smile filled with awe and wonder warmed her face as she thought of the possibilities. Visions of snow-capped mountains, blue oceans, icey glaciers, tropical jungles, and stretches of desert repeated in her mind. Instead, she was here. Huddled in her little dark corner, taking care of whatever sliver of love and peace she could find. Here in Jonirestown, where her walls were high and her dream of traveling and finding freedom seemed dim. She sighed longingly and closed her eyes. “Yeah…I wanna see it all.“
Romie:
”You are not wasting our time. This water pump is important to your well-being.” He had chosen the long way to Carmela’s home on purpose. The more detours and meandering they did, the more time he would have to collect himself. However, after what Haziel had said about telling his sister, he wanted to get the anticipation over with and get it done as soon as possible.