[LOG] Lonely Souls (Wohali Usti + Vevina)

[elfstar89]

This is a log of an ongoing RP over Discord with elfstar89 and Ice_Dragon_Demon. Wohali Usti's posts are in burly wood. Vevina's posts are in dark gray.

 

[elfstar89]

Vevina strode from her home, her two legger companion was out hunting. Not to far off but far enough. Vevina could still sense her companion's presence in the forest nearby. Their teepee was on the other side where the pains met the forest. The lake was fed by the offshoot of a river. nothing had happened lately, all of her family had vanished again. had Her mother had perhaps finally passed? Vevina was much older herself than most of the Soquili now roaming the lands. She'd become rather numb to most things, she hardly smiled the same as she used to. The older mare used to be all smiles. Strange how life changed, she expected to be living happily with her second mate, the one who helped her smile again after the loss of her first love. Strangely he vanished at some point she could no longer remember. Vevina strode partially into the water so it was just over her short socks. With a sigh The mare bent over to drink.  

[elfstar89]

Wohali picked his way carefully along the stream that fed the lake, his son tagging along close behind, little Awinita and the older two-legger, Litonya, settled on his broad, white-splashed-and-shadow-streaked back. Neither was a very confident rider as yet, but that would surely change with time. They were out today on some errands. Litonya had gestured that she wanted to pick up some willow branches and grasses for baskets, and Wohali was out for more eagle feathers. Partially to replace those he'd lost in the Great Fire. Partially to keep his mind off the difficulties facing the Kawani in these troubled times, and his own hard work to keep the Village Herd going. Partially to get his little family away from the smoke and ashes that still filled the Village. It was difficult to be without his beloved lifemate, and their adventuring little princess, not to mention his two-legger, but the children needed him. He couldn't lose himself in his sorrows.

His red hooves splashed into the placid waters of the lake almost before he noticed. They had arrived.  

[elfstar89]

Vevina's ears flicked at the sound of approaching hoofbeats, they were heavy she could hear too there was another set much lighter following. a child perhaps? could be a flutter they were quite light, they hardly made any sound. Not that she'd actually met one. Kalona yes she had, and didn't like it. She'd been with Lovebeam during that encounter, and now that she thought about it she was glad she had been. She liked to stay away from the more dangerous breeds. Vevina brought her head up as she heard them splashing in the water. A speckled stallion had two riders on his back and a young son behind. curious. What were they doing here? Vevina wondered. Though they probably came to drink it was a fairsized lake. There was a time she'd delight in meeting and welcoming others. Now she was just cautious. She watched them from a distance. Though perhaps she ought to be polite. Vevina shook her head, nothing good seemed to come of conecting with others as of late. At least her two legger hadn't abandoned her like the rest of her family.  

[elfstar89]

Wohali paused by a big rock along the shore. Litonya slid off awkwardly, then reached up to pull Awinita off, rather more certainly, setting the little girl on the strand before sliding off the boulder herself. She nodded to Wohali, gesturing to the colt. "We'll be right here," she said in her native Ohlone. "You go do what you came here to do." Wohali understood the gestures and the reassuring smiles better than the words. Litonya still wasn't comfortable with the Kawani language, and, quite frankly, the Soquili spoke in a way entirely separate from Kawani. He nudged the colt toward the female two-leggers.

"You stay here with Awinita and Litonya, kiddo. I'll be back later. Before sunset. We'll go home together, I promise." The colt hadn't spoken much since the Great Fire, and Wohali was worried. Maybe they needed to talk more with other Soquili, especially if the silence was a mark of the trauma of losing half their equine family. The stallion wasn't sure he could do it alone these days.

The colt flashed a wistful smile, nodded, and trotted off toward Litonya and Awinita. Satisfied, Wohali turned toward an old trail that led toward where the eagles nested this time of year, not immediately noticing the shadowy pinto mare standing on the shores of the lake, watching the little family.  

[elfstar89]

Vevina watched the group disperse, they were hunting in her human's terrirotry. her human was a lot older now than she had been back when Vevina was new. She should be fine. Normally she would be quite welcoming. but the sweet mare had been slowly worn down by man losses over the years. her daughters and son had all but left. Even both of the stallions she'd adored. Her own mother , father sister's and brothers had also left this place.The mare snorted. yeah they weren't coming back anytime soon. the only person who seemed to visit was her friend the wandering mare. She was still quite warry of those who'd come. She watched them split up but kept eyes on both till the humans and foal had left. She then focused on the stallion that remained, he was walking toward where the eagles nested.  

[elfstar89]

Wohali made his way up the trail, not particularly hurrying. If he was lucky, he could find some on the ground, possibly from where the fledgelings had launched themselves from a nest. If not, he'd have to jump to reach them, or just give up. At any rate, Litonya probably wanted quite a bit of material for her baskets, so it'd take the girls a while to load up their baskets, the small pack his son was sporting, and his own pack. They hadn't replaced his saddle yet, so any saddlebags needed to be actively held in place while riding. Not a very good solution, but since Wohali didn't get ridden much these days, a new saddle wasn't desperately needed.

The Great Fire had cleared out a lot of the underbrush along the deer path. Most of the shrubs and shorter trees had died, leaving behind only ash and blackened husks. Flowers hadn't come back yet, so what covered the soft, silvery ash were coppery needles. Each step of his red hooves kicked up a small cloud of particles, which were most of the scents in the air around him. Wohali paused, lifting his head and inhaling more deeply. He closed his red eyes, sifting through the scent of ash.

There. Faint, but nearby. Probably in one of the few living trees in this area. Wohali opened his eyes and craned his head back. There, at the top of the nearest surviving tree, not too far from the lake, was an eagle, glaring grumpily out at the world. The lower branches were too zorched to catch any fallen feathers, but there were a few on the ground. Definitely time to be careful. Eagles had little need for lost feathers, but they could be nasty when provoked. Those talons hurt.

Stepping forward carefully, he watched the eagle, as it watched him. He reached toward the feathers. Suddenly, before he could dodge, the eagle screamed, and dove toward him, black talons outstretched.