[SOLO] Springtime Journey (Jua Jiwe and Merridel) [FIN]

[Teigra]

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Prompt: In the aftermath of the winter storm, Kawani's denizens greet the approaching spring with cautious hope. Though the frost lingers in the mountains' reaches, the thaw has arrived, and hints of the new season appear in the form of leaf buds on branches no longer bowed by snow. The following hush is broken by bird song, and the tell-tale sign of new life on the way. In some circles, now is the time to seek out alliances and renew bonds with friends and family separated by winter's grip; in others, individuals might be twitterpated, seeking out a potential mate, ever eager to show off and impress. Others still are simply eager to travel to greener pastures and savor the building warmth and the hope of an early spring. Some among the Soquili and familiars alike may be all too used to this dance, but others may find it very foreign indeed.

As the world begins to wake from the winter thaw, more and more Soquili find themselves out and about. Perhaps the winter weather had kept them at bay, but now they are here in full force, crowding the Kawani with their presence. While the competition for resources may be made all the more fierce with these strangers in the mix, some Soquili may not find their company so very loathsome after all. Then again, the rites of spring are never without some degree of drama.

How does your Soquili or familiar respond to the burgeoning Spring? Are they ready to get out there and spread their figurative (or sometimes literal) wings now that the weather is warmer? Are they out seeking new friends, new locations, or a mate? Or perhaps they are put off by all the incessant birdsong, chatty new neighbors, and twitter pated fools? Is love in the perfumed air? Or is your soq just trying to make it through the day unbothered and on a hunt for peace and quiet? The world is teaming with new life -- is your Soquili or familiar ready?

Total Word Count: 1,979

 

[Teigra]

Ugh, finally the blizzard and freezing weather had passed and life was beginning to emerge out into the open Kawani lands once again. Jua Jiwe had believed that she may lose her mind before being able to freely race over the open fields again. Granted, she had had little trouble keeping herself warm in her shelter, but even so, it had been safest to bed down and wait the storms out rather than risk blundering around in the blizzard and getting lost. Even her personal heat source had to have a limit...didn't it?

So many questions she had about herself that she was unable to answer.

That was part of why she had undertaken this journey in the first place. To find out more about herself, her roots, where she came from, and who she really was. Not to mention, well, there weren't any other Soquili in her mother's herd that possessed their own perpetual heat source as she did. Perhaps her father would have some answers for her? Though, her mother's description of him hadn't given her much hope. He had sounded like a generally ordinary sort of stallion. Mostly. Yet, it gave her more hope to seek answers from that source than from any she was likely to find in the home where she'd grown up.

Besides, she had never felt all that at home in that place. It didn't feel like 'home' when she never felt like she fit in, nor did she live up to her mother's expectations. She didn't have the heart to be as ruthless as she felt her mother wished she would be. Perhaps with her gone, her sister could rise to their mother's aspirations; she would have her attention all to herself rather than having to share it with a sibling.

And so, Jua Jiwe had set off with little pomp or circumstance. She didn't feel as if she would be missed, and honestly, this wasn't necessarily a goodbye forever either. She needed answers, she needed to find herself, find the truth about where she came from. It didn't mean she could never go back. It would just be a journey. A journey with an unforeseeable length or end.

Perhaps she should have better tracked the seasons before setting off, however. Planning had never been her strongest suite. The blizzard had driven her into shelter to wait out the storm. At least she'd found a suitable cave to rest where she could keep warm and safe until traveling was suitable again. And so it was now! The sun was bright, the air was crisp, but not too cold, and the sounds of birds were on the air wherever she roamed. Beautiful flowers seemed soon to bloom, some still only buds hiding the promise of what sunlight and warmth could bring. She felt like a young filly again and her paws carried her lightly over the earth as she frequently paused her forward progress in order to better investigate some new beetle or sniff a flower about to bloom.


WC: 506  

[Teigra]

Hmm, perhaps some daisies or daffodils? Oh, one of those peonies for a pop of color!

A soft brown mare picked her way delicately through the field of flowers, making careful selections and muttering to herself periodically. Every once in a while, she would make a happy exclamation and trot over to a specific flower and add it to the growing bouquet she was collecting in a small basket. Then, she would pick up the basket in her teeth and trot away to the next bit of flora.

Merridel was practically glowing in the spring sunshine and she was ecstatic to be able to go out and about once more. The cold, dreary winter months could be draining on one's mood already, but with the addition of the awful storms that they had had this year keeping everyone huddled down for protection, safe in whatever shelter they could find, it was no wonder some had started to get a bit stir crazy. She had missed the flowers most of all, though the sunshine was a close second It felt like it had been so long since she'd been able to freshen up and decorate her mane and coat with fresh flora. She had always felt her coat to be a bit plain compared to some other Soquili, but that meant she had the opportunity to dress herself up and she could always change her look much easier than a Soq could change their fur or hair colors.

Having judged the amount of flowers in her basket to be satisfactory, Merridel sought out a clear spot in the field to lay them out to admire them, then begin weaving them together into a flower chain. She had not expected to run into anyone else in the meadow today, else she may have spent more time on her appearance rather than letting her mane and tail dry as they wished from her earlier river bathing. Of course, sometimes the wild, tussled look could be quite fetching as well, right?


WC: 337  

[Teigra]

Jua Jiwe's travels eventually brought her to a vast meadow full of flowers. There were daisies and daffodils and wildflowers of more types than she could ever hope to know names for. She was careful of where to place her paws, as well as being aware of her personal space. Wouldn't do to set anything on fire...if that was possible. Better safe than sorry. She skirted around the taller grasses, wondering at each new flower species and the many colors before she realized she was not alone. Oh, Mother would have been ashamed of her for losing her focus even for a moment. She could have been attacked in a moment of weakness.

This was why she was so terrible at being ruthless or cunning. Too easily distracted.

Her attention had focused on another mare nearby, sitting in the grass and doing something with the flowers. Well, this was as good a chance as ever to speak to a local and see if she could get some guidance. "Err, hello there! Lovely day today, yes?" Oh gosh, she was awkward at making conversation. "Um, I wondered if I could ask you a question perhaps?"


WC: 194  

[Teigra]

Merridel looked up sharply at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. She hadn't been expecting company today. She didn't recognize the voice at all either. Still, aside from being surprised to note that she wasn't alone, she didn't seem any more alarmed than that. Instead, she offered the stranger a warm smile from her place in the tall grass. She couldn't see the other in full, but what she could see seemed to be a pleasant, warm-hued mare with windswept curls. How lovely!

"Oh yes, it is a lovely day today, isn't it? A question? I suppose it depends on the question, but please, ask away!"


Jua could have sighed in relief. Perhaps this would go more smoothly than she first thought. "Ah, good, appreciated. So uh, my name is Andraste," she continued, giving her common name rather than her true one for a first introduction. "And you see, I'm on a bit of a journey. I grew up with my mother and sister, but I've never met my father and I'm sort of trying to find him and I know it's really a long shot, but I was wondering if you might know anyone that fits his description or maybe someone like him or perhaps could just, point me in a direction maybe instead...?" The run-on sentence slowed and eventually trailed off before she took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. Her tone was a bit more somber when she continued, adding to what she said earlier. "I know you probably won't be able to help me, I just... I don't have much to go on."


Merridel frowned a bit, pursing her lips as if deep in thought. "Oh goodness, that sounds like quite the quest you're on, Andraste. It's a pleasure to meet you, nevertheless. My name is Merridel," she introduced herself as she set aside her flower chain and climbed to her hooves. "Oh...oh my," she exclaimed in surprise, blinking repeatedly at the other mare in confusion.


Knowing immediately what had happened, 'Andraste' sighed and shifted her paws to turn her side towards the other more clearly. "Yes, I--well, this is one of many questions I hoped that my father might be able to shed some light upon," she admitted. "Though, from my mother's description, he had no features of the sort either. And obviously, my mother and sister don't share the trait, so it's always been a bit of a mystery. Not only in where it came from, but in how it works."


"Does it...does it hurt?" Merridel asked with concern. But the other mare only shook her head.


"No, it doesn't hurt. I mean, it doesn't hurt me at least, and I try to be careful to keep my distance from others just in case. It's just sort of...warm, to me."


Merridel's eyes widened with wonder. She'd never seen such a thing on another Soquili before. The fiery glow seemed to cast just light and warmth, but was it as dangerous as it appeared? It seemed to cause no harm to the other mare at least. Which she supposed made sense, it was a part of her. Was this something that fire Ulun'suti dealt with perhaps? Or could shed some light on, so to speak? "Well, in any case, you will never know if you don't ask. Tell me about your father then. Was he a Fire Ulun'suti perhaps?"She received only a confused expression in reply.

"Fire...Ulun...Suti?" Andraste repeated, trying out the strange word on her tongue. She wasn't familiar with such a thing, but perhaps this was a clue afterall! "I'm not sure what that is," she admitted, "But let me tell you what my mother told me. He was a tall, handsome stallion with a warm colored coat like mine. Oh, and long hair the same color as mine too! And he had a short tail like mine, only instead of paws, he had split hooves. I got the paws from Mom. Oh! And he had wings that looked like autumn leaves! My sister got the wings, I didn't. And--"

Andraste enthusiastically chattered on with every shred of detail about her father that she'd managed to get out of her mother. And after listening patiently and thoughtfully, Merridel offered her own information, about Fire Ulun'suti being connected to the fire element and sometimes sharing elemental traits on their bodies like hers. Of course, by the description she had given, this father, Braedyn, sounded more like a Cery'flutter, but appearances could be deceiving. Perhaps he showed no sign, but had some 'Suti blood in him from a parent or grandparent that didn't show until he had kids.

Oh, Merridel just loved a good mystery!

By the time the sun had begun to set in the evening sky, the two mares had spent hours chatting and Merridel had woven a number of flowers into Andraste's lovely mane. Andraste smiled and said, "Oh, I do hate to go, you've been such pleasant company, but I really must get back to my search. You've given me much to think about and new clues I could follow up on!"

"Well, you at least must stay the night. You can get started again in the morning, but stay tonight and get a good night's rest. You'll be safe here and can set out early when you're refreshed." It took little convincing, fortunately, for Merridel to convince her new friend to stay just a bit longer. Oh, she hadn't had this much excitement in a long time! Even before the dreary winter months! It was amazing just how much a new friend could brighten an already lovely day!


WC: 942

[FIN]