[PRP] Miniature Memory [Sadiki & Eleanor, Evelyn]

[Huroggmeten]

Sadiki gazed around at the lands, a faint smile on her face. It had been a while since she'd seen more than her familiar family glade. Though she loved the meadow nestled in a quiet valley that she had shared so much of her life with, she and her Lifemate had decided that in their twilight years it was time to... explore, a little. Home would be there, when they returned, and they could enjoy other landscapes without worry now that the children had children of their own.

She was a Grandmother.

Sadiki smiled, her head turning to the sky as the pictures of her loved ones floated through her waking mind. She had seen so many, growing and grown, through these many years... so much time since she had been stuck, heart-stick, on that fateful beach.
And now she could move freely, aware that her mate was close by, trusting in him and in herself enough to explore. There was so much she had not seen, and she felt as though there was much she had missed since the fires had ravished the land. The family had been lucky, and lost none, yet they had drifted apart until only she and Kazan remained...

Even Kaen had eventually gone his own way.

Still smiling, her gaze drifted downwards as she peeked around at the wooded area.
One of her favorite things about this new adventure was that she never knew who they'd end up seeing the next day. When one remains still, other lives swirl about and those that cross over tend to be rather expected- most strangers would respectfully avoid the family's gathering and resting place, so it was only a bold few and actual family members who came to visit them at home. Here, wandering through the territories of others, they could encounter... anyone.

Her ears flickered as a nearby brush rustled, and she sniffed the air gently, wondering whether Kazan had returned early and if not who it could be.
She felt no tension, and trusted in her survival instincts; this was no predator coming out from the bush... but. "Hello." she called, her voice smooth and kind.
Who could it be?
 

[Huroggmeten]

(Note: Still a foal IC, even though her adult form has been dropped in-thread and added to Teepee. :3)

Eleanor sneezed, wrinkling her nose at the dusty bush. It seemed that not many had passed this way before, or there would have been a lot less of this pesky fluff-dirt around. Frowning lightly, she shook her head and tried to move around the obstacle, pressing her way between the outer edges of two large bushes and making quite a lot of noise in the process.

"Sorry... sorry." she murmured to the bush, feeling a little bad about the leaves that were torn off in the wake of her passage and yet uncertain how she'd find her way again if she didn't press through.
She'd been wandering around alone, drawn away from her family by a large butterfly with prismatic wings, and she'd gotten... well... misplaced. She didn't want to say lost yet, because Lost was scary and being Lost didn't sound fun at all, but she knew that ... maybe... her lower lip quivered a bit as she stumbled, catching herself just before she fell.
Tears welling in her little eyes, she stopped moving as a gentle voice called to her.

It didn't sound like a predator, and her parents would have kept super-close watch on her if any signs of them had been around, so she knew it wasn't bad- plus, how could a voice so nice-sounding belong to someone mean?
Satisfied, she called back, her little voice piping up from her predicament in the brush. "Hi! Uhm my-name-is-Eleanor-pleasure-to-meet-you, i'm stuck!" her voice was a little like Mama's, but it still held the squeaking notes of foalhood and lacked her mother's smooth melody. Maybe it would develop in time, but for now she sounded very much her age.
And that wasn't very old at all.

"What's your name?" Strangers aren't strangers if you know their name, right? And then they could talk and it would be alright and.... maybe she'd help her get out of this mess.
Eleanor sighed. And she didn't even see the butterfly any more, either.  

[Huroggmeten]

Sadiki tilted her head at the young, piping voice rising up from among the bushes, and then with a small intake of breath she was moving forwards without a second thought.
So young, and stuck? The mare and many-times Mother's brow furrowed as she popped her head over the bush, rooting around with her nose to find the little foal. Eleanor, she said he name was- such a pretty name.

"I'm Sadiki, Eleanor, and yes it is a pleasure to meet you." she murmured, keeping her voice low and soothing and she poked around in the leaves. Ah- there.
The green leaves parted to reveal the silver-and-ebony face of a filly, touched with a cute little brown chin and the widest lavender eyes she had ever seen.

Staring into those eyes, Sadiki felt herself momentarily transported, seeing the face of a much larger dapple-grey mare rising from the bushes before her... Evelyn. Lovely, ethereal Evelyn... whose children she had raised with her mate, for the mare in question had been far too wraithlike to care for them herself. Evelyn had since remedied her relationship with those foals- not adults, too- but Sadiki still felt like they were her own children.
And, now, this little filly... so alike that one, and yet so full of life.

Sadiki shook her head slightly and smiled, latching onto the present. "Hang on, little one. I'm here." Nosing down a little further, Sadiki began to pull her head back as gently as she could, trying to part the bush without snapping any of the tender limbs. Luckily, a recent rain had left them rather saturated, and so they bent willingly, only a few leaves sprinkling down with her movements.
She stopped speaking, for some of the branches were started to resist and prickling the sensitive skin along her jawline and chin. Pale eyes flitted between her task and the little filly, making sure no branches would swing back as she slowly pulled back one side of left-most bush to reveal a small, leaf-littered path for the filly to follow.

Eleanor... where's your mother, dear?
Sadiki wondered, watching the filly with interest and concern- no scratches, just a little dust on her nose, nothing to fear.
And... who?
 

[Huroggmeten]

Eleanor blinked, peering up at the large face before her and gasping a little. The mare had a black coat- black- and great silver markings around her eyes, and lines down her cheeks and ooo her mane was so pretty. Forgetting her situation temporarily, tears entirely forgotten, Eleanor stared in amazement at her rescuer, almost missing her name so enthralled was she."Hi, Sadiki!" she said, watching as the older mare began to pull back the bush to let her through. Excited, she wiggled her little tail and licked her lips, admiring how the larger body could part the bush without hurting it. Some day, she'd be that big, like Sadiki and Mama, and she could do all those things too!

"Thank you!" she piped, darting forwards almost as soon as the path was cleared and grinning happily.
Shaking her head to clear the leaves from her mane, she tried to trot one step closer to the mare and stumbled slightly, her head gently thunking on the other's upper leg as she frowned. "Sorry." she mumbled, embarrassed, drawing her head back and hanging it down in shame. Peeking upwards through her little lashes, she sighed and then explained "I wanted to say thank you but i'm not very good at moving my hooves fast yet, Mother says coordination comes with age but I think coordination should come with hooves." It just wasn't fair; why would she be born like this if she couldn't move around wherever she wished?
It wasn't like her siblings were that uncoordinated... sure, they'd all been a little wobbly in the beginning, but the others had seemed to figure it out soon enough and she felt a little... left behind.
 

[Huroggmeten]

Sadiki smiled gently, admiring the dappling across the filly's coat as she pranced through the clearing. Once the filly was free of the bush, Sadiki lifted her head up and over in one fluid movement, allowing the bush to settle back into place with a quick back-and-forth rustle. She'd managed to avoid getting any scratches, and the filly seemed to be just fine.
Oh!- Sadiki drew another sharp breath as the filly tumbled, then relaxed when she felt the gentle thunk against her soft shoulder. Oh, good. She sighed, shaking her head gently, remembering just how nerve-racking raising children could be.
But, ah, wasn't it the most rewarding thing ever? To see them change and grow, to watch them learn and love and some day raise children of their own... she smiled wistfully. Oh, little one... there's so much of this world you've let to discover.

Roused from her mental wanderings by the filly's apology, she smiled and reached down to nudge Eleanor's chin upwards with the bridge of her nose. No down-trodden looks, none of that... not when i'm around.
"No worries, dear; we all have to learn what to do with our hooves, at some point or another, and we all learn at different paces." It might seem like she was reading the other's thoughts, but in truth she was merely observant and had seen too many foals looking similarly sheepish to be unable to hazard a guess at where the true problem lay. Sibling competition, gentle rivalries, and perhaps some teasing... she held her tongue from tsking lightly. Foals, just like adults, could be cruel.
She only hoped that this filly had never endured similar torment.

"Now... you're not in trouble, of course, but do your parents know where you are? " peering down at the little form with a smile still on her face to soften the words, she was struck again by how similar this mare was to... that one. And, yet, that flourish of blonde mane and the brown markings... the stallion, perhaps?
Her brow wrinkled once more. Wasn't that... how Connor's father looked?

Peering closely at the filly, Sadiki kept on smiling, all the while wondering... had she encountered family in her journey, after all?
 

[Huroggmeten]

Eleanor felt the warmth of the mare's breath on her chin, then blinked a little as she- Sadiki, that was she!- gently lifted her chin back up. She smiled, a little wobbly but accompanied by a hesitant and hopeful little light in her eyes; somehow, when your chin is raised, everything doesn't seem so bad.
She listened intently.

Everyone had to learn?
Different paces... well, sure that was meant to be comforting, but how come she had to be the slow one? Though, it wouldn't really be fair if she pushed off that slowness onto someone else, if she even could- she couldn't... no, not nice, anyway- and it wouldn't be fair to anyone. It wasn't like the world had singled her out and forced it upon her, it was just... her way. Right? Like something special just for her, except it was something that really wasn't very nice but it was hers so she should love it all the same? Or try to improve it without changing what it was an... her head had started to spin a little. She focused on Sadiki again, her smile turning to a stern expression of concentration and then relief.

Not in trouble!
Oh, good.

... er... well... "Uhm... they know where we all are generally, and it seems like they really do find us very fast when we get lost, but." she scrunched her nose "No... no, I don't think they know where I am right now...." Not yet, anyway.

Eleanor deflated slightly, holding her head low and then remembering that Sadiki had lifted her chin. She lifted her little chin after a breath, all on her own, but still looked a little sheepish.
Now was she in trouble?

 

[Huroggmeten]

Sadiki felt a familiar pride swell up in her chest at the filly's bold little smile, the shakiness of it tugging at her heart-strings even as the light in her eyes called to something inside her that just wanted too cuddle and nurture and protect.
Strange, how a Mother's instincts could be brought out by any foal... all foals... every one special in her heart, for all that some shared her blood as well. They were all unique, all precious, to be cherished and loved and protected until such time as they were old enough to discover and grow on their own.
And they would be loved even then.

She listened carefully to the little filly, waiting for the admission of being lost or of being out without permission. Some parents, she knew, were not so understanding of the wanderings of foals... even if, somehow, those little darlings always seemed to find a way to get out on their own as soon as they could walk.
But this little one... no, she couldn't have made it too far on her learner's legs.

"Alright." she kept her voice soft, gentle, warm, soothing- all those things that came naturally to her, and so the only change she made was keeping the slight stern scolding tone out. This filly seemed to scold herself internally, and so she needed to outward force to add to her self-derision.
Sadiki's heart soared a the little filly picked her wilting chin back up, seeming to understand that if one must wait for punishment one should at least do it with their pride intact.

She sighed and looked up at the sky. Oh, my...
How much she wanted to continue to watch this little one to grow.

The least she could do is ensure her safe return Home.
"Do you know where they are?" she asked, lowering her head so she was on-level with the little foal's sparkling and yet slightly wary eyes. No punishment here, only love- freely given, effortlessly inspired. "Little Eleanor... where's home?"
 

[Huroggmeten]

Eleanor waited through the simple confirmation, perking her ears slightly as the mare looked to the sky. Her own eyes turned skywards, looking around for whatever had caught her attention- but... well... it was a sky.
Puzzled, she wiggled her little tail a little as she waited, then smiled as the other lowered her head to be on eye-level.
Oh, good. It was so much easier to see expressions when she could see more than the underside of a face. And expressions helped you figure out why someone, for example, had looked at the sky.

Her question derailed the little filly's train of thought, and she forgot about the meaning of sky-gazing for a little while.
Where's Mom? Where's Daddy?
"Well... they're together." she brightened a little more; they were always together, and they loved each other very very much and nothing could ever come between them- ever and... but, that wasn't what Sadiki had meant, was it?
She clenched her little lips, her chin puckering slightly at the tension, and then let out a sigh.
"... Home... home is with my family, and we may rest in the same place most nights but I guess home moves with them, only it's hard to find my way back to sleep-place alone and..." her eyes teared up a little
"They're home and i'm not home with them and home is backwards from here but I forgot which way I came from." Oh, she knew she came into this little clearing from the bushes, but had she really gone in a straight line before then?
She needed... she needed.

She looked up at the mare with her kind voice and kind eyes.
"Can... can you help me find them? Please?"
She liked exploring, but she didn't like being... l ... l.... lo...

lost.  

[Huroggmeten]

She sighed.
Foals should come with two-legged's satchels filled with little markers, arrows to help point the way back home. And yet, the mischievous few would move the markers, alter the path, to mess with their siblings or to throw their parents off the trail. So, even that would not do.

She disliked that this lost little filly would have to rely on the kindness of strangers to find her way back home- and yet she was eternally grateful that she had been the stranger to stumble upon the little dear.
Perhaps... if she was family... perhaps that grey mare still needed help, after all?

She put together what she knew of the little filly.
Her parents were together- good, than the grey mare had finally found her peace- and home was family, yes, of course- but home was backwards from here and the filly hadn't kept track of where she'd been.
Ah...

"Of course." she reassured her, reaching forward with a mother's instinct to nuzzle Eleanor's cheeks, keeping the tears and the fears at bay.

"Now... I don't think we want to go straight back, do we? So, let's move around these bushes and find where you came through. Alright? A game, just for us."
She smiled, putting a little enthusiasm into her voice, swiveling her hooves gracefully to line herself up right by the filly, as if for the start of a race- and yet this race was to be run side-by-side, with care, and support.
"Let's go find Home."
 

[Huroggmeten]

Eleanor swallowed the tears that had started to form away, enjoying the warm touch of the motherly figure who had rescued her from the clutches of the stubborn bush.
She listened to her talking, and she seemed so certain and had such a GOOD plan that Eleanor felt quite confident in their ability to succeed at this little adventure. Right! Home!
"Okay!" she shifted her hooves, wiggling excitedly to line her little hooves up with the mare's larger ones. She'd moved so gracefully... some day, Eleanor would move like that too! She was just doing it at her own pace!
And...

And going around bushes... well. That seemed... logical.
She grinned, deciding that left was the best way to go, and started to step, leaning towards the left; but, this should be done together, right? She started at Sadiki's front left hoof in concentration, her little legs just starting to shake slightly from holding the pose. "... now?"
 

[Huroggmeten]

Sadiki smiled once more, at seeing the way the little mare- the little filly, she corrected herself, for all that she might be showing signs of the mare she was to become- swallowed back her tears and put on a determined show of enthusiasm.
She felt a little giggle swell up in her throat at the filly's wiggles- so cute!- and then raised her own hoof to follow the filly's lead. Left was as good as any, when choosing a direction to shift around the brush.

"Now."
 

[Huroggmeten]

Eleanor let out a sigh of relief and burst forward, her leg giving way slightly as she pushed off with her hind legs to spring into the air to the left of the brush. She felt like she'd been holding her leg up forever.
Glancing behind to make sure the kind mare was coming, she couldn't help but grin even as the tears dried on her face.

Home! She was going home.
This very good mare was going to help, and some day she'd be graceful too and move prettily and Mother would be so proud and she was going to give Daddy the BIGGEST nuzzle when she got home because oh how long had she been gone and oh being lost was so scary but she wasn't lost if someone had found her, right? She peeked at Sadiki once more, the kind mare who had helped her get un-stuck and now was going to help her find Home. She thought it was a very good thing, to be found by such a nice mare, so so kind and caring and so very sweet that she could very well imagine her always going about and being so very nice.
And...
Eleanor paused. Well.

Which way was home again?

She scrunched up her lips in thought. They were going around the bush because it was easy to get stuck in (she glanced back with a sniffle for the leaves; poor things, they hadn't meant to grab her) and that meant that she'd come from... she looked around... from... that way!

She moved in 'that' direction, eager to see her family again. "I think I recognize this path!" It was really very scary not to know where she was, or at least not to be certain, but it wasn't so bad when you had someone at your side.
Especially if that someone was her new friend Sadiki!
 

[Huroggmeten]

Sadiki followed closely behind the filly, dutifully keeping an eye on her hooves' path and general movements to make sure she could alert the little filly before she steered herself into some further precarious situation.
With the practiced eye of a many-times-over Mother, she watched the filly move and predicted possible obstacles while keeping a note of their surroundings.

Here she was, with this adorable little filly who was like a living memory, unique and clearly her own soul and yet so similar to the one who was surely her mother. It was not the first time she had cared for one of Evelyn's offspring, but this time... oh, this time she was sure things were different.
'Home... home is with my family' True words; the heart roamed with loved ones, even as they grew to take on lives of their own. And home moved with them. Something about the way the little filly said 'they' made Sadiki hope that the family she was returning her to was whole, caring, loving, warm.
So unlike the one she had cared for before.

"That's good, little one."

Sadiki glanced up ahead, making sure nothing was coming that may pose danger to either, listening carefully and keeping one eye on the filly who kept glancing back at her so trustingly.
No child had ever misplaced their faith in her; she was, at heart, a care-taker of all. But especially of little foals.

Such a tender age, and one which required such patience and love.
She smiled to herself. Remembering all those who had grown and then matured, all the loved ones who had touched her heart and would never leave. There was one more little one in there now, and though they may only be briefly together in body she would always be there in spirit.
It was so easy, to let foals into one's heart... perhaps a bit more difficult to make true friends once adulthood came, but once made they were to be cherished always.
Most of her love was for family, but family came in many forms- bound by blood, by shared experiences or by raising foals as and/or alongside one's own.
Loving another being, caring for them and making sure they blossomed into an expression of their truest self.
Such was the calling of a mother. Some heard it in their deepest soul, like herself, and some... some took a little longer to hear the call.

Her mind wandered, though her gaze was true; nothing would come without her knowing. This filly was safe, with her.
And soon, she would be reunited with her Mother. Oh, Evelyn.

She hoped the once-wraith-like mare was again vibrant and full of life. Loved, clearly, and full of joy.
She must be, if she was raising her own children.

Sadiki blinked at the rather un-charitable thought, and sighed at herself. She met the filly's gaze, then gently indicated to pay attention to their surroundings too.
Yes.

It was time to get this miniature memory home.
 

[Huroggmeten]

Evelyn continued down the trail left by her daughter, suppressing a feeling of rising panic. She hadn't been gone too long, little Eleanor, she'd merely wandered off from the family to take care of personal business; she couldn't have gotten far, there was no need to worry.
But... it didn't hurt to check on her, right?

Eve smiled to herself, sighing wistfully as a dreamy-soft expression filtered across her face. To think, that she had been reunited with the love of her life. Ah, Bliss. emotion_bigheart that her family had grown to take on his- a sister, a mare who cared for her brother named for the very feeling that permeated their unity- Happiness. - and, now. Children.
A son, and two beautiful daughters.

One of whom... was.. well.
Evelyn glanced at the area surrounding her, peeking behind a little tree at the rise of a small hill.
Slightly further than personal business accounted for.

 

[Huroggmeten]

Eleanor nodded happily to herself, just once. Yes, it was good! She was learning the area, even though she didn't really come out much alone. She had such a lovely big family.
She sniffed away a little pang of tears; she would be back soon!
She'd just... gotten a little distracted, that's all.
It was Good to explore, just a little... right?

She glanced back at the mare following dutifully behind her, fascinated by the way the mare's eyes seemed to focus on her and about all at once, flicking away every now and then to investigate something further but then falling back on her.
She felt very safe around Sadiki, almost as safe as she did around her father and everyone they loved.

It was good to love many others, for then one (she grinned to herself at trying to mimic the speech of others, though she couldn't remember where she might have heard it) might have much more love in one's life.
And more was good... right? Especially more love.

"Sadiki? " She paused just at the start of a rising hill, peeking back curiously. "Do you have a lot of love in your life? I hope so." Perhaps, if she'd been a little older, or a little less comfortable in her presence, she wouldn't have asked- but, as it was, she was a young filly out on her own and quite comfortable around her new friend.
Come to think... did grown-ups always wander off alone?

She frowned.
She was sure that, once one was big enough, it was okay to be off without your loved ones surrounding you, but surely everyone wanted to be in a big pile of loving family? Right?

Her eyes grew wide. Surely everyone loved someone, right? And was loved in return?
She thought it must be very awful indeed, if not. Unthinkable! She decided that everyone, obviously, must have at least some love.
After all, everyone had parents and siblings and and extended family and... Yeah!

No one came from nowhere.
So, everyone must be loved!

She couldn't fathom a family, a life, without love.
And that was a beautiful thing, indeed... for all that life may some day teach her otherwise.