Expedition #2 - CLOSED!

[Sushidragon]

Welcome to the first RP expedition! I hope you'll have some fun today, and maybe even find an exciting item or two

Before we get started, here's some rules and info!

- The items that will be given out are based partly on effort, partly on creativity, and are also partly random. Unlike the completely random expedition, everyone who participates will receive at least one item!
- Remember that you'll only know what your Samanayr has found after you've written your RP response and I've gone through and responded. As nice as it would be to get your Samanayr to find a nice bid cache of modiems, unfortunately that's not going to happen
- In your response, please include where your Samanayr goes to search. They can only go to one of the locations.
- If you post your response before 7pm PST, I'll be making another post not too long after that which will give you an opportunity to do more searching!

Whew, I think that covers everything XD Here we go!

--

Spring is just around the corner, but with the weather today is closed to mid-winter. Although the sky is clear and blue, the air is freezing cold and the ground is covered with patches of old snow and frost left over from the night. The early morning sun, just barely above the horizon, does nothing to take the chill from the air.

Despite the weather, a group of Samanayrs has gathered for the day's expedition, their fur fluffed against the cold. Each has a pair of carry-baskets strapped snugly on, one lying along each of their sides and ready to receive whatever a lucky Samanayr might find. The Sharians, having finished checking straps and doing one last check of the area for stray Oquiesas, have retreated to the warmth of the Expedition Headquarters to await the results of the expedition.

The expedition is starting out in a clearing not too far from the Song of the Rainbow Hotsprings. From here, there's several places where a Samanayr might search.

- The clearing is a good place to look if you don't want to go too far. You never know what could be hiding in the dense winter-brown brambles and trees that border the edges of the clearing, or buried under the patches of old snow.
- A little to the north is a series of abandoned hotsprings whose usual inhabitants have headed to warmer climates for the winter. The path there would be relatively clear, although the area could have been picked over a few months ago before the Songs departed.
- To the west is small creek which is still bubbling determinedly along thanks to the warm water fed from the Hotsprings. The rocky creek bed could be difficult to navigate, especially with frost and ice to take into consideration.

[silvermoondragon]

Blue of The Open Sky was wiggling with excitement. He couldn't wait to get started. This was his fist expedition and he was determined to find as much as he could, and have a great time in the process.

As soon as he got the ‘ok’ from the Sharians that all was clear and they could start the expedition, he leapt into the air, his breath frosting around his mouth. The baskets hanging over his back weighed him down a little, but not enough to keep him land bound. The air was a little cold to fly through, but nothing could break through Blue’s excitement.

Blue's first stop, was the small creek to the west of the expedition headquarters, winding its way through the surrounding rocky area. It looked treacherous with all the frost and ice left on the creek’s banks, as well as the rocks that could easily trip an unsuspecting Samanayr. Blue trusted that his wings would help him balance on uneven terrain, and he figured he would be able to spot anything of importance from circling above the creek. A creek is the perfect place to look, he reasoned, there’s always tons of debris washed up on the banks.

As Blue reached the creek, his sharp eyes scanned the creek, back and forth, taking in everything around him. A pocket of hot air that had risen from the abandoned hotsprings a short distance away allowed Blue to glide lazily through the air for a short distance, melting the tiny ice crystals that had formed around his mouth from his breath. As the pocket faded away, the cold air snapped Blue back to his task and he returned to scanning the debris piles.

Soon enough...

[Orasteele]

MineralEarth~Mystic glanced about at the gathering group of Samanayrs all attending the expedition. A shiver of anticipation ran through her as blue eyes took in the number of participants. Flicking her tail the green and gold Mystic turned her attention back to the task at hand. She was no longer a foal living within a Song, but a grown mare on her own and ready to prove herself as such. With approval of the final check of her straps MineralEarth~Mystic set out toward the clearing.

Her ears swivvled at the sound of her own footsteps as they crunched against the frozen ground. Every few steps she paused; letting her magic stretch out into the ground itself to feel out for signs that her eyes could not see as she made her way toward the dense brambles.

[Jennalyn]

When an expedition in the chilly winter weather was announced by the Sharians, Forest had practically bounced off the trees of her Song's home territory, pleading with her stallion to attend. Between her inexhaustible bursts of energy and incessant pleading, Snow had eventually relented and permitted her to attend the event. She had danced around for almost an hour before settling down and preparing for the journey to the Expedition Headquarters.

Now she stood in a group with a pair of carry-baskets strapped to her fluffy back, milling around with other similarly kitted Samanayrs and waiting impatiently for the go-ahead to begin searching. The search for stray Oquiesas had just been completed and now... there it was! The okay to begin! She let out a shrill, excited call and galloped ahead, deliberately romping through a few patches of old snow and frost to kick up some of the fluffy white stuff. So much for spring! This felt like winter all the way, just like her home territory in the mountains.

But where should she go? She'd started running with no real plan in mind. Sparkle was always accusing her of being scatter-brained when she got excited and the other mare was usually right.

She might try the clearing where they'd all started. Glancing around, she could see plenty of bramble patches and pine trees with thick, blanketing needles. There might be something interesting hiding right under her nose! But... that might not be fair to some of the others who weren't used to a wintery climate. They wouldn't want to go as far, would they? And their coats probably wouldn't withstand the cold as well as hers could either. So not the clearing. She would leave its unexplored treasures for someone else to find.

That left two paths to choose from, one to the north and one to the west. She stood stock still, listening to see if she could hear anything from either direction. The northern path was quiet, giving her no clue as to what might be ahead. To the west, however, she could hear the faint sound of water from a distance.

Ooh, that could be promising. Plenty of other Samanayrs wouldn't want to get too close to icy water, now would they? Mind made up, she changed course and scampered in the direction of the small creek, her hooves kicking up clods of hard dirt and snow as she went. Eventually she reached the banks of the creek, still bubbling away despite the temperature. Frost lined the rocks all around it and ice covered some of them, mostly invisible except for the occasional treacherous gleaming. If she wasn't careful, she could really hurt herself down there. She'd have to test each step before trusting her weight to the hoof as she got closer.

Her nose scented the air, delicate nostrils quivering and snorting out puffs of steam in the crisp winter morning. She could smell the water clearly now, but what about anything else? Her rich brown eyes scanned the shore for any hint of something interesting, but nothing made itself apparent. That was okay, though! She continued along the creek for a few minutes, moving further away from the path she had originally taken, nose alternately high in the air and closer to the ground, quivering to pick up any errant smells. Her ears swiveled this way and that, flicking at each noise. Eventually she decided that she would have to move further into the bed and close to the dangerous water if she wanted to find anything. There was nothing to gain if she didn't take a few risks, right?

[AsaraDragon]

Beat of Syncopated Rain was excited and nervous at the thought of joining her first official Expedition. She hoped to find something nice, but to find anything at all would be enough to make her happy. She tried to wait patiently for the Sharians to send everyone off, but she kept fidgeting and checking her carry-baskets to make sure nothing was going to fall off.

At last the signal was given to begin, and Beat watched as several other Samanayrs dashed off to their chosen locations. She saw steam rising above the trees to the north, and thought that might be a good place to start. She remembered hearing that a Song had recently moved away from the hot springs in that location, and wondered what might have been overlooked in the move. Beat nodded to herself and leapt into the air, hoping that her vantage point from high above might give away the sparkle of something left behind!

[CosmicDragon]

While the Sharians strapped the carry-baskets to his back, and the backs of others Samanayrs milling around in the clearing, Plunge had stood dead still, his manner seeming as cold as the ice and snow around him. He ignored their ministrations and instead focused on the expedition ahead, fore-planning each step, running through defensive maneuvers in case of danger, the plants and objects that the valued, in order of rarity. He payed little attention to the impatience of those around him, determined to remain centered, calm. Over-excited Sam's were more than likely to miss important details, but he would not.

Once they lifted their cold hands away, once the scouts had returned without any news of danger, the Sharians gave the okay and those who had been properly kitted sprung into action, scattering into the forests faster than the eye could follow. Plunge, ears perked and alert for the slightest sound of danger, watched them run ahead of him as he walked calmly to the edge of the clearing. He did not begin to search until the mad rush had died down, and couldn't help noticing a slow-moving Mystic who had also remained in the clearing. He had chosen not to stray so far away, not because he did not want to travel any further, but because of the itching feeling that there was something here, something right under his nose.

So, carefully, he began to search under the frozen brambles, scratching aside small piles of snow, breaking open icy puddles beneath his hooves. A fat, cold drop of water slid along one of the icy branches above his head, then fell, landing with surprising aim directly on his already chilly snout. He sneezed expressively before looking up, annoyance on his features, at the offending tree. A thought occurred to him. His mind had only been thinking in 2-D! He shook his wings out, now looking up into the trees as well as down into the nooks and crannies on the ground, prepared to leap upwards at the slightest glimmer.

[SunBlind]

Prize of the Blue Lapis looked about nervously. Being so tiny she had a natural wariness about, well, just about everything. It was something one got used to when you were small enough to be stepped upon, as was the case for all the mini Samanayrs. On the other hand, it made one perfectly designed to go digging through the brambles and bushes of the clearing.

Her shyness was quickly being replaced by excitement as the moment approached for the expedition to begin. She barely noticed the chill in the air, even as minuscule puffs of breath came from her nose. Those puffs came with increasing frequency as all the Sams gathered there felt the atmosphere crackle with expectation. For once she didn't cringe away shyly as one of the Sharians fixed one of the straps of her baskets. She wouldn't be able to carry much in them, but she wasn't looking for a big haul.

Suddenly the Sharians were gone. And then the larger Sams were gone. So intent she'd been on dreaming up what she might find she hadn't even noticed! She raced forward as fast as her little legs could go. Fortunately she didn't have much ground to cover, she'd already made up her mind to explore the clearing. She'd waste too much time covering the larger distance to the other locations which the larger Sams could reach much more quickly than she.

Immediately she put her small size to good use, crawling beneath low-lying branches, moving easily between close-growing bushes, and poking her nose under every leaf that had fallen to the ground the previous Fall. No stone was left unturned, no bump in the snow was left un-pawed. At this point she was having so much fun she didn't even notice that she wasn't alone in the clearing. A Mystic was nearby, using her magic to search out the hidden treasures. A young male had also joined their little group, though Lapis herself would have been as hard to notice as those things for which the other two searched.

Her ear flicked as one of the others made a noise, perhaps stepping upon a branch or knocking a hoof against a stone. Normally this would have caused the tiny blue Sam to jump out of her skin and run for cover. But Lapis was not herself. With a suppressed squeak of excitement, the mare turned her attention to a log lying on the ground on the edge of the clearing. As she approached one end of the log, it was clear that no normal Sam could get inside. Could that mean that there might be something inside that the others would have missed? She stepped forward cautiously, for of course there could be nasty things in there too, just waiting for her to get close enough to pounce. Once certain that there was nothing predatory licking it's chops and regarding her from the shadows, she poked her head into the opening and waited till her eyes grew accustomed to the dark...

[Harroway]

Spark lifted her ear to the commotion. Oh, it was expedition time again! Peeking out of the brush, her hair caught with twigs and leaves, she spied several other Samanayrs busy with the day's activities. This looks intriguing! she thought, and trotted playfully through the clearing. She didn't pay much attention to where she was going, and a hoof of hers knocked over a stray stone left in the clearing. Curiously, she peered down at it, but much closer than one normally would. Hind end in the air, Spark seemed very intent on this one single stone, as if it were the only one of its kind.

"Why helloooo there." she cooed at it, and turned it over and over again with her nose. Her curiousity melting away, she moved on to other patches of small grasses and shrubs. Something else looked more interesting in the north, and she sauntered in that direction. Stopping every once in a while to dig her face into a patch of snow, Spark came upon some abandoned hotsprings. But the hotsprings themselves weren't her primary target - it was the bushes surrounding it. Stuffing her face into the nearest one (and being blissfully ignorant of her hair and hindquarters), she called into it.

"You hoooo... who goes there?"

(I suck at Sam accents and yay I think I made it on time!)

[Sushidragon]

Yay, I'm finally able to make my posts XD Remember that responding to these posts is completely voluntary, and if you don't want to reply again you'll get to keep everything you've found so far.

If you choose to go on, you might lose an item or two along the way.. but there could be greater rewards waiting XD

silvermoondragon

The unmistakable glitter of a Gleamstone catches Blue's eyes, and quickly makes it way into his carry-basket. A scrap of Silver Bark is caught in the creek between a pair of rocks, and although chill and damp from the chill water, it's still suitable for the Sharians. Otherwise, this particular section of the creek looks fairly empty.

Will Blue move further along the stream, head to a different area, or return to the Expedition HQ to turn in his items?

orasteele

The majority of the Samanayrs head off to their chosen search areas, leaving the clearing open and peaceful for Mystic and the other Samanayrs who have chosen to search here first. Something immediately tugs at Mystic's earth-senses, and she discovers two bunches of early Tandil Berries growing with determination among the brambles.

Will Mystic search the clearing further, head to a different area, or return to the Expedition HQ to turn in her items?

jennalyn

A spray of freezing water splashes from the creek bed as Forest approaches, drenching the lower portion of her foot tufts and adding a dangerous slickness to her hooves. Not to be discouraged, Forest continues her explorations and quickly discovers a Rainbow Lamanayr Feather trapped in the shadow of a rock, and a hardy Sunsnap Flower gleaming sun-bright in the strengthening morning sun.

A sharp cry from upstream suddenly catches her attention, the unmistakable sound of a Samanayr in distress. A little further upstream, a bright Samanayr mare with carry-baskets strapped to her sides is standing on a stone almost in the center of the stream. She's clearly tried to cross the stream using a series of large stones that stick out from the water, but her hooves seem to be slipping on the slick surface of the stone she's currently standing on.



The water is very shallow, and even if the mare fell in she would be able to get out very easily, but she would probably also appreciate some assistance. Will Forest try to help the mare, head to a different area, or return to the Expedition HQ to turn in her items?

AsaraDragon

The abandoned hotsprings are quiet, as most of the searching Samanayrs have headed to areas they feel will be more profitable. The warm water of the hotsprings gives off a welcome heat and warm lift to Beat's wings. Although the area has been mostly picked over, from her position in the area Beat is able to spot a Sweetscent Flower and Rainbow Lamanayr Feather that more ground-bound Samanayrs had clearly missed.

Will Beat continue her aerial search of the abandoned hotsprings, head to a different area, or return to the Expedition HQ to turn in her items?

CosmicDragon

The Samanayrs remaining at the clearing keep mostly to themselves, and Plunge is able to proceed with his search in peace. Without the distraction of chatter and the giggling of young, over-excited mares, he's quick to discover a sprig of Rosa Berries and a glittering piece of Silver Bark hidden beneath the shadowed root of a large tree.

A handful of melting snow and slush suddenly falls squarely on the top of Plunge's head, drenching his head and neck and flattening his mane tuft very unflatteringly. Looking up, Plunge can see a Desert mare perched awkwardly on the branch of the tree, peering down at him.



"Sorry!" she hisses, mindful of the quiet of the clearing, "I thought I saw something up heyre. I didn't know the snow would.. well, I am not very familiayr with snow." The mare is shivering from the cold, and the motion from her half-open wings dislodges another patter of slush from the branch.

The mare looks very uncomfortable, and she's clearly regretting her decision to join the expedition. However, what if she's actually found something hidden in the tree? Will Plunge fly to assist her, head to a different area, or return to the Expedition HQ to turn in his items?

SunBlind

A small amount of light filtered into the depths of the log from its open end, and a small hole closer to the tangle of its roots. Sure enough, two Gleamstones glitter enticingly in the thin light near the base of the log. Although it takes some careful maneuvering with hooves and teeth, Lapis is finally able to drag both Gleamstones into the light and deposit them in her carry-baskets.

The small Samanayr is now very weighted down with the two stones, but there's still more to do! Will Lapis continue her careful search of the clearing, head to a different area, or return to the Expedition HQ to turn in her items?

Harroway

"I go heyre," a deep voice booms back from the bushes, causing Spark to cheep in surprise. A Samanayr stallion bursts from the bushes in a spray of broken twigs and snow, his carry-baskets already clearly bulging with his findings. As Spark stares at them in astonishment, he trills with laughter. "I was veyry lucky and found a numbeyr of the tyrade-items hidden in these bushes."



The stallion's quick exit from the bushes has dislodged a slightly battered Sweetscent Flower and a hardy cluster of Tandil Berries, which the stallion pushes towards Spark with a smile.

"You ayre welcome to these, as I have no moyre room. I am returning to the Headquayrteyrs, and while I would welcome some company, I imagine you would like to do some seayrching of youyr own."

There could be more hidden in those bushes, but the stallion clearly isn't sticking around to help. Will Spark leave with the stallion, give the picked-over bushes a good search, head to different area, or return to the Expedition HQ to turn in her items?

[AsaraDragon]

Beat hovered in the air over the hot springs after adding the last item to her pack. She was happy to have found some items that would have value to the Sharians. A quick glance up at the sun told her that she still had some time left to search. She thought for a while about heading back, but something held her back. She just had a feeling that there was more here to be found.

"Now, wheyre have I not looked yet?" Beat flew down to settle on a tall rock, and surveyed the area. Finally she decides to take a closer look at each of the warm pools. Maybe the steam clouds rising from the water had obscured something at the bottom of one of them! She would start with the bigger ones, and move on to the small ones if she had time.

Beat leapt down from her rock and trotted over to the largest of the pools. There was so much steam coming from it that it became harder and harder to see anything as she got closer. "That's what I get foyr seayrching the wayrmest place in such cold weatheyr!", she thought to herself. She tried fanning her wings to blow some of the steam away, but it just swirled around her.

The nervous Sam started creeping forward slowly, hoping to find the water's edge before the water found her! She was a bit scared, but determined to complete her search.

[Harroway]

(( My goodness he's pretty. o_o It didn't even occur to me that we'd find Sams again! ))

Landing squarely on her back legs, Spark cheeped and brushed the twigs and dirt from her hair. Would you look at that! All this cooing and searching yielded a grand adventure in a short amount of time (or so it was to Spark, whose world was tiny and constantly shifted positions to infinite spheres of influence. Scatter, her stallion, was always amused by it.). Getting up, she gave herself a brief shake and was more intent on wondering how the stallion managed to dye his hooves that spectacular color. Was it seaweed? No, it was more blue-y...

Of course, thinking anything usually lead to uncensored blurting, but she held her mouth in check and started to walk with the stallion back to where hey came from. "I have found ants and dirt and leaves and another like me! I think I have done seayrching enough for today." she said with a definite nod. She was glad she didn't trip over anyone this time!

[CosmicDragon]

((Oh my, she's so beautiful! :O Thank you so much, Sushi!))

Halfway through carefully placing his first finds of the day, a fresh-plucked sprig of Rosa berries and a surprisingly shiny shard of silver bark he'd found half-defrosted by the base of a tree, into his carry-baskets, the sky seemed to fall on his head. At least, that's what he thought at first. The sudden snow-fall slid into his ears, his eyes, and was cold enough to sting. Worst of all, his perked mane, what little there was of it, was now slicked flat to his head, making him look almost mane-less! How embarrassing... Suddenly, an apology is hissed at him from somewhere above his head, and he glares upwards at the Samanayr perched in the tree just in time to catch her moving once more, and another large clump of snow become dislodged from it's resting place.

Blinking twice, in slightly annoyed shock, Plunge tries to dodge the second shower of snow, only half successfully. His hindquarters now as cold and damp as his head, he flicks a sopping lock of his startlingly red mane out of his glaring eyes and looks the wing'd mare up and down. From her convulsive shuddering he guesses that she, unlike most of the others on the expedition, was quite unused to the wintry climate, while her pale coloring and striking red eyes strike a familiar chord in him. He remembers tales he had been told in his youth, of delicate, white Samanayrs, a mutation they called... What was is now? Albira? Abillo? Al... bino, that was it. He shakes the last of the snow from his wings, thinking. Maybe she was one of these? If so, he needed to get her out of that tree fast, they were reputed to sicken quite quickly and severely. But no, her fur had a cinnamon tinge to it. Perhaps only part Albino, then.

"Stay right theyre," He hisses back at her, not wanting to draw attention from the others. "I'll give you a hand!" Stepping back, he takes a running leap at the tree, spreading his leathery wings wide as he beats his way up to the branch on which the mare is perched. Upon closer examination, he realizes why the pale mare had been shivering so severely. This mare had all the features of the breed specifically suited to the blinding heat of the desert! Boy, was she a long way from home. Stepping carefully along the branch, and dislodging a fair amount of snow himself, he pulls nearer to the mare with a curious smirk. "What do you think you saw all the way up heyre?"

[Jennalyn]

((Oh wow, she's stunning. Makes me think of a 60's bob with that hair and those spots! Eee! *gleewiggle*))

Her chilled, icy foot was a distraction, but Forest's stallion had always said that she was the biggest distraction of all! Undeterred in her searching, she just made sure that another hoof always went down at the same time as the slicked one and continued on, finding a beautifully colorful feather and a flower that she was quite startled to see so bright in the northern 'spring'. Maybe it had unusual properties? Maybe the Sharians would have use for it? The feather she grabbed simply because it was shiny and gleamed like a rainbow in the light.

The sound made her head jerk upward and she made her way upstream as quickly as she could while not falling on her face or in the chilled river. Another Samanayr on the hunt! She had the prettiest hair, long and straight with a touch of a curl. Forest felt a moment's envy, but the other mare's predicament was nothing to covet. She could well understand the danger of chilly, water-sprayed hooves!

"Just a second!" she called out, staring down at the rocks beneath her feet as she walked and slid down the rocky bank towards the water's edge. "I'm coming to help you, alyright?"

Unfortunately for the white-touched mare, she wasn't the best at navigating rocks. Hard-packed dirt and snow and leafy ground cover was much more her style. She slipped and dipped another hoof in the water, cheeping in surprise and a touch of pain. Cold! It was so cold! Yet another of her fit hit the water in her surprise at the first, and she groaned in frustration with herself. "Just anotheyr minute!" she reassured the mare, making quite the fool of herself as she tried to imitate the other mare's actions on the rocks in reverse. Well, her hooves were mostly slick now, so she would have to be extra careful. Not her strong suit!

She was focused on reaching the mare ahead, but with her attention span, anything shiny or eye-catching would probably merit a glance and some attention, either during or after the assistance. If she wasn't careful, she would need help in the same way that the long-limbed spotted mare did!

[Orasteele]

"Tandil Berryies! Now theyre's a lucky find." MineralEarth~Mystic exclaimed at the sight of the berries growing within the winter bare brambles. It was nice to know that her ability had proven useful. Now getting it free, well that was the real challenge. Reaching her neck through the brambles she felt the prick and scratches of thorns against her flesh as she tried to pull up the two clumps without breaking the soft flesh of the berries. Gently grabbing the stems of the berries and yanking she was rewarded with a long scratch and two perfect clumps of berries.

Stepping free of the brambles and shaking her self off she glanced around the clearing. The number of Sam's searching the area had increased. "hmnnn..." Turning her head back to her task at hand the Mystic glanced up at the sun. It was still early enough to continue her hunt. Feeling the chill of winter setting into her coat it was time to go north and see if the abandoned hotspirngs turned anything up and maybe take a quick dip into the warm water while she was at it. Even if the area had already been picked over there was always a chance that something had been left behind.

The rising steam was a welcome sign as she entered the abandoned area. Hoof prints and bare patches were a clear sign that many had passed through the area before. Deciding not to waste the trip the Mystic moved toward the water. Walking through the shallows she felt the warmth rise up through her. If I was leaving an ayrea and I dropped something, it could easily be hidden beneath the wateyr. Dipping her head down low she began searching, ignoring entirely the direction she was walking or what was going on around her. The long mystic strands floated along beside her as she moved through the water at her own slow pace. Better to be thorough then too quick and miss anything.

[SunBlind]

The tiny blue mare squirmed happily with her treasures. Unfortunately one of the straps of the baskets started pressing uncomfortably against her shoulder. Well, it seems like she wasn't going to go further, but she wasn't in any rush to get back. She looked around at the other Sams in the clearing, watching them make their own discoveries.

Well, she'd only covered a small area on the way to the log, she could always continue searching on the return trip. The snowfall made it easy to see who had searched where, and avoiding all the other hoofprints, started heading back towards the HQ along a path as yet untravelled! This path wove in and out of the trees along the edge of the clearing, offering lots of different places to look. But she was careful not to crawl under tight spaces for fear of tipping one of the stones from her baskets.

^_______^

[silvermoondragon]

(this expedition has been alot of fun, I ended up writing alot more than I thought)

As Blue looked over a particularly large pile of debris, he just about missed it. Out of the corner of his eye, a slight shine caught his eyes and he lifted one of his wings to turn and examine the pile more closely. Sure enough, there was a shiny object hidden amongst the debris. He spiralled down out of the sky, slipping a little on a patch of ice as he reached the ground.

Blue sniffed at the pile of debris locating the object he had found from above. He reached out a hoof to move away the overlying debris when suddenly the pile moved. Blue jumped back in surprise before his curiosity brought him back. This time, he was prepared. He pawed away some of the debris in a quick sweep, uncovering a tiny mouse-like creature which had been nibbling at a strand of Rosa berries. Startled by Blue, it ran off, taking its berries with it. Blue’s hopes fell as he watched his berries run away. Then he remembered what had brought him down in the first place. His returned his attention to the shiny object he was looking for. A quick search through the pile uncovered his treasure. There in front of him was a Gleamstone, glittering softly in the morning light. Suppressing a shout of glee, Blue carefully put the stone into his carry basket packing it in with some moss he found nearby to make sure it could not fall out.

Excited by his success, Blue surveyed the surrounding area, this time from the ground. As he scanned the rocky grounds, his eyes were drawn to an interesting rock formation; in particular, what he thought was a strange silvery rock. He bounded over to the rocks to take a closer look. When he reached the rocks, something looked wrong about them, and as he carefully inspected them, he realized that the reason they looked so odd, was because there was a small scrap of Silver Bark wedged in between two rocks. It was almost the same colour as the surrounding rocks and Blue would have missed if he had he been at another angle. He took extra care to remove the precious bark without splitting it and placed it lovingly in his carry basket along with the Gleamstone.

Blue looked up at the sky, there was still time left, and more time could mean more treasures. He climbed up onto a large rock, and carefully leapt into flight, making sure not to jar his carry baskets as they now contained some precious treasures he intended to keep. Despite the careful packing in moss, things could still come loose in flight. He took a quick survey to determine the state of the expedition. Some were heading back already, baskets full, and others were still out searching, determined to search until the end. He heard a cry nearby and craned his neck to check out the situation but another Samanayr, one he recognized from a song gathering he had attended, was closer and already helping out. Not wanting to interrupt, he returned to his survey, memorizing their colouring and patterns, and noting their position to make sure they made it back safely at the end of the expedition. Noticing nothing out of the ordinary, Blue re-alighted himself back down on the creek bank, and began to search once more.

As he crept slowly along the bank, following the creek upriver towards the abandoned hotsprings, the bushes to his left rustled. Intrigued, he edged closer until finally, his curiosity got the better of him and he pushed his head into the bush, leaves pulling at his mane. His reward was a wet slap in the face as more snow fell off the tree onto the bush below. The sun was rising higher and as a result, the snow was beginning to melt. Blue would have to be careful to avoid the tree born missiles.

After shaking the half-melted snow from face, Blue looked around and took a sharp breath in. The forest was beautiful with the sun streaming through the trees creating a dappled lighting effect, the ground slightly steaming as the snow melted and evaporated, and slow dripping from the trees. Careful to protect his carry baskets with his wings, Blue stepped through the bush and into the trees. What a beautiful place to search, Blue thought as he walked along an animal trail, poking his nose into holes and under rocks, searching, ever searching.

[Sushidragon]

AsaraDragon

The largest pool is empty of everything except warm, steaming water, as is the second largest. However, at the next pool Beat searches, she spies a cluster of three Gleamstones at the bottom of the pool. Gathering the stones requires Beat to completely immerse her head in the water, drenching her long mane. It might be a good idea to rest by the warm pool for a bit before heading back to the Expedition HQ - although it's slightly warmer, Beat would be very chilly if she headed away from the warmth of the hotsprings while still damp!

Beat collected the following:

- Sweetscent Flower
- Rainbow Lamanayr Feather
- 3 Gleamstones

Your items will be added to your inventory within the next few days!

Harroway

The stallion laughs again as they depart the abandoned hotsprings and begin the journey back to the Headquarters. "Wise enough. A shame the Shayrians do not find youyr ants and diyrt valuble, eh?" He leans over and gently pulls a twig from Spark's name, where it had been tangeled. "My name is Glitteyr of the Gyranite Heayrt, and I'm faiyrly new to this ayrea. Peyrhaps you can show me ayround..."

Spark collected the following:

- Sweetscent Flower
- Tandil Berries
- Glitter of the Granite Heart

Your items will be added to your inventory within the next few days!

CosmicDragon

Now more balanced, the mare cups her wings around her body to try to warm herself while looking upwards. "Well, it's not much, but I thought I saw something byright up theyre." She nods at a branch on the same tree, slightly above. There does indeed seem to be something bright peeking over the edge of the branch.

Before Plunge can respond, the mare spreads her wings and leaps gracefully into the air, flapping carefully to avoid the close branches. She lands carefully on the branch with her wings open and fluttering for balance, tugs something up with her mouth, and returns to the wider branch where Plunge is waiting.

"Rosa Beyrries!" she says after carefully placing the berries down, "and enough to shayre." She nudges one of the clusters towards Plunge.

"And now I'm quite done for the day," she says firmly, looking Plunge squarely in the eyes for the first time. Perhaps this mare is a little more bold than she first appeared. "I imagine you'll want to stay and continue seayrching, but it would be nice to have a wayrm body to lean against on the tyrip home."

Well, who can turn down an invitation like that?

Plunge collected the following:

- Two Rosa Berries
- Silver Bark
- Echo of Faded Earth

Your items will be added to your inventory within the next few days!

Jennalyn

The mare watches Forest's halting progress while she struggles to keep her own footing on the rock, unsure that Forest would be able to reach her without falling into the water herself. "Don't woyrry about it!" the mare called to her, "I'll just go oveyr and -"

Shifting her position in an attempt to reach the next rock, the mare suddenly slips and loses her balance completely. She begins to fall just as Forest reaches her, and the mare flails blindly about with hooves and teeth as she begins her inevitable slide. Somehow, she manages to get a good mouthful of one of Forest's damp foot tufts and succeeds in pulling them both down into the stream.

Splash! Although the steam is shallow enough for both Samanayrs to stand without difficulty, the water is icey cold and dangerous to stay immersed in for two long. The mares thrash and squeal their way to shore, both pausing for a good shake once they're clear of the water. Somehow, Forest has managed to keep the contents of her carry-baskets safe, but the other mare's baskets are open and now empty.

"We need to get back," the mare chatters as she shivers all over, "Afteyr that bath I'm in diyre need of a soak in a hotspyring! I appyreciate youyr assistance, and I apologize that I, um, wasn't able to maintain my position."

The mares make their journey back to the Hotsprings at a run, with visions of warm, steaming water in their heads.

Forest collected the following:

- Rainbow Lamanayr Feather
- Sunsnap Flower
- Searcher of the Forest Secret

Your items will be added to your inventory within the next few days!

orasteele

As Mystic carefully scrutinizes the water before her, she's distracted by a flash of pink out of the corner of her eye. A fair distance away, on the far side of the pool, a Sweetscent Flower is floating gently on the surface of the water. The flower is just beginning to open, and the spread of its loosely curled petals makes the perfect little boat.

As she makes her way to the other side of the pool, Mystic's hoof strikes something hard and bright on the bottom of the pool. A Gleamstone! Mystic gathers it up and then continues her steady progress through the water.

Flower and stone carefully stowed in her carry-baskets, Mystic continues to search the pool. Although she doesn't find anything further, the warm water feels extremely pleasant in contrast with the cold air. Combined with the peace of the area, it makes for a very rewarding soak after her search.

Mystic collected the following:

- Two Tandil Berries
- Sweetscent Flower
- Gleamstone

Your items will be added to your inventory within the next few days!

SunBlind

Although the area from the clearing to the Expedition HQ is fairly picked over, having been traveled many times over by some very thorough Samanayrs, there are opportunities for a Samanayr of such small stature. On the way back, Lapis manages to discover a lone Sunsnap Flower hidden among a cluster of ferns, and a Brown Lamanayr Feather flutting in the shadow of a stump. Fortunately these items don't weigh Lapis down much further!

Lapis collected the following:

- 2 Gleamstones
- Sunsnap Flower
- Brown Lamanayr Feather

Your items will be added to your inventory within the next few days!

silvermoondragon

Steam from the melting snow swirled gently around Blue's legs as he walked in the direction of the abandoned hotsprings, whirling and making fanciful patterns in the light that filters down through the branches. The beauty of the forest is not enough to distract Blue from his search, however, and he's able to spot a Sunsnap Flower illuminated in the glow of the sun, and a Sweetscent Flower giving off its delightful scent nearby.

Blue reaches the hotsprings without any further discoveries, although he sees that he's not alone - several Samanayrs from the expedition are lounging in or near the steaming pools, clearly done with their searching for the day. Bulging carry-baskets are much in evidence, and it looks like the area has been cleaned out. Blue could head back to the Expedition HQ, but it might be nice to enjoy a soak first.

Blue collected the following:

- Gleamstone
- Silver Bark
- Sunsnap Flower
- Sweetscent Flower

Your items will be added to your inventory within the next few days!

--

Whew, and that's that XD Thank you all so much for participating! I had a lot of fun reading your RP entries, and I hope you had fun too! I ended up writing more than I thought I would too XD;

Samanayrs will be updated with owner names in the next few days too, right now I need sleep time!

[Harroway]

Thank you so much, Sushi! That was a lot of fun, and congrats to everyone!

[Orasteele]

Yes, thank you so much for running this Expo! It was a blast!

[silvermoondragon]

Thanks, like I said before, this has been alot of fun and I think we would all be up for another one whenever it may be!

[Jennalyn]

I had a fantastic time with this. xD Thank you! Gotta love RP...

[AsaraDragon]

Indeed, that was excellent fun
I don't have much RP experience, so it was a bit of a learning thing for me. I'm very proud of Beat for doing so well!

[Harroway]

I wish I had time to write more, but my time online is limited severely on Mondays and Wednesdays. I'm so happy for everyone! *hug across the board*

[CosmicDragon]

Weee! This was awesome fun, Sushi! RP expeditions are the essence of cool. -noms on-
-runs off to smother her new mare in luff-

[SunBlind]

That was fun! And my little mini-sam is so happy to have gotten out and about xD