A Warm Welcome (Closed RP)

[CosmicDragon]

((This RP is only open to myself and Jennalyn. :3 Feel free to watch though!))


Song of the Uninhibited

A haze of heat and smoke lazily curled around the base of the volcano, obscuring it's peak from the relieved gaze of the Lamanayr stallion below. He and the desert mare who stood beside him had travelled far, he having been far from his territory when they had met, but now... Now he was home, and the journey had brought the two closer.

Burningskies~Plunge had stopped their journey a mere day from the foot, at the very edge of the sparse forest ringing the great fire-mountain. As one moved closer, the trees became smaller, hardier bushes, scattered sparsely across the landscape, and this barren land would continue until they reached the volcano's hotsprings half a days walk up the steep slopes, where the vegetation would become lush again, if not necessarily green.

It was late in the day, and the sun was low on the horizon, sending it's rays through the smoke to create a wonderous sunset, with colors more vibrant and varied than could be seen anywhere else in the world. It was part of the reason he had chosen to halt here, so that she could view the splendor from the shelter of the trees instead of trudging through the rocky landscape before them.

As it was, while the light show carried on behind him he set about making a bed of fallen leaves for the mare who, through a twist of fate, was heavy with his foals.

[Jennalyn]

((Sooo sorry for not responding earlier. Stuff has been oddly crazy this past month. At least I have a job now, even if I don't start for another few weeks!))



The natural wonders surrounding her were not lost on Dance, who had rarely traveled far from her home territory in the days before meeting Plunge. She had already seen more of the world by his side than she had throughout the rest of her young life. It was amazing how much difference a few miles could make, much less the distance they had traveled to reach his - and now her - forested home. Gone were the plains she was used to, the waving seas of grasses and endless expanse of sky. All around her were trees and rocks and the rising peaks of mountains. It was incredible.

It was also tiring, making the journey as new life grew within her and sapped her energy. She felt more exhausted by the trek than she normally would have, with her youthful vitality and vivacious personality. The little one inside of her must be making good use of all that food she ate, to grow so large so quickly. Who knew, perhaps there were two? Stranger things had happened. Twins had never fun in her family, but she didn't know very much about his, and her stomach was quite round already. She wasn't anywhere near ready to have them, but she looked further along than she thought she should. Maybe that was just a sign of the foal's health?

She wanted to be strong in this new place, to impress the stallion she had deemed worthy of her time and companionship. Instead she felt weak and tired. And testy. Oh, did she feel testy. Sometimes she just wanted to kick something, to vent her frustration at not being able to run or dance right now. This foal had best appreciate her sacrifice in bearing it.

For all the grumbling, she really was thrilled to be carrying a brand new life inside of her. She just didn't always feel it sometimes.

"Youyr home is beautiful," she said quietly, the golden glow of the sunset prompting a softer voice with the hush of dusk rapidly on its heels. Something about the mood of the moment and their solitude just seemed to call for it. "Ayre theyre good places to yrun, up by the hotspyrings, oyr do you have to tyravel back down to the foyrests foyr a cleayreyr styretch of land?"

[CosmicDragon]

((Trust me, I completely understand. o.o Mum chose a wonderful time to decide to 'confiscate' the computer. Congrats on the job, by the way!! ))

Though he was surrounded by a landscape so familiar to him that his heart warmed at it's glittering, stony expanse, the leathery-winged Lamanayr could not help thinking of the mare who had travelled this extensive distance with him... She, like the pale wraith waiting for him nearer to the boiling pools, was used to the wide, grassy expanses of a desert plain, used the the heat of the sun, burning high above. With her past being something so different to the mountains before her, he was naturally worried about whether his steep abode would be acceptable, whether the heat radiating from beneath her hooves would unnerve the foal-heavy doe rather than be the novelty he hoped it would prove to be.

But he could see the wonder in her eyes, bright against the weariness that shadowed the rest of her normally bright spark. Her slim form was expanded more than was normal, he was sure, yet he could not fathom that this, his first foal and surely hers as well, could in fact be two. He refused to think of that possibility... How could he handle one boisterous youngling, let alone twins?

With an amused smile at his own wandering thoughts, he stepped quietly forward to nose at her long, slender neck. "Our home. It is our home now." His voice was just as hushed as hers, and his eyes saw not the beauty of the dying sun, but it's reflections in her eyes. The air was thick, like molten gold, with the last light of the day, and it bathed her in it's ethereal brilliance. "There are many paths to run, for a sure-footed dancer like yourself. One must just look closer to spot them." With a nervous smile, he looked down at his hooves. "But I must travel often to protect our borders, and you would always be welcome to run with me."

With a bemused cough, he lifted his eyes to hers once more.

[Jennalyn]

Whenever Dance had the time to just stand back and watch her stallion in action, she knew... that she had chosen well. Her mother would approve of him, she thought, however silly he could be. She wasn't exactly the most level-headed of flowers herself. They would make a good pair, or they would die trying. She thought that the former seemed more likely.

"Yes... ouyr home. It may take some time foyr that to tyruly sink in, but it will. I'm suyre it will." She wanted to say something more, words tinged with appreciation or wonder or even romance, but the only thing to escape when she opened her muzzle was a yawn. Embarrassed, she quickly closed her mouth and looked at Plunge ruefully. "And a home foyr this little one, who insists on keeping me up at odd houyrs with its kicking and taking all my eneyrgy when I am awake. Thank you foyr making us a bed."

Even if he'd only drawn together the leaves for her, she left enough room as she settled for her to join her. It was just cool enough here that she felt a tiny chill through her fur. Used to the temperatures of a warm savannah, these forests grew cold at night and his body acted as a furred, winged heater."You know that I will yrun with you, as soon as I am no longeyr weighed down. I hope this otheyr pale mayre of youyrs won't mind being a babysitteyr sometimes."

[CosmicDragon]

Chuckling quietly, Plunge took one last, long look at the magnificent vista that was spread out before him before ruffling his wings and following the tired mare to his makeshift 'nest' of leaves and twigs. "Take all the time you need, deayr heayrt. We have an eteyrnity togetheyr foyr it to sink in, afteyr all." He let his eyes travel over her, to finally rest on her taut, stretched belly with a tender smile. "Ah yes, ouyr beautiful little bundle of joy. I'm just glad the both of you ayre comfoyrtable."

With a contented sigh, he stretched himself out next to the already curled mare, stretching out a brightly colored wing over her protectively and wrapping his long, tufted tail around his mare's hooves. "I look foyrward to that day indeed, when we can outyrun the sun and the stars togetheyr." A soft breeze ran it's cold fingers through his hair, and he pulled closer to Dance's smooth, streamlined body. "Oh, no, Echo loves kidlets. We'll have moyre tyrouble getting heyr away fyrom the kid than we will getting her to watch him. Or heyr." He restrained himself from hanging an 'Or them' on the end of the sentence, betraying out his niggling suspicion.

[Jennalyn]

Dance relaxed under the leathery folds of the stallion's wing, her head slowly drooping until it rested against his side. He made for a very comfortable bedfellow. She never would have guessed that sleeping with a wing stretched over her could be so comfortable or secure.

"An eteyrnity is a long time," she mused sleepily. Now that she had actually settled and let some of her tired muscles try to relax, her exhaustion swept her up in an inexorable wave. She yawned once more. His words deserved more acknowledgment than she could currently give them. "I think it should have time to settle. Just like this stubboyrn foal. I hope it comes to settle sooner yratheyr than lateyr. I am looking foyrwayrd to meeting it, and youyr Echo. But foyr now... I can bayrely yremembeyr what you said at the beginning of this. So I think... I'd betteyr sleep..."

One last yawn, mostly stifled in her throat, and then the gravid mare let her eyes close. Soon, her breathing would even out and she would be asleep.

((Timeskip in or after your next post?))

[CosmicDragon]

((Timeskip sounds good. :3))

As the mare went limp beneath his outstretched wing, Plunge began to let the travels of the day weigh on his eyes, pulling them slowly closed as he chest rose, and fell in quiet repetition. A near-silent yawn escaped him, and without rousing his companion he whispered a soft "Good night...", letting the soft noises of the night lull him closer to sleep.

---

The sun was late to rise, having to strive high and hard to breach the lofty peaks of the mountains and spread it's rays on the two slumbering Samanayrs below, but the birds did not need it's light to know it had risen, and they broadcast their knowledge to the world.
Noisily.

With a subsonic mumble, he cracked open one eye, letting it accustom to the sliver of half-light as he redrew his wing and carefully stretched out his legs, wincing at the pins and needles produced by the wing that had spent the night trapped beneath his body. Trying not to wake his companion, Plunge pushed himself up and away, blinking and shaking out his fur self consciously. He had never been much of a morning stallion, and today was no different, but he hoped that perhaps he could wake himself up enough to be sensible before she awoke. A partially alert stallion was, after all, much more impressive than a groggy and grumpy one.

[Jennalyn]

Under normal circumstances, Dance would have roused with the stallion's movement. She had shifted for some of the night, however, and woken up several times to find herself in an uncomfortable position. The combination of previous exhaustion and marginal rest left her sleeping heavily, her fitful tossing and turning having ceased maybe two hours before. Plunge would have at least an hour before she woke up on her own.

The wan light streaking overhead convinced the mare to rise once she had woken. There would be no more sleep tonight, now that the night had gone. It was a shame. She'd never had difficulty sleeping before, and hopefully she would return to her normal sleep patterns just as soon as this foal decided to grace them with its presence. The thought was half-ironic.

"Good moyrning," she murmured when she saw her stallion, giving him a tired smile and a nuzzle to his spotted cheek. "Have you managed to find any byreakfast yet?" After she had eaten something and had a few sips to drink, she would be ready to travel.

[CosmicDragon]

The soft silence of daybreak was broken by the quiet voice of his beloved, causing the distracted stallion to start a little and turn with a sheepish grin to return the mare's affectionate nuzzle. "Ah, I hope I didn't wake you sweetheayrt!" With a flourish and a pleased smile, he directed her attention to one of the small tree-bushes near where they stood. "And yes... Although the fayre will be much betteyr once we yreach the humid aiyr of the hotspyrings."

Though he moved much more slowly in the early morning light, Plunge had still gotten a surprising amount done. Once he was sure he had his companion's attention, he carefully scuffed aside a layer of leaves to reveal a dip between the roots beneath, filled with small, hard berries and unbroken chocolate-brown nutshells. A large leaf, it's broken stem still glittering with a drop of sap, held a scant few mouthfuls of clear water from a stream a minutes walk away.

With his heart beating rapidly in anticipation, he tried to take a step back mentally. What was it that mares usually did in the morning? Did she want to bathe, perhaps? With a small, self-conscious cough, he averted his eyes. "The wateyr is fyrom a styream not fayr hence... If you should need moyre I could always fetch it foyr you, or if you should wish to go youyrself I would happily guide you." His ensuing blush was clearly visible on his pale, speckled cheeks.

[Jennalyn]

He was such a sweet stallion. Dance really believed that she'd chosen well. He even used terms of endearment, which she hadn't heard much of within her birth Song. It just wasn't her mother's way.

"No, I woke up on my own. And... oh, those look good." Her eyes immediately gravitated to the nuts. Berries were tasty, but she had a soft spot for savory nut-meat that she couldn't deny. Taking a deep breath, she carefully heaved herself to her feet. What an awkward condition pregnancy was! It felt like she barely knew her own body sometimes with how differently her weight sat. Their weight, really, as it wasn't just hers.

She probably would have spared him a few more nuzzles if she hadn't suddenly realized how hungry she was. Ravenous, even! Had she been this hungry before the pregnancy? She didn't think so. The berries were easiest to eat right away, and so she took a mouthful of them and swallowed before answering. "This should be enough foyr now, I think. So long as we find another styream or pond along the way, I should be fine. Eyr. Excuse me foyr a moment."

Self-consciously, she moved off into the brush. Another consequence she'd never really thought about was the lack of room in her gut for other things, like the water she'd had the evening before. When she returned, she finished her breakfast and chatted with him around bites of soft nuts and tart berries.

With the foal as close as it was, she wanted to be somewhere safe that she could call home as soon as possible. They hadn't run across any dangerous predators on their trek, but there was always the threat of an Oquiesa or human trapper to worry about. At least she wasn't traveling alone anymore.

[CosmicDragon]

At the mare's approval of his gathering, his chest swelled and his eyes sparkled with pride. His other companion spoke very little, if at all, so even a small compliment was enough to make him feel warm inside. He moved to her side as she stood, conscious after the weeks of traveling together just how unbalanced the extra weight had made her and not wanting her to topple or stumble. He opened his mouth to make an amused comment, then snapped it shut again with a small smile when she dove into the berries with barely a moments hesitation.

Hunger, impatience, the dreaded morning sickness, all things that had begun to rear their heads in association with his love's pregnancy, things he'd never expected and had little experience dealing with. And he worried, about getting her the nutrition her and those she carried within her would need, about how the travel was wearing on her. But he trusted her, so he took her word for it, and merely made a mental note to keep an eye out for small snacks during the remainder of their trip.

"I'm glad you'yre enjoying them! They weyren't too difficult to find, luckily... The lands ayround heyre ayre bountiful for those who know them." He winked, confident, and looked over her to the mountains awaiting them. "Bountiful, and safeyr than most. Men seem to find this place to hot foyr them, indeed, most Samanayrs shayre their mindset." Despite that, or perhaps because of it, he'd chosen the hotsprings barely a stones-throw away for his home and had never regretted it.

((Urk, sorry bout that... Work suddenly decided they needed me in every day. o.o And after that I kinda... Forgot. -is shot-))