The Horse-Lover and the Midget go for a Hunt (Arabella)

[Ariel]

Ariel looked down at her hands, she felt bad for Arabella, in a way, she would hate not being able to travel, being tied down. Ariel couldn't stand such things, her heart was made for adventure, and she would not allow anything to get in her way. "Being a pycon has its ups and downs, as I'm sure life as any other race does. For example, we eat only clay and don't need much of it to sustain ourselves. However, we are tiny, never more than a foot tall, and can easily be squished if we are not careful. But then again, as long as our core or head remains intact, we can heal ourselves over time. And then there is the fact that we are of clay, and can thus, be molded. Technically speaking, our bodies can take on just about any shape, as long as it is in reason. Naturally our bodies will change as we mature, this is... at least my fifth form, but then again, I don't really consider it mine since it is always changing, and will more than likely change again. It is in death... should we live out our lives to the fullest, and not die prematurely, that the pycon's true form is revealed. Their essence. When they turn to stone, their form shows all..." Ariel's voice trailed off, she was speaking cryptically in a way, not to confuse Bella, but because such things were rather dear to her heart, and difficult to explain.

"And as for our lives, most of us spend them traveling, trying to learn everything we can. A lot of us travel with humans, mainly for protection more than anything else, but companionship too. Some of us live in small colonies though, that mainly consist of our immediate family, and their families. I haven't seen mine in a long time. Harameus only knows what happened to them," Ariel said, before becoming silent for a few moments. She wasn't in the mood to talk about herself anymore, and decided to change the subject back to hunting. "Anyway, that makes sense. Bigger animal, the more likely it is to leave a mess in its stead." Ariel sighed, she wish they would spot something already so that she could watch Bella in action, it wasn't much fun going on a hunt and not finding anything to hunt.

[Arabella Starweaver]

Five forms, how confusing it must be to change all the time, but in the same aspect a welcomed thing, to be able to become something else for a time, almost like renewing who you are. It sounded appealing, but at the same time, difficult, Arabella couldn't imagine that, she liked waking up every day knowing what she was and what she looked like. Healing powers would be nice, very few Drykas knew how to heal, but to be able to do without medicine, that would be a wonderful skill to have. She instantly wondered if that meant Ariel could heal others too, but was unsure. That would be a marvelous thing to have, to be able to cure those close to you if they were going to die, to fix there wounds before that time approached. But what did she mean in death she would take her true form? That confused her the most, how was that? She lived out her entire life changing into different things and only when she could no longer live, would she come into her own? That was almost the cruelest of all cruel irony's Arabella had ever heard.

"So, if you can change, what were the other forms you took? What does it feel like to be able to manipulate your body into something totally different? Is it a choice?" She didn't mean to fire off so many questions, but this was all so fascinating to her, she wanted to know all she could, but she also didn't want to be rude to her friend. "Sorry Ariel, you don't have to answer if you don't want to, I'm just very curious about how pycons work, it's so different from Drykas people, so it's of course fascinating, if I have offended you I do apologize."

Her family sounded much like Arabella's own, many people living in one place. The difference was, they could come and go as they pleased, never being tied down, free to learn whatever they wanted however they wanted to do it. It must be nice to be so small in a way, you can observe things without being a disturbance to anyone. The subject switch threw her off for a moment, but she rolled with it. She could tell Ariel was disappointed in their hunt so far, she wished she could fix it. "It's very cold, most animals won't be out in this weather, its very hard to hunt in winter." She figured she at least should give her an explanation.

[Ariel]

"I've been a horse before, a baby, a porcupine, dog, and as I am now. Perhaps I was something else when I was much younger, but I honestly do not remember," Ariel replied, "and it doesn't feel... it feels normal to be able to change it. Like it's supposed to happen, meant to happen, and yes, sometimes it is a choice, but a pycon must really concentrate in order to be able to change their body. It takes a lot of practice to get good, and only the oldest ones I knew were able to do it almost at will. Although, sometimes our features will change a bit when we are experiencing an intense emotion. For example, when I get angry, I have been told that my eyes turn to daggers."

"And no, your questions aren't offensive, you're curious, and curiosity is a good thing. Curiosity is what allows us to ask questions and to learn, the only downside to it lies in the fact that we may not always like the answer, or, be able to receive one. After all, not everything can be answered, unfortunately," Ariel's voice trailed off as her mind began to wander. She couldn't help but contemplate how she would appear just before she died, or after she had perished and turned to stone. What her true form would be. Ariel would laugh if it turned out to be a compass, or a map with little "Xs" in the spots that she had visited during her life.

Ariel sighed as she looked up at Bella again, she hadn't even realized how long the silence stretched out between them, or how she had stopped looking at Bella as she spoke. "Oh, that makes sense I suppose, the poor things don't want to be out and in the cold, just like us," Ariel laughed, trying to sound light-hearted, but feeling strangely sad.

[Arabella Starweaver]

Ariel had been many things, she was impressed and shocked that she could have been more, such a young person to go through so many changes, it was strange to think about. Arabella thought back through her life, she supposed people made changes to, started out as mere infants and turned to toddlers, and into children and adults, they learned so many new things on there journeys. Did pycons learn new things on their journeys of change? Or was it merely them becoming another form of themselves? She wondered then what the forms matched up too, if they meant anything, that would be neat, if each form had a meaning behind it, if they became something different at each turn of events in their lives. She pondered this for a while, biting her bottom lip over and over again, deep in thought.

She was glad to know that she hadn't offended Ariel, Arabella had no intention of doing so. Always having had a bad habit with letting her mouth speak before having her brain think, she had gotten herself into trouble many a times. "Curiosity also killed the cat, its not always good to ask questions, some people don't like it and get extremely upset, but I suppose that's only in severe situations. My curiosity tends to get me into trouble, I do things without thinking." she hated that about herself, she always did first, remembered it was a bad idea later, usually when she got hurt or into trouble. She was always pushing the envelope a little to much, testing the waters by jumping in head first without reading the sign that said there were dangerous creatures within. It wasn't her fault, she had an adventurous spirit, and she couldn't seem to contain it.

Arabella sensed sadness in her friend, she hoped she hadn't done anything to upset her, she watched her from the corner of her eye with worry. "Ariel, is everything all right? You look very upset." she hadn't meat to upset her, she felt guilty now, she never liked hurting people she cared about.

[Ariel]

Ariel sighed, she had always hated that expression. It never made much sense to her, but then again, she wondered if it was because she had never studied the behavior of enough cats, thus, rendering her incapable of determining the validity of such a statement. "Those people probably aren't too smart," Ariel commented. How could anyone be if they didn't question everything around them, trying to learn as much as possible? Ariel wondered. She sighed once more before adding, "how could they ever expect to learn if they don't ask questions? Even if it means being ridiculed from time to time, people should not allow themselves to be stopped by such trivial things."

Some people were simply far too foolish, Ariel thought as she gave Rafael another swift kick in the side. "And yeah, I'm alright, do I not look alright?" Ariel asked, slightly startled by the fact that Bella had discerned her strangely mounting level of sorrow, especially when her features were so small, and her kind couldn't cry like the other races, which would instantly have given Ariel's feelings away. "Don't you worry about a thing," Ariel paused for a moment before adding, "we should keep looking, it would be unfortunate if we went through all of this trouble only to go on a hunt and return empty-handed."

OOCSorry this post is a little short.

[Arabella Starweaver]

"Some people are just stuck in there ways, they don't much like change. They Drykas have lived the same way for many generations, since the very beginning we have had the same beliefs and customs. I suppose we have no need to ask when we don't plan to change." she agreed with Ariel, people could never learn anything if they didn't speak up and at least try. Things would always stay the same and life wouldn't evolve, it was a sad thought, but it was true for many. "I think some people are scared of what's unknown to them, you know? Like, they can learn new things whenever they want, but they can't very well unlearn knowledge they obtain. If they hear something they don't like, they can't be ignorant to it, if they never know then it won't bother them." this made sense, Arabella contemplated it for a short time, understanding what it was like to not want to know certain things. Ignorance is bliss, and some people just couldn't face facts.

[b]"I suppose you looked sad, it was more in your tone though Ariel, I didn't mean to say something to upset you if I did. I am just curious about pycon's in general, you're a fascinating race, and you all vary so much. The Drykas are all very similar, very close, there isn't much to learn about one another after a while. I won't pry anymore, I don't want to upset you." her small friend hadn't like her questions she assumed, it made her feel bad, she never meant to offend her if she had. Learning was something she so cherished, she liked to know anything she could about everyone, unlike most around her. Arabella nodded, they should keep moving, though she doubted in this cold they would find much.

[Ariel]

"It's ok," Ariel began, "you haven't upset me." She flicked Raphael's reigns, willing him to go faster even though he had finally managed to keep up Arabella's pace. But Ariel wanted Raphael to lead the way for once; she wanted to lead the way, and for once, her kitten had obliged. Raphael padded out and in front of Bella, his tail brushing up against her legs from time to time as it swished back and forth, and the group remained silent for a few moments.

Ariel's mind was strangely blank, but her eyes were peeled for any sign of life, she really wanted to find something. Even if it was only a bird, which Raphael was sure to chase after. Ariel sighed, just as she saw the long blades of glass approximately ten feet in front of her waver. They seemed to sway, parting down the center.

Ariel straightened up as she pulled back on Rafael's reigns, bringing him to a halt right in front of Bella's feet. Ariel's eyes were fixated on the spot that she was certain had showed signs of life. "Hey Bella, what is the largest thing you have ever caught while out hunting?" Ariel asked. Not waiting for her friend to reply with something along the lines of 'why?' Ariel continued, "because, if I'm not mistaken, there is something just ahead of us... but maybe it is a dog or something that I can't see from down here."

[Mycroft]

- Ariel -

Experience:
Riding (Kittens): +4
Hunting: +3
Philosophy: +1

Lores:
What's that?!
Arabella's Plight
Unsuccessful Hunt
Drykas Keep it Close to Home

- Arabella -

Experience:
Hunting: +2
Teaching: +2
Leadership: +1
Tracking: +1

Lores:
Life of a Pycon
Basic Pycon Culture
Ariel's Previous Forms
Death in Stone is Cruel Irony

Notes: Heya! Very interesting thread. Sounded like Arabella was really glad to have someone to talk with. What I noticed was that Ariel kept her kitten going by manipulating his reins in almost every post - very realistic, as I happen to know kittens have the attention spans of... well, they don't really have attention spans. I would have liked to see a little more personality from Rafael in general - kittens aren't obedient animals at ALL, so I think he should have rebelled a little more - been curious about the creature, or maybe pounced on random shiny pebbles. I still gave a 4, because of the work Ariel put into it, but with her riding skill as low as it is, it shouldn't be very easy to control him (and clearly it wasn't, but a little more detail about the difficulty would make it more obvious). At the very least, he could have just been following Arabella because kittens are prone to do that.