A girl and her stag go shopping (Yuros)

[Alea Davenport]

73rd, Fall 511, morning

Alea awoke feeling much as she usually did, a bit cold, but otherwise tolerably well-rested, with her cat snoozing near her head. Not wanting to get out from the warmth of her blanket just yet, she let her mind wander. She remembered having the most vivid dream about a stag...

She sat up quickly. That had been no dream. She'd met someone yesterday, and for some reason should could neither recall nor fathom, she had brought him back to her tent. So then where was he? She noticed her boots by the tent's exit, so she pulled them on and went outside to greet the day.

She saw her new friend staring at her horse. He was, thankfully, still wrapped in her spare cloak, but she noticed his bare feet in the snow and frowned. The man was insane. She knew he would be warmer in his animal form, but from what little she'd learned about Kelvics so far, all the shifting he'd done yesterday would have taken up a lot of his energy. He couldn't go on like this. Something would have to be done. She pulled her own cloak tighter around her shoulders and said, "Good morning."

[Yuros]

Upon first light Yuros awoke from his light sleep. For a moment he lay perfectly still, his mind trying to make sense of all the new sounds and smells. Casting his eyes about the Kelvic could see he was in some form of shelter, one made of cloth and sticks. Suddenly he felt something move against his chest, and looking down he saw a girl laying against him. Blinking slowly, Yuros calmed himself.

I am with the girl... thought Yuros as he looked up at the roof of the tent. Slowly, the Kelvic tried to move without waking his companion, draping the blanket over her completely as he crawled to the entrance to the tent. Stepping out the first thing Yuros noticed was that he still wore the cloak he had been given, and the second thing he noticed was a pinching feeling on his feet. Looking down he saw the boots were still squeezed on the ends of his feet. With a sigh and a shake of his head Yuros removed them and set them inside the tent.

With his toes now free, if cold, Yuros walked out into the snow to look about the city. It would take him some time before he could become used to living in a place that held no towering trees or fresh grass under foot. Running a hand through his thick hair the Kelvic sighed a stream of white. Then, hearing a snickering, he turned and saw the Guildling horse nibbling on a sparse bit of foliage. Yuros stepped closer to the beast, leaning down to inspect him a bit closer. He had nice coloring, for a horse at least, and his strong neck and shoulders implied that he was a suitable mount for most terrains. Flicking an ear the horse raised its head to look at Yuros. For a moment they simply stood, analyzing and taking in the other. Tilting his head Yuros asked a single question. The Horse huffed and shook its main, making a sound that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.

Smiling as well, Yuros turned as he heard the sound of crunching snow and greeted Alea as she approached, "Good morning, and may the grass be green and fresh this day."

[Alea Davenport]

Alea raised an eyebrow and looked around pointedly. "What grass?" Then she shook her head. "Nevermind. Listen, you need clothes of your own. You can't keep borrowing my cloak forever, and your feet are going to freeze if you stand in the snow much longer." She stared at Yuros with a small frown of concentration as she tried to figure out how to get him into town without forcing him to walk barefoot all the way to the market. For a moment she got distracted and just looked at him. He was so tall, and - that was NOT a productive train of thought!

"I think you will have to ride the horse," she said finally. It was the only way to keep his feet out of the snow, short of leaving him here, and she didn't really trust him to keep out of trouble if she left him alone, at least not before he learned the value of warm clothes.

[Yuros]

Yuros' smile faded as he heard those words. Blinking slowly he looked up at the horse and then back at Alea, "You wish for me to... ride?"

Yuros felt his pride as a stag asserting itself, rebelling against the very thought of riding upon the back of another creature. Shaking his head the Kelvic looked Alea directly in the eyes, "I cannot. I have hooves of my own, and I shall use them."

He shook his head much like an agitated stag might and turned back to the horse. He nodded his head to the beast, "Though I mean you know disrespect."

[Alea Davenport]

Alea stamped her foot, equally agitated. "Are you crazy? You already shifted three times yesterday! I know you don't like it, but this is the only way!" From what she knew about Kelvics, he should be exhausted; he hadn't been able to eat since then, and as he did not seem to realize yet, there was nothing for him to graze on. (She would have to find food for him later, but her first priority was keeping him warm.) She'd grown quite attached to him despite their short acquaintance, and she was scared by the realization of how much danger he was in, and how little she could do to help. Especially since he would not just get on the damn horse!

[Yuros]

Yuros admitted that he felt drained of energy from his numerous transformations, but even so he could not abide having to ride upon the back of another of his kind (or at least another hooved creature such as himself). Stamping a foot as he might have if he were still a stag, Yuros turned and stepped closer to Alea, bending down so that they were on eye level. He looked into her eyes to see her own agitation there, as well as a stubbornness that could rival even his own.

Blinking his brown eyes at her, the Kelvic noticed her scent once more. He was growing to like that smell. With a sigh he straightened and turned back toward the horse. Stepping closer to the gildling Yuros felt his pride being pricked once more. What he was about to do went against his very nature, and he knew that if any of the other stags of the forest knew they would shun him for his shameful actions, or at the very least he would hear no end to the ridicule.

For a few moments the Kelvice exchanged words (or rather sounds) with the horse. He nodded several times and bowed his head respectfully, and the horse in turn lowered himself down for Yuros to climb on his back. With a heavy sigh the Kelvic did so, a look of slight disgust on his face as he was made to ride like human. When the horse stood to its feet it made a loud naying sound. Yuros smiled and chuckled softly, "That she is my friend, but I think she means well by it."

[Alea Davenport]

Alea felt a pang of mild dismay as her usually mischievous horse actually bent down to help her new friend. That's cheating! she wanted to cry. Fortunately, she managed to hold her tongue, since it would hardly be fair to complain about anything that made her task easier.

When she heard what he said to her horse, she felt a spark of indignation; despite her usual assumption that humans were on a different level from animals, it was hard to deny that her horse had, if nothing else, a personality. "What? What? What did he say?!" She caught a mocking look in the Gilding's eye and said in disgust, "Nevermind. I think I can guess." Not wanting to waste any more time, she grabbed his reigns and began leading him toward the market.

Before too long something occurred to her. She looked up at the man and asked, "Do you have a name?"

[Yuros]

At once Yuros detested riding. It was uncomfortable, slow and quite simply a pain to edure. The Kelvic began to long for the thrum of his own hooves on the ground as he raced through trees and meadows, and he missed the feeling of the cool hair through his fur as he sped across the landscape at speeds that would baffle the two legs.

Yuros noticed Alea speaking to him, and for a moment he did not have an answer. His name? Did he possess a name? For a moment Yuros puzzled over this. What use was there in a name? It could not feed you in the winter, and it would not protect you from the dangers of the wild. The creatures of the forest rarely if ever gave names to their offspring, usually just calling them "my fawn" or "their offspring". The Kelvic took a minute longer to ponder this, but then he remembered his mother did call him by a name before she left this world. But what was it?

Frowning slightly, Yuros thought hard and finally thought he remembered. Turning to look down on Alea from the gilding's back he said, "I believe... That I would be called Yuros by your kind." And, keeping to one the codes of edicate that his mother had managed to teach him before his passing he asked, "And what are you called?"

[Alea Davenport]

Alea was sure she'd mentioned this before, but she supposed she couldn't fault the man...Yuros...for not remembering, since he barely seemed to know his OWN name. "My name is Alea," she said with a smile. She didn't know what to say after that, so she just continued leading the horse to the store which sold clothing. She secured the horse outside the shop and looked up at Yuros, uncertain whether she should help him, or let him get down on his own.

[Yuros]

Yuros was more than happy to return to his own feet. After adjusting the cloak he looked up at the shop before him. Looking up the Kelvic could see a sign having above the door, but of course he could not read it. Before he could take in much more Yuros felt his hand being taken once more, and he was practically dragged into the building. Once inside it was obvious what the store sold.

Furs... It seemed like hundreds, if not several hundreds, of furs lay on tables and hung on hooks about the wide room that was the shop floor. On one table there were stacks of thick winter clothing that ranged in size, design and articles, and on the adjacent table were more mundane articles such as dresses and tunics.

Yuros looked at the many clothes and furs, a bit at a loss as to what he was to do. So he looked to Alea instead, but the girl was already off and browsing the merchandise. From time to time she would cast a look back at Yuros, frowning as she tried to guess his sizes. Seeing nothing else to do, Yuros simply waited for when Alea next called him, perhaps to get him to try on something she had picked out or to ask his opinion on the selections (though it is doubtful that he would have any opinions at all).