Closed let it snow

[Imala]

let it snow / 30th of Winter, 512av / Endrykas Almost the entire day before, it had been blizzarding. Imala had been curled up in her makeshift nest of blankets and a cloak, and had been sleeping for most of that day. The wind had been howling and the cold tried to creep into the pavilion, but she kept it out, for the most part. Today was different, though. There was two feet of snow, and there was snow everywhere. The entire world was so white and shining, it hurt her eyes. Imala imagined that this must be what Avanthal was like - cold and sparkly. She wrapped her fur cloak around her and stepped into the snow, immediately sinking down a good foot, the snow almost reaching the tops of her boots. The rest of the snow was packed down underneath her. She couldn't touch the ground. Imala hopped in the footprints of people who had walked before her, looking for something to do.

[Jez Firetongue]

Jez Firetongue ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Due to the blizzard, Jez had worked harder yesterday than he had in a while, trying to maintain the standing of his pavilion and ensure their horses were all in good health. It had taken a lot out of him and thus he had been told to take a short break today, giving him the morning free to do as he pleased. Thus the young man had chosen to head away from his pavilion atop Wind, his ever loyal strider, and towards a more secluded area of Endrykas. With people busy making repairs and doing stock takes it wasn’t hard to find a spot where few were frequenting, and so he slid from Wind’s back and landed in the cold snow. Whilst the mighty stallion kept watch, Jez busied himself under the early morning sky in clearing away some of the snowfall. There was lot, but he managed to remove enough that he had a small spot on the floor where he could kneel. His cloak was removed and placed on the clear space, and he knelt down. The dim lighting was steadily growing as the sun rose, signalling the start of a new day. He would use the first part of the morning praying to the Gods, for Endrykas definitely needed help and it was reassuring to him to feel that they were watching over the Drykas Clans. His first prayer went up to Zulrav, head bent as he muttered words for only himself to hear. The God in charge of storms he thanked for maintaining a balance in nature, but also voiced his concerns of what another storm of that magnitude would do to the community he loved, especially with the pox as an ever growing concern. With thoughts of the pox, he then turned to Rak’keli, in hopes that she would protect his pavilion in the trying times ahead. Many had been lost to the disease, and he feared that more would succumb to it. By now there was a noticeable effect within Endrykas, many steering clear of those they didn’t know or talking from a far distance so as to avoid the fatal disease. Jez then sent a quick thank you to Dira, whom he never tended to pray to. Given the circumstances, with so many dead, he only felt it right to show his appreciation for her work in guiding souls of the departed to their destinations. By this time the morning was well under way, though Jez remained undisturbed in his own personal spot. The man’s last prayer went to Caiyha, the Goddess he was most fond of and whom understood the balance of all things. He had spent plenty of time over the last couple of seasons simply sitting and talking to her, isolated in the Sea of Grass with nobody but his strider to hear his words. Though he knew there were reasons behind every action, he asked her for guidance in how to pull his pavilion through the tough times. Simply sitting and talking to the deities for a short time comforted him greatly. He stood and stretched shortly afterwards, picking up his cloak to throw back around his shoulders. Usually he wore nothing on the upper half of his body bar the necklace his grandfather gave him, an intricate working on knots with a hunting dog’s tooth sat proudly in the middle. With the pox as serious as they were and after the blizzard that left such quantities of snow, Jez had decided against braving the elements and instead for his shirt and cloak. Though he had lost the sash signature of his Clan a while ago and never replaced it, the faded purples that splashed across various parts of his clothes were more than enough to signify that he was of the Amethyst Clan. The young man placed a hand on Wind’s shoulder. The stallion glanced to him with a snort, returning to looking across the small clearing between tents. Green eyes followed the strider’s steady gaze to find a woman wandering alone a short distance away. She didn’t seem to have spotted the pair. “Greetings ma’am,” he sent a grin in her direction as he alerted her of his presence, “What brings you out on such a cold morning?” ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ||Jez Firetongue|| ||21 years|| ||Drykas|| ||Amethyst Clan|| ||Strider-Wind||

[Imala]

Snow. She was tall enough that stepping through the snow was easy, but she didn't like how she stood out like a sore thumb when she was hunting. Her green feathers were fine during the summer, with the high green grass and everything green, but when it snowed, everything was white. All white and cold. It was easier to spot prey, sure, and she was the fastest runner on the plains, but still. It was the same in human form. She stood out with her dark hair and green clothing, but this time she wasn't the fastest. Someone called at her, and she turned. An unfamiliar face, here. And his strider looked scared to death. She walked up closer to him and called back. "Good morning." She stepped through footprints into the snow, closer, and reached out to the strider who promptly backed away and snorted. Horses. "I'm looking for something to do. What are you doing out here?"

[Jez Firetongue]

Jez Firetongue ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ As the tall woman turned towards him, Jez couldn’t help but notice the unnatural colour of her hair. It was dark green, like the clothing she wore. Born and raised within Endrykas, the young man knew automatically that the colours symbolised her Clan; Emerald. She had to be a hunter then, or at least that’s what his automatic assumption was. Just as his own were known for their fine breeding of horses and grassland navigation, the Emerald Clan prized their abilities to track and capture prey within the Sea of Grass. Jez felt a high respect for them given that they didn’t hunt without first sending a prayer of thanks to Caiyha, who kept animals under her watch. The stranger turned and walked towards him, setting off a reaction in Wind. His ears drew back and, for a moment, Jez thought he was afraid. The stallion snorted, stamping one impressive hoof harshly and the ground and snapping his teeth. The bond the Drykas shared with the stallion had improved his understanding of the unpredictable creature’s actions and he recognised the emotion for what it truly was, anger. Wind was loyal only to Jez, standing watch over him carefully and eyeing anyone who interacted with him warily. He rarely displayed this form of rejection at first sight though. Putting it down to the strange weather patterns, Jez rolled his eyes with a fond smile at his companion, before turning his gaze back to the woman before him. “I don’t mean to interfere, but isn’t there plenty to be done with your pavilion? The blizzard yesterday caused a lot of damage.” Jez noticed the lack of a strider beside the woman and wondered what the reason might be. Usually if one left their pavilion or Clan they would be accompanied by their faithful creature. Perhaps she had left the horse behind due to the snow. His eyes widened a fraction as he realised that perhaps she hadn’t yet found her strider at all. If she hadn’t then she hadn’t earned her windmarks, and wasn’t a true Drykas. “I’ve been given the morning off of my duties, so I left my pavilion to speak undisturbed with the Gods. I’m probably going to take Wind out for some exercise before I head back home,” he responded with a warm smile, patting the stallion’s shoulder. Said beast made a soft sound, bumping his nose against the Drykas’ cheek, before snorting at the woman again. “My name’s Jez, by the way. Jez Firetongue of the Amethyst Clan; pleased to meet you.” ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ||Jez Firetongue|| ||21 years|| ||Drykas|| ||Amethyst Clan|| ||Strider-Wind||

[Imala]

"Imala Plainstrider. Emerald clan." She reached out to the strider, Wind, again. She was teasing the horse now. She grabbed a handful of his mane, and she could smell the fear on him - he wasn't angry anymore, it was fear. The horse knew what she was. She let go of his mane and stepped back. Her movement made the green collar around her neck obvious, her hair now out of the way. "I'm not good at building. I just hunt." It struck her then that perhaps this Jez Firetongue didn't know who - or what - she was. The strider snorted at her again, and stomped around in the snow. He was getting agitated by her presence, she could tell. They always did. Glassbeaks were their natural predators. "It's okay, striders never like me. It's not their fault - Glassbeaks are scary." There was really no point in pretending that she was just a normal Drykas. It didn't make sense, lying or avoiding the truth. She always told the truth. Lying just felt awkward.

[Jez Firetongue]

Jez Firetongue ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Jez watched as Imala reached out to grab a handful of Wind’s mane, a bad idea that was potentially dangerous. There was a reason his pavilion made sure they were rarely left to tend to the stallion without the young man around. Even he had trouble reigning in the spirit of the animal he was bonded to when his temper went sour. Wind opened his mouth, snapping at the woman as she let go. Jez’s own eyes narrowed at the rudeness of the action. All creatures should be treated with respect, not grabbed like old toys and pulled out. The lady was acting as a young child without knowledge of their role within nature would. Above all animals, striders were the most valuable amongst Drykas, and to purposefully upset one was a punishable act. It wasn’t in the young man’s nature to snap or be angry at others, but he saw his horse as an extension of himself, and so stepped in front of the feisty stallion much like a mother bear would her cub. His head lifted slightly and he crossed his arms, blocking her from the horse. Wind’s hoof pawed at the ground and he nudged Jez’s arm in an attempt to communicate something, but attention on the woman rather than the horse the man didn’t know what he wanted. He had been right about her being a hunter from the Emerald Clan, though the collar now on display as she stepped back caused some confusion. Her dark green hair, treatment of Wind, and now the collar around her neck; they all pointed towards one thing. She was not a Drykas, but foreign to these lands. Well, foreign in the sense of not being of the same blood as he. She was part of a Clan, so he suspected she was now counted amongst Drykas numbers. Still, somebody needed to teach her about respecting animals. To think she was in the Clan that worshipped Caiyha the most. Her next words made his eyebrows come together in confusion. Was she referring to herself as a glassbeak? The thought was almost laughable, as the top predator within the Sea of Grass did not look human and certainly did not have a place to live in Endrykas. Jez was about to respond as such, when another thought came into mind. A few years ago a travelling Inarta had come to stay with the Firetongue pavilion for a short period of time. It was a favour from the Ankal for something he still didn’t know the details about. Either way, the man had come with an abundance of information about the world outside of Cyphrus. A secluded city, Endrykas rarely had travellers visiting, and so Jez had listened to each story told gladly. Not a trader, the young man didn’t often associate with those not born in Endrykas. One piece of information had stuck in his curious teenage mind, however. There was people out there who could willingly turn into animals. There were different ways of doing so, but the fact had seemed like such a fabrication that it had stayed with Jez. He had forgotten what the other had called these form shifters, but assuming that Imala was one would make a lot of sense. “Perhaps,” he spoke clearly, not unkindly but alike to how one would teach lessons to a child, “if you treated striders with the respect they deserve they may like you more. They’re not here to be roughly handled, but to work with and learn from. Forgive me if I’m assuming wrong, but you’re not Drykas are you?” ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ||Jez Firetongue|| ||21 years|| ||Drykas|| ||Amethyst Clan|| ||Strider-Wind||

[Imala]

"I'm sorry." She kicked some snow. Stupid horses. They were good food, though. She had eaten one once when she was out hunting by herself. Wild strides had a lot of meat. They were big, warm, furry creatures. The glassbeak in her saw them as food, but the Drykas saw them as friends. She had the good sense to not attack striders. "No, I'm a Kelvic. Do you want a feather?" She dug around in her pocket, pulling out a long, bright green feather. Her own feather. "That was mine." Imala held it out to him by the stalk, trying not to ruffle the feather even more. It was like a peace offering, an apology for bothering his horse. And suddenly, she had an excellent idea for something to do. Race. Running, she loved running. She was good at running, incredible even. Her legs were longer than a normal human's, so she had a longer stride, coupled with her stamina and strength - she was unstoppable. Or so it felt like, but she didn't usually run in the main parts of Endrykas. Usually on the outskirts and never too far unless she was in her true form, because even though she was a glassbeak, it wouldn't stop slavers, Zith, or even another glassbeak from attacking. "Let's race. We can race to your pavilion - where is it?"

[Jez Firetongue]

Jez Firetongue ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ “It’s fine,” he sighed, but gave her a short smile nonetheless, “Just make sure not to do that to Wind again; he not the nicest of horses to anyone other than me at the best of times.” Jez thought over her next few sentences with mild confusion. He had never heard of a Kelvic, but assuming she wasn’t crazy it was a race that had something to do with changing forms to become animals. He looked the large, green feather over with appreciative eyes. It certainly was a fine looking item. There could be no harm, he decided, and so he took it with a nod. “A Kelvic,” the Drykas man tested the word with his mouth, looking at her curiously, “I haven’t met one before. What exactly are you, if it’s not rude for me to ask?” He feared the glassbeaks, like any sensible Drykas, yet also was beginning to understand their place within the grasslands. Of course, he’d never go near one himself. A glassbeak feather was hard to come by, so he took it carefully from her and turned it over with a look of wonder in his eyes. “It’s beautiful.” Having never encountered a Kelvic before, he was curious to find out more about her. A race, as she suggested, wasn’t something that appealed to him. Obviously she must have some sort of strength on the front, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to go running through Endrykas like a pair of children during a time of so much misery. Instead of taking her up on the offer, he proposed a different idea. “I’m not feeling particularly up for a race, I’m afraid,” he apologised with a smile, “Perhaps later, though. I’d love to learn more about your race though, maybe you could tell me about them.” It would probably be better for them to talk on the outskirts of Endrykas, the border being nearby and a place they’d remain undisturbed, but he still wasn’t sure that the unknown part of her wasn’t dangerous. Wind also seemed too agitated to have that as a good idea. If the strider became too angered by her presence he could lash out or, worse, decide to leave. Jez wasn’t keen on either scenario playing out. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ||Jez Firetongue|| ||21 years|| ||Drykas|| ||Amethyst Clan|| ||Strider-Wind||

[Imala]

Imala smiled as he took her feather, but it was a hawkish, predatory smile. Many of her expressions seemed predatory, as if she were about to pounce and tear something to pieces. She was sad that he didn't want to race, though. Racing was fun. It was also surprising that he'd never heard of Kelvic before - there were a few that lived in Endrykas. But she could tell him as much as she knew. "Kelvic," she began, "Are like a combination of an animal and a human. Mine's a glassbeak. We shape-shift from human to animal and back again, but I can't because I have a collar." She didn't gesture to the collar - he'd already seen it. She kicked some snow. "We bond to people, like the Striders bond. We all want to bond, as far as I know. And, we can be all kinds of animals - cats, horses, dogs, birds...There are some that live here, I know that. Both of my parents were Kelvic. How come you haven't met one before?"

[Jez Firetongue]

Jez Firetongue ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Jez raised an eyebrow at Imala’s expression as he took the feather, though didn’t comment on it. The way she held herself was much more animalistic human, which made sense considering her next words. Kelvics seemed so foreign to the simple man whose only aim in life was to breed horses, perhaps also developing his relationship with the Gods and Goddesses. The idea that people existed who could change into animals had confused him, and he hadn’t truly believed it, but here was proof before him and he would use the opportunity to learn about a race he didn’t even know existed. “You can shift into a glassbeak?” his eyebrows raised as he spoke with something akin to wonder, “How does that work?” He was surprised that if their bonds were similar to Striders with the Drykas that she’d had the nerve to go up to Wind in the way she had. Though he was still annoyed about that, remaining stood in front of the feisty beast, he had accepted her apology so long as she didn’t do it again. “Why haven’t I met a Kelvic before? Well, I don’t tend to meet many people or travel outside Endrykas and there are many more Drykas than any other race around. I guess I just get on with my work, so I’ve never really had the chance to meet anyone not involved specifically with the horses.” He looked at the green collar around her neck for a moment, before hesitantly asking, “Why do you wear that? Are you unable to control changing your forms?” ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ||Jez Firetongue|| ||21 years|| ||Drykas|| ||Amethyst Clan|| ||Strider-Wind||