[AW] I Was Lost But Now I Am Found (Yet I Don't Know If I Want To Be)

[Auru]

The air was thick today, the humidity high. One of the first signs that the season of winter was long gone, heralding that soon days would come when the sun beat down upon ones back, and the mere heat of the average day was enough to bring one to their knees with the desire for midday slumber. It would be even worse in these lands which the young stallion now found himself estranged within, for the murky waters would raise the humidity above even it's current levels, and the man had the foresight to know that if he should find himself here in such temperatures, he would hardly be surprised to find mixtures of condensation and sweat dripping from his name every now and then. Not to mention that the purification of detritus would increase exponentially, giving a cloying property to the smell that may hang here soon.

But that was then and this was now, and now, the only complaint to be found was the humidity. It was warm, yes, but far from uncomfortable. It helped that the night before had held a chill to it, lowering the temperatures of the swamps waters and making them almost refreshing in their coolness with hpthe coming of the sun. Each step gave a soft squelch, alongside a dim splash as he trudged through the stagnant waters, having long since given up on finding a dry path through this land. His limbs were growing heavy from the clinging mud, the long hairs wrapping around the sticky substance and soon almost cementing it to his form.

Yet the mud was soft and not too terribly thick, and a simpler part of the small man's mind actually enjoyed the sensation, the cool substance squelching up and around his hooves and limbs with every step, offering soft ground to grid upon. Granted, while each step was soft, raising ones limb provided a bit more of a challenge, a soft popping sound accompanying each instance he successfully pried one of his hooves from the water, to say nothing of the disturbances his movements caused in the water. He may have been pulling with a bit more force than was strictly necessary, not liking the sensation of being stuck, making his walk clumsier than it could have otherwise been.

But, it wasn't as though there was another to watch his struggles, yes? So it didn't matter to any but him in the end. Observant beasts that resided here may have noticed how ears perked up, rotating as if listening for something, to say nothing of the copper eyes that warily flicked about the eerily still land, watching. Looking to see what may lay in the shadows.

The fact of the matter is that he was lost, there was no other way to put it. He had fled the meadows of his foalhood, leaving their peaceful flowers in the hopes of leaving the shadows there as well. He had known from the start that his efforts would bear no fruit, but logically knowing the outcome didn't stop the trembling in his muscles of the twitching in his flanks and shoulders that was like an itch, one with tendrils that reached down into his heart and caused it to flutter with distress.

Run,

They whispered.

Run and perhaps you can escape.

He did not escape, but he did lose some of that nervous energy that made his shoulders tingle as though there were flies brushing against him, so it brought some mild relief in that.

Small mercies.

Tuthfully, he had not even the faintest clue where he was, or what borders he was within. He hardly knew of the courts at all, only the very basics. He knew not what borders he had grown up within, for his nomadic parents had brought him from place to place on a quite frequent basis, although they always returned to the meadows. They traveled so much the man could barely remember having seen the same face twice, and in time they had all grown to be blurs. He supposed that technically, he belonged to whatever court his parents hailed from, but they had seemed reluctant to discuss such things, and left him with a lack of knowledge of where to call home.

Perhaps it is better that way, you cannot be chased from a home you do not have. No need to fear another tracking down where you rest your head and breaking your bones in your slumber.

Of course, that does not exempt you from the blows of those who frown upon your mere presence within their lands.

But would others truly kill one who was only lost? Simply for not knowing where he set his hooves due to sheer ignorance?

You? Who could pass up the opportunity.

He couldn't refute the logic.

Nevertheless, the man soon found himself pried from his worried thoughts, lip finally freed from his unconscious nibbling. Before him lay what appeared to be a rise in the ground, a section of Earth and stone that rested above the water level, and while not as bereft of water as the desert, so much drier than any other resting spot in the vicinity.

And the small stallion was suddenly all too aware of the whimpering ache of his muscles from the difficult walk through sucking mud, and he couldn't deny the flame of eagerness that momentarily renewed his strength as he pushed forwards with a mighty heave. A rest seemed wonderful, and in this place, who knew when the next time came that he would find such a place? He had already been uncomfortable enough after the previous night, where he found himself forced to sleep in shallow water, unable to find dry land before he could go no further. Mud was still encrusted in his mane.

Nonetheless, the man sighed with relief as he hauled himself free of the water and mud, taking a moment to shake and wipe as much of it as he could from hocks along the edge of the rise, trying to cleanse himself at least a little. Task completed, or as completed as he was going to get, the man's hooves pressed upon the skills he walked forwards, looking for the area most bereft of stone to perhaps allow him a quick nap. After all, he needed to renergize if he wanted to brave the clingy earth that rested beneath the swamp's waters.

@Rannveig

OOC: Auru was born in Delumine not that that's relevant to anything nor as though he knows that fact. First post is a go, whoop! Hopefully it's not too awkward despite being written on mobile, I may have missed some autocorrect or lack there of while writing. xD

Also, this is technically open to any other members of Dusk who may wish to drop by, but it's at least involving Auru and Rannveig.

[Rannveig]

The swamp she seemed to frequent more and more often opened its arms to her once again. The unfamiliarity and cries of creatures she didn't know was a reminder that the swamp was not hers; she wondered if any, save Yana, had actually managed to call the wetlands home. She owned none of the lands in Terrastella--they belonged to Vespera and she merely upheld belief in the Goddess, and practiced the ways in which she lived. In return, the Goddess was sure to grant the Dusk Court the numbers and protection they needed to rebuild themselves. Though she had never seen the divine figure of Dusk, she had put faith with every sunset that their Lady was with them all, that she would rise to catch them from falling should the threat exist. It was her people, after all, that Rannveig fell in love with and sworn herself to. Was it really such a stretch to hope that Vespera would swear herself to them as well?

She was well wet with her own perspiration by the time she reached the same clearing as he, a solitary mass of earth in the middle of murky waters. It held upon its back the opposite of all she had crossed through: vibrant grasses calling hello, flowers of slight shade variances nestled neatly in patches placed around. It was the area she most often found herself whenever she crossed into the swamp borders, a long trek made worthwhile to see the beauty held within. She had yet met Yana there, and could only remember the eerie silence the night held when she found Pan beneath the blanket of stars.

She wasn't entirely sure what she was supposed to do with the lands under her control; she was not one to keep others out simply in fear of them posing a threat, for she believed in the innate goodness of strangers. Yet it posed the question of how she was to keep track of visitors in Terrastella were they not required to meet with a council member beforehand. Those were the thoughts that plagued her as she moved, unknowingly, toward one of those very strangers.

She saw his form as he was disappearing between the underbrush of the trees that protected their swamp, head low in search of something. She had not seen him before and, such, had no previous interaction to help guide her into an introduction; she stayed some distance behind and gave a tentative call, "Can I help find something?" Her accented voice fell flat in the dense air, but her lips held a smile to show that she only meant good-will.

And all our problems make us powerless

holy god this is so late, im so sorry ;;
@Auru

[Auru]

So pre-occupied was the man, and so believing that few would dare to tread through these unpleasant lands (after all, he had yet to see signs of another soul for quite some time, and he knew that many disliked places such as these, humid and dank), that he did not notice that he was being followed. The way his own hooves sloshed through the water, the way the mud from his hocks splattered against the ground, and the way insects buzzed about his ears in the environment that was a breeding ground for decay was enough to overpower both his scent and hearing to where he was unaware of his company. Even more so as his back was turned and eyes scanning the earth about him with great focus.

And as such, the nervous man did not even realized that he was within the presence of this land's ruler, which was undoubtedly good for his heart, weary despite his young age, although he could not shake the feeling of eyes watching him.

But that feeling was always a faithful companion, and so he thought little of it for the moment, disliking the sensation of eyes boring into his backside, yes, but accustomed enough to it to be more interested in finding his new resting spot.

Of course, he should have paid attention to the feeling.

Of course he should have.

"Can I help you find something?"

The question wasn't one that was meant to frighten, quite simple, truly. It was nothing more than what it displayed in its words. It meant what it said, no hidden implications or insinuations, a true, genuine, question. A casual offer of assistance from one more knowledgeable of the lands to one who seemed almost lost.

Of course, such things were well known to the man that the words were spoken to, the accented voice one that bore no ill will and was quite clearly one that the small stallion had no need to fear.

Unfortunately, logic rarely trumps emotion, now does it?

The man had been in the process of taking a step forward when the question was asked, jerking a little as he suddenly seized, forward momentum causing him to rock slightly before he stilled, forehoof held aloft in the air. His ears had shot to the top of his head in surprise, and everything about the young man was suddenly very, very alert. Very attentive to what was going on. Ears were listening, muscles were tensed and ready for action, and pupils were blown wide in order to better take in what it was that had surprised him so, to better view the situation.

The head that those copper eyes rested within suddenly snapped around, almost enough to make one think that the man ought to have gotten whiplash from the sudden movement. It was not hard for those eyes to find the source of the disturbance, so bright was the figure in contrast to the surroundings.

The first thing he noticed was not her smiling expression, nor that she was in fact a mare, nor her lovely coloration nor anything else that might typically be noted at first glance.

Instead, the first thing he noticed was how visible those muscles were beneath that cream coat, how rippling the tendons in her neck were as she shifted slightly as she breathed. How toned her form was, and the underlying confidence of a warrior and leader in her stance, an unknowing air of dominance. After that, his mind began to do two things at once.

One, was to begin to register all the other facts others would commonly notice when looking at her, how she was a mare, how she was smiling, how she bore a garment on her form that appeared to be made of fur of a sort.

Two, the casual notes his mind had initially made, just simply jotting down observations of how strong and fit she was, and how she seemed to unknowingly stand with something of a dominant air, one who was experienced as a leader of a sort, were slowly being more firmly absorbed into his mind, truly being registered. And the part of his mind that had made these notes, was responding accordingly and promptly beginning to whirlpool into panic.

Oh fuck.

Fuckity-fuck-fuck.

What had he been thinking? He shouldn't have come here.

Yes, these lands were more difficult to navigate, and therefore the likelihood of running into others here wasn't as great.

But that just meant that those who lived here would be able to catch him before he could escape due to greater experience.

Oh dear Vespera, what in the name of Tempus had he been thinking? He should have gotten out of here the moment he saw the lands, should have gone running for the fields and plains as fast as he could. There, he was exposed, true, but at least if a chase broke out, whether one lived on the flat lands or not didn't change how quickly you could run. There were no hidden details in a flat land so that living in the area could give you an advantage over strangers.

He was clearly trespassing on someone's territory, if the confident way the other was standing was any indication. Her territory. She seemed to be waiting for a response.

Oh fuck, how long had it been since she asked him? Would he be attacked for taking too long? If she was as confident in herself as she seemed to be (or was he just projecting? No time to figure it out!) then she would clearly be wanting a response as soon as possible. She would clearly expect to be listened to and to have her questions answered in due time.

He didn't realize his body had slowly circled around to be facing her completely, or that his ears and neck and lowered, and lips slightly curled in slowly progressing fear until he was suddenly made aware of his body once more as he tried to open his mouth to speak. The attempt was a fruitless effort, for it appeared his jaws had locked themselves into their current position, and he doubted he could speak anyway past the lump in his throat.

Oh Vespera, no, he had to relax his lips. If his lips curled back to far, his wolf and canine teeth would be on display, as though he were a snarling wolf. That would clearly be read as a sign of aggression and cause for confrontation! Oh gods no, relax, relax, you have to relax your mouth so she doesn't think you're trying to pick a fight.

Oh fuck, wait, he still hadn't answered her! Fuck, calm down, relax your jaw, try to speak, you have to speak, you have to speak! Give her an answer, she wants an answer!

His voice cracked horribly as he finally pried his jaws apart, the sheer force over his own painfully tensed muscles giving him enough control of his body back for the moment so as to croak out his breaking response.

"S-Sorry... J-Just looking for a place to sleep, I didn't mean to trespass."

His broken voice arced higher in pitch at the final words of his response, and he tried to force a smile of some sort to play it off. It undoubtedly failed horribly, given how his ears were still nearly flattened, his eyes were blown wide and flicking desperately from the woman to the surrounding area, looking for an escape route. But he still tried.

Points for effort.

@Rannveig

OOC: He's a spooked boy. Hush you're fine. <3