The stars are alive, child! Did you know that? Everything out there is alive, and there are grand purpose abroad!
I was still riding on the high of disbelief, and hope. If Kodarki was alive, and well, than that meant that there was a chance others were too. It meant that Liatris could be... well it meant that maybe he was here, that maybe I hadn't just been anchored in by the past. I don't know if it's the doing of the firstborns, or if the gods of novus have finally heard my plea. Perhaps, it's time to start putting some faith in the. Maybe I'll visit the peak... and for once have a word with Caligo.
I've been to the Eleutheria plains only once, a journey to clear my head. I come now with a purpose. It may be summer now, a season with the gift of little sickness, and bountiful herbs. But summer doesn't last forever, and as soon as the seasons change, so too does out luck. So I'm stocking up while i can, gathering every herb from around Novus I can think of. Another healer in the temple told me I could find purple coneflower in the plains. Good for respiratory infections, which I'm sure will be in high supply come the fall.
So far though I'm having rotten luck. I've found plenty of yarrow, that I don't need, but not a single purple petal. I wander around, unfamiliar with the land, and unsure of where I should be looking. Suddenly I spot it. a small bloom of the purple flowers, and I am promptly dissapointed to see that someone has beaten me to the punch.
[1] The beast was rippling in shadows as he walked, the sun glinting off of only the top of each sinewy wave of his thick body. He was a living work of art as he narrowed in on the frail woman's flowers, acutely aware that he would demolish her should she try to plead the flowers from his grasp.
[2] The scanty woman's body told tales of quiet determination, a soul who had experienced brutality, hardship, and failure but had never given up. Perhaps to another stallion, she would be a remarkable tale of perseverance and resolution, but to him, she was nothing more than pitiful.
[3] A medic was usually a kind soul, one that strived to see those around themselves at their healthiest. The question then became: why had Solterra made their sole doctor a man who would have no hesitation assaulting a feeble mare over a flower?
[4] Solterrans were savage individuals, choosing violence over peace and strength over vulnerability. It made sense with core values such as these that a warrior held every position. The opportunity for weakness slipping into their court was very slim, and if one happened to be more feeble, the other forty-five horses in the court would make up for it tenfold. Not only this, but Somer had not asked for the job, instead thrust into it upon arrival.
[5] With only a quick glance in the ailing woman's direction, Somer snorts and says, "if you want it, come get it," but it is only a taunting quip.
The stars are alive, child! Did you know that? Everything out there is alive, and there are grand purpose abroad!
It is made clear to me immediately that this is a situation in which I will have to calculate each move carefully. This is no kind stranger, in my experience, those from the day court never do seem to be - the man stunk of the desert. He was awfully crude looking, an average brown, but the red that dripped over his face, made for an eery sight to say the least. I narrowed my eyes, regretting my decision to leave the girls behind for once. They would have been useful here. I have to keep myself from rolling my eyes at his taunt. As if I haven't been threatened before.
"Looks like there's enough for both of us" I reply, picking my way towards him, holding my head high enough to force an arch into my neck. An uncomfortable position I haven't assumed in a while. "I rather thought Solterrans were too tough to admit they'd need such an herb anyways. Figured you wouldn't get sick at all really." I say it softly, but I am sure to make it clear that I do not mean it kindly, letting sarcasm drip around the edges.
I stop about a foot away, blinking into the bright sun behind him. Though I stood my ground before him, I knew that if he did decide to strike, like the snake he probably was, I would not stand a chance. Truth be told, I was banking on him deciding that I wasn't worth his time.
