Sweat streaked the mousy grey mare’s coat in thick, clumpy streaks as she stalked through the winding canyons that served as Solterra’s southern border. Days without any sort of central leadership drug on in a nondescript blur, though she repeated the tasks she had been given in the past dutifully, if mindlessly. To a stranger, the empty passages of the Elatus Canyons might seem monotonous and winding, each twist and turn identical to the last, but she passed through them as thoughtlessly and listlessly as some wandering apparition. There was purpose to her paths, a method to her apparent madness developed from years of walking these passages at the sides of her fellow warriors. It seemed that the court had grown smaller without a leader; normally, she would be flanked by three or four of her kin, but she had spent much of the past few months in relative solitude. She wasn’t sure if the others had left, released from the loyalty that had bound them to their previous leader, or if they had simply set out to work on her own, but the Day Court felt short-handed and quiet – in any case, Seraphina wasn’t too worried about it. Solterra was vast, and she knew that she was not alone. It did, however, mean that she had to shoulder duties that were not initially her own. In a culture of warriors, particularly one situated in the midst of a desert, healing herbs were always in short supply; she wasn’t looking for velvet mesquite, per say, but if she stumbled upon any, she wouldn’t be opposed to bringing it back with her.
The midday sun beat down on her back, distorting the reddish walls of the canyon that rose up alongside her in rippling waves. She could hear the low whistle of wind bustling through the narrow passages just up ahead, and, though she knew she would be forced to crouch to make her way through them, she was grateful for the shade that she knew the enclosed spaces would provide. Seraphina dipped under a smooth arch of striped stone, weathered from years of sand and storm; the walls gave her little more than three inches of movement on each side, and, if she were claustrophobic, she imagined that she would be in a panic. As she was, Seraphina pressed on with the same monotonous neutrality that she used to approach absolutely everything, snaking through the passages until she came out of them, stepping out into a wide, craggy segment of the canyons.
Her gaze darted rapidly across the scene splayed out ahead of her, checking the narrow ridges scattered sporadically across the walls for any sign of life. Initially, she found nothing of interest; however, her eyes came to a rest on a somewhat spindly, bright green shrub that she recognized as her quarry. Unfortunately, it was on a ridge approximately twenty feet up, so she had some climbing to do. Gritting her jaw, Seraphina trotted over to a ridge that she was relatively sure she could clamber onto, and, with a kick of her hindquarters, propelled her body up onto the shallow outcropping. From there, it was a matter of working her way up the side of the canyon at an angle, pausing each time she reached a substantial enough ridge; there wasn’t room for error, but this was hardly the first time she’d climbed the walls. Cautious, meticulous paces eventually led her to the ridge that supported the velvet mesquite. She only needed the leaves and gum for medicine, but, given the difficulty of extracting gum alone and the benefits the rest of the plant provided, she decided that it was more economical to take the entire plant with her. Gripping the trunk in her jaws, she gave it a sharp tug, and, fortunately, she managed to pull it from the ground without upsetting the ridge or losing her balance. She deposited it on the ground in front of her hooves, and, sucking in a breath of hot, dusty air, directed the entirety of her concentration at the bush. She didn’t use telekinesis all too often, but she certainly wasn’t going to carry the bush back to the court in her mouth; it lifted gently into the air alongside her, twisting and bobbing in the gentle breeze. With that, she took a moment to use her present elevation to confirm her bearings. Seraphina liked to think that she knew Solterra like the back of her hooves, but she knew just how easy it was to lose all sense of direction in the canyons.
The midday sun beat down on her back, distorting the reddish walls of the canyon that rose up alongside her in rippling waves. She could hear the low whistle of wind bustling through the narrow passages just up ahead, and, though she knew she would be forced to crouch to make her way through them, she was grateful for the shade that she knew the enclosed spaces would provide. Seraphina dipped under a smooth arch of striped stone, weathered from years of sand and storm; the walls gave her little more than three inches of movement on each side, and, if she were claustrophobic, she imagined that she would be in a panic. As she was, Seraphina pressed on with the same monotonous neutrality that she used to approach absolutely everything, snaking through the passages until she came out of them, stepping out into a wide, craggy segment of the canyons.
Her gaze darted rapidly across the scene splayed out ahead of her, checking the narrow ridges scattered sporadically across the walls for any sign of life. Initially, she found nothing of interest; however, her eyes came to a rest on a somewhat spindly, bright green shrub that she recognized as her quarry. Unfortunately, it was on a ridge approximately twenty feet up, so she had some climbing to do. Gritting her jaw, Seraphina trotted over to a ridge that she was relatively sure she could clamber onto, and, with a kick of her hindquarters, propelled her body up onto the shallow outcropping. From there, it was a matter of working her way up the side of the canyon at an angle, pausing each time she reached a substantial enough ridge; there wasn’t room for error, but this was hardly the first time she’d climbed the walls. Cautious, meticulous paces eventually led her to the ridge that supported the velvet mesquite. She only needed the leaves and gum for medicine, but, given the difficulty of extracting gum alone and the benefits the rest of the plant provided, she decided that it was more economical to take the entire plant with her. Gripping the trunk in her jaws, she gave it a sharp tug, and, fortunately, she managed to pull it from the ground without upsetting the ridge or losing her balance. She deposited it on the ground in front of her hooves, and, sucking in a breath of hot, dusty air, directed the entirety of her concentration at the bush. She didn’t use telekinesis all too often, but she certainly wasn’t going to carry the bush back to the court in her mouth; it lifted gently into the air alongside her, twisting and bobbing in the gentle breeze. With that, she took a moment to use her present elevation to confirm her bearings. Seraphina liked to think that she knew Solterra like the back of her hooves, but she knew just how easy it was to lose all sense of direction in the canyons.
@Avdotya - forgive the rambling
I'M IN A ROOM MADE OUT OF MIRRORSand there's no way to escape the violence of a girl against herself.☼please tag Sera! contact is encouraged, short of violence
