Callynite
The doe was feeling herself settle into the forest that came from an ease of surviving in another forest completely. So close to being like home, but not close enough. Still, she let herself relax, more so then normal and for a moment she almost forgot where she was, what she had become, what she was missing. A stranger to you comes. A stranger to you approaches. The woods should have sang those lines to her in warning. The forest should have buzzing with an eagerness to speak to her, to communicate. She should feel the warm embrace of the trees as they spoke of frivolous things. She should have heard them gossiping to one another, and to her. She should have heard the compliments of the flowers, as they both showered her with honey words, and fished for similar responses about their own colors. The forest should communicate her, and make her feel less alone. But all she heard from them was silence, and with that silence came the constant reminder that this wasn't home. She wasn't whole. And the need for the bow and arrows to be ready was driven hard into her chilling heart.
The greeting spooked her, and the little doe spun, her body lowering into a defensive position as her cloak flowed around her tiny form. A green glow surrounded her horn, the same glow surrounding the bow as it was immediately lifted and primed, arrow notched to fly and aimed with an experienced eye at the creature who had startled her. Cally stared in shock to see another horse there, and her eyes blinked slowly, as her defensive stance slowly shifted as she caught the familiar scent of her court on him. Of course, this was Dawn Court lands, Delumine. Slowly she shifted, standing as tall as her far-too-tiny-compared-to-this-giant stance would allow her, even as she watched who she saw as a stranger with guarded expression. The bow lowered as well, the glow around it dimming, and while the motion of it lowering happened, she didn't unnotch the arrow yet. He was, after all; still a stranger to the small deer - er, horse-deer.
The doe finally realized he'd spoken, and she forced herself to relax a touch more, taking in his smile and his easy tones. Only then did she unnotch the poised arrow, letting it fly back into the quiver, even as she let the bow fall to her side, where it would be easier to manipulate than tucking it back against her satchel. "Sorry, they didn't wa-" She paused, and the druid visibly flinched at the thought, the reminder. Her magic was cut off, had been since she arrived on this island. And where the earth should have spoken to her previously, to let her know of one approaching her, it was dead and silent to her senses. Her gaze cut away from him, as she steeled herself before looking up to him again and rearranging her sentence, "I didn't hear you approaching." She forced herself to shake of the lingering tenseness and managed an awkward smile, as if only just realizing she'd immediately aimed an arrow at buck . . . sorry, stallion before her. "And, sorry about aiming at ya . . . I'm normally not so jumpy with the bow . . ." She promised with an awkward but friendly laugh as she shook off the the feelings of betrayal at the silence the woods around her gave, and never felt the stirring of her magic that was so desperate to reach out to her and soothe the little doe. All her life she'd been in touch with it, and now that it was buried and unreachable with in her core, well walking through that portal and stepping onto Novus had led her to feeling more than a little like she'd lost who she was.
She brought her focus back to his follow-up sentence from his greeting, and nodding in consent, "I'd never say no to company. My name's Callynite by the way . . . most call me Cally, however. It's less of a mouthful. Some doe's shouldn't be allowed to name their fawns . . ." She stated in a friendly manner, relaxing just a little bit more before suddenly realizing her slip up, and could feel her face heat up, "Er, well. Mares, and ah . . . wait, what do horses call their fawns again? Fillies? Though I'd thought I'd heard colt used once before." She wrinkled her nose before finally shrugging it off. This was why she refused to conform to the idea she should identify even as a partial horse now. Who could understand all of that crazy terminology. And she'd been a doe far before she was forced into this half-and-half state she appeared in now. Another black mark for the magic of Novus in her mind.
"Speech"
@Ipomoea
The greeting spooked her, and the little doe spun, her body lowering into a defensive position as her cloak flowed around her tiny form. A green glow surrounded her horn, the same glow surrounding the bow as it was immediately lifted and primed, arrow notched to fly and aimed with an experienced eye at the creature who had startled her. Cally stared in shock to see another horse there, and her eyes blinked slowly, as her defensive stance slowly shifted as she caught the familiar scent of her court on him. Of course, this was Dawn Court lands, Delumine. Slowly she shifted, standing as tall as her far-too-tiny-compared-to-this-giant stance would allow her, even as she watched who she saw as a stranger with guarded expression. The bow lowered as well, the glow around it dimming, and while the motion of it lowering happened, she didn't unnotch the arrow yet. He was, after all; still a stranger to the small deer - er, horse-deer.
The doe finally realized he'd spoken, and she forced herself to relax a touch more, taking in his smile and his easy tones. Only then did she unnotch the poised arrow, letting it fly back into the quiver, even as she let the bow fall to her side, where it would be easier to manipulate than tucking it back against her satchel. "Sorry, they didn't wa-" She paused, and the druid visibly flinched at the thought, the reminder. Her magic was cut off, had been since she arrived on this island. And where the earth should have spoken to her previously, to let her know of one approaching her, it was dead and silent to her senses. Her gaze cut away from him, as she steeled herself before looking up to him again and rearranging her sentence, "I didn't hear you approaching." She forced herself to shake of the lingering tenseness and managed an awkward smile, as if only just realizing she'd immediately aimed an arrow at buck . . . sorry, stallion before her. "And, sorry about aiming at ya . . . I'm normally not so jumpy with the bow . . ." She promised with an awkward but friendly laugh as she shook off the the feelings of betrayal at the silence the woods around her gave, and never felt the stirring of her magic that was so desperate to reach out to her and soothe the little doe. All her life she'd been in touch with it, and now that it was buried and unreachable with in her core, well walking through that portal and stepping onto Novus had led her to feeling more than a little like she'd lost who she was.
She brought her focus back to his follow-up sentence from his greeting, and nodding in consent, "I'd never say no to company. My name's Callynite by the way . . . most call me Cally, however. It's less of a mouthful. Some doe's shouldn't be allowed to name their fawns . . ." She stated in a friendly manner, relaxing just a little bit more before suddenly realizing her slip up, and could feel her face heat up, "Er, well. Mares, and ah . . . wait, what do horses call their fawns again? Fillies? Though I'd thought I'd heard colt used once before." She wrinkled her nose before finally shrugging it off. This was why she refused to conform to the idea she should identify even as a partial horse now. Who could understand all of that crazy terminology. And she'd been a doe far before she was forced into this half-and-half state she appeared in now. Another black mark for the magic of Novus in her mind.
"Speech"
@Ipomoea