Slow and deliberate steps hit the terrain like heavy boulders, dusted with snowy kisses from ivory feathers, all sweeping at once about his hooves like soft escorts seeking stillness against motion. Eyes like deep cerulean emeralds, hooded by his wavy, unkept forelock of raven and silver, some matted together while other curlier pieces sticking in every direction along his poll and crest. The stagnant air grew around him, slowly engulfing the blue and white boar with soft curls of a warmer spring breeze. The season had still just begun, and the battling of winter and spring was wreaking havoc on the thawing earth.
The path grew more muddy and wet, a slickness becoming rampant under the heavy weight of his draft build, and far less supportive. Hefty but strong the boar slowed his pace, making sure his hooves weren't slipping from underneath his heavy figure too quickly. Tense, he focused on the scent of the lake not but ten yards in front of his path. A thirst propelling him towards the body of water with little interest in potential threats, even those involving gravity...
"Shit!" he quietly mumbled the exclaim to himself, feeling the winter mud give way at his front footsteps, "Umph!,"his knees peddling half-heartedly to keep him upright before giving in to his apparent fate to fold like a lawn chair into the slurry below him. He tensed as he went down awkwardly to his side, quickly picking up speed while sliding down a small embankment towards the lake, his auditories folding back and his eyes closing as branches and leaves slapped him in his face. As he came to a stop at he shore, his body had already succumbed to his fate, completely caking the stallion in a dirty mess of brown -- clumps of grass and muddy sticks and rocks now plastered to his face and body. "You can't be serious." mumbled the boar, clearly irritated by his own luck murmured annoyingly to himself while glancing around his surroundings only to have his attention caught by another, much closer to him than originally noticed.
Nerezza had not been a citizen of the night for very long. Her entrance had come at a lucky time, she supposed. A new sovereign had been crowned and in the shift of power she had been able to secure a small shop for herself. It was dusty and dark, lit only by the barest of candles. It was perfect. The last thing Nerezza wanted was to be noticeable. It was only by hiding that she would remain alive. Even now in this new land she was sure they would come for her. If they didn't run like cowards at the first spark of magic, that is.
Standing in the shallows of the lake, Nerezza was poking around in the muck with her trusty dagger. She had learned over the years that travelers often wouldn't stop to root around in the mud to find something they dropped. Whether it was because they were busy or just didn't want to get dirty was irrelevant to her. She needed something in her shop. Odds and ends was right up her alley. She pulled a small broach out of the water with a dim red gem. She placed it on the grass nearby before returning her attention to the water.
"Umph!"
The sound caused Nerezza's head to shoot up as her eyes scanned for the source of the noise. Eyes of the brightest blue widened as she watched another come careening down a slope. The closer he came to the shore the more hurried steps back she had taken, the water rippling and pulsing around her in small waves. Had she not been so terrified perhaps it would have been humorous seeing the stallion so caked in mud and debris he looked like a monster from a fairytale.
"You can't be serious."
Like a deer in headlights she remained still now, the water rippling around her still. It was only when his gaze landed on her that she released a breath she had not realized she had been holding. He didn't look like he was from her homeland. And it certainly seemed like he lacked the fine coordination of those she had been chasing. Swallowing her fear, Nerezza stepped forward. She moved through the water as she approached the shore, making sure not to slip on any rocks below her feet. "A-are you hurt?" Her voice was soft, barely more than a murmur but despite her hesitance there was a worried expression etched across her sharp features.
He felt the impact of his thick knee's against the terrain, rolling over his top line like a corn dog that has sat on the roller for a little bit too long. Though it wasn't entirely ridiculous of a sight, it was certainly a startling one for any onlooker. Luckily, without the thought to do so right away, the blue and white boar felt himself slide comfortably to a stop. Mud, twigs, and leaves absolutely eradicated his body from the top of his ears to the folds of his white feathers and sandy hooves. The monochrome monster laid on his stomach, his legs collapsing to his side in a final resting position. With a loud snort, the brute gave a hefty sigh of clear defeat at the hands of nature. A brief pause of his muddy figure laying there allowing his sight to adjust, he tossed his dial for a moment to rid it of larger clumps of mud, his forelock peeling to the side like a weighted scarf, his emerald eyes shooting a double-take.
He'd glanced her direction only to find his wandering eyes back for a second look, it was quick, but the stallion wasn't without emotion. His brows lifted, his throat clearing for a moment as he collected himself slowly. Like a large freight train needing back on it's tracks he struggled to his feet. Sau pushed his reply from his chest, deep thunderous vocals emitting calmly across the water. "Only my pride." Pushing his hindquarters up as he spoke, the stallion would huff as he slipped again, landing himself on his side, briefly laying there with yet another defeated sigh emitting from his lungs. "My apologies," he tensed his grotesque figure, and finally like a chocolate covered sundae the boar grunted to his feet, heavy hooves spreading to steady himself. "I-- oof I didn't mean to make such a... unique entrance." He followed up, glancing from side to side to check his ridiculous coating before finding his gaze stuck to the woman. Like a young elephant still learning how to balance itself, Sau steadied himself on the muddy shoreline, taking a little time to sniff the waters edge, his dial low to the ground to hold his own balance.
