| Chapter 3: And it Begins... |
| "For the love of all things people consider holy!" Sophi groaned. "Kill me please, I beg of you." They had been riding all day long for almost a week now, most of the time only taking time enough to hunt down an inn and sleep. Sophi groaned again as she lurched into the saddle for the millionth time, so it seemed, taking great care of her aching thighs and end. "Gods-Forsaken horses...damned saddles...damned horses and their damned saddles...damned slow horses and their damned saddles," Sophi muttered like that most of the day under her breath, really disliking this 'adventure' more and more by the moment. The second they ran into the first town, they attracted odd looks and pointing. One small boy even ran up to Tanja's horse at such a great speed the damn thing danced straight into the dappled mare, spooking her enough to make her bolt, with Sophi still in saddle. She muttered to herself once again, remembering that she somehow had ended up in a horse trough, a good portion of her shirt torn from the bottom, obviously caught on the pommel in some odd way. Her shirt, that was another reason for the pointing, their attire didn't exactly fit with their surroundings. While most girls their age who weren't in the fields wore multilayered skirts and tunic-like tops, they were in dark, denim jeans, Sophi in her once white sneakers and closely fitting three-quarter sleave shirts, Tanja in her tall, square-toed boots and short sleeved shirt. Even if that wasn't a problem, the cuts and colors were so very outlandish compared to these peoples' clothes. Most were in earthy colors, or faded at the least with yellows, browns, tans and every so often a green or something. The only exception to these rules were the merchants, who's cuts were still so very different from the commonplace 'jeans and a tee' from their world. It was very difficult all-in-all to fit into a place with fabrics and cuts not usually worn or seen about. "I think we're going to have to get new clothing soon," Tanja noted as she clambered up into the saddle, just baout reading Sophi's mind as she winced slightly. "I feel filthy down to the bone." She groaned slightly, her horse snorting once, tweaking an ear back. "One problem, while we have been getting makeshift baths at these places enough to keep us from insulting anyone, we don't exactly have the money to get new clothing," Sophi responded as she thunked her mare between the ears for dancing. "We aren't exactly rich, or even well-off for that matter." "Well, I know that, but someone is watching out for us," Tanja stated the obvious, speaking about the coins they found in their posession every evening when they found an inn. "Maybe if they realize that we nead clothing as well as food and shelter, whoever they are will allow us a few more silver or copper." "Hopefully, but not likely," Sophi grimmaced as she got an immence itch on the back of her head. "Getting a true and decent bath with hot water and actual soap would be a treat as well. What I wouldn't pay for decent soap, and a decent bed, and clothing that didn't smell and some actual food," she groaned as they began out. "And my car, even a bike would do." Tanja chuckled lightly at her companion, laughing at the expression on her thin and tanned face. "Yes, well, you knew what you were getting yourself into, it's not as if we haven't studdied these people's entire history. If you think about it, we have an advantage since we know the facts, other than those stories and songs that they have left," Tanja pulled her hair back into a ponytail, holding her mare tightly with her legs, but not immune to the same pains Sophi had fallen victim to. "I mean, not even the khree history tales can be completely accurate, neither can the gryphons'. Who knows if they've even found the lost tribe yet, even. We are most deffinately at an advantage," Tanja nodded again sternly. "Point taken, I suppose," Sophi replied thoughtfully. "Who else had a front seat to the creation of the Dhorisha Plains and Lake Evendim? That and we had personal access to people's thoughts, the very people who shaped this place," she took a moment to sigh and rub the back of her aching neck. "Now only if we could hijack a floating barge or something!" She looked over to Tanja, who was moving thoughtlessly with her mare and grinned at her. "But like you said, we don't even know if they've found the lost tribe yet, and they are they ones who have the floating barges," Tanja smiled and shook a finger at her in reminder. Sophi nodded and rolled her eyes. "Details, details." Tanja nodded and sighed, lowering her head and closing her as as the mare walked on. Sophi looked to her again and frowned. Now that she thought about it, Tanja did look a bit rough around the edges this morning. Maybe I'm not the only one feeling the massive pain and inconveniance this trip is bringing on. Tanja bowed her head in hopes to catch a light drowsy rest before the next town, hoping to the goddess that she didn't look a dead as Sophi. When she had found her friend saddling up this morning, her eyes were deeply shadowed and her tanned skin was pale across her cheeks. To put it simply, she looked as if Ma'ar himself had dragged her thought all 9 hells in her sleep. She opened her eyes to give Sophi a sidelong glance, finding that not only was she looking as ghostly as before, but she was staring straight back at Tanja. She smiled faintly and looked back to her mare's ears, knowing that neither of them were really in a chatty mood. They traveled silently for a good few hours, until the sun shown high and Tanja began to ache horribly, which probably meant Sophi's pains had begun hours ago. A quick glance to her partner's face verified the thought, her eyes were focussed intensly on her mare's ears, she had given up fighting and simply rode along wordlessly. Tanja gave a long awaited sigh and nodded over to the side of the road when Sophi looked up in mild startlement. "Lunch?" Sophi spoke up shortly, her voice dull, all her energy worn through. Nod. "Good!" Sophi quickly pulled the mare to the side of the road and groaned softly as she dismounted, the look on her face plainly told how much she wanted to kick the horse in the tail end. "I feel like a duck," she laughed a little as she waddled around. "Quack, quack, eh?" She grinned to Tanja and took the bit of food they had bought that morning out from her bag, strapped down behind her saddle. Tanja snickered a little and tethered her mare to a tree, taking a bowl-like structure from her pack and filling it with water from her canteen. "You suppose we'll be to Haven soon?" She asked over her shoulder as she wiped down her mare with a rag they had 'borrowed' from a stable boy at the first town. "I hope so!" Came the response as Sophi now tended to her own mare in the same fassion. "I don't think I could take much more of this to be honest," she snickered a little. "I don't travel well, especially on animal-back." The mare snorted and lipped at her sleave at that moment. Tanja laughed slightly, pouring on what she liked to call the prim and proper act. She folded her hands together and spoke up in her sweetest voice as if she were talking to a child. "Oh, but she loves you! She's giving you little love nibbles." She fluttered her lashes at Sophi, who in return stuck the tip of her tongue out at her and made a face. Tanja laughed again, finding it felt nice to be able to laugh a bit. The only way this could be any better would be if Haven was just over that ridge up there. She paused a moment with the rag, looking off into the distance to focus on the top of a near hill. As if it was summoned by that very thought, a figure appeared against the deep blue sky, pausing at the top of the hill a moment to take advantage of a nearby trees shade. The sunlight shimmered agianst the figure's snow white body, creating a halo around the figure as brilliant as the ground after a new snow fall. It pranced about in a circle, tossing its mane once so it floated freely in the light breeze like fine strands of the purest silk. Each strand of silk was caught by the sun and illuminated them, making them reflect the sun like a spider's web would in the new morning, spotting the ground with streaks of light. As it spun about, the long tail glided about its body like a ribbon of the same fine silk, and it fanned out like a veil would, almost masking part of the white, velvet hide. A silver ringing sounded off in Tanja's ears, as clear and crisp as any fine silver bell would, with every step from the creature's hooves. At last it paused and looked down into the valley, brilliant sapphire eyes sparkled as they watched a moment or two. The sun picked up on the magnificant detail of the eyes as they looked back and fourth between the two of them, then landing to stay on Tanja. The sun shining down onto the figure, the beautiful blue sky behind it and the scents of spring flowers engulfed all of Tanja's sences, making time stop a bare moment as the wind played through the Companions mane. A light whispering was head in the depths of her mind as they Companion glided evenly down from its pedistal on top of the hill and stood right in front of Tanja. She took in a quick breath, staring deeply into the Companion's sapphire eyes. ::You, I Choose you, finally.:: A surprisingly serene voice drifted into her mind, then her entire world seemed to shift as an overwhelming feeling of partnership and compassion washed across her tired and aching body. Tanja threw her arms around the Companion's neck, laying her cheek against the silky hide. Her eyes closed tightly as she mannaged to whisper faintly, in a breath of relief, "Anaya." Anaya nodded once in response, pawing at the grass with one of her silver hooves. ::I believe your friend is waiting.:: The same lovely voice drifted through her mind, she paused a moment. But if she's still talking to me, that means--. ::That's right, you have the gift of mindspeech.:: Anaya sent back, picking up on her thoughts. ::I think your friend is waiting.:: Tanja smiled a bit and tore herself from the death-grip she had on Anaya's neck. And there she stood, all five feet, three inches of herself twisted into a form of over-smugness. Sophi had leaned herself up against a tree, her arms crossed and one leg cocked at the knee so her foot rested against the tree. Tanja smiled a bit guiltily as she recognized the ghost of a smile across her friend's lips, the half-closed eyes and the fact her head was slightly tilted forward so long locks of hair fell over one cheek. "If you think, for one moment, that this means I'm going to give you any less grief, you are most definately mistaken, Pre-Herald Tanja." She cocked a cinicle brow perfectly this time, giving off a flawless vibe that plainly stated 'Look what you've done, you should be ashamed'. Of course, an act was all it was as Sophi pushed off the tree, her expression shattered as her openly infectious grin crossed her lips. Tanja came back to herself, realizing she was now slightly blushing from the feel of it, she laughed a bit. "No time to be jealous, just because you're just an everyday Outworlder, and I'm Chosen," Tanja replied acidly, picking on her friend as Anaya snorted and picked her head up, gallently. "Oh! And Outworlders are so very common, I'm sure!" Sophi laughed, shaking her head. "No thank you, I'd be perfectly happy at the Bardic Collegium, or even at a vale with my Hawkbrother at my side and my weapon of choice in my hand," she nodded once in a matter-of-factly way before looking to Tanja's almost white horse--which now looked like a dirty gray, lined up against Anaya. "What you mean is that you'd be happy being pampered by beautiful and exotic men as you bathe in hot pools in tropical vales, occationally throwing a knife or humming a tune to keep them in awe and satisfied," Tanja translated dryly, grinning. Sophi made another face at her, but this one was of complete, wide-eyed innocents. Tanja grimiced and took a step back, watching as Sophi's deep brown eyes softened and stared at her in naive innocents."Who...me? Why I would never--" Tanja laughed loudly, cutting her off in the midst of her act. "Oh stop that! It's sickening!" She laughed even harder as Sophi dropped her act suddenly and laughed along with her, Anaya whickered along as well. "And no, that's not what I meant, but it is a lovely plus," Sophi grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she gave Tanja a very slow and deliberate wink. At that bit of information, Tanja replied by throwning her hands up in exasperation and sighed, deciding to go about to find Anaya something to eat before Sophi launched herself into another one of her--interesting characters. |
