Chapter 5: Suspicions Arise.
They were soon on their way to Haven, the mare wasn't exactly happy being where Ezra couldn't see her and kept trying to edge in front of Anaya, almost turning her around so her tail was in front her her head, each time. Nothing a gentle nip or nudge from Tanja wouldn't cure, though.
At some point, Sophi turned around to see Anaya nudging the mare backwards again, the mare's eyes fixed on Ezra. She turned back in her saddle, pausing a moment. ::I believe you have an admirer.::
The Companion flicked an ear back at her. ::Admirer? Anaya?:: He sounded almost alarmed as Sophi supressed a grin.
::You sure sound hopeful.:: She gently teased. ::Is there something you'd like to tell me?::
Ezra snorted and gave a difnified response of ::Of course not, I haven't even known her that long.::
That made Sophi raise a brow. Ezra looked full grown, as did Anaya, and she had the impression that all Companions kept dibs on eachother. How could he not have known her that long?
Then it hit her like a sack of horseshoes, her eyes widened. Anaya's Grove-born! That could be the only reason for it. She thought she acted a bit uncertain at times, but then another thought her her.
Tanja was Anaya's Chosen, then Tanja must be someone special! She ran the ranks through her mind; Queen's Own, Seneschal's Herald, and all other reasons for Grove-born Chosen. No, they were all taken. Elspeth had a Grove-born, though.
Herald-mage. Tanja's going to be a Herald-mage!? I always thought she was special, with that strong magnetic pull she has, and being a practicing Wiccan, but a Herald-mage...perhaps Adept level even, wow.
Sophi's eyes had just about fallen out of her head at this odd thought, her hands gripped the pommel tightly until her joints ached and she realized she was squeezing so hard. She stole a sidewise glance back at Tanja, who was nudging the mare back again, then turned forward.
Ezra cocked his ears backwards.
::Something bothering you?:: His 'voice' was colored lightly with concern, but at the risk that he would clean her mind of it, she shook her head.
"No, just anxious, I suppose," Sophi whispered softly to him before keeping a mental note to tell Tanja about this later on.
::Well, thats to be expected.:: Came the indifferent response. It seemed as though she had managed to keep her thoughts from him for now, but as their bond increased, who could tell how long that would last.

Tanja was truely getting sick of his mare and her infatuation with Ezra, she nudged the poor thing back again before she managed to spin Anaya around.
::I believe I'm going to end up laming her before we get to Haven if she keeps trying to turn me like a top.:: Anaya's voice was glumly colored as she set her ears back and sulked a bit. Tanja choked with the beginning of a laugh, but passed it off as a cough as she reached down to rub the side of Anaya's silky neck.
Anaya shook her head a bit, the bells on her bridle jingling. ::I don't need to be pampered and reasured like a child who is in ill temper.:: She told Tanja sourly.
Tanja blinked and stopped her light touch short as if Anaya had just slapped her across the face.
::But I didn't exactly say I wanted you to stop.:: came the meek voice. Tanja smiled to herself and softly patted Anaya's neck.
::You'll have plenty of pampering when we get to Haven. How far is it, would you imagine?::
Anaya snorted softly and looked about herself. ::A candlemark, I believe. Don't hold it to me if I'm wrong though.::
Tanja allowed her lips to twitch upward and a small snicker escape as she patted Anaya's neck reasuringly. ::Don't worry, I won't.:: She nudged the mare backwards again as she tried to sneak past. ::Wouldn't you think this thing would get the point after a while? I'm going to end up laming her myself if she doesn't stop.::
Anaya seemed to chuckle a little into her mind as she nodded. ::I'll help.::
Tanja smiled and looked up to the front, catching a bit of a glance from Sophi. She looked as if she had seen a ghost when she looked to her, even worse than she had been looking lately. She frowned and timidly reached a 'hand' out to Sophi.
::Y-yes?::
came the reply.
::Are you alright? You look spooked.::
Tanja bit her lip softly, shifting her weight as Anaya nipped at the mare.
::I-I don't know. I was just thinking about something Ezra had told me. It has something to do with Anaya.::
Tanja blinked, pausing a moment before replying. ::Companion things, or Anaya specifically?::
::A bit of both actually.::
Sophi's 'voice' was colored with anticipation, nervous anticipation.
::Not now? In person, possible evesdropping?::
She licked her lips softly, a bit nervous herself now.
Sophi turned in her saddle and nodded faintly, looking a bit more colored but still a little pale. She glanced down to Anaya before turning back again.
This could only mean one thing if she's too afraid to tell me around the Companions; story business that could get out memories erased.
Now she was really nervous, Companions had a habit of erasing their Chosen's memories if it came to certain things. Like when Elspeth was Chosen, Rolan and Gwena had erased Elspeth and Talia's memories that Gwena was Grove-born. Grove-born, could that be it? Could one of the Companions be Grove-born? If they were, that meant they were meant to be some sort of special Heralds. Maybe even Herald-mages.
Her mouth went dry as she went over the possibility of herself of Sophi being Herald mages. She gripped the pommel tightly and suppressed a squeal of glee as she smiled to herself. There were going to be a lot of Herald-mages after Elspeth gets back though, so why should they get Grove-born Companions, unless they were going to be something even further special. Another possibility to think through in her spare time, but for now she had to think of other things.
Yeah, like how to keep this stupid mare back there. She shoved the mare backwards again.
::Something on your mind?:: Tanja almost jumped at Anaya's voice, suddenly relaying back to what happened to Talia and Elspeth. She looked down at Anaya and sighed, murmuring at the set of ears quietly.
"I don't know, Sophi just seems really anxious about something, she won't tell me what, either." She wasn't lying really, she was worried about what was bothering Sophi, she simply didn't tell her the entire truth. She nodded to herself, not like the Companions didn't keep enough secrets from them, they deserved a bit of their own medicine.
::Ezra doesn't seem to know what's wrong with her either. She is acting very odd, though. Perhaps it's just the excitement getting to her.::
"Maybe," She absently brushed her ponytail behind her shoulder and straightened her tunic. I wish we had time to make ourselves a bit more presentable. Although, we probably are a lot better off than others were, like Talia.
::By far, from what Rolan's told me, she would've been better off wearing a burlap sack.::
Tanja blinked and shook her head gently. ::Eavesdropper.::
::You're projecting to me, I can't help it if you don't know how to shield yet.:: Anaya snorted and nipped the mare back.
::Oh, and it's mine? I'm sorry to say there is very little magick where I'm from.:: She smiled a bit when Anaya didn't bother to respond.
"Tanja!" Sophi called back to her. "Come up here, quick!"
Tanja looked up, realizing that they'd fallen farther behind with the gray mare than she imagined. Anaya quickened her pace, almost dragging the mare at first, but when she realized where they were going, she kept up nicely.
"What's wro--," Tanja blinked as they came up over a small ridge of the hill, she stared down into a larger ciry than they'd seen yet.
The sun was just setting off to their left and casting a golden glow over the tops of the small buildings they could see. It was a large city, nowhere near as large as the one they had back in the Outworld, but this place had a rustic charm of the old days.
"It's beautiful, and these are just the outskirts!" Sophi murmured under her breath. She then grinned and turned to Tanja. "Welcome home, Herald-Tanja."
Tanja chuckled a little in return and nodded. "Welcome home, Herald-Sophi."
Sophi shook her head and turned back to look into the outskirts of town. "No...not home yet, but I'm sure that over time, it will be." She scoffed a little bit and nudged Tanja. "Either way, it's bound to be one hell of an adventure, eh?"
::And it's only just beginning.:: Anaya spoke up, the look on Sophi's face told her that Ezra was saying something to the same effect.
Ezra and Anaya began descending the hilltop then, the mare keeping up at the promise of a warm bed. They entered Haven that evening at dusk, the sun painting the sky bright reds and oranges as the night creatures began to wake and sound off.
As Tanja took in a deep breath of calm, cool air, scented with food and animals, she nodded to herself and smiled a bit, knowing that Anaya and Ezra were right; this was just the beginning of her new life as an Outworldic Herald, and a great adventure. It was heavenly.