The horses rocking motion was soothing beneath him, the constant thunder of the draft's hooves against the ground. It was easy to see why the male enjoyed riding Hermes as much as he did- the sense of freedom was exhillerating. He had come out to the Cobequid Foothills once more, wondering if Niro was still lost and he could speak to the man again. Saul had been captured by the ideas the male presented, and especially by the birds that he'd had with him. Saul was finding it increasingly difficult to leave Ichika for any length of time and being able to send a bird in ones place was a useful tool. He also needed to exercise Hermes, who had been a little idle as of late. Saul was beginning to learn how to break in a horse, which would prove most useful when trying to get Arete into a saddle. Though he was sure she wasnt going to be too much trouble, there was always the chance that the wild spirited female would give him a little bit of gip with these processes.


Thoughts swirled around the agouti males head as the horse thundered over the hills. They were beginning to familiarise themselves with the area and Hermes knew when to dip his body into a pothole so that they would not be sent flying. Today they headed further than they had before, out towards the river that was shrouded in mist. As the first tendrils hit them, the male applied pressure to the horses reigns, slowing him down to a trot and then a slower walk. It would do them no good to charge into the shrouded area and plunge into the river. He could hear it bubbling away in front of him, but it was difficult to see what was going on. Out of the darkness loomed a figure getting to their feet.


Woah Hermes. Lets not trample anyone, eh?


He murmered before expertly sliding off the horses back and catching hold of the reigns so that he didnt wander off. For a moment he looked around, unsure where the figure had gone to, before he spotted her only a few yards away.

Hermes pranced nervously as his own brown eyes caught sight of the tense female. She had tugged something from around her neck and looked as though she wished to attack. Of course, Hermes was a gentle soul and wouldnt have trampled her on purpose- the only way the big horse would have made that mistake was if Saul hadn't slowed him down in the mist. The sight of the females pose however was doing well to convince the horse that she was dangerous. A creamy paw rested on the horses neck and the horse seemed to understand that there was no threat. And as soon as the horse relaxed, the female in front of him relaxed her pose as well, a shaky half laugh escaping her. Awh no, he's fine. Its just hard to see in the mist is all


He chuckled before she continued to speak. Her name was Caprica, which in itself was a nice sounding name. She announced her pack and Saul smiled softly. He had no quarrel with Anathema as quite a few others did. He was good friends with the Leaders son, Scorpius. They were Ichika's closest neighbors and Saul knew that building a good relationship was going to take its time. She asked a question then and Saul shook his head softly. Not many knew of Ichika, in fact everyone he mentioned the pack to had no idea what was going on. But then again, it wasnt as though it was really anybody elses business where Dahlia de Mai and Phoenix Valley had disappeared to.


I'm Saul Stormbringer... I've come from Ichika no Ho-en, a new pack around these parts. Our south eastern border is only a few miles away from your own north western reaches. So no, not very far! What brings you out here?


He asked, wondering what she was doing on here. He didnt see many Anathemans around here- it seemed they must preferred to stick to their own lands of the lands south of theirs. Still, it was nice to see another out here other than Scorpius, and Saul was always happy to meet his neighbors.

He could see her admiring Hermes and the male subconsciously patted the horses neck. She spoke again and Saul chuckled softly. The mist around these parts felt unnatural, supernatural in fact. Saul had never been one to believe in otherwordly spirits or anything of the sort, but his fur bristled at an unseen threat in the mist. Her words did a lot to soothe him and Saul responded with a chuckle. "It was lucky we slowed down, although I knew the river was around here somewhere so it made sense to slow down." He offered with another grin. She was friendly and that was all he could really ask for around here. He knew some of the Anathemans to be not so friendly and he always wondered if he would ever meet one of the not so sociable members out here. So far he'd been lucky and he was glad that Caprica was nice.


She seemed uncertain as he gave the name of his own pack- he was right in thinking she had no idea of his existance. She revealed that she was new too and that might explain why she was out here and why she also didnt know about any of the other packs. Saul nodded softly and stretched his body out, already feeling the strain on his muscles from the ride out here. "Then welcome to Nova Scotia, Caprica! Where have you come from?" He asked, since she had not revealed her last name he had no idea she was related to Naniko, and Scorpius. Friendly attitudes always got you places and Saul was already ready with a smile.


He might not had seen the spasm in her gut, the automatic flinch and the look of pain across her face had he not been looking directly at her. As he was looking at her, he saw all of this. He cursed himself softly for not having his satchel on him with his medical supplies. Still, her words made him think of the other water sources around here. There were a few hill-fed springs around the foothills and perhaps they would find some around here. "You drank the water? There's some springs not far away that we could go to?" He said, catching hold of Hermes' rains and leading him back the way they'd come. He had no idea how far the springs were, but they were definitely out there.

Caprica answered straight away, telling him that she'd been born here and had just recently moved up to the mountains. There was always a pang in the male when he thought of his own birth lands, those distant places he couldnt think about. The Halcyon mountains had been the scene of a crime so horrific he couldnt remember it, but he had only been a few days old when it had happened. He smiled softly towards Caprica however. She didnt need to know about how much he missed his own mother, despite never knowing her. "Are you glad to be back?" He asked, knowing it was a personal question but asking it anyway. He smiled softly as she gave a groan at his news.



They moved away, Caprica walking near him. She had expressed her wish to go to the springs verbally, although Saul didnt feel the need to verbally answer her. They were on their way to the spring now and that was what seemed to matter. He looked to the side and caught her looking at Hermes. The horse was pretty large even by most horses standards and Saul was pleasently surprised at the compliment Caprica payed to him, along with the question about where he'd come from. "I found him in the Dampwoods, quite close to Anathema actually. He was completely lost and seemed happy enough to come home with me!" He chuckled softly.


They had arrived at the springs and Saul allowed Hermes to tramp foreward, lowering his head into one of the large springs in the small group that had gathered here. Saul himself dipped down to sample the spring water. It was delicious, and devoid of sulphuric acids as the river appeared to be.