[html]
This takes place at Adanvdo Tsusga (The Spirit Oak) in AniWaya. 559
Today was an overcast sort of day. The flurries at this moment had seized, but there had always been an opportunity for them to start descending down from the gray heavens at any point. It was presumably mid noon, but with the thick blanket of cover that was the gloomy clouds overhead, one couldn't be able to accurately pinpoint exactly what time it had been in the day; it was really just one of those days where it seemed like the grayness made the duration of the day seem a lot longer than it should. Nevertheless, nature itself was still carrying on like it always did; occasional hares and elk traipsing over the land, birds singing their own language of songs, and the occasional distant howl of a tribe member calling out to their kind, or simply singing in a howl like the birds sang in their whistling chirps.
Aidan was acting stubborn today. There were some days to where her equine would simply refuse to traverse anywhere else but their cabin or the stables, and so Asha had to put on a special sort of reign upon his nose so that she would have to drag him instead of ride upon him (in which if she did, he would have no trouble trying to be disobedient or take off running back home with herself on his back). As the two of them were heading in the direction of The Spirit Oak, there were several times to where Aidan tried to stop abruptly, and attempt to stand in place like a stubborn child who didn't want to take part in anything that was coming for them. Asha tugged a little firmly on the reigns, showing that she wasn't going to put up with his stubborn nature today. "Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the hay bed this morning, huh? Well, whatever happened to put you in a cranky mood, just know it's not going to work on me, okay?" She said, turning a defiant eye toward him and scolding him with a grin. Even though it was hard for her not to grin at Aidan's antics, the horse certainly knew when Asha wasn't kidding around with him. Plus, knowing Asha, she was just as flighty as her Spirit Guide was, so it came with the territory of things.
The Spirit Oak had to have been the Amara's favorite place to go out of AniWaya, since it was a sacred ground that was tranquil and frequently visited. As they walked through the clearing that led up to the mighty and ancient oak, she could already see the carvings made in the bark that had been there for many moons now. Even the erosion of the weather and the seasons had not made the pictures disappear from the oak just yet, and Asha loved to come here and simply observe them all. There had been some new ones that had been traced in since last time she had came here (which had been a very long time now), and so tying the reigns of Aidan's rope by the closest branch that swept down (so that he wouldn't hightail it out of there or sneak away), Asha had approached closer to the great oak, tracing the newly carved figures that had been made since the last time she was here.
[/html]
[html]
wc: 493
The sky overhead was thick with gray clouds. It was chilly, and the snow underfoot was crisp. But, for the moment, no fresh flakes were falling. The clouds in the sky seemed to be threatening to drop some sort of surprise upon the unsuspecting earth below, however.
Levy urged the mare onward, glad for his warm winter coat. He clucked his tongue, knowing Kaya would hear him and respond to the signal. The two had been out for a ride for about an hour now, just exploring the territory of AniWaya. Levi was feeling much more at home now, especially since he had seen quite a bit of the territory today.
Ahead of them, the white male could see a great tree. It was large and thick, and appeared to have images in the bark. He squinted his eyes, trying to make them out, but they were too far away. He urged the mare into a trot, and then a smooth canter, loving the feel of the wind in his face and ears. The horse slowed to a when they reached the vast tree, and the male dismounted, leaving her where she stood.
It wasn’t until then that he noticed they weren’t alone. The allure of the great tree had all but blinded him, and he felt embarrassed for not noticing another being, especially one that wasn’t concealed in the slightest. He cleared his throat softly before speaking.
“Hello.” He said, hoping he wouldn’t startle her. He knew that she was a member of the AniWaya tribe; her scent told him that. But there was also something familiar about that scent… he felt that he had come in contact with it, but only to a small degree. It confused him a little, but he brushed it off for now.
His ears flicked back as he heard soft thudding footsteps. Without turning his head, he knew his mare was walking to him. Her warm breath tickled the back of his neck momentarily before her chin rested on his shoulder. There was another horse here, though he seemed to be tied up by a rope. The young male chuckled, noticing the defiant stance and pricked ears of the horse. He was surprised Kaya wasn’t going off to greet the other equine.
The white man took a moment to take in the female wolf that was also in the clearing. She was very pretty, her fur a soft brownish red. Levi had yet to really meet anyone other than Dawali, the Chief. The white male had not had the opportunity to go off and introduce himself, what with getting himself as well as Bud and Kaya settled in the barn. The mare had been perfectly fine with it, preferring the company of other horses. But Bud had always been a bit of a grump, and he had sidled to the back of his stall with his back turned. He would come around eventually, Levi knew.
[/html]
[html]
534
Viewing the great Spirit Oak again made her realize how much she truly had missed this place while she had been away. Asha already knew that there had to have been plenty that she happened to miss out on, as the carvings on the bark would signify that many had came and gone throughout her duration of her period of absence. Unknowingly did Leland return, in which Dawali would never tell her of his true fate and what had happened. There was a carving of Leland upon the oak, in which his cat Spirit Guide was present next to him. To see the cat, it made her smirk fondly of such. Such a strange Spirit Guide, especially from the likes of him, but the two were such a riot for one another. Outlining the carving of Leland with one of her fingers, there was a sigh that pushed through her snout. Ever since she had been gone she had wondered where he was, how he was doing, if he had forgotten about her.
Out of nowhere, a figure approached with a mare of their own. The Ayastigi wasn't startled in the least, but she had whipped her head around once her ears had heard the greeting come from the snow white male. Studying him for a minute, he nearly blended in perfectly with the snow around him, although there were undertones of shades of gray in select areas around his body (mainly across the shoulders, and from what she could somewhat see, maybe even the tip of his tail?) One thing about him was that his eyes were piercing green, a green she had never seen as bright on an individual before. Her own amber gaze simply lingered upon his bright green eyes for a moment, before she had to push out a greeting herself before she would look silly and gawking. From what her nose was telling her all along, his scent still smelled like the wilderness, a rogue. It was a scent she was familiar with when she was out in the open, and the very faint traces of the tribe was starting to settle into his pelt. Ah, so it had been a newcomer, huh?
Aidan had seen the other mare, and gave a protesting whinny to where he was tied up. He pulled a little bit at the reigns, either pulling in dissatisfaction of this new company of a horse or for the fact that he wanted to be mobil and maybe make a new horse friend. Her eyes glided over to Aidan, in which there was a fiery flicker in them to silently tell him to behave well or else. Turning her attention back to the newcomer and his own steed, her gaze exchanged between the both of them. "Why, hello there. I'm taking that you two are both new?" Asha questioned, stepping away from the Spirit Oak and approaching a little more closer to them. Her muzzle gestured to the horse. "That's a fine mare you've got there. What's its name?" Asha couldn't tell right off the bat if it was female or male, but would give the snowy male the opportunity to introduce the both of them.
[/html]
[html]
wc: 317
The carvings and drawings embossed in the large tree’s bark were captivating. They told a story, each one emanating with a different power as they all but danced in their place in the dark wood. The young man was memorized by them momentarily, his eyes glazing over slightly as he gazed at the intricate markings in the oak’s bark.
He turned his attention back to the young woman, his eyes clearing from the fog that had been settling in them. He shook his head mentally, ridding himself of the feeling of warmth that he had gotten from this tree. He would have to analyze this, but that would be a job or later.
The white male nodded his head, smiling slightly at the pretty female. Her horse was struggling slightly with his tie, and the young male had to laugh a little at his antics. He reminded him of Bud, and Levi decided to take the big stallion for a ride later. That is, if he could get the big horse to behave himself.
“Yeah, we’re new here. This is Kaya.” He patted the mare’s thick neck, his arm wrapping around underneath her chin as he did so. The mare nickered softly, as if to prove she was the one Levi was talking about. A low chuckle erupted from the white man’s throat.
The little mare lifted her head and stepped around Levi, her tail swishing as she walked. The horse stepped softly over to the other horse, keeping a polite distance to him, her ears pricked in interest. She nickered quietly again, her ears flicking.
Laughing softly, the young male cleared his throat. “My name is Levi.” He stepped forward, sticking out his hand in the typical gesture of greeting he was accustomed to. His eyes were trained on his horse, making sure she was behaving herself before turning his green gaze over to he female.
[/html]
[html]
504
Horses were of a great valuable asset to the tribe, as it could be seen that many tribe members had an equine companion or two of their own. Watching as he had patted his equine's neckline, Asha gave a smile as he had explained to her that they were indeed new, and that his mare's name was Kaya. Kaya, the name repeated in her mind to herself, as she chuckled gently to this. It obviously sounded a lot like her Spirit Guide's name, Jaya. She was also chuckling at the prospect of the horse's nickering, as if she was in tune with their conversation. "Kaya, huh? It's a pretty name, for a pretty mare. Does it mean anything in particular?" Asha questioned him, for names and the definitions behind them were a subtle interest of hers, and for conversation's sake it wouldn't hurt to ask. The Ayastigi had wanted to perhaps pet Kaya, but for now, it seemed like his mare had wandered close by Asha's own steed.
For a moment, Asha simply observed as Kaya approached Aidan. Still tugging at his reigns, he gave a helpless whinny again before Kaya was close enough to where he would stop tugging and simply observe the other mare. It would be anyone's guess to what Aidan was possibly thinking, but from his physical aspects, his long tail behind him whipped and flickered behind him, and seemingly he appeared to show a very alerted and interesting stance toward the horse. One of his hooves had stamped the snow, and it seemed to be like Aidan might have been trying to communicate something to the mare, but who knew for sure. Smirking to this, she turned back to Kaya's owner. "I haven't began to get the hang of horse language just yet, but it seems to me like they're doing... well so far?" Perhaps he could read horse language better than she ever could, but she was pretty good at depicting most gestures and signs that Aidan did. Every horse and their rider was different, however, so there was a world of possibilities to expect. Horses were just as vibrant in personalities as was individuals.
With Kaya's rider introducing himself as Levi, his hand outstretched in his own formal gesture of greeting. At first Asha had tilted her head in confusion to this, for hand shaking really wasn't typical in her customs, but was soon enough to catch on to the gesture and with a chuckle she out reached her hand and gave a tight, firm shake; much firmer than a female's shake should be, but that was only because looks could be deceiving, and for as small as she was, she sure had a lot of power in her little being. "Levi? Well, it's nice to meet you, Levi! I'm Asha Amara." The tattooed female said with a wide smile, and would leave her introduction to just that. She didn't like to tack on the fact that she was the Kalona's daughter and all, just because she wasn't that type of individual who liked to show that off, so for now she would let him piece it together and ask about it if he wished to.
[/html]
[html]
wc: 258 sorry for the small post :C
Levi nodded. “It means home.” He cleared his throat. His mother had named the mare, believing she would help him remember his home when he left. And it did. Every time he saw the pretty mare, images of his home, his family, clouded his mind.
He glanced at the pretty mare once more, chuckling at her and the other horse’s antics. He was clearly annoyed with being restrained. Levi was glad Bud wasn’t around. He loved the stallion, but sometimes he could be a real jerk.
The young female introduced herself, shaking his hand after a moment of regarding his action. She had a good, firm grip. He smiled at her, his tail wagging in a friendly gesture.
“Kaya is just being her typical friendly self. Your boy there, though, he is a bit annoyed right now.” He laughed. He asked, curious. He had always found tattoos to be very attractive, and he had been wanting one for a while. Of what, he wasn’t sure. Perhaps some intricate design… he would have to look into that.
He tore his eyes away from her soft, golden gaze, refocusing on the tree on the side of them. “What are these markings here? They are beautiful.” He looked back at her at the last word, grinning, knowing he was being a shameless flirt. But he really did want to know what they were, how they got to be there, and what they meant.
[/html]
[html]
No worries. ^^ 529
When Levi had explained that Kaya was a simple definition of home, Asha glanced at Kaya thoughtfully and dipped her russet muzzle in a nod of acknowledgement to this. Sometimes the definitions behind some names didn't make particular sense, but perhaps there was a deeper meaning to Kaya than was known on the exterior. Nevertheless, Kaya in itself was still a pretty name to name a mare. Speaking of which, Levi was seemingly able to interpret some little gestures of the two equines, and pivoting her ears forward in interest to this, absorbed what Levi distinguished between the two. Well, of course there always had to be something wrong with Aidan! He was usually unruly most of the time, so it wasn't any surprise whether or not Aidan's gesture meant something that was either annoyed, antsy, or anxious.
Her amber gaze shifted over to Aidan, giving him a silent, seething warning. "I wouldn't be surprised. I've had him for a long time now, but still acts like a wild mustang half the time. At least Miss Kaya has mannerisms, unlike fussy hooves over here." She shook her head, but then proceeded to head over to remove the rope that tied him to the oak. Who liked to be tied up, anyway? Well, since Aidan held a new interest in Kaya, perhaps he wouldn't run off back home like first assumed now that he had another one of his kind around. "I'm letting you off the rope, only because I trust you won't run off home, and there are guests here. Be nice, Aidan." Asha chastised him lightly, before removing the rope completely so he could have his freedom. Giving a blowing snort, the long hairs of his tail swayed behind him as he then trotted a little closer to the mare before him, giving a neigh and nodding his head to her.
Smiling then, her attention turned back to Levi as his glance was mesmerized by the carvings that were embedded in the great oak before them. Noting how there was a particular emphasis by means of his sight when he looked back to her when he said beautiful, Asha could only smile and laugh lightly as she turned around herself to look at the carvings and explain their meaning. "This is what we call Adanvdo Tsusga, The Spirit Oak." She began lightly, then motioning her muzzle to the drawings before them. "The carvings are of Spirit Guides that tribe members have, and some of tribe members themselves, although the Spirit Guides are the most common." Asha had stole a glance of some notable tribe members of the past on the bark of the oak before continuing. "Whenever someone obtains a Spirit Guide, it is ritual to carve them into this tree. When a member dies, the Gola Watsi and close members of the deceased take the carving, burn it, and bury the ashes with the dead." Asha said. It might have sounded a little cryptic in a sense, but it was tradition around here. Walking closer to the oak, she motioned for Levi to come as well. "Come, take a look closer to see what I mean." Asha said, welcoming Levi closer to observe what she had been explaining.
[/html]
[html]
sorry it took so long to reply D: my next one will be longer x___x
Spirit guides. That sounded intriguing. Levi wondered if he would ever get one. He would have to ask about that sometime. He took a step closer, his eyes narrowing as he took in the elaborate markings carved into the tree’s bark.
He stood next to the female, his muzzle lifted slightly as he gazed at the tree. They were very well done, very detailed and beautiful. He wondered who did the carving.
“So… how does one get a Spirit Guide?” he asked, his curiosity getting the best of him. He looked back over his shoulder at his mare, stifling a chuckle as he watched her stretch out her neck to sniff the other horse, but not taking any steps closer to her.
Looking back at the tree, he watched his female companion out of the corner of his eye. Looking straight at the tree once more, he reached out a hand and left it hovering an inch or so from the rough surface of the bark, not sure if it was okay to actually touch it or not. “These carvings are beautiful. Who does them?”
[/html]
[html]
Don't worry, really! ^^ And I absolutely love your kiritar of Levi! :o 382
The Ayastigi had observed the markings herself in silence, letting the explanation of what she said absorb into his psyche momentarily. It was then that Levi had questioned about how one obtained such a Spirit Guide, and it had been a common question among those who were unfamiliar and new with the concepts of the tribe. She was not bothered by such a thing, however, as the journey of one pursuing a Spirit Guide was always an engaging topic for anyone to speak about. “You can find your Spirit Guide on your own spiritual journey. That can happen at any point, from when you turn into adolescence, and even up until the point of death when you are very old.” She explained, giving a momentary pause, and then continuing. “You can either find your Guide yourself, or the Guide will find you. You might even have a Guide right now, and they just choose not to reveal themselves.” Asha explained further, and knowing that while Levi was new and possibly full of questions, would probably press further about it. It was just at that moment that Jaya had settled upon a branch on the Spirit Oak, and gazed down with hard, sharp eyes at Levi and Asha. Looking up, Asha smiled and gestured to the hawk. “That is my Guide, Jaya. Most individuals can see him.” She said, providing an example of such. As Levi’s grasp reached out to possibly trace the carvings in the tree, Asha nodded and grinned. “Go ahead, they’re fine to touch. As for those who have carved them, it could be anyone; the individual themselves, or someone else. Anyone is free to carve as they wish.” Asha ended on that note, reaching out to thumb trace her own carving of Jaya, and then smiling to Levi.
As far as the two horses were going, Aidan had kept his ground, simply content in observing this pretty mare before him and taking in her scent. As the mare had taken a chance to sniff at Aidan, he gave something of a hushed nicker, and also outstretched his neck to sniff right back at her. The long hairs of his tail whipped behind him absently, and it was surely a gesture that he was comfortable, alert, and interested.
[/html]
[html]
:B
Levi nodded slightly at the explanations to his questions. He glanced quickly around, wondering if he already had a Spirit Guide, and just didn’t know it. He turned around and glanced at Kaya, raising an eyebrow before turning back to the tree before him. He would have to think about this spiritual journey she had told him about. It would be interesting, to learn something on such a deep level about himself.
At hearing her say it was okay to touch the bark, he pressed his fingers lightly to the tree’s surface, feeling the rough texture of the bark beneath them. The more he gazed at the massive trunk in front of him, the more he wanted to discover his own guide. It was something so deep and uniquely his, that he felt it would be something very interesting to discover.
“I’d like to find mine. One of these days I will have to go on one of these journeys.” He chuckled, turning away from the big tree and facing the pretty female next to him. “How did you find Jaya?” He asked. It felt like all he was doing was asking questions, and he wondered briefly if she was bothered by it. But she wasn’t displaying any annoyance towards him, so he let that thought drop for now. He looked up to the bird, taking in his powerful appearance.
Kaya, on the other hand, was too busy with the other horse to even glance up at the bird’s arrival. Her nostrils flared as she took in the male horse’s scent, her ears perked forward in interest. Her neck was stretched out so far that it looked like at any moment she would lose her balance, which is what probably caused her to take a tentative step forward to even herself out.
[/html]
[html]
Extremely sorry for my delay, I am just a huge bunch of fail right now. O_x 387
Watching as Levi examined the drawings, she simply stood back with her arms crossed over one another and smiled at this. If anything, sharing a culture with another held such a great feeling in the heart and the soul. It only made her swell with pride for the Tribe and what AniWaya was. Truly, they were certainly a unique band of individuals. Most importantly, a lot of their customs still reigned traditional and natural; most of which had already been lost in the world these days, even after the virus had claimed all the canids and made them shift. They too were evolving day by day, and as if history was repeating itself once again, they were approaching more materialistic, technological advances as the years passed.
Levi spoke about finding his own guide, in which Asha's ears narrowed to catch his words. She nodded once his words tapered off, and then instantly replied. "It'll happen, eventually. Perhaps I can try and help you, although your Spirit Guide will ultimately know the right time to reveal itself." Asha noted, as Spirit Guides were funny when it came to appearing and disappearing. As far as finding Jaya, her amber gaze narrowed up to the tree, where Jaya was resting upon a branch, fluttering his wings and observing the two while they held conversation. "I climbed a mountain one day, and once I got to the top, he just happened to be up there. We talked for a while, and well, the rest is history." Asha explained with a smile. The way they met was pretty simple, nothing special or overly exciting.
Aidan's long and lustrous tail swayed behind him as the two equines were continuing to get used to one another's scents. Kaya seemed to be a calm and level headed horse, so Aidan was assured that she wasn't about to challenge him or go crazy on him at any point. As Kaya was nearly stretched out to the point of almost falling over, Aidan went ahead and stepped a little closer himself, just so that she could get a better sniff if she liked. He already scoped out that the female horse was pleasant to be around, but if it wasn't for him tied up to the tree, maybe he would like to play a game of sorts!
[/html]
|
