And if you'd 'a took to me like a gull takes to the wind...
Desired Profession Path: Animal Care
NPC's: Layla, liver chestnut Arabian mare; Taj, American crow, male.
Word Count: 374
Well I'd 'a jumped from my tree, and I'd 'a danced...
The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. A stain of pink bled into the dim sky, and the birds chirped hello. From his perch, Taj seemed to return the greeting, although Grace could never be sure. She glanced up through her long blonde bangs, which had fallen over her muzzle, to look at her companion. The black crow leaned over to look at her upside-down through her mane, and she chuckled. "Well, I'm not the only one who is energetic this morning," she commented. And she was energetic, despite the long trip that they had made. Rumour had it that there was a pack, somewhere around here, with a herd of horses. The thought itself was enough to keep her alert. That, and she was a morning person.
Briar had never understood how Grace could be energetic in the morning. It was a chore to get her up and around, albeit one that the blonde femme had scarcely minded. Snowflakes began to drift from the lightening sky, dusting all three of them with cool, wet powder, and Grace looked to the sky. Her brother, Gabriel, might have said that it was a bad omen, joining a new pack with the weather less than ideal. The problem with that logic was that it required one to find snow fundamentally unpleasant, and Grace did not. She pushed her loose curls from her face, the cold turquoise of her bracelet brushing against her nose. She paused for a long moment, considering, and then smiled. Wherever her family was, she wished them well.
Wherever Briar was, she wished her well.
They stopped well outside of the pack borders. Grace unsaddled Layla and rubbed her down, then furnished her with oats from a canvas sack in her knapsack. Next came Taj, who got mixed nuts and seeds in a shallow wooden bowl. Finally, the luperci settled down on the ground, sitting comfortably for morning meditation. As she let her thoughts slip away from her, her breath evened. She heard Layla chewing, Taj pecking, her own heartbeat. She heard the music of nature, beasts of all types. Somewhere, there was water running. Her mind waxed and waned, and she relinquished her thoughts gladly. Time to let go.