And if you'd 'a took to me like a gull takes to the wind...

Grace Galaxy · 02-16-2012, 01:11 AM

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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.

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Anatole Aston · 02-16-2012, 02:39 AM

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Oh hey :> He's not trying to hide but he's still a fair length away.

The pattern of the wolf was one well established and maintained. Anatole took his role as a scout seriously, seconding it only to his base drives and needs. One of these had woken him before dawn, a gnawing hunger that was not placated until he startled a very sluggish groundhog and made a quick meal of him. Pleased with himself and belly full, the duty of scenting and trailing the borders commenced. Green eyes carried over the terrain, noting changes when he passed them, stopping here and there to sniff at an unfamiliar scent.

One of these floated down from beyond the borders. It smelt strongly of horse, intermingled with that of a wolf. His curiosity peaked, the blackened male moved swiftly to meet it. A shadow passed overhead but he scarcely paid it mind; the eagle spirit that followed him was often silent unless he acted or thought out of turn, and her strict discipline was only aided by his willingness to meet such reinforcement. The pale footed beast slowed as he spotted the trio; a horse, a woman, and a bird. He slowed, head high and ears perked with curiosity. The only wolves he had seen keeping animals beyond those used for food or transport were the AniWayan spirit guides…and he could smell the bird as easily as he could see it.

Grace Galaxy · 02-16-2012, 02:58 AM

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And if you'd 'a took to me like a gull takes to the wind...

Oh, hello there. Smile

Well I'd 'a jumped from my tree, and I'd 'a danced...

Grace was deep into her meditation when a sharp rap on the head startled her out of her trance. Taj had finished eating, and while she had not noticed him perch atop her head, his usual seat, she did notice when he pecked her, tweeting and flitting about urgently. Touching a hand to the side of her head, she felt a small wound, and barely a trickle of blood. She growled, low and warning. "Taj..." The crow was still dancing about, wings aflutter, as if he thought to become a hummingbird. His cries were urgent and panicked. What on earth had gotten into him?

At last, she noticed him: a male, not too far off, but far enough. Taj had been sounding a warning. Grace sniffed the air and caught pack. He was of these lands. She raised herself up only enough to make it visible when she lowered her body in a kneeling bow. Taj seemed to sense that this was a wolf thing, and perched on Layla's back, further away from the stranger. Grace held her bow, not too low, but enough to convey her message. She was not without manners, and while she was not within his borders, she was near enough that it seemed that she should be respectful.

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Anatole Aston · 02-16-2012, 12:26 PM

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The bird spotted him first, moving in a manner less befitting for a crow and more for a starling or yearling sparrow. It was almost entertaining, in a way, and Anatole was amused by the behavior. The she wolf took notice of him then, and he approached her lowered form with ease. Four legged as he was, her position was yet above him—but he carried himself with the pride of rank and belonging, for these were his lands and thus put him in a position to behave as such.

He kept a safe distance from her, but extended his head to sniff and take in the scent of the woman. She was a loner, of this he was certain, and the owner of the nearby horse. The bird he paid little attention to, used to his mother’s old Guide and the behavior of that crow. Satisfied she was not an envoy of a pack, he reclined slightly. “You are close to the borders of AniWaya,” he announced, green eyes watching her face carefully. “What business do you have here?” Certainly if she was not from a pack he could discern this, but he had not encountered newcomers since his return—the war had frightened most off, he assumed.

Grace Galaxy · 02-16-2012, 01:39 PM

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And if you'd 'a took to me like a gull takes to the wind...

God, you can tell that she's an extrovert. Wink

Word Count: 420

Well I'd 'a jumped from my tree, and I'd 'a danced...

Grace lifted herself into a relaxed kneeling position when he spoke to her. It would have been rude of her to mumble her response into the ground, certainly. Nonetheless, she kept her posture non-threatening, moving slowly to keep from startling either the male greeter or her own companions. Her voice was calm and confident as she spoke. "I heard that there is a pack here, a people who keep horses as my tribe did." Her turquoise eyes lit up as she spoke, and she smiled. Her travels had made no question of the fact that her birth pack was unusual; in all the time that she and Briar had been roaming, they had never met another who traveled as they did, upright and atop a horse. It was just as fast as anything, really, and Layla was a lovely companion. Grace couldn't figure why so many wolves saw only food in a horse. There were plenty of things to eat - things that weren't as useful as a horse.

She felt more than she heard the mare prancing nervously behind her, and urged her over with a soft sound. "This is Layla," she told the male as she stroked the horse's face gently. "I trained her after my first year of life, per the traditions of my tribe." She pulled her hand away from the mare slowly, reached into her pocket, offering an explanantion as she pulled out a chunk of sugar. "I've no weapons on me, don't worry - only sugar clumps." She paused, then felt guilty - that was a half-truth. "Well, I've got a leather-working knife in my saddle bag. But I'm still not any threat to you."

Taj had flown up into a tree, away from the action. His eyes darted uneasily, and every so often, he let out a soft 'caw,' seemingly asserting his unhappiness with their current situation. Grace shook her head. "The crow is Taj. I rescued him when he was just little - his wing was broken, and his mother abandoned him, I guess. He's young yet, no manners to speak of, and raised by a wolf to boot. He's been with me a couple of months, since winter hit. Pretty sure he was only born just last spring." She looked at the male, then chuckled softly. "And I am Grace Galaxy. I come from Sterling Mountain, further south." A pause. AniWaya: that is your pack - you are the horse-keepers?"

She smiled. "Then I have come to commune with you."

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Anatole Aston · 02-16-2012, 02:02 PM

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(330) You can edit "Leader Needed" into your title and Marit should be along shortly. :> Feel free to reply again or wait for her.

There was a sharpness to the angles of her face that made him wonder if she yet contained coyote blood, but her scent told him this was not true. Some strange breed of wolf foreign to him, who had only seen the feral dogs and arctic brethren that had been large and burly as he. Anatole was a massive animal, but one whose social skills were stunted and formed without the practical behaviors of pack creatures. Instinct allowed him to adapt, but he was still an oddity among his own Tribe. In a way, finding someone who thought of herself as odd was no surprise—they were all strange now, with a mutation driving them to change and become less like wolves every day.

He listened to her attentively, triangular ears high and posture relaxed. There was no aggression in him, for instinct did not allow him to behave in such a manner around women. Even when he had been assaulted by them, he would always choose to flee. Fast footed despite his size, he was often able to outrun his opponents. Anatole followed her mentioned companions in time, more aware of the horse than the bird; of the two it was the horse that could cause trouble.

She gave her name, and he was pleased for her purpose. They had no one to care for the animals since before the war, and while Frodo did an admirable job, he was a hunter first. “AniWaya does keep horses. We have many here; I can’t tell you much about them, I’m afraid,” he went on, and surprisingly, smiled. “I’m not much for horses. We could use someone who knows more about them,” the scout added. He lifted his head and let out a loud cry, summoning his leader.

When he had finished, he settled onto his haunches. “My name is Anatole. You may speak with my leader when she arrives of your talents…and your tribe,” he added, recalling the word mentioned.

Ulilohi Ehn · 02-16-2012, 02:43 PM

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Ohai thar!
Hover for Cherokee words translations

She was all wrapped up in her newfound pigeon friends when her ears turned at the sound of Anatole's howl. Another call for her attention. She encountered many needs for her attention every day, throughout most of the day, truly, but most often not in the form of a howl. She could tell from its distance and direction that Anatole was like near the borders, or could not be far. Clearly, this was no howl to alert her to any crisis, but she was curious nonetheless. Perhaps one of the leaders had come to see her? A trade proposal, maybe. She turned the ideas around in her mind as she trued to signal and urge the bird into hopping off of her arm and onto the ledge she kept it on. This one was the slower of the birds, and she kept it in her home to devote as much time as needed to its learning. She'd grown rather fond of it, really. Finally, it reacted to her signals and removed itself from her arm, and the giant rose swiftly and exited her house.

The walk was long, and she regretted (again) that she hadn't had the wits to tie her chosen mount up near the Town Hall. It would not win her time to go by the stables to fetch it, so instead she carried on on foot. Long brown-pelted legs carried her with strength along the well-trodden paths of her patrolling scouts, and she took the time to ponder about AniWaya's warriors while she walked. She was not satisfied with the current amount of patrollers, ever suspicious of outside threats. Finally, she spotted the form of Anatole ahead, and another figure. The stranger was easily dwarfed next to Anatole and Ulilohi, who both stood much taller than she. The Councilwoman smiled as she approached, eyeing the female's appearance curiously. "Unalihelitseti, Anatole." She greeted him formally, and nodded to the stranger as well, in greeting. Her stance clearly marked her rank, tail and ears high. "You called for my presence, Tsula Agateno?" Ocean eyes sought the stranger's eye contact then.

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Grace Galaxy · 02-16-2012, 07:11 PM

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And if you'd 'a took to me like a gull takes to the wind...

Hello there. Smile

Word Count: 307

Well I'd 'a jumped from my tree, and I'd 'a danced...

Grace felt a wave of relief as the scout confirmed the rumours - a pack that kept horses. She nodded politely as he spoke. "I know a bit about horses. Like I said, I grew up with them - all of the adult tribesfolk kept one." She laid her hand on the side of Layla's head, and the horse nudged her gently. She nodded again as he introduced himself. "Pleasure to meet you, Anatole. And I'm sure I will be honoured to meet your leader, as well." Diplomatic, as always, but genuine nonetheless. She was usually genuine in her interactions, if it could be helped - it was, as her father had told her, part of her charm.

The female who arrived was in bipedal form, as Grace was. She lifted herself from her seat as the female approached, and bowed low. Tentatively, she lifted her eyes, blue-green and still wide with youth. The Caliph - Grace wasn't sure what they called their ruler here, but that had been her father's title - met her eyes, and she held only for the briefest of moments before looking away in respect. She kept her tail low even as she pulled up out of the bow, and her ears laid back against her head. She would not be caught acting outside of custom, if she could help it. At home, the punishment for acting out of turn was harsh - fair, no doubt, but harsh nonetheless. She could not guess that this place was any different, perhaps because she had never been a part of a tribe besides her own. She watched for signs of what was expected of her, and kept to what she knew besides - show respect, and only speak when spoken to. She had not yet been spoken to, and so she watched, and waited.

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Ulilohi Ehn · 02-16-2012, 09:26 PM

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Skipping Mel because I am totally rude. Powerplaying Anatole with Mel's permission.
Hover for Cherokee words translations
WC: 307

There was a moment to study the stranger as she awaited Anatole's response, and while the moment was short, there was so much information in just a glance. Her brain, seemingly infinitely complex, processed all information available to Ulilohi's mind just then, and more, even if she knew nothing of such workings. The councilwoman was used to seeing birds, but like Anatole she was more familiar with bird Guides than real bird companions. Her fascination was deeply rooted in her new-found enthusiasm for her own pigeons, or the tribe's pigeons, but that didn't mean she was accustomed to seeing other birds being kept as friends. The horse, she ignored. The observations took only moments to make, but they were valuable.

While the councilwoman had already anticipated the errand she had been called here for, the stranger's change of stance when she appeared only strengthened her assumptions. Anatole indicated towards the female in response to her inquiry and gave a quick summary of what had been discussed, as well as her name. There seemed to be little in favor of not including the female in their ranks. "Unalihelitseti, Grace. It would seem we have need for one such as yourself in our ranks, if you could care for our animals. There are too few of us and so many of them." She paused, thinking of the disaster only a moon back, when all their sheep had escaped their pens. "If you agree to the rank of Animal Carer, you are welcome here." She paused, glancing again at the bird again before returning her gaze to the female. From her experience with bird training these last few days, she truly admired anyone who could train one well, and she could only assume a clever bird such as Grace's would be infinitely more difficult to train than her pigeons, at least when it came to temper. The presence of the bird and horse certainly gave credence to Grace's skill with animals.

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Grace Galaxy · 02-16-2012, 10:54 PM

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And if you'd 'a took to me like a gull takes to the wind...

Hello there.

Well I'd 'a jumped from my tree, and I'd 'a danced...

Training Taj had indeed been a chore. While he was exceptionally smart, for a bird, he was also exceptionally stubborn. Grace was patient and persistent, and she had won him over eventually, but he was not her pet. He was a companion, with her of his own volition, and free to come and go as he pleased. As it happened, he thought to chance a life with her, and she accepted him openly. More than anything, they were friends.

To the head-woman, she performed Anjali Mudra^? and smiled. "Namaste^?, m'lady," she replied pleasantly. "I would be honoured to accept your request, and I thank you." Taj flapped over lazily, settling on her head and looking at the new canines. He leaned down in front of Grace's face and cawed a question. "Yes, Taj, we are staying. Behave," she told him. It seemed that he could understand much of what she said, although he communicated mainly in tones and displays.

The crow settled into her mane, just between her ears, and cawed again, this time in the direction of Ulilohi and Anatole. Grace chuckled. "This is Taj. We travel together. I think he likes you, m'lady." A whicker reminded her of her other companion, and she nodded toward the mare. "And this is Layla. She is feisty, but she will obey me. Is there any place that I might stable her?" She gazed in the direction of the pack lands, thoughtful. "And myself, perhaps..."

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Ulilohi Ehn · 02-17-2012, 03:12 AM

Hooray! Check out all of this fun stuff:

Have a look at the Aniwaya Territories for interesting areas to explore.
Completing tasks in the season game offer collectibles, tables, avatars, icons, art and titles. Have a look!
You can collect points from your posts and trade them for various prizes, including art.
Remember to look into AniWaya's culture and laws!
Do you have a horse? Add it to the official stables overview, here.
Do you have a spirit guide already? Add it to our current listings, here.

Need help? Confused about AniWaya stuff? Don't hesitate to PM your questions to the AniWaya account, and we'll reply as soon as possible. If you need posting tables, avatars or sigs, you can request code and graphics in the talents subforum. If you're feeling lost or confused about the game, don't hesitate to post a question in Roleplay Aides, or to seek out a Mentor!

Ulilohi Ehn · 02-17-2012, 07:11 AM

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Titled you and stuff!
Do you want to continue the thread or close it?
WC: 238

Grace answered her greeting with a strange gesture Ulilohi had never seen before, but its meaning was clear enough. The councilwoman dipped her head slightly in acknowledgement of it, and smiled when the female accepted herself into the tramontane's tribe. Of all the wolves present, it was not only Ulilohi who came from beyond the mountains, that much was evident. Before she could reply, the bird stirred, and Grace attempted to soothe it, spoke with it. Not as X'yrin had taught Ulilohi to learn to speak with her pigeons through simple repeated words, but then again this bird seemed much more intelligent than the tribe's pigeons. It cawed again and Ulilohi smiled as Grace introduced the bird like a friend, and the councilwoman giggled at the prospect of the bird favoring her. He seemed a very clever companion. How could one be lonely with such friends? The horse craved attention, as well, and Ulilohi nodded wordlessly in acknowledgement of her presence. Horses were temperamental animals, and the councilwoman had no intentions of offending any creature.

Grace asked for stables and Ulilohi quickly turned to indicate the direction of their pens and animal housings. "We have a stable in this direction. It lies a little outside the Village, but you may sleep where you want, or add something for your mount in time, if you want her nearer your home." She smiled at the horse. "Come, we'll show you."

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Grace Galaxy · 02-17-2012, 06:17 PM

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And if you'd 'a took to me like a gull takes to the wind...

If you'd like to powerplay showing her to the stables and wrap up, you're welcome to. Otherwise, OOC ending is fine by me. Just let me know. Smile

ETA: Any chance we can backdate this thread to the 14th or 15th? I didn't realize that I replied to an AW thread on the 15th. If not, I'll ask the person whose thread it was if they can adjust their date.

Well I'd 'a jumped from my tree, and I'd 'a danced...

Turquoise eyes turned in the direction that was indicated to her. Taj seemed to pick up on the gist of the conversation, and dropped down to Grace's shoulder. He cawed a question, eyes alert and curious, and Grace smiled. "Yes, Taj. Go and find the stable, and we will meet you there." The crow took flight, and the blonde girl turned her attention back to her new leader and the scout called Anatole.

"I thank you for your graciousness, m'lady," she said formally. "I think I will see the stable, and settle Layla there. I should get acquainted with your creatures, as well. Then, I will welcome rest. Do you keep tribal living accommodations, or shall I find a place?" She turned to the mare as she spoke, gathering her saddle and saddle blanket. She settled them atop the horses back, fastening them loosely. "Tread carefully, Layla. Your saddle's loose, 'cause I'm walking." The mare sniffed disdainfully, as if to suggest that she knew this already. Grace chuckled. "Okay, okay. I get it! Don't have to get huffy."

Then she turned, once again, to the head-woman and scout. "Lead the way."

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