Storm on the Horizon | [Private]

Little Bird wove her way through the marsh, careful to avoid that large pools of water. Her father had warned her that some of the water here hid sinkholes, and she certainly didn't want to get stuck in one of those. It amazed her sometimes that this land the horses of Chevalin called home was so full of dangers. Her ears perked up, swiveling toward the sound of the voice as they called out once more to alert her to where they were. Rounding a larger tree, Bird found a mare chest deep in what appeared to be a pit of water and quicksand. Her eyes widened for a moment at the sight of the muddy mare who seemed to be slowly sinking deeper and deeper into the sand, and she began searching for something that she could use to get her out. It was her job as a Ranger to help others out in their time of need, and Bird had spent hours honing her skills in order to be able to do the best she possibly could. One of the skills that she had found most useful was her mind. Being able to solve problems with ease and conquering them was something she used far more often than any of her other skills.

"Don't worry, miss. I'm a Ranger. I'll help you out." Bird said over the booming sound of thunder. Her eyes brightened once she found a lengthy piece of vine, and she quickly scooped it up into her mouth. "Grab a hold of this vine, and I'll pull you out, alright?" Little Bird nodded at her encouragingly, tossing one end of the vine into the pit just in front of her. Her teeth gripped the other half tightly, ready to help the other horse out of trouble.

Little Bird pulled back, feeling her muscles strain as she tried to pull the mare free of the pit that she had found herself in. Her grasp around the vine in her jaws tightened, making sure she didn't lose her grip. It wouldn't be very good if she lost the only thing she could find to help pull the other horse out of this mess. The roan mare's ears fell back against her skull as a flash of lightening filled her vision, followed shortly after by the loud clash of thunder. Rain poured down on them from the swirling, black clouds above, quickly drenching her pelt in ice cold water. Little Bird pulled harder as she saw one of the mare's legs pull free of the muddy marsh. Just one more leg and she might be able to haul herself out of the sinkhole. Bullets of rain pelted down on her, almost stinging her back with each drop as they fell from the heavens above. They needed to get to that cave before the storm got any worse. She sighed in relief when her other leg was freed and she pulled herself onto steadier ground.

Little Bird rushed forward, making sure she was alright and straining her ears to hear her over the pounding rain and thunder. "No problem. There's a cave nearby that's big enough for both to seek shelter there." Little Bird said, tilting her head in the direction of the cave. The larger mare turned so that her shoulder was closer to the grey haired mare. "You can lean on my shoulder if you'd like. I bet you're exhausted from hauling yourself out of that sandpit."

Little Bird nodded, feeling the rain water soak her pelt and mane as they walked toward the cave. A chuckle escaped her at the other mare's joke. "You're not fat. It would have been hard dragging a foal out of that sandpit. It doesn't help that this storm decided to be one of the harshest I've seen in a long time." She said, talking a little louder than usual to talk over the pounding rain and thunder. The roan mare walked at a brisk pace. Her muscles were tired from helping her out of the pit, but it wasn't something that she wasn't used to. She'd spent her entire life training to overcome feelings like this, and she wanted nothing more than to get out of this weather as quickly as she possibly could. Once she arrived at the cave, Little Bird looked back outside just as the grey-haired mare followed after her. She shook out her long mane, sending water droplets cascading around them. Laughter erupted from her when the other mare shook herself off, lightly spraying her with cold, rain water. "It's alright. A little water can't hurt you. Don't worry about it. It's my job after all to help." Little Bird said with a dip of her head. The rain made a rhythmic sound on the cave, droning on as the storm raged outside. Thankfully, the sound wasn't as intense inside of the cave as it was outside. Bird never thought she'd get away from all of that thunder. Laying down on the cave floor, Little Bird stretched out her legs, allowing the water to drip off of her as she dried herself. Her ears swiveled toward the paint mare beside her as she spoke, smiling down at her as she pointed toward her back hoof. Little Bird glanced back at her leg, spotting the striped mark on one of her hooves. She chuckled, motioning at the other mare's own striped hooves. "Thank you. You've got quite a few nice hoof marks yourself."

Little Bird looked back to the mouth of the cave as a flash of lightening illuminated the opening followed shortly after by a loud clash of thunder. The roan mare looked back over when the younger horse spoke again. "Yep, you heard me correctly. I'm a Ranger. I don't think I introduced myself though. My name is Little Bird." Little Bird introduced herself, smiling warmly at the younger mare. A curious expression crossed her face at her look of excitement. She'd never had anyone ask if she were a Ranger before, and she certainly hadn't had anyone look so excited about it. "Why do you ask?"

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Little Bird looked up at her as her accent twiddled down to her. She couldn't say that she'd eve met a horse that talked that way and wondered where in the lands of Chevalin she had come from. Maybe it was just something she had picked up from her parents, assuming she was a loner that is. "Esterellita. That's a really pretty name. And thank you." Bird repeated  her name back to her, stumbling on a few times where Esterellita had easily rolled out the name.The Ranger spotted the excitement on the younger mare's face. Puzzlement filled her though she let a small smile remain on her face. If Esterellita knew about the Rangers, she must be a loner. Listening carefully over the sound of the thunder and rain outside, the roan mare nodded along with each statement that was spoken. "Yes, it's quite cool. I really enjoy it. There's never a dull moment when I'm on the job." Little Bird said, thinking of all of the adventures she had had. Even though it wasn't necessarily true that she didn't ever get bored looking for horses to help, but it was enjoyable when she got the opportunity to. Her ears turned toward the grey-haired mare as her questions bubbled out of her. A soft laugh erupted out of her when Esterellita blushed at her onslaught of questions. "It's alright. I don't think I've ever met someone so excited to see a Ranger." Little Bird admitted, blushing a bit herself that Esterellita thought so highly of them. "Well, to start, I've saved a few horses in my lifetime. I can't say that I had to fight super dangerous predators each time or anything like that. Sometimes it's just helping someone out of a sticky situation much like yourself." Little Bird chuckled softly, stretching out her front legs in front of her as she continued answering her questions. "I haven't gotten to meet the Protector myself unfortunately. My father told me a lot about him though. Hopefully one day, I'll get the chance to meet him."

Little Bird thought for a moment about the Protector, imagining what he must look like based on what her father had told her. "Anyways, why don't you tell me a bit about yourself? And maybe I can answer anymore questions you might have about Rangers or myself if you really want." She offered, hoping to learn more about the enthusiastic, young mare and pass the time until this horrid storm is over.

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((OOC: Sorry it took me so long to respond to this! :'D I've got finals coming up, so teachers are throwing tests at us before then like crazy. XD))

The roan mare's ears flicked toward Esterellita, turning her body slightly so that she could more easily view her. A grin spread across her face, listening to her spin the tale of her own life... or at least what the younger mare could think of at the moment. It felt like it had been an eternity since she had met another loner that was friendly. Aside from Constantine and August, all of them seemed quiet and withdrawn, so a happier persona was quite welcoming to hear. "I'll let you know, but it takes a lot to give me a headache, so I don't think we'll have a problem with that." Little Bird joked, flashing her a warm smile and laughing softly over the sound of the rain hammering down on their small cave. "And I quite like clovers myself. Something about rich, green ones is just heavenly. Apples and other fruit are a nice treat as well if I ever find any." At her next question, Little Bird hesitated, pondering on how she had become a Ranger or rather who had made her into one. Her father had been such a strong influence in her life, and having only died months ago, it was still hard for her to think about him. "I don't mind at all. My father and mother were both Rangers, so I sort of inherited the position as well. I was taught how to run and fight as soon as I was able to keep my hooves under me. I haven't really known anything else besides what it means to be a Ranger." She explained, looking out at the rain as it poured down at the mouth of the cave.

Her life had been a relatively easy one until recently. Though her own mother had left her as a foal, her father had quickly compensated for the loss of her. He had trained her to become the best fighter she could be and would have sworn to anyone that she was just as good of a Ranger as any of the stallions that were also Rangers. The two of them had been inseparable even if he had been a little harsh during the hours of training she had to go through before he was satisfied with her work. She'd do it all again if it meant she could have one last moment with him. "So what do you do, Esterellita? Are you a lurker, messenger, or whatever other else might be out there?" Little Bird asked, looking back at her with a curious expression. She loved learning about the different jobs and herds that made up the land of Chevalin. She supposed some part of her liked to know what sort of opportunities were out there, to know what other horses are doing with their lives and how she might be able to help them, but she did hope that Esterellita didn't think she was being too nosy. A lot of other potential acquaintances had been chased off by her questions, and she'd hate to lose another especially another loner.

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((lol! It's absolutely awful! XD It's quite alright, and I hope school settles down for you soon. <3 ))

Little Bird nodded at the younger mare's response. She had had a feeling that she was a messenger and not a thief or lurker. Most of them thought little of the Rangers, but the messengers were generally friendly. She didn't often get the chance to speak to other loners, besides the meetings at the Great Pine, but everyone dispersed pretty quickly after those were over most of the time. "Oh really? That's what I probably would have done as well if I weren't a Ranger. I think if I remember correctly I've heard of messengers trained to become Rangers before." Little Bird pondered aloud, thinking of her father's teachings. She could have sworn she had heard him say something about Rangers taking on messengers as apprentices before. "Everyone needs to be cheered up every now and again. That's nice of you to do." Little Bird thought of her own hidden feelings of her father's recent death that she had been hiding so deeply. She was a Ranger! She was supposed to be the one who protected and comforted others not the other way around! At another loud clap of thunder, the roan mare turned her head to the cave opening, shaking her head at the sight of the storm. She laughed softly at Esterellita's joke, nodding in agreement. "Seriously, it is definitely not happy with something." She thought for a minute, gauging how long they had been sitting and how large the storms had been. "Well, it looked to be a rather large storm cloud, but we've been in here for awhile. Maybe the storm will have passed by sunset." Little Bird guessed, though she shrugged her shoulders with a grin. "It's hard to tell, but at least we're making good conversation. I can't say I've had any decent to talk to in a long time to be honest. I'm surprised I'm able to speak at all after having been silent for so long." Little Bird joked, chuckling before she turned her attention back to the mare beside her. "So how does being a messenger work exactly? I've never really had an in depth conversation with one before." Little Bird loved to learn about others and how they worked. She had found that it helped her with her own job. Not to mention that it was pretty interesting to learn about others' ways of life.

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