One of those Mornings (Krivak)

[Sera]

Winter 28 511

The sky was clear, only a few clouds on the horizon. A breeze gently blew through the city, carrying fine snowflakes that came from the roofs of buildings. Sera found herself walking down the road, admiring everything. No matter what time of day, Avanthal was full of beauty, but morning was definitely one of her favorite times to enjoy the city Her hair hung in long bouncy curls, thanks to her mother's styling the night before. Only a few people scurried about the town. Sera's eyes turned a bright yellow for a second, then swirled to an amber orange. She found herself humming an old classic tune as she walked. With each step, the humming got a little louder, until she was completely vocalizing to herself, and moving along to the melody. Sure, she was mostly out so that she could find something to do. Though what that something was, she did not know. Sera stopped in her tracks. She looked behind her, then to every side. There was absolutely no one in the area. A sly smile crept over her lips. For some reason, the urge to dance was overpowering. Or maybe she just needed to let some energy out. It was her favorite thing to do after all.

She took a deep breath, and continued humming and half singing the tune. With every note, her feet moved, until she was completely dancing. She swung her cloak in the air, gripping the ends with her hands to create a swirling image with her cloak. Each step and spin was beautiful, nearly perfect and in step with the song. The tracks in the snow, from the dancing even looked like a piece of art. Sera slid down, through the ice and snow, until she was lying on her back, then she pushed herself up, flipping through the air and landed on her toes. Her eyes were closed as she stood there, holding a note on her breath until she couldn’t any longer. She breathed then, as she stood, her chest forward. A smile formed on her lips and then she stepped forward once again. This time, the dance was calmer, more relaxed, and freer. She moved fluidly, and hummed softly to herself. It was a beautiful morning, just like any other.

[Krivak]

Krivak was staring quite profoundly at what was possibly the strangest sight he'd ever seen. It was a massive hare. He had seen hares back in Ravok several times, but this one was at least double or triple in size. It was a pure, dazzling white, much like the rest of the area, and it was nosing around behind the stables. Krivak was peering around the corner, just his eyes and snout visible. The hare had its back to him as he spied on it. The rabbit began to hop forward around the other corner. Krivak wanted to continue his watching of it, so he tried to step as lightly as a yak could. Krivak made sure to try and keep his breathing low so as to not be detected. But he was by no means a stealthy animal. His hooves sunk deep into the snow, crunching loudly. As he reached the other corner, he slowly peered around this one as well. And found himself face to face with the hare. The hare jumped in shock, and spun in the air to face the opposite direction. It kicked its legs out, and its massive feet caught him square in the chin. He roared in pain as the hare took off into the distance. Krivak gave chase. The rabbit was much quicker and more agile than him, but he wouldn't allow a little creature like that best him. Krivak powered through the snow, it kicking up high around him. His muscles pushed him through the powder as the hare began pulling ahead in a zigzag pattern. But Krivak just barreled forward in a straight line. As Krivak pumped his legs, he saw the hare heading for a snowdrift. The hare dove into a hole in the drift and Krivak noticed too late. Krivak found himself tackling headfirst into the snowdrift. His head, neck, and shoulders were in pain from the collision. The snow was pressing heavily against his dreaded fur, and he began to feel the icy bite. He noticed his hind legs and tail were sticking out from the drift and he began kicking them to try and loosen himself from the drift. He was bellowing for help from inside the drift as he continued to wriggle and writhe, seeking his freedom.

[Sera]

The ground felt weird. Something was throwing her off balance. The sounds of heavy footsteps echoed. They were rushed, running perhaps? And there were at least four... Her eyes opened suddenly, realizing that the sound was close. Sera stopped moving and turned, just in time to jump out of the way of a large animal that was chasing something. The Vantha girl took a tumble to the side and sat on the white ground as she watched the animal stuck in the snow. She tilted her head to the side and continued watching as a large rabbit, as white as the snow around, jumped over the large animal and went the opposite direction. It seemed to be playing with the Yak. Something was different about this creature. But whatever it was, Sera couldn't quite place it. She got to her feet and approached the large dark furred beast.

"Uh... uhhh... uh... okay." She hesitated and then stopped. 'Should I help him? This is not at all my area of expertise,' Sera thought to herself. 'Well I definitely can't leave him here stuck. She crawled onto the top of the snow drift trying to think of something to do. Finally she began to dig some of the snow away from the yak's head and upper body. 'Hopefully this creature will realise I'm trying to help, not trying to hurt.' The biggest problem, was that the large animal was moving around so wildly, trying to free himself, that she was too hesitant about helping as much as she could. Sera really wasn't in the mood to get herself injured. 'I'm not even sure what to do...'

[Krivak]

Krivak was thrashing wildly to try and dislodge himself from the snow that was now his prison. He was bellowing and hollering, his hind legs kicking fiercely. He felt the snow beginning to shift above him and he felt strange movement. It had to be that blasted rabbit! He began thrashing around more angrily, his front legs finally finding purchase beneath him. He pushed hard and upward, his horns shooting up through the snow beneath the source of the movement. His snout breached the snowy surface like a sea monster from the lake in Ravok. His eyes were just blinded by the flecks of snow and sunlight, as he continued thrashing about, his horns dangerously close to the one that came to help. He was still struggling hard, before finally the snow in his eyes melted and he saw the one attempting to help him. She was thin Vantha female. He immediately calmed and stopped his thrashing. He didn't want to hurt someone who hadn't hurt him. He realized his horns were a blink away from one of her eyes. He slowly moved his horns down and away. He was still stuck, but help had arrived. He grunted in appreciation, and hoped she would still help.

[Sera]

Sera let out a scream as the animal moved around more wildly, thrashing about. She couldn't find anything to grab onto to steady herself, so she just watched, frozen. Her eyes turned gray. Fear prevented her from thinking straight and getting out of the way. Suddenly the animal's head was exposed, out of the snow. His horns were way too close for comfort and he was still trying to free himself. Sera found herself gasping for air and staring at the Yak's horn that was right in front of her face. Shakily, she sat there, staring at the animal when he had calmed down a bit. Once he had moved away slightly, she was able to take a deep breath.

It took her a while to collect her thoughts, the whole time, staring into the eyes of the beast. With a hard swallow and a small smile, she moved. "Ooookaaay..." She said to herself and continued looking at the animal. "You need help getting out of here, right? Of course right..." She coughed and slid down the snow bank, next to the animal. The right thing to do would be find a way to help the creature, but was it safe to do it alone? Sera looked around. Still, no one in the immediate area. She shook her head. Of course she'd help. "Please don't hurt me... or eat me, I'm trying to help." So, Sera was just talking to herself to keep her calm. She stood next to the furred animal. "Please trust me?" She whispered and hesitantly touched the animal's side. She moved her hand away cautiously, then touched the creature again, moving closer. Minus his head, the front of his body was still stuck in the snow. "And please don't eat me if I can somehow manage to help." She examined the thick white snow the Yak had lodged himself into.

She carefully crawled unto the snowbank again, and began using her arms to push away some of the snow. It wasn't effective enough. 'If only I knew how to communicate with animals...' She thought to herself and thought of all the options available. She could try pushing the animal herself, by forcing her body between the snow and the animal, and using her legs to push the Yak out. Or she could try digging the snow away like she had tried, but it would take a while. If only there was a way that the animal and her could work together. Sera figured that if the Yak moved, fighting its way out while Sera pushed the snow away, it might get the poor animal out. But how to communicate it to the Yak? A very pained expression appeared on Sera's face. "I'm really sorry if I hurt you." She said and dug away from the snow bank. Then she crawled into the hole and tried kicking the snow away, while pushing against the Yak's body. "Please work..."

[Krivak]

Krivak was having trouble forcing himself to calm down enough to be assisted by the woman with the kind voice. He felt the light touch of her hand on his flank. She talked to him in that kind voice, although it was tinged with fear. It was understandable, he could kill her in the blink of an eyes. But he wouldn't harm one that was helping. He then felt her stirring around in the snow, perhaps to dig him out. He continued to fight the urge to thrash about to free himself. Who knew staying still was so difficult? She then did something he didn't quite understand. She had wedged herself, somehow, between him and the snow. She was now pushing against him. Then it dawned on him that she was attempting to push him up and out. He knew that she wouldn't be able to succeed by herself. He dug his hind hooves into the snow and began to push upwards. His front hooves were sinking into the snow, but he was at least able to pull himself slightly with them. He methodically placed his hooves and pushed, attempting to climb the snow dune. His hooves were gaining ground, a quarter of an inch at a time. He grunted under the effort and kept pushing. His legs could just barely support his weight, but he continued to push. He was about halfway up the slope when he slipped. He slid a good bit of the way back down, bellowing in distress. He pushed his muscles to their fullest, to try and boost himself further. He could feel the strain taking hold, knowing he couldn't keep it up for long. But if he didn't his weight would crush the kind woman. His legs were shaking, struggling but he managed to stop his backwards slide an instant before he collided with her. He leapt, struggled, pushed, regaining ground. He grunted painfully as he continued powering up and out. He finally breached the top. And there he collapsed to rest.

[Sera]

The yak began helping her. Sera turned back to look at him. Why is this so difficult? Is he just too large? She questioned and continued digging and pushing, her back towards him. Secretly, the Vantha was a bit fearful, but she tried her best not to show it. Something she had heard not too long ago was to never show an animal one's fear. Though, somehow the animal hadn't tried to kill her for approaching. Let alone squeezing herself between him and the snow. Or even trying to dig him out? So maybe this was a nice animal? Either way, he needed help in some way. And Sera, being Sera wasn't gong to let a poor creature deal with being stuck in snow. With a lot of work and and a bit of frustration, he was able to free himself, not harming Sera too much in the process. The task had been so difficult that he collapsed once he managed to get out.

Sera sat on the snow bank, her elbows on her knees, holding her head in her hands. She had to calm herself down. Once her eyes had settled on their normal blue and red colors, she looked up, much calmer than before. She got to her feet and began to move towards the Yak cautiously. She sat on the snow near him, and watched him, making sure he was breathing. The girl didn't want to scare him, but wanted to make sure he was okay. "I know you probably don't understand me but my goodness you are a very large animal and I really hope you are alright. And if I knew how to speak animal, or well I assume animals communicate somehow... Oh, I guess I'm not that smart with four legged beings..." She wrinkled her nose and tried smiling at the animal. "Well, I guess... maybe I should leave you be, I don't want to be eaten..." She wasn't the brightest girl, but she was kind. And the way she spoke was obviously to keep herself sane.

[Krivak]

Krivak laid there atop the pile of snow catching his breath and resting his extremely tired muscles. That was an extremely uncomfortable ordeal, and he reminded himself to never chase a hare again. After all, it's not like he's a dumb wild cat or anything. The female with the kind voice that had helped him, walked over and began to speak to him. She looked as tired as he did, and he could tell she was afraid of him. It just showed in her stance, in her eyes. But she helped him, he didn't want her to fear him like all others should. It was a shame he didn't understand the local singsong language yet. Then the female began to walk away. He still thought she looked exhausted, and he wanted to thank her. So he struggled to lift himself up as she continued on. He slowly walked up behind her and off to the side. When he finally caught up to her, he rubbed his head against her side gently, thankfully. Then he did the unexpected. He dropped back behind her, and very carefully snuck his horns between her legs, then stepped forward and raised up, hoping she wouldn't fall off as she now would be riding on his shoulders.

[Sera]

Sera waited a bit, watching to make sure the animal was okay. He seemed to be breathing, just resting. "Okay... I guess... You're fine. Good luck next time with the rabbit?" So she finally decided to leave. The girl got to her feet and began to walk away. Sure, she was tired, but she knew she'd find her way home. Though, she didn't have breakfast, nor had she eaten anything the night before. Her hands touched her stomach and she frowned. Would she make it back without fainting?

As if the animal had heard her thoughts, her rubbed against her side. eEra smiled kindly, happy that he didn't seem threatening and touched his side kindly. Then, he moved behind her. She watched curiously, one eyebrow raised. With a quick gentle movement, the Vantha girl was suddenly on the Yak's shoulders. She let out a cry accidentally, and wasn't sure what to do. She had ridden horses before but this was a lot more difficult. "Uhm..." She whined and wasn't sure what to hold on to, if she was supposed to hold onto anything. Hesitantly she took hold of some hair around his neck. She took a couple deep breaths, then ran one of her hands through his thick hair. "You're not scary at all." She cooed. It was odd for an animal to act in such a way, picking one up out of kindness. Was it because she attempted to help him out of the snowbank? It had to have been. But where did he come from? And where was he going to take her? She had so many questions. DID he understand her?

She sighed softly and reached forward to scratch the top of his head curiously, as if he was a small, adorable animal. She didn't know how to communicate with him. Though, her fear of him had subsided for the most part. So, she quietly began humming the same tune she had been vocalizing to herself while dancing not too long before the Yak ran into the snowbank. She hummed a little louder, wondering where they were going to end up.

[Krivak]

Krivak felt her gently take hold of the dreads that hung from his neck. He snorted, pleased with himself. Then the woman began running her fingers through his long dreads. Just like being groomed, this relaxed Krivak immensely. He started walking slowly forward, enjoying the caressing feel of her fingers on his nape. He didn't know where the woman grazed and slept, so he began heading toward a building that he knew always had food in it. As he walked, he could feel the weariness creeping into his muscles, but he threw it off. After all, he had a package to deliver now, but for the first time, he was the one sending it. It felt really good to be his own master now. Allana would have... He stopped that line of thinking immediately. He arrived at the building. He knew it was where people went to eat and drink firewater. He didn't know the name though, and had never been inside. He supposed now was as good a time as any. He nudged open the door to the Red Diamond Tavern, and stepped inside, careful to go slow and crouch a bit so his package didn't hit the top of the doorway. The tavern was quite full of people, all of whom had just grown silent and were staring at him in surprise. He recognized the owners as visitors to the stables, and their looks said they recognized him. Krivak realized he was incredibly hungry as well as tired. So he leaned his head down, and carefully, slowly slid the girl off of his shoulders, minding his horns as he did so. He rubbed the inside of her thigh with his snout then snatched a loaf of bread off of the bar. As he held it in his teeth, he knew they would want money for it. Some of the people in Avanthal knew he was a yak, so when he needed to pay for something, they just came and collected it from the money in his pack that's in his stall. He turned and gave Sera a farewell looking, bobbing his head in pleasure, and stepped out the door, and began his trek back to his stable stall.