Weaving In The Rain[Open]

[Lacai]

Fall Day 4 Year 511 AV Over, under, over, under, re-situate. Mossy eyes focused on the fabric, Lacai bit her pink bottom lip in concentration. Long, nimble fingers held two strands of fabric with practiced ease. Limber legs curled under her in a "Criss-cross applesauce" pattern, she was comfortable upon the tall, wavy, grasses surrounding her. A light breeze carried the scent of fall like a homemade meal; high and proud. The smell of rain clung to the wind and Lacai glanced upwards towards the sky, weaving forgotten for the moment. Dark, low hanging, clouds mixed between grey, black, and navy blue, were rolling in. Estimating the storm wouldn't hit for another bell or so, Lacai glanced back down to her chilly hands. Clutched between bony fingers, lay a square frame made of strong leather. On each side of the corners, a red was wrapped. It didn't weave through anything, just simply stayed there. Next to the red was a light purple. Through Lacai wasn't quite sure how she would manage to weave around it, she had it in two spots; one on each side. Extending from the bottom to the top, it curled enough to leave four individual lines across one side. With a several piece of string, it had repeated on the opposite side. The purples intersected and weaved. Near the top left corner, two oranges lay next to the red, completing the same, simple pattern, as the purple. Next to Lacai there were two rolls of string. These two colors would not be following the pattern of weaving, as the orange and purple had. One was a dark, almost black, blue, and the other was a golden yellow. Lacai's green eyes flickered between the strings and the leather square, trying to decide which color would go where. Mentally calculating which colors she had at home; two other blues, two greens, another yellow; Lacai decided to put the blue next to the purple. Wrapping it around slowly, she made sure it was right next to the purple, as it wouldn't move after it was tied. These simple movements calmed Lacai. Before she had wandered away from the pavilion, Lacai's father had started in on her about finding a husband. Remembering, Lacai winced. Poor Nicolai had been frightened of his father's shouting, even more so of normally rational Lacai yelling just as loudly. Yes, it had been disrespectful and there were definitely better ways to handle the situation, but she wouldn't take it back. No. Lacai's anger had flashed after Mekune called her work a joke and told her to quit trying to be something she wasn't. A couple choice words had angered Mekune right back and they swapped stinging insults until Sunsilla stepped in to break it up. Her soft spoken ways had intercepted Mekune, whose face was red as the dyes Sunsilla worked with. With a shaking hand, Rahya had laid her fingers on Lacai's arm and tugged her away. Knowing it was Mekune she was angry at not, not Rahya, Lacai went along with gritted teeth. Nicolai flinched away from her as Lacai bent down to pick him up. Using soothing words, she calmed him down and, only chimes later Nicolai had his arms wrapped around her neck. Heading back to her room, twelve year old Mikkel came out and held out the square and colors. Grateful, she let the seven year old Nicolai down slowly. Mekune was nowhere in sight as Lacai left the pavilion. Popping back to the present, Lacai was painfully aware of the oncoming storm and suddenly wished she had brought her horse, Kako. Unfortunately, he was at home and she was in the middle of nowhere with no shelter in sight. Thunder rolled overhead. Petch. What Lacai is weaving

[Akilah Windsong]

Akilah had long loved sleeping, the dreams that came with them. Here she was a storm-warden, a cyclone running across her arm. Layers upon layers of wind grew around it, a blooming rose of air and power, and as it danced down her arm she could feel the power that came with it.

Could feel Zulrav, his presence in the air around her. Words like summer breezes flew through the air, unformed and indistinct. Even as she called the wind, her voice failed her, carried on only the thinnest of messengers.

"What?" Was he angry? "What?"

She was careful with her gift. Even as she thought that, dark cloud covered the sky, a blanket of disappointment and anger. Lingering in the air was the rage, disguised as the crashing thunder and destructive lightning.

She wouldn't last long in this battlefield, Zulrav with the obvious advantage. Adámas and Vespera were nowhere to be found and she was alone on the top of a hill, bald but for a few grasses that dared to survive.

A drop hit her, two. They trailed her face, more comrades joining their forces in the attack, and--

Vespera was warm under her head as she woke up, staring at the dark sky. For a moment, she thought she was still sleeping. The sky was the same, eyes opened or closed, but her dog's body was soft and warm were it pillowed her head. His body, longer than it was in the summer, rose and sank slowly as he panted, sleeping as well.

It was early fall, almost as hot as summer. The sun had been bright earlier, bright and warm and her body too tired after a long ride through the nearby wilderness. She shouldn't have wandered so far, but it had been so thrilling to just explore the small hills and valleys that surrounded their current location.

Another rumble--the thunder had not been a dream, then. Sitting up, she looked over to wear Adámas was eating, nibbling the small flowers that were growing on the gentle slope.

"Think we'll make it home before it rains?" she mused aloud, still half-asleep. Limbs tired and heavy, she tried to stand up but her body protested. Sleep, it demanded, sleep, but as she watched the lightning flash across the sky, she knew she couldn't do that.

[Lacai]

With a single frantic look around, Lacai knew she wouldn't be able to make it home in time to escape the oncoming storm. The clouds were rolling in, folding over one another in their hurry. Dark and foreboding mixed with light and angelic. Thunder crashed, shaking the ground and vibrating through the soul. The wind was picking up, beating down the grass like a slave-trader. Fear began to trickle through Lacai as she watched, eyes wide at the sight. How could a perfectly sunny day swap so fast? Even though she had been entranced by the weaving project which now sat lifelessly in her hands, Lacai did not suspect time of going by so quickly; more like the fastest strider in Endrykas than the slowest mix-breed. The city of Endrykas would close up and wait out the weather until it had passed, rather than take the unnecessary risks. Quicker than the blink of an eye, or perhaps she had just been entrapped in her thoughts, the weather had changed. Glancing upwards, towards the sky again, Lacai sent out a small prayer to Zulrav, the god of storms, wind, and air. I pray to Zulrav. If you can hear me, please, I beg of you to calm the storm; to tame it enough to where I can seek shelter with a healthy chance. While it does not terrify me and I know I might be able to reach home within it with your blessing, I seek out your greatness to calm it just slightly. I am aware you may not grant my prayer, I ask of you that you do. Whether he had heard or not, Lacai started off towards home as a light sprint. She had not worn the clothes to withstand a storm. Wishing more now than ever she had thought to bring Kako, her leopardbred, Lacai clutched her weaving utensils to her chest. They could not get wet, lest they spring up like frizzy hair. Thunder rolled, matching Lacai's gut. Heart thudding, she focused on propelling her legs forward. Her calve muscles ached already, burning and straining from the unusual torture. Barefeet smacking against the ground, the tall grasses sliced at her pants. If she had been wearing shorts, Lacai's legs would have been bleeding. Swish, swish went the grasses as the wind gusts forced them to bend to its will. When Lacai was halfway back to the pavilion, still quite a ways to go, the first drop splattered coldly against the nape of her exposed neck. It sent a shudder down her spine, raising goosebumps upon her freckled flesh. Picking up her slowly decaying pace, she tried to push for speed. But it would not come. Her lungs were on fire, screaming in protest. Mouth dry, Lacai pulsed back to a walk.

[Akilah Windsong]

She lay there a little longer, just staring and blinking at the sky. Zulrav was having fun today, she knew, watching as the clouds knit together into a quilt of grey. Patches of blue sky disappeared in the invasion and her groggy mind was slow to realize what that meant.

The wind picked up, wild and unruly. Leaves swirled, trees shook, and in the distance she cold see the long grasses bending in obedience. Above thunder roared, a herd of horses charging through the heavens, and she watched with delight as a fork of lightening licked the sky.

Vespera whined from behind her, edgy in the charged atmosphere. Standing, his tail was low to the ground and he moved in nervous circles around her. Adámas wasn't much better, ears pricked and head raised.

"I thought you would like a storm, Adámas." Getting up now, she stretched lithely, rotating her shoulder and bending her spine. Waking up was always horrible in the afternoon, when everything felt sore and weighed down. "After all, you are part wind, aren't you?" Shaking her head lightly, she felt awake enough to start walking back. She didn't quite trust herself on horseback yet.

A snort came from beside her, almost drowned out in the crashing boom above her. A harsher wind blew, the thorny bushes around her shaking and scratching her uncovered arms. Fortunately she had the sense to wear long pants and saved herself from being itchy all over.

Pausing, she stared up at the brightly lit sky. One, two, three-- Another rumble roared and she smiled. The storm was close. Akilah loved the rain, loved the storms that battled the walls of her tent and the refreshing scent of the earth after a good soak. Loved the short sun showers and the long drizzles in the dark.

And today promised to be a good shower.

"Please make it stronger, Zulrav. Run freely as you always do and bring with you what may come," she yelled, her words stolen away by the wind. The hardest storms were her favourite--taking shelter in the warm pavilions, playing games with her cousins. Albeit, she was far from home and being caught by lighting out in the fields was not the smartest thing she wished for.

Realizing her folly, Akilah stopped once more, turning to face her horse. A sheepish grin harried her face as she signed We'll ride home after all. Moving toward the girth wrapped around the sternum of her horse, she ensure it hadn't loosened during their stay in the fields. A hand reached down, tucking her fingers between it and her partner. Deeming it tight enough, she waited for Adámas to fix her posture, all four feet square and centered.

Her right foot stretched up and hooked into the yvas's hook, her right hand clenched below her horse's mane. Reaching up, she hooked her left arm over the yvas, onto the hand grip, and she pulled herself up. It used to be so hard doing this, when she was younger. Her arms were weak, her body short, and each time she fell she'd turn a bright red as her cousins laughed.

Now, she simply flowed through the steps, practice making perfect, and swung her legs over the other side. Leaning forward as she sat, she shivered as a sudden cold drop hit her bare neck, sliding down her back. With dismay, she realized her clan's colouring was white and silver.

"Obviously," she mumured, "A girl didn't have much say in this matter." In a storm like this, it never stopped at just one. It would soon be pouring. "Let's go," she shouted, lightly pressing her heels against Adámas in case she couldn't hear her words. Vespera eagerly loped beside them, happy to leave behind the storm as they raced to the city's shelter.

Around them, she could see flashes of reds and brown in the golden underbrush, small animals taking flight to hide in the burrows. Smart move, and she had asked for something worse than this. Stupid move.

The rain started to dance, large drops plopping on the ground slowly. They were starting to speed up, though, and while she could see the large canvas's that marked Endrykas, she knew that she still had a ways to go. It was only because she was on higher ground that she could see it so well.

Leaning forward, body slightly raised, she adjusted to the slightly bumpy ride that came from the gallop they went at. It was only when she heard a bark behind her that she realized Vespera was not keeping up. Turning back, she could see the dark shadow racing through the tall grasses, trying in vain to keep up.

Of course he couldn't. Signalling for Adámas to stop, she berated herself once more. She should have remembered it early--it was impossible for any beast to keep up with a strider in Cyprus.

When her young dog caught up, tongue lolling as he panted, she spurred to a quick canter, something slower but easy enough to keep pace with. As they moved, she noticed a small figure ahead.

Small, but growing taller, she realized it was a person also caught out in the storm that raged around them.

[Lacai]

The thunder was echoing in Lacai's mind; beating the rhythm into her cranium. The wind bit at her flesh and clothing. Though the pair of dark pants kept her legs protected, the red top only covered so much. It was skin tight, hooking up and around her neck without a tie. The back was bare until right below her shoulder-blades. Ornamented with a handful of small, green beads which matched Lacai's eyes, the top was flattering and feminine. However, one thing it was not was practical for a storm. If she had faced her problems instead of fleeing from them, she wouldn't be out in this worsening mess. Knowing she wouldn't make it home in time, Lacai began to look around for a place to hide from the storm until it passed over. There was no place to hide from the nightmare, though. Lacai didn't have the ability to cocoon herself in a hale in the hard earth like most of the creatures were doing. Keeping her feet moving, even at the slow pace, was becoming a nuisance. Fatigue settled over her body, making her shoulders slump. She really should start running more if that little distance had caused her to be tired. Bringing her arms around her in an attempt to keep the chilling wind away, Lacai winced at thunder boomed overhead. It vibrated through her bones, rattling them like a child's toy. More cold liquid slapped against her flesh and pelted her; feeling more like daggers than raindrops. Confusion passed through Lacai when the thunder was coming quicker in between and not nearly as loud. Eyebrows drawing together, upturned mouth pursed, and ears red from the wind, she glanced around. When her eyes landed on the rider, Lacai's fatigue vanished as adrenaline started to fill her. She had to get the rider's attention, otherwise there was no chance of Lacai making it home on this harsh, desolate, plain with the raging storm! Common sense made her realize that if she could see the rider, the person could see her. Fingers clenched around the weaver square and the strings, Lacai flailed her arms in the air. "Hey!" flew from Lacai's mouth several times as she sought the attention of the rider.

[Akilah Windsong]

The wind rose fiercely, howling after her as they raced through the plains. Rain fell, icy drops piercing her skin. Harder and quicker now, Akilah doubted they would make it home before the storm unleashed its fury. Already her skin was clammy, her shirt sticking to her back uncomfortably.

It was cold. Beside her Vespera continued to run, his tail lowering whenever thunder boomed. "Come on boy," she yelled, bobbing up and down as her strider moved over the uneven surface. Her body remained slanted as they rode, her hands fisted in her horse's dark red mane. With each step, she could feel Adámas' hindquarters shift, each hoof thudding like a heartbeat on the hard soil. Someone once told her that the plains were like a sea, the striders a boat, but never could a boat move like this. Swiftly, smoothly, no captain could ever feel as one with their boat as she did with her strider.

Ahead, the figure had grown into a large person, running and waving his arms. Under the stormy clouds, it was like night and she could only see through the flashes of light and the faint glowing of her horse. "We'll have to stop," she murmured, her hands signing the words on her partner's neck.

The canter slowed to a trot slowed to a walk. Adjusting herself so she sat straighter on the saddle now, her legs carefully bent and saddle squarely centered, she looked down to see Vespera panting heavily beside them. This rest would do him some good, she knew, or else he wouldn't make it home.

Coming to a stop in front of the person, she could see that it was a girl now. Finely dressed, shivering and tired, she had obviously been running to escape the storm. Running and failing--they were too far for her to make it on foot. With no shelter nearby, the girl would have been stuck in the storm.

The rain was merciless around them, and she shivered herself. "Need a ride?" Adámas was strong enough, she knew, to carry two now. The pace would be slower, but that was fine--her dog would not be able to keep up otherwise. Shifting forward, she left room behind her for when the girl mounted.

[Lacai]

Lacai was immensely pleased the rider had decided to stop. Once she had spotted the strider slowing from a canter to a walk, Lacai let out a small exhale of relief. Now she wouldn't be stuck inside the raging storm. Might even make it home before Nicolai started to worry about his older sister being gone for so long. Sunsilla would have begun to pace, wanting to both soothe her swollen ankles and take her mind off the current predicament of her disappearance. When the rider, who turned out to be a girl, slowed completely in front of Lacai, a smile passed over her face at the question. Even though fatigue lay hidden in the plane of her face, she tried to stop shivering long enough to nod. It took a couple of tries before Lacai's fingers would tighten around the yvas's hand left hand grip. When it finally did, she slid her foot into foot hook. She had to grip the girl's arm, though, to pull herself up. With the weaving tools in the same hand, it was a bit more difficult than first anticipating. A solid bounce off the ground, though, helped Lacai land on the beautiful strider's back, behind the rider herself. Shifting to gain a comfortable seat, Lacai relished in what little body warmth the girl gave off. Since the horse had no saddle, they were pressed together; hip to hip. Lest she fall off from tiredness, Lacai curled her arms around the girl's waist. She was tempted, but knew tucking her face between the girl's shoulder blades to seek shelter from the bitter wind and rain would be too intimate. The weaving tools were tucked unceremoniously into Lacai's shirt, resting silently against her chest. Shivering as another cold drop landed upon her flesh, Lacai tried to think of sitting in front of a cackling fire and relishing in the warmth. "Thank you," she yelled over the raging storm, to the girl in front of her.

[Akilah Windsong]

It felt like eternity before she managed to mount. The girl's fingers fumbled on the thin leather, the cold setting in. Akilah couldn't blame her, her own fingers curled tightly on the yvas. It would be a while before she could pry them off, frozen as they were.

It wouldn't have been too bad if it were just raining. Instead, a strong wind blew every now and then, pelting the raindrops haphazardly and bringing a deeper chill to the air.

Enjoying our suffering, Zulrav? she thought wryly. At the very least the wind wasn't constant.

At the very least, on the other side of Adámas she looked down to watch Vespera. Panting lighter now, he had moved closer to her horse in an attempt for shelter. Remaining on alert, he whined every now and then, whenever the thunder was at its loudest. "It's okay," she spoke a little louder than usual, in case the wind swallowed her words whole. "It's okay."

He didn't appear comforted by her words.

When the girl's clammy hands grasped her arm, she almost jumped. Cold, wet and cold, and it felt like something out of her aunt's horror stories. Shivering, she waited as the girl settled in. Her strider shifted, accommodating the extra weight.

The stranger was taller, Akilah could tell. Even with their frames pressed against one another, she didn't feel a face pressed against her back, a nose against her neck. Instead, she felt a different lump against her, several rectangular shapes pressed hard against her.

At least there was a some warmth from the girl. Ignoring how cold the arms were that wrapped around her, she shivered lightly once more as the wind blew. At least she was protected from behind now.

The girl's words were loud, next to her ear and they reverberated in her. "Like I could leave you out here to walk home," she shouted back. With that, Adámas started to walk, breaking into a quick canter after adjusting to the two riders. Vespera ran alongside to the best of his abilities, but she couldn't make him out anymore in the dark landscape.

As the landscape blurred by, a hue of grey and dreary, they passed small clumps of bushes and tiny grooves of trees. Ignoring them, she pressed on. As the land dipped, she lost sight of their home in the distance. Her teeth clattered when she tried to speak, not sure if her words would be heard. "There should be warnings for storms like these."

She was almost hopeful of making it home before anything happened when lightning struck a tree ahead. Slowly, small vapours of black escaped it before it rapidly turned a bright yellow and orange. In flames, the tree shone like a beacon, and Adámas slowed down as she tried to assess the damage.

If they were lucky, it wouldn't spread before dying from the heavy rain.

[Lacai]

The girl seemed as frozen as Lacai was, if not more so. The strider beneath them was only a touch warmer, but was comfy. Lacai's small hips settled easily into the rhythm soon after the girl in front of her signaled to the strider to move. Soon after, Lacai was painfully aware of how her pelvis was moving fluidly with the girl's in front of her. Had they been dancing, the pair would have been "grinding". Each stride of the horse below them shoved Lacai's front side against Akilah's back. The friction caused Lacai's breasts to react and become sensitive. A loose wisp of wind sashayed beneath the thin fabric of Lacai's shirt and trailed along her goose bumped flesh like a lover's lips would; she shivered in response. A drop of rain skimmed down Lacai's smooth cheek, pushing forward a tantalizing image of a dark haired Drykas girl swirling at it with her moist tongue, taunting and promising of dark delights. Maybe it was the cold getting to her brain and numbing it, or maybe it was just an instinctive reaction, but Lacai's womb tightened with a coil of warm heat. Lacai was no longer cold. Struggling to push away the lust-filled haze which had overtaken her mind, Lacai was snapped back to the present as lighting cracked in the air as if trying to physically separate it. She jumped from the unexpected sound, jolting from her mini fantasy inspired by the grinding of her pelvis on a another girl while riding. What had she been thinking? Ignoring the clenched muscles in her thigh and the anticipation in her body, Lacai curled back her top lip in repugnance. She? A woman lover? Her father, Mekune, would have a fit. He'd exile her. How could she react to such a thing in such a way? The pulsing between her legs informed her otherwise; she would not have reacted per se with a male. Lacai had ridden with men before, but her body had never responded as such. Was it the woman in front of her who had caused such an effect? Mulling it over, Lacai decided no, it was not. Realizing she had zoned out again, Lacai watched the fire cackle in the downpour. She could relate to the burning flame in a situation which didn't even make sense. Clearing her mind, she had a slight epiphany; the fire would spread if they, or the rain, couldn't stop it. Leaning down so her mouth was next to the girl's ear, she questioned, "What do we do?"

[Akilah Windsong]

As they slowed to a halt, she felt the girl behind her bump into her. Cold, cold, their slick skin was cold even when they touched now. Her dark hair was matted to her skin, drops of water slithering down her neck. Akilah would have leaned back, would have nestled in the other other girl's frame and soaked in her warmth, but they were both chilled. Chilled and shivering and wet.

The fire wasn't too large, not now. The tree was burning still, brighter and brighter. Grey smoke smothered the grasses, embers flying and growing stronger in the wind. Long grasses started to smoke, then ignite, rain doing little to stop this.

She trembled, the girl's hot breath on the shell of her ear as she spoke. Watching the fire as it steadily roared, Akilah knew that soon enough the fire would be warming her up as well. Just not in the way she wanted. It was quick to catch now, quicker than before with pelts of ash and sparks of fire flying about.

"What to do..." she mumbled, the smoke getting stronger as it went up. She couldn't just leave the fire like that, it was a little too close to home for comfort. It could raze Endrykas to the ground if left unchecked. But she had no experience fighting fires, especially when it was raining and water wasn't doing the trick.

Turning around so her words could be heard, she pulled back slightly so their heads didn't bump. In the rain, the girl looked pale, a spirit of the night. Leth's complexion didn't suit her as her hair, soaked dark, only served to enhance the contrast. "I would say put out the fire, but I don't know how. Do you? Otherwise we'd have to go around and warn the city."