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[Kavala]

Timestamp: 10th of Spring, 518 AV ~ Early Morning

There was nothing better than a run at dawn. Kavala often used it as an excuse to get away from The Sanctuary and clear her head, especially if she'd been busy the night before doing any sort of surgery or work that had required her to loose sleep. She was child free for a fortnight as all the kids had been packed up to their Akalak relatives to spend time with their grandfathers and great grandfathers. Even little Ida had been welcomed this trip, which had surprised Kavala how much her grandfather loved her. It was good for the men to spend time around little girls, especially ones that had two protective brothers watching out for them. The Konti smiled, and lengthened her stride, pacing down along the beach just below the wet sand mark.

She was not alone. A pack of Imperial Watchers ranged around her, chasing each other up the beach, leaping flotsam and even several of them - younger bumbling pups by the looks of them - dragged sticks to large for them to be hauling. Kavala could only smile.

They carried a conversation among them as well, the words buzzing back and forth between the dogs and the woman. "Smmmmelll that." Called one rather large black Watcher while another harlequin female commented on what she thought of the smell which wasn't something pleasant. Three of the more than a dozen dogs raced, the others cheering them on. Several stayed close to the Konti while one or two darted in and out of the waves playfully, seemingly not minding getting wet.

Just below the northern point of the city, where the plunge pool bay and the waterfall was clearly visible, Kavala called a halt and stopped running. She stood a moment, hands on her knees, and blew. One of the older dogs flopped down at her feet complaining, while the others just mingled around, tails wagging, and eyes bright with the joy of a morning run.

All and all the dozen dogs were being good. Most of them were full time members of The Sanctuary's breeding facility for Imperial Watchers, but four were puppies in training. It was those youthful members of the pack that came to flop down beside the oldest male, Ink, as he lay panting at Kavala's feet.

"Winter was rough wasn't it? We didn't get out enough.. and now look at us. We need to get back into shape and fast. Last summer we could come all the way down here and turn around without having to stop... now look at us." She complained. The dogs muttered various stages of agreement as the Konti walked in a tight circle, shaking out her legs and getting her lungs back in order. "I need to swim more too. Maybe a trip out to Reverie once a day would do the trip." She added to them, knowing the dogs couldn't join her there but would gladly wait on the beach.

"I wonder if we should walk into town and get something to eat and drink before we head back? I haven't been this far in a while and something sweet sounds really good." She added, staring up at the city, knowing there were several roads that lead to and from the beach that would take her to vendors where she could buy the dogs sausages and herself a cinnamon roll or something equally delicious.

"What do you lot think?" She asked the dogs. Which, naturally, were all in favor of a bite before they made the return home. "You'll have to be on your best behavior in the city.. no roaming everywhere and causing havok." The Konti warned, glancing mostly at the pups. The adult dogs could be trusted to turn into regal guard creatures when asked. The pups? They hadn't quite developed the patience yet.

"Okay... you talked me into it...." She said, responding to the chorus of yeses, pleas, and promises coming from the pack. They would find some breakfast and then and only then head back.

[Taurina]

Taurina blew out a huffed sigh as she stared at herself in the mirror. Her nose wrinkled as she poked at the skin around a particularly nasty purple and red bruise on her side. It was fairly new, earned about a bell or so ago when she missed an aimed hit at her side. She had gone down to the mat with an ungraceful thud that made her opposite side sing, but left no damage. The failure to block the hit had been scolded, and so had the fall. The Akalak trainer had said that the least she could do was fall properly if she was going to miss every single hit. Taurina frowned at the memory.

“You wanted this. You wanted this. You wanted this..” she murmured to herself over and over, bracing herself against the lip of the sink as she swayed forward and back.

The woman had not expected easy, had not asked for easy, but the amount of struggle she had been having had not been expected. She had thought that her time out on the grasses would have prepared her better, that all the manual labor would have made her a natural or whatever rested in her past life would have helped her out. No such luck. It seemed as though the scars littering her body must have been earned from foolishness rather than bravery or valor.

Another huff of breath was released and Taurina pushed off from the sink. She had other things to do today other than just throw herself a pity party in the bathroom. Training with the Akalak might have been over, but training for the day was not. The morning was still young, dawn had just barely broken. A run was in order along with some of her other daily exercises. Visiting Starfire was also on the list before it was time to head to work. Plenty to do and no time to waste.

Taurina did not bother to change from the sun-bleached off-white shirt and the threadbare pants she had brought with her from Endrykas. Not very with Riverfall fashions, but then the Drykas was still learning how to be truly apart of this city. It had gotten easier, was getting easier everyday, but she still was not completely there yet. Maybe someday she would accept this city as her home. Or maybe someday she would go home to the plains. That was a decision for another day. A day she was not quite ready to face.

Spring had been tumultuous for the Ethaefal. She had come to this new city to run away from her past and the hurt that filled it. Things had not completely worked out as she had hoped. Riverfall had not been the answer she had been looking for. That hole had still lingered, that hurt still as present as ever, and the cause of all that pain still ever pressing on her mind. It was only recently that she had been able to say goodbye. That she had been able to make her peace. It had been the right thing to do. It had been what she needed to do. She was better for it and her soul truly had lightened. Still, gaping caverns tended to not close up all at once. The wound remained raw. Healing, but raw.

The Drykas woman left her apartment with a few mizas in her pocket and the wrap that shone like a shock of white twisted in her sloppily braided hair. The goal was to run a square around half the city towards the bay and then end up at the stables. There would be breaks, of course, she was not in near good enough shape to do it all in one go but it was definitely doable. Taurina sucked in a breath and bounced on the balls of her feet up and down. The breath was let out and she began to move. A walk turned into a steady jog with controlled breathing to a sloppy run back to the steady jog.

Lungs burned and muscles barked, but Taurina kept going. She knew this well within her capabilities for she had been running various amounts almost everyday since the middle of the season. There had been a few days for breaks when discipline had lapsed or a holiday had taken priority, but most days she had been good. Diligent. Even in weakness, in pain, she was determined to be better. To be that person she felt she needed to be. To prove to herself and those she loved, alive and gone, that she could be better than she had always been.

The city street was bustling with the morning rush by the time Taurina reached it. Her breathing was heavy and uneven, her body aching. The run just to the bay and back up to the street of vendors had been enough to just about do the Drykas in. Perhaps this had been a bigger challenge than she had thought. Another breath was sucked in and released, hands raising to the back of her head where fingers interlaced to cradle her head and help with catching her breath. It was not until she felt a bit better that she dropped her hands and started a slow meander through the vendor stalls. A little break would not kill all her plans.

Feet carried her towards a strip of vendors selling all sorts of goods from jewelry to weapons but it was the food that was of most interest. Caramel eyes became wide as her nose led her to so many delicious treats. Dear Leth.. she knew she should not indulge, but oh how she wanted to. How she was going to. Who could resist such sweet things? Especially when they were so near and easily obtained.

It was a tray of especially appetizing looking muffins -or were they cupcakes?- that had captured Taurina’s attention when the puppy came up to her. She did not notice it at first, too enamored with the potential food stuffs that could very soon be within her stomach, but then it brushed against her with such force that she couldn’t not give it some sort of attention. The caramel gaze dropped downwards, at first annoyed, but that melted away nearly instantly. One could never get mad at a puppy. Well… when they were not doing anything inherently bad or wrong one could not get mad at a puppy. A smile melted the Drykas features and she reached down near instantly to brush her hand against its head.

“Hello sweetie,” she fawned in pavi rather than common, finding the language so much nearer her heart and animals hardly cared from what she knew of them, “what a cutie you are!”

Taurina scratched the pup’s ears and petted over their head, laughing as it tried to lick her. The slobber was not appreciated, but the Eth decided that she did not care. The distraction was easily accepted and the joy of life the pup showed was something that touched Taurina’s heart, even if she did not realize it.

“Where did you come from? Where is your mom… dad?” Taurina questioned, knowing she was not going to get an answer from the pup itself, as eyes swept upward and looked for anyone missing their dog.

There was no one at first. No frantic searcher, no panicking man or woman. Features wrinkled in confusion. How could one not be looking for a pup so sweet? Where had it come from? Surely someone wished for its return. Taurina pursed her lips, her gaze sweeping in the other direction. That was when she saw them, the dogs that filled the street with a pale woman to lead them. The Drykas smiled, assuming that that must be where this one had come from.

“Alright, come on,” Taurina urged, using the same whistles she did with Starfire to encourage the young pup to come with her, “come on. There you go.”

Taurina encouraged the pup as best she knew how all the way up to where the pale woman stood. Eyes fixed on the Konti woman, her scales something the Eth found interesting and maybe even enchanting, but she did her best not to stare. It never did to stare. Besides, she had known several Konti during her time in Mura and had meant several during her time in Riverfall as well. The race was not new to her, but their beauty was never lost on her.

“Hello,” Taurina greeted, pulling out her best smile as she switched from the pavi she had used with the dog back to her accented common, “I think I may have one of your dogs.”

Taurina motioned back towards the pup to find that it was no longer by her side. She frowned and looked to the other side to find it empty as well. Very suddenly she was made to feel foolish and concerned. She was sure that there had been a puppy, she was not making things up. Had it left? Had she been wrong about this woman being its owner? Had it run away because she had done something wrong?

“It was right here.. puppy, this high, real sweet, light fur…” Taurina used her hands as she talked, forming signs of confusion and certainty without realizing it.

Taurina sighed and pursed her lips slight, looking a bit defeated. Her gaze swept over the woman’s dozen or so dogs only to find that they all sort of blurred together and she could not be sure if one of them was the puppy or not. Was it here and she was just blind to know it from the others? Or had it run away like she had guessed before?

“You have some very beautiful dogs,” she praised, looking back to the woman, “there was a puppy, but I could be wrong that it was one of yours. Did you happen to see it?”

Common | Pavi | 'Thoughts'