Specs of Colour in a Sea of Grass

Soralai

With Duchess giving her a small, pleased smile, Soralai could not help but return it tenfold. Even with the adrenaline starting to fade, Sora felt warm and content with the satisfaction of her success, her ears pressing back almost shyly, despite herself. "I really thought we'd lost it."

"We very well could've," Soralai said, nodding reverently. Duchess really had tried her best, hadn't she, even if just for a moment? Sora liked to think so, though she was just grateful either way that it had all worked out in the end. The poor thing before her needed a meal, and who was Soralai if she could not provide? Watching as Duchess leaned over to get her fill, Soralai sat, picking up her paw. "I usually am not much of a hunter, but perhaps you, my dear, are my good luck charm," she continued, filling up the silence and inspecting her injury, if just for something to do. "That or the practice my 'friends' have forced upon me really has begun to pay off, after all."

Soralai chuckled, mostly speaking to herself by now. While she was happy to let Duchess swallow the meal whole if it suited her, Soralai's stomach was an entity of it's own, and it seemed to have caught wind of her intentions. She was so busy ignoring it's cramping, that she almost missed Duchess looking back her way. "Care to share?" The girl asked, Soralai's eyes brightening up in surprise for the nth time since their meeting.

"How sweet! Don't mind if I do." Soralai beamed and graciously reached for the creature, minding the bits that Duchess seemed to be preferring and tearing off a single leg for herself. Now she was quiet, happy to savor what she could of the kill. A voice in the back of her mind warned her that this may only awaken her appetite and make her more hungry, but Soralai ignored it in favor of the promise of instant gratification. She suspected Duchess was doing much the same, though it seemed like everyone was, these days.

When she was done, she set about licking her chops clean and dusting off as much dirt as she could. Although to most this might seem like a natural point to part ways with a stranger, Soralai's mind was already cooking up a new idea as she watched Duchess with practiced subtlety. It would pain her too greatly to come across such an interesting character, only to have to let her go so soon. "So, Duchess. Now that we have a bit of food in us, how would you feel about accompanying me to a spot of shade to rest? I have to go collect something for this paw of mine, and I happen to know a place." Soralai sounded casual as could be even to her own ears, but secretly she hoped. It wasn't a lie, either. Soralai really did know somewhere they could go, - somewhere with a Mercurior store that truly may have something for her pain - and the promise of shade and trees and no more open spaces seemed enticing enough, at least to her. With luck Duchess felt the same.

Zawki

Soralai

Relaxing into the companionable silence, Soralai was happy to listen to the sounds of Duchess eating and the dry rustle of grass around them while her heartrate slowed back to a normal pace. Only after her proposal, when Duchess lept to her half-manicured paws, was the reverie broken. Soralai stood as well, gently shaking out some of the tangles in her fur and eagerly awaiting her reply. "That sounds like just what I need."

Sora wondered if her relief showed in her smile. "Come, this way," she said, humor coloring her words after watching Duchess look this way and that like an alert little squirrel. Sparing a glance down at the mangled scraps of their meal, she quickly decided it wasn't worth taking and set off in a limping trot in the opposite direction she'd originally appeared from - south, towards the forest, where there was plenty of shade to spare.

She glanced back to make sure Duchess was following, and knowing that they had several minutes of travelling ahead, Soralai figured now was the perfect time to pry a little deeper into, well, Duchess. She recalled what they had been talking about before the hunt, and cleared her throat gently. "So, my dear," Soralai started, making sure to keep pace with the taller girl. "Earlier you mentioned that your homeland was... boring, I believe was the word. I'm curious what makes you think such a thing." Soralai tilted her head inquisitively and kept a keen eye on Duchess' expression. "Do you come from somewhere very far away?"

Zawki

Soralai

Soralai trotted along, and for a moment wondered if Duchess wasn't going to reply. She'd froze with a wary expression on her face, Soralai having to backtrack a few paces to keep in line with the girl, who almost seemed... annoyed, or impatient with what Sora had thought would be a perfectly safe place to begin her questioning. Perhaps she should've felt bad for prying, but all Soralai could feel was more curious. Duchess paced about a bit and then bowed down into a stretch, to which Soralai quirked a brow. "It was beautiful, sure, but even that gets boring. Everyone was always fighting or hunting, and neither really appeal to me."

Soralai hummed. "Monotony can chip away at one's sanity, that I can certainly understand," she said, smiling as Duchess met her eyes once more. More than most, perhaps. "Though if you're hoping to avoid hunting and fighting, my dear, I may have some bad news. They're everywhere. Two pillars of many that make up the foundation on which our species is built." Soralai gestured for the two of them to start walking again with a smile, her ear twitching in thought. More than just particular or high maintence, Duchess was... naive, wasn't she? Not that there was anything wrong with that, but she couldn't help but worry about the fate of this girl, if she really did hope to make it out here on her own. Not everyone was as eager to help as Sora, or even the Mercurior, and in fact most were indeed quite the opposite, and would clock Duchess like a sitting duck. Something Soralai herself had learned from experience. "Especially for those like you and I who go through life largely on our own, wandering without the protection of a group. What would you have done if I had been someone else, hm? And say, attacked you, back at the flowers?" She had not seen the conversation going this way, and hadn't meant to get stern, but Soralai couldn't help herself, gentle concern evident on her face.

Zawki

An odd look passed over Duchess' face, and in an instant Soralai worried she was making her companion uncomfortable - she could see it like a cloud forming above the girl, casting darkness over her expression and making her edgy to escape it's shadow. The spy took absolutely no pleasure in the thought, but said nothing to stop Duchess from answering her question regardless. "If you had tried to attack me, I could have escaped to safety. My legs are longer than yours. I could easily outrun you."

If Duchess could have read Soralai's thoughts, she would've heard a very long and defeated sigh. It was Sora's fault, for not being clear. She accepted the defeat. "You probably have me there," Soralai conceded, feeling Duchess taking visual stock of her as they trotted along. She looked back at the girl, for a moment her expression unreadable, but just as quickly melting away back into a pleasant, easy smile. No matter. Her brow softened apologetically. "You'll have to forgive me, darling. I don't mean to nag but, you remind me a bit of myself when I first set out on my own, and I only worry." Sora kept her steps light, turning away for just a moment to check to make sure they were still on the right path. Slowly recognizing where they were, she readjusted their trajectory as Duchess' voice rang out again, bringing up the topic of packs.

"Oh, certainly so. But you and I are proof that one is not always guaranteed the comforts of a pack, are we not? You never know when you will find yourself alone." Soralai tilted her head, turning to watch Duchess think. "Maybe I should join a pack."

Yes, maybe you should. But she wouldn't say that outright, not yet. No one ever liked strangers telling them what they should do, no matter how informed their judgement. She pocketed the comment for later. "Hmm. If you did, what role would you take?" She asked instead. Sora's smile turned up at the corners then, humor coloring her next words. "Hunter and warrior are out of the question, I take it."

Zawki