Akatala and I

[Music_Is_Life]

Her village had been destroyed. She never thought the plague would get that far into the country, it was suppose to be a city thing! The 5'4 female stayed off of the roads and chose to travel in between the trees. She was flexible enough for it to not cause a problem and it kept her away from the hungry desires of the men that were traveling and attempting to find safety. The only thing that got in the way was her mother's old cloak. But she wanted to keep it, it was passed down from the family and it came together with a silver clasp that accented her d-cup sized breasts.

This woman did not know where she was going. After her village was hit by the plague, she realized that no where was safe. Not even the Vatican was safe from this barbaric sickness. So she had finally decided on being a wanderer, head to villages only to grab the supplies she would need for her trip to the next village, unless she managed to find an unharmed village. After a few hours of walking, the female came to a small spring and knelt down to take a drink of the pure water, not even wanting to taint the clear pool with her dirty hands, but her dry mouth seemed to override that.

After quenching her thirst, she leaned back and pressed her back against a tree. Soon, closing her dark blue eyes and letting sleep wash over her tired frame. She had heard tales from travelers about unicorns that roamed this forest, but that did not matter, they were docile creatures, surly ones that would not disrupt her or harm her.

 

[Akatala]

He moved through the forest looking rather like an elk, except that his body was just slightly more horse-shaped and possessed an ox tail. Dappled flaxen chestnut, he was the same deep golden color as many deer, with dotting of a lighter gold around his belly. His mane, the feathering on his cream pointed cloven-hooved legs, and most of his tail were a light milky color, almost white. The shank of his tail was a gradient from the dark gold of his body to the cream of his belly, and legs up to his knees and hocks. The loosely spiraled horn on his head was cream covered in a pearl coating that protected the antler. A small lazy cream star rested on his forehead at its base. His eyes, were a gold that shimmered like cats-eye. His size was similar to those slim palfreys brought out of Arabia and the area near the steppes of the Caspian Sea.

All in all, despite the irregularities, he blended into the forest with surprising ease. It was an adaptation that saved him from the fate of his ivory kindred. Now as dawn crept into the sky, turning it into an indigo sea of stars with a banner of pastel rainbow colors at the horizon, he stepped silently through the wood. He paused here and there to munch on dew coated shoots of grass and berries. Yet, his movement remained a steady progress while an owl hooted overhead in the trees.

When at first he spotted the figure slumped against a tree, he paused, edging towards brush that would conceal him. A better look afforded him the truth. It was merely a young woman relaxed in slumber. Though, he had to wonder what would drive such a person out here into the dangers of the forest by herself. Didn't she know that hunters came through here regularly, especially in these hours, to try for game? Then there the highwaymen that clung to the roads, searching for prey such as herself.

Nickering softly, the unicorn wove through the forest to stand not but a foot away from the girl. He rose his head to glance around. Seeing no signs of amiss, he circled the tree to settle down next to her. Though he rested, he did not sleep. Instead, he kept watch for those very things he feared would threaten her life if he did not remain vigilant.

 

[Music_Is_Life]

As the woman continued to sleep, she tossed and turned, having nightmares about what she had witnessed during the last few months. They'd probably even make a strong man sick to his stomach, though tears only came to her face. As her mind reached the most recent memory, her eyes shot open as her body shivered at the horrendous memory. After getting a grasp of where she was, she noticed the creature next to her. At first she thought it was a monster until she studied it even more. Realizing what it was, her eyes widened slightly as she lowered her head, "Thank you...for either looking out for me...or for keeping me company." she murmured as her hand hesitantly reached out.

After reaching his fur, her hand gently stroked the deep golden fur that covered most of his body. She had heard that unicorns rarely allowed themselves to be spotted by humans, but here one was just resting next to her. Her body tensed as she heard a creature approaching. It sounded light, perhaps a deer or something. But just in case, she pulled out a small dagger as she looked around. A moment later, a deer came dashing through, stopping at the spring to quench its thirst before dashing off again.

Quietly, the human lowered herself back down as her eyes closed slowly, "I'm too jumpy..." she murmured quietly as she opened an eye to look at the Unicorn, mostly curious about the animal in general and why it chose to be so close to her.

 

[Akatala]

His ears twitched and he turned one eye to watch the girl work through her dreams. Yet he kept the other half of his attention on their surroundings. He was prepared for her fear when she woke. He nuzzled her cheek, letting her know that she was safe with him. Though it seemed she was already in the process of calming. He gave a soft nicker to answer her words as he let her touch him.

He had heard the doe moving through the forest long before she had, thus he was in no way alarmed by the animal's arrival. He was, however, unnerved by the doe's swift retreat. He perked his ears and caught whispers that didn't belong. He rose to his feet, then moved to lip at her hands and move to stand next to a rock that would have to do for a mounting block. He gave a soft agitated swish of his tail in a manner that looked like he was waving her to him. He laid his ears back a moment, hoping she got the idea that he was spooked by something, then his ears returned to listening carefully to the direction the doe had run from.

[ooc: Sorry for the delay.]

 

[Music_Is_Life]

[It's alright. Life gets in the way sometimes ^_^]

The girl seemed to relax once he allowed her to touch him. For the first time in a while, she felt safe. Her hands idly petted the creature, following his fur as she closed her eyes slightly. But when he got to his feet, she moved back with widened eyes, afraid that it was her who caused him to his feet. She watched as he moved to a rock that would be a good step stool for her to climb up onto his back, though she was hesitant until he gave an agitated swish of his tail and when his ears laid back.

Quickly, the girl ran over and jumped up onto the block before she mounted his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. He was spooked, but she did not know what the cause of it was. Her body was literally shaking now as she practically laid on his back, keeping steady with her knees and keeping her hold on his neck. She was even too afraid to speak.

 

[Akatala]

He waited until she had a good grip on his barrel with her legs especially before going into a slow trot. The trot slid effortlessly into a smooth rocking horse canter after that, which was surprisingly easy to sit through. His gait remaining smooth as silk as he sped up to dash through the forest at full speed, he worked to put some serious distance between him and the hunters. He knew the girl was scared, but there wasn't much he could do for that until he could get her to a place of safety.

He ran hard, pressing his own endurance threshold to make it out of this forest and deep into the mountains. His path lead him to parts where humans rarely traveled. If they met with danger out here, it would be from something simply looking for a meal, rather than a trophy. Finally, he slowed, coming to a stop near another bubbling stream and a meadow full of edible berries. He stepped up to a large log to let her slide off while he huffed and puffed, foamy with sweat from running so hard for so long. At least here, he didn't appear frightened anymore.

 

[Music_Is_Life]

She was surprised with how long and how fast he ran. She did not know that he was pressing his endurance threshold until she slid off of him at the meadow. Seeing him huff and puff, she instantly felt guilty. "I'm sorry." she murmured gently as she gently kissed him on the nose. "You need to rest." she added as she removed the cloak and folded it before she went over to the stream. Without even thinking, she started to remove her plain brown dress and sandals, leaving her completely naked. Slowly, she stepped into the spring.

It felt nice to be able to 'clean herself'. Soon, she submersed her whole body, cleaning out the dirt in her hair. Once that was done, she resurfaced and pulled her dress in. After having that clean, she got out and went over to the log and laid her dress out before walking back over and putting her cloak on to keep her somewhat warm. Sighing softly, she picked up her sandals and moved over to the log and placed them next to her dress before she went over to the unicorn. Hugging him gently, she smiled, "Thank you." she murmured softly.

 

[Akatala]

He followed to the river, but let her bath while he soaked in a pool himself. He was almost asleep when he heard her get out. He waited until she was dressed then trudged out of the water. He shook off, then stood still letting her hug him. He nuzzled her cheek reassuringly. Then he found a spot in the afternoon sun to settle down and dry.

He idly hoped she knew how to build a fire. He didn't have the strength to go much further, and he certainly wasn't going to take a chance with his elf-like form when there was no village to borrow clothes from. Clothes... had been the furthest thing from his mind in his wild dash to safety. He maybe a unicorn, but he still had moments of profound idiocy. Grunting, he rolled in the grass, trying to wrap himself in its wild sweet scent. When he laid upright again, he was covered in pieces of grass and wild flowers, as well as dirt here and there. A heavy snort said that he didn't care a lick about his rumbled appearance just now. Instead, he settled in to watch her with a drowsy expression.

 

[Music_Is_Life]

The girl's eyes followed the unicorn as he started to roll in the grass. When he laid upright, she giggled gently at the sight of him being covered in bits of grass, wild flowers and dirt. Slowly, she moved over to him and sat down with her back to him. Slowly, she pulled her knees up as a breeze came by, making the already cold and wet girl even colder. "Get some rest. You look exhausted." she said softly as she turned to look at him. Though, her eyes were half closed as well. Her little nap did not do much, so she was still tired.

Soon, she ended up laying down next to the unicorn and curled up with the cloak tightly pulled around her to keep her warm. Though she still shivered slightly once in a while, only causing her to curl up even tighter. Slowly, her eyes closed and within minutes, she was sleeping peacefully.