Magic Hour [Tashe]

[Lotty]

It was getting late and Raebeli was bouncing through the jungle, desperately trying to get back to the infirmary before it was too late. Golden light filtered softly through the trees - the mindhealer knew she was close to the edges by the way the rays shot through the underbrush and raked against the foliage and roots on the jungle floor. For this moment of twilight - when shadows twisted into something spectacular and halos illuminated every stand of trees and flowers - the south was something beautiful, even in the winter months when the north would be nothing but a snowy mess. The grandeur belied the dangers though. Especially with the flurry of recent activity around Selenitas - poisoned rivers and disappearances galore - it seemed felines weren't the only thing to worry about anymore.

Really the girl had a poor concept of time. Of all her faults, that seemed to be near the top of them. She wold argue that time is an abstract idea anyway, but that didn't change the fact that the sun was going down and with it went every sense of safety. She knew better than to be out late, but she had collected so many good herbs. Nothing exciting. Nothing meant for a concoction that R'wign would make, just potpourri to make her little corner of the infirmary smell good. Had to hide that astringent smell somehow.

Daytime was safe enough. Still probably not a good venture for a little girl with limited survival skills on her lonesome (well she could thwack a man with a pan and kick him while he's down if that counted for anything) but Cap'n was a good watch bird, and having him on her shoulder probably made more than a few strangers think twice about approaching since nobody wanted those predatory talons tearing at their face, but at night none of this mattered, and night was what she was racing against.

She bounced over a fallen limb only to catch her foot in some boggy ground. Such messy situations had a way of befalling Raebeli where ever she went. And so she face-planted right into the trail. Way to go Grace. Assuming she was going unwatched - save for her darter who flapped over to her side loyally - she took her time to pick herself up, resigning to sitting on her knees as she smoothed out her skirt and brushed dirt off of her arms and legs. Even her lovely blue scarf had collected a stain in the process, "Ohhhh, I am just going to have to slave to get the mud out..." she peeped as she rubbed the cloth between her hands in a futile attempt to wipe the soil away.

[Tashe]

They were on the prowl. Well they tried to be, but Nautsk was glowing something fierce, it was definately not her normal shimmer. So despite the fact that she normally could merge with the foliage, the Wher could be seen even in the twilight. Nautic on the other hand wore his normal hodgepodge of greens and blacks, his blond hair the only thing standing out. Stepping quietly beside his Pony sized friend, the Wherhandler kicked at any rocks in the vacinity of his feet. He was not looking forward to the next sevenday or two, they would be rife with nervousness. Nautsk was close to her maiden run, and looking at exactly how many male whers there were in the appartments... his outlooks of her catching a Wher who's handler he didn't know well was slim. Nautsk, feeling his dower mood, nosed him with a small whine. Nautic stroked her neck with a smile. "I'm fine, don't worry." It wasn't that he minded the effects of Runlust, it was that by the act of Running Nautsk would no longer be his baby. She'd be an adult, mature and he'd no longer be able to coddle her.

He was broken from his revelie, when Tizzy sat up quickly on his shoulder. The Firelizard had heard something in the trees and appearently so had Nautsk, for her head was also turned toward the Jungle. "What? What is it. Show me what you see." The Green sent him multiple pictures, one after the other, showing him how she viewed the forest. The trees were crisp and some of the shadows that plagued his vision had completely disappated, allowing for a greater range of sight, Nautsk changed her pictures to create a line of thought. She smelled a human. A female... and plants. "Plants?" An image. "Oh herbs. Tizzy, go see whats going on. Friend or foe."

"Frreen, frro!" The Blue jumped onto the ground and raced away into the underbrush, darting through the shadows as he raced to where Nautsk directed him. Slowing to a trot, Tizzy slunk under a root and crawled forward to watch the human female, resisting the urge to run from the Avian who stood near her. He waited for a few moments before streaking back to his own human. Leaping up into the boy's open arms, Tizzy picked his way back onto Nautic's shoulder. "Frreen." He showed his human the woman laying on the ground, and then her getting up.

Nodding, the Wherhandler motioned to Nautsk. "Lets see if she needs any help." There was a trail head near by, choosing to follow that, Nautic let his Wher guide them to where the woman was. He motioned again, this time for Nautsk to follow him slowly. He didn't want to just appear with a wher and possibley frighten the woman to death. Putting his hands in the air, Nautic stepped through the brush until he reached the woman. Clearing his throat, the Wherhandler stepped into better light so she could actually see him. "Excuse me miss. Are you alright?" Cue Nautsk entering their area. "My Wher heard something amiss, and we came to investigate. Its almost dark, you shouldn't be out here alone."

[Lotty]

There were voices in the forest or at least what she thought was a voice. She heard the muddled words bend and bounce off the trees and as she craned her neck around to examine the broken horizon, her Cap'n bounced to her shoulder in a protective gesture, and she stayed uncharacteristically quiet as she waited for the sounds to pass through the woods, to drift far and away from her so that she could take to fleet feet and make her escape. But when the moment passed she still found herself sitting still in direct opposition to every instinct telling her to jolt. Her flowers and twigs and such had already fallen, had already been scattered around her on the path, so she had nothing to lose by just running off now.

Obviously though, she didn't, instead she narrowed in on the sound of feet - many feet, there had to more than one of them - and waited intently as the boy...surrendered to her? Well why else would he have his hands in the air like that? She cocked her head in confusion, that was until she spotted the wher. Whers! As ugly as the things were, the girl had developed quite the soft spot for them. Trying not to be distracted by the green, she redirected her gaze back to the bonded - a flaxen haired young man not unlike those she saw at Blossom - and the words that came out of his mouth. She shouldn't be out here alone? Half a moment....yes yes, she shouldn't be alone.

Rising from her spot and back onto those trusty feet of hers, she tried her best to explain. She felt like she had to, something about this all made her feel like she was in trouble. Cutely as she could muster she began, "I was just making my way out of here...I'm kind of easily spooked anyway...but I really didn't want to get caught here at night and I wound up falling on my face," it was a wonder that she didn't cut any skin or break her nose, but she did have a nice blotch of brown on the side of her cheek. It matched so beautifully with her eyes don't you know, "Anyway, I'm glad you've come. I'm Raebeli by the way..." She stepped forward and offered her hand for a good shake. It wasn't like he could be an invader, last she checked Benden or Fort weren't sending wher handlers out to do any killing - although maybe they were and that is why they never get caught...dun dun dunnn.

[Tashe]

Drawing up next to Nautic's shoulder, the little Wher tilted her head as she inspected the female. Nautsk liked human females because they were often the most simple to read emotionally, and because they were noticeably different than their counterparts. The Green had spent most of her life around male humans, seeing as her bonded's best friends were mainly well... male. There weren't very many other female Handlers, so even in the apartments her contact with the softer humans was limited. Wuffing slightly in greeting, she bobbed her head happily. She liked this woman, she felt friendly and she wasn't sad because she had fallen. No water leaked from her eyes. Tizzy on the other hand was wary of Raebeli, if only for befriending one of those evil creatures. The blue lifted his wings to frame his head as the human-that-was-not-his extended her hand to Nautic, relaxing only when his Humanpet accepted the hand. Flattening out his wings, Tizzy gave the woman a quiet "Hrruu."


"And you're sure you're alright? No twists, sprains or broken bones?" Nautic lowered his hands with a smile as Raebeli started to get up, having only raised them to show her that he wasn't armed. He would have offered the mindhealer an arm, but she seemed to have removing herself from the ground well in check. "Nice to meet you Raebeli. I'm Wherhandler Nautic of Nautsk, and this is Tizzy." The young man pointed at the Firelizard before accepting and giving her hand a shake. "Speaking of falling, you have some mud right about... there." Nautic let her hand go so that he could motion to the dirty area, using his own face as a model. Patting his pockets, the Wherhandler searched for the clean handkerchief that he had brought along on their walk. Eventually he located it in the pack that had been slung over Nautsk's shoulders. Dousing a corner of it with his water-skin, he offered it to Raebeli. "Here, you can use this." Although, like Tizzy, he watched the Predatory Avian warily. Nautic loved birds, he even had a Darter himself. But Mouse was an omnivore, and didn't have big talons.

"Oh your scarf." Yes, he noticed. "If you soak it in hot water for a few minutes and then gently scrub at it with a hard bar of soap, it should get it most of that out in the first wash. As long as you don't fuss to much with it right now." He paused, looking slightly sheepish. "Er, I have quite a few myself. I know how frustrating it can be to try and get stains out. Especially mud." Turning to Nautsk, he gave her a good pat on the shoulder and grinned when she blew his hair back as she exhaled with her nose. "Well, since we're out here. Let us escort you to where ever you need to go. Nautsk here would never forgive me if we left you out here on your lonesome."

[Lotty]

The wher liked her...or at least that is what she assumed from it's greeting and she was instantly comforted by what seemed to be friendliness from the creature. Demi's was much more...aloof was the term? Maybe cold? Ah well there was no time to dwindle on those that weren't even around now was there? After all, the mindhealer had company, and not being one to leave people hanging, she displayed her gratitude with the usual toothy show of a grin, not only to the human but to Nautsk too. It was a dear sweet creature after all.

Cap'n on the other hand had those keen eyes on Tizzy. The predator had never ever been above going after people's pets, he did cause quite the stir at a salamandyr hatching after all. Really two factors were holding him back. The first one was obvious, if he pulled another one of his stunts then Raebeli would probably.....erm....do something unpleasant (one could never know, Selenitas had yet to see any clues of anger or the like from her). Secondly there was the wher. Of course the feathered one just thought it was an ugly deformed dragon, but that didn't take any danger away from the situation at all. Yes, staying on the girl's shoulder was obviously the best option. For now at least.

The girl looked down at herself again, prompted by the wherhandler's questions. A scrape. That might have been a scrape on her knee, but only the type of thing her father would tell her to rub dirt on. She poked a leg out one at a time to flex and check for one of those tricky sprains and again found nothing wrong. It seemed that the only thing that had taken a spill was her pride, but even that healed in no time at all. Can't really hurt a person who didn't know what embarrassment was you know. As he handed her the handkerchief - which was just about as nice as you could get - she reassured him of her condition, "I think I'm fine...but I guess I'll know in the morning," injuries had a habit of always being worse the next day.

Then moving on to the subject of her scarf, it was quite a blessing that she had ran into Nautic of all people. He seemed to know a thing or two about the accessories. Raebeli had a fondness for fashionable items herself, and was relieved to hear that her gift had a fighting chance, "Oh?" She digested the helpful hints, "That's good to know....thank you Nautic! I think it had a bit of wear and tear on it already...it was a gift you see...and I just adore it so much because it seems like it was so well loved before," she didn't think of it as unwanted as much as regretfully parted with, "but oh silly me...what do you care? I'm just blabbering," she took a few steps towards her new found friends, as they offered to accompany her way back to the weyr. How delightful, "Thank you so much! Now I don't have to worry about getting snatched up by those kidnappers or what have you."

[Tashe]

"Ookay." Ringing out the handkerchief, Nautic shook it out before refolding it and stashing it away. The mud wouldn't bother him if it didn't bother her, but he knew if he had dirt on his face he'd want to wash it off if pointed out. "Well I'm glad you aren't hurt. I'm not the best bedside nurse since I don't really like blood." He shifted as Tizzy curled around his neck, moving to lean against Nautsk as he crossed his arms. He offered Raebeli a smile when she thanked him for the advice on her scarf. "Oh no no, I understand the value of gifts. Especially ones that were loved before. I have a little wooden statue of a feline that my father got from his father when he was but a little Weyrbrat. I'd hate to see anything happen to it." Pushing off of Nautsk as Rae walked over to them, Nautic preformed a flourishing bow. "It is our pleasure. It would be a grievous tragedy if you were kidnapped from Selenitas."

As he stood straight he felt Nautsk bump his hip with her nose, he made a show of stumbling to the side. "Alas! You nosy steed!" The Green sighed in exasperation. Her human was so dramatic sometimes. Grabbing the the seat of his pants she pulled him back over to her, she wanted to speak with him thank you. "Hey now, don't tear them!" Squirming until the Green let him go, the Wherhandler spun around to face Nautsk who proceeded to butt her head gently against his forehead. "Uhuh. Uhuh... yeah. Okay." He moved back from the Wher and turned to Raebeli saying; "Nautsk wants to know if you'd like a ride. She says she can tell you like Whers. She's sensitive to emotions." He wiggled is fingers at the word sensitive. "She also says you're happy, and that she likes you." He always felt weird translating the pictures and emotions that Nautsk fed him, he was always afraid of getting what ever she intended him to know wrong.

[Lotty]

Raebeli chuckled, "No worries..." she didn't blame anyone who wasn't fond of blood. She was in the infirmary all day and even she didn't care for it all too much. It might have been the smell it was much too metallic, or perhaps it was the sight of it since red wasn't exactly her favorite color. Her favorite was yellow. A very specific kind of yellow, cadmium, for how unabashedly bold it could be...but that was far, far, far from the point now wasn't it? She tried to peel her mind from wandering off into silly thoughts and focused again on the conversation at hand. After all, it wasn't that it was boring. Oh no, not at all! She loved hearing about Nautic's heirloom and what not...Rae was just a scatterbrain from time to time. She had many skills and organization (including thoughts) might not be one of them.

She gave her own little curtsy in reply to the bow, coyly lifting ever so slightly the embroidered hem of her skirt. Rae of course closed her eyes in the spirit of over the top theatrics, but by the time her eyelashes fluttered apart again she was witness to the green wher...biting his pants? More specifically, biting the behind of his pants. Oh dear! She felt sort of bad, but she couldn't contain her laughter and attempted to hide it behind her hands. "You two seem so close..." Rae commented casually. She wondered how different it was from a dragon bond or a firelizard bond or salamandyr. She had heard they were all of varying degrees, but from who were these facts gathered? Was it communication alone that dictated the strength of a bond? How could anyone know without being Impressed to all of them...a feat that the young woman didn't think was possible.

However impossible things seemed to happen all the time at Selenitas. However could she be surprised by anything at this point?

Nontheless she was flattered by the green wher. Who didn't like being liked after all? She couldn't help but accept the offer. After all, she had yet to get a wherride! That would be a new experience indeed, "Certainly...but you must show me the way oh great wherhandler," hopefully he wouldn't say that it was just like riding a runner or just like riding a dragon. Those she both had very limited experience with after all. She hadn't even been on dragon until she arrived down south...her whole trip had been by boat. It was a wonder that she didn't get seasick. Now it would be a wonder if she didn't manage to fall off.

[Tashe]

He ran a hand over the green freckles on Nautsk face, poking her hardily on the largest and making her sneeze. "I'd like to think so. Nautsky is like a busy mother, she seems to know exactly what people are feeling even if they don't show it. I don't know how well the other handlers are able to translate the pictures and emotions Whers speak in, but my Greenie is sharp and crisp with what she wants put across. Easy to read she is." He wiggled his shoulder as Nautsk nudged him. "Plus I feel what she feels. If she gets hurt, I know right away. Its the same for her. Not to mention..." Nautic turned to face his Wher, "... she's always checking up on me. Like my mother when I was a young teenager and always getting into trouble!" Nautsk snorted in response, Her human was /still/ getting into trouble. But she loved him all the same and that was exactly why she kept tabs on him. A fretting mother was she.

"Riding a Wher is easy enough, it helps Nautsk that we're both small. Since she isn't the largest Wher out there." He grinned before taking a few steps backward. Sticking his finger through a leather loop stitched into the harness, he wiggled it slightly. "Getting up is exactly like mounting a Runner. Watch." Nautic lifted his leg and placed the tip of his boot through the loop. "Then you grab this part here..." He reached up and took hold of the harness's forward most strap, "... and lift yourself up." He bounced twice before swinging himself gently up onto the Green's back, patting her neck he swiveled his body so that he was facing Rae. "Unlike some Whers, Nautsk is incredibly smooth when she walks, so you don't have to worry about the safety straps. When she starts walking, you can hold onto these." The Wherhandler leaned forward and indicated which straps he was talking about. Balancing himself, he swung his leg back over and dismounted. "Oh." He just realized something. "You can also ride sidesaddle if your skirt isn't made for riding. Its the same process." He stuck his foot back in the loop and lifted himself up, this time twisting his body slightly instead of kicking his leg over so that he sat sideways. "See?" He then hopped down. "Nautsk can also lay down if getting on problems you..."

The female looked at Her human and snorted, now who was fretting huh? She rumbled as Nautic shot her a glance, she knew that he knew that she was only playing with him. He was still happy, he was always happy when making new friends. Wuffing at Tizzy, who chirped back, she started up a small conversation with the Firelizard while she waited for the nice woman to climb on.

"So anyways, what do you do around here Raebeli? I'm sure that I've heard your name before, but I just can't remember where..."

[Lotty]

Awww a mother wher. How cute! She really wanted to give Nautsk a hug because hugs were good and all, but she'd have to settle for a wher ride. Which didn't seem exactly fair. That was work right? She took another look at the creature. Whers were strong, very strong, and she weighed about as much as a pebble so she tried to push away the idea of being any kind of burden at all before walking up to the green. Ok now Rae-Rae, just breathe and try not to fall over again. She stuck her foot out hesitantly and hooked the loose folds of her skirt in her free hand as she tried to pull herself up as shown.

It was a wobbly and awkward process filled with squeaks and oofs, it was hard to do when you had a avian with you after all. She flailed for a moment as Cap'n flapped his wings in protest, and threw her bouncy hair in her face. "Oooohh youuu..." she scolded him until he jumped off to a tree limb above them. It was then that she could finally try again with much more success and she reached for one of the straps before she did that little twist to seat herself side saddle. It wasn't like she could ride any other way, but still, she was soo excited to finally succeeded and very impatiently waited for the handler to join her. She might have been bouncing...probably.

And then the question. What did she do? Didn't everyone know by now? She was quite the hot topic even though she tried very hard not to be. The center of attention was never her aim. She laughed a little bit, "Well I am Selenitas' very own mindhealer. Or resident quack depending on who you ask..." she always tried to keep in good spirits even when taking a jab at herself, "but maybe you heard my name from on of the other wherhandlers. I know Dmitri and Quintrell too...." she laughed again, "And no I didn't treat either of them so I can't say that either are certifiably crazy," but if somebody wanted to start that rumor...