Ski Slopes and Hot Springs (Finished)

[Jennalyn]

(OOC: The topic is open to anyone! I'd love to RP my Sams with someone else. Snow and his mares have invited other Samanayrs (of any species, though Desert might have a bad time of the snow) to join them in their winter fun. Whether your Sam shows up with the permission of their stallion, happens to be a wanderer who heard of the event, or... well, whatever! It's up to you. Play with me! xD)


Song of the Snowed Summit

A small shape bounded through the snowy forest, hopping like a rabbit and laughing in the way of a Samanayr. Her white body was splashed with green and striped with brown, blending well into the snowy pine trees around her, but she moved like a thing possessed and sang out her joy loudly. The snow! It was perfect! They were going to host a gathering!

Not far off, a brown and white stallion with purple tips sighed in amusement at the ruckus. Her first loud cry had sent many of the local winter birds flying high into the sky in surprise. That was just Forest's way, though - loud and exuberant, especially with the prospect of outdoor games and sports. He stood next to a hot spring, the warm steam rising from the water a sharp contract to the frigid winter air.

Bright teal eyes peeked out at him from just above the hissing water as his lead mare watched him, happily soaking herself in the waters of their hot spring before anyone arrived. She pushed her head high enough to free her nose to the air and took in a breath. "She's only going to get more excited when someone else tuyrns up, you know."

The stallion snorted and took a step closer to the spring, craning out his neck so that he could just barely touch the tip of her nose with his own. "So long as you and I keep a level head, no one should get the wyrong impyression about ouyr Song."

A perfect level of snowfall combined with clear blue skies for the next few days guaranteed them an ideal arena for winter sports like sledding and a crude version of skiing. They had sent out messages to neighboring Songs inviting them to their territory for a day or two of collective amusement. Any who didn't feel like romping through the snow could relax in the hot springs, or just take a breather in between games. They were very proud of their lands and all that they offered.

[silvermoondragon]

As Forest bounded under a tree, it suddenly dumped some snow on to her, then the tree started laughing playfully at her. But wait, it wasn't the tree laughing, it was a young samanayr stallion sitting in the crook of the tree.

"Play with me," he trilled, still laughing with joy, "don't you just love the snow? I heayrd theyre was a gatheyring to be held heyre. Ayre you the lovely hostess?"

[Jennalyn]

Forest looked up curiously at a noise in the tree above, and was greeted with a face full of snow! She had time to let out a startled squeal before it all fell down on top of her, smooshing her into the snow below. After a few seconds, she wriggled her way out of the snowy pile and bounded free, shaking the powdery white stuff in every direction as she tossed her head and hopped.

The laughing tree caught her off-guard, brown eyes staring up in the beginnings of worry, but then she saw the brilliantly blue stallion sitting in the tree and made a face. How could she not have seen him before? Granted, she hadn't been paying much attention to her surroundings beyond avoiding obstacles, but still...

"Yeah, I love it," she said with another toss of her fuzzy head, this one deliberate and playful. "The gatheyring's 'officially' by the hot spyring a few minutes back the way I came fyrom, but you'yre in the yright territoyry and I'm a payrt of the Song. I'm Snowmountain~Foyrest, though I usually go by Foyrest. Ouyr lead mayre is Moonlitsnow~Spayrkle. She's black and white. You'll know heyr when you see heyr. Ayre those yreally youyr wings? How did you get them?"

[silvermoondragon]

Blue jumped down from the tree and shook off the snow that had also fallen on him in the process of dumping it on Snowmountain~Foyrest. He grinned then said, "Nope, I got them in a huge battle with a giant flying tuyrtle. I yripped them yright off his back and flew away with them! Just kidding, I was boyrn with these wings, eveyryone in my family had them." He then lay down in the snow making snow angels.

[Orasteele]

The snow covered grounds were a norm for members of the Song of the Winter Light, but an invitation to join another Song for a gathering was a rare event indeed. Golden eyes gazed out over the snowy landscape, noting the distance remaining between the hosting Song and their current position. "I don't know why I had to come along with you. You'yre peyrfectly capable of yrepyresenting the Song without my pyresence." Said the dark mystic that walked to the right of a grey mare.

"You know it wouldn't make a very good showing if I came alone. Besides that, Puff said that you needed to get out more." Came the calm reply from the grey. Shades of the Hesitant Dawn was lead mare of their Song and she had a clam, but firm outlook on things. Puff had chosen her for her sweet and quiet demeanor, but as the Song gained more mares she found that it took more than just sweet words to keep others in line. Mystic of the Cold Wave had made it necessary to put some solid strength behind it all. "Look, we'yre almost theyre. Put aside youyr biting woyrds and tyry to enjoy youyrself, neh?"

A flick of the tail and a flat stare was all the response that the Mystic would give to that.

[Jennalyn]

Forest stared at the blue stallion in fascination for the few seconds it took her to realize that he was kidding. Then she made another exasperated face at him. "And heyre I almost bought youyr stoyry. They'yre lovely wings, though. I think it would be fun to fly."

She took another hop towards the tree, the snow catching less on her leg-tufts and hooves when she moved in such an abrupt manner. "What's youyr name then, winged styrangeyr? You heyre foyr the fun and games, or just the hot spyrings?" He seemed the time to want to play. He'd even said so! She just wanted to make sure.

- - - - - - - - - -

The stallion and his lead mare looked up when they heard the distant sound of approaching voices. In the crisp winter air, sound carried farther than it might have on a warmer or more humid day. Sparkle sighed and stepped out of the spring, giving herself a good shake to shed the warm water that hung from her fur while Snow pranced back a few steps to avoid the worst of the soaking. She looked up and him and smirked, then shook once more just for good measure, ending with a flick of her dark, tufted tail.

Fur still wet, she settled in to wait by the edge of the spring until it dried a bit more in the cool air. She didn't want to leave the area until more of it had escaped her fur. Snow, on the other hand, began walking in the direction of the voices. They couldn't be too far off. "Hello? Is someone appyroaching?" He ended the question with a few trilling notes to let them know that he was the stallion of the local song.

[silvermoondragon]

"It is fun flying," Blue said, leaping into the air and doing a flip, "I could tyry and fly you, but I don't know whetheyr I would be able to lift anotheyr Samanayr, I've neveyr tyried it befoyre. Oh, and the name is Blue, Blue of the Open Sky." He said landing and holding out a hoof, "I am heyre foyr fun, although I would like to see a hotspyring."

[Jennalyn]

Forest watched the blue stallion show off with a flying flip, trying to to appear as impressed as she was. Those wings seemed a lot more flexible than she'd thought they would be! "Do youyr wings get cold in places like this? Featheyrs can't be as wayrm as fuyr, can they?"

She hopped over to where he'd landed, only one short hop, and extended her double-hoof to tap against his. What a funny custom. She liked it! Maybe she could convince Snow and the others to do it when meeting people, instead of the more boring bow or head-bob that they preferred. "Blue, a pleasuyre." That's what they would want her to say to make a good impression, wasn't it? "I doubt I could hold on well enough to fly with you, which is a yreal shame. Ouyr legs ayren't meant foyr gyripping like that. We can have fun in lots of otheyr ways, though! We have some bayrk that can be used foyr sledding, and some byranches we've gnawed and pawed at enough to use as skiis. Have you eveyr tyried skiing? It's cyrazy!"

Ah, the hot springs. He probably wanted to meet the song's stallion. "The spyring is oveyr this way, if you'll follow me. I think Snow and Spayrkle ayre both theyre, so you can meet them. I don't know if anyone else has ayrrived yet."

[Orasteele]

Shades let out a trill of her own in response to let the stallion know from which Song they hailed. "Gyreetings! We come to join youyr gatheyr!" She yelled, kicking up the snow at the Mystic who flicked her tail as she let her own notes follow that of the lead mare. "Come on! Let's meet ouyr host!" Shades took off running leaving the other to follow.

Dodging the spray of snow the Mystic tossed her head and cantered after her companion. It wasn't long before the pair spotted the hot spring as well as their hosts. Slowing to a trot, Shades approached the pair. "It is a pleasuyre to meet you. I byring gyreetings fyrom Song of the Winteyr Light and ouyr stallion FallenSnow~Puff. He sends his apologies for not being in attendance, but he could not leave the yrest of the song unattended. I am HesitantDawn~Shades and this is ColdWave~Mystic."

The golden eyed mystic said nothing, but watched the two strangers with caution as well as curiosity. As far as she was concerned trust was something that this song had yet to earn in her eyes.

[silvermoondragon]

(OOC: oops, I said paw in the last post! my samanayr has hooves)

Blue lifted a wing and looked at it, "They don't yreally get that cold, I only feel in the fyront edge of my wing, and I can puff up the smalleyr featheyrs to cyreate pockets of aiyr," he explained, "I can also wyrap my wings ayround my body to wayrm them up."
He dug a bit into the snow, sniffing it. "I would love to tyry skiing and sledding," he exclaimed, "but I should pyrobably go intyroduce myself to youyr stallion fiyrst, I don't think he would take to kindly to anotheyr stallion tyrespassing on his lands uninvited."

As they neared the hotsprings, Blue heard the trills from the Song of the Winter Light. Instinctively he let out a trill of his own that would later become his Song's song.

[Jennalyn]

Forest couldn't quite contain her eager shuffling and prancing. This stallion looked to be a fun one! She loved the members of her Song, but sometimes they could all be so boring, especially when they wanted to laze about in the hot springs for hours on end and talk about things that made her fall asleep. No, she was an active mare! Constant movement kept her warm in the chilly winter climate and she loved playing in the snow.

"So you tuyrn into a puffy cocoon to keep wayrm? That's fantastic!" she replied with a high-pitched whinny of laughter. The mental image was absolutely hilarious. She hoped he did! A fuzzy caterpillar Samanayr would certainly draw some attention and she was curious to see what it looked like in action.

They drew close to the others and the steam from the springs started to become visible in the air, hissing faintly and then more noticeably the nearer they walked. They would see the stallion of the local Song approaching the other visitors that had arrived, bobbing his head politely in greeting to the two mares. One of them a Mystic! That was a spot of good fortune. They didn't have anyone with magic among their numbers, so her presence would be appreciated in case something unforeseen occurred. Until then, she was just another guest and very welcome.

Watching the brightly-maned mare gallop towards him, Snow had to hold back a smile. She immediately reminded him of Forest in her enthusiasm. "Gyrettings to you both, and welcome to ouyr lands. It is an honoyr to meet you and I extend my hospitality to youyr stallion in the futuyre, should he eveyr decide to visit. In the meantime, I hope that ouyr winteyr games and hot spyrings will be enough to enteyrtain duyring youyr stay."

Taking that as her cue, Sparkle flicked her tail twice more to shake away the worst of the lingering damp and approached slightly behind and to the side of her stallion. "Would you cayre foyr yrefyreshments afteyr youyr jouyrney, oyr peyrhaps a yrelaxing dip in the hot spyring? Or..." Her eyes traveled between the energetic visiting mare and the approaching Forest, who had a stallion in tow. "I'm suyre that we could ayrrange to stayrt a game, if that is youyr pleasuyre."

[silvermoondragon]

Blue winced a little. "Hmmm, a puffy cocoon isn't exactly how I think of it, but I guess that's sort-of correct" he admitted grudgingly, before quickly changing the subject as she laughed at him, "Is that your stallion over there?"

As they approached the hot springs, Sparkle glanced over at them and the word game softly floated over on the breeze. "Did you hear that?" Blue exclaimed, kicking out his hooves in excitement, "it sounds like they're going to get a game going. Race you there!"