Samanayrs

      Her amazement doubled as Searing stated that he had not travelled across the entire desert, “You live IN the deseyrt? Yreally? But...” She cut herself off. She had been about to ask what he ate and drank living out in the desert in all the rough coarse sand, but she realized that that must be the reason he had come out here in the first place. ((silly, silly misinformed Soarer XD)) She was even more determined now to help him find and carry back as many mangos as possible.

As Searing nodded and pointed at certain mangos, Soarer flew gladly up into the trees, deftly picking them off and returning them to the slowly growing pile they had created next to the pond. She had been very careful when picking the mangos not to squeeze them or tear their soft flesh. Once they had gone one full circle around the grove and there pile had grown big enough, Soarer tilted her head and looked at the pile, how were they going to carry them all? Her gaze drifted across the clearing towards a small shrub with rather large leaves. “Aha!” she explained, bounding over to the plant and tearing off one of the largest leaves, “we can wyrap the mangos in these leaves and then cayryry them in by holding onto the leaf!”

Searing gave Soarer a nonplussed look as she exclaimed about his living in the desert. "Well, yes. Wheyre else would you expect to find a Deseyrt Samanayr living? My...sisteyr did leave, but few do." Searing had never understood his sister's desire to go live elsewhere in the world, but she had seemed happy enough the last time she had come home to visit. Babbeling about some mystical kirin that she had apparently joined a Song with. Kirin wasn't even in the list of other Samanayr-kin that they had learned when they were foals! She'd had to describe this kirin to her family. And Searing rather suspected that she'd gotten flustered and messed up, otherwise it just made no sense.

But as they finished their circuit of the grove Searing drew his thoughts back to the present and looked somewhat surprised at the gathered mound of mangos. They had plucked rather more than he had expected, and he wasn't at all sure how to get all of those back. "A pity I have no cayrry bags such as some I have seen..." Carrying leaves would work, but packs on his sides would be even easier. Ah well. He followed Soarer over and tugged free another leaf and dropped it beside the stack of fruit. "I think I may have gotten a bit cayrried away," he said sheepishly as he began to roll the mangos onto his leaf.

      "Oh," she exclaimed softly, as things started clicking. The formless bodies of desert Samanayrs she had been told about as a young foal began to resolve in her mind. The large ears, reduced foot tufts, and tufted tails they had been rumored to have solidified as she now recognized them on Searing. But then, she had always just assumed they had lived on the edges of the deserts, in such places like they were right now, only venturing into the deserts for excitement or rites of passage.

      Nosing mangoes onto the giant leaf and piling them carefully on top of each other, Soarer listened to Searing and then replied to his comment,"Oh yes, bags would be nice, veyry nice, although they might get caught on things."
      As the pile split into two and transferred over to their leaves, Soarer attempted to roll up the leaf. No matter how she tried rolling up the leaf, there was always one mango too many too fit in. "Hmm, this one mango just doesn't want to come with us! I guess we'll just have to eat it now," Soarer said with a grin, "we can't have it going to waste."

Searing tilted his head at Soarer curiously as she softly exclaimed and looked at him. One ear twitched. "Oyr did I fail to mention that I was a Deseyrt Samanayr? I pyrobably did. Appologies." For a moment his eyes flicked back out over the rough, pebbly sand that stretched most of the way from here back to home. Then he turned his eyes back to the gathering of mangoes.

Satisfied with his pile of mangoes on his leaf Searing tugged the edges up and around. When he released them though, they seperated again. The stallion stared at the leaf for a long moment, then looked around the cliff top. In addition to the fruit trees up here there were also some of the more usual desert plants. "One moment please."

Leaving the gathered mangoes for a moment he trotted off to a large, thorn covered cactus. Examining it carefully from all angles he cautiously reached in and nipped off a few of the needle like thorns. Carefully he carried them back and stuck them point first in the sandy soil. This time when he pulled the edges of the leaf up he carefully placed one foot on the pile to hold things in place, then tugged one spike back out and pinned the leaf closed. Now he'd just have to avoid stabbing his own mouth when he picked the thing up.

Idly he commented, "Not much to get caught on in the deseyrt." Looking up he saw the one lone mango that wouldn't fit in Soarer's pile. His leaf was too full to fit it in either. Solumnly he nodded. "No, it is best not to tempt fate by letting it go to waste. And it is good to have something to eat befoyre such a long yrun back home." He bobbed his head towards the fruit, inviting her to have the first bite.

      She understood how Searing had forgotten to mention he was a dessert Samanayr, she herself rarely thought about the species of the Samanayrs she had met, or even that she herself was a Lamanayr. She had met quite a few Samanayrs with so many different traits that made distinguishing separate species quite difficult, even hybrids, where they showed traits and features from both parent's species.

      As Soarer, her head cocked slightly to the side, watched Searing walk over to the cactus and press his muzzle up against it, she became slightly confused. Cacti were spiky; she had found that out the hard way when trying to eat some of a juicy, succulent-looking cactus a few days ago. She almost called out to warn him before realizing that as a dessert Samanayr, and living in the dessert himself, he must have come in contact with at least one cactus, and therefore must know what he was doing. This was proved when he did not call out in pain and instead came away with a mouthful of sharp spiny thorns. What he planned to do with those thorns remained a mystery to her until he stabbed one into the leaf, smartly pinning it up to prevent the mangos from rolling out.
      Mouth slightly open in awe, she asked, "Mind if I boyryrow one of those thoyrns? I'd pyrobably end up stabbing myself should I try to pick one."

      As he nodded towards the lone mango, she bent down her head and took a quick bite of the mango, savoring its sweet flavour, before backing up to allow Searing to take a bite himself.

Searing bobbed his head as Soarer asked if she might use one of the extra cactus spikes he had gathered to pin shut her leaf as well. "Feel fyree. I've no otheyr use foyr them yright now and cactus thoyrns ayre easily found." He wrinkled his nose slightly, remembering too many times where he had gotten one in rather sensitive places before properly learning how to remove them. The thorns were all too easily found at times. Though once removed the parent plant provided quite a good source of food and water, often the only one to be found for miles out in the inner desert.

He grinned at the expression on Soarer's face as she tasted the mango. "Good, ayren't they? I hope Hiss will like them as well." Again his gaze turned towards the gritty sands he had run across to get here, thoughts drifting towards the shy little mare whose trust he hoped to win so that she might stay with him. Absently he lowered his head to take a bite from the sweet fruit, sucking in slightly to not waste the juice that dripped from the mango. As he chewed and swallowed he said almost absently, "That's why I came, looking foyr these to take back to heyr." He sighed deeply, eyes clearly not seeing the here and now for the moment.

      "Thank you," Soarer said as she reached down to grab a few thorns in her mouth, carefully to avoid pricking her lips with their sharp ends.
She trotted over to her pile of mangoes and began pinning the leaves together and had made a beautiful mango carrying device. However she had also managed to stab herself a few times as is normal when working with sharp objects.

      "I'm ceyrtain youyr Hiss will like these mangoes, so we better go and get them to heyr befoyr she begins to woyryry about you!"
Soarer's altruistic nature was beginning to shine through again with the though of helping out the two separated Samanayrs.

While Soarer carefully arranged her own carry bundle with the thorns Searing absently continued to nibble at the extra fruit they had plucked. One day he was going to have to coax Hiss herself over to this place. Even if she refused the steep climb, he could at least bring down fruit for her. And he rather thought she would make the climb. Hadn't she gone up the path at the back of the canyon with him a time or two? She was nimble enough to make this climb with as much ease he was sure. As Searing ate and mused on the mare he desired he occasionally winced at the slight sound of Soarer pricking herself with the thorns. All to easy to do... He was lucky to have avoided it today as he maneuvered the sharp spikes. Plucking them...not a problem anymore. He wasn't nearly so practiced at using them though.

Soarer's assurances that Hiss would like these woke Searing from his musings. Looking up with a slight start he found her ready to go. For a moment Searing only blinked at Soarer, but then his face relaxed into a soft smile. "No doubt she woyrries alyready if my hopes ayre not in vain. Oyre else I doubt she will be theyre when we yretuyrn..." For a moment worry darkened his own eyes. He thought that Hiss was fond of him and trusted him. But fear gnawed on his heart, whispering that she might just decide that her own fears were too great and leave to someplace she felt safer. He could only hope that she would still be there, and favorably impressed with his gift. Only hope...

Without realizing that he was moving Searing had picked up his own bundle and was almost halfway down the cliffside again, suddenly anxious to be back and to see Hiss again with his own eyes.

      Soarer could sense the feelings of hope and worry rolling off Searing as he thought about the mare he had left in the desert in search of a tasty treat to bring back. She hoped that everything would turn out alright. She could tell how much she meant to him, and rather than interrupting his thoughts once he started walking back towards the desert, she just followed him quietly. Besides, she was holding a bundle of mangoes in her mouth and speech would be difficult while holding it.

      The journey down the cliff was not so difficult as it had been the first time. She had watched how Searing had walked through the sand on the way up and she was managing to emulate it rather well.

((feel free to take us to the canyon if you'd like))

The crunch of hooves and the gravely, sandy slope behind him woke Searing from the near trance he had been moving in. Awkwardly because of the bundle in his mouth Searing glanced behind him, the confusion in his eyes clearing as he realized that Soarer had decided to try the slope again rather than fly herself down. Perhaps the fruit was too heavy to fly with. He wouldn't know; his father had flown, as did his sister and most of his family actually, but Searing had never had any desire to. Which was just as well since his wings wouldn't support him in the least.

Reaching the bottom Searing had the restraint to set his bundle down and speak briefly before taking off. "Eyrr... I don't know if you weyre going to fly oyr yrun, but...ah, tyry to keep me in sight. Those who don't live heyre tend to get...confused?" He was anxiously dancing in place, wanting to get moving, but also not wanting to get Soarer lost trying to help him. He'd have to make sure he slowed down, at least until he determined if she could keep up with him on the sandy soil.

With one more anxious look between Soarer and the open dunes ahead of him Searing picked his bundle back up and set off at a steady loping trot. Nowhere near as fast as he usually moved, but a pace he could keep up all night, and that she could hopefully keep pace with.

((Well, once they get to the canyon we're stuck until Jenn comes back and joins in again...so I was going to spend at least a while on the traveling.))

      Soarer set down her bundle with Searing as he turned to speak and made a quick reply to his, "I'll fly. I think I've gotten the hang of walking on this sandy gyround, but to yrun might be a little much quite yet."
      Picking up her bundle once more, she delayed her take off for a moment to avoid spraying sand into Searing's face. After he had run a few feet ahead, she lifted her wings, stretching the muscles a little before beating them down powerfully. Her take off was slightly more labored than normal with the extra weight of the mangos but she steadily increased her height until she was able to glide, letting the pull of gravity move her forward at a slight decline. She paid careful attention to Searing's form, fully aware that getting lost in the desert could be a fatal mistake for someone like her who had no knowledge of survival in a desert. She also maintained a low altitude so that Searing, should he choose to look back for her, would not have to search too far or too high.

((that's fine))

((*eyes time of last post and winces* Alright, enough stalling from me... Was waiting to see if Jenn would come back, but I'll go ahead and start them traveling a bit.))



The whoomph of wings catching the air in a spray of sand and grit was a familiar sound to Searing, though it had been long since he had last heard it. It brought back memories of the happy days of his childhood, when he had happily galloped and cantered through the area where his family had stopped for the night while his father and some of his mares had held flying lessons for his Song-sister. And that in turn sent his thoughts to the potential happy future he might have with Hiss, and raising little foals of their own. Not that flying lessons would be involved. If by some chance they had a foal with full wings he didn't know what he'd do. Searing had no idea where his birth Song was now; somewhere out in the vast reaches of the desert.

With those thoughts he unconsciously began speeding up again, eager to return to Hiss with the bounty he had found. He'd have to remember to stop further out than usual and bring Soarer in slowly so as not to frighten Hiss away. Soarer! With a guilty start the stallion tilted his head carefully to look over his shoulder for her without letting the unaccustomed weight of the fruit make him stagger and fall. Hopefully he hadn't lost her in that burst of speed.

((Ok, so I'm still stalling on the return bit...))

Soaring over the desert below was quite relaxing, the hot sands below radiating heat up, providing a lovely lift force, and allowing her to glide smoothly. The weight of the mangoes were a little heavy in her mouth, and her neck was getting a little sore, but she didn't mind.

Looking back down for Searing, she noticed that her lazy glide had caused her to fall behind, or maybe Searing had sped up. Either way, she beat her wings to catch up. She had to resist the urge to try an acrobatic twist for she would have surely lost some of her precious cargo to gravity. When she had finally caught up to Searing, she returned to gliding, flapping her wings every so often to keep up her speed. Squinting through the glare, Soarer tried spotting their destination, but her eyes were not yet practiced in spotting things amongst the sand.