Samanayrs

Phew, here it finally is XD This is going to be a fairly slow-paced RP - I expect it'll take a few days to get through, and I'll try to make several posts per day to keep things moving. Don't worry if you can't post every day!

I do request that each person just make one post between my posts, but you're welcome to go back and edit.

You also don't need to type out the Samanayr accent - I'm not, since it saves some time XD

And here we go!

Glint of the Ice Prism was sprawled on the sheltered deck of the Expedition HQ, head raised high and black eyes intent as he surveyed his domain. Normally the Sharians requested that he not stretch himself across the entrance of the HQ, as he was doing now, because they tended to trip over him, but as they were currently away he was free to do as he pleased.

The Song of the Rainbow Hotsprings was within view of the HQ, a large construction of natural-looking sculpted stone with submerged terraces of varying height. Steam rose from the warm water into the chilly morning air, and the rocks closest to the water were bare of the thin layer of snow that covered the ground. His mares weren't relaxing in the water, but were grazing nearby on what winter plants they could find.

His stomach rumbled with hunger and Glint knew he should join them, but he remained where he was for the time being. Positioned as he was, with no Sharians to interfere, gave him a heady sense of power. They would be returning the following day, and he wanted to enjoy the experience while he could.

Just as he'd finally decided to shift himself and join his mares, a shrill cry caught his attention. He looked up sharply as a group of Samanayrs emerged from the path that led to more distant hotsprings at a gallop, some slipping slightly on the cobbled stones in front of the HQ as they came to a halt before him. There were five of them, all breathing heavily.

Glint was on his feet immediately. "Oquiesas?" he asked, looking at each Samanayr in turn. None of them seemed hurt, but what if they'd have to leave foals or other Song members behind?

The stallion of the group looked up, still panting. Glint recognized him as Shear of the Iced Wind, leader of the Song of the High Ice. The Song, made up entirely of Northern Samanayrs, was the furthest hotspring still considered under the jurisdiction of the Song of the Rainbow Hotsprings and Sharian protection.

Shear shook his head, steam rising from his fluffy white coat. "No - no, not Oquiesas. Our hotspring was attacked by a huge bird!"

Glint blinked. "A what?"

One of the mares, whose name Glint couldn't remember, nodded quickly. "The largest bird any of us have ever seen! It dove right at us, making an incredible racket."

"We got the foals in hiding and ran for our lives," Shear continued, his breath regained and his voice more steady. "They should be safe until we return, the cave where they take refuge is only large enough for foals."

"But we need to get back before dark!" another mare said anxiously, "they will be hungry." The other mares nodded in agreement, shifting their feet nervously.

It took Glint a tremendous effort to keep from sighing. Of course something like this would happen when the Sharians were away.. "So you would like me to go and make sure it is safe to return?"

"And drive that bird away!" Shear said fiercely. "We will not have it making meals of our foals!"

"The Sharians are away at the moment," Glint began, but Shear cut him off.

"We know they'll be back tomorrow, but it would be too late then. There's enough Samanayrs in the area to put together a good group to drive the bird off."

"If there's enough of them, they should be safe!" one of the mares put in.

This didn't seem like a very good idea, but with the foals in danger Glint knew that they wouldn't be thinking very rationally. He also couldn't think of an alternative to their suggestion. There was safety in numbers, and there were several Mystics and Sa'kriens in the area that might offer their assistance. He quickly made the decision, and bowed his head at Shear.

"We will put together a group right away, and you'll be reunited with your foals this evening," Glint said confidently, raising his head and puffing out his chest so that his thick mane tossed dramatically. Inwardly he still felt that this was perhaps not the best idea, but he was their leader - he had to do his best for them! The Northern mares were already singing their thanks, and Glint puffed his chest out a little further.

Leaving the Northern Song to rest in his hotspring, Glint trotted over to his mares and explained the situation, asking them to go out to the other hotsprings and request assistance for this task. They disappeared down the paths and trails that led to other hotsprings while Glint returned to the porch of the HQ.

Time passed and Glint paced, worried that no other Samanayrs would be willing to volunteer for such a dangerous mission. However, as the sun crept towards mid-morning, the first of the volunteers arrived, trotting into the clearing around the HQ with various levels of confidence.

"Welcome to the great bird hunt!" Glint cried as he caught sight of them, relieved that he wouldn't have to drive off the giant bird alone.

Fissure of the Fractured Ice trotted into the clearing in fron ot the Expedition HQ, having overheard something about a giant bird needing to be driven away from one of the Northern Songs. There weren't many other samanayrs there when she arrived, which was probably a good thing. Many sams were wary of her, as was common with her kind.

She approached Glint, a gleam in her eyes. "I heayr there is a biyrd pyroblem? Can I be of assistance? If my pyresence won't hindeyr the quest, of couyrse."

It was with an air of excitement that Ferocity returned to the Rainbow Hotsprings and the many smaller pools surrounding it. Since leaving her birth song almost four years earlier she had only been back once to participate in an expedition before heading off again on to see what lay beyond the distant horizon. As wonderful as this traveling had been, she had missed the beauty of her home. No matter how lovely the land or friendly the samanyar-kin she'd encountered, there was a feeling of belonging and kinship that she'd never been able to find in the places she had visited.

So when Shadow of the Secret Rainbow had brought word that the infamous Glint was looking for volunteers to chase off a giant bird that was terrorizing a northern song she had eagerly ventured back home. The hotsprings had changed very little from her days as a foal. Kicking up little drifts of snow as she wandered through the steaming pools of water she headed towards the sculpted rocks of the expedition headquarters. The Sharins had always said that rocks were naturally formed but from time to time she wondered if something hadn’t helped carve the rocks into their current shape.

Hearing Glint's welcome she hurried over, looking among the other sams to see if there were any familiar faces. While none became immediately apparent more sams were still arriving, filling the clearing with a wonderful mix of colors and shapes.

(( I hope I’ve done the Kirin abilities alright, if there are any problems just let me know and I’ll fix them.))
      Spirit had been wandering through a snowy forest with S’qui when he began to pick up feelings of urgency and worry. The last Samanayrs he had come in contact with had been a small song almost a two days walk away and this contact with another mind caught him a little off guard. He hadn’t expected to meet someone else until he had gotten closer to borders of the forest.

      In a few minutes he started to hear the Samanayr, a mare by the feel of her mind, crashing through the branches and undergrowth, more worried about speed than stealth. Judging by what he could hear, and what direction she was travelling, he figured if he stayed still he could remain unnoticed by the Samanayr and whatever she might be running from. He could remain hidden, but the mind connection that was the burden/gift granted to kirin kind couldn’t just let him stand by and do nothing. He had felt the fear and urgency and as she got even closer he began to pick out a little more as to what was going on and realized that she herself was not in any danger but was a messenger.

      Letting out a soft call, he began making his way over to the mare, who had stopped to catch her breath, huffing and puffing, after hearing his call. Her eyes widened a little as she saw him, as if surprised to see a kirin, but did not hold the same wonder that many others did when they saw him and he guessed that she had seen a kirin before, perhaps many times before. After quick introductions, the mare explained that she had come from the Song of the Rainbow Hotspring and was in search of Samanayrs to help aid in saving a song from a giant bird that had come down from the skies to attack their foals.

      Spirit had been surprised to find that he was so close to the famous Song of the Rainbow Hotsprings, and having nothing else more pressing to do at that moment, he assured the mare that he would indeed make his way to the song with all due haste and try to help out. With a small bow of appreciation, the mare bounded off through the snow once more to continue spreading the word. With a quick mind command to S’qui, he bent down and the small dragonet leapt up onto his back, clinging tightly as Spirit took off in the opposite direction that the mare had gone, following the map to the hotsprings he had seen in her mind.

      After about an hour or two of hasty travel, grateful for S’qui’s furry warmth on his back, he began to see the signs of habitation. He prepared himself for the eventual contact with many Samanayrs, shielding his mind to prevent himself from becoming overwhelmed by the many Samanayrs he had heard of gathering at the infamous Song of the Rainbow Hotsprings. Looking up he stared in awe for a few moments at the large structure that could only be the Expedition HQ. He knew that would be where Samanayrs would gather for events and so he headed in its direction. He ignored the looks of other Samanayrs as he began travelling through the heavily populated areas, concentrating only on reaching the HQ.

      As he broke through the cover surrounding the clearing he saw Glint standing majestically on the porch of the HQ, a sun beam shining down on him causing the sunlight to glint off his scales in a rainbow of light. There were a few other Samanayrs standing around the base of the HQ and Spirit assumed that there were also there to help out. He walked across the clearing, S’qui jumping off his back and loping along beside him, and stopped below Glint, nodding his head once, “I have come to offeyr my assistance should it be needed.”

((I choose...Gyre to play I think. But since I have one of Glint's mares...who happens to be the mare I've decided is Gyre's aunt...she can get the message to him! And perhaps tag along if we can play more than one Sam for this and Glint doesn't mind his mares joining the hunt.))
For once the happy smile was gone from Bloom's face as the desert mare stared wide eyed at her stallion and the message he had come to bring them. At first she had thought little of the fluffy group that had come galloping into the hotsprings, being too occupied with trying to find the warmest spot to graze in. Cold burned off a lot of energy! She hadn't even thought much of it when Glint had finally left his coveted perch to come down to them. After all, why wouldn't he share the latest gosip with his mare?

It didn't take long after Glint reached them for Bloom to loose her happy nature. Midway through the short statement she was dancing and prancing anxiously, eyes wide and unhappy. As he finished she blurted out, "We have to help the babies! Think of the foals!" It took a moment for what Glint had said to catch up with the silly mare, and then she nodded her head eagerly, quite ready to go round up aid.

The snow cover was a far cry for the soft desert sands that Bloom was born to, but she wallowed and lept through it with a will. She would head out to the outlying Songs soon enough. But first there was someone she thought should know about this. Bloom knew that her brother's foal was around; he hadn't come to see her, but she'd come accross his scent enough times of late. His scent and that of young mares. She was happy for him, but right now what was foremost in her mind was her younger brother always there, always helping to get her out of scrapes. And this was his son.

~~~~~~

Gyre of the Bleached Sands was snoozing in the chilly morning light. He hadn't quite managed to shake the habit of sleeping by day and being active by night that he'd learned in the desert. Even the mares he was working up to forming a Song with hadn't managed to change that habit yet...

It wasn't fun being abruptly woken up by someone charging in at full tilt, sliding on a patch of ice, and ramming into his side, still at full tilt. Even if they weren't moving as fast as his father moved across the desert sands. With an undignified squeal Gyre woke up, shying and prancing away, every one of the few hairs on his body standing upright.

He was still trying to get his bearings when a slightly familiar voice spoke up sulkily and almost indignantly, as though the owner had not just rammed into Gyre. "Is that any way to gyreat youyr favoyrite aunt? Wheyre's youyr mayres? I was hoping to meet them... But you have to come with me now. You have foals to save!"

"You'yre the only aunt I know... Hey!" Not standing to chit chat with her nephew, Bloom had grabbed the befudled young stallion by his leonine mane and was hauling him off, towards the path back to the main headquarters. He cast one pleading look over his shoulder, then with a final yank Bloom had him out of the clearing he'd been dozing in. He could only hope that the two mares wouldn't mind so much.

The brief explanation Bloom gave Gyre before shoving him down the path and heading off the other way to continue her recruiting did little to prepare him for what he found waiting. He stumbled to a halt, staring at the assorted crowd already gathered there. Tentatively he stepped out, casting a wary, wary unhappy eye at the Sa'krien mare. His parents had stories about their encounter with one of her kind. He hadn't heard those until he was nearly grown and the way his mother had told them had chilled him, even in the desert heat.

Looking aside from her with a gulp the young stallion suddenly started as he caught the purpose of this search. "Biyrd? Who said anything about a biyrd?" Bloom really hadn't prepared her nephew at all...

((Whee! First time i've played this particular Sam, so bear with me as I straighten out her personality. ))



None of the mares who spread out to gather volunteers that day had approached her directly. In fact, she doubted any would have, being that she was never in the same place for more than a night. How would they have found her to tell her? It was merely good fortune that she had been passing for the most part unnoticed through the territory of another song when one of the messengers had reached them. The passionate conversation had reached her alert ears, and with her habitual curiosity she had inched closer to hear the words exchanged between the out-of-breath mare and the song.

"Birds?" Disbelief was heavy in the stallions voice, "What care we for such birds? They cannot reach us beneath our forest's canopies, and there is no reason they cannot merely return briefly to care for the foals and then return to await Sharian aid! Why should we throw ourselves out for them?" A murmur of assent came from his assembled song, and Odyssey caught a glimpse of the annoyance and exhaustion on the messenger's face. "So you will not help then?" After looking back at his song the stallion shook his head decisively. "No. I will not risk myself or my mares in such a foolish pursuit."

After a heavy sigh the mare took off, headed to the border of the stallions territory, knowing her pleas had fallen on deaf ears at that song. But not, perhaps, to the silent listener. Odyssey felt her heart begin to beat faster at the thought of adventure and travel. Her two favourite things! Moving back and away from the song to avoid being noticed she began to walk, and then after a moment, run in the direction the messenger had approached from. She knew the way the the sharian's Expedition HQ (or, more accurately, she had visited the Rainbow Hotsprings once before on her travels, and knew what general direction she should travel to reach them.) despite never having actually been on an expedition herself.

It took her a good few hours of travel before the building came into sight. Lucky she had been travelling parallel not to far from the site, or she could have been days away! As it was, she slowed to a clipped trot as she approached, then walked the last few metres before coming to a halt in the midst of a small but steadily growing group. The famous Glint was there to meet them, crying out a greeting as newcomers approached. A hunt, eh? She frowned a little at the idea, unwilling to actually think about injuring another creature, but then shook it off. He was probably merely talking about finding the bird, not actually harming it, right?

Reflection of Sunlit Rain was enjoying a mid-morning snack when she heard about the request for aid from the Rainbow Hotsprings. After a quick word with her stallion Tyger, she quickly trotted off in that direction. She hoped that she would not be too late to offer her assistance, as she had been a foal herself in the not so distant past.

She could run faster than she could fly, with her delicate wings, so run she did. She found a group already forming around Glint, and made sure to volunteer her help as soon as she caught her breath.

((Yanks out her little dear))



Misery yawned. Napping during the day atop the spire of rock that composed his Song was one of his favorite things to do, even if it did mean that he would be up late that night. Still a bit groggy, he looked around, wondering what exactly had woken him. Another gust of air hit him in the face, and with it, voices and scents. That was what had woken him. Not the voices themselves, but news of what they carried.

Blinking, he stretched, while digesting this new information. A giant bird, attacking foals, and a call out for Samanayr-kin to help drive it away? Attacking foals, that was something that he didn't condone. And he did want to meet with more Samanayrs, to show them that he wasn't some evil thing. It was decided then. He'd go offer his help, and maybe, just maybe, find another mare for his Song, at the end of it all.

Stretching his wings, he informed his mares of where he was going, then soared over the peak, and down into the valley below. He hadn't formally introduced himself to the leader of the Rainbow Hotsprings yet, and decided to do that as well, while he was answering the call for help.


Landing just beyond the gathering of Samanayrs, he nodded to those that were watching, and waited for a chance to talked with the rainbow stallion. His eyes wandered over the assortment in front of him, intrigued by the variety of colors and patterns.

      Calamity stood far to the outside of the ever growing crew, smirking; really, this was just too good. It wasn't enough that it was the perfect way to vex her mother- she could already imagine the look on her face when she learned she had been associating with non-Elementals for the day, and saving Northern foals to boot- but the motley group itself was shaping up to be completely amusing as well. Surely Glint could handle himself if he'd been their leader for so long, and that Sa'krien mare and the Misery held promise- but the rest? Some of them looked so delicate to her that she couldn't imagine how they'd manage the cold trip there, let alone this 'bird' they were so worried about. Part of her hoped they would surprise her, just for the fun of it, and part enjoyed the idea of them failing miserably- either way though, it seemed this might be a worthwhile venture for her after all.
      Letting the smirk leave her face, though not her eyes, the mare sidled a bit closer to the others, trying to eavesdrop without actually joining the conversation, or the group proper for that matter; there would be time enough for that later on, after her observing was done.

Helix could tell that something big was happening. The forest was abuzz with samanyr voices, and the sound of running hooves rang out through the winter-bare trees. Winged forms darted through the sky above, racing towards destinations unknown to ground bound mare. Usually Helix kept to herself, traveling through the peripheries of territories claimed by the various Songs, but over hearing snippets of exchanges Helix knew she could not ignore the call.

Foals were in danger, the very thought tore through her like an icy wind, and with determined steps she trod towards The Song of the Rainbow Hotsprings, a locale she had not visited since last spring’s Festival.

Approaching the hot springs, Helix paused to gaze over the assemblage, the array of colors, patterns and shapes dazzled the young mare. As she descended the small hill towards the clearing she kept her eyes planted firmly on the ground in front of her paws. Taking up a position towards the back of the group, Helix perked her ears forward to better catch Glint’s voice.

((First time RP'ing a Sam, very interested and excited ))

Sending Reflection off ahead, Tyger of the Dark Night sought out his lead mare, Dance. Apprising her of the situation, he bid her a fond farewell, promising to return as soon as the situation allowed. As much as he revered her, the current situation required the utmost haste and he felt a bond of loyalty with his fellow Samanayrs, even though they were not of his own species, he would help them.

Seeking out Reflection among the growing group of Samanayrs, he made his way to her side and gently nudged her shoulder in silent support, catching Glint's eye and nodding briefly to the Kirin male.

((I don't have a Sam so I made one up, if anything needs to be changed please let me know.

Mystic of the Time-Shifting Sands
Gender: Stallion
Traits: Draconic wings and scaled skin
Abilities: can sense and sometimes control the earth, he was told he might be able to do more as he matures.

Shifting Sands is a cream colored stallion, his scales show a very iridescent pattern of reds, yellows, oranges and browns, very similar to actual sand shifting, as the light passes over him. He has followed the path of many Mystics to be a loner and travel from Song to Song, he is still rather young only having seen a few summers.))

Shifting Sands was traveling along a seemingly deserted path, trying to find someplace a bit warmer, he knew the closest song was Song of the Rainbow Hotsprings, run by Glint, his parents had told him to go make pretty to Glint, but he hadn’t gotten around to it. As he headed in the Song’s direction, he was almost bowled over by a mare that was in quite a hurry. “Is there danger coming?” he asked when she slowed down. She told him what was going on over at her Song, a large bird had attacked a northern Song and help was needed to drive it away. “I’ll head over and offer my services to Glint, and not stop you in your messenger duties a moment more.” He hurried his steps towards Glint and the Song’s hotsprings to offer his services, steady ground is always welcome when going into unfamiliar territory.


He trotted up to the rapidly growing group of Samanayrs gathered around Glint. He waited until there was a pause in introductions and introduced himself to Glint. “My name is Mystic of the Time-Shifting Sands,” he said with an extravagant bow, “I come to offer my services with the troubles to the north.”

Mystic of the Burning Storm had been about to leave the Rainbow Hotsprings when she heard of the problem with the giant bird. Cheered slightly by the idea of taking part in something exciting, the Mystic mare trotted up to the group, eyeing the other Samanayrs curiously.

She was slightly pleased to see another Mystic Samanayr among the group, though as far as she could tell, the other Samanayr was an earth Mystic. Well, that was too bad. She found mystics of other magic types incredibly dull to talk to. She was more interested in the strange mare with the draconic wings and the fiery hair--was she some kind of elemental?

Well, I will probably find out sooner or later, she thought to herself, shrugging. No sense worrying about it, especially since she should probably be keeping an eye on that Sa'krien mare. Never could trust a Sa'krien... Or a Misery, for that matter, she added, barely stifling a squeak of surprise as her gaze fell on the Misery stallion.

Well, this was certainly an interesting group.

Chilling was soaring above the HQ. It was a lovely day. She was soaring on a simple breeze until something caught her eye below. A mass amount of Sams were running from the distance. She decided to swoop in for a listen. She twisted a little and swooped down gracefully. Her wings flapped in perfect harmony with the movements of her body. She hovered above as words were exchanged.

"Giant biyrd?!" She gasped aloud as she almost fell from the sky, her wings quickly regaining their hover.

She decided to land and show face.

"I will help you fight. You will need help in the sky and I can maneuveyr out of any situation!" She held her head high. She prided herself in her mobility in the sky; she was thin, agile and swift. Her eyes closed confidently as she stood proud, her wings semi tucked to her side. She swished her tail back and forth the tuft on her tail swatting a fly that had irritated her side.

As more and more Samanayrs arrived at the clearing, Glint's confidence grew. "Safety in numbers" was a phrase that he strongly believed in, and the numbers now involved were more than he had originally anticipated. Even Sa'kriens and Elementals, and a fellow Kirin! The presence of the stormy Misery stallion was rather intimidating, but Glint thought he would be an asset, as long as he remained well away from the Mystics.

Glint personally greeted the Samanayrs that approached him directly, trying desperately to memorize unfamiliar faces and names, and tried to make eye contact with all those that remained distant to acknowledge their presence.

Glint's confidence slipped and he began to feel slightly overwhelmed as more arrived at the clearing while he thanked an icey Lamanayr whose name he had already forgotten. Although he had met several of the Samanayrs before, knew of some others by reputation or mutual acquaintances, and had interacted with many at various festivals and events, this was the first time he had actually called on his fellows for help. The least he could do was remember their names!

Having asked the icey Lamanayr to repeat her name, Glint nodded at her and looked over the assembled group while he repeated the name to himself several times to fix it in his mind. All of his mares had returned, presumably with all the help they had been able to find - time to be on their way!

Glint looked over the group again from his perch on the porch one last time before speaking. He lowered his mental shields ever so slightly, just enough so that the very distant buzz of inaudible thoughts entered the back of his heads and a wash of emotions came to him. The mood of the Samanayrs in the clearing was varied, determination right alongside worry and anticipation, but at least nobody seemed too frightened. That was a good start.

Drawing his shields up again, Glint whistled for the Song of the High Ice to join him. They left the warmth of the hotspring reluctantly, shaking huge amounts of water from their shaggy coats, then edged around the mixed group to join Glint.

Once they were ranged beside him, Glint braced himself, lifted his head, and sang out clearly to draw the attention of the group. Silence fell quickly.

"Thank you all for joining me today," Glint began, surprised at the strength in his voice. "You no doubt heard the situation from my mares, but let me recap..."

Glint repeated what the Northern Song had told him, pausing while they made occasional (and increasingly hysterical) interjections. A new fact came up, that the bird was clearly a raptor of some kind, likely a falcon. The situation finally summarized, Glint waited patiently until one of the mares had again emphasized the danger the foals were in before continuing.

"Our first priority is to ensure the safety of the foals," he said, trying to look at each of the Samanayrs in turn as he spoke. "I would also like to discover the nesting location of the bird and see if we can communicate with it -"

"It won't speak with us, it is a predator, like an Oquiesa!" Shear of the Iced Wind said loudly.

"We can tame Oquiesas now!" someone in the crowd shouted out. A murmur of approval followed.

Glint sang a soothing note to Shear before going on. "If we can communicate with it, we will ask it to relocate, or at least receive an assurance that it will harm no Samanayrs. If we cannot communicate with it, we will try to drive it away. And if we cannot drive it away..." Glint paused, then cleared his throat. "We will address that situation if it comes up.

"Are there any questions before we depart?"

((This is so exciting I just hope I can keep up!

@silvermoondragon - His use of abilities looks good to me

@Slydogg121 - He also looks good, although the name is just a tad long (Samanayr names are 'something' of the 'something' 'something'). Something like Mystic of the Shifting Sands or Mystic of the Time-shifted Sands would work!))

As the kirin stallion called the other song forward Odyssey drew her gaze from examining the crowd and gave them a brief but intense look-over. Their immense, fluffy coats immediately denoted them as coming from the cold northern atmosphere, somewhere she had travelled through before but only briefly. The freezing temperatures and continuous winds the north was famed for were not high on her list of fun things.

In fact, the cold seemed to cut easily through her thin coat, at one time giving her notions that perhaps she had some desert in her bloodline. Of course, as her parents had not kept track of their family trees she had no way of knowing and had put the matter out of mind as quickly as it had come. Glint began to speak, which of course drew her shrewd, glittering green orbs in his direction. His words made sense… Even a loner like she could not condone leaving foals in danger any longer than was absolutely necessary, and she nodded in assent when someone close to her in the crowd spoke up about the recent taming of their age-old enemies the Oquiesas.

If they could just speak to the great birds, even on the most basic level, surely it would not be so difficult to imply on it the need to find a nest further from a Song's spring. More than likely, if they were anything like the birds she knew, they would be more intelligent than the heavily muscled Oquiesas, if not more receptive to the pleas of the group. Her ears flicked briefly backwards at the idea of driving it away through the use of scare-tactics or brute force, and a silent snarl at even the vague mention of harming the beast.

She never attacked, not unless attacked first, and even then she would rather retreat. With an unobtrusive but insistent cough, the bundled mare stepped closer to the speaking stallion. "What if the great bird feels threatened by the immensity of the group? What if it refuses to speak with us on those terms, or merely takes wing only to return when we have left it's territory?" Her voice held no challenge, but was instead carefully emotionless. She stood poised as if to weigh the stallion's answer, and decide whether she accompanied to help the Sam's, or the bird...

Reflection sidled closer to Tyger, taking comfort in the fact that her stallion had decided to accompany her. She had been a bit nervous to arrive among such a crowd alone, though she tried not to let it show.

She nodded in agreement with Odyssey's question, so many Sams would surely be seen as a threat by this bird, whatever sort of being it may be. She also raised her voice to add her own wondering.

"Without the Shayrians here, what ayre we to do for equipment? I am prepayred to enduyre the cold if I must, but without knowing pyrecisely what we will face or be yrequired to do, how shall we supply ouyrselves?"

Misery listened intently to the conversation around him. He was more determined than ever to help, especially since it was known that the bird was a falcon or hawk or something. His side twitched. He'd had an encounter, ever so briefly, with one of them. Granted, it had been a lost chick, that had fallen from it's nest, but it was enough for him to be wary around possible others.

Upon hearing a question from the crowd, he stepped forward, and, with a nod and a glance at Glint, to make sure that he was not interrupting, he spoke. "I am a storm mage, and if need be, I can use the winds hold the bird in the air away from us, without damaging or harming it." With that, he bowed his head to the crowd, and stepped back. He'd seem the glances that others had thrown his way, and had elected to remain at the edges of the group, by himself. It seemed to be the best, and safest option to him.

Granted, he wish ed he could mingle with the others. Several of the mares were intriguing to him, especially that firey mare. Why, she looked like she could be an Elemental, or part, at least!

Chilling nodded to Glint as he asked her for her name once more.

"I am Chilling, at youyr seyrvice!" She smiled big as Glint nodded to her and turned to address the crowd. Words and statements came from the crowd as he spoke of the danger they were soon to face. His voice was deep and demanding, he sounded like a true leader. She listened intently as he spoke of the plan of action.

A misery spoke up and offered his mage services. Chilling winced. She had never seen one before and they were just as different as she had heard. She stared at him with intrigue. He was quite handsome but she could not lead that on... misery's were... bad news?

She shook her head and looked back at Glint. Her legs began to twitch as she listened. She did not like being on the ground this long if she didn’t have to be. Her place was in the sky, WITH the birds. She was more kin to birds than foe. On many of her travels she had come in contact with feathered creatures, especially birds. Though they have not always been the best of encounters, they were still informative none the less.

She decided to take to her territory. She jumped into the air and her wings expanded above the heads of a few others who were close by, missing them by an inch. She then flapped her wings lightly, allowing her to hover above the crowd. Her wings beat softly and the sound they made was more like the sound of a heart beat. "That’s betteyr..." She said to herself as she got comfortable in the air.

Her ear twitched as another Sam spoke of supplies and food. Why would this be an issue? Didn't they know of...The land? Food was natural and so was shelter.

"Clothes should be the only thing you would need, something to keep you wayrm. I can help with food; I am able to find it quite well fyrom above..." Chilling said to Reflection. Her voice was sweet and her eyes mimicked her tone.

"Besides... I love the cold! Hence my name... Chilling" She smiled a big dorky smile as she spoke of her name. She was a very proud Lam. Confidence was never an issue with Chilling, just the hardship of defeat, though she was quick to bounce back.

Shifting Sands looked around considering the words of the other samanayrs, noticing the Misery and his offer, and seeing the Sa'krien for the first time. Hmm this is going to be an interesting trip, he thought to himself.

"Perhaps since we have the Kirins with us they may be able to tell whether the Bird is threatened when we approach, then we can know to spread out into smaller groups to lessen our threat or whether we need to gather together to appear more threatening. The bird may just be hungry or have young of its own to feed, not that we or our foals should be that food, but if that is so, we may be able to help him or her find the food and hunting grounds they need." Shifting Sands spoke up, looking around to see what the reactions were to his words. He knew some would not take kindly to his suggesting the Kirins try to read the Birds mind and emotions.

He noticed another Mystic, but she looked to be of the air, last time he encountered and Air Mystic they had been so flighty and had their minds so full of clouds and such there was no good conversation, perhaps this one was different.

((Sushi, do let me know if you'd rather I didn't play both Bloom and Gyre here; I'll leave Bloom behind if you'd rather we kept it to one Sam each.))

The buzz of conversation didn't exactly tell Gyre what was going on. Just that it had to do with some giant bird. So he remained uncertainly at the edge of the crowd, looking over all the multicolored backs. Once or twice his eye briefly caught that of the charismatic rainbow stallion who led them, but most everyone else was looking the same way as Gyre, and thus all he could see were their backs.

It was somewhat of a relief when Glint whistled and was joined by a group of very...different looking Sams. Gyre's eyes went wide as he realized that he was looking at a Song of Northerns. His jaw dropped slightly as he stared. He had honestly never expected to see one of the dwellers of the north. He'd never survive in their climate; even this milder winter was harsh to one with no fur covering for most of his body. Gyre watched, more awed by the Northers than by the Kirin who stood beside them and finally, at long last, explained just why Bloom had haulded Gyre over here.

Gyre was shivering with more than the cold by the time the tale was through. Giant falcon threatening foals... He had seen few birds out in the desert, but many more since leaving it. And who could forget a mother's stories of dangerous birds who carried unwatchful foals away? He remained silent as others in the crowd began to argue over the best course of action. With his thoughts on birds and attack, he jumped as a piercing whistle rang out, followed by a series of high pitched scolding chirps as his catgryph located him again after returning to a clearing empty of Gyre. He ducked his head at the eyes that turned to stare, and mumbled softly, Soyrry Moonlight, soyrry eveyryone, she's just mad I didn't wait foyr heyr. Hush Moonlight, quiet now giyrl."

Elsewhere in the crowd Bloom was shoving her way through to the center and her stallion, crying out as she went, "Why does it matteyr if the biyrd flies? We have wings, we can follow! Keep it away while the foals ayre yrescued, oyr follow it and byring it back to talk! She puntuated her cries with loud whistles of impatience. Why were they just sitting around while there were foals to rescue? She voiced a particularly shrill whistle as she finally pushed her way through to Glint after almost putting someone's eye out with impatient wing flicks.

Gem turned her ears toward all of the noise the others were making as they asked more questions and let out their concerns. She decided not to speak up, since the majority of her questions had already been asked. She backed up slightly, looking over the rest of the crowd. She noticed samanayrs of different sizes, breeds, and of course a rainbow of colors.

      Spirit watched in awe as more and more Samanayrs came and went, investigating the source of the disturbance and large crowd. Some left, slinking away, hoping no one would notice their cowardice, and some left honorably, returning to foals of their own or just outright stating their unease at such a venture. Then there where those who chose to stay, to join their motley little crew. His fur started to stand on end as he watched the misery who had landed at the outskirts of the group. Miseries were bad news, but this one’s eyes did not hold the same anger that the other had shown. He shuddered a little remembering that encounter, before reassuring himself that certainly if there were to be any problems either he or Glint would be able to sense the anger before it happened. Spirit determined that he would try not to let his previous experience with the misery colour his interactions with this one who certainly wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t planning on helping out… right?

      As the Song of the High Ice made their way to the porch of the HQ alongside Glint, Spirit watched them carefully. He hoped that the water still left in their silky fur wouldn’t make them catch hypothermia on the journey, but then, they were Northerns and would be built to dry off as quickly as possible. Glint’s whistle brought his attention back to the present, and he listened carefully as the situation was explained in more details. When talk came to the taming of oquiesas, Spirit shuddered and leaned closer to S’qui. He had never quite understood how anyone could want to have an Oquiesa hanging around them, they were predators, designed to kill Samanayrs. No matter how well trained they were. The bird might be different though, as far as he knew there had been no other reports of a giant bird attacking songs, even the small ones tended to stay away from a well protected song, so maybe this was just a big misunderstanding.

      The talk then turned to questions and a sort-of controlled chaos started. Samanayrs were asking all sorts of questions, not waiting for an answer. Spirit himself had no questions he needed an answer to; the Song of the High Ice had answered many of them. He had opened his mind to them as they had been describing the attack and was able to catch brief glimpses of the attack as it replayed itself in their minds. Something about the attack seemed strange, but it was not something he could ask at this time, no one would have the answer. The mare with the delicate butterfly wings spoke up with a question about supplies. She had a good point equipment would need to be gathered. When a winged mare he had heard introduce herself as Chilling spoke up about finding food, he spoke out as well, “food might not be the most valuable commodity on this jouyrney, we may have need of medical supplies as well. Since I see no healeyrs among us what would we do should someone find themselves injuyred?”

      Spirit nodded towards the Song of High Ice before continuing, “I mean you no insult, but foals can be foolish. We may yreturn to youyr song to find an injuyred foal in need of help. They may be in a safe place, pyrotected fyrom the biyrd but should they leave that space foyr any yreason, and foals ayre veyry good at coming up with such yreasons they might find themselves in a yrather undesiyreable situation.”

      A few moments later, another Samanayr spoke up, this one a mystic, suggesting that he and Glint could look into the mind of the bird, sensing its emotions and thoughts. Spirit shifted uncomfortably, the kirins liked to be rather secretive about their species, and he didn’t feel entirely comfortable talking about him or his abilities out loud to other Samanayrs. Besides, if this bird was a new species, he wasn’t even entirely sure it’s mind would be open to him, or anyone else’s. He didn’t want anyone to get their hopes up prematurely so he left this question up to Glint since he was their leader.

      Smiling as a young Samanayr’s catgryph came chirping and whistling into the clearing, Spirit looked down at his own pet glad that he was much better behaved, sitting quietly next to him looking up at him loyally. He leant down and nuzzled the furry dragonet’s head, praising him with a mental command. S’qui’s nice warm fuzzy coat would come in quite handy on this journey, if any Samanayrs found themselves ill suited to the frozen northlands, he could send S’qui over to help warm them up.