
Xanadu Weyr - Forest
This broad path that leads from the main clearing into the forest has been designed in such a manner so as to be not only wide enough for wagons to travel through, but also providing ample space for dragons. The path appears only worn in the center though, as most of the traffic moving through this area is that of the two-legged kind. Flowers sprout up and speckle the lush grass with bright saffron and cheeky rose, creeping all the way up to the bases of the trees that rise upward in their aged magnificence, gargantuan limbs casting often welcome shade, the general atmosphere and scent of the path is one of freshness and wild abandon.
The path winds its way leisurely through the trees, deeper into the forest and a number of less traveled paths branch away from it. Southwest leads to the forest's edge near the base of the tumbled rocks that mark the wilder areas of the forest and the mountains that rise behind Xanadu. West leads to the Firelizard Theater, northeastward the path leads to the feeding grounds and beyond that the gravel road that bisects the paddocks leading to the bovine complex. East leads to the meadow where it joins both the road that crosses the bridge over the river leading to the clearing and the the coastal road that leads out of Xanadu bypassing the beach and the Caspian Lake. Here there are secluded spots where one might picnic.
The light amount of snowfall has drawn a growing group of people out to play: snowball fights, building snowmen, catching flakes with their tongues. Among the select few who don't seem to be joining in any reindeer games is Bowyn, sitting in a small clearing she's made for herself and whipping the fletching onto a number of arrows at her feet. The wild one's face is smudged with little patches of mud, her hands caked in it. She stops briefly to pull up the fur-lined hood of the heavy poncho-like garment she's wearing and try to warm up her hands a little. The hot drink Bo had brought out with her has now started to form a layer of ice on its surface, and the huntress wrinkles her nose at it, disappointed.
Kera tried the snowball games before, didn't work out so well. Thus the apprentice avoids them now it seems, besides, she's still on duty. Even if that duty has her wandering around in the forest digging little holes all over the place. She has an extra waist pouch looped into her belt and a trough with damp dirt still clumped to it clutched in her gloved hand. As she trails further away from the Weyr proper, she keeps track of it by the noises all Weyr's produce, namely, dragoncalls. Not really paying any attention to where she is going, her gaze mostly being on the ground, Kera crouches down and starts digging not far from the clearing Bowyn is working.
Nestled here and there in the forest are a variety of weyrs, connected by paths. Soriana heads along one of them, hands in the pockets of her jacket, and as she comes to a clear spot she turns her head to look up at the sky, watching the flakes drift down. She's oblivious to others for the moment, just watching the sky and the drifting flakes with a thoughtful half-smile.
Bowyn catches sight of Kera out of the corner of her eye, pulling the edge of her hood to the side so she can make sure it's really her. A little smile tugs at the corner of her mouth, and the huntress calls, "Well, look at that! Kera! Found your way to the forest after all, huh?" The young goldrider doesn't go unnoticed, either, the huntress making a slightly uncomfortable-looking face as she remembers her manners. She dips her head in the rider's direction and says, "Afternoon, miss."
Kera stabs the trough into the soil where a little sprout peeks above the ground. Working for a few seconds to pull dirt from the hole and widen it a bit, she stops and lifts her head at the voice. Peeking around, she spots the huntress and eyes the woman briefly before a polite nod and wary smile. "Hello there Bowyn. Yea, I'm to bring back some spice root for the Weyrhealer." Her gaze darts around, as if looking for likely escape paths if she needs to run quickly. Her perusal of the area puts Soriana in her sights and she gives a relieved smile.
Oh. There are people here. Soriana looks down from her moment of solitude with the sky, her gaze settling on Bowyn. The smile's still in place, though it turns less contemplative and more polite as she takes in the hunter and the arrows she's working with… and the uncomfortable face. The corner of her mouth quirks wryly. "Call me Soriana." On account of that's her name. Not, she expects, that Bowyn doesn't know it. Anyone who can recognize her enough to act polite probably also knows her name. The sound of Kera's voice draws Soriana's attention, and she gives the healer a smile and a small wave.
Bowyn tries to bite back a laugh when the apprentice so obviously scopes her out. "Relax, I'm not gonna drag you off into the bushes," she says. She ties off the whipping on an arrow and gives the fletching a light tug before moving onto the next. "Spice root? What does the Weyrhealer need spice root for?" Her nose wrinkles a little. Her wild green gaze turns back to the goldrider and she does manage a smile, scratching at the side of her head. "Soriana? You're Luraoth's, right?" And before she forgets, "I'm Bowyn. What brings you out today?"
Kera returns Soriana's smile but her hands are currently busy trying to pry a root from the hard packed soil. As she works, her gaze flickers between dirt, Bowyn and Soriana. But it's the huntress's comment that makes her snort and speak before her brainfilter can react. "That's not what you said in the pub over a sevenday ago." The apprentice shrugs and gives a final tug on the root, freeing it from teh hole. Kera brushes it mostly clean before dropping it in her pouch with others. She begins refilling the hole as she listens.
"That's right," Soriana says to Bowyn. "Weyrling Soriana, Luraoth's rider." There's maybe just a little bit of emphasis on the title, at least on the part where she's not a weyrwoman yet. She's just like… a dragon apprentice. And she'll cling to that as long as she can. "Nice to meet you," she adds, with a bit more smile. "Oh, I'm just on my way between places." A shrug, and then she glances to Kera. Dragging into bushes and… she arches an eyebrow between the other two. "Do I need to alert Galaxy to something, here?" Her tone is light, and she's still definitely smiling.
Bowyn guffaws at Kera's comment, letting her hand down to the ground so she can prop herself up and avoid falling over while she laughs. "Oh that's right! I was only trying to scare you," she says, picking her arrow project back up. "I promise I won't. It's no place for a young lady like you anyhow, the part of the forest I venture into." Not that she would let any harm come to her, but still. The weyrling's emphasis on her own title causes the huntress to smirk. "I keep forgetting you lot haven't graduated just yet. I remember when you Impressed! Luraoth is a lovely gold." Her smile is warm. At the mention of Galaxy, Bo snickers to herself. "Well, maybe! Seems I'm gaining the reputation of a kidnapper." She scratches her head again and mutters, through a chuckle, "Haven't even kidnapped anyone yet."
Yet? Kera eyes Bowyn, not sure if she's buying the line Bowyn gives about trying to scare her. As she brushes dirt from her gloves and scrapes the trough against a treetrunk to get it mostly dirtfree, the apprentice steps over a large clumping of grass and approaches the others. Answering the huntress's remark with one of her own "Mission accomplished then." Even though Bowyn has said she isn't Kera is still gonna be wary. Her attention drifts between the two other girls. "The Weyrhealer uses the spiceroot to cover the taste of some medicines." That in response to Bowyn's previously asked question and gives a little shake of ehr head to the goldling "G'afternoon Soriana, No, I don't think so. Yet."
"Snowslides, whersports, felines once you get deep enough…" Soriana tilts her head to Bowyn. "Though, there haven't been any sighted nearby recently… I don't think?" A slight questioning tone, since hunter'd likely know better than goldrider would. Sori nods at the part about her impression, and smiles fondly. "It seems like ages ago and yesterday. At the same time!" She laughs a little, then looks back to Kera. "Okay then." She grins. "Easier to start with a fresher trail, though!" A glance back to Bowyn, and a teasing tone. "So that goes for you, too. If you let us know before the kidnappings, it's much simpler all around."
Bowyn rolls her eyes a bit, but still seems in good humor. "Oh, what would I do with you if I /did/ kidnap you?" she asks, genuinely curious. "You have my word, I'm not going to steal you away." That's that. She tries to sound very matter-of-fact about it. At the query about felines, the huntress takes a deep breath and reflects for a moment. "Honestly, I've seen a couple of them close by, but it seems like they're only in passing. Generally they're staying away but I've a feeling it's only a temporary thing. I've been trying to trap and kill them as I find them, when they get a little too close to the Weyr for comfort. Don't want anyone getting hurt," she adds, thoughtfully." Bo laughs at the kidnapping comment and gives a sassy salute. "I think I can manage that."
Kera isn't sure how to respond to Bowyn's question so doesn't, simply shrugs. Smiling between the two others as they reminiece about the last hatching where Soriana impressed. Though she starts glancing around nervously when talk of felines close by is mentioned. Shaking her head after another glance around "I guess I should call this enough and start making my way back." The apprentice pats the pouch of spiceroot tubors she has collected. A little grin offered "Most definately will be staying on the trail. But the roots I had to look off trail cause there weren't any still close to the pat this time of turn."
"Hmm." Soriana frowns briefly at the report of nearby felines, but she nods. "Well, so long as we don't get any looking at our herds as easy dinner." Or at the weyrfolk, either! "But then, that's what we've got you for," a nod of her head to Bowyn, and the frown turns to a smile. "Making life hard for them." The salute makes Soriana grin. "Very good, then!" She glances back to Kera, and smiles. "The felines are mostly nocturnal, anyway… but I'd say finding any plants this time of year counts as an accomplishment. Your patients will thank you."
Bowyn glances over at Kera with a raised brow. "You're not gonna get eaten by a feline." Her voice is more serious than usual, and her expression has grown rather stern. "Just stick to the path. If you need to go very far, make sure you take someone with you." When Soriana speaks of the herds, the huntress shakes a dismissive hand and tuts. "No, they won't go near there. I know there are plenty of other hunters who've set up a good amount of traps to prevent them from going that far. Then you've got others like me," or just her, she doesn't say, "who get them before they even think about it." She eyes the soon-to-be Weyrwoman for a moment more, finishing the fletching on the arrow in hand before asking, "Do you have to keep up with all those kinds of reports and things even though you haven't graduated yet? I guess it would make sense for them to try to prepare you now."
Kera smiles at Soriana's words and nods her thanks. Bowyn's comments cause her to look around once more before she looks back to both of the others. "Well, you two stay safe out hee then. I'll just be heading back." She smiles and wiggles her fingers as she starts back towards the Weyr. Her steps are quick and she hopes she's out of sight before she starts running as if felines are after here.
Soriana nods about the herds, then smiles slightly about the reports. "I don't think I'd have time to read all of them, what with the other weyrling lessons." Soriana's lips quirk in a rueful expression. Does anyone have time? There are so very many reports. "But, yeah, I'm doing some of them. All the weyrlings do wing-shadowing, so that once we graduate, we can settle right in." Of course, for most of the weyrlings, that means shadowing multiple wings. "Which reports I see just depends which ones they want to explain to me that day." A half-grin, and then Soriana waves to Kera as she heads off. Out of sight, yes. Out of earshot… well. Sori tilts her head to the sound of running footsteps, and her smile is amused.
Bowyn waves a hand at Kera as she departs and calls "Later!" after her. Soriana has her full attention now. The huntress abandons her project for the time being, shoving the extra fletching materials into a pouch on her belt and wrapping the arrows and extra shafts in a cloth to keep them dry. "I think that would be fun," she says. "It must be nice to be eased into it like that. Does every weyrling get assigned to a wing once they Impress, or do they get chosen later?" She picks up the mug of a once-hot drink she had brought and stands to stretch her legs and back. Eyeing the cup with a frustrated sigh, Bo taps at the layer of ice with her finger, hoping there's liquid still underneath.
"It is, sometimes." And sometimes it brings new levels of boring, but hey. Soriana's got a smile in place. At the question, her brows lift, and then she shakes her head, laughing a little. "Oh, no. Weyrlings are assigned wings around when they graduate. Sometimes it takes a bit for things to get decided - they take temporary positions somewhere, or keep rotating until they settle down with a wing for good. It depends on the weyrling, really." And is a headache for Weyrlingmaster and Weyrleader to work out, not her. Soriana glances at the cup. "Experimenting with iced klah?"
Bowyn nods her head with a soft, "Oooh, I see." Then she asks, "Are you disappointed that you won't get bounced around to other wings, or are you pretty content with being stuck in the leadership one?" She takes a few steps closer and then laughs at her comment about the klah. "Involuntarily so, yes. It was hot not so long ago. I stopped keeping an eye on it. Got too involved in hunter stuff."
Isn't that just the question. Soriana's smile is a little crooked, now. "I plan to be the sort of leader who knows what's going on by more than just reports." She sighs. "Sometimes it's more of a choice than others, but I'm still glad Luraoth found me." The smile now is one fond of her absent dragon, and then she shakes her head as if to clear the heavy topic from it. Iced klah, yes. She hehs, and nods. "Well, I'm off to the caverns, I think. If you wanted to come freshen it?"
Bowyn regards the weyrling with interest and curiosity, tipping her head and not mustering much of a response other than "Hm." Seems her thoughts have taken her somewhere else. Then, "I think you'll be a good leader if that's the way you think. I'm not worried about you." Was she before? A weary look down at her mug and she nods her head, tossing her hood back and running a dirty hand through her hair. "I suppose I'll follow you there," she says with a smile. "I might as well head to the hot springs, too. I'm a right mess." With that, the little huntress wanders toward the Weyr.
Oh, thoughts. There are plenty of those! Soriana tilts her head curiously to Bowyn, her lips quirking at the approval. And just what does worry this huntress? …she doesn't ask. Not now, anyway. They head back to the Weyr, both of them mostly caught in their own thoughts, and Soriana waves farewell to Bowyn in the caverns before heading back into the admin hallway. The Land of Leaders.