Just Some Time to Wander [Private|Self-Mod]

[Aydyn Blair]

Evening of Thera
Fifth Cycle of Kalendryas
Season of Winter

After a long day at work, Aydyn had thrown together a pack of her belongings--a change of clothing, enough bread to get her through a brightening, a flask of water and dish for the alicats, along with a large chicken that could be split into breakfast and lunch for the two winged felines--and departed the city to spend an evening and part of the next brightening in the wilderness. Some might consider her daft for daring such, given her limited number of skills for defense, but she needed to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city for just one night.

Aydyn rode Adagio out of the city as the suns were setting. Tucked in a small basket strapped to her saddle were the alicats, who whined occasionally about the cold, though it did keep the still and huddled within the wicker basket for warmth. She rode northeast, back in the direction of the woods she had passed along on her way to Mystique from Acumin. Once a small distance from the city--she wanted to keep the walls in sight--she dismounted along the edge of the trees and tied Adagio to the trunk of a slender tree. She hated to leave the alicats unattended, but hoped they'd stay in the safety of their basket as she searched for bits of wood.

Tugging at the gloves on her hands, as if hoping to keep out the cold, Aydyn ducked beneath a low hanging branch and began a hunt for enough sticks to create a decent fire for the evening.

[Aydyn Blair]

The bundle of sticks that she gathered was almost pathetic. They were mostly thin and scraggly, hardly what one would call kindling wood, but these she piled on top of a few larger pieces of wood that she had managed to work free of scattered winter debris and icy snow. Rotting as they were and a little damp, she was positive that they might work just fine so long as her arcana did not fail her.

The fire she built was small and pitiful, but with only herself, the horse, and the alicats, she had no use for something akin to a bonfire. Arranging the sticks, she glanced over at the basket where the alicats were poking their heads out, peering at her with inquisitive gold and green eyes. They were always loathe to leave their basket when the air beyond it was far colder than the warmth of them huddled against one another. They'd come out once the fire was started. As for Adagio, she shifted restlessly where she had been tethered and chewed at a low-hanging tree branch.

Looking down at the gathered bundle of sticks and wood chunks, Aydyn tended next to the saddlebags, which she removed from the plainsbred's back, transferring the few items into one half, then arranging it on the ground so she could sit on the empty half. She sat close to the stick bundle, a few short feet away, and folded her hands in her lap.

[Aydyn Blair]

Cold as it was, the concentration necessary for Clara took a little longer than it might have were she tucked safely away within the walls of her small home rather than shivering in the near-darkness of the winter wilderness. But she focused, drawing in deep breaths and gradually allowing the sensations of the world around her, then her thoughts, to slip away.

When she finally reached the desired state, she smiled faintly, welcoming the shifty of arcane energies that whisked around her. They had become friendly and warm in and of themselves since she had opened herself to the arcane. And she reached out to them, drawing the Ara and mingling it with her Vis, shaping it into Mana before drawing at the the essence of Nature that was required to complete the shape of the spell.

This is when she turned her thoughts to the innards of the sticks and wood. She wrapped her spell into a globe, injecting into it the heat and flicker of the fire. Heat the wood, burn the grains. Then...she released the shaped globe within the center of the wood bundle.

[Aydyn Blair]

Leaning forward, the scent of wood smoke rising off the fire, Aydyn had only to wait a short moment before the heated insides of the wood burst into a small sputter of flame. The flame spread quickly, engulfing the small fire in a crackle of red, orange, and blue. Small as it was, it was still a gratifying thing to see and she held her hands towards it, feeling the warmth lick against her palms.

As if summoned, her two alicats climbed their way from the basket, Whimsy nearly knocking Mosaia to the ground as the blue socksey used her sister's head as a launch pad. They spiraled down towards the snow-covered ground, Mosaia flinching and eventually bouncing into Aydyn's lap to avoid the cold dampness. Whimsy, however, had no reservations and she romped in the snow, fluttering upwards and then darting down, dive-bombing invisible prey...all the while remaining close to the fire.

Stroking the red and orange head of Mosaia, Aydyn gazed around her. The night was mostly quiet, riddled with the rustle of bare tree branches decorated with ice and the occasional hoot of a hunting owl. The suns were just setting, the barest hint of color dappling the horizon. She loved sunsets...though she preferred the sunrise above all. She would give anything to simply be able to see every sunrise from now until eternity... A silly wish, and a passing whim...hardly anything she'd push towards reality. After all, who would really wish to live forever? That would be an utter disruption to the cycle of life and that was abhorred above all things.

[Aydyn Blair]

Dislodging Mosaia from her lap, Aydyn hurried to gather a reserve of sticks and wood for the fire to keep it going through a majority of the night. Traveling alone in the freezing temperatures of winter might not be the smartest thing, but there she was...in the middle of the wilderness, alone and doing her best to keep warm. She would be grateful for when spring rolled around, then finally summer. She could freely travel outside of the city without worrying that she might freeze to death!

With the fire gathered, Aydyn gave the alicats some dinner, a chicken she had brought with her wrapped in brown paper. She cut parts of it off with her dagger--the only real use she had for the thing--and handed two separate parts to either alicat. They set upon the meat almost immediately, chewing apart the poultry and gnawing on bones happily. With their dinner settled, she wiped her hands--and the dagger--clean on the saddlebag before pulling out her own dinner of bread and cheese.

She was half-way through her own meal when the alicats began to wind themselves around her, purring and mewing softly. Water...the flying cats wanted water. As if a quick lick of the snow wouldn't suffice. She dug her water flask out along with the only bowl that she had bothered to bring along. She set it on the snow and they immediately redirected their attention there instead. Then Aydyn sat back down and finished what she had.

[Aydyn Blair]

The night was relatively uneventful, with Aydyn remaining up long enough to pile on a rather large amount of sticks and wood chunks to liven the flame of the fire. She woke several times through the night as the winter chill won over the warmth of the dying fire and more than just a couple of times she added more to the crackling fire pit before curling up asleep again, her alicats nestled against her for warmth.

When morning came, Aydyn was more than just a little sore, feeling as if she had fell asleep with her back pressed against some roots. Or maybe it was just because the ground was cold and hard, not exactly the best place for a nap much less a bed for the evening. She rubbed her hands along her back, twisting at the waist and listening for the dull pop of aching bones.

Aydyn had barely sat up when the winged felines began rubbing themselves along her arms and sides, Whimsy mewing loudly while Mosaia resorted to a loud, resonant purr. "All right, all right," she murmured, nudging them gently aside with the flats of her hands to give her some room to stand.

It was barely dawn, the visible sun still low against the horizon, creating a backdrop of rich reds, oranges, blues and purples. Something like the fire that had burned so brilliantly the night before. She looked at the charred embers that glowed dully against the early morning light. She'd have bothered to rekindle it were she staying longer...but she'd much prefer a little more wandering before she had to head back to the city.

[Aydyn Blair]

Picking up the sack at her feet, Aydyn pulled out and unwrapped the remaining bits of chicken for the alicats and carefully arranged them on the ground. While they attacked the meat, Aydyn pulled a small bowl from her travel bag. She sat down and settled this in front of her before she began to focus again on drawing herself into Clara. Perhaps it would have been easier to simply bring water with her when she went out, but she relished every opportunity she got to practice her skills and this was simply one of those easy times to do so.

She shut her eyes, blocking out visual interruptions, and loosened the tense muscles on her body as she worked her way into Meditation. The alicats gnawed on the chicken bones, and from nearby Adagio shifted and snorted, but gradually she filtered away the noises, blocked out the harsh scent of the dying fire, and forgot about the cold sting of the frozen ground. Clara encased her and she opened her eyes again with a sense of satisfaction as she felt and saw the energies that draped themselves within the world around her.

From there, she drew in the Ara, combined it with her own Vis, and then continued to Shape the energy as she drew on the Nature Essence, focusing on pulling the moisture from the snow around her and depositing it into the basin of the alicat's water bowl. Then she released the spell and watched as the liquid gathered. Create Water was certainly one of the more useful spells.

[Aydyn Blair]

As food wasn't exactly plentiful for the mare, Aydyn pulled an apple from her bag and held it out until Adagio had swept it from her open palm, large teeth smashing the juicy fruit until all traces were gone. Aydyn gave the plainsbred a second apple before redirecting her attention to finally feeding herself some of the bread and cheese. After she had eaten, she pulled out her flask, uncorked it and drank.

By then her alicats had finished with their own meals and drinks and swarmed Aydyn, Mosaia perching herself directly on Aydyn's lap and rubbing her chin against the Druid's chest. Whimsy fluttered in the air, swatting and gnawing at Aydyn's hair with a few passing swoops before Aydyn finally grabbed the socksy out of the air and ruffled the fur along the feline's back. "I know, it's cold out," she murmured sympathetically, gently tapping Whimsy's nose as the alicat chewed on her hand.

"Let's start back," she declared after a moment, sweeping Mosaia off her lap and settling Whimsy back in the basket that she hitched again to the saddle. It took a few tries to get both alicats to settle, but once they both seemed to realize that Aydyn was heading out, they cuddled together for warmth, only occasionally daring to sweep a paw out of the basket as they meandered their way back to the city.

[Oracle]

OOC: I'll go ahead and give you one point for your druidic training for use of shiny spells. >> *slaps approved sticker on thread*