Wandering Hearts (Gypsy and Tribe)

[Songhue]

Sunray came faster than she had anticipated, and was she ever glad for such a thing! Better to have him barrel into her than to have him lost to such a desolate place as this.

Her breath was coming in quivering gasps by the time he neared her, the pain of the portal almost too much to bear. It wasn't meant to remain open and the vast distance was trying very hard to close behind her. She could feel something dripping down the single leg that remained and knew it had begun to slice or burn into her. She would lose the limb before much longer, but there was no need to fret on that; Sunray was here, and warning of followers.

Whatever it was that remained in this place was nothing that the likes of them had any business messing with. By some luck there was a slight glow around Sunray as well, granting her the benefit of watching his progress by the way he lit the ground beneath him; and it was a true boon, for she reached ahead, stretching her neck as far as she could, and grabbed for him. She did her best to latch firmly onto his withers with her teeth, and she was being none too shy about it; he may likely be left with some sort of wound from her bite. Best to get a hard grip than to chance losing him, though. For that same reason she reared at the same time, doing her level best to wrap one front leg around his ribs and the other across his chest, even as she stomped with both back legs as hard as she could.

She wasn't certain if the stomp would dislodge her enough to propel her the rest of the way into this realm, so she had been cautious not to lift her hoof overmuch on the single leg that remained on the far-off beach; it didn't help that she was quickly losing control of the limb in question as the nerves were overloaded and began to shut down. Would it count as a kick? Would they notice? Best she try again, just to be safe...

Before she could do more than shift her weight backwards, before she could try kicking more firmly with the hope of spraying them all with sand, she felt the leg in question get hauled on, tearing her backwards. It was all she could do to keep the one leg on the ground still, her final back limb scrambling to pull her weight back towards the portal as she held on to Sunray with every scrap of trembling strength that remained to her. They would pull, but she wouldn't be a limp dead weight; not while Sunray was at risk. It wasn't in her to sit passively as others stepped up to handle that which was needed.

All they needed was to get back to the beach before the following things caught up to them; the portal would disappear with the absence of their disturbance. All she would have to do is to push against the insistence of the frail portal, the urge to have her spit into this world rather than back to the realm of the wishing well. Luckily, it was such a weak and poorly constructed passage to begin with that she didn't anticipate any real trouble with defying its original purpose.

It worked; whatever the results, for good or ill, it worked as she shoved backwards, as they all pulled, as the entirety of their group came together with the single purpose of retrieving their Sunray.

She found herself tumbled back onto the beach, her limbs giving way entirely as she broke free of the temporary opening - one that she now believed had been hastily constructed by some passerby to rid themselves of some trouble, for why else would anyone wish to enter such a horrid place? The shock of breaking through the thin barrier had overloaded her system, that final burst of pain burning through her and searing away the last of her strength with something that may have looked remarkably like a seizure for any who knew of such events. Her legs gave out entirely, but she bit all the harder, determined not to lose a grip on Sunray, even as she felt the sand of their beach spray over her haunches. She wasn't leaving him behind.

There was a faint, sizzling pop, and she knew before the ability to see even returned to her that the portal had collapsed on itself; that wasn't a surprise either. Her back left leg felt almost useless, her fetlock bruised from where the tangle of kelp had gripped her, her hip strained from having herself hauled in, and a seared and sliced brand bisecting the flesh over her cannon. She lay in a heap in the sand, the crab still swinging from her forelock and waving the other claw in a rather disgruntled manner, and her sides were heaving as she tried to remember how to breathe through the last of the trembling that still clawed at her muscles; a comically pathetic sight, if ever there was one, and well would she deserve any mockery the others lay upon her for the mess she had become. Already she feared their blame and consternation for failing to lead them as safely through the floating passageways as she had promised to. She knew what kind of ripples to seek out in the air; they didn't. It shouldn't have been beyond her ability to notice that this one hadn't been properly tethered and would drift aside to reach one of these lovely serians; these who she had hoped would join her as circle-bound, granting her the chance to finally have her own tribe, and the blessed ability to hold her Magpie, her Gypsy stallion, as a true mate.

Would they still want her, after all this? They were a fine group, these bond-kin of her Gypsy, and she a trembling mess coated in sand and... whimpering? Was she seriously whimpering through her stuttering breaths? Yes, yes she was. The pain of her leg had begun to sink in as the shaking had begun to ease, and the ache in her hip was certainly no more than that - no dislocations, thankfully - but the cut that had seared into her cannon, the spot the portal had tried to close over her leg, stank of burned flesh and ash and rotted blood.

Better than losing the limb entirely, she supposed.

With a great effort of willpower, she managed to stop her pathetic whimpering as her eyes finally began to focus again, only to realize that she had been missing quite a bit of sound while she had flopped and twitched over the beach. She would have to parse that together in a moment; her first concern was to ensure that she hadn't lost her grip on Sunray, that he was here with her, and that she hadn't accidentally bitten to the bone in her desperate attempt to return him to his people.

His people, for now; perhaps their people in time, if they could forgive such a misstep on her part. And perhaps not; but if not they, then she was certain she and Gypsy would simply search out those who were better suited to become their soul-bonded family. He, at the very least, she didn't doubt; not with as long as she had admired him from afar. Her Gypsy was a wanderer, just as she was, and he would be well familiar with both missteps and the absolute mess that one became at times.

She had little doubt he would be eager for details of wherever it was that she had seen, not that she could grant many of them. Sunray would perhaps have more to share, but that would be for her sweet magpie stallion to glean from him.

Because surely, surely she hadn't lost her grip. Surely he was here, still attached by the teeth she had buried into his flesh, probably dragged down to the sand with her as she collapsed, and eager to have her let go already so he could get to his feet. It would be another moment or ten before she could try to stand herself - her muscles still twitched uncertainly - but Sunray must be eager to be out of the sand.

In that first instance of having sense return to her, Tribe's entire focus was bent towards making certain that she had brought the stallion with her. The rest would follow.

[Vineda]

Gypsy's attention was in many places at once. On his Tribe, whose leg and whole body had begun to tremble so badly one might call is spasms. On the fact that every one of their party was so eager to get Tribe and Sunray back, that they all rushed in to pull in what became a mighty burst. On Sunray, whose sweat lathered form had flown through the portal entangled with his love and with teeth sunk into the mane and neck below it just as hers were sunk into his. Both sported dazed expressions and dribbles of blood flowing down their shoulders. Attention briefly lighted on the writhing black mass of goop that had flown back after them and landed on the sand after the distortion in the air that was the portal snapped closed on it with a pop. Though it had writhed, it stayed put so he afforded it no more attention.

Sunray!

Tribe, you're brilliant!

Oh, thank goodness!

Well done my love!

The others rushed in as well, Fancy nuzzling Sunray's grip from Tribe's neck and attending to him. Treasure joined him at Tribe's side, and Avvie went straight for Tribe's singed-smelling leg. He did not afford her the choice, simply murmured to Hold, brave one. And thinking of his powder-fine snow covered mountains, he laid his neck across the ugly wound around her cannon, chin tucking under and chest close so that the entire surface of her scalded skin was embraced by the gentle cooling effect of his skin. At the very least, it would numb.

Gypsy returned from the beach front, having carefully skirted the distortions. He'd begun kicking up the sand in front of him, and the disappearance of sand in those portal spots made them more obvious. It aided his desire for speed. Now he nuzzled a more-wet-than-damp cloth over Tribe's face, her cheeks, her neck and murmured soothings into her ear. You're safe my love, you brought him back, all's well...


Treasure drifted now between the two, monitoring and assessing. Fancy leaned in to support her sunny mate, who made his way to Tribe with anxiety etched in every line of his face. Lady, I surely owe you my life. Please, is there anything I can do to help you?
How can we help?
How are you feeling, dear? A sympathetic kindness, gentle and soothing, echoed the others. Treasure knew it might just take a bit of rest and time, but no initiatives would be started without the say so of their brave leader.

[Songhue]

You brought him back...

A dampened cloth eased the grime and sticky sweat that coated her face, although she couldn't for the life of her think of where it may have come from. She didn't have her teeth in Sunray anymore - she could finally tell that much as her body began to settle back to normal. But the words of her Gypsy finally managed to sink in, and she let out a shuddering sigh of relief as she carefully raised her head, blinking dazedly at everyone gathered around.

What had they been saying? She had to think about it for a moment, but eventually it came to her.
How can we help?
How are you feeling?

She may have some explaining to do, and perhaps a few more cautionary words to pass along. She had seen flying sand from the corner of her eye as she had begun to regain the ability to focus her senses again, and that was another danger entirely. Some of these passageways were meant to work in both directions, and calling attention to a doorway with unknowns lingering on the other side was rather ill advised.

Some of them, such as the one that had just caused all this trouble, weren't meant to be stepped through; instead, it was intended that one simply touched upon the opening and instantly vanished, nose to tail. She had needed to root her hoof on this beach to try and circumnavigate that reaction and even then, it was a long shot at best that it would work at all. It had only been successful because of the weak state of the passage at all; it was truly a poorly constructed thing, made in haste and with great distress. Burying her back hoof in the sand, rather than merely standing upon it, had given enough of a link of attachment to allow her to retain some kind of opening; just as the attachment of her and Sunray latching to each other as if they were but a single being had allowed him to return with her.

They had no way of knowing it, but they had gotten extremely lucky. If but one variable had failed to prove in their favor, they would be taking a very long route back home.

To her, wanderer that she was, the potential of such places that these passageways could open upon was vastly more appealing than the risk that they presented was repellant. There was always risk, after all; none could escape that, not even they who remained at home, safe in theory. The risk was greater while one wandered - but the experiences, the rewards were also infinitely greater. It wasn't possible for her to simply exist, not when one could go and truly embrace the experiences that life could offer.

Gypsy, she knew, would understand that. The others? She could but hope. Part of her still feared their consternation for being brought to such a location in the first place, in spite of their kind words.

Speaking of their kindness, she was finally regaining the ability to project her speech; it was rather a difficult concept while one's mind was utterly scrambled.

Sunray? You're well, sugarplum?

The words came unbidden, for she was certain that the frail portal hadn't collapsed as they passed through it; she was fairly positive that not a single hair on his tail had been damaged from it. Still, she had to check, had to ask. She needed that confirmation. What if he had twisted an ankle while scrambling around in that dark, desolate place? Or lodged something in a hoof? She had to check.

She also had to answer the words that had been directed towards her. Far it be it from her to ignore any of them.

My dears... I need water, please, she rasped, and although she answered the question of what they might do for her, her body responded to Gypsy. She leaned into him, pressing against the cloth that he wiped her with, turning her nose towards his scent, her ears perking hopefully at the gentle hum of his breathing. He was rarely ever truly quiet, this great stallion, this beautiful creature she had fallen in love with. She had heard him as she fell back though; the sounds made no sense to her then or now, but she had sensed his voice calling to her, just as she had asked. It would be some time before she could dance for him, but it would also be her honor to do so again.

Water to drink, she repeated, speaking into her beloved's mane, and a shoulder to help me up would be most appreciated, my friends. She didn't understand how, but her leg was feeling remarkably better; numbed, at the least, although she still smelled the blood and burned flesh. She would have to stand soon to see if any of the tendons had been damaged. A simple matter of harming the skin would be of no consequence, but if the tendons that made up the whole of her lower leg had been damaged, she would be all but useless. If naught else, there would be a splint needed, and fashioning one would take precious time.

The question was where they might find water at the moment. The wishing well was safe to drink from, but here along the beach there was mostly the salty sea; the clean streams that ran from the top of the great, snowy peaked mountain ahead of them were still buried in the lush forest.

Perhaps she was asking too much.

Or just help me rise she amended, and with a rather obvious effort managed to pull her muzzle away from her beloved Gypsy to regard the others. Her body was still trembling, but the spasmodic twitching had finally ceased, and her senses seemed to have returned to her in full. If I can stand, I can help to find some ingredients for a poultice that will help me to get moving again. Some of them are lodged in my tail - no washpot, as I'm not entirely certain what that even is she added with a twinkling smile to her Gypsy, but a few roots that will be useful. And her bag; she had forgotten about that, the small gemmed bag that could help to filter the salt out of the seawater. It took some work, but it was useful; and surely Sunray could use a drink himself, after his mad dash...

But no, that would cause them to backtrack down the beach. Better to press onward and find the fresh streams, instead; they would be free of the portal belt by that point. For some reason the wishing well refused to place the passageways too near the forest; always they landed along the beach, with very rare exceptions. The trick was to find a marker to request that it appear close to. She would take note of some part of forestry as they neared the safety of the tree line and make certain that the others were aware of it as well; whatever portal they created would appear well past the dangerous zone of open beach, allowing them to arrive in relative safety. It became a matter of merely reaching that safety.

And she would get them to that safe zone. If anything, she was more determined than ever.

But first, she had to figure out how to stand again.

One step at a time.