07-02-2017, 10:42 PM
By the time winter finally rolled around into Beqanna, Thanata felt ready. The mare couldn't deny she still felt pretty nervous, with the job she had ahead of her and all. She'd received her training and had Nymphetamine's blessing to go out to the Loess territory and see if the kingdom could provide a worthy alliance for the Tephra, but to be taking on such an important task like this, it's no wonder she was a big uneasy.
When Nymphetamine first called all the diplomats together and handed out their assigned tasks, Thanata did feel prepared. But, looking back, she realized she was prepared to feel important, to show she could handle such an important task, rather than actually take it on. The mare wanted to prove herself worthy to the Tephra, to show she could be a valued member. It wasn't that she was afraid she would be removed from the territory for not pulling her end of the workload, but she did worry she'd be looked down upon by the other kingdom members if she didn't contribute.
Which is why she'd jumped the gun and told Nymphetamine she was ready, even though she'd never done anything like this by herself. It was too late to back out now though, so swallowing her nervousness and bidding Nymphetamine farewell with a promise to return with news soon, Thanata departed the Tephra and made her way to the Loess territory.
Though another diplomat had been assigned to territories on the same side of the mainland as Loess, Thanata did not encounter any of them as they had probably all taken different routes in their journeys to the other kingdoms, like Sylva, Nerine, Hyaline, and the Taiga. Loess was sort of smack in the middle, so Thanata didn't see why she wouldn't have encountered them. But it wasn't her business; they all had jobs to do.
Given that Tephra and Loess were on opposite sides of Beqanna, the trip did take a few days. Thanata didn't take time to stop a lot, except for when she got hungry. Then she'd rest a while, nibble on some grass she could find beneath the snow, nap for an hour, and then be on her way. But given she hardly stopped, wanting to return with news as soon as possible, the black mare found herself at Loess' border around three days after she'd departed home.
Thanata knew she was reaching the border when she felt the footing beneath her change. Even though the ground was covered in a blanket of snow, Thanata's large structure made her sink a little beneath the white powder. As such, she felt the land change from the soft earthen meadows of the Field and Forest to the craggy mountain bluffs that lined Loess' border. Pieces of flora stuck up from the snow due to the unique plant life here, though there was a heavy sense in the air since it was wintertime.
At one point, Thanata's gut told her to stop. She wasn't entirely sure if this was the edge of the border that lined Loess, but she'd rather risk that being the case than entering the territory without permission. The mare's eyes scanned the white blanket covering the land, knowing that now she was here, she could not stop. But was she really ready? Was she ready to face such an important task, to speak with a member of Loess' territory and explain why she was here? Omitting certain facts of course, not wanting to give away too much and possibly endanger her home.
Thanata quickly ran over some of the facts known about Loess. Not much info about the territories was passed around unless horses actually went there to investigate. Most of the info she had came from what she'd learned in the Field on her way here. The land was ruled by a mare, a golden one named Head. It was rumored she originated from another territory called the Taiga, but others had their own versions of the story.
Thanata would worry about that if she confronted the mare herself. For now, she could not worry about who she'd encounter, more like what, instead. If the horse was a threat, or not happy to welcome strangers even if they sincerely meant no harm and if Thanata kept thinking like that she'd start suffering a panic attack.
She could not dwell on this any longer, not if she wanted to get over her fear and report back to Nerine. Sucking in a breath and swallowing her fear at the same time, the black mare tilted her head back and let out a call to the residents of Loess. It was not a threatening call, or a summons, but rather a question, to see if there were any here that would answer her and see what she wanted.
Once finished, the mare waited patiently, somewhat eager to see who would appear from the white drift and ask her to tell of her business here.
When Nymphetamine first called all the diplomats together and handed out their assigned tasks, Thanata did feel prepared. But, looking back, she realized she was prepared to feel important, to show she could handle such an important task, rather than actually take it on. The mare wanted to prove herself worthy to the Tephra, to show she could be a valued member. It wasn't that she was afraid she would be removed from the territory for not pulling her end of the workload, but she did worry she'd be looked down upon by the other kingdom members if she didn't contribute.
Which is why she'd jumped the gun and told Nymphetamine she was ready, even though she'd never done anything like this by herself. It was too late to back out now though, so swallowing her nervousness and bidding Nymphetamine farewell with a promise to return with news soon, Thanata departed the Tephra and made her way to the Loess territory.
Though another diplomat had been assigned to territories on the same side of the mainland as Loess, Thanata did not encounter any of them as they had probably all taken different routes in their journeys to the other kingdoms, like Sylva, Nerine, Hyaline, and the Taiga. Loess was sort of smack in the middle, so Thanata didn't see why she wouldn't have encountered them. But it wasn't her business; they all had jobs to do.
Given that Tephra and Loess were on opposite sides of Beqanna, the trip did take a few days. Thanata didn't take time to stop a lot, except for when she got hungry. Then she'd rest a while, nibble on some grass she could find beneath the snow, nap for an hour, and then be on her way. But given she hardly stopped, wanting to return with news as soon as possible, the black mare found herself at Loess' border around three days after she'd departed home.
Thanata knew she was reaching the border when she felt the footing beneath her change. Even though the ground was covered in a blanket of snow, Thanata's large structure made her sink a little beneath the white powder. As such, she felt the land change from the soft earthen meadows of the Field and Forest to the craggy mountain bluffs that lined Loess' border. Pieces of flora stuck up from the snow due to the unique plant life here, though there was a heavy sense in the air since it was wintertime.
At one point, Thanata's gut told her to stop. She wasn't entirely sure if this was the edge of the border that lined Loess, but she'd rather risk that being the case than entering the territory without permission. The mare's eyes scanned the white blanket covering the land, knowing that now she was here, she could not stop. But was she really ready? Was she ready to face such an important task, to speak with a member of Loess' territory and explain why she was here? Omitting certain facts of course, not wanting to give away too much and possibly endanger her home.
Thanata quickly ran over some of the facts known about Loess. Not much info about the territories was passed around unless horses actually went there to investigate. Most of the info she had came from what she'd learned in the Field on her way here. The land was ruled by a mare, a golden one named Head. It was rumored she originated from another territory called the Taiga, but others had their own versions of the story.
Thanata would worry about that if she confronted the mare herself. For now, she could not worry about who she'd encounter, more like what, instead. If the horse was a threat, or not happy to welcome strangers even if they sincerely meant no harm and if Thanata kept thinking like that she'd start suffering a panic attack.
She could not dwell on this any longer, not if she wanted to get over her fear and report back to Nerine. Sucking in a breath and swallowing her fear at the same time, the black mare tilted her head back and let out a call to the residents of Loess. It was not a threatening call, or a summons, but rather a question, to see if there were any here that would answer her and see what she wanted.
Once finished, the mare waited patiently, somewhat eager to see who would appear from the white drift and ask her to tell of her business here.