"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
The trip was not a terribly long one. From the Den they passed through the playground. A sprawling spot meant for youngsters, with trees ancient and towering. Some had fallen, creasing the grasses with natures own obstacle course. It was a pleasant place for children, though Weir had never seen very many take advantage of this spot.
From the playground they skirted Forest Frontiers, and then cut through Golden Plains. A territory set on the edges of the Dale Kingdom, one filled with flowing stalks of golden grasses. It was a quaint spot, with the mighty river cutting right through and ending in a grand pool of fresh water. Then, they reached the forest that lined the western side of the Dale.
A welcoming place, nothing but great trees over their heads and birds tittering delightfully as they passed. Weir liked the wooded area, for a time he had sought refuge within the leaves and branches. Now, it was simply a wonderful place to explore, with an extensive list of plant matter and animals to study or befriend. Weir personally, liked to do both.
"Neva, Welcome to the Dale." He stopped for another rest, as he had been sure to do, not only to accommodate the girl- but himself. He kept it leisurely, as always, a gentle pace set to observe as well as make for an enjoyable journey. "Here are the forests, naturally." He nodded, gesturing to the expanse of greens and browns that they currently had a break in. "Ahh, hear that? Seiurus aurocapilla, an Ovenbird." Several of the small speckle-breasted birds warbled a tune on the forest floor.
"Do you see his orange striped head?" He blinks at the small birds, strutting along the ground like tiny chickens. "His house is a leaf-covered dome, and well, it looks like an oven." He chuckles as though it is some sort of joke.
FIRST WE'LL MAKE SNOW ANGELS FOR TWO HOURS THEN WE'LL GO ICE SKATING
The trip is short for an adult, but long for a young thing like herself. By the time they reach the Dale, her thin legs are shaking with the effort. She’s almost too tired to take in their surroundings, but when they do finally stop to rest in the Dale itself, she manages a quick glance around and is immediately blown away.
The Dale is nothing like the den - there’s green (green!) everywhere she looks. She lets out a little gasp of wonder. It’s more beautiful than anything else she’s seen in her short life. She’s too tired now though to do any exploring. She immediately leans into Weir’s speckled side, snuggling into the warmth. He’s gesturing to something though and she pulls her head out of his shoulder to blink at the little birds surrounding them. “S-serus auwoca-capiya?” In her tired state, the latin words make even less sense than they would have normally. “Ovenbird,” is much simpler though. She likes that name better.
Her little brown eyes finally focus on the creature, noticing the orange stripe on its head, and the speckled feathers. “They’re pretty.” It’s more brightly plumed than any bird she’s ever seen - there were only crows in the den. But she’s not really sure about these other things that Weir is talking about. “Oven? What’s an oven?” She knows nothing about such human contraptions. Not yet anyway.
A great yawn escapes her and she once again buries her face in Weir’s side, leaving a long frosty streak on his coat. “Mister Weir I’m tired.” Hopefully there’s somewhere nearby where she can take a nap.
Weir smiles, lost in his own land of endless information, never ending stories and facts and nonsense. His amber eyes follow the scurrying young bird, darting from the underbrush back to the safety of it's little home. He knew the feeling of safety one could find in such a structure, much like early man and their caves.
It's pretty
The soft sound of her voice dances in his ears and he turns, nodding his rusty head at her. "Pretty indeed, a likable enough bird I should say." Weir knows this is nothing compared to species that boasted hues so bright and vibrant- the envy of any rainbow. It's just that there were none to be had at the moment, none whatsoever so they would have to wait.
Oven? What's an oven? The sound of soft song plays again and before he can reply another voice cut in to the clearing.
"An oven? Why an oven is something used to cook food with. Make it hot, for eating, it's something humans do." Accompanying the voice is a very large reptile, one that is green with a great shell upon his back. His neck is long and gives him the appearance of being much taller than he truly is, though his eyes are kind as he ambles towards them.
"Ah, right you are Darwin, as you can see I've returned. This is Neva, she'll be staying with us here in the Dale."
The tortoise makes a whistling noise, nodding once before a grand turtley smile pulls his mouth up. "Yes I can see you are back indeed, and well, it is a great pleasure Neva." He dips his long neck, lower in his green head in a bow. "I am Darwin, the kindest and handsomest of Galapagos tortoises I can assure you." He chuckles and stops when the yawn leaks from the child's mouth.
"Oh! Yes right, a rest would do hmm?" Weir exclaims, sending flurries of snow swirling about them. "Just a moment here...and..yes we'll have a well deserved nap." The cold deepens as the drift of flakes take shape, forming cubes of snow in a circle, building up, up, up. Before long, they are encased in a grand igloo, just big enough for the three though Darwin did not nap.
"There we are Neva, cozy and snug." He finds a place beside her, using his side to cuddle around her for protection and warmth.
FIRST WE'LL MAKE SNOW ANGELS FOR TWO HOURS THEN WE'LL GO ICE SKATING
She’s decided that she quite likes Weir. He’s a bit funny, especially in the way that he talks, but he’s also very kind, and very interesting. Both very important things to a girl of her age.
She can’t help but smile as he agrees with her, both looking at the plucky little ovenbirds. One of the little orange capped bird flits about, moving from the ground to the branches of a nearby tree. A tiny, wistful sigh escapes her. She wishes she could fly. Now wouldn’t that be something!
She nearly does take flight however when another voice rings out somewhere closer to her feet! “Ahh!” Neva stumbles backward, then stops when she spots the large green roundish thing on the ground. Big brown eyes grow even wider as she peers nervously at the green thing … which thankfully quickly introduces itself. “Dar-win?” Her little nose begins to work, taking in the creature’s strange scent. It’s definitely not a horse. “Gala … Ga … Gapalogos … turtle?” She takes a half step forward, then another and another, until her little pale nose is inches away from the turtle’s little green head. “Nice to meetcha!” She strains even closer, whuffling at the smell, and accidentally boops the turtle on top of his little head. “Oh!” Neva skitters back, embarrassed. “Sorry!”
Weir is talking again, and suddenly tiny little white flakes begin swirling all around them. Somehow her little eyes widen even further as a big white shape starts growing around them, closing them in. It’s a bit chilly, but it feels right, especially when Weir lies down beside her to cuddle. Unbeknownst to her, the little layer of frost is starting to build over her fur again, bit by bit. Before she allows herself to be taken by sleep however, she turns her head to look up at Weir. “How?” How on earth did he do that?
N E V A
walking in a winter wonderland
Weir & Darwin <333
Do you want to start a new thread with them? Sorry I take so long to post. D:
Darwin smiles and blinks, his tortoisey head bobbing as he is jostled by the girls nose. 'Not to worry,' he assures her with a grin, merely back-stepping so he is not within the line of fire so to speak. It didn't hurt of course, Darwin was not plagued with tender skin but to save the child's dignity he gave her a wider berth. 'Nothing to fret over Neva, didn't hurt a bit.' The tortoise looks up calmly as the flakes swirl around them, it was something he was quite used to witnessing by now, still they brought a calmness to him nevertheless.
As the three settle in for a well deserved rest, Darwin tucks himself within his shell, ready to enjoy his sleepless version of rest. He listens quietly as Neva's voice breaks one of Weir's yawns, and hums to himself as the roan begins to answer.
"How? Well a sort of gift you might call it, from a grand adventure." His amber eyes take on a sleepy look as his lids begin to grow heavy. "One with snow and Santa and my very good friend Warship." Another yawn takes it's time escaping his lips as he tries to fight the drowse that creeps over him. "There are many kinds of traits in Beqanna young Neva, I will show you more after we rest if you like. Others you will have to wait and see if they are revealed to you, it's not polite to ask really." His rusty mouth turns to lip her forelock gently, nudging her tiny body as if tucking her in to himself.
"Why, I'll say you have a little gift yourself." He chortles, noting the fine frost that begins to spread over her. "At least we wont make each other cold." A final yawn edges his words as he pulls his head to his shoulder to snooze...
WINTER IS COMING
sure new thread sounds good, just wanted him to explain real quick before
sure new thread sounds good, just wanted him to explain real quick before