A black and white Tail (Ethereal-Star) Niahi Woods

[SilmeriaElemred]

((I assume you play the druid? =3 ))

There was nothing and Sicillica pondered. ''Maybe he is out on a walk?'' she said softly. Her gaze went to the owl and knocked too after a good few minutes. ''Hello? Arch-Druid Breneg? Sir...?'' she was not sure how to adress him actually.

''It is not that he can shapeshift into that owl can he?'' she said. She heard a lot about the Faun race, many were rather good pranksters or at the least mischievous creatures.

[Ethereal-Star]

((For now, yes. Got something I wanna write. :D ))

Pretty soon, the sound of cloven footsteps was heard inside before they stopped at the trailing vines that served as the tree's door. The vines were parted and a goat-headed creature with large curved horns poked his head out, amber-colored eyes with black flecks in them gazed at the two unicorns with curiosity and a friendly expression. He was kind of short, just a little over five feet tall but still no less an imposing figure of the woods. It was clear he exuded an aura of being in charge.

"Well hello there, noble unicorns. What brings you two to my humble home in the forest?"

The owl from before hooted and flew over to the arch-druid, landing on one hairy arm and Arch-druid Breneg smiled at the creature fondly before he said, "I assume you've met Halatir, my animal companion?" Halatir in turn hooted a cheerful greeting at the three of them.

His eyes twinkled in delight. "Or did you think I was the owl?" he asked, posing his question to Sicillica. How he knew this was anyone's guess, or maybe he was just that intuitive. Being the head druid, it made sense.

Chestnut bowed before the leader, leaning his head down before swooping it back up in as regal a bow as he could manage. "Greetings Sir Breneg, Arch-Druid of the woods, I am Chestnut Sparkle Mister and this is my lovely companion Sicillica, Beauty of Night's Embrace. We come before your Majesty with the news of a possible prospect you might be interested in as well as a favor."

The faun looked at Chestnut and gave a small smile as he pondered him for just a second. "No Majesty title is needed, good Chestnut." He chuckled, woodland merriment dancing in his eyes then. "A rather unnecessary title I might add, for I am merely a servant of Nature and all She willingly gives. But I appreciate the honor, regardless. Now what's this about a potential prospect and favor?" He looked at both of them as he said this.

[SilmeriaElemred]

''I apolagise fir my theory if being the owl. Lore regarding shapeshifting magic druids pisess is not new to me.'' Sicillica said with a bow before turning human.''as for the prospect... Chestnut and I ventured inside the castleruins. He tokd me you hokd celebrations every once in a while and we found many riches that perhaps could be of use to you. Silver plates, cups, and much more and with my brabd if naturemagic I made some things accesable. The catch though... there isva giant spider occupying the underground passageways.''

[Ethereal-Star]

"What the lady said." Chestnut chimed in.

"No apology is needed. As an arch-druid, I in fact do possess shapeshifting magics. However not all druids do, depending on what particular path they choose to follow. But alas, you have made an interesting proposal for I have been needing to stock up on a few more things for the gatherings I hold. Isn't that correct, Halatir?" Breneg asked the owl.

The owl shifted its head and looked at the lead druid with a 'yes' expression, going hoot hoot!

"And Halatir also agrees." The faun chuckled at his companion's antics. "As for the spider, I shall sway it to move elsewhere, for I actually know a good place where it can be amongst its own kind. I know of what castle ruins you speak of, but so far have had no reason to search them. Until now, of course."

Stepping fully outside now, Breneg extended his arm to let the owl go. "Go, my friend. I shall contact you later on." Halatir let out another hoot in response and flew off, disappearing into the cover of trees and darkness.

Gazing back at Sicillica and Chestnut, the faun said, "I will gather a few supplies and then make my way to the castle as directed, but will wait til' the morning to do so. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Have a good night." And with that, he went back inside, the vines falling back into place after him.

The white and blue unicorn looked at the black one then. "So...what do you want to do now?"

[SilmeriaElemred]

''how about some rest. Making all those vines wore me out a bit. I do not think the arch druid would mind if we sleep here in the clearing. And for whatever reason my intuition tells me he perhaps could use some help tomorrow.'' Sicillica said. Relaxing and sat down against a tree. Patting the area beside her. ''Care to join me?''

[Ethereal-Star]

"Sounds good to me." Chestnut said and plopped down next to Sicillica by the tree. "And yes, we can accompany the arch-druid if he needs any help. Sir Chestnut does not mind one bit!" Tossing his mane about, he looked at her questioningly. "You feel he may it?"

In fact, the faun druid may indeed require help as the two unicorns had neglected to mention all the egg sacs that were present too. Because Chestnut definitely forgot about that, as being chased by a ginormous spider tends to make one forget about such little details, even a brave and fearless "knight" of a unicorn like Sir Chestnut. Not to mention the spider queen likely had a mate somewhere nearby too, as spiders couldn't procreate by themselves. So logically speaking, he might definitely need some help.

Letting out a yawn, the unicorn sighed then and settled down comfortably by the tree's base. "I think this unicorn is in need of a nice nap now. No better time to do so, eh?" A cool breeze was blowing too which also helped to further calm him. It was now fully dark out, the moon shining in a tiny sliver of a crescent. "New moon." Chestnut yawned again, before closing his eyes tiredly.

[SilmeriaElemred]

Sicillica had not noticed the eggs either or at the least did not remember seeing them. She did take the liberty to lay close with Chestnut for warmth reasons.

''No matter how full the moon is... In the dark people tend to not see me. But you know Chestnut. Today was fun. Most I've had in...ages...'' she said softly before her eyes shut themselves and she fell asleep.

[Ethereal-Star]

"Yes, very fun. Nothing like running for your life being chased by a giant spider and all. And everything else that happened." Yawning again, Chestnut snuggled closer to Sicillica, his pastel blue mane lightly covering part of her body. Soon, he too fell asleep, as the wind rustled through his hair gently.

-----

Chestnut wasn't sure what had woken him up. But something had for sure. Getting up, unintentionally rustling the other unicorn in the process, he looked around for the source of the disturbance. Seeing nothing, but he definitely felt eyes on him. "Okay, whoever you are in the shadows, come on out and show yourself. Don't your mother ever tell you it isn't nice to stare?"

No response was given and the male unicorn harrumphed. "Alright, let's see where you are." And he lit his horn up to see better in the dark.

[SilmeriaElemred]

''Whaz wong Chezznut..'' Sicillica asked sleepy as she woke from deep slumber. Normally she was alone and therefor always had to be somewhat alert but sibce she felt so safe for the first time since forever she was asleep deep.

Was. Since she had woken up now.

[Ethereal-Star]

As his horn lit up the darkness around him, Chestnut looked around for the culprit. Soon he spotted a tiny creature perched in a tree branch some ways off, just simply staring at the two of them. Its beady green eyes and thin stick legs along with dragonfly wings identified it as a forest sprite.

"There you are, you little munchkin." Chestnut trotted a bit closer, as forest sprites while mischievous and playful, posed no actual threat. They were loyal to the woods in which they served as well, often serving as scouts and lookouts from time to time. Apparently two unicorns garnered interest from the little creature.

The forest sprite simply stared a bit longer, before dashing off with a high pitched squeal as it retreated back into the dark branches and disappeared. Chestnut sighed. "Ah, I'm sorry to wake you Sicillica. Apparently we had a small audience for a short time. It's gone now."

Going back over to the black unicorn, Chestnut settled back down next to her and tried to resume his sleep. No more curious onlookers disturbed them for the rest of the night though and the male unicorn slept peacefully until morning came around.

[SilmeriaElemred]

''Spriez can join uz...'' Sicillica said before she fell asleep. Feeling Chestnut close again made her smile.

When morning came though the sound of birds whistling and singing their songs was that mainly woke Sicillica. That and the fact morning dew was on her and chestnut. She shivered, as she out of habit was in her human form which was signifignantly colder then her real form and sneezed.

''Crap... if this night gave me a cold I'm doomed...'' she said softly to herself.

[Ethereal-Star]

Still sleeping peacefully, Chestnut's only response was a soft nickering from his mouth. Soon though, the morning breeze tickled his nostrils and he awoke, exclaiming, "Where's the bacon?"

Seeing where he was though, he settled back down and grinned. "Oh good morning, Sicillica. Had a good night's sleep?"

[SilmeriaElemred]

''I did... but I'm freezin.. ha-choo...'' she sneezed again and quickly morphed to her natural form.

The trees seemed to move a little as well. ''I do not control my magic so well if I sneeze... more people have that but since we are in a forest... and my magic is nature based... I just hope I will not do anything bad...''

She got on her feet and sighed. ''I'll find some herbs to draw tea from... I do not want to disturb the druid this early in the morning...''

[Ethereal-Star]

"I can help you find some herbs. I don't know anything about plants and their lore but I can help nonetheless. Just tell me what to look for and I'll find it!" Chestnut winked gaily at her. "Just gotta be careful to not anger the forest folk by taking too much and not give anything back." he commented.

"There's no need." Came a deep voice then from the direction of the arch-druid's home before Breneg himself stepped out. "I have some tea already prepared. Something told me one of you would likely need it come the morning. An inkling, if you will." His eyes twinkled merrily at this. "I can bring the tea out to you since I don't think two unicorns will fit inside my humble home." He chuckled at this.

Halatir then flew over to him landing on a tree branch of the tree home itself and hooted once. "Halatir says to you good morning." The faun told them.

Chestnut bowed in an overly exaggerated way, and tipped his horn to the owl. "A mighty fine morning to you as well Halatir. Care to join us for some tea?" he joked.

The owl merely shuddered as though the very idea repulsed him. Breneg laughed at his animal friend and playfully rustled his feathers. "Fraid' not, good noble unicorn. Tea is not on his menu."

[SilmeriaElemred]

''Hero'' Sicillica said happily.

''Well I can morph into a human and take up way less space but... would not want things to get to cramped up indeed.'' she sneezed again. ''I should get myself a blanket next time I get into a town... or just... not sleep in human form outdoors... ugh..'' she said and laughed briefly.

[Ethereal-Star]

"That would be wise." the arch-druid said, offering Sicillica and Chestnut cups of tea, setting both down on a flat rock that suddenly lifted up out of the ground in front of the trio. It smelled heavily of eucalyptus and spearmint, sweetened heartily with honey. The faun took a sip from his own cup of tea then, a cup of white tea he made for himself. "Drink up then!"

Chestnut slurped from his own cup then, dipping his nose and mouth into the mug carefully so as not to accidentally spill it. "Mmmm, tasty too! I could get drunk on this!" he half-jested.

Breneg only laughed, and Halatir also gave a hoot as well.

((Couldn't resist the pun.  :P ))

[SilmeriaElemred]

((OoC    :P   ))

Sicillica drank the tea after inhaling it's lovely scent. ''So.. arch-druid Breneg... the party you organise... could you tell me more about it?'' she asked.

She already semi promised Chestnut she would go but... it would be nice to know what she could expect. How many people mainly.

[Ethereal-Star]

"Well, let's see." Breneg took another drink from his cup before answering. "It is a celebration all about the joys of life and the wonders of nature in all its forms. So with that said, I only allow non-humans to attend. More specifically fey and other forest folk as well as magical creatures, such as you yourselves. There is much feasting and dancing, as well as music, the usual for such a party. There are also tents placed around for those who wish to indulge in matters of the flesh but such is not required of anyone to participate in that while there. It is purely one of choice. But if you wish to do so, the tents are required." He chuckled, before taking another sip. "After all, this is not strictly an orgy."

"Many folks from all over come to celebrate and mingle, the party usually lasting for many days. You can come and go as you wish though but whenever one enters they need to relinquish any weapons on their person and bypass a protective enchanted wall in order to tell one's intentions. No violence is allowed and the wall will test for that. You will get any weapons back once you leave however. They're just not allowed on the party grounds."

Breneg petted Halatir who preened at the attention before he continued his explanation. "As for how many usually come...well, it varies from gathering to gathering. It could be anywhere from one to two dozen to well over three hundred or more. It just depends on who all decides to attend the festivities. I hope this is not too overwhelming for you?" the arch-druid asked with a knowing look.

Chestnut guzzled down the rest of the minty drink. "Good stuff this! I wouldn't mind some more if you have it, please."

"Certainly. Give me just a moment." he went back inside and soon brought out another cup for the male unicorn and Chestnut took it happily.

[SilmeriaElemred]

''300 certainly is a lot...'' Sicillica said and gulped unknowingly. Giving Breneg a short explenation of her experience in her former herd and that she basicly avoided very crowded places. ''So yea... Chestnut has been the first unicorn I encountered who did not shood me off because of my coatcolor... and well. If your own family calls you an unholy presence that gives bad luck... you kind of start to believe it so I avoided cities as much as I could. Having a human form makes entering and leaving one rather easy.'' She finished her tea and let out a relieved sigh. ''Could I have another please?'' she asked.

At the least she stopped sneezing now.

[Ethereal-Star]

"Certainly." Breneg went back inside and returned shortly with a teapot in which he refilled her cup.

He gave a frown at her story about her herd. "That is unfortunate, really. But I will say that my celebrations gather together folks who are pretty open-minded about these sorts of things, including the color of one's coat or hair or anything else for that matter. Just no humans."

He cleared his throat a little. "The first couple times I held these parties and allowed humans to attend ended up in one too many unarmed brawls or some foolish woodcutter who wanted to examine the best trees for cutting wood from to build a grand dining table with. This was before the wall was put in place to keep such types out. I completely understand the necessity of wood and building but not while I am hosting a party about life and nature. Perhaps not all humans are like this, but to be on the safe side I have purposefully decided to exclude them from future celebrations. It is better this way, even if some might call it unfair. I do what is best for my people and these woods."

Clearing his throat again. "But I digress. You can attend if you like, and if it makes you feel more comfortable to be in your shapeshifted form, by all means do so. You still would be counted as a unicorn and welcomed with open arms."

"Yes, please do come, Sicilly." Chestnut used his personal nickname for her then, grinning. "At least for a little while. As Arch-druid Breneg said, you can leave at any time if you don't want to stay. But I hope you do decide to come." Downing his second cup, Chestnut gave a contented sigh. "Lurve this stuff, I tell ya."

Breneg chuckled and refilled his cup again too. "Glad you like it so much. But I'm afraid this teapot here will soon run out of tea. But not to worry, I can always make more for later. Perhaps a different flavor next time?" Winking as he said this.