Lunch at the Lake

[Lionfire]

Grass flattened as a basket was placed on the ground. The waves lapped up against the shore as a shadow cast over them, revealing fish who quickly darted away. A blanket was set down and the basket was opened. Small critters watched from bushes and trees as a lone girl set up her lunch at the side of the lake, taking off her shoes and dipping them in the water. Green and brown eyes gazed at the sky.

Lynn stretched leisurely as she sat down on the blanket. Pushing her hair behind one ear she reached into the basket and pulled out a sandwhich and took a bite. I wonder what Jackie's doing, she thought to herself. She normally found herself thinking about her sister and how she was doing; afterall, she was now a dragonrider candidate. Something she wanted to be. But it didn't look like she would ever become one. She sighed. Oh well.

[Silverwolf]

This was one of her first times being back into a community. She had skirted the more rural area, preferring not to attract attention to herself as she and her black horse rode on. Shadow's ears flickered every now and then as Deraille looked about, eyes taking in everything she possibly could. She was on the outskirts of the New England Community, nearing a lake. She was hoping she'd bump into someone her age, but wasn't sure if it would happen or now. The girl ducked under a low hanging branch as they passed under it.

She started to focus on the soft plodding of her horse's hooves as it hit the grass. It was a reassuring sound, for it never faltered or faded. She closed her eyes and continued to listen, a smile on her face. She loved Shadow to death, ever since she was old enough to remember him. Shadow was the best horse anyone could ever have. He always knew what was wrong, knew went to dodge a certain area for danger, and never let her down. Shadow was so much more comforting than any human had been to here. And she doubted that that would ever change.

Her eyes opened as Shadow stopped. She found herself in front of a lake, clear blue water very calm at that time. She glanced over to her right and saw a young girl, her age, sitting down on a blanket eating a sandwhich. Her eyes gazed at her curiously for a while, and Deraille was startled to find herself at a loss for words. She decided to get down, and did so, swinging her leg over Shadow's back. She stepped on the ground and turned to the other girl with a slight smile.

Shadow turned his head expectantly and saw the Wolfur in the shadows, hiding behind some trees. Reassured, the horse lowered his head to graze, keeping one eye on Derailled the whole time.

[Lionfire]

Another bite was taken from the sandwhich before a soft sound reached her ears. She stopped and strained to hear it. Sounded like...something hitting the ground. Harder than paws, but definitely not a human stride, for it had four legs. She frowned. It was much lighter than a dragon, shorter than a snakedragon, and larger (and heavier) than a wolfur. A rustle in the bush behind her announced the arrival of whatever it was, so Lynn gently set down her sandwhich and twisted around.

A black horse had emerged from the woods behind her. He was large, powerful, and looked like he could easily pound her into the ground if she proved to harmful. Atop his back sat a girl, probably the same age as her. Her eyes were closed until the horse stopped at the edge of the lake a few feet to the right of her. Lynn watched as the gril was oblivious to her for a while as she leisurely scanned the area. Smiling, the teenager leaned back slightly and gazed at the newcomer until her gaze fell on her. Remaining still, she watched her get off the horse and stand uneasily there, unsure of what to do.

She pushed off of her hands and sat up straigt. "Hi. I'm Lynn," she greeted, her voice quiet since she was a stranger to her. "Are you new here?" she asked to strike up a friendly conversation.

[Silverwolf]

Deraille's attention focused in on the other girl. At least she wasn't tense, for the wolfur candidate felt like she was tense enough for the both of them. She the shirt she wore was long and slightly baggy, the scars on her back seemed to haunt her and taunt her, and she was afraid that, if she turned around, the other girl would see them. She shivered slightly, shifting on her feet and resting a hand on Shadow. The horse lifted his head and snorted gently at her, nudging her shoulder. The name Lynn was vaguely registered as she took a hesitating step forward, glancing back ruefully at the horse.

Deraille turned again to Lynn and swallowed. "Hi.." she replied. "I'm...Deraille." She glanced back over to Shadow and he locked eyes with her before lowering his head and ripping out a clump of grass. The girl turned her head again to Lynn. "Just passing through, so yeah, I guess you could say I'm new," she returned slowly, as if making sure she was checking every word before speaking it. She glanced to the picnic basket. "Do you...come here often to eat lunch?" she asked, her eyes shifting to the lake.

The wolfur stretched, the plate in his back and chest shifting to accomodate for the movement. Then he slowly sank down into the soft grass, smiling as it brushed against his stomach. Curling his tail around his hind paws, the massive master lowered his head on his crossed front paws and gazed at the scene unrolling in front of him. He'd seen the young girl, Lynn, quite a few times, and she held a certain respect for wolfurs and dragonriders that he found...interesting. It was good that the horse had brought Deraille here. Smart horse.

[Lionfire]

Lynn smiled shyly at...Deraille. A nice name, and it seemed to fit her well; her gaze took in the tense shoulders, the shifting feet, and a slight swallow. The girl seemed...nervous, perhaps, unease with her. Which is odd, because SHE was the usually the one that was shy near strangers. Odd twist, that was. But it, for some bizarre reason, boosted Lynn's confidence- sorta- and glanced to her lunch when it was mentioned.

"Yeah," she replied with a sly laugh, "I do. It's a nice place to think. And the lake's nice, the water's warm, and there's a cool breeze in this open space," she stated, glancing up. "Would you like to join?" she invited her with a gesture of the arm, giving her a sweet smile. Her eyes shifted behind Deraille to the black horse. "You're horse seems to enjoy the lake," she commented with a smile. Her arms stretched above her head before she peeked into her basket. "There's enough food for you," she assured her, "I pack too much all the time, anyways."

[Silverwolf]

Deraille was getting more comfortable, now. Her heart beat slowly calmed down, the blood stopped rushing to her ears, she could relax. Her muscles now were not forced to relax, and her gaze warmed, became softer. Shadow's eyes glinted in amusement as he continued to graze, his tail swishing gracefully behind him as his owner sighed, glancing to the picnic. "If you're sure," she said uncertainly, slowly sinking down onto the blanket Lynn was sitting on. She glanced to the basket with a smile, waiting for her to offer something; she wasn't going to be rude when she just met her. She wasn't like that at all.

Shadow trotted over to the lake and took a drink of the lake water. His reflective gaze sparkled before he lifted his head to watch the two girls. The new one, Lynn, was really nice to Deraille. He could tell she loved animals, so she certainly wouldn't hurt her owner. And plus; the Wolfur wasn't stepping in, so it was all good. He trusted him, more so than other humans (especially her father, that big egotistic jerk), and was at ease with the small company now.

Xareth's gaze was calm and cool in the background. He'd been Handlerless for a long time now, and needed something to do; keeping watch over this Wolfur Candidate kept him occupied, and excersized. That horse moved fast on his hooves, and they were known to be extremely fast even when carrying a passenger. Though the Wolfur was big, he didn't have a big, powerful heart like Shadow. The wolfur smiled gently as he watched the two girls, Deraille finally meeting one of her own, just a normal girl...Well, not entirely normal. This Lynn was special; the only reason she wasn't searched as a dragonrider candidate was because she had the skills to be both dragonrider and wolfur handler. It was surprising, to say the least; but it made her very, very unique. His tail swished against the ground as he relaxed, the sun heating his fur, the breeze keeping him from over heating.

[Lionfire]

Lynn smiled at Deraille and pulled out an extra sandwhich, handing it to the other girl. She took another bite of her sandwhich, and leaned back, gazing out at the lake. "So, are you a commoner?" she asked.

It was good if you knew something about another person. She wasn't going to ask her about her life story, but knowing if she was a candidate for something, or just visiting the community would be good. Lynn liked to know about other people; everyone was different, with different personalities and backgrounds...and interests. She didn't know much about Deraille, nor she her, so it would be nice to exchange information.

[Silverwolf]

Deraille gently took the sandwhich offered to her, unwrapped it, and took a bite. Ham and cheese; she loved ham and cheese sandwhiches. She smiled and set it down on the wrapper on her leg, away from any unwanted ants. It was her sandwhich, not theirs. She stretched slightly before turning to her and listening to her question.

Deraille smiled slightly. "Uh, no, I'm not a commoner," she replied. "I'm a Wolfur Candidate." She shifted so she had her legs crossed indian style. She tilted her head to the side and smiled. "I'm guessing you're a commoner here, then...by the way, which community is this, anyways?" she asked.

Behind her, Shadow lifted his head and glanced back to Xareth, who had stood up and was glancing into the darkness beyond them. The horse turned and followed his gaze and saw a shake in the leaves of a bush. The horse snorted; his tail waved behind him and his ears flickered backwards.

[Lionfire]

Lynn nodded slightly as she took another bite of her sandwhich. She set it down in her lap, finishing off her bite, before she spoke again. "Yes, I am. And this is the New England community. Have you never been here before?"

She liked Deraille's company. It was new from all the others at the community, and was a refreshing change. Obviously, the Wolfur candidate (she was so lucky) had been to other places, which was really cool; and she had a horse! She quickly took another small bite of her sandwhich before setting it down again.