all welcome! naturalist 1/5

He had woken before the sun, needing to start mapping out the plains.

The herd was not too far away, but he'd bedded down beneath the stars with Maral wrapped up in his embrace. It had been freeing to know that she had not been harmed in his absence, and it would be near impossible to leave her now, but he had his own duties to attend to. He trailed his nose along her cheek and to her brow before kissing her gently. Sleep, my heart; I want to run the plains. He didn't want her to worry - which given how traumatic it was to be parted as they had been, he understood entirely - and knew if he didn't let her know, she would have run him down herself.

He admired her for a moment before he abruptly turned and set off in an easy lope. What tension had been in him had begun to relax without the promise of war and anguish breathing down their necks. Rebuilding their empire might not be the easiest thing, but this was a place that might have been made purely for them. The plains were beautiful, and a lazy wind had begun to blow, making the tall grasses dance.

naturalist 2/5

The sun here felt wonderful and warm, and perhaps it was because of how they may have lost their lands but had gained the prospects of this new world. What if they had no danger, no constant grappling for what they deserved? What if they had some sense of peace here? It was a strange concept, in a sense, but one that Ochir wasn't necessarily against. He was a warrior, and he was used to being active, and he was made from beasts who had run the plains and were owned by their herd the same. Maybe he would be something different here, in this new world, where they could enjoy themselves.

He was about to take flight when he heard his name. Instead of stopping, Ochir kept his pace and had to laugh when he heard Yelp's words. We run, because we live. He said and his tail wagged a few times behind him. He slowed a bit, rather than stopping entirely, when he noticed the younger male working a bit harder to keep up with him. We run like the herd runs, so we feel the earth beneath us and the wind sweeping the plains, it fills our lungs, our souls. He turned to look at Yelp and take measure of how his words were received. Maral told me she found you alone, did you have much family elsewhere? He asked curiously.

He had so many questions he wanted to ask the boy, but boy also felt unfair. He was grown, even if Maral had described him as younger than he might have been. Tell me, your name - where did it come from? He chose what felt like a safe question, at least one he thought was safe enough.