Outside the stable: early Tuesday morning

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Karal was leaning against a tree, notebook resting on his knee, writing diligently while Trenor grazed on the long line. It had been too long since he'd done this, he was incredibly far behind in his notes, but that wasn't actually what he was working on. He was composing a letter. So far he had: Dear Molly.

It wasn't off to a fantastic start. He frowned thoughtfully and stared up into the sky, watching the rising sun burn off the morning haze.

:Just write the thing, will you?: Altra demanded, rolling onto his side. :It can't be that difficult -- 'How are you, I miss you, it's foggy, see you on Friday.':

"Altra!" Karal shook his head and tossed a balled up bit of paper at the Firecat. "This is important. Now hush, I want to get it right."

[ooc: it is an open lawn, and so it is open, although I suspect I will soon be asleep, so SP may be yay.]

Comments

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River was up early for her first class, and wandering past the lawn she noticed a horse grazing. She smiled, then saw Karal and a cat, which of course made perfect sense. She quietly walked up to the three of them. "Good morning."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Karal smiled and Altra looked up at her with interest. "Good morning, River," he greeted, and Trenor pricked up his ears and came wandering over.

There might be apples, after all.

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River did in fact carry some fruit around in her bag, which Trenor could probably smell. She reached out a hand towards the horse. "He's beautiful." Then she noticed Karal's notebook. "If you're busy I'll leave."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

That would explain why Trenor was snurfling her bag and trying to shove his nose inside it. "Trenor!" Karal hopped to his feet and pulled his head away from River. "I am sorry, he has no manners some days. And you are not interrupting me. My attempts to write a letter are not going well."

Altra walked over and stood at River's feet, looking up at her. :Introduce me.:

"River, this is Altra. Altra, this is River. She is a thoughtsenser."

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River laughed and pulled an apple out of her bag, but kept it in her hand as Karal had pulled the horse's head away. She knelt next to the cat. "Hello, Altra," she said, extending her hand. "He's cute."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

:Cute,: Altra said doubtfully, but rubbed against her hand anyway.

Karal hid a smile. "You do not sense anything different about him?" he asked, and allowed Trenor to reach out for the apple again. "He would like that, just hold your hand out flat, so he doesn't accidentally end up with your fingers!"

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"Different?" River looked at Altra, sensing a cat. She tried to scratch his head. Then she rose again and held out the apple to Trenor.

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Karal let him go, because he was a good horse, and he usually had manners, which he demonstrated by very delicately lifting the apple out of River's hand.

Which he then bit in half, one piece falling to the ground, and he blissfully chewed up the rest, very messily.

Karal laughed at the horse, then patted his neck. "Altra is a Firecat, an Avatar of Vkandis." Altra preened and looked smug. "He was pretending to be a normal cat, but he seems to have stopped doing it."

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"Avatar?" River frowned, looking at the cat. "Incarnation of a god?" She was quite certain that Karal wasn't lying to her, but she still found the concept hard to grasp. She took a step closer to Trenor, the horse - being an ordinary horse - seeming a lot more familiar.

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Trenor went to rub his nose against River. He was a bit slobbery, but he'd happily wipe it on her shirt. "No, not an incarnation, more a servant." Altra looked extremely offended, ears flat to his head, and glared at Karal, who hurriedly added, "Or perhaps a helper would be a better description."

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River patted Trenor, not caring about being slobbered at. Her eyes was still on Altra though. "So can he understand us?"

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Altra met River's eyes and nodded.

Karal still wasn't sure what had made the Firecat decide to reveal himself to so many, but he wasn't going to question it. "He can," he said, quite unnecessarily, and added. "He is my protector, and he is my friend."

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River gave Karal a quick smile then turned back to the cat. "Hello again then, Altra," she said.

[girlzippo.livejournal.com]

Charlie came by with an apple and some carrots before class, and smiled when she saw Karal. "Hi, Karal. Hi, Trenor!" She waved the carrot bunch at the horse. "Treats for you."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"Hello, Charlie,"Karal called, and Trenor pricked his ears forward and trotted over, stretching his neck out to grab one of the carrots.

[girlzippo.livejournal.com]

Charlie laughed, patting Trenor's neck as she held the carrot for him, and said, "Hungry? I've got an apple after you've eaten that." She grinned at Karal. "I haven't seen Trenor in a while, and here you are too. More notes home?"

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"He is not hungry," Karal said with a smile as he got to his feet, smoothing down his robes. "He is simply greedy. And no, it is, I am writing a letter home."

Altra yawned and curled into a tighter ball, dozing in the sunshine.

[girlzippo.livejournal.com]

"It's okay, Trenor, there's plenty even if you are greedy," Charlie told him, holding out another carrot. "How have you been? Did you ever get that thing sorted out for home? The Envoy thing?"

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"I did, yes. Thank you for asking, and I have been very well," he said as Trenor happily tugged another carrot out of Charlie's hand. "How is everything with you?"

[girlzippo.livejournal.com]

"Not bad. Pretty good, really." Charlie grinned at Trenor, then smiled a little. "My grandfather got the paperwork back to me for my scholarship application. So I think I'll be able to stay here. And Isabel's was helping me with um." She frowned. "Stuff. Did I ever explain what happened at the beach, a week or so ago?"

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"That is good, Charlie. I am happy for you," he said, shaking his head at Trenor when he dropped the carrot, looked puzzled at its loss, then snurfled the grass, trying to get it back. "At the barbecue? No, I am afraid that I was," he blushed, "rather distracted. Did something strange occur?"

[girlzippo.livejournal.com]

Charlie noted the blush, and grinned, then giggled at Trenor, pointing with her toe. "Right there, right there... so, you were distracted?" She kept her eyes on the carrot until Trenor found it. "Distracted enough not to see a small brushfire. Hmmmm."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"There was a brushfire?" he asked, because he really had been distracted. "Molly and I were walking in the water; we ended up quite a long way from the gathering."

[girlzippo.livejournal.com]

"Molly, hunh?" Charlie's smile widened. "That's nice. I'm glad you guys were having a good time." She took a breath. "Um, yeah. Peter, Petrelli? Accidentally copied my powers. The telekinesis-- the Fetching we were talking about." She fished an apple out of her pocket for Trenor, and didn't look at Karal. "And that kind of led to the firestarting."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Karal nodded as Trenor lipped at the apple. "From the way you say it, I guess it was not planned?" he asked.