#brightwindsbarony

"Already thought about it" Her dad says sympathetically "I'll hunt up some grub"

His wife looks temped to argue, but, well, Ross really does know nature best when it comes to survival. He might do fine at this and under cutting the stallion..eer her husband's pride wouldn't help

"Maybe we could order something.... oh. Not like we have an address." she sighs, and looks at the flower that the spaceman gave her. "Something about gray..." She sniffs it, being carefully delicate with the petals.

"I can find some greens... maybe even some yucca roots, those are nearly like potatoes. They should still be in season..."

"Good thinking, Sparkles" He says using a nick name. You go through a glitter craze for ONE season, and you never hear the end of it

"Da-ad." She scrapes a hoof a little, but smiles. "I'll see what I can find. Some greens, a nice herbal tea, and it's good as anything from a cafe."

"Just both of you, remember, don't let anyone gett close enough to see you if you can help it. I want everyone back by a certain time" Rose directs "okay? If you're not here by _______ then we start to worry"

Ross nods.

and assuming Nessi..err Vanesa (But she feels more like a Nessi now) agrees.. they split to find sustenence

(End Scene)

Vanessa finds herself facing an odd benefit of her new frame that surprises her. Her human torso, her spine, bends like nobody's business! You'd think she couldn't REACH the ground to get those roots and greens from the wild, but the truth is, she's swaying over like a gymnist

Dandelion and wood sorrel, meadow garlic and autumn sage. Checking each by the pictures in her foraging guide, ensuring that they are what she thinks, before they reach the teapot or dinner table. A sprig of honeysuckle she pops into her mouth, and a larger one tucked behind an ear for a bit of pretty.

And she hears hoofbeats, for a moment, she wonders if it's mom and dad, but no...

She looks up, chewing a bit of dandelion green that she was checking for bitterness...

wild horses...

huh... and.. guys with jeeps!

Her eyes widen! "Oh, you lovelies... and then she recoils. People! Human people! "Oh no, no no...." Hide - how to hide? It's a wide open space - she could run... COULD she run faster than a jeep? Without them seeing her? She flattens down into the grass, trying to minimize her profile... and something sparks. "I'm not a monster... don't see me... I'm just a... a girl. Not a horse, just a normal, human girl..." And her form wavers... her legs - her sneakers!

She moves a foot - and her hoof clatters against a rock. Still there... but somehow, she looks "normal" again...

One guy notices her and scowls, but he doesn't act like he's seeing a centaur. No. His focus is on the horses "Do this quick. I don't want to get made!"

The men in the jeeps pull out what look to be improvised cattle prods! "Gather em up! Get em up!"

Hey, those horses are protected by LAW

She recoils back, but - the horses! They need to be FREE. Thinking of how sick she felt even in her own home where she should be comfortable, she can't bear to think of these creatures caged. She digs for and pulls out her old flip-style phone. "Hey...." Unheard.

Nessa raises her voice. "HEY! Leave those horses be! I'm... I'm calling a warden! Or the cops!" Phone held up warningly.

The guys in the jeep turn, scowl, and one looks nervous, another looks pissed 'No way am I going to miss this..." And he charges her, the prod lashing out at her phone, and the shock forcing her to let go of the flip thing "Try tiktocking that you stuck up little bitch"

A shriek of surprise and pain at the sudden shock and she drops the phone. "You can't DO this!" She cries.

"THe hell we can't" One says

"Dude, leave the bitch be. "

"She's SEEN us"

The danger she is in finally clicks in her mind, and she stumbles to her feet. Maybe if they chase her, the horses can escape! "You're not going to get away with this - I see your license plates, and I'll send the cops after you!"

Starting at an average pace for a girl, a tempting target to chase after, she hopes, as she makes a break for it in the opposite direction as she horses were being driven.

It works "Damn it.. we just became kidnappers"

They turn their attention on her, and give chase. One guns his jeep ready to chase her down

A laugh that borders on a whinny as she realizes her plan worked! And then she almost stumbles as she realizes... it worked... and now they're after her. Head down, she starts running now in earnest, not sure where she is headed except for away.

Oh god, they're after her!

"how's she moving so fast..."

"It's the terrain" one excuses "it's got to be catching the tires!"

She stumbles and scrambles - if she was calm, she would run faster, but she is scared and keeps glancing back behind her which is not helping her speed!

Is that... is that a bird, swooping down to land? Big bird.

Skidding to avoid hitting it, she cries out. "Don't land here! There are poachers! Fly!"

And Sparrow sees...

the mortals look confused... they do not see wings or centaurs, but now there are TWO Women.... they wave their catttle prods in confusion from their jeep "What the..where'd she come from?"

Sparrow scrambles up to the top of the hill. And she's... shining.

"Ho there! You gentlemen thinking of poaching?" She smiles. It is not friendly. "I'm going to kindly suggest you turn around now, hm?"

"Oh fuck off" One starts to say

"Oh, sweetie. I'm Mrs. Harkson."

Then the other says "Wait, let's not..."

And they swallow at the name

"Turn it around!" Suddenly they're fleeing.. at the name more than anything

She looks - really looks, this time, at what she thought was a mighty bird... but it's... an angel? Angels and Spacemen, she can just about believe it... and turns so that she can see both poachers and Lady in the same view.

Sparrow watches them go.

A step backwards, then another, inching away with uncertainty.

She is ethereal and earthy at the same time, a combination that draws one in, entraps attention. Her hair is the color of sunset, of fire, her feathers glimmer with a hint of bronze and cooper and gold...

Once she deems them safely distant, she turns. "So! You must be the mystery centaur! Bet you have been having a hell of a weird time."