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Description
Tokota's Weekly Quest Prompt #1
hahah i'm never doing lighting like that ever again x - x

-----

"I assume you've heard the news?" The woman's voice was husky and grave as she entered the tent, pushing the leather-hide exterior of the entrance out of her path with a strong arm. Strong scents of incense and herbs wafted within the confines of the room, billowing on wispy clouds of smoke. The heady smell of the stuff had always made the woman nostalgic, but she had no time to reminisce.

Golden eyes strained in the dim light of the tent to focus on whom she was addressing, a man of perhaps sixty or so years, hair silver with wisdom and dark skin leathery with ware. He hustled busily over a wooden table cluttered with old papers and dried plants. His answer to her inquery came only after some time had passed.

A sigh parted his thin lips. "You know I have, Mia. But--"

"Then you know we can't sit around camp and just do nothing. If he's in trouble, Ata, I'm going to do something about it." Her words were stubborn, cutting off the rest of her companion's verbal opinions.

"Mia," the elderly man said simply, his tone hushed and gentle. He turned to the fiery female, his dark eyes soft with affection. "You know as much as anyone here that we would do anything for the old Tokota. But with winter soon approaching, and our knowledge of the situation limited, we can't recklessly send out a valuable hunting party to blindly search for a creature we're not even sure is still walking this earth."

Ata's words took the brunette by surprise. Was he really suggesting that Nanook might be... dead? "Don't speak of such things." She chided harshly, curling her fingers around the fur lining of her pelt skirt.

"I mean no disrespect, dear one. You know this."

Miakoda watched the man for one more fleeting moment before her breath whooshed from her lungs and she pivoted on her heel to leave. There was no use arguing when her mind was already made up.

"You are chieftess, Mia, and yet you come to me for my consul. Why is that?" Ata added before she let the tent's door fall shut in her wake. The woman paused with a scowl creasing her brow. What was he doing? She turned to him with searing eyes "Because you're my father. Because I trust you."

Ata nodded slowly, almost sadly, as if he knew that despite her reasons for coming here, despite what she said, her will would be satisfied before his own wishes.

Silence ebbed back and forth between the two of them like ocean waves, crashing in, receding, then returning stronger than before with each passing moment. She knew what he was trying to do. But it would work. The Nokoni tribe would follow their cheiftess's word before their shaman's.
Miakoda averted her gaze with a sigh and ducked out the door for the final time that morning. She didn't need a whole hunting party to accompany her.

She would find old Nanook on her own.

-----

"You can't be serious."

Mia heaved a heavy sigh as she gazed out over the pastures of crisp, autumn-touched grass. Several of the tribes tokotas bounded and bounced around within the wide open spaces, but her favorite piebald girl was nowhere to be seen.

"Sorry, Mia, but Zuya is going to be out another week or so. That sprain was pretty bad..." The voice of her sister came from behind her, busied while she was tying off a strip of soft leather on a saddle. "You're stuck with Sanny."

"Sanjar can't see, Chenoa. Riding him up to the mountains is beyond a bad idea."

"Then perhaps you shouldn't go?" Her sister shot her an incredulous glance, then quickly went back to threading a needle through the seat of the saddle. It appeared her sister and father were of the same mind. Her family's intentions, though admirable, were becoming more of a nuesance than anything. The Tokota Cultural Association sent out word that Nanook was supposedly "missing", and practically pleaded that handlers and their tokotas venture out to discover what was going on with the lovable old animal. Miakoda was not about to step down from such a calling and a challenge, especially as chieftess of the tribe. When circumstances as important as these rose up, she would rise with it, and be a role model fro her fellow tribemates. The Nokoni tribe did not back down. Ever. Neither did it turn away from a call for help, and what could be more imortant than one such as this? The woman's patience was wearing thin, with her father and now her sister telling her that she shouldn't go, that they had enough to deal with as it was.

Juggling many problems was a specialty of hers. How else could she have come to lead an entire people?
Brow furrowed, she climbed up over the log fence in one quick, fluid motion, well-earned muscles carrying her gracefully to the other side where she landed with a gentle scuff of boots against the crinkly grass and dry dirt.

"I've asked no one to accompany me. I'll be back within a day. Nanook could be in danger, or worse. Are these not reasons enough for me to leave, sister? Would you rather I abbandon the idea altogether, when I am needed? No."

Chenoa breathed a gentle puff of air, setting her tack down and resting her hands in her lap, watching her eldest sibling fetch a halter for the blind tokota she was undoubtedly going after. "It was only a suggestion. I know I can't convince you of something other than what you've already resolved to do." She rose up to lean against the wooden posts corralling the pastures. "I'll help any way I can," her voice was softer, bringing a ghost of a smile to the chieftes's lips.

"Pack my bag with a day's worth of rations for Sanjar, Nanook, and myself. And see if you can gather a few strengthening herbs or treats. I have a feeling the old boy will need them." With that, she raced into the pasture to find the tundra-coated half-mane, leaving Chenoa to do as she was told with a grin and a roll of her dark black eyes.

-----

Chilled autumn wind rustled dead leaves which had already fallen from the trees going dormant in preperation of winter. The coming season was always harsh and always came early in the northern reaches of the tribe's territory. Everything was preparing for it, animals and people alike. But unlike the trees, Miakoda and her tribe didn't go dormant during the frigid months, no. Winter games were a huge part of the group's activity, so in all honesty, the woman was rather excited for snow to soon blanket everything in a cloak of glittering white, especially if she had Zuya as her mount; the fiery, pied female matched Mia's own spark, and they worked well together.

Sanjar, on the other hand, required a gentler hand. Riding the male Tokota as she was now called for a soft voice and an easy stance along his back, because being blind meant keeping one's guard up constantly. Skittish as he was, moving and acting and speaking in submissive tones was mandatory, and a discipline which the chieftess had not completely mastered. It was probably good practice to ride the sightless creature a few times, but the woman couldn't help that she had a special place in her heart for Zuya. Sanjar would be pleased to know that he also reserved a bit of room in his rider's heart, as well, since he was technically her first official Tokota; when they were born, Sanny and his brother were divided between Miakoda and Chenoa, and Mia was forced to face the challenge of racing a blind and completely helpless pup. The time they spent together formed a bond that not even Zuya could break, even if she, too, had been raised by the woman. Being chief (or chieftess, in her case) almost always meant that the person in charge ended up also becoming the alpha of not only the tribe, but the pack as well. Miakoda owned and raised a variety of individual and beautiful animals, all of whom she loved dearly, and that meant she had a fairly large pool to pick from. But with winter approaching, her personal pack had been wearing thin, as the animals were lent to other riders for hunts or gathering purposes. It was a sacrifice that had to be made, at least until the spring, when a bounty of new pups was sure to come.
Her mind was preoccupied with thoughts such as these when she realized that her mount had stiffened beneath her, and his steps had become rigid and slow. He then stopped all at once and cautiously threw his head back, his mane just barely brushing Mia's nose, drawing her attention back to the then and now. Sanny had caught scent of something, which could be a good or bad thing. She'd only brought her hunting dagger, strapped to her ankle, because she was confident enough that most apex predators within the area were busying themselves with winter preparations, like everyone else. But still, a bit of worry tinged her mind as her golden optics surveyed the land before them.

They had reached the foothills of one of the many mountain ranges within the territory, but this one was desirable over the others, for it's abundance of caverns and caves. Nanook was rumored to be taking shelter in such an area, and so this was the brunette's first choice. She encouraged Sanjar to walk on with a gentle squeeze of her legs around his narrow rib cage, and he obliged reluctantly.

-----

She had assumed that it would take some time before they found traces of the old Tokota, but she was surprised when they came across faint tracks in the dirt, and even before sundown. The large, wolf-like prints were easily followed, and it didn't take much longer before Tokota and rider were upon a large, twisting cavern, shadowed by a small outcropping and speckled with dry grass.

"Whoa, Sanny," Mia breathed, patting her mount's bare shoulder before hopping off of the male's back.

"Stay here," she soothed, scratching the animal's neck before venturing closer to the cave. It was dark and smelled of rotting flesh within the cave. She took a few steps under the overhang, and was soon greeted by the sound of labored breathing.

"Nanook?" She called the black toko's name gently, clicking her tongue a few times to entice him out. She was ready to pull her dagger at any moment if the heavy breaths didn't in fact belong to the elderly creature, but she resolved to remain hopeful. A few more steps into the dark depths of the cave and that hope was fulfilled, as her eyes met two gleaming, milky blue ones in one of the further reaches of the grotto. "Hey, boy," the woman slowly dropped to her knees so as not to startle the old thing, and cooed his name softly, speaking sweet nothings to assure him that everything was alright. His lungs sounded as if he'd breathed in too much smoke, and from the dim light of sundown streaming in through the cavern's entrance, it looked as if his bones were sticking out of his thin, tattered coat of charcoal hairs. "It's okay, sh. You're alright." She said when he began to fidgit, and she stopped any advancements in his direction. "How about a snack? You look starved."

She took a few steps backward, stuffed a hand into her leather satchel, and was pleased to find a mash of treats, dried meat, and herbs. She silently thanked Chenoa, and laid the toko trail mix in a line headed for the mouth of the cave. Nanook, although weary, seemed hungry enough to follow the enticing, delicious scent of food, but only so far before he tired and fell back into the dusty ground. "Shh, shh," Miakoda soothed, finally exiting the dark rock walls. "It's alright. You're okay."

Nanook watched her with sightless eyes, just like Sanjar. A pang of sympathy danced along her heartstrings in that moment, as she realized Nanook could really be on his last leg, right there, right now. She wanted to comfort the wise old beast, to clean his fur of the thistles and dirt that tangled his mane, to give him food and water and make him at least comfortable, but the cave was too small and too dark to help him inside. He had to come out.

As if he could read her thoughts, Nanook heaved a heavy sigh, rose to his achy paws and followed the trail of food and herbs, licking each and every morsel off the ground until he finally came into the light of the fading sun, his dull black pelt illuminated by the last rays of day. "There we are," Mia smiled sadly, and finally lifted her palm to the male's nose to smell. His leathery nose, dry and chapped, sniffed for a moment, then nudged her hand. She smirked, scratching Nanook's forehead, before she loosed her satchel and retrieved a pouch of water from it. Sanjar was at her side by now, watching blindly as she drizzled the water over Nanook's muzzle.

The three of them snacked on the rations Chenoa had packed for them; treats for Sanjar, for always being the Tokota Mia ended up turning to, no matter how annoyed she would sometimes get about it, the mash for Nanook, granola and dried fruit for herself, and water for all. They sat in silence, settled in the shade of the cave's rock, comfortable in the yellowing grass. Nanook seemed better, now. She couldn't determine what was wrong, at least not at that point in time. But the animal was alive, and that was consolation enough. She let her hand fall to his flank and she gently, rhythmically stroked his coarse-with-age fur, until he was lulled into a peaceful sleep, a rest he'd probably not had in quite some time.

"Good boy, Nanook."

WORD COUNT: 2365

there are typos in this, please ignore ;-;

-----

Fullbody - Colored and Shaded: +3HP
Background - Complex: +2HP
Non Commissioned Artwork: +1HP
Handler Bonus: +2HP
Starter Bonus: +2HP
Literature - 2365 Words: +11HP
Weekly Quest Reward: +5HP

TOTAL: 26HP

Description
Tokota's Weekly Quest Prompt #1
hahah i'm never doing lighting like that ever again x - x

-----

"I assume you've heard the news?" The woman's voice was husky and grave as she entered the tent, pushing the leather-hide exterior of the entrance out of her path with a strong arm. Strong scents of incense and herbs wafted within the confines of the room, billowing on wispy clouds of smoke. The heady smell of the stuff had always made the woman nostalgic, but she had no time to reminisce.

Golden eyes strained in the dim light of the tent to focus on whom she was addressing, a man of perhaps sixty or so years, hair silver with wisdom and dark skin leathery with ware. He hustled busily over a wooden table cluttered with old papers and dried plants. His answer to her inquery came only after some time had passed.

A sigh parted his thin lips. "You know I have, Mia. But--"

"Then you know we can't sit around camp and just do nothing. If he's in trouble, Ata, I'm going to do something about it." Her words were stubborn, cutting off the rest of her companion's verbal opinions.

"Mia," the elderly man said simply, his tone hushed and gentle. He turned to the fiery female, his dark eyes soft with affection. "You know as much as anyone here that we would do anything for the old Tokota. But with winter soon approaching, and our knowledge of the situation limited, we can't recklessly send out a valuable hunting party to blindly search for a creature we're not even sure is still walking this earth."

Ata's words took the brunette by surprise. Was he really suggesting that Nanook might be... dead? "Don't speak of such things." She chided harshly, curling her fingers around the fur lining of her pelt skirt.

"I mean no disrespect, dear one. You know this."

Miakoda watched the man for one more fleeting moment before her breath whooshed from her lungs and she pivoted on her heel to leave. There was no use arguing when her mind was already made up.

"You are chieftess, Mia, and yet you come to me for my consul. Why is that?" Ata added before she let the tent's door fall shut in her wake. The woman paused with a scowl creasing her brow. What was he doing? She turned to him with searing eyes "Because you're my father. Because I trust you."

Ata nodded slowly, almost sadly, as if he knew that despite her reasons for coming here, despite what she said, her will would be satisfied before his own wishes.

Silence ebbed back and forth between the two of them like ocean waves, crashing in, receding, then returning stronger than before with each passing moment. She knew what he was trying to do. But it would work. The Nokoni tribe would follow their cheiftess's word before their shaman's.
Miakoda averted her gaze with a sigh and ducked out the door for the final time that morning. She didn't need a whole hunting party to accompany her.

She would find old Nanook on her own.

-----

"You can't be serious."

Mia heaved a heavy sigh as she gazed out over the pastures of crisp, autumn-touched grass. Several of the tribes tokotas bounded and bounced around within the wide open spaces, but her favorite piebald girl was nowhere to be seen.

"Sorry, Mia, but Zuya is going to be out another week or so. That sprain was pretty bad..." The voice of her sister came from behind her, busied while she was tying off a strip of soft leather on a saddle. "You're stuck with Sanny."

"Sanjar can't see, Chenoa. Riding him up to the mountains is beyond a bad idea."

"Then perhaps you shouldn't go?" Her sister shot her an incredulous glance, then quickly went back to threading a needle through the seat of the saddle. It appeared her sister and father were of the same mind. Her family's intentions, though admirable, were becoming more of a nuesance than anything. The Tokota Cultural Association sent out word that Nanook was supposedly "missing", and practically pleaded that handlers and their tokotas venture out to discover what was going on with the lovable old animal. Miakoda was not about to step down from such a calling and a challenge, especially as chieftess of the tribe. When circumstances as important as these rose up, she would rise with it, and be a role model fro her fellow tribemates. The Nokoni tribe did not back down. Ever. Neither did it turn away from a call for help, and what could be more imortant than one such as this? The woman's patience was wearing thin, with her father and now her sister telling her that she shouldn't go, that they had enough to deal with as it was.

Juggling many problems was a specialty of hers. How else could she have come to lead an entire people?
Brow furrowed, she climbed up over the log fence in one quick, fluid motion, well-earned muscles carrying her gracefully to the other side where she landed with a gentle scuff of boots against the crinkly grass and dry dirt.

"I've asked no one to accompany me. I'll be back within a day. Nanook could be in danger, or worse. Are these not reasons enough for me to leave, sister? Would you rather I abbandon the idea altogether, when I am needed? No."

Chenoa breathed a gentle puff of air, setting her tack down and resting her hands in her lap, watching her eldest sibling fetch a halter for the blind tokota she was undoubtedly going after. "It was only a suggestion. I know I can't convince you of something other than what you've already resolved to do." She rose up to lean against the wooden posts corralling the pastures. "I'll help any way I can," her voice was softer, bringing a ghost of a smile to the chieftes's lips.

"Pack my bag with a day's worth of rations for Sanjar, Nanook, and myself. And see if you can gather a few strengthening herbs or treats. I have a feeling the old boy will need them." With that, she raced into the pasture to find the tundra-coated half-mane, leaving Chenoa to do as she was told with a grin and a roll of her dark black eyes.

-----

Chilled autumn wind rustled dead leaves which had already fallen from the trees going dormant in preperation of winter. The coming season was always harsh and always came early in the northern reaches of the tribe's territory. Everything was preparing for it, animals and people alike. But unlike the trees, Miakoda and her tribe didn't go dormant during the frigid months, no. Winter games were a huge part of the group's activity, so in all honesty, the woman was rather excited for snow to soon blanket everything in a cloak of glittering white, especially if she had Zuya as her mount; the fiery, pied female matched Mia's own spark, and they worked well together.

Sanjar, on the other hand, required a gentler hand. Riding the male Tokota as she was now called for a soft voice and an easy stance along his back, because being blind meant keeping one's guard up constantly. Skittish as he was, moving and acting and speaking in submissive tones was mandatory, and a discipline which the chieftess had not completely mastered. It was probably good practice to ride the sightless creature a few times, but the woman couldn't help that she had a special place in her heart for Zuya. Sanjar would be pleased to know that he also reserved a bit of room in his rider's heart, as well, since he was technically her first official Tokota; when they were born, Sanny and his brother were divided between Miakoda and Chenoa, and Mia was forced to face the challenge of racing a blind and completely helpless pup. The time they spent together formed a bond that not even Zuya could break, even if she, too, had been raised by the woman. Being chief (or chieftess, in her case) almost always meant that the person in charge ended up also becoming the alpha of not only the tribe, but the pack as well. Miakoda owned and raised a variety of individual and beautiful animals, all of whom she loved dearly, and that meant she had a fairly large pool to pick from. But with winter approaching, her personal pack had been wearing thin, as the animals were lent to other riders for hunts or gathering purposes. It was a sacrifice that had to be made, at least until the spring, when a bounty of new pups was sure to come.
Her mind was preoccupied with thoughts such as these when she realized that her mount had stiffened beneath her, and his steps had become rigid and slow. He then stopped all at once and cautiously threw his head back, his mane just barely brushing Mia's nose, drawing her attention back to the then and now. Sanny had caught scent of something, which could be a good or bad thing. She'd only brought her hunting dagger, strapped to her ankle, because she was confident enough that most apex predators within the area were busying themselves with winter preparations, like everyone else. But still, a bit of worry tinged her mind as her golden optics surveyed the land before them.

They had reached the foothills of one of the many mountain ranges within the territory, but this one was desirable over the others, for it's abundance of caverns and caves. Nanook was rumored to be taking shelter in such an area, and so this was the brunette's first choice. She encouraged Sanjar to walk on with a gentle squeeze of her legs around his narrow rib cage, and he obliged reluctantly.

-----

She had assumed that it would take some time before they found traces of the old Tokota, but she was surprised when they came across faint tracks in the dirt, and even before sundown. The large, wolf-like prints were easily followed, and it didn't take much longer before Tokota and rider were upon a large, twisting cavern, shadowed by a small outcropping and speckled with dry grass.

"Whoa, Sanny," Mia breathed, patting her mount's bare shoulder before hopping off of the male's back.

"Stay here," she soothed, scratching the animal's neck before venturing closer to the cave. It was dark and smelled of rotting flesh within the cave. She took a few steps under the overhang, and was soon greeted by the sound of labored breathing.

"Nanook?" She called the black toko's name gently, clicking her tongue a few times to entice him out. She was ready to pull her dagger at any moment if the heavy breaths didn't in fact belong to the elderly creature, but she resolved to remain hopeful. A few more steps into the dark depths of the cave and that hope was fulfilled, as her eyes met two gleaming, milky blue ones in one of the further reaches of the grotto. "Hey, boy," the woman slowly dropped to her knees so as not to startle the old thing, and cooed his name softly, speaking sweet nothings to assure him that everything was alright. His lungs sounded as if he'd breathed in too much smoke, and from the dim light of sundown streaming in through the cavern's entrance, it looked as if his bones were sticking out of his thin, tattered coat of charcoal hairs. "It's okay, sh. You're alright." She said when he began to fidgit, and she stopped any advancements in his direction. "How about a snack? You look starved."

She took a few steps backward, stuffed a hand into her leather satchel, and was pleased to find a mash of treats, dried meat, and herbs. She silently thanked Chenoa, and laid the toko trail mix in a line headed for the mouth of the cave. Nanook, although weary, seemed hungry enough to follow the enticing, delicious scent of food, but only so far before he tired and fell back into the dusty ground. "Shh, shh," Miakoda soothed, finally exiting the dark rock walls. "It's alright. You're okay."

Nanook watched her with sightless eyes, just like Sanjar. A pang of sympathy danced along her heartstrings in that moment, as she realized Nanook could really be on his last leg, right there, right now. She wanted to comfort the wise old beast, to clean his fur of the thistles and dirt that tangled his mane, to give him food and water and make him at least comfortable, but the cave was too small and too dark to help him inside. He had to come out.

As if he could read her thoughts, Nanook heaved a heavy sigh, rose to his achy paws and followed the trail of food and herbs, licking each and every morsel off the ground until he finally came into the light of the fading sun, his dull black pelt illuminated by the last rays of day. "There we are," Mia smiled sadly, and finally lifted her palm to the male's nose to smell. His leathery nose, dry and chapped, sniffed for a moment, then nudged her hand. She smirked, scratching Nanook's forehead, before she loosed her satchel and retrieved a pouch of water from it. Sanjar was at her side by now, watching blindly as she drizzled the water over Nanook's muzzle.

The three of them snacked on the rations Chenoa had packed for them; treats for Sanjar, for always being the Tokota Mia ended up turning to, no matter how annoyed she would sometimes get about it, the mash for Nanook, granola and dried fruit for herself, and water for all. They sat in silence, settled in the shade of the cave's rock, comfortable in the yellowing grass. Nanook seemed better, now. She couldn't determine what was wrong, at least not at that point in time. But the animal was alive, and that was consolation enough. She let her hand fall to his flank and she gently, rhythmically stroked his coarse-with-age fur, until he was lulled into a peaceful sleep, a rest he'd probably not had in quite some time.

"Good boy, Nanook."

WORD COUNT: 2365

there are typos in this, please ignore ;-;

-----

Fullbody - Colored and Shaded: +3HP
Background - Complex: +2HP
Non Commissioned Artwork: +1HP
Handler Bonus: +2HP
Starter Bonus: +2HP
Literature - 2365 Words: +11HP
Weekly Quest Reward: +5HP

TOTAL: 26HP