[PQ] [RQ] light it up

If I could, I would walk alone

There is a clean sort of mercy in being nothing more complicated than a horse. Vesper lets himself settle into the shape of it as they begin, his black ears turning to catch the layered sounds of hooves, wagon wheels, breath, and the restless shifting of the herd ahead. The faint stars along his flank move beneath his coat as his muscles loosen into the work, and with his mind quieted by the shift, there is no need to sort through anyone else’s feelings or brace against whatever might be waiting behind a glance.

He keeps an easy trot at first, staying wide enough not to crowd the unicorns too soon while still keeping himself present along the edge of their movement. When one of the unicorns slips toward the far edge, his head lifts and his ears pin, attention sharpening through the dark line of his body. Hawthorn is already moving to catch it, but Vesper does not leave the gap to chance. He picks up an easy gallop, not lunging after the stray so much as widening around it, his hooves biting into the thaw-soft ground as he arcs toward the outside with room enough to keep the creature from feeling trapped. He holds himself about ten feet off the unicorn’s shoulder, close enough to press without inviting panic, and lets the size and certainty of his body do the arguing. Each stride keeps him slightly ahead and to the side, closing the route away from the herd while leaving the path back open and obvious. 

---

Horse!Vesp tries to herd the unicorn back

Vesper

I would burn the bridge, I would right the wrongs

and you know me, my will is eternal, and you know me you've met me before

Knowing better than to involve himself in a situation that's already turbulent, Niki merely offers Sunjata a smile that slants somewhere between understanding and apologetic, before turning his attention to the task at hand. The going is easy at first, the necromancer tracking their route on the map in his hand and consulting a couple of other pieces of parchment to ensure there's no nasty surprises waiting ahead. The cart lurches beneath him as they encounter the herd, though, and he reaches out to brace against the side of his seat.

"We are going the right way," he calls, of course referring to the majority of the herd and not the outliers that need to be corralled or chased back into formation. "We just go straight from here until we reach the bottom of this hill."

Glancing to said outliers to watch as they round the rogue unicorns up, Niki is struck not for the first time by his relative uselessness in comparison. "Let me know if there is anything else I can do?" he calls towards the pegasus, doubting it but feeling the need to offer anyway.

---

Niki calls directions!

Niki

face to face with a beast, I will rise from the east and I'll settle on the ocean floor

SUNJATA

the heartless

so look out, i fear that they follow near
for from the gallows, you'll swing for all the kids to see

Colt’s unicorn is stubborn, but with her experience and the push of her and Cherry, the horse nipping at the flanks of the unicorn that’s trying to make a break for it, it eventually concedes and starts to curve toward the rest of the herd with grunts of frustration. And before Colt knows it, the unicorn has returned to the herd, back in the flanks of it.

For Hawthorn and Vesper, the unicorn that has made its escape on the other side seems stubbornly determined, though the pressure from the horse and the attuned starts to make it antsy. The flash of something in its peripheral, glittery and bright puts it on edge right when Vesper pushes in. It’s a good indicator to get out of the way, with the one singular direction being to return to the herd.

The instructions are helpful, and that’s where the hands and help start to guide the unicorns down toward. The bottom of the hill is lush but not quite as colorful as it would be any other Flowerbirth, but it’s promising as well and the unicorns dive straight toward it. As for Sunjata, responding to Niki’s call is hard to do in shift without him being attuned, but he manages a nicker of a sound to say that he’s heard it.

They continue like this, driving unicorns down the rest of the hill and starts on that large arc with the help of Nikandr's instructions, until the sun begins to droop heavily in the sky to signify the start of the sunset. Only when it seems like some of the herd is lagging and the horses and people that are inexperienced with it start to grow sore do they start to call it to prep for making camp for the night.

The herd comes to a slow stop in a lavish patch of grasses and flowers yet to bloom, the herds keeping them in line before their temporary little fencing can be put up to keep them together. Sunjata slows to a stop, too, just outside with the wagons in tow. He shifts back into himself, running a hand through his hair, stretching out his shoulders. “Let’s make camp for the night. Good work so far, everyone!” He chimes, shooting them all a grateful smile.

“We’re gonna need a couple people to help the hands set up the fencing, one to cook some dinner, and the rest of us to set up these tents. Any takers?”

---

Round 3!!

We’ve kept on for a while, now it’s time to break for camp for the night! We need 2 to put up fencing, 1 to cook dinner, and 2 to put the tents up.

Sunjata will fill in with whatever's left.

No post order!

they don't hear the serpent that burns your ear
or the coward that sits alone in your head with it

and you know me, my will is eternal, and you know me you've met me before

The going is tough even in the cart for Niki, so he can't imagine how saddle-sore some of the others might be feeling by the time they draw to a halt to make camp for the night. Carefully folding the maps and tucking them in the inside pocket of his coat so they won't blow away, the necromancer stiffly gets out of his seat and leans against the cart for a few moments to stretch out his legs, adjusting his brace here and there as he goes.

"I will be best off cooking dinner I think," he says with a crooked smile towards Sunjata, summoning his cane and rolling his shoulders before heading for the supplies. He is quick with his hands to make up for where his footing might struggle, gathering kindling and the ingredients for a hearty stew before arranging a small cookfire to begin. Seating himself on a small, fold-out stool beside the fire once it catches, he arranges a pot to hang over it and starts working on their meal for the night.

---

Niki cooks! He makes a vegetable stew with some jerky, and there's also bread and baked potatoes.

Niki

face to face with a beast, I will rise from the east and I'll settle on the ocean floor

Bit by bit, the work drags away her irritation, working her over like a rough stone caught in an insistent stream. Each point of her gets smoothed over with the consistency, and all her excess energy is drained by the relentless current. Exhaustion has always been what herds her back into line, and it's partly why she drives the day down into the embers of evening so often, hoping she'd find better company amongst herself come the quiet and restless stretch of the dark.

Although she keeps her focus on her side of the herd as they move, heeding Nikandr 's directions and corraling anything that breaks loose again, her gaze inevitably travels across the way. To check on Hawthorn , she tells herself, because that half-truth is easier to carry in the saddle with her compared to the passenger Vesper makes. Though he ends up being some of the reason her side falters a time or two, focus settling on the dark shape of him for too long. Easy enough to shrug off and blame on other factors, like unruly unicorns who mean to test Cherry.

Daylight's slipping away though, and her arms are growing too tired to keep holding him the distance. Sliding off her horse and helping settle her in for the night with the hands, Colt finds her well of distractions turning dry. Staying near the horses and the hands, she gathers up the makeshift fencing, more automatic than the result of Sunjata 's task list. With a weariness that smothers some of her nerves, she glances over Vesper's way with all the caution of sitting down at the edge of a cliff. Makes for a breathtaking view, but damn the fall can be catastrophic to anyone who's careless.

Steeling her breath in her nose, hoping the physicality of it would rub off on the rest of her, Colt gets to work portioning out stakes and lines and boundaries for the herds. She's unhurried, thoughts of how to approach him gathering with the quality of weather rolling in from the distance, not quite sure yet if it means to storm or just to crawl over the sky with some wind and grey light.

---

Colt helps with the fence!

 

Colt

if you try and chase the sun you're never gonna catch it

Vesper remains a horse for as long as he can justify it. The work gives him an excuse, and the shape gives him quiet, so he lets the long hours pull through muscle and breath rather than thought. By the time the sun begins to lower, there is dust dried along his legs and a damp line of sweat beneath the fall of his black mane, while the faint stars along his flank catch what remains of the light whenever he turns. He is tired in a clean, animal way that feels almost merciful; there is no reason yet to become himself again, and every reason not to. In this form Colt is only a body in the distance, a familiar shape moving among horses and hands, and not the weather of her mind pressing against the back of his teeth. It is easier to let the evening decide he is just another dark flank among many.

Only when the camp tasks begin to divide themselves does he finally run out of excuses.

The shift draws him back into his own skin with the cold air immediately finding the damp places at his collar and hairline. Vesper rolls one shoulder as he straightens, his jaw already set against the returning openness of his senses. He keeps his gaze low and his thoughts lower, bracing for the shape of other minds at the edge of his own, and for a moment he intends to take the simplest task available. Cooking would keep his hands busy, keep his body near the fire, and, most importantly, keep him apart from the rest of the necessary coordination.

He looks toward the supplies just as Niki claims the work for himself. Vesper’s pale eyes lift to the necromancer, and for a second he does nothing to soften the glare that settles there. Across the camp, Colt has already gone toward the fencing, gathering stakes and lines with the automatic confidence of someone who has done such a task before, and thus Vesper turns in the opposite direction. 

The tents wait in the wagon, bundled canvas and poles and rope made ordinary by the fading light, and Vesper crosses to them without asking where he is needed. He takes up the first roll he can get his hands on and carries it away from the fencing, from Colt, and from the easy, dangerous path of looking too long. If the day has taught him anything, it is that distance can still be useful when there is nowhere left to run.

---

Vesper does the opposite of what Colt does, aka make camp

And now it's turning out to be the worst of my bad habits

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

// oh, tell me when you were broken //

There’s a small part of relief when the unicorn starts to do what they ask of it – though the courtesan isn’t sure if it’s Vesper’s flanking or the push from him and his horse and the bit of illusion magic that makes it easier to guide the unicorn back to the rest of the herd. They continue on like this, Thorn growing wearier from it being essentially his first real time in the saddle, his soreness starts to spread to his legs and feet.

But he trudges on, not wanting to give in until they finally settle down. And only then, does Thorn exhale a sigh of relief, slipping from his horse with legs and body that feel more like jelly than anything that could be anywhere close to useful. With a bit of healing magic, though, the courtesan gets into some semblance of functionality.

He stretches out, listens to the tasks at hand, and immediately makes a break for helping Colt and the hands with the fences. Grabbing what he can (and not having much strength to do much else), Thorn resigns himself to the ropes and trailing after Colt to attach them. A little bit of conversation here and there, mostly about how the fuck Colt managed to do that day in and day out (riding horses, that is), he’s happy to be a buffer and a boon for the Sharpshot.

---

Thorn helps put up the fences!

Hawthorn

// do you still have a heart, or has somebody stole it? //

SUNJATA

the heartless

so look out, i fear that they follow near
for from the gallows, you'll swing for all the kids to see

Drawing to a stop and telling everyone the next steps for making camp and getting everything ready for the evening, Sunjata waits patiently while tasks are picked. Niki picks cooking, which honestly is probably for the best – gods knew Sunjata shouldn’t be anywhere near making anything edible for anyone – and as Colt and Thorn take up the fencing with the hands, Sunjata looks over to see Vesper get started on setting up camp.

He shoots Niki an easy smile of thanks for taking up the mantle, before he’s departing to the wagon with the tents. Snagging the poles and rope, Sunjata starts to place them into the ground with a bit of help of a rubber hammer and his strength. Eventually, enough of the skeletons of the tents are available for Vesper to add the canvas to, and before they know it the tents are set up. Plenty for anyone to have a tent to themselves or if they wanted to share (he’s wondering if Colt and Thorn might share one, or a couple of the hands, though he wouldn’t complain if a certain necromancer wanted to share his own).

Regardless, by the time the fencing and tent making are done, Niki’s got a good spread of food out. And luckily, mostly everyone is tired enough to eat and turn in for the night.

However everyone decides to sleep, the long fingers of the sunrise start to spread through the grasses of the meadows, rising everyone to coffee and breakfast.“Alright, let’s get back to it.” Sunjata says, stifling a yawn. The horses are tacked up, the fencing gathered, tents collected up again, and the unicorns a touch antsy once more as the hands start to crowd them. Sunjata shifts back into his Pegasus shift.

And only when everyone’s ready again do they start the next day, aiming to guide them through the rest of the Barrows.

---

Round 4!! Last one for this side!

Alright, this one’s going through the whole night so we can get back on it! We’ve made it to the next day and we’re starting out again to push through the rest of the Barrows to get to Mourn!

Get back on your horses or in your shifts or wagons and we’ll be heading out! No post order <3

they don't hear the serpent that burns your ear
or the coward that sits alone in your head with it