Day 210 [Open]

[daughterofursa]

Who: Zuko, ostrich horses, and you!
Open: Open!
When: Day 210, morning
Where: Near the monument
What: More weird animals.
Format: I'll match
Warnings: Honor

Anyone outside this morning might run across Zuko looking over a small flock (or is it a herd?) of ostrich horses. That's right, she's at last used some of her shards to bring more strange animals into the Bastion. The turtle ducks were not enough.

She's touched, used, even eaten things that came from shards, but none of them have been familiar until now. She thought there might have been something to give them away as copies or imitations, but as far as she can tell? They're perfectly normal ostrich horses.

Comments

[notachickenhawk]

Tobias has seen a lot of weird things, but this is just super weird. He's seen aliens that look like they have molten lava for skin, blue centaurs, dog robots...

... But this just isn't fair. Come on. Tobias perches on a nearby room and looks down, calling out to Zuko.

<So... what are those?>

[daughterofursa]

On hearing the voice in her head, Zuko glances around until she spots Tobias. Back to being a hawk today then.

"They're ostrich horses. You don't have them in your world either?" Because surely hers is not the only one in which they exist.

[notachickenhawk]

It's just more comfortable at this point, honestly.

<Nnnoooo. We have ostriches, and we have horses, but not... those.>

[daughterofursa]

"Rin said the same thing. I'm not sure what either of those is supposed to look like."

Zuko pets one of the animals on the neck. It's okay, ostrich horse. There is no way you are weirder than a telepathic hawk who can turn into a large fish.

[notachickenhawk]

<... I could show you what a horse looks like, if you want.>

... Yeah true he kind of wins out on weird in a lot of ways.

[daughterofursa]

"Oh. Well... If it's not too much trouble."

She is curious, but she's not sure how much effort that involves on Tobias's part.

[notachickenhawk]

<Give me a minute, I'll spare you the gross part.>

He takes off and flies over behind one of the buildings, checking to make sure no one else is around to spot him.

... About a minute or two later he trots up to her slowly. He doesn't want to startle her with a strange animal and he doesn't want the horse instincts trying to get him to bolt if she freaks out.

[daughterofursa]

Tobias, practically all the animals here are strange to her. Even Paarthurnax is different from the dragons she knows, and he was the first thing she was greeted with. She can handle a horse.

A few of the ostrich horses are a little disturbed, though, and excepting the one Zuko is petting they trot away a short distance. She just tilts her head.

"That's a horse? It looks more like a dragon moose than an ostrich horse."

Yep. Dragon moose.

[notachickenhawk]

Tobias lets out an amused noise, and trots around. His horse morph is a little bit of a showoff, okay.

<Your animals are super weird. At least to me. But I can turn into a blue centaur and a giant lizard-like creature with tons of blades so what do I know.>

[dragonsorcsandwolves]

Rob wasn't sure what they were from a distance, so he came closer to see. Now he sees them, but still doesn't know what they are.

"Uh..."

His head tilts to the side in confusion.

[daughterofursa]

Some of the people Zuko's spoken to have mentioned familiar animals, but she's beginning to suspect that...

"No one here has ever seen an ostrich horse before, have they?"

[dragonsorcsandwolves]

Rob half-startles at the question, not having noticed Zuko there. He turns quickly, his septum piercing bouncing with the movement. When he speaks his voice is low enough that it might be difficult to hear.

"I've seen an ostrich before, and I've seen plenty of horses, but I've never seen an ostrich horse."

[daughterofursa]

Zuko may not have the best eyesight, but her ears are sharp. She's still going to quirk her eyebrow at him for speaking so softly.

"Tobias showed me a horse. They seem pretty different."

[dragonsorcsandwolves]

He looked back at the ostrich horses.

"They are. Those look more like ostriches than horses though. Everything but the tail, neck, and head are more or less what an ostrich would have."

His volume goes up slightly, but he's still pretty quiet.

[daughterofursa]

"Huh." Zuko looks back at the nearest ostrich horse, absently petting its neck. This non-hybrid animal stuff is weird.

"Do you ride ostriches?"

[dragonsorcsandwolves]

Seeing Zuko pet one, Rob reaches out and gently pets one too, ready to yank his hand back if there's an objection.

"You can, but I think the only times people do are for races. I've never ridden one myself. Or a horse for that matter. There aren't usually animals this big in cities."

[daughterofursa]

"Do you have carts that pull themselves?" It isn't a sarcastic question, Zuko just doesn't have a word for the technology in question. Her world isn't quite there yet.

hope it is still ok to tag!

[littlerat]

Red was usually an early riser. Get himself fed, get his pokémon fed, get ready, and have a search around on the Skyway to gather what materials and shards he could. It would be odd how easy he fit into the lifestyle, but really, sitting around and not doing something productive - or productive to him - made his feet and hands itch.

Of course, he didn't need to rush. The Skyway wasn't going anywhere and neither was he (hopefully, not just yet). So hey, about those odd-looking things over there --

But before Red can think to take a closer look, Pikachu with him has spotted first the familiar form of Zuko over there! With a few happy loud chirps he begins to pounce over there, only stopping a little before the animals, not knowing if he should be mindful or approach or or or --!

absolutely!

[daughterofursa]

Zuko glances over at the excited chirping and smiles a little to see the rabbit mouse. "Oh, hello again."

One of the ostrich horses saunters closer to the much smaller animal, lowering its head on its neck to peer at him curiously.

"Just don't get underfoot," Zuko advises the rabbit mouse. The ostrich horses are pretty docile, generally.

[littlerat]

Good, good; no ostrich horse things are to be frightened by a little yellow mouse today. Pikachu heeds the warning well enough, much more interested anyway in tipping his head back to sniff at the animal that's approached for its scent. And then, after, to give a lowered but still cheerful chirping in hello to the other animal.

Red's not going to keep back while this is going on. He approaches, more calmly than his yellow friend, and stops before getting too close to Pikachu or the birds, but not a large distance apart. Pikachu might've been okay to them to come close, but he was larger, and he wasn't about to intentionally upset the herd.

He's close at least to know he should be heard by the woman, and he looks at her, lifting up his cap to not shade his face so much. "Sorry about that; he gets excited about meeting new faces. Are they yours?"

[daughterofursa]

The ostrich horse makes a low warble in response to Pikachu's friendly chirp.

Zuko nods to the approaching boy. "They're from my world at least. Is that your... rabbit mouse?"

He probably calls it something else entirely, but at least it doesn't seem so strange to Zuko as a lot of other animals.

[littlerat]

Rabbit mouse? That makes him smile a little in amusement. "Half right. He's a mouse pokémon - a pikachu."

Pikachu turns his head from the ostrich horse, waving up a hand. Yep yep! Red bends down on one knee to be on the same level as his pokémon, while at the same time examining the creatures from the different angle. Pretty good looking down here too!

"What do you call them?" He nods his head to them.

[daughterofursa]

"Oh- Like the one Rin has." In that they're both pokemon, that is, because they seem like very different creatures.

"These are ostrich horses. I thought they might come in handy."

[littlerat]

Rin? That's not a name he knows, but no matter. Actually, he's more curious about their use.

"Yeah?" Out in the Skyway? Food? "What do you use them for back home?"

[daughterofursa]

"As mounts, or as pack animals. They'll make it easier to travel farther, and carry back any wounded."

Please don't eat them.