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

[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.>

[daughterofursa]

The ostrich horse lets out a low-pitched squawk and tosses its head. It is neither impressed nor intimidated by this weird four-legged horse.

Zuko arches her eyebrow. "Yeah. I don't think you're in a position to define weird."

[notachickenhawk]

<Yeah.>

[He turns his head a bit so he can see the ostrich horse better.]

<Can you ride those things? Are they fast?>

[daughterofursa]

Zuko nods. "That's part of why I wanted them. I had one for a while in the Earth Kingdom..." Which she stole. "They make good mounts."

[notachickenhawk]

<... Huh. It might be good to acquire one of them as a morph. ... If that's okay with you.>

[It feels weird having to ask, but these are from her world and it feels somehow rude to morph one without asking first.]

[daughterofursa]

"You want to.. turn into one?"

Well, it would make more sense than him wanting to ride one, now that she thinks about it. A bird riding a bird would be... well, probably not the weirdest thing she's seen, but still pretty weird.

"I guess it's fine. It doesn't do them any harm, right?"

[notachickenhawk]

<Yeah. It doesn't hurt them, just makes them a little sleepy for a few moments. But I'll have to change back first.>

Probably for the best. He feels kind of skittish like this.

[daughterofursa]

Zuko nods. "All right."

This means he's going to go off again so she doesn't see the 'gross part,' doesn't it?

[notachickenhawk]

Yes. Yes it does. He trots away, and another minute or two later he flies back, circling above her and the ostrich horse.

<Can you hold it still so it doesn't bolt when I land?>

[daughterofursa]

"You're going to land on it?"

Well, if he has to touch it... What was that about birds riding birds again? Zuko moves closer to the ostrich horse, her arms loosely around its neck, more to keep it calm than to actually hold it still. If it really wants to bolt, she's not likely to stop it.

[notachickenhawk]

Tobias drops, tucking in his wings until the last moment when he opens them again to kill his speed. He lands as gently as he can on its back, and closes his eyes. The ostrich horse goes still while he acquires it, and then he takes off again, wanting to put some distance in between them in case it reacts badly.

[daughterofursa]

The ostrich horse does startle, jerking its head back once Tobias has taken off, but Zuko holds onto it.

"Easy there. You're all right." Once it's calmer, she looks to Tobias. "Was that it?"

[notachickenhawk]

<Yep. Now I can turn into it whenever I want.>

Probably not now though, considering most animals don't do well looking at exact copies of themselves.

[daughterofursa]

Zuko assumes not now, but more because it has to be disorienting changing forms so much in such a short time. Maybe tiring, too, with the way this world limits abilities.

"As long as you don't sneak up on me with it."

[notachickenhawk]

<I'll try not to. Maybe.>

He laughs via thought speech, which doesn't come across the same but shush.

[daughterofursa]

Someone else laughing in your head is just a bit creepy.

"I don't take pranks that well."

[notachickenhawk]

It's the only way he can short of morphing human, so. Yeah.

<I'm not very good at pranks anyway. That's more Marco's thing.>

[daughterofursa]

"One of your friends?"

It was her sister's pranks that Zuko had to suffer growing up, but she guesses most other people are less... mean-spirited.