Leif

Luckily, it seemed, that Rexanna was as patient as she was uniquely colored, for she did not seem to mind his incessant inquiries and uncertain gibberish. She went on to explain her own part in this herd, her own title and duty and what it entailed, and Leif listened with rapt attention, oval ears stationed forward to absorb every word, to learn as much as he could about this female not-horse. She was a Thief, the lead Thief, and gathered crucial bits of information for the leads of the Aurora Basin.

At the golden Thief's suggestion of touring the lands, Leif wasn't one to offer a protest. Rexanna and Elspeth were good company, or turning out that way, anyway, and he could think of no one else to show him around the fixtures of his new home, mostly because he had no one else to show him around. With a smile and a nod of his mighty antlers, the white stag fell into step with the two females.

The Elk's blue-green eyes roamed across the features of the valley as it dipped downwards from the entrance, opening up, absorbing it all and committing every rock, every brush, every noticeable feature to memory. When Rexanna's voice filtered up and across the sky, Leif looked back to the said woman, and like a sponge, absorbed her words.

Thieves, healers, crafters, scholars, and warriors. Literally everything for everyone, for every talent or ability. Well, almost... "So many choices," he murmured with a kindred, yet intrigued smile, clearly captivated, "How brilliant. Do you not have any singers?" And here, his expression turned somewhat wistful. "Elk are known for their abilities to sing long into the night." Not bragging, of course, but Leif enjoyed a good song as well as the next creature.

Regardless of the answer, the white bull was grateful for Rexanna's patience and that he wasn't required to pick a title right off of the get-go. He wanted time to learn more about this land, find his niche, so to speak, before finding a job. "When I decide upon one, I will let you know, Doe-Rexanna." From there, Leif's focus turned to that of the freckled female at his side, Elspeth, and listened with equal parts intrigue and captivation as she explained what she had done previously in her life.

A healer. The occupation, he thought, suited her more than perhaps she even knew, and as he watched her pretty face closely, the Elk couldn't miss the look of something that marred her expression. What it was, however, he couldn't place, nor would he try to. There was no reason to force his curiosity into her life. It seemed that his indecisive was common place, as Elspeth admitted that she also had yet to decide upon a job within the Basin herd.

Ah. Good. He had time, then.

Then, Elspeth voiced a question of her own, of his life before wandering into the Threshold of Helovia, and the stag's expression drifted into a face of blanched stalwart-ism, unable to hide the pain that shone in blue-green eyes. "I was on my own, yes, for quite awhile." It had been many years since he had lived in a herd, or called any other soul 'friend', but that wound still stung despite the many scabs that had since grown over it. "When I was but a young bull-calf, I lived in a herd with other Elk. Some had jobs, like your herd here, but they were somewhat different. In an Elk herd, we had our protectors, like your warriors, and our singers and storytellers, as well as shamans for healers." Or so he hoped. His memory of herd-life was fuzzy, even for his own kind.

He chuckled, a deep, guttural, throaty sound. "I always yearned to be a singer when I was a calf, like my mother. She taught me all of the songs that I now know. Perhaps if the situation ever arose, I could teach your herd about the songs of Elks."

From there he allowed his words to drift, focused once more on the land around them. "Are there places in this land that I should note? Certain places not to go?"

the white stag