A deep voice, familiar but unexpected, sounded from behind her. Startled, the young grulla flinched and turned, the wispy vapors of her watery companions swirling loosely around her hooves, caught in the sudden motion. Embarassed and properly chastised, she bowed her head to the Earth God as he approached her. "I am sorry if I interrupted anything." Her words were honest, truthful, for there wasn't a shred of her that would consider evasiveness in any form to this one.

"I want to learn, sir. Learn to use the powers you gave me better, and to learn more about what you stand for. I told my nephew I'd learn everything I could to help the Foothills thrive, and those are your lands." A hopeful light entered her eyes as she tilted her ears forward. Still she kept her head at a properly respectful level, considering she'd persevered hard enough to just be granted this audience.

In truth, she wanted to be able to summon larger creatures of water, had wanted this for some time now. But recently she had developed a curiosity about the gods themselves. There was four now, she'd heard. Moon, Time, Sun, and Earth. She'd heard quite a bit about all of them, but all secondhand. The only one she knew of personally was the one who stood before her now. And it was to him she came, asking permission to learn from him. If he would teach her.

The GOD of the EARTH earth god like quote here~ "The best way to learn to use your magic better is to practice it, Kimber." The Earth God said. "No one ever became great at anything out of chance. Practice, hard work, and dedication will lead you down the path of greatness, you only need to follow it." His eyes twinkled as he smiled once more. "Now if you want to learn more about my siblings and myself I encourage you to seek out the Storyteller in the Foothills. Paladin the Valiant, I believe. Have him ask the pool, he'll be able to tell you anything you want to know." His massive head tilted slightly as he continued to gaze at the young mare. "I sense there was something else you wanted." He said. "What is it?"

Ears quivered as the Earth God spoke, telling her of things she already understood, speaking words of gentle encouragement as his features softened with a smile. "I know, sir. I've spent long enough with them to know their weaknesses and strengths. I can soothe a hurt with their coolness, entertain a foal with their antics, distract a foe without creating harm to myself." There was some small pride as she answered his words, head rising higher as she gained a little confidence. The wispy vapors had accumulated at her hooves again, maintaining the distinct form of a fox, however transparent.

A thoughtful expression clouded the brave look she'd garnered. Speak to Paladin, about the Gods? The idea had merit, coming from one them after all. And yet...

"There are two things, sir. But I don't expect you to answer both if you don't want to." Her head dipped again under his gentle inquiry. "I would like the gain the strength to summon larger creatures of water, not just the ferrets and the fox. They are small, and easily ignored. I would like to be able to call on greater allies should the need arise. And..." She paused here, struggling to gather her words together in a way that would make her desires as clear as possible.

"All I know of you and your siblings, save the time you gave me my magic, I have learned second-hand. Or more. I never saw the Sun God's anger, only saw the evidence of it after, heard of it from those who suffered. I have never seen your sister, only heard of her from those who follow her. And your most recently arrived brother... mere rumors. All too easily distorted by those who have experienced what I have not. Even the Valiant will not be able to tell me all that he knows or can learn without tweaking the tale, just a little. That is why I came to you, and plan to visit your siblings too. So I can learn of you myself, from your own mouth and my own observations." She stopped then, caught between caution and boldness, watching and waiting to hear his thoughts.

The GOD of the EARTH earth god like quote here~ The God of the Earth listened intently, feeling his sister's wind stir up his mane and watching his brother's sun pass through the sky with the aid of Brother Time. His gentle eyes watched Kimber's creatures with care and kindness, and though his ears turned to her voice, his focus was on her magic as it already existed. She asked for quite a lot of him and his siblings, but he would not turn her away. Still, he could not provide her with tasks for each desire today. With a shake of his dusty form and a rumble of the earth, he straightened himself and regained some of his composure, which had slipped away in the watery eyes of Kimber's summoned creatures. "Stories of my siblings and I will have to wait for another day, young one," the god began, for all mortals were young to his ancient soul. "Your magic, however, is something I might be able to help you with. Explore the water sources of Helovia and the creatures that rely on them. There you will acquire these new skills," the God concluded with an easy smile. He only hoped Kimber would truly benefit from his given task. [[Your new magic upgrade will include the ability to summon two larger animals of water; one predator, and one prey like the fox and ferret. (IE: Bear and Buck) Make an RE tagged thread (Though it can also be open to others) near a water source in an area that could house one of the animals you desire, and specify which animal you are seeking in an OOC comment. Your task will be revealed by the RE. You will need to have two threads total that follow this pattern, one for each animal.]]

As she spoke, he listened. But she couldn't help but notice the way his eyes drifted past her to the vaporous figure at her feet. Curious, she glanced down at the familiar little fox, a wispy creature here amongst such heat as the lava gave off. Just a few seasons before, she knew, it would have been fainter, a mere suggestion instead of a transparent shape. She'd grown more competent at helping it and its smaller brethren, the ferrets, gain form in even the most inhospitable of places for water. Yet she and they were always limited by the amount of moisture in the environment, and she didn't expect that fact to change.

There was a pause then, between the ending of her words and whatever response the God of the Earth would give. And then he stirred, giving his massive body a shake to the accompaniment of a low rumble in the ground beneath her hooves. Kimber shifted her weight a little, unaccustomed to the sound of earth shifting so ominously, but not truly discomforted by it. She'd heard rocks fall in various amounts from precarious positions amongst the rocky stretches of the Foothills, but the strangeness of knowing that the God of her home caused this particular sound made all the difference.

At last he spoke, and she listened attentively, inclining her head in understanding as he dismissed tales and knowledge of the Gods themselves for another time. Not entirely denied, though, so she stored those thoughts for another venture, focusing instead on what he did offer. Aid in her magic.

Inquisitively she looked up at him as he laid down her task, intruiged by the vague nature of the mission. Visit the water? Her expression turned thoughtful as she searched her memory for places where water ran. Home, of course. The sea, the stream from the Thistle Meadow... and there must be water somewhere in the Throat as well, though that she knew not where. And others, like the pond in the Deep Forest she'd heard of. So many places she could go!

"Thank you, sir, for giving me this chance." A bright smile was given the Earth God from Kimber, her body stirring from the unusual quietness it had fallen into in his presence. Her head dipped respectfully, before nimble hooves turned and carried her back along the path she'd followed, moving at a swifter pace than she had before. At her feet the figure of the fox bounded, weaving easily between her legs as she moved with new energy and determination.