Concavenator:
The second sled search, thanks to 'Au'a the Provident, had gone much smoother than the first. Penguin bucks were not on there, but their scent was, as was guano thickly crusted on the wooden slats. Still, the landscape rushed by at a satisfying speed; trees were becoming sparser and settlements denser; and the redness of a spring morning was well visible just right of the road. The new drivers, too, spoke little, but they did not seem to make their trade in secret. Giya slept resting her muzzle on the outer railing, so exhausted that even the sled's constant jolts could not rouse her.
Sooner than it would have seemed possible, the spires of Grikaa appeared against the dim light. “Here we go, ma'ams!” shouted the driver. “You best prepare your stuff”.
pinkgothic:
Kukri, too, had dozed off, if not nearly as deeply as Giya, and so felt a moment's disorientation as the driver called for them, needing an instant to remind herself of her whereabouts and the task at hand. Then she was with it again, not quite at full attention but sufficiently alert, and fumbled to ensure all her belongings where accounted for.
“Giya,” she prompted her companion, touching at her shoulder in an attempt to rouse her, her enthusiasm crisp even within the frame of her tiredness as she spoke eagerly: “We're nearing Grikaa.”
Concavenator:
Giya oozed back to awareness, looked around as if in confusion, and then her gaze snapped toward Grikaa, with her head feathers flaring in excitement. “Grikaa! The city! The city!” Then she contained herself as she rose to her feet. “We're going to the guild, yes? I should cover myself, prepare, so they do not think, she is from the streets far south, does not belong in the guild?”
pinkgothic:
“I would think we should first let ourselves arrive in Grikaa with calm and dignity,” Kukri offered. “The guild is in no rush to see me - I grant it may be quite wise not to dally in general, but we have plenty of time to clean ourselves up. Perhaps I can even acquire something to help with my leg. Either way, rest assured, it is not only you who could use some… improved presentation.” Her voice tinkled with self-deprecating amusement.
Concavenator:
Giya chuckled sheepishly at that, and began preening the feathers of her right arm, holding on the railing with the left. They both sorely needed a good feather scrubbing and combing – it felt like they were leaving trail of down and dandruff whenever they went – clean clothes, and a night on a proper bed. But they had made it, or would soon. “Is your leg hurting now, Kukri? I can look at it. Or we will see a doctor?”
pinkgothic:
“I don't think a doctor will quite be necessary,” Kukri assured her. “But perhaps a more refined walking aide. Nothing pressing. Even just the rest of this ride - and the rest from our incarceration, for that matter - has made it feel much better than when I first damaged it. I would just want to avoid damaging it again out of some careless motion.”
Then she glanced back to Grikaa's growing spires, and said: “But for now, we should ready ourselves to leave.”