Behind the Blind

Enjoying the cool breeze against what limbs weren't hidden by a jacket, Leila sat, her legs dangling over the edge of the pond she'd discovered by accident.

Moving here wasn't much a good idea, back home, she had her bearings, and she knew every place by feel. Here, she was, quite literally, in the dark. She'd simply gone wherever the wind pulled her to, which happened to be a pond that she had narrowly missed falling into.

She felt the urge to sing; but there was nothing to sing about.
You can't sing about the sheer darkness.

Orchid saw a girl up a head. She changed in to a panther and ran towards the figure and changed back when she was a few yards away from her.
"You okay?" Orchid asked carefully......

Leila spun around, trying to find the source of the voice in the shrouding darkness, of course, to no avail.

"Who's there?" She asked the darkness, "Who are you?"
She pulled back a little, withdrawing further into the safe hold of her jacket. It was daunting, hearing stranger's voices in the dark. Sometimes, it all turned into a horrifying game of hide and seek.

"Don't be scared .... Your blind, aren't you?" Orchid asked carefully, her many senses telling her so "I'm Orchid-Leotie"

Leila smiled under her hood, concealed by the shadows.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Orchid." She said, trying in her mind to conjure an image of what the girl looked like.
"My name is Leila," She nodded, "And I am indeed blind."

Those words still numbed her, even though it happened a good few years ago, she'd never get accustomed to having to say it.

"Would you like to get through that pond and come to my cave?"

Leila narrowed her eyes under the shadows, trying to discern her options. Go through the pond to a cave...? She wondered for a moment.

Why not? It was better than being stuck in the dreary atmosphere that was the pond's edge, dipping her feet in unseen waters.
"I think I would." She confirmed with an invisible smile.
"If you can lead," Leila paused, "I can follow."

"Do you want to ride me or walk?" Orchid asked as always as she always wanted people to be happy.

Leila shook her head, determined to be strong. Well, as strong as a blind person could look, anyway.
"I'm fine with being lead," She smiled under the shadows, "If you would."

Being lead was a sad fact of life for her, at least until she knew a certain place from feel alone. But, there was only one way to learn.

"When I ment ride, I mean ride as I really hate my human form" Orchid felt the surprise in the air."I'm a shapeshifter - THE shapeshifter...."orchid mumbled as she fidgeted...

Leila blinked under her hood, a little startled.
"A Shapeshifter?" She asked, amazed.
She grinned.
"Then, ride it shall be." She confirmed, a wily energy in her voice.
A Shapeshifer. The Shapeshifter, no less.
If only she could see what she'd be riding. Pity, really.

"Have you ridden before? If not hold tight when you've got on!"Orchid said gently while fighting the bad erg (is that how you spell it?) to change in to he favourite form, the panther but the centor would have to suffice....

Leila had never ridden anything before- most never let her on their mounts, they always feared she'd crash. This was the opportunity that had slipped from her hands so many times before, she wouldn't let it again.

Steadily reaching for the shapeshifter, she felt the sturdy muscles of a horse-like build. She assumed that Orchid had morphed herself into a horse, but upon getting on, she realised.
Orchid was a Centaur now.
It was amazing.

('Urge'. But it's okay, I know what you mean. ;D)

Orchid felt a fragile tug at some of her long thick braids."Hold on tight!" Orchid yelled above the thudding of her hooves! She sensed that Leila was enjoying herself very much....

Orchid shot forward like a rocket, speed constantly picking up as the shapeshifter carried Leila through the shiftless dark in her eyes. Wind rippled through her hood, sending shivers down her spine.

She couldn't see the ground speeding away underneath them, but she could hear the Shapeshifter's hooves pounding just as fast.
Leila couldn't help but laugh, the sightless speed as it took the breath from her lungs was almost intoxicating.
She was willing to wager that it was the most fun she'd had since she could see.

Orchid felt happy that she'd made some one happy "We're here!" Orchid spoke as she knelt down to let Leila off.....

Leila slipped off Orchid's back, a little shaky on her feet for a moment. The speedy ride was certainly exhilerating, she took a second or two to gather her wits about her again.

She could feel a luke-warm moisture in the air, and when she reached a hand out to find her place, she felt the cold surface of rock against her skin.
"Your cave, huh?" She asked absently, following the rock until she found a large hole, what she assumed was the mouth of the cave.
She hung at the entrance for a moment, feeling where the cold air met the warmth.

"Sorry if you find it cold, It's just that I forgot to stoke up the fire..."Orchid said apolitically. "Usually in a dragon form." Leila's elctron seemed excited and hopeful....


(Shall we do a friendship event with these two as they seem to get on sooo well?)

"A dragon..." She murmured numbly, amazed.
Running her fingers over the moist rock, she smiled as she felt embossed figures carved into the rock. It felt like words, like something in Braille, but it wasn't.

"Inscriptions?" She asked inwardly. This cave, this way of life, Orchid herself was treasure to the curious blind girl.

(Sure, sounds good. 8D)

"Yeah... shame you can't properly see them fully But you can feel the shapes! They're sooo beautiful!" Orchid replied, she was glad to have a friend! "Come on to my back again, I want to show you somewhere special!"


(Can we do it in the jungle of life?)

Brushing her fingers wistfully over the carvings once more, Leila steadily followed the rocks back to the Shapeshifter.

Finding Orchid's horse-like shape, she climbed on, already anticipating another wild ride.
It would only be the second time she'd ever ridden, well, a Centaur, in fact, the second time she'd even ridden anything resembling an animal. It was chilling, zooming through eternal darkness, but somehow so much fun.

(Sure, that works. 8D)

(done it!)