================-< << Hollow - Blue Bayou >> >-=================
Waterways choked with reeds, tree roots, and thorny vines run like veins through the bayou that occupies this pocket of the Hedge, feeding the unfettered life and shaping the crowded islands of drooping trees. It's difficult to say just how large the bayou is; following the waterways tends to bring one looping back around on themselves without ever reaching an edge. The rich scents of wet earth and pungent flora hangs heavy in the sweltering stagnant air. The persistent buzz of insects and the croak of frogs provide the foundation of the cacophonic symphony playing through the night and day, with the rustling of wildlife, occasional breeze or scattering of showers, or splash of creatures in the streams creating the dynamic melody. Many types of strange wildlife have taken up residence from winged to scaled, but the most prominent is a small herd of ragged kelpies that forge through the twisting knots of streams.
By day, the bayou is a vibrant chaotic mess of color, but by night, everything is cast in a shade of blue from the glow of the moss hanging thick in the trees, the darting of tiny blue fireflies, and the many, many eyes that blink out of the knotholes of the trees and the centers of red flowers scattered throughout the Hollow. Towering at the heart of the bayou is a tall, straight tree with a great split down its trunk spilling a bright blue-green light. Even the murky water swirls with a shine of blue through the sluggish currents and ripples.
For all the untamed nature of the bayou, there are signs of more advanced life here as well, minimal as they may be. Living hammocks woven out of thick leafy vines hang in the more picturesque corners of the bayou. A workshop fuming alluring smells is neighbored by an outhouse all but overtaken by plantlife are nestled away in the thicket part of the bayou and there are signs of more cultivated clusters of peculiar fruit bearing trees or haphazard gardens of bushes on the larger stretches of mostly dry land. Elsewhere, seemingly random small ramshackle docks are tethering carved canoes, or forgotten tools caught up in the tendrils of some plant or another.
Gabe had slipped into the bayou at the crack of dawn to check on the broodmare kelpie. She'd been getting antsier and he was pretty sure it'd be any day now...He did not expect it to be that day though. When he poked his view into the hidden water-flooded den to find the small foal already there, well, equal measures excitement and disappointment. The call landed at Jack's phone about twenty minutes after that, inviting him out to come see the spindle-legged thing even if the mother had managed to foal on her own as wild things so often do. He'd be waiting out in the yard when Jack arrived, not far from the outhouse, wringing out a soaked shirt, hair pushed back wet.
Jack rushed over, as much as you can rush to this area - he cheated a bit this time and borrowed a quad-bike to drive up most of the way, hiding it in some bushes before walking the last bit, Goblin and Fairy coming along of course. Troll gets to stay home today.
He's brought a bag with items that can be useful for such work. Long rubber gloves! And fishermans-boots that go up all the way to his thighs. Like some certain Lost, he can't just walk across a bayou without getting very wet. He's a bit out of breath as he half jogs into the clearing, raising a hand to Gabriel. "Hey, I came as fast as I could. I have to admit, this has me as excited as a five year old."
Gabe lifted a brow at the rush up, and cracked a grin slightly wider than his usual subdued expressions for it all. "Might feel kinda like a 5 year old in a minute," he chuckled as he took a step back and looked to the outhouse. "So...other side o'this door, things gon' be a lil...different," he warns, potentially needlessly. The lock on the door is backwards, a wooden structure that seems designed to keep the door from swinging in rather than pushing out, though teh door is certainly capable of swinging both directions. Even after Gabe slides it out of place, he has to put his shoulder to the door to push against the roots inside. Once it goes though, it swings open freely, and there's no small dark overgrown outhouse stall on the otherside but wide open bayou.
Expected, in a sense, but odd just the same. It's no ordinary bayou. And things get a little more expectedly weird when Gabriel steps through. He'd only been wearing soaked jeans when he stepped through with having wrung out his shirt, feet bare, and that's the only thing that's really stayed the same when he stepped through. It's wooden hooves and mossy 'fur' and antlers once he's ducked through, stepping out onto tera-almost-firma on the other side and glancing back, waving for him to follow. "She's dug herself in closer to th'middle."
"Alright, fairly warned. I'll try not to scream," JAck promises with a grin, moving up. He tells Goblin and Fairy to wait here - they both sulk a bit at this - but Goblin can go find Boss to play with if he's around, if Boss is not coming, or he can just lie down and wait. Fairy? She will fly around in the nearby area and keep an eye on things, or hassle Mud.
Jack watches as he opens the door, then squints to the inside. Or the outside? Either or, he is gaping a bit despite the fact he sort of knew what to expect. And then his jaw drop even further, seeing the real Gabriel for the first time. He stares, openly - he can't help himself. Slowly, he steps through as well, pulling those boots on quickly first. There's a quick closing of eyes as he does, as if he's waiting for something weird to happen. Then he opens one eye and looks around - he feels no different than out in the real world. Though, he has a bit of a hard time focusing on the unrealness of it all. "Uh, alright. Anything inparticular I need to worry about here, as being just your average Joe?" He's a reasonable guy, Jack. If there's things he needs to know, he'll want to know them.
Neither of Gabe's animals seem to be out and about in the real world unfortunately. Jack's will have to occupy themselves. On the other side, he'd get a clear wiff of absolutely delicious smells coming from the workshop next to the outhouse where stills and fermenters were simmering away. But he'd not have a great deal of time before a shaggy green mossy looking canine came barreling up to jump up on him, all slobbery tongue and playful antics. Clearly a Boss, familiar in persona if not in body. A welcome distraction, really. Gabe had been left scratching at the back of his neck and his long ears had swiveled back and out slightly at the staring - even if he'd knew it'd be there. The novelty would wear off eventually. Maybe.
"Don't eat anythin'," he starts with as he gives a nod towards the apparent wilderness and starts to pick his way, leaving things looking a little greener and more vibrant in his immediate wake. "Don't go in th'big tree at th'Heart," he adds, looking thoughtful as he glances around. "Otherwise, long as you're in here with welcome, oughta be safe. Seein' as Long Night knows ya - ah, Mud. The herd shouldn't mind ya much if he don't mind ya."
The ranger is more shocked to see Boss so different in truth - he knew that Gabriel would look different, but the dog, too? His stance is wary as the hedge-companion jumps - but only for a split second. "Hey, nice to see you again," he tells the beast - he knows he understands him, after all. He ruffles and pets affectionately, fascinated. "Alright, no eating anything stay away from the tree at the heart." He checks the warning list, confirming that he understands. He takes a few careful steps on the semi-solid ground, watching carefully where his feet are put down. "What if I fall and get some of the water in my mouth?"
"Huh...good question," Gabe muses as he ducks low under some low hanging mossy branches. He'd always had a habit of ducking low, it might make alittle more sense now; keeping the saplings on his head from catching and tangling. "Reckon spit it out, should be fine." Should be. It seemed to Gabe at least that it'd take more than a momentary exposure or a few drops of slow rolling swamp water to instigate any kind of change. Boss hops down once he'd gotten his hello-scritches and turned to dart off into the bayou again, like some overgrown puppy. There's a splash out of sight somewhere when he's found the water.
Gabe leads a winding path through the bayou, opting to pick the waterways that are narrowest and easiest to jump across given Jack's apparent aversion to the water. It's about twenty minutes to get there, with the twists and turns following segments of dry land, but there's plenty to take in along the way. Following eyes. Friendly fronds unfurling to brush their greetings. Tricky vines that might try to trip him up a little in mostly harmless prank. There's the occasional odd little animal as well to peek out. Something like a squirrel, but not quite, nearly birds - but wrong, fluttery bys with far too many legs and clusters of eyes and glass wings.
All in all, it's a very poor introduction to the hedge, at least to the true hedge. The bayou didn't make it look scary in the slightest.
Jack is comfortable in any forested area, or even on plains - or the street jungles. But in swamps? It's not nature he's that used to. But he's still a survivalist and he moves with surefooted athleticism after Gabriel, at first looking more where he puts his feet than his environment, but gaining more confidence the longer they walk so he can admire the place itself. The animals in particular has him very curious - he'd love to be able to talk to them, but he knows he can't. "This place," he asks thoughtfully. "It's your... like your land?"
Gabriel glances back over his shoulder with another of slightly wider than usual grins. "Claimed, shaped, 'n worked," he nods for the land. "Used t'be just a run of river and some trees. Took a lot of cultivatin' to get it shaped up right. Lil Bird helped," he explains as they come upon a place where three waterways converge into a sluggish swirl and three equine-like creatures could be seen, two withers deep, and one chest deep in the water. They're all black with grassy manes and broad heavy tails - grass over something almost fish like - that drift on the surface. The largest one swings his head around with a familiar indifferent flick to his ear, a wide yawn that displays twisted sharp teeth meant to shred flesh surely. "They're still under," Gabe notes aloud, as much to himself as to Jack.
"You /made/ this?" Jack says, completely taken back by this revelation. It gives him pause, staring at Gabriel (he's gotten used to how he looks now) - he's gaping again, wondrous and amazed. "That's handy. Can't you make one tiny corner into a beach with a luke warm little clear pond?" he asks jokingly. "Travelling abroad is so expensive." He grins, then focuses on the big animals in the water, crouching down to study them - realising he's looking at Mud. "Hey Mud," he calls softly, not wanting to startle them. "They foaled?"
Gabe scratches at his beard, same as he always does, but looks a little different with it hanging goatish from his chin the way it does. "Well, not in a blink...but when I'm in th'thick of this stuff...turnin' seeds to trees and gettin' them to help me out isn't too hard...Beaches are harder. For me." He pauses a beat before adding, "I'll have t'ask Red 'bout takin' ya to the Cove. It's not really a beach...but there's sand 'n clear water." Mud in his natural fae form peers back again at the call of his name, snorting a lazy return before lowering his head to sink beneath the swamp water. When it lifts again, it's with a strange tendriled fish, like a fantastical catfish, in his mouth. Gabriel starts to move to the edge of the water, to ease himself down into the water without much though to the swampiness, up to his chest once he'd found the bottom to inch along the the bank. "She's dug in pretty much right up under where you're standin'. Went huntin' for her this mornin' to check on her, found she'd already dropt it. Will see if we can't get 'em to come on out."
"I don't want to push either of you into showing me me, or telling me, more than you feel comfortable doing," Jack says respectfully. He stands up and walks along the edge carefully, following with Gabriel - he won't go IN the water though. "I know about the promises you can make, with people. Been warned about those since I was a kid," he notes dryly. "Ashe Whelan of the local fairies, she asked if I'd made promises. I said I /had/ - and I /have/ promised you both that I will keep you safe. BUt I know she meant something else. I didn't lie to her, but I didn't really answer truthfully either. I should talk to Red about this - I don't want either of you in trouble." He crouches, nodding at Gabriel. "Alright. I'd love to see them but it's alright - don't want them to be uncomfortable because a 'tourist' is here."
Gabriel paused short of ducking down into the water to peer towards Jack with a curious furrow to his brow and his ears turning out either direction. Those things were far more expressive than his face could ever hope to be. "Yea, know of her," he remarks for Ashe, dipping his head. "Sounds like y'got somethin' on your shoulders," he remarks, then shakes his head when he goes on to the last bit. "Nah, better to handle 'em right away if you don't mean to turn 'em out wild." He pauses again before doubling back, "What kind of trouble you reckon you'll be bringin' on us?" asked somewhat skeptically.
"Nothing. I would never bring trouble to either of you. I am just not so conceited I don't understand how trust comes hard for you all," Jack notes, smiling a surprisingly warm smile at the Lost. He makes a dismissive gesture. "I doubt there's an issue. Go on, I'll wait up here." He keeps sitting crouched, watching the big horse-like water animals with a trained eye, learning their motions and taking note of their appearances.
"Guess if you just treat th'lot of us like cornered feral critters at first -" he chuckles with a shrug of his shoulder. That much was a language he was sure Jack understood. Then the faun was drawing a deep breath and ducking down into the water. He's down there a while, the two mares looking on curiously, Mud continuing to give no fucks while he chewed through the fish, letting the other parts drop to the surface of the water just to be retrieved in chunks before they floated too far away. It's only a minute or so before Gabe reemerges with the spike-maned long legged foal under arm, awkwardly flailing its sharp-edged hooves in the air. Mama wasn't far behind, splashing her way out to crowd watchfully nearby but otherwise looking unconcerned.
There's a quick grin in response before Gabriel sinks beneath the surface. Jack waits patiently. "So, Mud," he tries conversationally. "What's the favorite - fish or hay?" It's a legitimate question, though in truth, the ranger doesn't expect a reply from the 'horse'. When Gabriel comes up he stands up and walks as close to the edge as he dares. "How come," he wonders, "that ALL baby animals are adorable?" He keeps a safe distance. He wouldn't want to come too near in case mama kelpie will get mad. "Everything alright with it?"
Mud gives Jack the most 'Is that even a question?' look a horse is capable of giving. He damn near rolls his eys, so put upon by the ordinary world, as he's crunching through bones thickers than they ought be in that sort of creature. "So they're less likely to get ate or abandoned," Gabe answerd the likely rhetorical question so pragmatically. He catches hold of the roots in the bank to help haul himself up, nimble on those hooves as any goat might be in catchcing footholds and lifting the foal up out of the water more fully with him. Mama watches on still, closely, stepping closer to the bank, but she doesn't seem overly disturbed either. Calm and tired and watchful. Gabe sets the foal down on the ground once he's there, and thing just sort of collapses into a curl, a long tail yet to grow more than a fringe of grass curled over its legs while filmy eyes blink around and it brays a gurgly wet sound. "Not sure yet," Gabe answers as to how it ws doing. "Never seen 'em as newborns. Don't seem keen on findin' its feet but I don't know if that's somethin' later for water horses."
"Yeah, you're not very social, are you," Jack notes dryly. He understands. He moves over to help Gabriel up or if allowed, help lifting the foal, making soothing sounds - he's still quite capable with animals, even if he can't speak to these particular ones in his psychic manner. He'll do a professional look at the animal, to see if he can figure out if it's alright or not, touching limbs gently.
Between the two experts, they can probably figure out if everything's alright or not - Jack focuses on this and forgets where he is momentarily, having adapted to the environment, the new appearnace of Gabriel and the strange animals. In the end, everything is still life, of sorts. When both realise the little foal has a leg that isn't working right, they start discussing options - Jack has some good insights, but suggests that if possible, keeping the foal either under close watch near the entrance, or even in the real world in a pool of some kind.
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