Safe and Sound | Acuna & Karanila

As soon as Karanila popped into the Oasis she took off leaving others to yell rudely in her dust but she did not mind them. She had run all morning as soon as she heard about the teleport point coming to her area for the day. Her mother, Asavana, had sent her in her stead - the Screamers were concocting another assault on an Aodh invader transport and could not make it in time. Just as well - Asavana would have probably caused much more uproar flapping about searching for Sarthak. He had traveled to the Oasis with the rest of their caravan when the Aodhians and War Forged had attacked while a quarter of them, including Karanila and Asavana, had gone into movement, hiding and picking off supplies meant for the invaders.

She careened right by her father in her desperation to find him, but he saw the blood bay and cream blur that was his daughter and reared up, calling her name. She skid to a halt, tossing a bit of dirt onto some foals who cheered when the recognized her. She winked at them before spinning on her heal to run into her father. 

"Oh, you're safe!" she said, relieved.

"So are you," Sarthak said. "And your mother? Where's your mother?"

"She's fine. Her band of Screamers is raiding an Aodh transport and she can't come to the teleportation point set up for today - they have to keep them all on the move so the invaders don't find us. I'm not even ranked to know the next time I'll be in an area with a teleporter-"

Sarthak pressed his forehead to his daughter's. "It's fine. You're both okay."

Karanila took deep gulps of air and nodded. 

"I expect you want to check on some friends?" the Creator horse asked.

Karanila nodded. "I heard Uluru's okay, and I've heard from a few others, but I haven't gotten a correspondence from Acuna..."

"I saw her family down by the waterfall this morning." At her hesitation he chuckled. "Go, I'm alright. Our caravan is just down there." He pointed with a forehoof at a collection of tents set up in the shade. 

Karanila hugged her father again, touching her neck to his, then raced off in the direction of the waterfall.

---

Here? No, there? No, that horse is champagne dun - not Acuna. Karanila poked her head in tents, ducked under builders, and leapt over crates. Where was her friend? Had that evil mother horse left her behind on purpose? She snorted at her own thought. No way, her father wouldn't allow it. 

That's when she bumped into Acuna's mother.

"Oof!" Karanila grunted. "I'm so sorry, I- Oh. Coleit. Hi." She was stunned into a somewhat polite greeting. 

"Hmph!" Coleit dusted herself off and picked up the basket of goods she had been carrying. "Watch where you're going, adrenaline junkie."

Karanila blinked. Gee sooooooorry, she thought. What bit your butt today? Aloud she asked, "Glad to see you made it. Uh, where's Acuna?" She looked around Coleit for her amber champagne snowflake appaloosa friend, but only saw Yance and Acuna's siblings setting up the family shop for the afternoon.

Coleit sniffed and looked down her nose at the pintaloosa. "That lazy brat is looking for you." She turned and walked away, swishing her tail.

"Wait, she what? You mean she's outside?"

Coleit was either too far away to hear or was ignoring her as usual. Karanila pinned her ears and half turned, imitating the sour mare's words silently and sticking her tongue out at the end. She rolled her eyes then took off back in the direction of the teleporters.

She pranced in line waiting with groups of other Serorans looking to either leave or get out to check on loved ones. She bobbed her head. She swished her tail. She leaned over to inspect how far they had left to go. 

"Come on, come on..."

Finally, it was her turn and she jumped into the designated area for the next group traveling out of the Oasis. The transporter verified that everyone was ready and then POP! they were gone.

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