

Sundance
Yes
Clarice Russell lives within the gleaming white walls of Alabaster City. She used to have parents, until they...disappeared one fateful day when she was three. Since then, she has lived with Master Alastair, a healer reowned for his unique healing tactics. She has taken to healing like a bird has taken to flight, and is naturally skilled in the healing arts. Clarice calls Master Alastair 'Master' out of affection, and helps him in any way she can. Clarice is generally very kind and caring, the main qualities needed for successful healers. She is timid sometimes and is a little of a grumbler, but does not show her reluctance in words, only in actions. She can be headstrong and sarcastic at times, and often spends her time healing or picking herbs in Regina Woods. Under the influence of Master Alastair, she finds most animals an irritation as they often trample and eat precious herbs, but something has changed her thinking.

Sundance finds herself plain and unattractive, with her pelt of smoky gray and patterns of gold Solar Flowers (which, in her opinion, do not exist) and white underbelly. Ignorant residents of Alabaster City who have spotted her on numerous occasions jeer at her, comparing her to a 'common deer' sometimes, but secretly they admire her independence and beautiful coat. Sundance does not mind most of it, and over the years she has learned to be optimistic--the only defence she has other than the typical Elkrin's speed and her healing skills. Sundance is the perfect picture of elegance in truth; sweet, kind, always listening and beautiful. She can be over-protective sometimes and her optimism can be humerous. Like the sun that is part of her name, her energy is boundless. She still roams Regina Woods, in hope of someone who will appreciate her for who she is--a Rider.
Word Count: 1, 367I gritted my teeth as I crushed the borage into sticky green pulp. Why did Master have to be so old-fashioned? Instead of using the newest machines that could do practically everything, I was stuck at using a stone mortar and pestle to perfect the preparation of herbs.
Master came hobbling over, leaning onto his ivory walking stick. He was a good man, always fair and understanding. I could not think of any time when he had reprimanded me. Now elderly, he was nothing more than a wisp of fraility, made sore by arthritis. He hated raining days, because of the darkness and discomfort it brought to him. "You're doing well," he rasped, nodding his approval. I glowed under his praise and seizing the moment to wring my aching wrists, I murmured a greeting to him.
He smiled, laughter lines crinkling at the sides of his eyes. "Polite as always, Clarice. Now, if you don't mind, make more poultices for sore joints. I might need some." I stifled a sigh as I nodded assent and went back to work, scraping the paste off the mortar and filling tiny glass bottles with the stuff.
While I arranged the bottles neatly on the windowsill for the herb-collector to transport it to the herb-stores in Alabaster City, I heard Master thumping about, muttering under his breath.
"Not much of yarrow left," he croaked. "I'll get more now," I offered immediately, wishing I had an Elkrin to ride on to Regina Woods. I shook the thought off. No Elkrin would want a boring healer as their Rider, I told myself firmly, grabbing a basket from the shelf by the door of our little cottage.
~~~~~
I loosened the soil around a clump of yarrow, and gently retrieved it from the ground. I dropped the yarrow into the little rattan basket swinging on my arm and tossed a small colored pebble into the hole before filling it with soil. Offerings must be given to the Earth-goddess, as she was the one who gave humans what they needed. It was simply a legend, but a tradition which lived on in Alabaster City.
"Oof!" I squeaked as something knocked me onto the ground. For a moment, pain made spots dance before my vision and I laid there, stunned. Then I got to my feet numbly, picked up my basket and started for home, picking up a few scattered stalks of yarrow on the way.
I stirred the rich yellow yarrow bubbling in the pot listlessly. I had not talked for the whole day; the incident had stunned me too much. I could not stop wondering about it, though. Maybe it was a ghost that had stolen my herbs, but it was ridiculous. What did ghosts want with herbs, anyway? Master, a worrywart as always, insisted that I use the yarrow for my scrapes and bruises, as well as thyme and spearmint to soothe my broken nerves. "I don't care if we make a loss," he had argued. "We're earning a sufficient amount of money anyway." And so I had succumbed to his decision rather reluctantly.
Whatever had dashed all my efforts (and yarrow), it was going to pay for it.
~~~~~
I now marched more confidently into Regina Woods with a new purpose: seek out the creature that was responsible for my cuts. Armed with a stick and a bottle of yarrow-poultice, I squinted at the ground. There! Hoofprints of some animal with cloven hooves led on ahead.
Trembling, I brandished the stick as I followed the trail. My heart palpitated as it ended off at a cluster of bushes. Sweaty palms grasping the stick tightly, I crashed into the shrubs, screaming madly in an effort to intimidate the thief, be it supernatural or some animal with criminal instincts.
A pitiful bleat answered my voice.
~~~~~~
I knew that tone all too well. Back at home, I would soothe patients groaning in agony while Master applied or fed herbs to the sick one with hurrying fingers. My eyes flitted to the source of the noise across the clearing I had just barged into. A gray, spindly animal was lying on the ground, its long tail flicking. A deer, maybe, I thought, rushing to the...deer-thingy.
No. Not a deer.
"Elkrin!" I blurted out, looking at the smoky gray pelt of the elegant creature in front of me. Intricate patterns of Solar Flowers bloomed on her pelt in pale gold swirls. A Sun Pepper Elkrin.
"Hey, girl," I said, smiling rather stupidly--awe had overwhelmed me. I reached out, then pulled away, suddenly afraid to touch such a treasure.
Hi, said another voice, soft and lilting. I jumped, letting out a little scream.
I didn't know Elkrins are that scary! came the voice again, sounding solemn.
Unless my sprained leg is really disfigured."You talk!" I slowly backed away, feeling giddy.
I'll take it as a compliment, the Elkrin said cheerfully.
At least you know I talk. She paused for a moment to lick her left fore-ankle, and continued,
I'm Sundance, by the way."I'm C-Clarice," I muttered, thinking of the weirdness--talking to an Elkrin! But then again, I had the lucky chance to meet such a beautiful creature—and one that seemed to have leapt out of Eldemore’s myths and legends. Smiling as I recalled the one on the Sun Pepper Elkrin and the Goddess of Flowers, I sat on the grass and gently probed the sprained leg, remembering her injury.
Ow, Sundance cringed. "Sorry, but it'll hurt." I patted her neck and felt the leg with a butterfly's touch. The muscles underneath the skin was warmer than usual and occasionally, a spasm shuddered through them.
Hm. Bad sprain.
Aware that Sundance was watching my every move, I screwed open the bottle of yarrow poultice and slathered most of it on her leg before ripping off a strip of cloth from the hem of my shirt. I gently leant my stick-weapon against the sprained leg—it would help as a temporary support—and bound them with the cloth. Tossing the bottle of yarrow-poultice back in my pocket, I stepped back, satisfied with the leg. The yarrow would not help much with the sprain, but it would ward off any unwelcome infection.
Sundance blinked affectionately and nuzzled me.
Thank you, Rider. She licked my cheek and left me gaping in surprise at my new status as she limped rather quickly for an injured Elkrin to the trees edging the south of the clearing.
Rider. As that word tumbled in my mind, I thought I would burst in happiness. Sundance, head held high, came back with a bunch of deep pink and rich yellow flowers bobbing on green stalks.
"Y-yarrow!" I exclaimed, running over and carefully hugging Sundance's neck. She made a
hrrr sound in pleasure as she dropped to the ground in obvious relief.
Your yarrow, to be precise. I am kind of a kleptomaniac.I burst into laughter. "Oh, you little thief!" Sundance's eyes twinkled, tossing her head.
I failed drastically at trying to make a yarrow poultice. You're talented, you know.I beamed, picking up the bunch of herbs and uselessly trying to support Sundance as she struggled to her hooves. "Less talk, more action. Let's go back to Alabaster City. We healers have much to do.” The doe eagerly started forward, almost falling down at once. "Not so fast!" I warned, dashing up to her.
"Ow!" I sucked in a gasp of pain as I tripped over something golden. Sundance limped over to let me lean on her shoulder. As I did so, her eyes stretched huge and wide. I followed her gaze and forgot my pain for a moment as I admired the legendary flower. It shone a pure gold, and when I touched a velvety petal, it curled around my hand, and unfurled.
A Solar Flower, she breathed.
They exist after all. "Of course they exist!" I winced as bursts of pain rattled up my ankle. "I can't believe one just hurt my ankle!"
Sundance burst into melodious peals of laughter. "At least I learned something," I muttered. "Elkrins laugh."