[SRP] Conquering Fear & Moving Forward (Aquitaine)

[She-Ra of Etheria]

Rising before the sun had come up Aquitaine moved as quietly as possible. She did not want to wake Agave, but she knew he would be worried about her when he did wake to find her gone. She had little choice in the matter. Today was something she had been meaning to do for a while now and it was something she had to do alone - well, almost alone. Picking her way through the trees Aquitaine made sure not to step on any fallen branches or pebbles that may cause enough noise to wake up her mate. After a short walk Aquitaine entered another small grove. This was where here familiar, Gaul, slept. At one time he used to sleep in the same grove as her, but after Agave came into her life the goat decided that they needed the space to themselves. Aquitaine greatly appreciated that her good friend was willing to go elsewhere at night, but there were some nights when she allowed him to come into the grove - that was usually if Agave was gone on some trip.

Walking quietly over to the sleeping goat Aquitaine spoke first. "Gaul." She whispered before giving him a bit of a nudge.

Having been asleep Gaul twitched slightly at Aquitaine's voice, but it wasn't until she nudged him that he woke. Almost immediately he was on his feet. "Aquitaine, what's wrong?" He asked, looking around for any sign of trouble.

"Nothing is wrong." She assured the goat. "There is someplace I need to go and I need you to come with me." She explained to him. While this journey was important to her, she felt that it would also be imperative that Gaul came with her as well. After all, he had been there on that day. "But I need you to be quiet until we are further away. I do not want to wake Agave." Turning she began to led the way out of the grove.  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

Gaul wasn't sure exactly what she had planned in this apparent trip, but he would not question her. If she needed him to come, then he would go. That's what friends did for each other. Nodding he held back the question he wanted to ask. He would ask it once they were far enough away to not wake the overprotective stallion.

Leading the way Aquitaine kept an eye out for any obstacle that was in their path. Even with the light of the moon it could be hard to see things, especially in the deep grass or where the trees were thick. Soon the sun would be up, but at the moment they traveled in relative darkness. It was good that she knew this area well and knew what areas were the safest to walk in. Even the area around her home could be dangerous if one was in too much of a hurry. The area where the meadow turned to trees which then turned to beach was riddled with stones that could do some serious damage to a leg if stepped on improperly. The last thing she needed was for this journey to end before it truly even began.

They continued to travel in silence as the first hints of light painted themselves across the sky. By now they were quite a distance away from the beach she called home, having crossed the first meadow. Her hope was to reach the area she intended to visit by late afternoon, but that would depend on how quick they kept their pace and anyone they met along the way. One could never be certain what lay ahead from one day to the next.

Satisfied that they were now far enough away Aquitaine finally began to explain things to Gaul. "I know you are wondering what's going on. The truth is, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. I have yet to find my purpose in life Gaul. True, I am a healer, but I do not see that as my calling. I will continue to follow the healer path so that I can assist anyone who is sick or injured to the best of my abilities, but I know there is something more for me out there." Passing through a swath of trees Aquitaine waited until they were moving through the meadow on the other side before continuing. "You know how I struggled at times with being different, especially when facing those that saw me as nothing more than a monster. Well I can't be the only one going through that. I know I'm not. There are other mutants out there Gaul, those who are likely being persecuted based solely on their looks, like I have been in the past."

She glanced down at the goat, checking to sure he was not tiring. He looked good and was attentively listening to what she was telling him. Knowing time was of the essence on this trip Aquitaine pushed the pace a bit more, pulling into a full trot. "And it's not just mutants either. Some half breeds are misunderstood based solely upon the blood that they carry. They need someone to tell them it's okay to be different, that they are not alone in this world. They need reassurance that there are others like them, that are going through what they are going through, or have gone through it, that can offer them help in dealing with the prejudice."  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

Gaul listened closely as Aquitaine began to explain things. Having been with Aquitaine since she was a foal, Gaul knew much about what she had been through. Sometimes he had been with her when an incident occurred, and other times he was told about them. He never understood why individuals would try her in such a way, and all based upon the fact that she looked different. "And you are going to be this someone?" He asked as he trotted along side her.

Aquitaine couldn't help but smile at Gaul. He certainly knew where this train of through was going. "Yes. I want to help those like me that may not understand why others are treating them badly. I want to help spread the word that, generally speaking, half breeds and certain cross breeds should not be associated with their dark blood. I know not all Kalona half breeds are bad, but I also know some will in be more like thier full blooded counterparts. Educating others that some can be good even if they don't look the part is what I want to do. No one should judge another based solely on what they look like." She paused for a moment, letting it all sink in before she continued. "But it's not just the mutants and half breeds that I can help. I can work with those who show great prejudice again our kind that the inside does not always reflect the outside. And also that individuals can change." She smiled as her next words came out. "Look at Agave. He was so entrenched in this mothers evil ways that I wasn't sure if he could change. And while it was a struggle some days, we did make a lot of progress and now he is a new stallion." Helping her mate change his ways had been her biggest challenge yet, but Aquitaine knew it was just the start, if she could help Agave, then she could help just about anyone.

"It sounds like a noble cause." Gaul told her with a smile. "And I can't think of anyone better to do it than you." He fell silent for a few moments, thinking over her words and trying to associate them with this trip. "But what I don't understand is what are we doing right now? Is this how you plan to start helping others, by rushing off without telling Agave?"  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

"Thank you." She said with a smile. Aquitaine couldn't help but laugh at his next words. "This is part of it, in a way." He would understand fully soon enough, she would both explain and show it to him. "I didn't tell Agave where we were going because this is something that I, we, need to do without him. When we get back I will explain the trip to him and also tell him about what I plan to do with my life." She wasn't sure if her mate would understand, but she felt more confident about the decision now that she had told Gaul about it

Gaul looked at Aquitaine with shock. "You haven't told him yet?"

Aquitaine slowed her pace for a moment and looked down at her familiar. "No. I wanted to give it lots of thought and fully accept what I wanted to do and what it would take to do it before I told Agave." Turning her gaze back to the path ahead Aquitaine nodded. "Besides, there is something I must do before I can begin down that new path."  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

In a way, Gaul understood why she hadn't told Agave yet. If she put her idea forth without knowing all of the details he might argue it wasn't a good idea. Heck, he might still argue against it, but at least now she could explain to him what it meant to her and how she would accomplish it. "Just what is this thing that you must do first?" He asked after a few moments. "And what does it have to do with me?"

"We have to visit a certain place so that I can move on." She explained. "Now come on, I'll show you." With that Aquitaine increased her pace, but made sure the goat would easily be able to keep up with her.

It was several hours later before Aquitaine found herself entering that certain area that had held a grip on her life for the past few months. Too long had she been plagued by the events that unfolded her and it was time for her to face those fears and move on with her life. Slowly to a walk Aquitaine scanned the area. She knew deep down that the skinwalker would not be here still, but that didn't mean she would rush out there without getting a good look at the meadow first. The day it had happened was not all that different from today, Gaul and Aquitaine had gone out on a little journey together and had found themselves in this meadow. A large cat managed to sneak up on them while they enjoyed the nice day. One moment they were having a great time and then next Aquitaine found herself under attack. In those first few moments she had no idea that it was a skinwalker that was on her, all she knew was that she had to fight back or lose her life. It had been a combination of her fighting back, along with Gaul helping, that had ultimately saved her that day.

Just the thought of those events caused a shiver to run down Aquitaine's spine. For a long time after the attack she had suffered from nightmares as she relived the attack night after night. It had been devastating to her to have gone through such a thing, but to have it affect her still to this day was even worse. The nightmares had subsided a lot in recent weeks, but every now and then she still felt the extreme fear crawling through her. That would all change today, for she would face her fears head on and no longer let them rule her life.

"This is it." She told Gaul as she stepped into the meadow. It was just a short walk until she reached the approximate spot of where it all occurred.  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

"It's a meadow." He said at first, confused as to why this spot was important.

"Not just any meadow." Aquitaine informed him. "Do you remember what happened about a year ago. You and I were here. It was a beautiful day, and then..." She trailed off to see if he would pick up on her train of thought.

It took him a few seconds to figure it out. "This is where the skinwalker attacked us!" He cried out in shock, he had hoped to never see this place again. "Why are we here?"  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

"Yes." She confirmed with a nod of her head. "Gaul, this attack has haunted me for too long. If I cannot face my own fears and overcome them, then how am I going to go out into the world and help others? The only way I could think of to get over this fear was to come back to the place it all happened. This is why I had to come here first, before telling Agave what I wanted to do, because if I'm still held down by my fear then my plan to help others cannot happen."

With that she set off to walk to the centre of the meadow. Hearing soft hoof beats behind her told her that Gaul was coming as well. He probably needed this as well. While he had never really talked about the attack after it happened, Aquitaine was certain he still felt some residual fear from this day.

Though she could not recall the exact spot that it had all happened, Aquitaine figured the very centre of the meadow would work. Stopping there, she slowly spun around in a circle getting a good look at every inch of the grassy area. "You may have controlled my life, but I am taking it back today. I no longer fear you! You may have thought you ruined me, but I can only grow stronger from here!" She called out. The skinwalker was likely long gone, but it felt good to shout it out, let the world know that she would not longer be afraid.

Gaul stuck close to Aquitaine as they made their way into the meadow. He couldn't help but stand taller as Aquitaine yelled. "You don't control me either!" He added his own voice. He didn't like to admit it, especially to Aquitaine, but that day had stuck with him and did make him worry far too much.

"I am free of you!" She called out after Gaul said his peace. "I control my own life now!" Boy did that feel good to get that off of her chest. Lowering her head she gave her beloved familiar a nuzzle. "He can no longer cause us fear Gaul. We are better than him. We have moved on and now our lives will be better. Now I can help others, because I have finally helped myself."

Gaul returned her nuzzle. "You have helped me already." He admitted.  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

"I'm glad to hear that." She said with a smile. Some might not think her approach to conquering her fears was worthwhile or would work, but Aqutaine saw it as the perfect solution. This did not mean that she was completely fearless when it came to life, and especially if she ever encountered another skinwalker, but it make her feel confident. Her life would not longer be hampered by her fear, which meant that she could follow her heart and work on helping others in any way she could.

"We should probably head back. Agave will be so worried, he's probably out looking for me." She said with a slight laugh. Though it was nice to know that he did worry about her and that he did want to protect her. But sometimes she had to protect herself. "If we hurry we can be back before dark."

"In that case," Gaul started with a smile, "let's race!" The goat let out a bleat and took off running.

With a laugh Aquitaine chased after her friend. She did not look back at the meadow, for she had put it and the events that had happened in it behind her. She would no longer worry about the past, it was her future that she would focus on now.