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Time had seemed to slow.. then speed up again with the coming of the summer rains and Killian's maturity.

And Flame found himself taking fewer and fewer lonely walks, instead immersing himself in the herd politics, assisting his son Blais when needed. Bonfire and Killian listened avidly (or distractedly.. depending on the day) to his tales, and everyone came to him for a bit of quiet advice... or just someone to talk too.

It surprised him to find that he not only loved his erstwhile son more then ever.. but he respected him as an adult and a leader now. Even Tai had become a respectable adult, loving and living like every day was his last. And Flame, well he should have been content.

But every day he woke and discovered that really.. he was still lonely.

So for the first time in weeks he lumbered to his feet and shook out his heavily braided mane, intent on feeling the wind run tempting fingers through the golden locks. Long experience meant that no one but Crousader would be up at this hour, and he could slip away with none the wiser.

The moment his hooves broke through the underbrush and he moved entirely free of the forest, he was away. A small part of him noted (with no small measure of pride) that his tempo was a near perfect four beat, none the worse for months of gentle canters and lazy naps beneath his favorite trees. Calmly, he stretched his neck out and inhaled the rushing air as he whirled across the open meadowlands, looking for something to make this run even more exciting...

A stream perhaps? Or a fallen tree?

A slight smile curved at his features, remembering all of a sudden watching the then newly arrived Killian take a tumble around a meadow similar to this one. At the time the orange colt was having trouble keeping his legs under him.. and had asked (after his twentieth of so fall) if he would ever walk as good as "Unkie Flam."

"Walk?" Flame had said, smiling; "Boy, by the time you are my age you will fly around this meadow." Unfortunately, it was all he could do to keep a straight face afterwards... especially since he hadn't really taken a run for weeks himself.

Smiling now, the stallion of fire pushed himself a little further, delighting in the stretch and pull of muscle over sinew and bone.

Golden eyes roving the landscape, he whinnied a surprised response to her greeting as he swept past her, slowing and spinning neatly on his haunches to trot back and greet her properly. Princess Hallany was a mare he had met some time ago, before Killian and Bonfire were born; and while most of their meeting was hazy, he did remember taking a liking to her presence.

Not that he ever found any mares presence upsetting...

But he didn't have any memories of particular interest... just easy company and the mutual understanding from their shared heritage and parenthood. She too had a son, he remembered, just like he had Blais.

"Milady." He said with a graceful inclination of his head, "It has been awhile! How do you do?"

Perhaps a few years ago he would have offered consolation, empty really... and told her everything was going to be alright, listened to her if she wanted to speak to him... then moved on with his day... none the worse for briefly coming in contact with someone else's misery.

But he knew better now. Nobody really wanted to just vent their feelings.. ever... they usually wanted an answer.. something or someone to hold accountable.. then they usually wanted action.. or the illusion of action. Something they'd do it themselves.. other times something they could enlist the aid of a champion to do the deed on their behalf.

He also had discovered that another's misery always affected him... no matter how hard he tried not to care.

So he tilted his head curiously, inviting her to continue if she so chose.

"Indeed? How so?"

If he had been expecting other things, Flame diplomatically kept those assumptions to himself. He should have known that she wouldn't be this upset over such a trivial thing as romance or any of the other babble-brook issues that afflicted the mares of the Clearings.

Instead, he sighed.

"Long is the road of loneliness eh? Even for those as independent as we." He said, meaning it more as a statement rather than a question. "I've found the best cure not to always be words.. but deeds. So how about instead of speaking further of your unhappiness here, you come with me and be amongst others larger then hawks and squirrels?" He didn't mean anything by the invitation other then a chance for her to be among equals... and he belatedly hoped she would see it that way.

"Indeed."

He let the word hang in the air for a moment, and grinned at her. "I'd best prepare you though... there might be teasing of the inappropriate kind. Feel free to flay whomever you want, it will more then likely do some good." For you as well as them. He finished to himself silently.

He remembered the look in her eyes all to well, since it was one he had had, back when he was first exiled... before Gully had stumbled into his life. Ceylona had been around then.. briefly.... as had other females. But he hadn't been himself, not really, and he had hurt them emotionally. Now, looking at this proud mare, he wanted -more then anything- to help alleviate that mind numbing pain of loneliness from her. Not just from the pain itself.. but from the pain it caused others.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, he started off at a brisk walk towards the campground his extended family called home, hoping she would still follow.

His own features curved into a wicked grin, inwardly glad that she would meet his humor with some of her own. Perhaps he was mistaken...

Sobering really, for it probably meant she was a lot stronger emotionally than he was, or had been anyway.

Shaking that notion away, he picked up the pace to a trot, maneuvering easily through the familiar woods along a path he and Gully had mapped years ago. After a few minutes, he glanced back, his look thoughtful.

"You know... " he started, then thought better of it.

"We'll be there in a moment with these fast desert legs of ours." He added quickly, lamely really, glad that the scent of the camp's cooking fire had reached them and proven him correct.

"So just another warning, don't take the bear seriously, yes.. we really do go fishing... and no... Crousader does not hate everyone... he just ... dislikes everyone. " That almost covered all of the Elderwillow Camp's quirks that Often Scared Strangers.

Oh...

"And beware of Riverfire... she likes to braids flowers onto everything. Especially pretty soquili mares. Otherwise she's harmless..."