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The young mare galloped along freely, running with the wind. For as long as she could remember it had always been this way. She had always been left to do whatever she pleased and was always running alone. And she was sick of it. Yes freedom was nice, but what were you supposed to do with it when you were alone? She'd had a mother once, and even a herd. However, her foolish trouble making and her want for freedom had lead her to leave. Who needed anyone else to depend on anyway? She did. Over the past couple of years she had learned what a herd had really meant. It meant shelter, protection, friends, and a family. When she gave up her herd two years ago she had lost all of that. And for what? A little freedom? Well she was sick of it.

The well built mare came to a halt as she heard running water. Quickly she perked her ears up and listened, trying to find the direction it came from. Ah! There it was. Imbrium then turned towards the water and slowly made her way down the embankment. Once she reached the water she slowly began to drink her fill. Not even thinking to look and see if anyone else was around. She did have a bad habit of that.

Imbri took one last swallow of the cool water. She had desperately needed that. Perhaps she should follow the river from here on until it came to its end. Yes, that would be good. Then she wouldn't have to worry about finding more water later. First she would need to climb back up the embankment, if she stayed too close to the water she might be more likely to run into predators. The black mare quickly stood upright and turned around to face... well it was the embankment alright but there seemed to be a stallion standing there now. Drat. She really needed to be more careful when she went for water. You would think she'd have learned these things by now, after all she had been on her own plenty long enough.

Well it didn't seem as if she was in any immediate danger. The stallion hadn't attacked her yet and that was always a good sign. Maybe she should say hello? "Hi, umm, I'm Imbruim. Or just Imbri for short." She called up to him. "Who are you?" Well, it wasn't exactly eloquent, but she had gotten her point across and that was really all that mattered in the end. Foolish little words that made your sentences sound sophisticated and pretty were of no use to her.

The mare then made her way backup the bank, being careful not to slip in the mud or get herself too dirty. After just a few moments she stood beside the stallion and took a good look. Oh my! He seemed to be in pretty bad shape. Actually, from the looks of him he shouldn't be alive at all! That was odd, especially since he was alive and apparently well.

"Oh no! Do you need help? Are you okay?" His wounds didn't exactly scare or bother her, but she couldn't just stand back and do nothing if he was hurt. He could be dying for all she knew. In fact he should be dying. He should be dead. Yes, yes, she'd already thought that, she supposed it was just a hard thought to get past.

Imbrium gave the decaying stallion an odd look. She hadn't ever seen anyone alive with such horrid wounds but she shrugged. If he said he was okay then he must be. As it was he was still walking and talking. There were still things int his world that she didn't understand and this was just one of those. The black mare could accept that and would. Besides, arguing about it wouldn't do her any good either. Actually he was kind of handsome, once you got over the bits that seemed to be missing.

Was she going mad? It was possible, but for some reason she found herself strangely attracted to this creature, this stallion. She even felt a need to make him feel better. The look on his face, in his eyes, he seemed so lost to her. Imbrium quickly shook her head trying to rid herself of the odd thoughts that clung to her. And no matter how hard she shook they stayed. What she was feeling was a curious sensation. She had felt it before, just after she had left her herd and ran into a lone stallion. The stallion had shown no interest and had immediately left her alone once more. Why should this time be any different.

"Well, if you're sure." She said. Then quickly moved on to a different subject. "Where do you come from? You must have a home or family somewhere." Imbri had been so lonely for so long that she hoped she could at least share a little conversation with the stallion before he left her alone again.

Imbrium listened quietly as the stallion talked. Strangely her heart seemed to ache for him. She wanted to comfort him, but why? Why on earth would she want to do such a thing for a stallion she had never met? He seemed so lonely and confused, she didn't know why he was, just that he seemed to be. Oh goodness. What was with all these little thoughts she was having? You'd think she was a young filly who was love struck. Okay well she wasn't a filly in any case.

"No family? That must get lonesome." No wonder he seemed so.. so lonely? Sure he had a herd but with no family what good was that? If he didn't consider his herd family he must feel relatively isolated. Her herd was never really family, she hadn't ever felt welcome so she had left.

"My family is two years in my past. Wherever they are now I care not. They cared nothing for me as I care nothing for them." It was a cold and rather harsh statement but it was true. She had felt an outsider, an unwanted foal that even her mother had barely loved. Trouble. She had been trouble, almost an ill omen so they had cast her aside. Finally driving her out. Oh she had left on her own, but only because they had pushed her aside one too many times. There was no family if there was no love.

The mare listened as Thanos talked. Well, maybe he wasn't lonely. She may have just read him wrong. Without others near her any more she was probably a bit off now. She did have to agree with what he said next though.

"You're right," She bobbed her head in agreement, letting her long mane dance with the movement as she did so. "They aren't always happy places. At least not for me..." She trailed off then, lost in memories.

It had been her eyes. The second she had been born they had branded her as different. Why her eyes were the way the were was still unknown of her, she had received no explanation, and now she didn't really care. Perhaps that was why she wasn't too puzzled by the stallion that stood before her, yes he was interesting to say the least and it didn't seem possible, but she had her own oddities. Her herds own ill omen. Even her own mother had shunned her in the end. Honestly, with so much hate you'd have thought she'd have left before she did.

Imbrium was snapped out of her thoughts when Thanos said quiet. What an odd way of saying it. She was a little puzzled but since he didn't quite seem entirely there she didn't question it.

"Yes, it is quiet isn't it?" She answered him. "Although that's not really different for me. It's usually always quiet where I go." It was a bit of a lonely statement but it was the truth.

Imbrium waited patiently for his answer. Never quiet where he was? What did that mean? She supposed he might mean his herd. Maybe he was always being bugged, but that wouldn't explain why it was never quiet when he was alone. Perhaps he meant his thoughts? Yes that could be it. Maybe he was just always thinking a lot and never could quite quiet his thoughts, and perhaps when he did he was just surrounded by his herd. Yes that must be what he meant.

The black mare was about to reply when the stallion pointed out her Gourd. Ah yes, actually she was surprised he hadn't noticed it sooner. Then again she had tried to hide it in her tail rather well. Her face was hot and she became flustered as she was tried to come up with a response.

"I uh," She started then took a deep breath and went on. Why should she care what some stallion thought of her? Imbri had only just met him! "Well that would be my gourd. I found it as a kid. It's all hollow, I think it's something some two legger threw away. I used to," She stopped for a moment too embarrassed to go on. No no, she could do this. "As a foal I was kind of, um, shunned from the herd and on those particularly bad days I would kind of pretend it held a different world for me. One where I was loved." Her voice trailed off then. Traces of hurt had lined her words and the memories she held were not friendly ones.

Imbrium had stood silently in embarrassment watching the stallion. Were those rats? How had she not noticed them before? Perhaps that was why it was never quiet where he went. She did hear an occasional squeak but still wasn't sure how he never had any quiet. Ah, oh well she'd probably never really know.

Imbri was just about to ask about the rats when Thanos spoke up again. Well she could wait until a bit later to find out where they came from. "What did it look like?" Well, she supposed he was humoring her. After all, it hadn't ever been a real world. Just something that she had made up as a foal to try and escape her every day life. If he wanted to humor her then fine, she'd tell him. Although perhaps he was only doing it to make fun of her? He did almost look like the sort but she doubted that was what he wanted. She didn't want to think that anyway. Oh drat. What were all these feelings she was experiencing? Love. No no, that couldn't be it. The thought had drifted through her mind for only just a moment. She hadn't known him long enough for that.

"Well," She continued on, shaking off the weird feelings she was experiencing. "I suppose it looked a lot like this world. Except it was a world for just me. My herd was gone, my mother gone, only the birds and the trees. I could lay out in the grass under the sun, for it never rained unless I wished it. Typically it matched my mood unless I didn't want to. If I cried it poured, if I wanted to hurt something it stormed. There were a lot of weird weather changes." She smiled at the stallion. Yes her world was interesting. But she had felt safe there. She wished that she could have actually gone into the gourd, but that wasn't exactly possible. Now it was simply a memory, her only friend.

The black mare stood a few moments in silence as she awaited the stallion's response. Beautiful? Yes she supposed her world was beautiful. Although that hadn't really been the reaction that she had been expecting. Really she thought he would have laughed at her, made fun of her world and the sad life she had had as a child. Well, she had learned you couldn't rely on others but for some reason she was feeling herself drawn to Thanos. Like she knew she could trust him. What was with her today? Imbri quickly shook her head trying to rid herself of these thoughts.

She was about to speak once more when he turned away. For some reason she felt her heart sink, like a light had just gone out. Well, she supposed she must have been wrong. It had been wrong to listen to her heart. When had it ever really done anything for her?

Imbrium was simply standing where Thanos had left her when she saw him turn around and come back. Immediately her heart turned over and she felt a switch turn back on. Geesh she really needed to stop doing that. However she did have to admit she was happy that he had come back.

"Since what?" She asked a little puzzled. Was he talking about his wounds? Imbri did have to admit that she wasn't entirely sure what to do either.