Welcome to Gaia! ::

Soileana trotted through the woods, not looking where she was going or thinking of where she had been. The sun was setting and she looked forward to seeing the thin, sliver of a moon tonight. She heard somewhere that there would be two bright stars over the moon for a couple days, and she wanted to find a good place to stand and contemplate.

Hearing a stream in the distance, she subconsciously swerved towards the sound. Perhaps she was thirsty, or perhaps she had caught the scent of blood on a breeze... either way, Soileana slipped through the trees and right up to the part of the stream Karloff was standing at. Completely disregarding the foal, not 5 horse lengths from herself, Sol bent down and took a deep drink, enjoying the crispness of the water. Only when she had completely satisfied her thirst did she look up at the foal and asked, almost disinterestedly, "You do realize you are bleeding?"

Soileana just blinked as Karloff snarled at her, and she looked him over placidly, "Very well then..." She gazed at him for another moment before turning her head to the sky. There was a break in the trees here, and soon the moon would occupy the space over head. It wasn't her style to engage others, so she stood and waited to see if he would do anything more interesting than growl at her.

However, she tilted her head and spoke softly, as though speaking to no one, "Have you come to see the moon tonight...?" Her voice was lyrical and sweet, like a well practiced poet. Some thought her coloring drab, but in the dying light, you could see her wings shimmer, like a thousand diamonds.

Soileana watched him out of the corner of her eyes, as he seemed lulled by her voice. Her expression did not change- serene as a pool of water on a still day.

She continued to speak, still as though to herself, "Such as vivid contrast, between the black of night and the white of the moon. It reminds me something of you, child..." And now the turned to look at him again, her grey eyes calm and unwavering.

She could sense he was conflicted; every fiber of his being gave it away, from his shivering body to his glinting eyes. But she would not sway him, for in the end, he would decide what he wanted to do on his own.

At this point, something like pity lanced through Soileana's heart as she watched the colt. He looked like he had been through a lot, and perhaps the mother deep down inside her yearned to care for such a vulnerable young foal. She tilted her head, and kept the surprise from her face as he stammered a question.

Who could he be referring to? Soileana knew many females... was it possible he was mistaking her for a friend of a friend? But he was speaking in the past, which meant this "she" that he was referring to was probably dead. Another strange thing, he was alone... such a young foal was surely to be with his parents... if he had any.

Either unable or unwilling to deal with this, she looked back up into the sky, which was now entirely dark, save for the moon and the stars she had wandered so far to gaze at. "Did you know... the moon and the sun are the mother and father of the sky?" she answered softly, posing a question to his question.

Fluttering her wings gently, they glimmered in the moonlight. She paused and pondered for a moment before she looking back at Karloff once she had mastered her thoughts. "Who is it you ask of...? For I know many mares..."

Soileana nodded, not moving as he stepped forward. She would let him come as close as he wanted when he wanted to. Looking back up at the sky she replied, "I am... sorry for your loss. My name is Soileana..." This was unusual, but she was intrigued by the foal. His pain and misery, it seemed like he wanted to try and hold onto those feelings, and yet he enjoyed being open. Of course, it wasn't her place to judge or to question, but it was curious, none the less.

Tilting her head, she nodded, still gazing up at the moon, "If you would like... you can settle beside me, and I will tell you a story about Father Sun and Mother Moon..." And at that she turned, trotting over to a tuft of soft heather that was far enough from the stream to be dry. She settled down gracefully, still looking at the sky, but leaving enough room for Karloff if he so wished.

Watching him settle a little ways away from her, Soileana wondered which story he would like. Perhaps the one about how Father Sun and Mother Moon created the earth... it was a good story. "Very well then Carl, I shall tell you of the mighty mountains and the gentle oceans, and how Father Sun and Mother Moon created us all..."

"Father Sun and Mother Moon were the first. Who created them, we do not know, but we do know that they created all of us. They desperately wanted children, but were never quite successful. Instead, they created."

"Father Sun thought of warm and strength, and from his fire he pulled melted rock, which settled and became our earth. But it was little more than a rock- no life would grow on it. Mother Moon thought of gentleness and compassion, and she pulled water from the inky sky and her own glimmering face, covering the rocky earth with this bringer of life. Then, together, Mother Moon and Father Sun worked to create a seed. A single seed which they planted in the middle of a grand valley."

"There was little more they could do but wait, as all parents must, to see if their children would prosper. Months passed, and the rainy season came and went, and yet this single seed did not grow amidst the barren wasteland. Father Sun began to grow impatient, and thought that perhaps they had failed yet again, when Mother Moon lay a steadying hand on his shoulder and pointed at the earth. There, far beneath them, a small speck of green sprung from the ground. It was an oak seedling, the first oak, the Great Oak that can be found in the Hidden Glen deep within the forest. Years passed, and Great Oak grew large and strong, and from it sprung a daughter, the Green Goddess, who is in turn our mother for she is the earth below us and trees around us. Mother Moon and Father Sun watched as she sat upon the ground beneath the Great Oak."

" 'What is wrong my child?' Mother Moon asked, wondering why her daughter would not move from under the tree. 'I am stuck Mother, I need a traveling companion, for I am lonely and afraid to travel the world alone.' At this, Mother Moon thought long and hard. Finally, she let out a long sigh, and from her swirling breath she created a son, Zephyr, the Wind God. On his shoulders he bore his sister, the Green Goddess, and together the traveled the world, spreading life and breath. Soon the earth and sea were filled with green growth, and it seemed that Mother Moon and Father Sun had created a lush paradise. However, the Green Goddess, or as some call her "Mother Gaia", grew lonely..."

"Walking along the beach one day, she came upon what we know today as clay. Sitting done, she became fascinated with the shapes she could create with this clay. Soon she created many fantastic creatures, from dolphins to birds, horses and even man. She filled each of them with a seed of life, and her brother filled them with breath. In a great surge of magic, Mother Gaia's creations sprang into being, and she was never lonely again, for her children grew and prospered, and now inhabit every corner of the world. And this Karl, is how the daughter of Mother Moon and Father Sun created us all... with love, dedication, creativity, and a little bit of magic."

Soileana let her voice trail off, and she looked up at the moon with just the ghost of a smile on her face. It had been a long time since she told a foal a story.. and she began to wonder why she did not do so more often.

Soileana tilted her head and, still smiling ever so slightly, she crooned, "I am glad you enjoyed the story little one..." She did not bother asking him, since she already knew he had liked it from the look in his eye. Turning her face to the sky once more she sat there quietly, her expression still as serene as ever.

"How nice it is to have made a new friend under a smiling moon..."