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It was a common sight to spy an emerald-eyed, draft stallion walking through the Western Forest. After all, the stallion did live there. In fact, he had grown up there his entire life.
It was where he was born, though his parents hadn't stuck around for very long to see him grown. His mother was ever-moving, always struck with wanderlust and a passion to be somewhere else. Maybe if he had been faster or stronger, he could've kept up with her, but it was near impossible. The first moment she'd spotted him nibbling at some grass, she was off. She was not cruel enough to starve her child, but Tenzin would hardly remember his mother.

His father showed more loyalty to his son, staying long enough to show Tenzin how to harness the raw strength that draft Soquili are graced with. It was tough training that his father put him through and it was all physical. His father didn't teach him any mental or social skills and instead based all opinion on one of physical strength. If you were strong, you would survive, his father often remarked. When Tenzin was a little younger than a yearling, he woke up one day to find that his father too had left, supposedly finding his son strong enough to live upon his own.

Tenzin continued the training routine that his father had given to him, becoming larger and stronger as he grew, but he also became reclusive and shy. The Soquili that came into his home would be scared off at the sight of him and his social skills were patchy. He likely would've strayed from all contact if not for Damian, a wolf pup who he came into contact with as an adult.

Damian had left his family at a very young age and desired not to go back to them, for he claimed them to be cruel and harmful wolves. The pup had wanted to continue putting distance between him and his pack, but was clearly tired from his journey already. So, Tenzin had offered the pup to join him for a while in the forest: if Damian liked it there, he could stay with him for as long as he desired; if he didn't then he could leave whenever he was well enough to travel.

Damian never left Tenzin's side after that and before he knew it, Tenzin had gained his first friend and an official familiar.
With Damian at his side, Tenzin was able to learn how to talk to others more easily. By trial and error, he was also able to figure out social cues when addressing other Soquili and soon enough he had made some equine friends too, which pleased him greatly. Soquili would come and go through his home and he would offer his assistance where he could, wanting to aid any who came searching for it. On most days though, when the forest was calm and without company, he would simply go out on his own for a bit and clear forest pathways of rocks or fallen trees. Such a routine was natural for him and naturally, he loved it.

Today was such a day where he was out and about. The sun was shining, the ground underhoof was firm yet soft and all seemed perfectly right with the world. Anything wonderful could happen on a day like this, he thought, continuing his walk, anything at all.

Tenzin heard the other Soquili approach before he heard its voice. The draft stallion had gone so far as to tilt his head back and peer through the foliage to spy black wings, too large to belong to a crow or raven, soaring overhead. He had become accustomed to seeing many different coats and traits for various Soquili. He recalled frequently on an alicorn mare by the name of Leilani, who he'd mistaken for a forest fire, do to the primary feathers of her wings and by her eyes as well. She had come into his forest searching for herbs and she was pleasant company.

Shaking his head to clear himself of idle thoughts, he focused on the sound of a descending winged Soquili and headed in the direction he suspected that his feathered friend might land. There was a clearing nearby, just a small break in the trees really, but it would be large enough for maybe three Soquili to stand in and thus would make for a fair landing area. He'd better get a move on, if he wanted to greet this newcomer by the time he'd landed, Tenzin thought and so began to pick up the pace.

It was not long after this that the newcomer chose to speak up, signaling that he had landed and Tenzin smiled at the new voice. A stallion's call, most certainly, but luckily one that seemed as friendly as the mares he'd met, for this one had taken the time to speak up. Tenzin, wanting to return the respect to the stallion, called out in turn,
"Yes, of course you may!" He was just at the edge of the clearing now and stepping out into the light, so that he could be seen more clearly as well as being able to see this new stallion better as well. "I welcome you to the Western Wood, as all who wish this place no harm are welcomed." He let this sink in a bit as he surveyed the stallion with four black wings before him. He may be dark of appearance, but his actions spoke true and so the draft stallion smiled upon him, "If you are looking for herbs here, as you say, I would be more than happy to show you a few of the locations I've noted to have heavy plant growth. Perhaps you could find some of your remedies there, hm?" He offered.

Tenzin found that he had been quite correct in his assumptions: The stallion with many wings was friendly, respectful. Such a Soquili would certainly be welcome in the Western Forest and Tenzin erased any date that may've taken root in his mind. He smiled at the stallion who'd introduced himself as Haides and bowed his head in turn.
"I am Tenzin, and believe me when I say that it's a pleasure to meet you, Haides. Come, I shall show you one of the spots I've in mind." Said the draft, turning back the way he'd come. There was another gap in the woods along the path he had traveled, one that he'd taken healers before, as there were many flowers and other growing things that had proven useful to those he'd met. Again, he thought of Leilani. How she had loved that flowery-herb patch.

When Haides mentioned the care of the forest, Tenzin found himself smiling again,
"Well, it's the least I can do. After all, I grew up in these woods. I couldn't possibly remain here without doing something to give back to it."

Tenzin found himself swell a bit with pride when the Angeni stallion addressed him using a formal title. Tenzin was not the sort to strive for recognition of others, but that didn't stop him from patting himself on the back for a job well done. Nobility was something Tenzin didn't understand the meaning of, but he was able to deduce that it had positive meaning, given the tone that Haides took when he spoke it.

When he went on speaking of forests he'd encountered where not a single thing grew, Tenzin was put at ease. Certainly, he had seen summer fires in the Western forest, but after every following winter the ground was rejuvenated and the life restored to the forest. To think that such a forest existed somewhere out there made the draft stallion very sad indeed, but he was beginning to think of what might have happened to cause such a state, or what sort of plants could grow there.

"If the ground was soft, despite the plants there being brittle and dry, perhaps there was a drought? Droughts cause dust to make up a majority of the ground, making it soft and they cause the plantlife to whither and die. However, there are still some plants that can thrive in such an environment." He tried to remember what some of the travelling herbalists had mentioned by way of plants, for he often tried to ask such questions, "Succulents do well, cacti and the like, but there was another... Lavender! Lavender is a drought resistant herb and a lovely shade of purple to brighten up a gloomy area." He cast a smile over to Haides, "If you tell me more about this forest of yours, maybe we can determine whether it was a drought or something different that caused this turmoil to occur. What do you say?" Asked he to his companion.