Welcome to Gaia! ::

Belyy trotted through the bushes, unconcerned with the mess the branches and twigs were making of his mane and tail. Vain he was not… well, not usually. Could one be vain if one was only aware of just how amazingly awesome one was? He knew he was handsome. The twigs and leaves would only add to his wild look. He didn’t even feel the mild scratches. He was a stallion on a mission! Of sorts. His mission was, basically, to get to where he was going. The fact that he had no real destination in mind didn’t make a difference to him. He was making great time getting there and that was all that was important. He heard the sound of a river and changed his course slightly. It was on his way to… wherever it was he was going.

Duga paused at the river. “We’ll rest here,” she told her companion. Their pace was a good deal slower than what she was used to doing, but she didn’t mind it so much. Her companion wasn’t accustomed to traveling. She required constant breaks to get her breath. Not that Nova complained about it at all. Duga had figured out, after the first day, that she had to keep a close eye on her partner, otherwise Nova would walk to exhaustion without asking for a break. That simply wouldn’t do. It wasn’t like they were headed anywhere in particular, and Duga didn’t want Nova’s first experience with traveling to be a horrible one.

“We just rested,” Nova protested, frowning a bit. “A few hours ago.” Not that she should be complaining. She eased herself down next to the water for a bit of a break, despite her words. Her legs were sore and her throat was parched. A rest and a drink sounded divine. But she didn’t want Duga to think that she was weak. The last thing she wanted was to slow her companion down. Nova had agreed to leave her valley, because she wanted to be with Duga. The last thing she wanted was for Duga to regret that arraignment.

Belyy continued grinning at the pair, taking in their reaction. The dark one seemed to be the more trusting of the two, if her response was any indication. That meant that he had to charm the more colorful of the pair. He took his time pushing himself to his hooves and shaking the water out of his mane. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the water and had to laugh at how his mane stuck up in all directions. If they thought him a threat when he looked so foolish, then the mares were too wary to be dealt with. That would be a fun challenge, though. Belyy tended to do things just because he was told that they couldn’t be done… or because he was told not to… whichever. Belyy didn’t like the word impossible, and “don’t” wasn’t really in his vocabulary. That was the biggest reason for his focusing on the more colorful mare, though he kept one eye on the darker one, just in case she turned out to be less trusting or more interesting than she seemed. Not that she didn’t seem interesting… ah, he was beginning to distract himself. “My name is Belyy Tsvetok. Perhaps you’ve heard of me?” he asked, lightly, though he knew they wouldn’t have heard of him. He didn’t have a reputation. He made a point of that.

Duga shook her head slightly at Nova to let the other mare know that she hadn’t heard of the stranger. Before Nova could respond, she introduced them. “I’m Duga and this is Nova,” she said, deciding to give him the shortened version of their names. Not that she thought knowing their full names would give him any advantage over them. His tune had taken on a mischievous tone. That in itself wasn’t a bad thing. Maybe he was just a puckish sort of fellow. Those could be fun, on occasion. But Duga was hyper aware of any interactions Nova might have. She wanted so badly for this experience to go well for her partner.

Nova offered the stranger a smile, though she couldn’t help but keep glancing at her partner. She was in way out of her depth and she couldn’t help but try to take her cues from Duga. The other mare was talking to this stranger, this Belyy, so he couldn’t be too much of a danger. On the other hand, Duga was usually so outgoing and friendly, yet she was being somewhat… distant with this fellow. Was it because she didn’t trust him? Or was Nova’s mere presence altering her companion’s behavior? Nova really wished she knew for sure.

“You could say that,” Belyy answered Duga’s question with a chuckle. He stepped fully out of the river and flicked his tail to rid it of excess water. He was careful to aim the droplets away from the mares, though. No sense in drenching them unnecessarily. He wasn’t bored with them yet, and he tried not to alienate his toys… ah… companions until he was certain he was done with them. Rather, that he didn’t like them. Besides, flicking his tail at the ladies was just rude. Belyy could be crude when he felt like it, and politeness wasn’t high on his list of priorities, but that didn’t mean that he liked to be blatantly rude. “I pass through this area every so often,” he elaborated. “I’m familiar enough with the area to give you some recommendations, though. Where are you headed?”

“Nowhere in particular,” Duga answered with a small shrug and a smile. The more she listened to the tune, the more convinced she became that he wouldn’t harm Nova or give her any reason to regret leaving her valley. He was an odd one, but his song was harmless enough. He might play around with them, or try to trick them, but only for his own amusement. “We’re just wandering around and this seemed like a nice place to rest for awhile…” She looked to Nova and gave a tiny nod, letting her companion know that she had deemed the stallion safe to talk to. Not that she thought the other mare needed her permission, but she understood Nova’s hesitance to put herself out there unnecessarily.

Nova smiled a bit in relief when Duga gave her that nod. She took it to mean that she could relax and that this stranger was a potential friend. She liked making new friends. That was one of the nice things about leaving the valley, the opportunity to meet new people. Though, she did still miss her parents and her home. She was struggling with the physical exertion that traveling took out of her, but that was to be expected. She was certain she would adjust to it. And she enjoyed Duga’s company, so that was something… right? She pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind and focused on Belyy. “This is my first trip away from home,” she explained. “Duga’s kind of showing me around.”

Belyy considered the darker mare, curiously. She had a family, then. That was unusual. Most of those that he encountered who traveled didn’t have family. Then again, he had already figured that she wasn’t a wanderer like himself and the more colorful mare. Which could only mean that she was traveling to keep Duga company. He turned his attention to the colorful mare in question, his curiosity peaking. The two weren’t family, he could tell that much. Despite their dark coats, they didn’t have anything physically in common. Well, their dark coats and genders and sizes. So were they good friends? Maybe. He smiled at Nova, picking up the thread of conversation as if these other thoughts hadn’t crossed his mind. “Everyone has their own reasons for traveling. In fact, I’m sure there are more than just the two ways of going about it, also. It’s all a matter of perspective I suppose. So, if I’m to understand it correctly, you two are just exploring for the thrill of it?”

“Well,” Duga hesitated then shrugged, figuring there was no reason to keep it a secret. “I’m traveling for the thrill of it, and to explore different songs. Nova, as she said, has never been away from her home before. She’s agreed to come with me to see a bit of the world.” And so that they wouldn’t be separated. But their relationship was still too new and undefined for Duga to mention that to a complete stranger. Besides, she wasn’t certain if Nova even wanted other people to know about their relationship.

Nova nodded her agreement to what Duga had said. She didn’t add that exploring the world was proving to be very different than what she had expected. She still wasn’t certain if she enjoyed it. It was all somewhat exciting… and tiring and painful in some ways. But she was sure she would adjust. She was hoping she would adjust. No, she WOULD adjust. She wouldn’t give Duga any reason to send her home.

Belyy watched Duga’s reaction to that statement, curious to see what she was going to do. The next few seconds would tell him a lot about the two mares and how they felt about one another. For example, if she took the high road and reassured Nova that the younger mare wasn’t a problem at all, then he could peg them as friends. If she flushed and stammered, maybe they would be more. Or she could be bluntly honest and say that of course Nova is a bit of a pain, but that was to be expected… eh, well, he wasn’t really sure what that would mean. Depending on how Nova reacted to such a thing, it could mean that they were comfortable enough to joke around with each other, or if Nova wilted then it could mean that Duga was a bit more controlling that he initially thought. What would she do…

“You haven’t been any trouble at all,” Duga rushed to assure Nova, without even thinking about it. She flushed a bit, wondering if she had possibly answered too quickly. “Ah, I mean, you’re trying hard, so I appreciate that. Are you at least having fun?”

“I am,” Nova answered with a smile. She was relieved that Duga didn’t think she was being too much of a pain. Right now, Nova genuinely was enjoying herself. She was just glad that Duga hadn’t asked her that right after they’d been walking for awhile. She probably wouldn’t have been able to answer so honestly without hurting Duga’s feelings.

Belyy grinned to himself, having finally come to a decision about these two. In his mind, they were definitely a couple. More than that, they were an adorable couple, still at the tender stage of their relationship where neither was really sure how the other felt about one another. That was always a fun time to observe a couple, whether it’s conventional or not. The only downside was that he wasn’t really that familiar with either of the mares. It was way more fun when he knew the people involved in the awkward relationships. “I’ll tell you what, ladies,” he declared. “If you would allow me, I’ll escort you to a nice little clearing where you can rest for the night. I’d love to hear all about what you’ve seen and heard so far.” Maybe he’d have a chance to watch this comedy unfold… er… rather… love story? Yeah. Love story.

“That would be wonderful,” Duga agreed, returning his smile. She was relieved she wouldn’t have to force Nova to wander around anymore than necessary right now. Nova could use a longer break. Despite her lack of complaints, Duga was aware that so much walking was bound to be painful for someone who wasn’t used to it.

“Thank you,” Nova added. If all the people they met while traveling were this nice, then she thought that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. She was certain she’d get used to the physical exertions… eventually. That was the only way to build up one’s strength, after all. She had to power through it until her body adjusted. That didn’t mean she wasn’t going to appreciate the breaks when and where she could, though.

The clearing really wasn’t that far away. Within a few minutes they had reached it. Clearing, maybe, was a bit of an understatement. Really, it was a tiny meadow, complete with flowers and butterflies. During the day, anyway. Belyy didn’t particularly care for it one way or the other, but he knew that many other travelers had found it to be a restful place and, as noted before, it was close. “Here we are, ladies,” he announced as he stepped out of their way so that they could take in the sight. It was a comfortable place to rest, big enough for three full sized adults, assuming they were friendly with each other. There was plenty of room for two mini mares and one full sized stallion. Belyy took it as assumed that the ladies would welcome his company for at least a little longer, if for no other reason than to have someone who could tell them the local news. Not that he really kept up with the local news, but he could fake it with the best of them.

Duga took in the sight around them and nodded a bit. It was a good place to rest, in her opinion. And such clearings were also hard to find if one didn’t know what one was looking for. In that moment, she was grateful that they had stumbled across this stallion. He seemed decent enough, and despite claiming to be a traveler himself, he knew the area as well as a local would. That in itself was useful knowledge. “Thank you… this is perfect,” she told him, with a smile.

“It’s lovely,” Nova added as she ventured further into the tiny meadow. She studied the flowers curiously, feeling oddly pleased that she recognized some of them. Somehow she had thought that even the plants would be different outside of her home forest. Though, now that she thought about it, she realized that not much had seemed all that different since she started traveling with Duga. Was the entire world like this? If it was… what was the point of leaving home?