Welcome to Gaia! ::

The early morning sun peeked over the hills, sending its rays of light into the vast forest that was Shrilal. The shadows of the trees seemed to be ten times taller than their living counterparts, occasionally fading in and out of focus whenever a white, fluffy cloud drifted lazily in front of the sun.

The snow-hued mare trotted along, weaving through trees, her deep blue eyes flicking to and fro, searching for the familiar mixture of gold and white. She could hardly contain herself! After so long, she would finally see her daughter again! She had heard that Cressida was here, with a tree, no less, but she was here all the same. The white Reya had galloped as fast as her legs could carry her to Shrilal, after that bit of news. A smile graced her muzzle as she continued on her way; she was going to be a grandmother! Who cared if it was a half-blood?

A rolling apple snapped her out of her reverie. Now where did that come from? she wondered as she halted, watching it roll. It had obviously rolled away from some tree, no doubt an occupied one, and it slowed to a halt directly in front of her. It was a bright red, luscious looking apple, very appealing for breakfast, but it had an owner so, she decided, she would do best by returning it. She broke her gaze from the red fruit to look around her in earnest, to see who might have lost such a treasure.

Deep blue eyes settled on the lighter blue paint Jala, and the white Reya mare smiled. My, my, this one certainly seemed a little uptight, but most mares were when they had that many fruit on a tree, especially alone. She turned to face the brindled paint Jala better, offering her a warm smile. "Greetings, Jala. My name is Rhea. I was merely passing through here, I humbly apologize for disturbing you," she said, bowing her head a bit in respect. She hesitated here; she meant no harm, but the other mare wouldn't know that. So, hopefully, to show that she indeed meant no harm, Rhea took a pace or two back.

"You see, I lost my daughter when she was but a filly, separated from me by an Ichsa stallion," she explained after straightening up, "and I recently received word that she is here now, though we have been apart so long now that she has a tree of her own." Should she mention it was half-blooded, with a Jala? With how this mare was acting, it would probably be a bad idea, so she kept the tidbit to herself.

She smiled again, hoping to disarm the furious mare with her charms. It probably wouldn't work, but she could hope so. "I must offer you my compliments on your fruits, they look magnificent. You must be very proud," with that she offered another smile and a respectful bob of her head. "Forgive me for the assumption, but I think this is your apple. Would you like it back?"

Goodness gracious, who had put a wasp up her behind? Rhea decided she wasn't going to get a name out of this one from her manners, nor did the brindled paint give any sign of using hers, but that didn't matter. The pale mare snorted in amusement at the soon-to-be mother threatening to make her leave. "Goodness, such a fiery creature you are. I have neither made a move toward you or your fruit, nor threatened you with anything but my presence. I have no intentions of harming you or your children, so why threaten me?" It was like this mare hated Rhea for simply being a Reya! But why? Maybe this one was one of those who only stuck to her own kind? With how she was acting, probably.

"Before you," she began, tilting her head to the side a bit, "others have tried to make me do things, and not one has succeeded yet. The last one who tried was the one who separated me from my daughter by kidnapping and my mate through murder. The pretty little stallion got what he deserved, deary. Now, I suggest you refrain from threatening and insulting others who have no intentions whatsoever about harming you or your fruit, and save your energy for your children, as you will need it." She said with a snort, turning to leave and being careful to step over the apple, leaving it in tact, exactly where it had stopped, for the pissy mare she was leaving behind. If the brindled paint wanted to talk or continue their conversation, so be it, but Rhea was not going to put herself out only to be threatened by a creature she had no intentions of harming. Besides, she had more important nequus to talk to than a soon-to-be mother with a wasp up her backside.

Oh, yes, now she was a brave mare, acting all big and tough when the snow-colored mare's back was turned and she was retreating. The Reya let out a snort, rolling her eyes. "You wouldn't be talking so big," she called over her shoulder, "if you didn't have anyone else to run behind."

Let her chew on that for a while. Who had even said Rhea had any intentions of going to the red mountain? Who would want to go up the dusty red pile of rocks, anyway? She had more important things to handle, much more important things than prideful little Jalas protecting their dusty home. The pale mare snapped her muscular tails thrice before weaving around a tree, then she was gone.