[PRP] The Same Old Routine (Althalus x Vidia)

[Uta]

Life hadn't changed much for the orange and red haired stallion. The large, brute of a male had kept well to his foalhood dreams of exploring the world around him; he was far from his parents mountain, many a few days walk away. The distance between his family and his present locations occasionally offered him room to guilt - when was the last time he'd seen his mothers face? When was the last time he'd tricked his father or sparred with Ambroise? Far too long, and the sunset male had been thinking more and more about returning back home.

But he liked it where he was. He'd travelled far enough south to avoid the worst of winters cold; there were green grasses and a touch of spring seemed to haunt the air. It was early yet, and the nights could be bitterly cold at times, but overall it was a lovely spot of land. The plains stretched out before him, offering him a new horizon every day he traveled; woodlands had stretched out far to the right of him, and he had yet to discover any new mountains. No, he couldn't return home just yet - there was still too much to see!

As it was, the male kept up his canter. He ran, though was in no race save with his shadow - and with the position of the sun, its light warm upon his back, he could glance to the side and see hew as very well winning! Thick, red braids and tail danced like streamers behind him as his hooves dug in to the earth; faster, and faster he took himself away from the familiar, ever curious about what might lay before him, what new face, new friend, new discovery he might make today.

Althalus knew he couldn't see everything; but that didn't mean he couldn't try.
((=_o; It's short beginning, sorry! I hadn't a clue on how to start. *laughs*))
 

[lilmissy4205]

It had been many many moons since she had travel so far from her home. That unfortunate day she had run into Wild Wind left her with no confidence in herself. And so she had hidden with her mother and uncle, as if she could wipe away her very existence from the world.

She would never be on equal footing with her kind or the Winds. He had been correct. She would never be anything but beneath the two races. Her parents had never understood what their love could do to their children.

Cyan eyes stared back up at her in the reflection of the water. There was no emotion held in them other than complete sorrow. She blinked briefly and saw a ripple in the earlier still water from her tear. She hadn't even noticed that they were beginning to form. She felt to hollow inside.

The distant sound of hooves across the ground drew her from her deep thoughts. It was enough for her to raise her head up and search for the source. She wasn't sure if she was ready to face another after so long, but very soon, she might not have much of a choice.

 

[Uta]

He wasn't hard to miss, truly. Bright orange, laced with a richer crimson and wild red hair kept the stallion an easy target on any who might see him pass. His large stature also was hard to miss, but the young stallion loved it - he was an eye catcher, or so he liked to pretend, and found that his personality didn't allow him to hide or shy away from the world. Had he not spotted a flash of crimson and cream, he might very well had kept his dash parallel to the mare and ran right past! But as it was, he spotted her, and silver eyes lit in delight.

Instead of bolting past, the stallion began to slow his run in to a trot, and made a larch arc to bring him closer to the mare in question. She was a pretty thing, with crimson socks and tipped hair to match; her coat was a rich cream, warmer than white, and her nose looked as if she had kissed a shadow. Truly, a lovely piece of work if he did think so himself, and the male was ever pleased to have passed her way.

His trot took him so he stood before her, though he hadn't bridged the distance entirely. Giving his disheveled and braided mane a shake, the male blew a few of his bangs out of his eyes before turning to regard Vidia gently. A smile crossed his features and he chuckled, bowing his head in greeting. "Another great beauty to cross my path - only I could be so lucky!" The stallion was genuinely pleased, and graced Vidia with a genuine, charming smile. "I dare say I haven't been interrupted you, have I, miss?" His smile faltered as his brows knit in concern, not wanting to disrupt the strangers habits or ways.

Some weren't so openly playful as friends in his past, such as Porsche or Aiolos. The big oaf had to remember that some might find his approach a bother or offensive - so perhaps it was best if he apologize now and seek assurance later.

 

[lilmissy4205]

She was greatly impressed by his coloring which reminded her so much of her mother's, but different. Like Suli, she thought to herself as her sister had the mix of both parents that were uniquely her own. His very entrance reminded her of the stories Ever Sacrafice had told when meeting her father. And so she stood there slightly dumbfounded.

Great beauty? Her? She looked behind herself to see if another mare had moved in behind her while she had stared like a ridiculous filly that'd just emerged from the basket. When she saw that no one was around, she instantly blushed and dropped her head down low to stare at the grass and his hooves. "N-n-no interruption," she stammered with a scuff of her forehoof. "I-I-I," she trailed off in complete embarrassment.

She'd nearly babbled like a ninny to this unknown stallion. "You-you run like the wind just-just like m-m-my mother."

 

[Uta]

Althalus hid a smile as the mare looked around in confusion; she seemed surprised by the term he had endeared her with and made a point to continue with his sweet talk. No mare should ever find them self surprised or startled by such a compliment. Though he had yet to find a mare that wasn't beautiful or gorgeous, that didn't mean his sentiments weren't sincere. Far from it~! Mares were beautiful, gorgeous beings that he felt impelled to worship; the way they walked, the way they moved, their grace, and beauty all astounded Althalus; they were a mystery he could never quite understand, and a puzzle he hoped he could attempt to solve all his life.

Yes, he was a flirt, but he always upheld himself in the most gentlemanly of behavior. He had manners and was no pig; some stallions could be brutes and quite cruel to those around them, but not him; oh no, this stallion cherished each and everyone he came across.

Vidia was no exception.

His ears flicked forward as she stammered out her words. Was she a shy one, nervous, or was it perhaps a natural speech impediment? He wasn't sure, but it bothered him not. Silver eyes lighting in good humor, the sunshine male offered her a breezy smile of relief. "Well I'm glad, m'lady. I would hate to have interrupted your afternoon by approaching without invitation. I can tell you already though, that I am quite glad I did."

As she complimented his run, the male chuckled, red tail swishing happily behind him. Pawing at the ground, he tossed Vidia a wink before grinning, "I may run like the wind, but I fear that is all I am good for. My father, and some of my siblings, can actually fly with the wind. . . . but I thank you nonetheless. Tell me, beautiful, do you enjoy to run, to race?"
 

[lilmissy4205]

Again, she looked behind to see if perhaps he had been talking to someone other than her. Seeing that is was just her and this stallion still she continued to blush brightly, unable to look him directly. She wasn't used to hearing such words outside of her family. It all came back to her encounter with Wild Wind. She was shocked to hear him talk about his father having wings, as well as siblings and it showed on her pale face as she turned back to look at him.

"My-my father and sis-sister are gifted with flight. I-I like running. M-Mother says if you run fast enough you-you feel like your-your flying, but I don't be-believe her." She scuffed her hoof at the ground again nervously. "So-so you're on the fence too," she mumbled quietly, mostly to herself.

She felt like shouting angrily and bursting into tears all at the same time. The words of Wild Wind still spinning, echoing in her mind. "You are an outcast to both horses and Winds." She gave a mental shake as if that would make the words and the truth go away.

 

[Uta]

Althalus watched the mare with a gentle regard, his red tail swishing gently behind him. Her stance, the way she avoided looking at him, the way she stuttered ever so softly, and her entire disposition seemed. . . . not entirely right. It was as if she were dancing in fear and uncertainty, anxious about her every breath, anxious about his presence; what on earth had happened to her to make her so afraid? Althalus was under the disposition that soquili weren't 'born' to be afraid and scared; some more shy than others, perhaps, but to live in fear?

Oh no. That was brought on thru outside sources and negative experiences.

Still, perhaps she'd warm up to him with a bit of patience and time? Shaking his head lightly, the sunset male offered her a gentle smile. "Then perhaps you've not run over the proper hills and fields. I have no wings of my own, but every now and then with the power in your hooves, with the sun blowing through your mane and tail, kicking up dirt as you soar. . . . truly, truly there's a taste of flight, however imagined." He knew a perfect hill back near his home that he often used to race down, if only for the sensation of flight.

But before he had a chance to continue, Althalus captured a very soft mutter. On the fence too? Whatever could that - - - waaaait. "Does said fence have anything to do with my parentage?" He questioned ever so cautiously, quirking a delicate brow in curiosity. He'd never heard it called that before, and didn't particularly care for the definition; it sounded so . . . . negative. Althalus was a stallion proud and true; wings or not, he had blood of both Grencia and Yei in him and that was all that mattered. He might not have been gifted with wings, but he was still a gift to his parents nonetheless. "Forgive my ignorance, m'lady fair, but such a term escapes me."
 

[lilmissy4205]

She made a face at the ground, not believing a single word he said about flying with your hooves still firmly on the ground. Her mother was the racer in the family, not her. He painted everything with pretty words, but she had been shown the cold hard truth.

What she hadn't expected, however, was for him to actually overhear her negative words. She lowered her head even further like a cowed mare that was fearful of a tongue lashing. When it was greeted with mere curiosity, she opened her cyan eyes one at a time to look at his facial expression. All she saw was a perplexed looked. "Ye-yes," she stammered out.

She wasn't sure of what else to say, wasn't sure of how much she could tell anyone that wasn't family. Would they scorn her the same way Wild Wind had? Or would they find the influence of her life to be trivial and cause further confusion. She went back to staring at the grass.

 

[Uta]

Althalus blinked, head tilted at the fragile mare before him. What happened to this one to cause her to be so submissive? What happened in her life to cause such bitterness and fear keep her head down and her words soft. Did she not care to converse? And yet why would she say such things about his heritage. . . On the fence. He was surely no stallion 'on the fence' - he was Althalus, thank you, and very, VERY proud of his family.

It was almost offending to him that a soquili might be so judging based solely on appearance or blood alone. Especially when it involved him or his family. . . .

Silver eyes focused only on the mare before him, his red tail swishing gently behind him. His gaze wasn't unkind, it was more gentle and concerned, thoguh confusion did cause his gaze to gleam. "Tell me, m'dear, what makes you say such a thing? If you could please just enlighten me with your beliefs, I might walk away a changed stallion. I am curious. . . ." He encouraged, lowering his own head so he might capture the gaze of Vidia. Such a precious beauty but with such a . . . . a shyness. . . or at least a timidness about her.

Althalus couldn't help but want to know more. The prince charming in him demanded he rescue this mare from whatever it was that haunted her. Honestly, he couldn't resist.
 

[lilmissy4205]

She shifted from hoof to hoof when their eyes met. He seemed to be sincere in wanting to understand and yet...she was still fearful of what may arise after she told her tale. Her mane blew gently in the breeze as she began to talk to the earth.

"As-as I said, my-my father has wings and m-my m-mother is bound t-t-t-to the earth. M-m-moon ago, I-I was con-confronted by a Wind. He-he," she trailed off and tried to boast up enough confidence to talk without a stutter. "He knew my father, gr-grew up with him in the old her-herd."

Angry tears began to streak from her cyan eyes as she remembered the scene, remembered the pain his words had caused. "He told me I was probably left with my "grounded" mother because my father couldn't have one around him. He said that there is more pride in a winged child than a halfling that has no ground to stand on in either race.

'You're an outcast to both horses and Winds. Your parents didn't even realize what they would bring into this world. Abominations that have no place,'" she chocked out his exact quote before turning her entire body away from him and hiding her tear stained face in her mane.

 

[Uta]

Abominations? ABOMINATIONS~!? Althalus was absolutely horrified, disgusted and stunned that some soquili out there believed such words. A spark of anger gripped the typically easy-going sunset male and he felt his nostrils flare as he lost control of his emotions. His expression was one of stunned confusion, and he said nothing for a long moment as he absorbed Vidia's words.

Whoever this wind was. . . wherever he traveled . . .Althalus could only hope he never met him. He wasn't a violent soquili and for once in his life he wanted to pound this feathered nit-wit in to the ground and show him how much of an abomination he could be! His long, red tail swished angrily and he pawed at the ground, snorting softly in disgust. Shaking his head, he remembered that this lady before him seemed a gentle sort. . . already fragile and broken.

But to see her tears, to hear her stammer through her tale caused his heart to break. What monster would say such cruel things to another? "This news upsets me greatly, miss," he added softly. "But please lovely, don't cry. Don't you see the truth in this matter? Don't you see that this wind is the monster between the three of us?" He stepped forward, his protective instinct overwhelming him and, should she not step away, offered a very slight touch against her neck. "Whoever he was, focus not on his words because it is not true! My mother is grounded while her mate, my father, is a wind. Two of my siblings have been blessed with wings while my other brother and myself have not." He reminded her of this facet once again, silver eyes focused only upon her saddened face. "Yes, I cannot fly with my father nor necessarily go where he goes but," he added with conviction, "This does not make me, you, or my bother an outcast! We are not abominations, half-breeds though we might very well be! Our place is just as important in this world as this high and mighty Wind of yours. The pride my family feels for each of my siblings, and the pride I'm certain your mother and father feel for you, is great. Oh so great. Many soquili can't fly there is no shame for being wingless OR, most importantly, being a blend of both."

Frustration seethed through the male as he knew not how to comfort the angel before him. To be told such a thing was cruel on any level but to have an adult say such a thing? A fool he was. "While some might believe such a notion to be a true, such cruel treatment of another, such haughty behavior only tells me that your particular Wind is insecure or highly prejudiced. With such bias in his favor, with such a closed-mind he can't possibly be speaking truth, m'dear." Hmph. If there was one thing Althalus absolutely, positively loathed it was a bully. And he wouldn't stand for one to offer any creature such treatment.

 

[lilmissy4205]

She had closed her eyes tightly so she wouldn't see the angry lashed at her. She could feel the emotion rolling from him and washing over her. Was he angry at her, was she angry for her? Again, she slowly opened her eyes at his gentle voice and turned her face towards him.

She tensed when he reached out and touched her neck, but didn't step away. It was a comforting act, she told herself to keep her hooves steady. A few more tears rolled down her long face. Wild Wind couldn't be all wrong, and Althalus all right. "Th-thank you for the-the kind words. I-I'm afraid that-that he-he could be partially correct. Wh-wh-what if my-my father is-isn't as proud of me as my-my sister?"

Sadly, the only one who could give her that answer was just as hard to locate as the blowing breeze. She looked back down at the ground and scuffed her hoof against it, turning the earth up.

 

[Uta]

Althalus heaved a sigh, his heart heavy with hurt and anger. No one deserved to be ripped to shreds so cruelly; thoughtless words of a stupid wind had affected the entire personality of the young mare. She deserved so much more though - she deserved to know she was loved, she was cared for, and she was just a wonderful and lovely and great as any soquili with wings, horns, spikes or scales! She was just as important and Althalus couldn't believe her family would be so cruel as to favor one over the other.

He himself understood wing jealousy well; his two siblings had been blessed with their father's feathers and had been allowed to master the art of flight. He had often thought that perhaps he wasn't good enough, that Killian and himself were somehow not as worthy. But such childish thoughts, such sibling rivalry had long since passed. He had been blessed with the looks of his mother, Yei, and that in itself was something to be proud of. His mother was such a wonderful mare, the stuff legends were made out of, and he couldn't be more proud to call her Mum.

The fact the spirits gave him a body more like her was something he could cherish; he was special without wings and loved for who he was, not what he looked like or what aeriel tricks he could (or in his case couldn't) display.

"I fear, my lady fair, that such a thing can only be discovered by asking him. But if he's your father, and a good father, a loving father, he won't favorite one over the other. A parents love is different for each of their children but the fact that there IS love and always WILL BE love is what's important."

Hesitantly, delicately he offered another perspective, another view. "Are you not proud to have inherited traits from your mother? Is there really such shame in living a life in her image?" A shame how some soquili truly believed that feathers or some other odd feature made one great. It wasn't what was on the outside, but what a soquili was like on the inside that truly held more salt and weight. . . .

 

[lilmissy4205]

She stepped away from him then and rubbed her face against her forelegs, trying to remove the tears. He was right. She knew in her heart he was right.

She shook her mane out and brought her head up finally to its full height, standing a bit taller than normal regular Soquili, thanks to her father. She offered a shy, hesitant smile. "I may look nothing like mother, but you're right. I should be proud of what I do share with her."

She nervously scratched at the ground then, looking down at it, but for once not lowering her head. "Th-thank you."

 

[Uta]

Althalus felt a bit weary in his soul. It broke his heart that such a mare might believe the wicked lies and cruel tongue of another. It upset him that a stallion might think so highly of himself and his wretched wings that he could forever shatter the life of another. "I know it can't be easy, to have been judged so harshly. . . but keep your chin up, m'dear." It occurred to the stallion then that he knew not whom it was he was speaking to. "Remember the beauty that you do possess, of both body and soul."

Some might think his words fake or used in poor taste. But Althalus was a genuine sort and meant them through and through. Mares were meant to be admired, worshiped and overall adored. From the small usidia to the oldest angeni to walk the world. The sunset male made no judgment between wings and horns and hooves; a mare was a mare and that was all that mattered.

Vidia, of course, was no exception.

"If there are no more tears," he softly spoke, lowering his head to capture her gaze with his own. "Might I humbly enquire to whom I'm speaking with? Surely I couldn't guess what such a lovely mare's just as lovely name might be."