Welcome to Gaia! ::

The grey stallion slowed from his canter and surveyed the surrounding area. Was this the place? He thought so. It was a while since Meleager had been to this area of the Hellene territory, but he remembered it well enough. Making his way down an overgrown slope, the Reya stallion came out almost exactly where he had expected. He smiled to himself as he admired the view. It hadn’t changed. This place was still a beautiful idyll, a place of calm that he was proud to be master of.

Meleager waded out into the little stream that was the centrepiece of the hollow. The water barely reached his knees, but it was cool and a welcome contrast to the heat of the sun on his back. He took a long drink from it, then dipped one wing in and flicked at the surface of the stream, splashing cool droplets upwards, flinching when they hit him. The stallion grinned like a child. This place would be more fun with two – although it would have to be someone he didn’t mind looking a fool in front of – but it was relaxing with just one. And a good break from working. He didn’t feel guilty for taking the time. It was too hot to travel, until the sun had passed midday. No one needed to know that he’d got sidetracked on the way back from sorting out a dispute among some of the newer civilians, those who weren’t quite used to the way the Hellenes did things. Hopefully a visit from the herdleader himself would be enough to set them straight.

The dappled stallion sighed, and shook his head. Enough of that. Business could wait.

Meleager hadn't heard the mare approach over the sound of the running water, and he started when she spoke, spinning round with some rather undignified splashing to see who she was. Wings folded back neatly, trying to preserve what dignity he had left, he studied her for a few moments. A female Bae, dark-coated - which made him a little uneasy - but she was a dark grey rather than black, and she didn't seem to mean him any harm. That didn't mean she wasn't some sort of distraction, though. He was near to the border, and it was possible, although unlikely, that there were those in the area that would want to attack him. Alert to the possibility of any other Nequus nearby, perhaps hidden in the surrounding trees, the Reya stepped out onto the bank.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" he asked with a frown. He doubted that he did. She was not a Hellene - there were few of the herd that would not recognise him on sight, even if they had not met, and act accordingly. In any case, her black coat would not make her welcome among them. It would also mean that, if they had met before, he would have remembered her. Perhaps she had mistaken him for someone else.

...It did sound like she'd been following him, though. That was worrying. He hadn't noticed anyone following him - but he hadn't been looking. That was careless of him. If this was an ambush, he would regret it later. Perhaps living in peace was getting to him after all. The muscled stallion sighed to himself, hoping that there was some easily explainable reason for the mare's sudden appearance, and that he could sort this out and forget about it as soon as possible.

Meleager regarded the mare with faint amusement. She talked a lot - and in that accent, too. It was just about all comprehensible. It appeared she was lost. That didn't surprise him greatly; parts of Yisi were like a maze if you'd never been there before. Well, there was no reason why he shouldn't give her directions. "You are rather out of your way, aren't you?" he commented with a smile. "Well..." He looked round, considering the position of the valley they were in. "Come up to the top of this rise and I'll be able to point you in the right direction more easily from there," he continued after a pause, gesturing to the small hill they'd both just descended. From that vantage point, he would able to point out suitable landmarks for the Bae to find her way.

Meleager stepped up the bank and began to climb back up the slope, passing the mare as he did so. A short way up, he stopped and turned to look over his shoulder at her. "My name is Meleager, herdleader of the Hellenes," he said, deliberately keeping his expression neutral, "and right now you're trespassing on Hellene land." What would Elsie make of that? Her reaction would, he guessed, say a lot about her. At that moment, she simply seemed slightly dumb but well-meaning. He didn't think she was involved in any kind of ambush, after all.

Meleager smiled back as they reached the top of the rise. Her cheeriness was infectious. She didn't seem intimidated, either, which pleased him. This one was likeable, certainly. She was unlike any of the Hellenes, and the differences amused him. "Don't worry, siry Elsie," he said, "If you don't intend to trespass - and in any case mean no harm - then I don't mind.

"There's no need to hurry away, either," he added as he scrutinised the view around them. "I'm not busy - at the moment - so you're not troubling me." The encounter made an interesting diversion in the middle of the day, and probably a more useful one to procrastinate with than bathing in the stream.

Meleager turned to Elsie with a smile, having spotted what he was looking for. He gestured to the south with one wing, explaining as he did so. "See that funny-shaped outcrop? That's due south of here, close as it can be. That's the direction you need to go. Now, heading directly there you'll cut across some more of the Hellene territory... but that shouldn't be a problem." The stallion sighed to himself. Their borders weren't guarded, as such. The territory was too large for a constant guard all the way around it. They were vulnerable, in that way, but there was no practical solution. Things like that were part of the reason he liked visiting these areas - to check that the borderland was still Hellene.

She wasn't in a herd? That threw him for a moment; he was so used to the Hellenes that he sometimes failed to remember that there were Nequus who preferred to give their allegiance only to themselves. That aside, sunset-watching sounded nice. Next time he could grab some suitable free time, he would head to the spot he knew Iris liked to watch the sunset from and spend an evening there, he decided. Not purposefully to encounter her - in fact, he would rather avoid time spent with the Ambassador outside of work at the moment, since he wasn't sure about that relationship any more - although, he supposed, it might be nice to have company to share the sunset with.

Meleager sighed, pushing certain thoughts back to the edges of his brain where they belonged. Damn that tactician; he was turning up in Meleager's mind far too often of late. "I envy you your free time," he admitted. "Being a herdleader has its benefits, and I wouldn't give it up - but it does mean I don't get a lot of free time. Right now," he added with a grin, "I'm supposed to be heading back. But I... was having a break. And it is a pretty area," he agreed, "It's a while since I've been here, but since I was nearby I decided it was worth getting sidetracked to see it again."

Meleager smiled despite himself. She made it sound so simple; just make some more free time. It wasn't that easy. In a crowded schedule, something had to give. But he liked Elsie, and he didn't want to spoil her idea, so he just nodded and said nothing. She was sweet - perhaps not the brightest of Nequus, but she seemed genuinely nice. And even the accent became easier to understand after a while.

The dappled Reya turned to look at her as she continued speaking, and was almost disappointed when she said she had to go. It was refreshing to speak to someone who saw life so simply - but he understood that she had to get back. The stallion nodded, smiling at the much shorter mare again. "Thank you," he replied, though he couldn't think what he'd ever need her help with. Still, an offer was an offer, and it was one worth remembering. Who knew when he might need it? "I'm glad I could help you find your way. Enjoy your sunset!" he called after her as she trotted away, and stood for a moment watching her.

Meleager sighed, glancing up at the position of the sun. Time to be going, then. A few more minutes admiring the area and fixing it in his mind - for he was sure it would be a long time before he was back in the area - and then he'd be off.