[PRP]New flames lost. Old flames rekindled.(Wica&Ocho)

[Kesmi]

It wasn't such a good day, the sky was bright and cloudless, but below dark clouds loomed over a single soul. Trudging through the tall grass, wings drooped at her sides and head hanging in despair. The young mare felt as if someone had torn her wings from her shoulders grounding her for life. What she thought was a dream had turned into a nightmare. Heart throbbing behind her ribs, it slowly crumbled and rattled between them. How could this have happened? She didn't know, nor did she want to know.

Young Wicapi Wakan let her hooves drag a bit through the grass as she ignored her calling to fly through the skies. To dance with the birds as she had always done since she could fly. No, she wasn't in the mood, she didn't think she would ever be in the mood again. Shaking her head, her long pale mane sifting over her neck, Wica sighed longly to be with someone... Perhaps she could find her old friend, what was his name? Ocho? Yes, that was it, Ochoco. Or Ocho she loved to call him, maybe he would be happy to see her... Right? Wica could only hope...  

[Reeshie Hack]

Ochoco had always felt.. different from the rest of his family. When he was young, and his parents were teaching Hema and Tawa to fly, one always had to stay with him, the grounded foal. Of course he learned that he had stronger points, his albeit weak healing abilities, the way he could make his horn softly glow when he needed light in the dark. But nothing came close to the longing he felt in his heart and soul to take to the skies like his family.

Nothing, of course, except what he was currently doing.
His mane, braids and all, flew out behind him as he ran under the clear sky. He had no purpose in his gallop, no place he needed to be, no foe or friend to chase or flee from. Just the pure, open freedom of letting the world rush by him as he rushed across the open grasses.

He paused for a short breather, on top of a hill, when the breeze brought a scent to his nose, one that triggered fond memories of laughter and... longing. Of all the others he had met, as a foal and as a grown stallion, none had ever really been as fun to be around as Wica had. She had even been the one that gave him his nickname. In fact, he had never told anyone else that nickname, as if it were a special secret only they shared.

His head whipped around and he scanned the open area around him until he saw what- who the breeze had hinted at.
Impossible as it may seem, she was more lovely than he had remembered, her mane having grown much longer since that day long ago, and it shown brightly in the sunlight. She had the same shimmer in her coat that he had, like veins of gems in his secret spot.

But the world dimmed. She looked so sad, as if it rained water around them instead of sunlight. He blinked his crystal eyes and ran to her, slowing to a walk when he was close enough.
 

[Kesmi]

The rush of hooves met her dark ears causing her to jump a little and turn her head to the side. Her wings pulled themselves back, fanning out the long feathers to in someway make her look bigger some how. Her mane shifted over her neck as she wondered who was coming her way. Blinking through the sudden glare of the sun, spots of white dotted her sight. She could make out the gold coloring on something bright BRIGHT blue coming her way. Shaking her head, Wica blinking again noting the golden braids that danced about him and behind him.

No, it couldn't be... She watched the stallion coming closer making the gold become more detailed. The horn that parted his forelocks pinned it. It was, it was him. Shaking her head once more, she watched as her old friend came rushing toward her. How long had it been? Almost a year right? Boy he had changed, his horn was longer now, but his coat still looked as it did when he was just a colt. It was Ocho.

"Ocho!" Wica shouted as she dashed over to greet her friend, at times it looked like she wasn't even on the ground. "How long as it been?" She asked as she wrapped her head around his neck, almost burying her face into his braided mane. "I've missed you." Her voice coming in gasps almost as if she were crying...  

[Reeshie Hack]

As she called his name and ran to him, Ocho's smile grew. He didn't know how much he missed that nickname until now. When she came to him and buried her face in his mane, his breath caught and his heart skipped a beat. His ear pricked forward and he nuzzled her softly.
"Too long, Wica, too long. I've missed you too," his reply as soft as his nuzzle, his voice having grown deeper, stronger over the time. There was an almost tender note in it, though, so happy he was to see his old friend. Her voice puzzled him, the broken way she was speaking. Maybe she was crying? He knew it wasn't an uncommon occurrence to cry when you were happy. But... something had been bothering her earlier, he just knew it.

"How have you been? Did you ever learn how to sky dance?"  

[Kesmi]

Wica pulled her head away from Ocho's neck as he asked how she had been since they last met. She didn't know where to begin, From the beginning? Or just recently? Golden gaze looked toward the earth as she wondered what to tell him. Surely tell him about what she had been doing, just she didn't know... How to begin...

"I've been alright. Trying to get over some fears and a loss." She didn't look up. "But I know the one I once come to love isn't out of my life, he's come to be like a brother. So I suppose that's alright."

Looking back toward Ocho a small smile pulled at her mouth, but it was more or less strained. She was very happy to see her long lost friend again, though the loss was still heavy. She didn't know if she could accept that one other didn't love her the same way she had. Maybe her heart had been in the wrong place... Wica didn't rightly know, she was terribly confused.

"How have you been?" She asked though momentarily forgetting about the dancing question. "Oh and yea, I learned, though I'm far from graceful." A soft giggle came from her. "Land dancing is more my thing, did you ever learn?" Her head tilted to one side.  

[Reeshie Hack]

Ocho's ears fell as she related her heartache and he couldn't help the anger that rose in him at the stallion that had caused her pain. Of course, that was just how he was, always looking out for the females in his life, when he could.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Wica..." he replied and took a step towards her so that he could press his cheek to hers, briefly, in comfort. The other part of her first statement registered and he stepped back again.
"Fears? You shouldn't have to be afraid of anything," he added and shrugged a bit. I truth, he hadn't learned how to dance, but he wasn't sure he really wanted to tell her that. So he focused on her part of that, smiling as he tilted his head.

"Oh, I'm sure your as graceful as a hawk in the sky. I can't imagine you otherwise," he finished, giving her a smile that more-or-less asked her not to underestimate herself, that he thought she couldn't possibly NOT be graceful in flight.
 

[Kesmi]

"Things that live within the night. Creatures that eat anything that isn't plant based. Creatures others call skinwalkers, they can also be wolves as well." She looked away a little. "I was nearly food for one of their kind before my Grandma Esper chased him away."

She explained on about the wolves that had attacked her when she had met another stallion like herself. One that wore a strange cloak and didn't like to fly too much. Soon she looked upwards as a small shadow set aglide across the ground. Far over head Cheveyo circled before he set in for a ground ward landing. She was happy to see her hawk friend, one that her great aunt had given to her.

"Oh, this is Cheveyo, my Great aunt gave him to me." She pipped up a little happier to be with her two best friends, though one was slightly more then that.

The hawk landed on the ground and folded his wings to his sides, tilting his head from one side to the other watching the stallion. His pale feathers ruffling in the breeze that blew over, the young hawk looked toward Wica questioningly, before looking back to Ocho.

"Cheveyo, this is Ocho, the one I had told you about. My old friend from when I was just a foal." Wica told the hawk whom gave a sort of shriek flapping his wings a little hopping closer to the stallion looking up at him once more... "He's still young and learning things slowly."She added looking from Ocho to Chev and back again.  

[Reeshie Hack]

Ocho thought about what she said and shook his head.
"I've never heard of these skinwalkers, but I can hold my own against wolves," he replied and tensed a bit thinking of his friend in such a dangerous situation. He'd never wish that on anyone, least of all Wica. He was glad she had could out alright.

His eyebrows rose and his ears perked as the hawk landed and shrieked a bit at him. When Cheveyo approached him, he lowered his head and sniffed the young hawk, smiling.
"You keeping an eye out for Wica for me, hawk?" he asked softly, though it didn't really matter if Wica heard the question he asked of her companion. His smile was cheeky, a joke from one male to another and his pale eyes flicked back up to his friend as his head remained down at the hawk's level.
 

[Kesmi]

Wica turned her head to one side as he spoke of not knowing what a skinwalker was and she was glad for that. She didn't want him to ever know what the beasts were like. Not ever, even if one still haunted her memories and scared her at night. Wolves weren't any different as they came after her when she ran from Axel, them she never wanted to see again either.

"I hope you don't meet one of them brutes. They are not fun with their ways of changing to wolves to chase after you in the thickness of the night." She shuddered at the thought as old wounds broke open within her mind.

She turned her head to look down as Ocho got down to Chev's eye level. She giggled as the hawk backed away a little as he did. Wings fanning out beside him. Folding them back, he merely watched the stallion before giving another shrilled shriek, wings beating a bit before coming to try and land on Ocho's horn.

"He says that he has since he was given to me." Wica translated. "Chev doesn't really speak like the rest of us. But I can guess what he's saying." She nodded giggling as Chev slipped from where he tried to perch soon coming up to land on Wica's wing. Nesting in her feathers.  

[Reeshie Hack]

Ocho jerked a bit when the hawk tried to perch on his horn, not quite sure the bony spiral could support the bird without seriously hurting. Thankfully, though, Chev slipped off and flew over to perch on Wica. He straightened and smiled first to the hawk, then to his mistress.

"Well, I'm glad. I..." he paused, looking away for a moment, considering. His nod was almost inperceptable before he returned his gaze to her. He couldn't help but smile over her giggles. They were girlish and true and it made him happy that she had forgotten her troubles, at least for a little bit.

"I'm happy to know you've been safe, Wica. Aside from Spike, I think you were my only real friend when I was young. Sometimes, I worried something had happened to you, since I didn't see you. But somehow I always knew you were alright," he said, smiling at her and shrugging a bit again. A bit of his mane had fallen in his eyes somewhat when he had leaned down and he idly flicked it back into place.
 

[Kesmi]

Wica watched Ocho as he looked back toward Chev whom was nested contentedly in the feathers of her wing. She wasn't afraid of the birds talons scratching her as he knew to keep his clawed feet closed. Stepping forward again she nuzzled against him, not really wanting to leave him ever again. She had often wondered what had ever happened to her friend when she left him for home that one day. The day thaty they had met waaaay back when.

"Oh? No one else tickled your fancy?" She asked in a teasing manner tugging at one of his braids. "There was one that I came across, a strange stallion. But it seemed he wasn't ready for the sort of thing." Her tone dropped from playful back to the saddish one. She hoped to see Axel now and again, share things with him as well.

Looking around she wondered where he was and what he was doing. He had told her many times that she wouldn't be alone even if she had found someone who could carry her heart better then he. She wondered if the fiery stallion was watching her right now... She could only hope not since she didn't want him to see her sad about everything. Turning her attention back to Ocho she smiled again, trying to push her thoughts aside for a different time.  

[Reeshie Hack]

Ocho closed his eyes as he shook his head, still smiling, this one a bit more humorous than his soft smile.
"No," he replied with a small chuckle as his gaze returned to hers. "I met another winged female as a foal, but she was too prim and haughty, then there was another mare I met a little while ago, but we just didn't click, I guess. "

He really didn't think it'd be a good idea to mention that he always compared them to the way Wica had acted, as his first encounter with another fun horse set the bar. Funny, now that he thought about it, all the others in his life were of the skies, except for Spike. He should probably track down the unicorn he had met before. He put that thought aside and returned to the present.

The bright stallion's ears drooped a bit and stepped closer to her, tilting his head so that he didn't run the risk of poking her with his horn.
"Please don't be sad, Wica... I wish there was something I could do to help you to... feel better, I guess."  

[Kesmi]

Wica watched Ocho as he spoke of other mares that didn't 'tickle' his fancy, though was sure that someone besides her would have caught his eye. Shaking her head she nuzzled against her old friend, feeling that longing to be with someone starting to fade once more from her heart. True no one could take the place of Axel the one that kept telling her not to doubt herself so much. But Ocho was just as special to her.

"Sounds like you got around a bit there my old friend." She smiled looked up at him with sparkling gold eyes. "Just don't leave me... Alright?" she asked leaning herself against him when he mentioned about wanting to make her feel better.

She didn't want him to leave her, she didn't think she could take the heart ache again if that happened. Axel would still be with her, but she felt that Ocho would always be there no matter what happened in life. Someone she could lean on and live very happily with.

"Just don't leave me." She repeated as her eyes had closed leaning a little harder against him, tired all of a sudden...  

[Reeshie Hack]

Ocho jerked and looked down at her with eyes wide with shock.
"Don't...? Wica, how..." he trailed off and shook his head before nuzzling her. There was a soft, almost sad chuckle from his throat and he moved back again so that he could look down into her eyes.

"Wica, I would never leave you, not unless you asked it of me," the vow was soft as he touched his nose to her cheek. He wished, desperately, to know just why he felt the way he did, looking for some explanation within himself. But nothing came, only that he cared about her, even after all this time, he still cared for her. And if she asked him to spout wings and get her the moon, he would try his hardest to do so.

"If you want me to stay, nothing could drag me away from you," he added and closed his eyes nuzzling her tenderly. It was then that he realized, even as a foal, just how much he had missed her.
 

[Kesmi]

"Then we have nothing to worry about." She giggled softly, "Because i don't want to lose you Ocho. Not again, not ever." She nodded as her wings unfolded a little one laying itself over his back, even if he was a bit taller then she was.

Looking back up to Ocho, she stared into his pale blue eyes. The same eyes that she looked into when they were only little. She had missed those eyes so much that she couldn't remember. Even with Axel she still missed those eyes, unknowingly. Even when she had told him there was no other. Had she lied? No, she couldn't have until this moment. when she remembered how much she missed her foalhood friend.

"I would never ask you to leave Ocho. I wouldn't even wish it, I want you to stay with me until these wings can no longer carry me across the skies." Wica nodded pointedly as her wings gave a rustle, not knowing that someday the would be bound to the ground...