[PRP] What Now? (Seiram & Temperance)

[ChaosTheories]

It was a fairly quiet early evening at the edge of the clearing. Birds sang their last notes of the day as sunset began to descend, the forest shadows reaching out towards the teepees that waited for the two-leggers to return.

There amongst the trees strode a mare, carefully watching the things around her. The day had been very uneventful for her and even though it was already evening, she had no urge to rest whatsoever. Her long mane and tail trailed after her, catching gently on the occasional branch as she went. She preferred the secure, sheltered environment of the forest than the wide open plains where most Soquili gathered. With a swish of her tail she paused to gaze at the orange light peering through the bare branches. It saddened her that the forest seemed so dead, though she knew they had shed their leaves in preparation for winter and they would bud again in the spring.

How things changed... it seemed like only yesterday she was a little filly, completely dependent on her loving parents. But now it was about time that she found her own place in the world. Wherever that would be, she hadn't a clue.

With a sigh she continued on her way.  

[ramenli]

Seiram was starting to get the hang of being on his own. So far in his adventures he had had no major problems and he felt he had more than proved that he could take care of himself. Confidently he worked his way through the labyrinth of the unfamiliar forest, enjoying the cool evening. His meanderings often began and ended at odd times when he was alone and the darkening sky meant little to him.

The soft leaves crunched lightly beneath his hooves as he noted how utterly peaceful it was in the forest. With nothing to really catch his interest he continued on, wondering if he'd find something unique before moving on.  

[ChaosTheories]

Teppy was immersed in her thoughts when she heard a soft crunch that was not from her own walking. Pricking her ears forward, her cyan eyes scanned the trees. In the distance she spotted a striped stallion moving through the forest. He seemed unfazed by the darkening sky.

Flicking her tail out behind her, Teppy wondered if she should say hello. On one hand she loved company, but on the other hand he was a stranger, and he could mean her harm. Then she shook her head. She was being a little paranoid, wasn't she? Raising her head confidently she strode towards him.

"Hello. Out for an evening walk?"  

[ramenli]

As the sound of her voice reached Seiram's ears he stopped and turned towards it. A mare who seemed to be splashed with color was coming towards him, and from the air about her it seemed that she knew this place well and felt secure here. He wouldn't be surprised if she lived here. So, he reasoned, he should be on polite behavior, he was the "intruder" here.

"Hello," he replied as he made his way toward her. "I'm really just passing through, though it is a nice evening for a walk. And you?"  

[ChaosTheories]

"Pretty much the same thing," Teppy said with a laugh. "I don't like open space, so I hang around the forest a lot." She flicked her tail behind her, studying Seiram. "Are you from around here?" the mare asked curiously. She didn't recognize him from anywhere, but there were so many Soquili around that it was impossible for her to remember them all.

"If you're new here I can help you," she offered. She didn't mind being someone's guide, especially if it meant she would have company.  

[ramenli]

He shook his head, his mane lightly slapping his neck with the motion. "This is my first time to pass through these parts and I grew up a ways away from here. And I would appreciate any helpful tips you could give me, being in this forest has messed with my senses a bit."

Seiram observed her while trying not to look like he was staring. He was puzzled but her comment. Why would someone not like open spaces? He pushed the thought out of his mind and gave her a grin, "was I at least still headed north?"  

[ChaosTheories]

"Are you headed anywhere? I might be able to help you find it," Teppy said with a nod, understanding how the forest could be disorienting, especially to Soquili who were unfamiliar with it. After a while one could start recognizing the differences between certain trees, but otherwise things looked pretty much the same. The absence of leaves on the trees didn't help.

Teppy had to think for a moment. "You were going a little too far west, I'm afraid," she replied, positioning herself north. "There is some higher ground up ahead, if you want to take a look."  

[ramenli]

"Well," he mused "I wasn't really headed anywhere in particular. North just sounded interesting really. But a place where I could look and see whats ahead would be perfect."

"I'm Seiram by the way and I would be in your debt if you could show me to the higher ground that you were speaking of Miss...." He trailed off, hoping she would fill in her name.  

[ChaosTheories]

"Temperance," the mare added to the end of Seiram's sentence. "But you may call me Teppy," she added with a gentle laugh. "Temperance sounds so... stuffy. Nice to meet you, Seiram."

"Come this way! It's no problem, really." The seasonal mare stepped lightly, then stopped suddenly. "See those two tall pines, right there?" She gestured with her muzzle towards them, then continued. "There's a hidden path between them." With that she started towards them, head held high.

"Are you a wanderer?" She asked curiously. It seemed a little odd of him to be traveling without a purpose in mind.
 

[ramenli]

He raised one eyebrow at her, interested. He followed her, pondering the secret path by the two pines. One ran into many interesting things while wandering.

"Yes," he answered calmly "I decided to see more of the world and left home a while ago. Its amazing what you can learn and find when you visit new places. I can't image not wandering actually, just staying at home with my parents would be suffocating after a while now with all that I've seen.  

[ChaosTheories]

Teppy clearly knew her way. As they went down the path the ground began to slope gently up. The trees thinned out a little, the remaining ones shorter saplings seeking open sun away from the older, taller trees.

"Oh really? I would love to go traveling someday." Teppy paused for a moment, before she let out a clear sigh. "I keep thinking that I'm still a filly. Silly, huh? I feel like I can't leave the forest because my parents forbid wandering, but then I remember that my parents aren't watching me anymore..."

She studied Seiram to read his reaction. "I grew up here and I have never left. But there isn't anything for me here, unless visiting my cranky two-legger counts." She laughed gently.  

[ramenli]

He couldn't resist grinning a little as she described why she had stayed. "You certainly don't seem like a filly to me. Maybe one day you should just go and try to not think about the consequences. At first leaving this forest will seem strange but you can't believe the things you'll see out there."

He took a breath and continued, "and I for one have never had a two-legger. I heard some stories from my mother about them before but Dad never had one so we didn't either." He shrugged a little at the thought, "I don't really know why soquili's have them."  

[ChaosTheories]

"Yes I should," she agreed, but she couldn't help looking a little unsure. She wasn't exactly the spontaneous type and that made her worry. With her agoraphobia too, she was hesitant to leave the forest, where she knew it was safe. "To tell you the truth, I don't just dislike open space, but I'm afraid of it. It's a silly fear, but I can't seem to get over it," she admitted with a nervous laugh. "I can't stand seeing the open sky, or endless fields..." As she said it, Teppy gave a shudder.

"My two-legger cared for me when I was little. Not many other two-leggers visit her, she's so cranky. She lives by the edge of the forest so I don't need to walk out into the clearing to see her." Teppy continued with a warm smile, thinking of something more comforting to calm herself. "She isn't quite like other two-leggers who like to be carried by Soquili and don't let them wander. I could leave, but I do like visiting her."  

[ramenli]

Seiram pondered the idea of having a two-legger before dismissing it from his mind. "Well your two-legger sounds good enough if she'll let you leave when you wish, but I doubt I'd enjoy it as much as not having one.

And as for your fear of open spaces...its not all that silly. Sometimes fears just can't be explained so easily. Maybe if you had your two-legger or another Soquili beside you the open spaces wouldn't seem quite as large as they really are.  

[ChaosTheories]

Teppy nodded. She understood how some Soquili weren't completely comfortable with two-leggers.

"Really, you don't think it's silly?" Teppy blinked in surprise, then grinned. "That makes me feel a bit better about it!" She laughed, then shook her mane out so that it fell back neatly into place. "Yeah, I think if I had someone to come with me, it wouldn't be so bad... But I don't know if anyone would come with me." Off the top of her head she couldn't think of anyone who would go traveling with her. Her two-legger was too old to go very far, for one thing.

Looking around, she noticed that they were getting close to the place where they could see the rest of the forest from above. She kept going. "Do you always travel alone?" She asked, wondering if Seiram had a traveling companion somewhere.