The ocean had been further away than Anansi had ever considered. She didn't remember wandering that far out, but obviously she had. She spent time with Arithyl in the fields, but they'd gone their separate ways. Lyle, even the name Lyle, was a mystery to the mare. It was like a distant shadow, kept from her like a secret and Anansi hated secrets. Surely she'd not dreamed him up. Their argument had been too real...
Kicking up snow and sand, she paced down the beach, reveling in the soft crisp winter air filled with a salty tinge. Ocean air. She breathed it in and it filled her to her core. She couldn't help but smile. Sooner or later, she'd find him again. She just hoped it was sooner rather than later.
---
Lyle woke up in the middle of a snowy field, he wasn’t sure how he got there last thing he remembered was going to sleep inside a cave. Oddly enough the fact that he couldn’t remember where he had been didn’t bother him in the least. It had at first, but then after the second or third time he realized that he was always fine when he woke up and nothing bad seemed to happen so he just accepted the fact that something odd happened to him every so often.
Pushing himself up to his cloven hooves the Unicorn shook himself, getting the snow out of his mane and tail before prancing around in a quick circle to wake himself up. Hmmm, What would he do today? There wasn’t much on his plate really, he could try finding Anansi. Even the thought of the mare put a smile on his face, she was perfect. Fiery and stubborn.
His thoughts of the black and white mare had brought him to a line of bushes. Tilting his head he silently pushed through them emerging onto the beach, looking down it he paused and grinned. Speak of the devil and horns shall appear. The golden-maned mare was just down the beach. The stallion’s grin turned into a smirk and he made his way down the beach approaching the mare from behind. Sidling up besides her he whispered into her ear. ”Hey there, gorgeous, long time no see. My heart’s been pining for you, my bed’s been cold without you laying next to me at night.” Oh yes, he was always the charmer..
---
With each step she took, she found herself getting farther and farther from reality. Lyle was in her head, an infection it seemed. Perhaps it was the upcoming season that was making her antsy. She was an adult now and she could do...well...adult things. The thought brought a smirk to her face. What would Amerlei think... She'd have to return and tell her father, as well. What a reuinion that would be. And it would be an even bigger reuinion when the baskets had hatched and they had two or three black and gold and violet babies following them around. Anansi and Lyle... it had a ring to it.
So she was meandering down the beach, her eyes closed. She thought she heard hoofbeats once or twice, but her ears were trained on the cheers of the seagulls ahead. That's why it nearly took her breath away when someone breathed into her ear from right beside her. She stopped and spun around to face the handsome unicorn, her silver eyes widening in recognition. "Lyle!" Her whinny was shrill as she pranced around him, much like a filly. "You came back!"
---
Lyle grinned and then laughed at her reaction his lilac eyes sparkling. ”Of course I came back, sweetheart, I wasn’t going to leave you all on your lonesome for some other stallion to steal you away.” He smirked and craned his neck nipping at her affectionately. Chuckling he looked over the ocean before he turned his gaze back towards the mare.
Almost as if the thought hit him out of nowhere he tilted his head, looking side to side, before looking into her silver eyes. ”Some other stallion hasn’t come and stolen you away from me, have they?” He didn’t fancy having to chase off a herd of stallions, but he would if he needed to. He felt oddly possessive over Anansi, and it bothered him a bit. He had meant it when he said he wasn’t sure if he knew the definition of commitment, but this mare was making him feel strange things..
---
She heard the possession in his voice and she shivered slightly. It was a good shiver, her eyes lighting up as she followed his gaze to the ocean. She wondered if she did have another suitor, if Lyle would fight. She thought unicorns were fairly calm creatures, but they did have spikes and those spikes could...possibly do some damage. Sometimes it made her want her own. Anansi wondered if she could grow one.
"It's only been a week or so since we met," she crooned to him, tossing her mane. "How could I meet another stallion in such a short time, especially when I'm so...obsessed...with you. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. What am I supposed to do about this?" She nipped him back rightfully, on the shoulder, then trotted forwards a few steps. "Huh?"
---
At her words he grinned, calmed a bit by the sound of her voice. His nostrils flared as he breathed in deeply, taking in her scent. He pawed at the sand feeling a bit light headed. Catching the word obsessed come from her lips his ears perked up and he grinned. ”Obsessed, eh?” He liked obsessed, obsessed was good especially if she was obsessed with him. When she questioned him he grinned and took a step towards her. ”Well, well there’s several things we can do about it.” He ran his muzzle through her long mane, nuzzling her neck..
---
She leaned into his touch, letting a forehoof rise as she scuffed a spot, her breath coming out in a puff of white air. "Yes, obsessed. I found a stallion who I thought was you... I mean, he looked like you and smelled like you, but he was adamant that he was himself and not you... And his voice was different than yours, too. He called himself Ari. He spent a few days with me. We were trying to find the beach. I thought that maybe...if he saw the beach, he'd remember he was you. Isnt that silly?" She gazed up at him with soulful eyes.
---
He grinned as he felt her lean into him, it seemed like things were going better than they did last time. At least he wasn’t being called a pig this time around. As she told her story he arched a brow, a bit surprised. A stallion that looked and smelled like him? That was interesting. ”Well, maybe I’ll get to meet this Ari one day. I wonder, was this Ari as charming as I am?” Grinning he circled around her, his lion tail brushing against her legs as he moved. ”It is a bit silly, but I don't mind.” He nipped at her shoulder, looking sidelong at her. .
---
Things were going much better indeed. She had told herself, while searching for him, that she wouldn't be so darn...combative? At least not now that she found him. It was like, you didn't know what you had until they were gone? She chuckled and danced at the touch of his tail at her hocks. "Ari wasn't nearly as charming as you... I think he had some walls up around his heart, in fact." She paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "You know, I have a sillier notion. Do you want to hear it?"
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Lyle couldn’t stop the grin that spread on his muzzle at the fact that the other stallion wasn’t as charming as he was. Although, most stallions weren’t as charming as him, Lyle was unique. Catching her question he flicked his ears towards her. ”I’m not sure what could be sillier than that,” He winked at her before continuing. ”But I’d love to hear it, gorgeous.”.
---
Her entire body flushed with heat at the nickname and she turned her head away, almost bashfully. Her. Anansi. Bashful? What the hell was wrong with her? With a snort, she pinned her ears for a brief moment, then flicked them forwards once again and puffed her chest out. "Well, believe me, it's sillier, but the only thing I could come up with. Okay... So. What if, somehow, you had two personalities and you didn't know about the other one and vice versa... What if, somehow, Ari was your, like, second personality?"
---
Lyle chuckled as she looked away, he got that a lot. The stallion waited patiently to hear this silly theory of hers, his lilac eyes skimming along her body as he did. What? He couldn’t help himself, she was gorgeous and held some kind of unnatural pull for him. He gave himself a little shake and brought his eyes back to her face when she began to talk. He couldn’t help but chuckle at her words, two personalities? He’d never heard of that happening. ”Ari as my second personality…hmmm” He pawed the sand thinking about it, figuring he’d go along with her silly idea for the moment. ”Well…how would I know if I had a second personality?”.
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She tossed her head, warming at the feeling of his eyes trailing over her from head to tail. She was so glad she found him again. There was just something about him that was perfect for her and she wasn't even sure if it was because he wasn't one for committment, like he'd said. She wasn't even sure if that mattered now or not. Her eyes locked onto his, her ears pricked curiously as she watched his reaction. Well, it wasn't an non-believing one. But how would he know if he had a second personality. "I'm not sure... I suppose you wouldn't know? As I said, it's a silly idea," she laughed. Then she sobered up. "Why do you like me, Lyle?"
---
Lyle couldn’t help himself as he checked her out, he was usually the one in control of his emotions and how he acted. But this mare, she threw him for a loop. She made him feel protective and possessive of her when he didn’t want to be, she made him want to stay when that was the last thing that he would think of doing. He wasn’t sure if he liked the way she was making him feel- it was unsettling. He was about to spin some suave answer to her words but then he was hit with a more serious inquiry that stopped him in his tracks. Aw hell He never liked this question, and he’d been asked it more than a couple times in the past. Stepping forwards he nuzzled Anansi before he pulled back and looked into her eyes.
”There’s so many reasons, more reasons than there are stars in the sky. You’re beautiful, and smart, you have this way about you that makes me realize if you got it in your head you could probably kick my a**, which is hot by the way.” He winked at her before continuing a little more seriously. ”And I feel pulled towards you, I think about you when you’re not around and I realize I want to see you. It’s like you’re my addiction….and I’m not quite sure I like it, but I can’t deny it.”.
---
She stood there in the sand and the snow, the cold winter breeze flowing over her like a wave of water, touching and lifting her mane away from her eyes so that she could better see the god of a stallion standing before her. A smile flickered across her lips as he nuzzled her, the act bringing a spark of electricity between them.
He liked her. Even as he was giving her reasons, those three little words thrummed in her head and her heart, over and over like the pulse pounding blood into her veins. He was an addiction. He was right there. And he knew she could kick his a**. That brought a laugh bubbling up the mare's throat.
"I like it... I like you, more than I probably should, you know. I figured this out while I was searching for you. If I didn't like you, why would I think about you? You're like an infection in my soul and no matter what I do, I can't get you out of my head unless we're together, like this."
Stepping forwards, she brushed her teeth against his neck, nipping him gently, then shoving her forehead against him in a soft headbutt. "So do with me what you will, Lyle. I think I'm yours."
---
After he finished speaking Lyle realized that he actually did like her, more than he thought. It wasn’t just any passing fancy (like it normally was) he actually wanted to stay and be…committed? Now that was a first. He wasn’t sure he could do committed, he’d never had to before and he wasn’t sure how well he could contain himself. But he was willing to try.
Her words made him grin a bit, he liked the idea that she couldn’t get him out of her head. ”Well, then we’ll just have to stay together,” His grin grew as she nipped him and he pawed at the snow and sand around their hooves. He pressed his forehead against hers, careful not to blind her with his horn, that wouldn’t be much fun. ”Think? You only think? Well now, we’ll have to change that.” Chuckling he ran his muzzle along her neck, nipping at her gently, slowly circling her making sure his side was pressed against hers, not wanting to be parted from her..
---
Anansi knew nothing of commitment. She'd never truly been with a stallion for over a day of flirting fun. After they'd usually get into a fight and one of them would huff off in another direction, Anansi would settle down and continue on her lonesome way. And normally it didn't bother her. But she was no longer a filly. She had a mare's needs and wants and although it frightened her a little bit, perhaps she'd want to stay with Lyle for more than a day. Or a week. Or a year. Maybe.
"Well I've decided something... You're definitely not a pig. I was wrong." She grinned and leaned into his touch, pressing her weight flush against him, their pelts mingling in blacks and violets. "And I'm sorry. For saying that. And I like you...alot." And again, she felt like a fickle little filly with a crush. With a giggle, she broke away from him for a moment, only to brush up against his side once more. "So where shall we go, oh knight in shining armor?"
---
Lyle couldn’t stop the bark of laughter that sprouted from him when she admitted he wasn’t a pig. That was always a good thing to know. ”Water under the bridge, sweetheart” He grinned and pushed back against her lightly. When she pulled away he stepped towards her not liking the cool air that swept between them, reminding him that she wasn’t there. He relaxed and nipped at her when she moved back to his side, her words made him pause and then he smirked. ”Well I know of a private little cave not too far from here.” Grinning he bumped against her before breaking towards the cave with a playful neigh, assuming she’d follow. Maybe this commitment thing wasn’t all that bad..
