Welcome to Gaia! ::

Scene:

It was morning, winter had covered the earth once again with it's white blanket, there was a gentle hush in the world as most things were sleeping, and some had yet to rise. The sun was just creeping over the mountains edge, the first rays of it's light weaved it's way through the thicket of bare tall trees in the mountains cascading down across the land and gently brushing across the cold causing the earth to shimmer in it's waking. For those who liked to stay up to see such things it was a beautiful site, and for those who were early risers, it was a wonderful way to start the day.

A squirrel ran across a tree clutching it's nuts to it's chest as it made it's way to it's storage, as the winter birds slowly unfurled their wings from around their loved ones and began to wake, greeting the day. An owl gave a soft hoot as it craned it's neck about and side stepped it's way into the hole of a tree that was his home, his day was ending where the others were beginning.*

Fenghuang had seen many things in his life, some had been spectacular and others had been forgettable. Sun rises and sun sets were things that he recalled but had long since chosen to cast aside in exchange for the more dramatic shows and displays he had been provided with on his travels. It wasn't that he considered such light shows to be ugly, but having seen the glistening northern lights and their many colours, the sun and its shining display had been replaced by something that was only truly visible at night and even then, you had to be so very far north to attain the best views. It was strange that while he had been born here in the depths of a well protected land, his heart still yearned for the danger and struggles of the north - that being said they were no longer struggles for him as he had adapted but it was in the northern reaches that he had matured and become an adult.

He didn't wish his fate upon anyone else and nor would he encourage any to go as far as he did, but this didn't mean that he didn't miss the friends and companions he had made while there. Granted they were mostly wolves, huskies and humans but they had become his family and had protected him in exchange for his aid. Alas as fate would have it, his time with the Inuits had come to an end and no sooner had he found the caverns in which the masked mare had spoke of, than he heart the call of home and of his sworn duty. He'd made an oath to protect his princess and though he didn't completely understand the whispers in his ears nor grasp the depth of their warnings, he had been summoned.

Thus it had been without furtheradue than he had bowed his head in gratitude towards his foreign family, embraced each in turn and had began his trek across the barren and frozen wastelands that lay between himself and his home. Accustomed to the weather and the concept of 'survival of the fittest' he was able to progress with sufficient ease and was soon within reach of home again. Ironically, he had had to rescue an additional princess as he trekked through the gorges and having escorted her safely to the Kawani he had once again found himself on familiar soil. Granted, winter was vastly coming to a close and the weather was becoming considerably more pleasant this far south but still...

He hadn't permitted himself to dwell for long on the borders of the Kawani lands and had pressed onwards towards the southern most regions towards his Princess. What he hadn't anticipated was the constant meddling of the spirits - it seemed they were slowly but surely breaking him in to the 'social' side of the Kawani again. These random encounters while sporadic were training him to talk in a dialect that his kind could understand and were generally designed to help him get rid of the croak in his voice from lack of use. As the spirits would have it today, he was set to encounter a young filly.

Unaware of such intentions, the stallion continued to cross the clearing with his head bowed. The snow in these regions proved no match for his thick arctic fur or the reindeer pelt that had been long since thrown upon his back. He was a bit of a mess, there was no avoiding this subject - he had wandered weeks without grooming and looked more like a wild beast than the handsome stallion he had once been but his expression did remain kind even if he did look a little imposing in terms of size. Alas, the rising sun did cause him to crinkle his nose just a little bit as he knew what this would mean - when the sun had completed it's dance and lifted high into the sky he was going to be positively dripping with sweat ...That was the only problem with having the type of winter coat he possessed!

Nevertheless he proceeded onwards, intent of reaching his destination and remained unaware of the filly that was headed towards him at a far greater speed than his saunter.

It had all happened so quickly that even now his mind was still catching up to the events that had transgressed. In a matter of seconds he had gone from being alone to being in the presence of a very small foal. He'd had little warning of course, the shriek had come and no sooner had he looked up than he had seen the child careening towards him. Admittedly he had sufficient time to move out of the way, but he had been left in two minds about such a thing. While it would protect him from any harm that may be caused from a collision there was a risk that she would hit something more dangerous if he let her continue on her reckless and erratic journey across the snow kissed fields. Thus he had stood firm, locking his muscles so that he scarcely budged when he felt the petite creature slam into his leg and come to an abrupt halt.

No one could ever say his heart was in the right place and arguably, his decision had been made in relation to its convenience. She was heading his direction and he didn't have to move to help her, therefore she warranted aid. He would deny that he had done it out of compassion, he would have denied it if someone had claimed he wanted to be a hero. He'd done it because he was there and it just so happened that her circumstances were right for his assistance. In truth his aid had been out of good will but given his previous 'good will' expedition he was really not in the mood to have such a vulnerability made public knowledge.

His brow quirked and he slowly lowered his dark gaze towards the now quivering foal. He had at first assumed that she was cold, but her outburst indicated that it was more out of fear. It hadn't crossed his mind that he resembled a skinwalker with the pelt slung across his coat - he had regarded it as a practical thing but alas... Apparently he did need to be reminded of what existed in the Kawani lands! Lands that while beautiful, were filled with a ridiculous amount of danger.

"Well, I would certainly hope not...You don't even look remotely like grass," he pointed out smoothly, lowering his head somewhat to get a better 'look' at the cowering filly. Perhaps he had looked daunting in the shadows, but even shadows couldn't hide the amiable expression and the impish glint in his eyes. "You're alright though I hope, took quite a bump there if I do say so myself!"

"Eh, no..." he replied softly, raising a brow a little higher at her query. Now that he had caught up with her train of thought, he had taken in to consideration that the reindeer pelt slung across his back was indeed deceiving. His bulky form and ragged appearance were most definitely deceptive in the Kawani - with a pelt firmly slung over his shoulders he could see how a young soquili, or any soquili for that matter, could mistake him for something much more sinister. That being said there was a very obvious difference between himself and a skinwalker that she was probably not aware of - for a start, Skinwalkers didn't have any hair!

"I'd say if I was a skinwalker I would have eaten you by now," he teased softly, pulling away from the petite filly. With a shrug of his shoulders he readjusted the pelt across his back and clucked his tongue. She had initially disregarded his queries, more interested in his identity and bizarre appearance than her well being. However, when he received the response he supposed that he realistically should have anticipated it. She was a growing foal and he had broken her fall with his intervention. When he had been that age he had regarded himself as completely and utterly indestructable in every since of the word.

"Well, I'm glad you're still standing then," he replied as a quiet chuckle escaped from his lips. It was teasing of course, was not one to be regarded as malicious. "As for myself, I am still standing so I would assume I am in good health," it was a roundabout way of confirming his well being, it was vague but really she would have needed to hit him far harder to make a dent. He was simply too stocky to take damage and was arguably built like a tank - if anything, the only thing he need complain about was how bloody tired he was!

"But I do have to enquire as to why someone of your age is running about at this time in the morning unsupervised."

Had she ever chosen to point out her dual-colour eyes to her, Fenghuang would have been otherwise unphased. It was no offence to her lineage, nor the struggles that her parents had encountered to produce her but he had seen more beautiful and bewitching eyes. Dual-Colour eyes were not unique to her and over the course of his travels he had encountered a number of soquili that possessed them. There was something to be said for growing up, it certainly broaden one's horizon and put things into perspective. For a start; he was now well aware of his likes and dislikes, what he was inclined towards and what could otherwise be ignored. Some might have argued that he had matured too quickly and his views were a little too mature for one of his age but he preferred it this way. In a manner of speaking no one could question his decisions nor ponder over how determined he was to pursue an individual or achieve a goal.

Alas, while there were creatures in the world that may have questioned his intelligence for disregarding such 'unique' eyes he was largely unimpressed. A weary traveller wasn't one to try and appeal to as they generally had set ideals and had seen far more of the world to the point that trivial issues regarding appearance were unimportant. Besides it would have been hypocritical for a soquili as 'wild' and untidy as himself to judge another on appearance. Perhaps it was ironic that he was only captured by one thing and one thing alone - the wild beast tamed by the bewitching amber eyes of his Princess... That would probably account for his disinterest in any quality another possessed too!

He was utterly whipped.

He'd always told those he met that he didn't expect them to understand or appreciate his behaviour. He was not meant to be an open book and existed for the soul purpose of protecting his Princess. As indifferent as she might have been towards his existence, that was his duty and he could think of nothing else. Or rather... he could think of other things but only from a practical stand point. Eh, it was irrelevant in the end anyway and he digressed!

"You were racing the light to the meadow," he repeated slowly, raising a brow at the explanation. He could see many faults in her theory but had to remind himself that she was a child and as such couldn't grasp the logical. Suffice to say he didn't really approve of the lack of supervision at this time in the morning as it was the ideal time to hunt but... He wasn't her father and therefore it really was none of his concern. If the spirits sought to end her life then they would do so with or without his intervention anyway.

"If you wanted to watch the sun come up then you should have been moving before it even began to kiss the earth," he pointed out gently. Well, child she may be but eventually everyone had to learn... His parents had mostly left him to his own devices as a child but every now and again either Yei or Grencia would subtly teach him a thing or too. It had been through these methods that he'd learnt much, though when it came to romance and more complex relationships his parents had left him to learn through life experience - sometimes he hated them for it and other times he thanked them for it.

"And yes, I did indeed stop you from sliding further but it was better than having you scratched within thorn bushes, nyah?" he teased gently, a small smile lining his lips. "But you're welcome, even if you do need to work on your footing a little..."

"Well, we all have to start somewhere," Fenghuang agreed, his smile becoming suitably more impish at the thought of further practice. He could distinctly remember his reckless attempts to learn and broaden his horizons. Some of these had driven his mother to absolute distraction, some had probably made his father's hair turn grey but in the long term... Well, no one could deny that this stallion was a well adjusted individual. Granted he had his moments where he made decisions that were not necessarily wise and he generally didn't conform to society's expectations but the fact still remained that he was content. Or rather, he was content as one could be when it came to his current position - he hadn't reached the stage of true enlightenment just yet.

...Probably wouldn't reach it for a long time yet either.

Nevertheless he was comfortable in his appearances (warts and all) and very rarely allowed the comments of others to place strain upon his own self assurance. Admittedly as his journey progressed onwards and he grew more weary, his resolve occasionally threatened to crumble but there was always something that would lift his spirits again. In this case it had been the petite foal - she had entered his life in a tidal wave of snow and a muffled bump. It was certainly not the most ideal way to introduce yourself but she had knocked him out of his stupor and back into the world of the living. Naivity aside, she was an encounter he could appreciate and enjoy.

"I would say that running down hills isn't terribly wise," he mused after a few moments and then rolled his shoulders, the twinkle in his eyes ever more playful at the fond memories in his mind. "But that would be hypocritical of me...since I used to leap off small hills regularly," he confessed with a slight nod. "So long as you don't end up with broken limbs then that's all that matters, right?"