The palomino mare had been looking.. She had been looking for the one she had called brother long ago, though she was unsure if she would call him brother once more. She wasnt sure if she could ever... again. Not after what had happened to their family. But the mare walked on, keeping her head held high. She had clung to the forest, unwilling to leave. The pelt on her back warmed her in the cooler shade of the trees. Her long braids billowing behind her. Her flaming eyes glistened through the darkness, giving her an almost.. scary appearance.
---
How long had it been? A year? Two years? Tavarii slunk down the shaded path, moving among the shadows like a wolf or a fox. Cautious. The usually carefree stallion had found love in a mare called Carmine. A strange wild love that ran deep in his veins. They'd had three beautiful daughters...but that was done now. He supposed no grounded could chain a wind to the earth... Damn his love for the feathered appendages. Now that his girls were all grown, he was a wandering stallion.
---
Rutem was definately a wanderer, and she had been wandering since she had grown to a yearling, and decided to venture along the paths. Her brother had taken the opposite route, and they had been seperated. But Rutem was on his trail.. SHe knew it. She was a flirtatious mare, never minding a good flirt or rough and tumble. But she was very hardtempered, and could get a foul attitude if the situation pushed her that far. Her feathered hooves crushed the earth underneath her as she hummed. SHe was not bored, but she was completely unaware of where she was..
--
The earth made a solid clump-clump as his hooves thrummed the dirt, but he soon found that he wasn't the only soquili around in the forest that evening. Another's hoofbeats rung in his ears and he slowed to a stop, gazing around. His ears pricked up and violet eyes scanned his surroundings, resting on a pelt-wearing mare. Nostrils flared; not a Skinwalker...right? He shook his braids flat, arched his neck, and moved right into her path with a sheepish grin. It had been awhile since he'd seen another.
---
She had not been expecting to be cut off, but she halted as she did so, her firey eyes wide with surprise as they glowed in the darkness. She squealed a bit, but once she realized it was only a stallion, she snorted. "You should be more careful. I almost walked right on top of you." She said, without losing a beat. She was completely serious, she would have walked over him, before she allowed him to collide with her.
---
Tav took a step back, away from her. He wasn't afraid... No, intimidated was a better word. "I'm sorry," he said truthfully, bowing his head to her in respect. "I merely wanted to capture your attention. I think I did." He offered her a smile. "I'm Tavarii."
---
"Its much easier to capture ones attention by calling to them. But no harm was intended, or occured, so you are free to speak to me." She giggled. She would talk to anyone, but she knew she was intimidating. If only because she would take no crap from anyone. She was a proud, strong female, and just because she had a soft spot for males didnt change that. "Well Tavarii, Id say you did." She said with a nod. "My name is Rutem."
---
Rutem... "A beautiful name for a beautiful girl," he murmured, almost to himself but loud enough to hear. He looked down, then back up, a grin playing at his lips. He looked her over shyly, noting the skull adorning her head with its two horns. "I see that you're not from around here... Where do you hail from, Rutem?"
---
She smiled, hearing his comment, and having been used to the comments like that, it didnt bother her at all. She was used to attention from males since she was a filly. "I hail from no where in particular. Everything Ive aquired, Ive aquired from my travels. No one place." She nodded, smiling. "What a charmer you seem to be Tavarii."
--
There was no wonder she'd been dealing with the boys since she was young; she had more than likely only gotten beautiful as she grew. His smile matched hers, but he remembered his Angel and his good mood ebbed away. He shook his head. "Charm only gets you so far," he admitted softly.
---
SHe saw his smile fall, and cocked her head, looking a bit curious. "What is that emotion you are feeling, Tavarii? You..look lost." She said. She was not used to dealing with sadness. She was either flirting, or she was alone. But she was most definately never upset or sad. Though she had a feeling, that maybe these lands would do that to her. She half heartedly thought of turning and leaving right this moment, ebfore it rubbed off on her. But she tried to keep herself in place to learn more.
---
He only lingered in his sadness for a moment longer, until her voice broke him from his reverie. "I am lost... In a way, we're all lost, not to be melodramatic." He paused, then smiled a lonesome smile. "I met a girl once. I thought we'd be together forever. We were such a perfect fit... But her spirit is untamed and her heart and loyalty lie in the sky, where she belongs... Get what I'm saying?"
---
She nodded a bit. "She had wings." She replied, having felt that feeling more than once. IN fact, the male that had made her flighty had been a wind.. and he had left her as well .She couldnt deny she had something in common with Tav, but she did not feel sadness at that wind stallions departure. She had felt free.. Of course, she felt sure that it was because she could not be tied down either. "Im sorry.. That must have been upsetting."
---
"It was. It is," he admitted, then shook his head. "But I've got three beautiful daughters... Granted, one's a little silly in the head... She thinks she can fly without wings, but that's besides the point. The point is, I loved my angel and I love my girls...and now I just need to find someone perfect to spend the rest of my life with." He beamed and lifted a hoof, setting it back gently. "Any advice?" he chuckled.
---
She looked like a deer in headlights suddenly. Uh-oh. He was expecting love advice.. From a mare who never felt love, but only excitement and lust. "Why would you want to be sad over her leaving? When you released her to her freedom, and therefore should.. be happy that shes free, and you know it...Right?"
--
He tilted his head to one side, thinking about her words for a moment. "Well... I never looked at it that way before. I...let her go to be free?" His violet eyes glittered at the new idea and he stamped a hoof on the ground. "Rutem, you're brilliant... I set her free... My angel..." Now, to quit thinking of her like that. His... She was no longer his. Just as his girls weren't his. They were their own. "What about you? Surely you have a lovelorn tale? A reason to be out wandering?"
---
She grew a little withdrawn, but then released the thought and smiled once more. "No, no lovelorn tale. None that were any different than any other of my adventures. But.. I wander because my parents were murdered, and my brother dissappeared. We kinda..disbanded." She said with a nod. "Im on my own, and I rather like it that way." She beamed once more. "Oh my goodness, of course Im brilliant! Im Rutem.."She giggled.
---
He frowned, watching her. Murdered? "Who--or what...would murder them? How did you get away? Are you going to look for him?" He grew concerned for her.
---
"They were murdered by humans." She said with a nod. "Im not sure..why.. But I came back from a... well a fun time with a stallion friend.. and they were dead. Abiron was gone. " She nodded, not feeling sad in the slightest. She had begun to see the good in everything. Her parents death, had allowed her to be free. "I am on the search. Ive heard he is in the area."
---
It was strange. She didn't seem to be sad for their loss... Maybe she was the type not to feel anything? But...surely she felt happiness. Or her laughter was really faked. He shook his head. "I'm sorry," he began, then stopped, unsure if he should brush this off or not. "Then you are wandering with a purpose. That's always nice. Can't say mine has a purpose other than running away from my past to find a better future. "
---
"We all wander to find a better future. Why else would we wander?" She asked, curious. Her eyes were bright, and stil lthey glowed within the darkness. She was happy. Extremely happy, as she refused to feel the sadness that pulled others down. Life was meant to be cherished, not wasted feeling sad for events that were unchangeable.
---
Yes... That happiness that glittered in her gaze was definitely true. True happiness. Even after everything she'd lost? "Can...I ask you a question?" he asked, looking down at his hooves. "Why are you so happy? What makes you keep going, even when everything seems so bad?"
---
"WHy wouldnt I be happy?" She asked, her face looking confused. "Do you choose to live your life day to day with the sadness that just..wastes your time. You have such a little time on earth, why waste it feeling sad..I mean, teh things that others are sad over, are things that they cannot change.. So I just dont see a need to be anything but happy, I guess." She replied honestly.
---
He'd never thought of sadness wasting his time. All this time moping around, wandering aimlessly. Hoping that one day things would look up and the dark clouds over his head would clear... "I think...it was destiny for us to meet, Rutem," he said after several minutes of thoughtful silence. "I think you're right. About everything. Now...now I have to try and be happy..."
---
"Dont try.. Be happy. It isnt hard." She smiled, nudging him gently. "You know.. Personally, I think of all the good things. It makes things easier to handle." She smiled once more. "And I do not believe in destiny, I believe we make our own futures. But maybe it was meant to be." She said with a wink
---
Be happy. Such a simple advice. He was still trying to wrap his head around it, but he grinned at her nudge. A mare who didn't believe in destiny? Surprising, but obviously true. "Then it was meant to be. Thank you... Did...you perhaps want company on your journey to find Abiron? Or do you prefer the silent solitude?"
--
She smiled, nodding a bit. "I could use a traveling companion if you like. I can certainly survive on my own, but the conversation could be interesting." She mused, a smile on her face. "Maybe being around a happy mare will make you less sad."
--
Tavarii tossed his head with a grin. "Perfect. I think I have a lot to learn from you. It's why we met, you know," he said, slightly teasing. He felt like he'd known her forever. "To Abiron?" He walked around her, settling into a stop at her side, looking at her dotingly.
---
She smiled, nodding brightly. Sure she wasnt sure if Tav was just going to be the friend level, or if he would turn to more. But right now, she was wanting a friend, and he did perfectly at the role. "To your destiny." She replied with a nod, and started walking.
