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As her family took their daily siesta, Io couldn't sleep. She lifted her head, looking back and forth from her siblings to her mother, they were all in their own personal dream world, and here Io lay...Bored.

Quietly....Quietly, She rose to her feet. Perhaps she could explore, just for a little while. She could be back before mother woke and realized that she was gone. She wouldn't go far, no, not far at all.

There had been a small stream with creatures that her mother had called minnows and tadpoles...it wasn't too far from where they now rested. The small tadpoles had intrigued her, some of them had tails...some had legs...some had tails AND legs. She had to go look at them closer.

Stopping just at the edge of the trees, Io looked back one last time...just to make sure that her mother still slept. Once she was sure, she quietly moved through the underbrush, her wings in close to her body, trying to make as little noise as possible.

Now, where was that stream?

She could see the stream, she had found it! Now, that wasn't too hard at all, just a straight shot really, so it shouldn't be too hard to return before her family woke.

Just as she was nearing the water, she heard a sound coming from her side. She stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes and ears scanning for signs of life besides the babbling stream in front of her. As she scanned, the sight of bright orange hair caught her attention. There was another soquili there!

She beamed a took a few steps closer to the soquili, it was beautifully and brightly colored. Much unlike her own family who was made of darker tones and little color. "Kazoontite!" she chittered at the soquili with a smile. It seemed as though this soquili was sick.

She cheerfully bounced over closer to the stranger, he didnt' look dangerous. If anything, he looked quite entertaining. "Are you okay?"

"Oh!" she exclaimed as his hat fell from his head. She quickly moved to pick it up for him, "Here you go," she mumbled as she attempted to put to put the hat back on the stallions head, but he was too tall for her to reach, even in his current position. She paused for a moment then just lay it in front of him carefully as to not get it any more dirty than it was. "Here..." she nosed it gently.

"You sound sick." She stood there for a moment and peered over him, he was an intriguing sight to behold. She had never seen so many beads or curls. He was amazing. Her eyes followed the beads as they moved when he sneezed. "You're beautiful," her voice quite innocent. Her eyes moved over the jewels and stockings, his hat and feathers. "You must be someone important to be so fancy," she smiled at him again.

"Are you hungry? I can take care of you? Mom says that you should always eat when you're sick, to keep your strength up. Do you want berries? I saw some on the way in? Or some water, I can bring some to you...some how..." she paused to think about how she would get the cool water from the stream to the stallion. She'd find something....

Her smile broadened as he spoke, but she wondered why such a lovely looking soquili was so rude. Maybe it was just because he was sick. She could take care of that though!

"You need some help," she said in a matter of fact voice, "And I'm here, So, I will help you."

She stood up straight and tucked her wings into her body tightly so that she could move through the bushes and such. "You stay here, and I will find you some food. Then, then I will get all of those twigs and leaves out of your mane and tail. You're much to pretty to have them their...." her head tilted, "They just don't look good with your beads." she said blatantly.

"Be right back!" she turned and bounced off into the bushes, she knew she had seen some berries not far. She could break off a few branches and bring the entire branch back to him. It would be much easier than trying to carry a mouthful of loose berries. While looking, she was also keeping an eye out for anything that she could collect water with. Not far from her new patient, she happened upon a large piece of fallen bark, curved just enough to hold water. She made a mental note to come back for it.

"Finally!" she exclaimed as she once again found the berry bush. She carefully broke off several small branches as far down as she could. Once she had nipped off three or so decent sized branches she carefully gathered them in her mouth to take back to her new friend. She struggled here and there trying to get the branches through the other bushes, it was quite hard to manuver.

She finally broke through the last bit of vegetation near Dev, with a crooked smile on her face she dropped the branches in front of him. "There you go. Now...Let me get you some water!" and she was quickly off again.

Io returned to the large piece of bark that lay on the ground, she picked it up with her mouth, it was much more sturdy than it looks. She smiled to herself, she was doing good. She'd have her new friend well in no time!

She quickly moved back through the bushes, coming out at the stream. She lowered her 'bowl' into the water and started taking slow careful steps towards the stallion. Step....step.....step.....Stop. The water sloshed back and forth, she waited for it to calm before setting the bowl down, she would hate to spill it all over the pretty stallion's coat.

Once she had set the bowl down, she trotted over to his side. "Are you berries good? Do you want me to get you some more? Drink your water, I will refill it when it gets low. You must stay hy..." she paused, the word escaped her..."Hy.....You need to drink." she shrugged and moved to start working on the stallion's mane. Gently she started plucking small twigs from his hair. "You ought be more careful," she spoke as she was plucking. "When I grow up, I want to be as beautiful as you. Where did you get your beads? What is that thing on your head? Can you make me one?" she just chittered away as she cleaned.

"Oh, Oh..." she cringed a bit as he snapped at her, realizing she had tugged just a tad too hard on that one. "Sorry," she moved on to the next one, pulling at it much more gingerly. She hated that he felt so bad, she was sure that was the reason he was so grumpy.

"Hydrated, Yes!" she beamed at him, "-That- is what I was thinking of. You must stay hydrated!" she nodded and continued grooming him while he spoke. Imp...she wondered what that was, she just shrugged it off and considered it another word for friend.

She listened to his questions and his comments about being gifted, "My mom and siblings are taking a nap, I couldn't sleep. I was coming to look at the tadpoles, but you are MUCH more interesting. Well, if you won't make me one and I'll have to get my own, will you help me?" she inquired. She wasn't sure where to get beads and feathers. Surely with such a majestic soquili to help her she could look just as dashing one day. "I want to look as pretty as you when I grow up!" She jumped back quickly and did her best pose, her wings stretched out. Vogue. Vogue.

Never...never....Her head tilted as his words faded. Never what, she wondered? Again, she just brushed it off and paid no attention to what he could have meant. She straightened herself up and tucked her wings back in, not so tightly this time though.

Her eyes widened a bit as her smile broadened when he complimented her eyes, "Thank you, Sir!" she exclaimed "One day, maybe, when I'm older, I'll have pretty hair like your's too!"

She stopped and watched as he moved towards his bracelets, her eyes widened in shock as he tossed one her way. He was giving her a bracelet to start her own accessories? He HAD been playing with her. He was going to help her be beautiful too! "Thank you!" She quickly put her hoof in the bracelet, only then realizing that it would be much too big for her tiny legs. She frowned a bit, disheartened by the fact that she couldn't wear her gift. She looked up at him, unsure what to do...