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Nota stood by the river, staring at his reflection. When he looked through his reflection and into the water below it, he saw a fish swimming downstream. It was too much effort for him to lift his head and follow it. Nota's mother ran off when he was just old enough to fend for himself. He remembered her telling him, just before she left find and make friends? Friends, he thought to himself, making friends is way too troublesome. Nota was a loaner now, the tribal markings on his legs made him feel as though he was different from anyone else. Everyone else around him had different colors and patterns and here he had tribal designs. He was plain beige in color with blackish markings going up and down both front legs. To him, he was anything ordinary.

Nota lifted his head and looked at the river, he wanted to jump in it and swim around happily but it was far too much effort for him to actually do it. He sighed with complete boredom. "Ugh, this is so annoying." Nota backed up and pointed his muzzle to the sky, cloud watching. It was his favorite thing to do. The clouds were so free and followed no plan. They just were. They had no one to tell them what to do. Nota's eyes were fixed on the clouds and their changing shape. He wanted to just fly away, where no one would bother him and nothing could touch him. He wanted to be free. Free from thought. Thinking is so troublesome.

Nota was busy staring up at the sky when he heard a voice call out. It was a little filly, someone he had never seen before. He sighed in the back of his mind, This is so troublesome. Nota forced himself to speak, "Hello, m'lady. My name is Nota." He extended his left hoof forward in a deep bow. "Pleased to make your acquaintance." I hope she'll just ask her questions and leave. I really don't want to be bothered.

Nota did not even force a smile because it was too much trouble for him to do so. So he stood there, staring at her with a face erased of all emotion, for it was too much effort to try. Nota was a very lazy colt indeed. Any slight bit of movement was too much effort, and something he didn't like doing. He would rather spend his days sitting and staring up at the free clouds. His attention turned towards the clouds once again, They're so free.

The sound of her giggling pierced his ears and he almost winced. He would have if she had not have been standing right in front of him. A bunch of clouds? Nota didn't even feel like explaining to her what why the cloud were important to him. "Trees?" He was curious but it was mainly because he just didn't want to say much. The purple filly was extremely giddy and Nota really didn't want to be apart of it.

The filly had a brief moment of silence while she was talking to him. And he began to wonder what happened to her. She was so happy when she trotted over and then her face sunk into a sadness for a split second before she began to get cheery again. I want to know what happened but I don't feel like asking. Curiosity is so troublesome. Nota bowed gently to this new-found filly, "Forgive me, I failed to catch your name, m'lady." His voice changed but his face still remained expressionless. Being formal is so much effort.

The questions became even more annoying as she asked them. All the while Nota was being nice and respectful but the back of his mind pleaded for her to stop talking. It was out of shear respect that he answered her, "I don't much care for anything," he said, "Fantasy, reality, none of it really matters. It's all so troublesome to think about. I would rather not think at all." What Nota said was true, he didn't want to think about anything because thinking was too much of an effort. He was too lazy for it, but there was a feeling deep down where he was kind of glad that someone else was talking to him.

He sighed heavily, "I am sorry. I just do not like to do anything that takes effort." He looked down at his expressionless reflection and frowned, he looked dead. He tried to smile but it came out rather awkward and crooked. Nope, too much effort. His muzzle slid back into a frown.

Pretty this... pretty that. Does she care about anything other than that? She talks like she knows me, this is annoying. Nota kept his thoughts to himself because it would be far more troublesome if he had said them out loud in front of a lady. Nota bowed politely to Keely and smiled crookedly. "I live alone M'lady. There is not much that I have to care for, if you do not mind me to say so. Forgive me as my words are blunt and possibly have little meaning to you but I have nothing to care for. This does not mean that I do not enjoy life, it just means that I have no reason to indulge in it. Life is what it is. I have a purpose and I am trying to find out what it is." It took him a long time to say those words but the crooked smile never left his muzzle as he did. His purpose in life was to avenge his family. His sole purpose, was to kill the one that tore his family apart.

"What is it that you care so much for? You frowned before, why?" Nota was now curious about the origin of this life-obsessed filly. Though his curiosity was becoming annoying to him. It's so troublesome to stand here and listen to her. But I cannot allow her to fall upset if I were to turn and leave. Jeez, this acting is annoying. Part of Nota was bored of standing around talking about sweet-nothings, but the other half of him was genuinely curious about why her smile had faltered before and the nature of her bubbly attitude.

An attack? On her family? And she's walking around with a smile on her face and acting like it never happened? "You're mother wanted you to be bubbly like this all the time? Why don't you try looking for her?" His curiosity was getting a hold of him and now he was curious why she felt the need to not look for her mother. If her mother is alive, surely one as bubbly as her would want to find her? How is she able to see light in the most darkest of places? Where was she able to obtain that ability? Nota half wanted her to turn and walk away but something about her just screamed at him to tell her more.

Nota thought about it for a minute, Maybe she's right. I mean a friend couldn't hurt... could it? Is that what this is... a friendship? His father's word pierced his mind and he remembered the hard times that his father put him through. Nota's father abused him in the worst way. He killed his older brother and banished his mother from ever seeing her son again. Yuko, his father, then took Nota under his philosophical wing and proceeded to abuse him from that day. Should I tell her? Ugh this is so troublesome. "Keely, mi'lady, the reason I hate life and everything that has to do with it is because my father left me to die in the middle of the forest. He left me to fend for myself and therefore I spent these past couple of months trusting no one but myself. I do not wish to break that streak now." He had a feeling that telling her would be a bad idea because now she would feel sorry for him and pity was the last thing he wanted from anyone. "Miss Keely, my purpose in life is to grow up, become stronger, and kill my father." Nota's words were powerful and hurtful. And he almost spit them out. He did not mean to lash out on her and he definitely did not want to hurt her in anyway. He half-smiled to her and bent his head down, "Forgive me, miss. That was unfair to you." I shouldn't have told her. This is going to get out of hand.

Nota hung his head down toward the ground, Pity is such a troublesome thing. And he spoke to the grass below him, "I know not why my father did such a thing. But rest assured, I will avenge my family." Flames flickered in his eyes as the hatred boiled through him. He will pay for what he did to them.

The feeling of passionate hate lasted only a moment as Miss Keely's voice floated through the air, it did take him a split second to jump back to reality after the memories flooded over him. She was looking for someone to help her? Should I...? No, I mean I could not possibly interfere with something such as this. Besides I have to find my father. My father... I do need to get stronger, I could use this. But using her would feel so wrong... Why can I not genuinely want to help? What is wrong with my hooves that they plant themselves deep within the ground and limiting my mobility? Why can I not break free of this hatred?

True as it was for Nota to feel troubled by this filly, his heart almost ached for her. She did exactly what he had always wanted from someone, she did not apologize. There she is just staring down at the river, and she did not say it. The one word that I cannot ever again stand, 'Sorry.' Sorry was the word his father sarcastically used against him after his mother fled away. "Sorry, guess she just didn't want to be around you anymore." Nota shook his head to rumble around the thoughts. As cruel as life was to him, why should he be so cruel as to turn away from her now. After all, she did need the help and Nota needed the training.

Nota decided to be forward with her, "Miss Keely, this is troublesome, but I have thought about it and I would like you to allow me to join you on your quest for your mother." He bowed gracefully, "However, know this, I am doing this for me. I am going to use this time to train so that I may avenge my family." His words were only half true, Nota's barriers were being broken down and he did not even know it. He wanted to help her and thought of this as a two way deal, she finds her mother and he gets his training. He cared a lot more than he let on.

Nota listened as Keely spoke of her mother. She knows not even where to start... this is troublesome. He kept his thoughts to himself however because he did not want to upset her further. Her sights gazed out onto the river and Nota also began to stare at the running water. The picture of Keely running from danger and being separated from her mother overtook him. He could only imagine how it must have been for her. Nota was forced to sit there and watch his mother walk away. She was not even given the option to look back at him because when his father banished her, he first attacked her and the only thing Nota was able to see was his father rear up and kick his mother in her eyes. Blood poured down onto the grass below from his mother's muzzle. She was blinded, permanently. His mother, graceful as she was, walked over to Nota and told him that she loved him and to carry on. She then held her head high and walked past his father and into the nothing.

A small tear welled up in Nota's eyes presently but he quickly blinked it away so as Keely could not see it. Keely's voice broke the silence and she asked about a cave, The mountains... I know of the cave she speaks of However it was a little way away. The cave that Keely was referring to was about a day and half's run from where they currently were. "It is a way away but I know the place that you speak of. Do you think that we should start there? And do you think that she will still be there? Wait, how long has it been since you have been separated?" Nota looked up at the cloud and watched the sky turn a red and then the clouds lit up dark purple and orange, it was his favorite time of day. The clouds look so free... Nota knew what he had to do, he had to kill his father, no matter how troublesome it was. Then and only then would he be able to be free. And that is something that he wanted more than anything.