[PRP] Winters Meeting - Neena & Caelius (CLOSED)

[Faid Shadowlight]

Cael was oddly enjoying the winter, he liked the crunch of the snow and his fur had thickened against the cold. The day had him wandering along a random path in the woods, there was less snow here, but still enough that he left cloven footprints. He looked back and smiled, he had been much smaller the last time he had walked in the snow like this. Well he hadn't so much walked as bounded along like any child, excited at seeing snow for the first time.

With that thought his smile faded and he carried on walking, focusing on things around him rather than his memories. It had been at this time of year his mother died., he had stood watching for hours, in the cold, alone, not understanding why she didn't get up from her bed. He had his when the other humans had arrived, but he had understood the word dead. It was the first time he had been alone, since then he had met others, made some friends, learnt a few things but still in many ways he was alone. Just not as alone as he had been or could be.

Carrying on with his walk Cael's attention was kept on the world around him, enjoying in the cold stark beauty that was the forest in winter. That was the down side to being alone, there was too much time to think and remember, and no one to stop you.

 

[Sayuri_Nitta]

The filly flapped her wings furiously, attempting to get her deer-tailed rump in the air..or at least an inch off the ground. She'd been testing her wings almost as soon as she was out of the basket; wanting to get a head start on flying so that she could take to the air as soon as she was an adult.

She huffed, a small cloud of white drifting before for a few seconds before vanishing in the cold air. Neena had grown tired, and so she looked around the wintery scenery and clipped off amongst the trees. Somewhere back behind her were her family members; sister, and free spirited mother, but she wasn't worried, or scared for that matter at forging out this far on her own. She just wanted new company, someone else to natter with, to show her wings off to and to make a friend.

'Huuuuuuffff..' she elongated the word, watching the cloud of her breath stream out in front of her and giggled. She did it again, feeling slightly light-headed now and span, falling in a heap in drift of snow. The filly wriggled in the cold wetness, looking up at the dark and spindly looking bare branches above her, and shivered.
She really should get up, but for the moment she was warm enough, though the chill was slowly seeping in. A sound came from her right, and she twisted where she lay, craning her head to see over the snow.
 

[Faid Shadowlight]

Wandering his clouded pelt stood out against the white and grey, the sunset tones like a neon sign among the bear trees. Pausing, sure he had herd laughter, but now that he was still and listening he couldn't really hear anything. Taking a deep breath as he ponders the direction he wanted to go, he had no specific place in mind, so turned to the left and started walking along a path that passed where the filly was hidden in the snow.

Humming a random tune as he walks, it wasn't anything special but it helped him not think. Pausing and rubbing the base of one of his antler against a branch, he wasn't sure what made them itch but from time to time he had to stop and scratch at them. Scooping up a mouthful of clean snow from the nook of a low branch, letting it melt in his mouth and drinking before doing the same again. After a few more little drinks of cold snow water he began walking again, unaware that he was being watched. Smiling faintly as he hummed his random tune.

 

[Sayuri_Nitta]

'Oooh.' Neena let it slip out before she could stop herself, but she'd not seen her father and so hadn't seen a male Cerynei yet. His antlers were really something and she was intrigued by all the different colours on his pelt. She wriggled again in the snow, this time squirming about so that she could get on her hooves, standing and shaking herself.

'Hello there.' she said, looking up at him and smiling, her rear twitching with excitement and her wings a flutter. Maybe he would be her friend..or at least be a somebody to talk to. She was sure he must be interesting, he couldn't look like that and not be right?  

[Faid Shadowlight]

Looking round, his humming stopping again as he hears a little 'Hello..' His eyes doing one sweep over her head before dropping to look at her, flicking over the little brown filly, taking in the little tail similar to his. Smiling kindly tp her, unable to not smile, she was covered in melting snow, clearly she had been enjoying the weather. "Hello little one, enjoying the snow I see." His tone gentle and warm, much like the clouds on his fur it promised warmth.

His eyes taking in her wings, he had seen winged soquili before but not one with a small tail like theirs. Smiling anyway as his eyes went politely back to hers, having had a crash course in polite soquili behaviour, and he was sure looking at wings and not faces was bad.

Lowering himself down to her level a little more, kneeling in the snow and smiling at her. "I'm Cael, whats your name?" He was no good at starting conversations, he knew it and so did his friends, he had the feeling that he would always be a little awkward socially, but time and practice would tell. But as it stood foals were his favourite kind of people because they only found it funny if he said or did something weird. As opposed to looking at him like he was a fool.

 

[Sayuri_Nitta]

She nodded, flapping her four winglets and grinned as her hind hooves moved a fraction of an inch off of the ground.

'Didja see?!' she bounced around the stallion, shedding melting snow as she went, her hooves kicking up snow so that it seemed as if he and the filly were being gently snowed on.

'I got lift!' she wiggled even more, irrepressably excited by the fact that she'd managed to get even a tiny way off the ground. Then she realised he had asked her a question and that was being terribly rude and had yet to reply.

'Sorry..' she said, standing before him again and poking at the ground with a hoof.

'M' Neena.' she looked at him again.
'You have tail like me. No wings?'  

[Faid Shadowlight]

He didn't mine that she delayed in answering his question, he just chuckled indulgently as she bounced around happy and excited. Not having seen her get off the ground but nodding all the same, if she said she had then he was not going to disagree, besides what did he know of wings or flying? "Yes well done, most so young cant get off the ground much at all."

He hadn't even noticed that she had splattered him with the semi melted snow that had been all over her, his fur was thick enough that it dribbled over the surface where it melted, otherwise it just stuck where it landed. He was still grinning, foals to him were endearing, he had yet to meet one he disliked.

Smiling at her when she stopped in front of him again, bowing his antlered head to her. "Its a pleasure to meet you Miss Neena." Smiling gently at her but shaking his head his face briefly sad. "No, sadly I never had wings." He had never had wing envy though he was curious at times about what it was like to fly in the clouds he resembled. Maybe one day this young filly could tell him. "But thats ok, wings or no wings I can still be me."

 

[Sayuri_Nitta]

'Thanks,' she said, beaming with delight. Such words from a grown stallion like him where gobbled up, and she seemed to wriggle from her nose to her tail tip this time, her hooves skimming the ground as she managed to lift a fraction from the ground again in her joy.

'But you have big, big horns. I don't even have any horns yet.' Neena grinned, flopping her mane back and forth so that he could see that indeed she had no horns.

'What you doing today?' she asked, righting her mane as in all her showing off it had become a mess. She shook it, and then fidgeted with her winglets, folding them and poking at the feathers to make them lay just so.
 

[Faid Shadowlight]

Cael smiled as he lifte his head, she was adorable and seem enthused by everything, it was contageous, but then he found most foals that way, it was easy to get caught up in their joy and enthusiasm in the new world they are exploring. "You are very welcome." His tone warm with suppressed laughter, though it was laughter from enjoying talking to her, he wasn't laughing at her.

Tilting his head up trying to see his antlers. "Yes I have big horns, but not everyone gets them." Looking down at her and winking. "Besides having something this big and heavy on your head would make it hard for you to fly, so if you want horns lets hope they are small." Nodding sagely pretty sure she would rather fly than have horns.

Looking round at her last question. "I Was just wandering around, enjoying the snow and cold, I like being outside no matter what the weather, though I'll admit I try to stay out the rain when its cold." Not sure why he had said so much that probably didn't matter to a foal. Watching her preen and tidy herself up, tilting his head as he watched her feathers fall back in place. "What are you doing today?" His question gentle, curious if she was doing anything more interesting than him, though his answer had been rather boring even to his thinking. Then again, she was a foal and they were usually doing something interesting.

 

[Sayuri_Nitta]

'Hmm..would they make my head hang down so that when I flapped my wings only my bottom would rise?' Neena asked, giggling as she did so. It was a funny image after all!

'I like being outside as well!' she chirped.
'But I'll like it even more when I can get up there.'

She titled her head back as far as it would go, looking skywards for a moment and then dropped her head.
'Ooh, feel funny now..Me? Well I'm just out playing and trying to flyyyy.'

She looked at Caelius.
'Do you have lady friend, like my mummy is daddy's lady friend?'
The filly meant 'mate' but didn't know the word yet.  

[Faid Shadowlight]

Chuckling at the image she painted of flying with antlers like his. "I think that you would have your head stuck to the ground, so you might not even get your bottom in the air. Especially if they are as big as mine." Nodding up towards where the antlers in question were, not able to imagine anything being able to fly with these. Looking up to the sky, imagining it would probably be nice to be so free. "You will have to tell me about your adventures when you make it to the sky, its the one place I'll never get to go."

Grinning pretty sure she was having great fun trying to fly, it sure liked like she was having fun, she would be more miserable if she was not having fun. His eyes having widened a little at her last question, not having been asked that before especially not by a foal. Blushing his pink nose going a little darker. "No... no I haven't found a lady friend, I'm not so lucky." Not seeming to mind his solitude, though sometimes he did think it would be nice to have someone around to care for.

 

[Sayuri_Nitta]

'I'd get planted in the ground!' Neena exclaimed.
'Like a feathery flower, wouldn't that be funny to see?' she giggled again, full of mirth and cheer.

'Oh I want big antlers now, just to see if that would happen.' she joked, but really any impediment to her soaring like a bird wouldn't be wanted, and so when she grew, and if she got antlers she hoped for dainty ones.

'I shall, I shall seek you out and find you again and tell you of such sights I am sure.' the filly said, making wild promises as children did, for who could tell if she would see the stallion again after today?

'Really? I can be your friend then until you find a very pretty lady.'
Neena nodded, her stubby tail whirring. She wiggled against him, flapping her winglets and bounded away again.

'Will you play, will you play with me? Hide n seek!' she asked, putting on her best pleading expression.  

[Faid Shadowlight]

Watching her bound around again he smiled softly "I'd like it if you were my friend." Not meaning it in any romantic sense but friends were always nice to have and he so rarely got to keep the ones he made. Pondering the rest of what she had said. "Well if you do seek me out then I will be glad to hear of the sights in the sky, it looks very pretty from down here so it must be even more lovely up there." Looking up at the sky with a smile before grinning down at her. "So dont get yourself planted in the ground with big antlers, and be careful what you wish for because fate is always listening." Not adding that she also had a cruel sense of humour.

"Hide 'n' Seek hmmm, ok but your hiding because I am hopeless at hiding." Which was true, it was a while since he had been small enough to hide most good places, and besides he was such a bright colour that even if only a small part showed it would be obvious. "So I'm going to close my eyes and start counting." And he did, his eyes closed and he started counting slowly. "1...... 2....... 3......."

 

[Sayuri_Nitta]

'Yay! Friends, friends, we are friends.' Neena sang, hopping around, her winglets whirring again. She skipped up to Caelius's head and bumped her nose affectionately against his cheek and then skipped away again, dancing on one spot as she waited to see if he would also agree to play.

'Okay, okay!' she exclaimed and when he started counting she glanced around the area they were in wildly, looking for a place to hide her foal self.

'Oh, oh.' she murmured, and then spotted an old fallen tree trunk, and she scampered over and tucked herself behind it, giggling the entire time, though she knew she should be quiet so that he wouldn't find her easily!  

[Faid Shadowlight]

Cael kept counting, his eyes tightly closed, though he could still hear her giggling. He always wanted to be fair so he counted some more letting her giggles subside, though they didn't seem to. Finally he had to stop counting, it seemed that making a new friend and getting to play a game had made her very happy and giggly. But that was ok, he didn't mind, he preferred giggles to sad faces and crying. He hated to see foals cry.

Opening his eye and looking round. "Ready or not. Here I come!" Smiling from the nudge she had given him, or it could have been meant as a kiss, he wasn't sure. It just made him happy that she had felt like showing him some affection... Yeah he really had a soft spot for foals, and he could see now that he would be a total doormat as a parent. Sighing and still smiling he started looking, having an idea from her giggling what direction she was hiding in, but he started off the other way peering behind a large rock, and in a bush, taking his time. "Hmmm I wonder where she went."