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A field of tall green grass swayed gently in a soft summer breeze, seemingly undisturbed by any creatures or soquili. The sun was beginning to fall from it's glory at the top of the sky allowing the shadows to slither between the grass blades. If one watched carefully they could see butterflies fluttering here and there as if dancing on the wind, squirrels gathering nuts, birds flying overhead making their journeys towards the south; though summer was not quite over with fall was beginning to creep ever closer and winter would soon be upon the world. In the center of the field a patch of the chest high grass had been beaten down into a pallet of sorts, though unless one walked straight into it one would never know it was there.

Harlequin gazed up at the clouds above her from her pallet of grass. The seasons were about to change once more. How many seasons had passed? Quin knew it had been at least a year that she had been coming to this field, though it may have even been two, or longer, simply waiting; though she sometimes wondered what she was still waiting for. She never truly knew what brought her here to begin with, but she continued to come. A small smile spread across Quin's face as a cloud passed over head that resembled a winged soqili. Ah yes... That was the reason.

Danuwa had always been her friend. He had always been there, even when she had been a foal. She chuckled a bit as she remembered the shock on the green stallions face as he realized who she was when she had grown to an adult. She had been there as his daughter crawled from her basket, describing the details of her fiery mane and icy tail to the half blind father. And when Oba and she had separated with her not knowing she was pregnant Danuwa had been there too. He had helped her through the pregnancy and had helped her raise her children. He seemed to care for her in a way that no one had ever cared for her before. He had been the best friend that anyone could have had... And then he was gone. Quin hadnt realized just how much she would miss him, just how lonely she was, untill he had left. What was worse, he hadnt said good-bye.

Quin had never loved Danuwa, or at least she never thought she did - she didnt even truly understand what love was anymore. She had thought she loved Oba, but... After her children were born he had been wiped from her mind. She had only thought of him when she had been questioned by her daughter. Danuwa though... She was reminded of him in everything that she saw. He had only been a friend though... Right? Quin snorted to herself; she shouldnt be so confused about something like this. But here she was, hoping and waiting for Danuwa to return.

It was getting to the point that Quin was begining to believe that her friend would never return. If he had planned on coming back wouldnt he have done so by now? If he had cared they way she thought he had wouldnt he have told her where he was going or said good bye. Who knows, perhaps he had left to try and find himself a mate, find his true love - he after all had been through a similar situation that she had been through. She knew the loneliness that seemed to eat away at a soquili, and it only grew worse when one's children left home too. The loneliness that seemed to only be filled by that special someone. That would explain Danuwa being gone for so long. Perhaps he had finally found a place to call home and and created a family, complete with both mother, father, and children like Quin's parents had.

Uncontrollably Quin's ears fell flat to her skull and a frown creeped across her maw. She knew that would be something to be joyous about; nothing would make Quin happier than to see Danuwa surrounded by his family. But for some reason at this thought the loneliness inside of Quin grew deeper. Quin rolled to her side and snorted at the already drying pieces of grass that tickled her nose. She closed her eyes and furrowed her brow. As a breeze swept past it was almost as if she could smell Danuwa's scent once more, it was almost as if she could still hear his voice. She had imagined his scent and voice so many times before though that it didnt even dawn on her that she could be hearing Danuwa for real.

Quin opened her eyes once more; it was best that she started heading back home - the day was already half gone and by time she were to get home it would probably be dusk. Duncan was probably insane with attempting to keep her younger brother in line by now. Quin rocked herself to her side and got to her hooves. She shook the stray bits of vegetation from her coat and slowly begain to set out for home.

And there it was again. It was almost as if the field was attempting to play tricks on Quin's mind. She took a few steps more after hearing her name, after the voice proclaimed it's self to be Danuwa - it was so hard to believe after all this time that it could be true - but despite the heavy feeling in her stomach telling her that it was only her imagination Quin couldn't help but turn towards the sound. That's when she saw....

Nothing. For a brief moment Quin thought she had seen a slight glimpse of light green disappear from sight, consumed by the sea of chest high emerald grass almost exactly in the spot that she had been resting, but Quin knew it wasnt true. Why was her mind playing such tricks on her? She believed everything happened for a reason, that there was no trial that one had to endure that one did not have the potential to better themselves from. Could this now be a test from the spirits? Or even yet, could they be trying to draw her back to her resting spot for some reason? Quin didnt know - she never knew but she also never questioned.

Her uncle had just arrived, he was still a basket though, and the family reunion would be soon. In her time alone Quin had become quite involved with her family matters. Quin had wracked her brain for a gift for the foal to be for quite some time. Perhaps there was some trinket or object that would be perfect for him that she had missed as she had trampled down her bedding. The spirits had an odd way of working, it would be so typical for them to use the one thing Quin could not ignore to get her attention.

Quin smiled softly to herself and chuckled, tossing her brush of a mane and hopping around to return to her resting spot. She cantered through the waves of grass, still laughing to herself as she broke through what would seem like a wall of green blades to one lying down. She halted instantly, sliding on the bedding for a brief moment due to momentum. If she had been paying attention on her approach she would have noticed the stripes of teal in a black and white mane, would have instantly recognized the perfectly etched white circle that stood out so distinctly on the green pelt, but she hadn't been. As it was she had come to believe she would never see the figure that lay before her again. Her heart began to race out of shock and disbelief, she found it hard to even take a breath. Quivering legs moved slowly forward as silent ebony hooves made their way closer to what simply had to be a hallucination. Wide disbelieving eyes fixated unblinkingly on the figure as Quin lowered her head and nozed the short tuft of black and teal mane that flared out over the stallions forehead. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, almost gasping as she did so. Instantly her senses were flooded with the strong familiar scent. "Danuwa?" Quin managed to stammer out, a question that was little more than the breath rushing from her lips.

It was almost as if time had frozen in place or Quin. She was completely and utterly lost as to what to do. Part of her wanted to rejoice at seeing Danuwa, part of her wanted to shout for joy and prance about, part of her just wanted to tackle him and nuzzle him and let him know just how much she had missed him. But another part just wanted to kick him, wanted to yell and scream her frustrations at him, wanted him to know just exactly how much he had hurt her by not saying good bye, for just up and leaving her alone for so long, for letting her believe that he would never return. Either way she would probably seem as though she was over reacting. She was frozen, unable to think of what to do, unable to say what she wanted to say.

As Danuwa rose to his hooves, a seemingly labored task though if one were only to look at his face one would think it was done with the greatest of ease. The effort to rise to his hooves wasn't even apparent on the green stallions features, all Harlequin could see was his own joys and worries, he seemed almost as confuse as she was. The silence was defining to Quin's ears at this point, she wished that something could be said by either party.

And then Danuwa took a step forward and rested his neck over hers. There were many implications that could be associated with such an action - comfort, affection, relief, sadness, joy. But Harlequin's overly contemplative mind could not focus on discerning the reason for such an action from Danuwa. She leaned into the 'hug', a slight smile spreading across her face before dropping. She pulled out of the hug and took a step back. She had a question she wanted to ask - no, needed to ask. His reasons for leaving were unimportant to her, his reasons for staying gone for so long didn't even really matter. But what constantly itched at the back of Quin's mind, and something she had been curious about the entire day it seemed pushed it's way through her lips. "Why didnt you say good bye?"

"Anyone can say good bye." Quin blurted out before she thought. Afterwards a flood of conjectures crossed her mind. She sighed and looked to her hooves. "At first I thought nothing of it - soquili wander in search of many things; food, shelter. I figured you would be back after a few days. Then weeks passed, months... Before long a full set of seasons had passed." Tears began to well up in her eyes. "I wished you had said good bye for so long, at least if you had I would have known you would be gone for such a long time." Quin laid her ears back and shuffled her hooves uncomfortably. Typically she would not just say what she was thinking,what she was feeling; but like always her emotional walls were dropped around Danuwa. It was an unconscious thing, something she didnt really control, but for a brief moment she wished she hadnt just started blurting things out. Too late now she guessed though.

She raised her eyes once more to meet Danuwa's and took a step forward so that their noses were almost touching. "At the same time though, many believe that saying good byes means there is no requirement to return. There is an amount of closure between two soquili that requires that nothing more needs be said. I always wondered why you didnt and wished that you had said good bye, just so that I knew one way or another whether or not you were coming back. But..." Quin was stammering now, stuttering every once in a while as she forced herself to finish. "But... at the same time I was glad that you had not. I hoped that if you never said good bye it meant that you intended to return when you left. I believed it... Everyone is capable of saying good bye... But you didnt, couldnt as you put it. I'm glad I believed." She stepped forward and rested her neck this time over Danuwa's. "It's easier to say good bye than to simply walk away - it wasnt weak at all."

Quin chuckled a bit. The stallion before her, despite seeming to relax, also seemed nervous, tense. It was comical and saddening at the same time, that such a stallion felt as though he needed to further his explanation. But Quin stayed there and listen to Danua's speech, unmoving. Once he was done she took a step back to stand face to face with Danuwa once more.

"First of all, I do love my family, I love being a part of it. In the time that you have been gone I've become a grandmother all over again, a great-grandmother through Linn's adoptive daughter, and a great-great grandmother through her daughter. I have more siblings, and have become an aunt, great-aunt... And despite all that I still come to this field and wait. Second of all, I could have helped you in your journey. I was there when Fonn came from her basket, it would have been an honor to be there when you two reunited. I could have at least been company; you can take care of yourself, but it's nice to have someone you are comfortable around to talk to. Even if you didnt need me to talk to, it would have been nice for me to have someone to talk to, even if it is a selfish want. Third of all, if you really wanted me to forget about you you wouldnt have cared if I was hurt - you would have made me hate you before you left and would have said good bye." She ignored the fact that he had mentioned how she felt about him.

Quin nodded. "Yes, I would have missed those things, But it wouldnt have stopped them from happening. But despite the fact that you think you would have taken me away from all of that, it would have been my decision in the end to give it all up and travel with you. My family would have still grown and I'd still be a great-great grandmother when I came back." She paused once more and raised a curious brow when Danuwa asked if her family could be his family. A small smile spread slowly across her face and she chuckled to herself. "You ask as though we havent already considered you family!" She calmed herself and quit laughing. "You were there through my entire pregnancy and helped me raise my children. Linn thinks of you as daddy Danuwa, and you practically raised Zoomba from foal-hood yourself. They are as much yours as they are mine. They always have been. And I.... " She paused and looked to her hooves, shuffling them shyly as a rosy color rose to her cheeks. Why did she just have to blurt things out. "And I've always needed you..." She finished, still looking to the ground. It was true after all. In all the things she'd done in her life Danuwa had always been the one she could go to for advice, protection, help, or just for a good laugh if she was feeling sad.

"It's what Linn has always called you. She may have had many questions about her father, but she understands that what we did was what we thought was for the best. She also knows, through adopting two children of her own, that blood doesnt make the parent - It's who was there and who cared that makes the parent; basically, who loved the child as if it was their own. And that's you." Quin didnt have time to answer Danuwa about Zoomba before he stated that he needed her as well. It sort of shocked her that he used her full name, she wasnt use to it since everyone that she knew called her by her nickname. But it sent butterflies fluttering through her stomach, a feeling strong enough that she could not focus or find the words to respond.

Quin smiled as she looked down at Danuwa as he lay down. It was the first time she had looked him over since she had realized who it was. Her ears pressed back as she noticed how scruffy he was, noticed the small wounds, and noticed the physical exhaustion that his form clearly displayed. She felt selfish, he had needed rest and instead of doing so he had stood to speak and greet her. She scooted forward right beside Danuwa and laid down, her legs tucked under her and her stomach pressed against his shoulders. With him laying on his side she figured he could use her as a pillow to rest his head - She wanted to make Danuwa as comfortable as possible. "Yes..." Quin responded to Danuwa's question. "This is where I was laying. This is where I would come to wait. I was looking at the clouds."