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Taking in a deep breath of the winter air,he slowly opened his eyes as he gazed out over the plains.It was beautiful out here,so were the mountains. Even though it was cold out,right now was a time for him to relax and take in the beauty of winter.It may not be the best time of year,but maybe something good would come of it.Something bad also could sneak up behind when there is a good spike in life. Lifting up each of his hooves to shake off the snow,he tried to scope out a place to lay that was cover from the snow that slowly came down upon the earth. He couldn't see any,but maybe there were some hidden somewhere. Canter started off slowly making sure he wasn't going too fast to slip.it was silent,there weren't many birds or any other small creatures running around like in the summer.It was lonely without them.

The winter beauty was perhaps lost on another inhabitant of the plains on this chilly day, for when one was stuck in the same range for so long one became accustomed and bored of the same pristine surroundings no matter what season it was. Right now all that filled her thoughts was the icy wind ripping at her partially quilled hair from her own momentum and the thundering of her hooves across the snowy landscape. Drive was what propelled her to kick up a flurry of white shimmering specks behind her similar to what was currently falling from the sky, but Sharada paid no mind....she was sure this time she'd do it - and it would be perfect. Looking ahead as her breath came out in wisps from her lips she sprinted closer and closer till she kicked her feet from the ground and onto the ice of the vast frozen lake; making sure her knees were lose and her hooves braced as she landed on the ice with a loud 'click' into the winter stillness before her body kept moving; sliding across the surface with her face erupting in a grin from ear to ear. "Woohoo!!!" She cheered in delight, rocketing across at the same speed she was running before. It was in a moment like this that she could have sworn this was what flying felt like and fully embraced the moment...knowing soon enough she would reach the other side and the ride would be over till she either tried again....or would return another day.

While Canter was enjoying the peace and quiet as he walked,he heard the loud slamming of hooves.His ears perked up and he lifted his head. Either someone was in trouble or they were trying to enjoy themselves in this horrible season.Making his way over towards the noise,he noticed a mare sliding on the ice.Maybe she was in trouble?Or she was just doing it for excitement. Canter gave a soft snort. Why would she be doing that?It was quite dangerous and she could very well hurt herself. That ice could break in one blow,but maybe it was strong enough to hold her weight and more? His hooves started walking him forward to the mare,wanting to see why she wanted to slip around on the ice. "What are you doing?" He asked as he got closer. The snow flakes dashing towards his eyes.

She'd been lost in her own world for a moment as the ice glided her along the otherwise boring and desolate plains, feeling the muscles tingle on her back as if she had wings and was gliding amongst the clouds. Sharada hadn't noticed the stallion who was closing in on her proximity, and it wasn't until his voice broke through the silence did her eyes snap back into reality and her head turned to see the mass of brown amongst the snow. Raising a brow she was about to brazenly inquire to whom -he- was when the end of the ice was closing in fast; attention slipping back to her footing as with one rather elegant leap her hooves caught the ice and allowed her to land on the snow covered shore with little problem. With her heart still thudding in her chest from the rush she turned to inspect the male....the rather large and bulky one at that. "Ice drifting." She stated, her voice rather loud. "Beats wandering aimlessly amongst a never ending white." Which was...well what she was doing prior. "What are you doing here? I've never seen the likes of you around?" Oh, she would know too, for she did laps around the plains for months...slowly plotting how she would finally beat her father so she could head out into the world. Needless to say she held herself well, chest in perfect posture and eye trained on him with her head held high.

He watched her land with a perfect stance,"Ice drifting,you say?" Listening he nodded slowly,it was quite interesting. "I don't think I could do that." Laughing he looked at his heavy sized body. Agreeing with her,he stood his own."I agree there,I haven't found anything to do,so that's why I've been traveling." He answered her question. That's all he was doing,wandering around trying to find his own. "That's all." Canter looked around to see if she had anyone else watching her,didn't seem like it. Noticing her interesting markings and hair,she was quite the looker.Wasn't going to tell her that though,it might offend her or make her think that he was trying to 'move onto her' in a sense.

"Yes..." She cleared her throat, casting a bit of a shifty glance to the side. "Well...I did make it up so I don't know if it has an actual name. Its truly not that hard, you just gotta make sure the ice is very thick before ou go across." Other than her siblings, she'd been alone for quite a bit once her body had become what classified as an 'adult'. Yet there was a magic word in his sentence which had her features light up for a moment as her eyes settled back on him. "Traveling?" She inquired, feeling her heart skip a beat. He'd been outside the plains....perhaps to far off reaches she'd only dreamed about! "Where have you been stranger? To the lands of sand or perhaps the vast jungles?" Clearly....she needed to get out more. Although she was perhaps a little disappointed he wasn't say on some amazing mission or fighting off evil do'ers....if he'd been elsewhere than the plains that was a plus in her book!

Laughing once more he listened to her."Well you've made it now,so its ice drifting~" Nodding,Canter flicked his mane. "How would you ever know if its too weak?" He always wondered,wasn't his type of thing to figure it out."Yes,traveling. I'm trying to find who i'm suppose to be and where i'm suppose go be." The mare was clearly interested in traveling,wondering if she was ever outside of the plains. Then he answered her question when she asked about the sand and jungles. Shaking his head he looked at her. "I've been to waterfalls,the mountains,the oceans."He thought about them and gave a happy sigh. "They were all gorgeous. Haven't you been?"

Offering a small smile, she tilted her head a little even though her hair didn't move much at all; while she had more hair then her father; the quills still were present under the mask of her golden gravity defying hunks of locks. "The ice changes colors the thicker it is....really blue ice is reflecting from the water while lighter, white ice has too much thickness to show the water's hue." She'd learned it the hard way...but once her father realized the dangers he decided to educate his foals at the time...since he knew he couldn't keep them away from it once they realized how fun it could be to slip and slide. Her brows raised, wondering what there was to really 'find'. She'd always been so sure of what kind of person she was...and she knew her purpose was to get the hell out of here as fast as she could. Okay.....well that was just a goal. "Have you found any clues yet....about the person you're supposed to be?" Of course, attention was quickly drawn back to the allure of traveling, and she found her ears sliding back against her skull as it was slowly getting dusted with snow. "Er.....no. I can't say I have. Or....outside the plains, really."

"How interesting.." That was something he didn't know. Canter moved himself closer to the ice to take a look at it."oh,I see now." Even though they could tell the ice was strong,it could turn on them so easily. His attention was drawn back to her,what was she thinking about? He didn't have any goals,he didn't have any family besides Callie and she was trying to find her own way."Not really,I don't have anything to really show. I only know one soquili. Two now since I've met you." Looking down,he ran his hoof over the snow,making a tiny path way. "Really? You haven't been out of here?" That was really weird,he wondered why she wasn't able to leave. But he wasn't going to pry. "Why don't you come with?"

"It took a chilly fall to learn a little more about it....but it is hard to know when its covered in snow. I come here lots...so I'm sure of how strong it is." She mused, perhaps a little sadly...it was hard to tell though, her face remained rather upbeat. When he'd spoken about how many others he knew out in the world she had to draw back on her own experience....well she knew her siblings, and parents....and a few relatives who would come and visit. Yet, she'd only seen others passing by; at the time a little too young to be able to be out of range of her father's watchful eye. "I'm sure it'll come. Plenty of soquili go on life....finding adventures!" or at least...she assumed. He couldn't be the only one that's for sure. "Ah....no." She affirmed, her eyes drifting down to her own hooves buried in the snow. "I can't. Not yet. Unfortunately I'm not strong enough to leave the plains - but I will be; i've been devising a plan for some time now!" She huffed, quite proud of her little scheme.

"ouch." Closing his eyes half way he could feel the pain,that really must've hurt."Did you go into the water?" Just out of random he'd ask such a silly question. Canter didn't know his parents,Callie was his only 'mother' figure in his life.There was no father figure,which he wasn't too worried about.He grew up to be a wonderful stallion,at least he thought so. "That's why I am traveling." Adventuring was what he had to do,to find where he needed to be and why. "You are strong enough." Canter shook his head."As long as you are strong in the heart.Hell,I don't even know how to defend myself.But I still travel alone." It was true,he didn't know a single thing about fighting. Maybe it was about time,or maybe he should just keep traveling on like he was. "You may become good at defending yourself,but you biggest defense is your heart."

"Yeah....it wasn't for long though. My Father was right there with the rest of us, just cut our day short as we had to go back and get warm." She chuckled, remembering being so mad at herself for wreaking an otherwise fun day. The golden mare nodded slowly, she supposed he might have headed home or something if he'd found what he was looking for out there in the world in order to know himself...but hey, she didn't know what she was going to do out there. Sharada just assumed see the sights, get in trouble, and have a blast really. "Ah....but really, I'm not." She started, scuffing her hoof in the snow as a nervous habit. "In order for me to leave the plains, I have to beat or tie my dad in a sparring match....he's not the kind of guy to go easy just because i'm a girl and his daughter. I get why....my parents had a rough start with a monster of a stallion, and he wants to make sure I can hold my own if he comes back or recognizes them in me. It blows....but I get why; he's just a very....very strict stallion - even if he means well." She smiled, she knew that he cared, even if others didn't understand. "So when I do, I am free to go!"

Canter shook his head. Did she realize that was only the requirements? It wasn't going to be forever."I see then." He wasn't sure what to say to her,because he wouldn't be in this situation.But he could do whatever he could to help her out in anyway?"I suppose that is true,to make sure of it." It just seemed a bit strange that he wouldn't ever let her leave. Canter watched her get into a nervous fit as she mentioned more about her dad. Wasn't sure how to feel about all of this,it seemed like a princess trapped in a castle and wont be able to leave until she finds that inner strength,or prince charming.You couldn't find a prince charming unless you could leave the castle. She couldn't. "Well that'll be the day I'd love to see. It must be cramped seeing the same thing all the time."

"I'm close....really close. I get better every time I challenge him, but he's been in combat for a long, long time so well....I still fail." She laughed, looking around with a bit of a irritable sigh afterwards. "Tell me about it....the plains are large, at least....but I just can't wait to get out of here. My sister hasn't succeeded either, so I do have company. It's not so bad." Besides, the thought as she slowly allowed her eyes to return to the stallion before her. She did get the chance to see others who happened on the plains; even if she didn't approach many of them for really being off in her own little world. She also knew these individuals always left for other, grander places after so long like he would. "My name is Sharada.....by the way, in case you wanted to know." Maybe he didn't...but he seemed nice enough. The fact he stuck around this long was something to be said, as everyone seemed to be in such a hurry now a days.

"You'll get there,just believe in yourself." He smiled at her with an encouraging smile.Hopefully she would some day. "True,but still.It probably gets a bit old quick." He looked around them,even just standing there for a little bit it was getting old. "Its a pleasure to meet you,Sharada. I am Canter." He lowered his head and bowed his leg to her. "Sorry I didn't ask before,I was waiting for the right moment. "He coughed a little bit and pinned his ears feeling a bit nervous. Canter wasn't the type to run away quickly just because it was boring. He liked talking even if it was just for a tiny bit.

"The right moment hey?" The mare grinned in a bit of a teasing tone, wasn't that what they all said? While Sharada was anything but a smooth talker, preferring action over words most of the time she was at least aware from her brother than one could have a smooth tongue. That or the fact he was being polite to wait for an opportunity....she couldn't tell, nor did it really matter. "Well, pleasure is mine Canter." The mare tried to bow like he did...but it looked rather stiff and awkward the way she did it...clearly she wasn't very good at formalities. It did tip her off though from his body language that perhaps he was a little uncomfortable just standing here....maybe he had somewhere to go? As her own tuft of a tail swayed she allowed her eyes to wander to the east, before back to him. "Er....well, I was going to go try and scrounge up a bite to eat....if you maybe wanted to, I don't know - come with? I understand if you got places to go, soquili to see on your journey that is." There....at least she gave him a few options, truly she didn't want to hold him up out of politeness on his behalf....but at the same time even just standing with someone rather than her and the open plain was a bit of a refreshing change of hoof's pace.

Canter nodded a little bit,he supposed.He smiled softly and kicked the snow with his hooves.He was too nice but he couldn't ever be rude to mare.No matter how she was. Maybe eventually she would annoy him depending on how she was,but never. "I wouldn't mind following along,a bite to eat,would be nice in this weather."He didn't have a problem standing there talking to her,it was rather nice to talk to someone. Canter tossed his mane and moved forward a little."Where to? I don't know of anything to eat around in this part.I just happen to fall upon it when i want it." He laughed.

Sharada felt a small smile stretch on her lips as she turned her head to where she had previously looked, wondering what the bounty of food was on the east side of the plains. While most of it remained covered in snow, there were still some taller grasses to be munched on which had the protection of the outcropping of trees from the bountiful white powder. "Its always good to keep one's strength up, who knows when we could get another white out here on the plains." Which...was a little more common than she liked, but when the wind picked up there was little one could do. "Come on, lets get going then." She tossed her head in the eastern direction before keeping a purposeful but easy going pace. "If I remember right there should be some nice long grasses protected by some trees. Its a bit away....but it shouldn't take forever." Sharada was fortunate she was a taller mare, even if she didn't posses the bulk her father had...or well Canter had as well. As her legs dipped into the snow with each step she could have bounded with relative ease is she so desired. "Its probably easier to find food in the forests...much more cover." She agreed, she had a few spots that she knew of...but once the snow came the abundance of food became a little scarce other than if one wanted to dig for soggy, partially frozen strips of brown grass below.

"Anything is good enough for me.No matter what it looks like.Something to eat is something to eat." He followed after her and nodded." Alright." Canter thought about it,it wasn't that bad.At least they'd have something to eat no matter if it was brown or covered in snow.It was something.. Canter lifted his hooves through the snow,it wasn't too hard but it felt nice having something soft between his feet.

"Really?" Sharada made a bit of a sour face. "I guess when times are rough...but soggy, near slimy grass is totally not my thing." She stuck out her tongue, remembering she ended up chewing bark off a tree just to get the heebie geebie feelings to quell in her stomach after it. Turning her head as they moved across the plains she looked up at him, noting he had a bit of height on her...but not a whole lot. "So Canter....got any brothers or sisters back where you call home?"