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Trevelyn's run-in with Whinny had been an unusual interlude in what had started out an ordinary day. He had found her a nice enough little mare, and he was glad to have been able to have helped her out, both with her Kalona problem and then later with her healing. Though really, his kindness had been beneficial to him as well, with her healing saving him a lot of neck contorting or worse. But it had made him more than a trifle antsy to be with a mare that long, he had to admit. It had certainly been nice, but it was that same niceness that made it so dangerous.

He had been appreciative of her willingness to give him space, and he had been even more appreciative when she had finally dropped off to sleep. After making sure that she was in no danger of being stumbled over or having any rotten branches drop down on her (one could never be too sure about those things, out in the woods), he had slipped away quietly to leave her to her rest. For his own part, he had returned to the site of his battle with the Kalona, to clean up the damage and remove the body to an appropriate burial place. It was an unpleasant and gut-curdling job, but the alternative was for an unsuspecting Soquili, perhaps even a foal, to stumble over the body at a later date.

Without the adrenaline of the fight to bolster his strength, it was a rough job. It was late into the night when he was finally done, and it was with the exhausted satisfaction of a job well done that he finally collapsed into a deep and dreamless sleep.

~~~

He had slept much later the next day than he meant to as a result of his late night, but he'd quickly fallen back into his routine, touching base with his fellow hunters in the morning and then going off on his rounds in the later part of the day. That day, and the next, and the next had been uneventful; long hours of prowling with no Kalona anywhere within the range of his senses.

He supposed he ought to be grateful for that; no Kalonas meant the herd might finally be dispersed from the area, their threat no longer something the average peaceful Soquili needed to worry about. But they could not be too careful, and before abandoning the patrols they would make extremely sure there were no threats left.

With that in mind, Trev and his fellow hunters had widened their patrols, moving out and beyond their usual woodland haunts. Trev had ranged out into the plains, feeling horribly exposed with his brown coat. But on the bright side, anyone else out there would be equally exposed.

He had been puzzled to encounter the ash, first as motes on the breeze, but later the grass gave way to ash as well. Wildfires were not uncommon in the Plains, but this early in the year? He had gone as far as he's intended, but the lack of Kalona encouraged him to indulge his curiosity and press on into the ash.

Eventually, his curiousity was rewarded with the sight of another Soquili, though it wasn't one he'd expected. Wasn't that...Whinny?

After a few mores minutes, Trevelyn had passed from cautiously assuming to confidently believing that the mare was Whinny, although what she was doing all the way out here was beyond him. He hoped that she hadn't been caught too near the fire; that was too much bad luck for anyone to have in a week, particularly coming on the heels of her brush with the Kalona. Still, even without having been caught in the fire she could very well have been affected by it. He'd best be sure there were no problems; it would be churlish to ignore her, obviously visible as he certainly was!

So he trotted towards the mare, noting her stumble with a frown as he neared her. "Whinny, are you alright?" Best to address the important thing first; after all, it was none of his business what she was doing out here. More important to make sure she was alright; she looked very unsteady on her feet! She might be suffering from smoke inhalation, or perhaps had twisted an ankle; there were numerous possibilities and it was best to see if there was anything he could do as a healer to help her out.

Though it was certainly unexpected, to find her out here!

For a moment, Trevelyn didn't really know what to say. From her tone, it seemed as though the fires had been quite widespread and she took it for granted that he was equally in the know. However, the awkward truth was that he had no idea what had happened, be it fire or flood. Obviously he could see there had been a fire; the ash and the smell of char were more than enough to indicate that fact. However, the hows, whys, and wherefores were beyond him.

So he smiled, a trifle awkwardly, and shrugged his shoulders. "Truth be told, Whinny, I had no idea that any such fires had occurred. It doesn't seem they made it as far as the forest, for which I am grateful. Though I am sorry to hear you are suffering as a result, it does seem you have had more than your share of bad luck lately. I wish I could offer you a bite, but I don't travel with a kit much these days." He shook his head at that, then offered, "But I did notice a lower place along the stream a ways back which still had grass growing; would you like me to show you?" Hunger was never something pleasant to experience.

Trevelyn listened gravely, his forhead puckering as he listened to Whinny's explanation of what had happened to her. It was distressing to hear there had been fires of such magnitude, equally distressing to learn that one catastrophe had been followed so rapidly by another. And poor Whinny, caught up in it all. If he were the superstitious type, at this second meeting he might be inclined to suspect Whinny had some sort of hex on her; what other explanation could there be for the fact that a small, delicate, non-descript fluttercorn mare was getting into more trouble than the most hardened adventurer?

"You seem to be suffering from a lot of bad luck lately, Whinny. Perhaps you should seriously consider holing up somewhere you know and feel safe for a time until whatever gremlin following you about becomes bored." He smiled slightly as he spoke, the only indication on his part that he was speaking in jest. "But on the way to that hole, I'll show you the grassy patch. It's a few miles back, but it's an easy walk."

He paused, then, frowning again as he studied Whinny. It was a very easy walk for him, true, but hadn't he seen Whinny swaying when he first saw her. "Can you walk that far?"

The problem with jesting was that it invited jesting in return, potentially of a more pointed nature than that which preceded it. Trevelyn couldn't argue that he'd asked for the taunt, but he didn't quite know what the appropriate response to such a tease. After an awkward pause, he merely smiled, displaying his pronounced fangs. "Somehow, I don't think that would be comfortable for either of us, so it would be best if you could walk. But if that is too much for you in your current state, I'm sure I can fetch something and bring it back to you."

Though they would wait and see if that was necessary. If Whinny had bad luck, at least she also had spirit; he had to give her credit for her willingness to try! So he nodded, turning and starting back int the direction he'd come. "This way."

As they started off, Trev took a moment to contemplate the absurdity of the situation. With the exception of his hunting companions, who he considered more as 'associates' than 'friends' anyway, he didn't tend to see much of the same people. Yet here he was, once again in the company of this unlucky little mare. The spirits must be laughing at him, he mused; what other explanation could there be for throwing him into this situation, not once but twice? It certainly was a cruel joke on Whinny, he had to reflect; meeting him was one more piece of bad luck for her.

"No need to apologize, Whinny. It would be a cruel thing for anyone to ignore a fellow Soquili in need, and whatever else I am, I try not to be cruel." Trevelyn smiled slightly again, but this time it was somewhat internalized smile, a smile of irony. Because truth be told, he didn't really know what else he was. But he knew where he came from, knew his genes, and that was enough to make him wary. Just because his line didn't have any history of physical violence didn't mean they couldn't be beyond the pale in other ways...

And he never wanted to find out if he was like that. How could he look himself in the eye ever again if it turned out that he was just like his father, callous, hurtful, and abandoning those who trusted him. It was enough to give Trevelyn the shudders.

But that was something for him to know only, not to be shared with anyone. Even if it explained his social reticence, it was far too personal, too unsettling, to share.

"We all have times where we get into trouble, you don't have to apologize for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. If nothing else, helping you is proving a good test of my skills." He paused, giving her a moment to collect herself, then asked, "How are you doing?"

It was kind of Whinny to say such a thing, and he inclined his head to her in polite courtesy. But there wasn’t really any way for him to explain the root of his worries, even if they were on closer terms. As it was, he already needed to tread carefully with Whinny; she was a nice little mare, and she did not deserve to be on the receiving end of either his life history or his justifiable concerns about himself. While it was true they’d ended up running into each other twice now, he doubted this would be a reoccurring thing; indeed, he would have to examine himself and his motives very carefully if that proved to be the case. Hadn’t he spent years specifically avoiding the company of mares just so that he wouldn’t be tempted to break his personal vows? Hadn’t he taken up residence deep in the woods just so he wouldn’t run into mares?

Though he found himself half-wondering if his plan of avoidance, so brilliant in the particulars and so carefully thought out in all respects, didn’t have one large problem he’d never noticed before. Staying aware from mares for so long meant that when he did come across one, he was almost hyper aware of their…mareness. Now that Whinny wasn’t in danger for her life and they were walking along in such a companionable way, he couldn’t help but notice how graceful she was, how delicate and sprightly. Everything about her was light and airy, from her temperament to her curls, and after spending so long in the company of either himself or, more recently, stallions of a fighting bent, it was a nice change.

Not that he had any business thinking about such things, he reminded himself sternly, and he was glad to be able to respond to Whinny, “I’m glad to hear your confidence, but please don’t push yourself too far. I understand how strong hunger pains can be, but I really hope you believe me when I say this patch of grass is not worth dying for. If you get too tired or sore, it would be much better for you to take a short rest.”