The morning breeze teased the branches of the shrubbery his head rested against, tickling his snout. It made his nose itch and forced him to shake his head a little to keep from sneezing. A big yawn overtook him before the stallion managed to open his eyes and look around. The sun had just started to rise, the bright golden rays stretching excitedly out along the desert sands. It wouldn’t be too long before the sands began to warm up from the cool night. But it would feel good. At least until they became scorching. Ah, but that was just some of the challenges for staying or living in the desert. He hadn’t quite gotten around to calling it home. Even though he spent a lot of his time out here.
Feeling something shift a little closer along his side caused Sandy to turn and glance down at the little pale body snuggled against him. The biggest smile spread along his features, just like it did every time he gazed upon his daughter. She was the most wonderful gift in the world he could have ever received. The filly certainly took after her mother, from what he could see. Her coat was a similar pale shade. And her bright green eyes were pupilless. Of course, the pair of wings the filly possessed was the biggest similarity of all.
Sandy sighed a little, lowering his head to nuzzle Alarion and tuck some of her feathers out of her face. The little one made a noise of protest but then relaxed more comfortably along him.
He wondered what she would think, as she got older, of the lack of a mother and sister in her life? It was something he feared. That Alarion would blame him. Or that he’d be a poor father. He had tried to convince Kal to stay a little longer. Though he couldn’t fault her for her decision either. He was a wanderer at heart, who loved the desert the most. It was not the most ideal place for raising a family. So, he’d taken Alarion. She’d taken Allaminar. And as far as he could tell, it wasn’t bothering Alarion all that much. Not that she really asked about it.
More movement along his side drew his gaze back down, and Sandy smiled sweetly. “Little dove, are you awake now?” He murmured, nipping gently at her ear.
Wings were spread and accidentally whapped daddy in the face. Alarion blinked up at her father, then giggled. “Sorry daddy! And yes. Yes I am!” The pale filly awkwardly got to her feet, shaking off some of the sand that clung to her body before flapping her wings in excitement and watching as her father stood up.
“What do we get to do today? Can we go explorin’?!” She liked exploring! The desert held many secrets. And daddy knew them all, of course! Or so she believed. He just laughed, bumping her with his nose and make her flare her wings.
“Heeey!” She butted her head back against him, ears alert as she looked around. He’d said something about a market or town… thing nearby? Right? Was that were they were going? “Daddy, are we gonna go to the market?”
Sandy laughed, stretching a little before gazing fondly at Alarion. “Yes, little one. We are. You’ll have to behave. And be courageous.” He teased, knowing she could be shy when around others. She just gave him an offended look, but nodded.
Maybe he could do this. Be a father. It was tricky. And a lot of work. But… he felt that he could accomplish this.
“Alright, Alarion. Let’s go see if the market is awake yet!”
Alarion squealed in her excitement, bouncing around in the sand and flapping her wings almost as if she could fly. But her feet remained firmly on the ground. She hadn’t quite figured out how to make them work properly. And besides, daddy didn’t have any so why did she need to worry about it?
“Can I get something from market? Please?!” She had no idea what a market even was. But she knew you could buy things from it.
”Only if you’re good.” Sandy replied, starting off with the sun to their backs. He knew it wasn’t too far away. He’d chosen their sleeping spot for the location just outside of the traders market. It gave his mind a little more ease to relax and sleep himself, instead of staying awake all night. Which he still found himself doing on occasion. Especially if Alarion was having a hard time sleeping peacefully.
“Remember, you don’t just buy stuff here. So if you like something, we’ll bargain for it. Okay? Alarion… are you listening?”
The filly heard what he said. Mostly. But she nodded her head anyways, bobbing it up and down. “Yes, daddy! Oh oh! Is that it?” Suddenly she halted, seeing movement that she determined was another soquili. She gulped and moved closer to her father, all the bounding energy reigning itself in as she realized there were others here. People she didn’t know.
This made Sandy snort in amusement. “What, did you suddenly lose the courage of a mountain cat?” He nuzzled his daughter before encouraging her to keep going. “Come on, dove. Let’s go see what we can find.”
With a little more encouragement, he finally got his daughter moving again. But Alarion stuck to his side almost like glue. It baffled him how she acted so differently when it was just them. Then again, she completely trusted him. And loved him dearly. Why would he judge her for the way she acted or looked? And he suspected her differing appearance from him bothered her. Or to be more accurate, it confused her. He’d told her before she took after her mother, but he wasn’t sure if it really stuck yet.
Ah well, he thought. She had lots of learning and growing to do. Perhaps that would also be something she eventually figured out? He certainly hoped so. And maybe while she was at it, the innate ability to fly might come to her too. Oh god he really prayed for that. He would be no help in that department!
“Here we are! Let’s go exploring.” With that, he proceeded to lead her around the traders market and watch her slowly inch further and further away as she grew more comfortable with the hustle and bustle of the crowd.
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