Lived unbruised,
we are friends; and I’m sorry, I’m sorry.

Sigh no more.

Separate souls? Maybe. Perhaps they needed to be to survive. But kindred ones--like ones, breathing the same thoughts--this could not be denied.

Will you join me in this dance?
"Of course," he said in a quiet reply.

When Ki'irha's body bent to greet the cold below, Ashamin's followed in respectful suit. He backed away on delicate white hooves, lengthening the space between them and signaling to Lochan that he'd best move his sleepy feet to the earth. Reluctantly the companion agreed, shaking his hind-hooves as he stumbled onto the permafrost and taking the haruspex's sarong with him to the edge of the scene like a security blanket. Ashamin smiled as Ki'irha's silver eyes flashed upwards, casting a flickering wave of his tail after Sialia as she made her leave. Sialia was a good corporal, but he knew little of her. She did not wish to dance with him today in this bright, almost warm day. He would pay her more attention some other time.

For now, his entire being was focused star-studded mare. When she moved he moved, too. The painted buck would not be caught standing still again. He had gained too much confidence to freeze in a terrified place. Ki'irha's rear was unnecessary warning--a flourish that gave him more than enough time to set off at what sped quickly into a canter. Ashamin did not consider the maneuver (a straightforward dodge to his right) to be cowardly. It was simply smart, simply preserving his own dignity and strength.

If he had learned anything in all of these spars, it was that there was absolutely no reason to stand still when the body could be in motion. And he thought, too, that this was true of most parts of his life. Why remain stagnant when you could make progress? Why, ever, stay frozen in that eternal cold?

He let out a nicker as he looked back, watching as the mare charged at where he no longer was. "No need for a two-step," he called back in jest, "Go on, teach me flamenco."

Why was the haruspex really there? It was a valid question. He wasn't a soldier anymore, no matter how much Sialia expressed her wish for him to be one. He was not required or even called upon at these meetings. But he had a fondness for a few of the herd's soldiers and corporals. It was good to see them again. All of them, of course, but one or two in particular.

Ki'irha was one such party. He stopped short, turning sharply to run back towards where Ki'irha had aimed--to where he had once been. It was good to see her, for many reasons. It had been some time since he'd gifted her the scarf Johnny had made, and now that Tallsun had arrived in full swing he could see her as Tallsun had made her and lit her. She looked quite different from when he had first met her in Frostfall's shadows, but he wasn't sure if she had really changed or simply his perception had.

Still, whatever it was, his lips turned up when he saw her.

The buck ran now with speed and precision, sizing her up as the distance between them shortened. Though she, better trained and harder of heart, was likely stronger and maybe even faster than he was, he trusted in his different strength. He could carry on, push through fatigue--even the fatigue he felt now, given that these were the hours in which he typically slept. But already he felt himself waking up, and Lochan was reluctantly doing the same. That young cerndyr, that spectator of the spar, would have fought off any sleepiness to see his bonded succeed.

When Ashamin thought he might be close enough to bite her hind he kept going, pounding hooves into the earth and pressing himself further. His legs churned and he kicked up white-topped chunks of soil as he let his speed carry him. He placed his balance on his forehooves as he maneuvered to try and run first parallel, then away from Ki'irha's right, bucking as he pushed off and away. He ran off at what he hoped was a perfect 15 degrees, sending behind him a kick with the power to push but no intention to truly harm. This was a spar, after all, not a war. It had taken one or two tries but he'd learned the difference, especially after his last meeting with Zandora.

This time would be different.

""