All that remained was waiting. How much time was spent, he pondered, simply waiting? Letting time slip past you like lukewarm rivers. Never paying close attention to the seconds, minutes, hours that passed by. Caught in limbo, a state of mind that you dragged yourself into and escaped only when whatever you were waiting for happened upon you. That is exactly what Tolio experienced; time seeping by without care or close observation. This bubble, this tiny fortress around himself only broken when a feminine nicker of greeting is cast to the wind. Letting the melody of welcome flow along its currents to cinnamon colored ears that twitch and perk with renewed interest.

Smile draws upon his visage as shadow cloaked mare with blood stained hair draws over the snowy plains towards him. It is a weight off his shoulders to see her, the maiden that has set his hoof upon the right path. Too much time has passed since he has seen her face. The only being in this bleached landscape that he feels truly close to. Faelene is a sister to him, and forever her name would be sewn onto his heart. That is why he has called her; it is she he trusts enough to discover his talents with. To not be offended should he lose, to listen should she offer guidance. Nobody is perfect.

Ebony muzzle meets shocking white and Tolio snuffles a greeting to her, inhaling her familiar scent. Beautiful smile fills his vision and an answering one crawls brighter and larger upon his face. "When you are." They are the only words that need to be spoken. She draws away without a sound, the wind has vanished all noises that they would normally make. The sun is to his right, just to her shoulder, though it is bleak and the clouds are persistent he notes it all the same.

They are within one pace of each other, Faelene has not shifted far. Emotions are locked down, eyes sharpening and slowly building up excited tension in slim shoulders. The move is his. It is a game of chess that involves much more than skill. Muscles that have tensed and coiled beneath his hide are ready, and Tolio will keep his face devoid of preparation the best he can. At last some unnoticed signal goes off in his head and it is a ball of energy released in one blast. The thrill and adrenaline has taken him in and Tolio is nearly swept up in it as he surges forward, powerful hindquarters inherited from his sire propelling him forward towards the gal. Forelegs are brought up halfway to his chest, extending down to reach the earth only when his mass acts against him. It is not far from her and Tolio is thanking this as he is within her reach in moments.

They are even in speed with their slim builds and Tolio knows that he will be easily evaded should he continue in his lunge. He waits until he reaches her, making sure his forehooves are planted firmly on earth for balance. Slides his legs down in a parody of a rodeo stop, head lowered and horn pointing mid chest to neck, aiming to pierce her with it. Momentum has him continuing on even as his forelegs push along the earth to slow him, teeth bared and aiming for a thin black leg. At this angle he nears her right foreleg, lower to the ground than he is comfortable with. Snow is pushed and piled up in this lowered slide of his and his neck is stretched as it is meant to be at least an inch higher, yet Tolio is focused only on forcing her backwards, to show an opening. Collision is imminent if the gal refuses to move.

Let the game begin.

[[W/C: 638 Summary: Tolio lunges forward hoping to force Faelene into defense. Once his front hooves are firmly on the ground as he lands in front of her, he drops his hindquarters in a rodeo stop with his head slightly lower than normal to aim his horn somewhere along the top of her chest and her neck. His head is therefore angled to a small degree and he bares his teeth towards her left foreleg hoping to bite it should she not move.]]