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11-07-2013, 10:48 AM
"Afraid of decision, I buried my finer feelings in the depths of my heart and they died there."
He waited, tense but steady, until the voice came, and then a face. Gabriel had never had a truly negative encounter that began with a 'hi', and he dropped his head to her in a cautious greeting as she stepped forward, shifting on his feet into a more relaxed position.
It seemed today wouldn't be the day he'd meet the less-than-friendly beings he'd heard mention of.
“Ah,” he managed, when she continued, keeping his mouth in a neutral line. Gabriel wasn't prone to laughing at another's expense. “I can't say I blame you,” he said, taking in the wings she had folded against her sides. “Wings must be cumbersome here.” He allowed a smile, feeling oddly out-of-place here in Helovia among the winged-and-horned creatures; funny, you'd think it would be the opposite. He'd never been stuck in a bush, after all – but he had spent a fair amount of time beneath the open sky, wondering what it must be like to navigate that new territory, graceful and at home as a fish in water.
He got no further than that when there was another stirring, and he half-turned to face the newcomer – though perhaps newcomer was not the right word for the mare. Something at the sight of her pricked at his memory, and it kept at it as she spoke. It wasn't until she gave her name (though only part of it, not quite enough to complete the puzzle) that he thought he placed her. It was hard to get to know your herd-mates in a jungle, but everything about her – the voice, the name, the way the shadows of trees barred her skin, the green eyes – screamed familiarity. And yet he couldn't remember ever having met her. He'd left with the twins, more or less haunted their steps into Helovia, so would it be so strange to find another lost Nocturnite? Perhaps not.
But Gabriel said nothing of it, unsure and still wary in this deep forest, and only looked at her hard before his smile resurfaced. “Well met, Aly. You're not interrupting anything – we hadn't gotten around to introductions yet. I'm Gabriel.” His coffee-dark gaze lingered on her another moment before he turned back to the younger alicorn. She was incredibly striking, and had she been older and not caught in brambles she might have been intimidating; still, he felt foolish for the way his heart had galloped, in those moments.
Never mind that caution was how you survived, when you wandered alone.
It seemed today wouldn't be the day he'd meet the less-than-friendly beings he'd heard mention of.
“Ah,” he managed, when she continued, keeping his mouth in a neutral line. Gabriel wasn't prone to laughing at another's expense. “I can't say I blame you,” he said, taking in the wings she had folded against her sides. “Wings must be cumbersome here.” He allowed a smile, feeling oddly out-of-place here in Helovia among the winged-and-horned creatures; funny, you'd think it would be the opposite. He'd never been stuck in a bush, after all – but he had spent a fair amount of time beneath the open sky, wondering what it must be like to navigate that new territory, graceful and at home as a fish in water.
He got no further than that when there was another stirring, and he half-turned to face the newcomer – though perhaps newcomer was not the right word for the mare. Something at the sight of her pricked at his memory, and it kept at it as she spoke. It wasn't until she gave her name (though only part of it, not quite enough to complete the puzzle) that he thought he placed her. It was hard to get to know your herd-mates in a jungle, but everything about her – the voice, the name, the way the shadows of trees barred her skin, the green eyes – screamed familiarity. And yet he couldn't remember ever having met her. He'd left with the twins, more or less haunted their steps into Helovia, so would it be so strange to find another lost Nocturnite? Perhaps not.
But Gabriel said nothing of it, unsure and still wary in this deep forest, and only looked at her hard before his smile resurfaced. “Well met, Aly. You're not interrupting anything – we hadn't gotten around to introductions yet. I'm Gabriel.” His coffee-dark gaze lingered on her another moment before he turned back to the younger alicorn. She was incredibly striking, and had she been older and not caught in brambles she might have been intimidating; still, he felt foolish for the way his heart had galloped, in those moments.
Never mind that caution was how you survived, when you wandered alone.
gabriel
