Living in chasms under the ground with individuals from other herds that he had never met was hard, to say the least. Alleo knew none of them and found himself watching them warily as they all shuffled around one another, many of them looking for herd mates and loved ones, some just restless and missing the sunlight. More often than not Alleo situated himself into a corner of whatever room he happened to be in, his back to the wall and his eyes on the crowd. Whenever Rasta was away from his side his eyes rarely left her. Sometimes when he would look at her he would find her searching to meet his gaze and if he were a young colt he would have blushed furiously and looked away quickly. Instead he would give a nod of his head. Yes I am still watching over you. It didn't matter to him if her herd was there and she was safe among them. He had made a promise and he intended to keep it.

A promise. That was all it was... wasn't it?

Alleo snorted quietly as he left the room full of horses milling around. He longed for the feeling of the sun on his back, warming him and energizing him. He missed rolling in clover, he missed the dandelions, looking up at the stars at night. The caves, her found, were dark no matter how much light flickered off of the hooves, wings, and hair of the Throat herd. It was dank, as caves usually were and it put a chill in the air that would only be fought back and subdued with actual fire, but who wanted to go above ground and face the monsters everyone had been talking about just to get firewood?

Worry for his sisters was threatening to turn his hair gray. It was only a few short months ago that he had finally managed to find them after trekking halfway around the world, or so it felt, in search of them. Now the world above was in chaos and he had yet to see Hana or Lakota among any of the group that had found its way to safety. And so he prayed to every god that existed in his old homeland that his sisters would be safe. That the dead would find peace. The darkness would be subdued and defeated. That he would not go stir crazy and end up picking a fight with some knucklehead from another herd.

Alleo blinked as the ground beneath his hooves turned from hard stone to something with a lot more give. He had been so lost in his own thoughts that he had not noticed when he'd entered another room that was far quieter than the one he had been in. This room actually glowed and while it probably wasn't supposed to be eerie it made him uneasy. The glowing trees reminded him too much of the darkness of the endless night that had just been dispelled only a season or so ago. Was this it again? Another coming of the endless night, but more wrathful than it was previously? The stallion flicked his tail as he looked up toward the ceiling and he had to admit that the glowing above him resembled the stars he was thinking about just minutes before.

The sound of trickling water fills his ears and Alleo walked until he found the stream that he had been hearing. His head lowered and he sniffed at the water, half expecting it to smell strange and unappetizing. When he found that nothing smelled off about the water he sipped at it then drank long gulps until he'd quenched his thirst.

@[Rasta]

"."

It was confining. The way that the caverns seemed to envelope in and around one. My hooves were alight with a harmless, licking fire that swelled with my anxiety of not being able to warn others of my presence should they feel the desire to spread their wings out or spin around in a quick movement. I moved much more like a snake, weaving through people and lurking along the edges of the herds. It was much like I had lived my life in the north and the small, trickling rivers of water pooled at our feet gave me much more of a feeling of home than the Throat had ever provided. Had anyone known this they probably would have thought I was insane. But, it still wasn't home. It had it's monsters lurking in the corners of the caverns.

Monsters that would grasp my mind and shake me out of a relatively good mood into one so much more tense than before. My harmless flames would erupt a little bit larger and brighter as I felt my entire body freeze, peering around at those who stood near me. It was only when I could lock my eyes with Alleo, see the nod of his head, that I would be able to completely pull myself out of the image that I was being held captive. Because, wasn't that what the caves were? A place for captivity? Just the thought sent a ripple of distaste down my spine.

It was a snort that pulled my attention back toward the painted stag who was lingering at the edges of the meeting just as I was. But, the clicking of hooves with the snort was what had me trailing off after him. Delicate steps mimicking his arrival as he went through the twisted paths into the caverns that were around.

Exploring? I suppose that it was necessary, but it seemed so strange - to not tell others that we would be back. Shrugging the feeling off I came to an elegant trot and siddled up beside him. A gentle bump of my maw to his shoulder and then I followed him to the source of water that was nearby. As he began to sip at it so did I, but in quieter, more delicate strokes. I did not need too much - I could live off of only a few for the moment.

Another gentle bump before I am taking a few steps backwards and rolling in the glowing moss that seemed to be coating the floors and scratching at my scarred back which was now easily seen in the eerie, green lights.

Self-conscious? Perhaps just a little. But I couldn't change the scrape-lined markings of a scar tree across my back - nothing could now.

The bump against his shoulder drew his gaze down to the small mare who had quite suddenly appeared by his side. He hadn't realized that she had seen him leave the room they had been in, but found himself thankful that she had because he had grown accustomed to her company. His side felt empty when she wasn't at it. He turned his head toward her and gave a gentle tug at her mane and gave a faint smile as they entered the other room and he went in search of water.

Another bump came when Rasta finished drinking and moved away from his side. Alleo took several more gulps of water before turning to look toward her. When he did he saw that she was lowering herself to the ground then she began to roll. Alleo watched, mesmerized at the fire that licked at her hooves and set her hair ablaze. It was only a few seconds that he watched, but it felt like a lifetime before he shook his head and began to scan the room they were in and he began to hope more than ever that they would not be stuck underground forever. He couldn't take living like a prisoner.

The stallion sighed and turned his gaze back to Rasta, who had finished rolling and was laying on the ground. She looked the epitome of contentment and Alleo wished that he could feel the same contentment that she seemed to. He could not. He would not until he could feel the sun on his back and look up at real stars.

Under the green lights he could see the markings on Rasta's pale body. The light of the sun had failed to highlight the strangest one that spanned across her back. A scar? His ears tilted forward and he stepped toward her, his head lowering and his muzzle brushing against her side and, very briefly, the mark on his back because he didn't know how she would react to it. He hoped that she wouldn't react the way he had when she'd touched the scar on his face. In all honesty he could have handled that whole situation a lot better, but he had just almost been drowned by her. "Are you comfortable?" He asked, then waited for the nod or shake of her head.

"."

There was a smile on my face. My ears were slightly lopsided. Overall I looked peaceful, content. But in all honesty, I was far from that dream. Caves were not my friends. At least, they weren't when I had no choice but to be in them - which seemed to be the only times that I ever ended up being inside of them. There was a wide array of bad experiences and concerning images that could flow through my mind with things such as this.

Silently, I re-positioned my frame so that I was laying comfortably across the glowing moss that seemed to coat the ground like a blanket. It was comforting to know that if I really looked around, really felt this underground structure we were using as a sanctuary, that I would not have to fall prey to what I had been subjected to in the past. Things seemed different here - much different from where I had been.

He was moving toward me, after he had finally finished taking in his water and looking around the cave. I could feel each step, the straining of his ears as he pricked them up in interest and then lowered his maw so that he could brush against my side. It was delicate, and the warmth of his breath was comforting as I allowed my head to start to drop towards the ground, eyes closed and ears twitching to listen to every single sound that radiated through the cavern. I jerked a little, muscles tensing and twitching as I felt him run his maw across my back. Had their been any weight in his touch I would have probably lapsed into something that was near impossible to yank me from. But, at the moment, I had the strength to keep myself from going there. His touch wasn't strong enough try and snap the bones that lay beneath the layer of bones and muscle. It wasn't like the tree. It wasn't like the stags that had mounted me. No. The brief touch and warmth of the breath that spanned out and curled around the raised edges of the scar was enough to keep me from getting lost in a flood of memories.

It is his voice, though, that does the most to keep me from sinking deeper into the pit of despair. Three words, but enough, more than enough. My throat itched to vocalize, but the words would not come out even if I wished for something such as that to happen. My eyes flicker open and try to meet his gaze before I offer a small nod of my head. I shift my weight a little before patting my maw against the soft moss and looking back up toward him with a tilted head.

Would he join, or insist on standing? Either way I supposed was fine, as long as he was in the room with me. I was finding that recently I had been growing more attached to the stag who had understood me when I felt most shunned. I kept telling myself I was staying near him so that I had someone who could understand. I kept telling myself that he was only there because of the promise. But could it be something more that had me so willing to stay by his side, keep up with his gigantic strides, fight to find a way to communicate with him?

No. It couldn't be something more...

But what if it was?

He felt her muscles jerk and tense as his muzzle ran over the scarred portion of her back and he pulled away, his eyes lingering on the scarred flesh. Naturally he wondered how she had managed to get the scars across her back. Had it been another horse that had done it to her? A predator? It was hard to not voice his questions and concerns about it because he knew he wouldn't get a good answer for quite some time. It was the hardest part about knowing that she couldn't speak, he thought. There were so many questions that ran rampant in his mind, so much he wanted to know about the mare that was glued to his side. He could get answers, but not without playing charades and trying to guess what she was trying to say. It was an endless circle, tiring and exhausting.

"Sorry." He murmured as he lifted his head and looked around the room once more. Movement from Rasta drew his gaze back down to her and he watched her as she patted her muzzle against the moss, silently asking him to lay with her. He remembered laying next to her in the forest, both of them soaking wet and cold from an impromptu dip in the pool with the red rocks. He had stayed awake most of that night watching for predators that might to try to take advantage of their vulnerable state. He also remembered when he would curl his body around Lakota's when she was a foal and comfort her. He sighed quietly as he thought of her and the distance that had managed to wedge itself between them.

The shifting of Rasta's body broke Alleo from his musing and he cleared his throat quietly before lowering himself to the moss covered floor, his back to the wall and so he could face the entrance of the cave. The stallion craned his neck over the small mare and gently pulled her closer to his side. His head lifted again and he sighed once more, ears tilting forward as the sound of hoof beats grew close then faded away as some unknown stranger walked past the room he and Rasta were nestled in.

"Good." He thought as he allowed his head to rest against Rasta's neck, though he didn't quite know why or understand why he would be happy that whoever it was continued on.

"."

It was with the tensing of my muscles that he pulled away from my flesh. I could feel the way his eyes lingered on the scars, though, and that had me trying to shrink in a little more. I wanted that memory gone. I wanted the mark that held such power in me to disintegrate. I was so wary now about what I did. One misstep and I could twist my spine in such a way that it could snap! again. It had been healed, put back together, but it was still not nearly as strong as it had been before that wretched tree had been shook loose enough by the thunder to be shoved into me by the lightning. A burning tree falling to my frame and pinning me. No. It was a memory I would like to forget. One that did come with the spectral hawk cawing at me, though.

There was an apology that slid from his lips before he began to look around the room, and I shift my weight just a little. One reason was to keep the pressure off of my back, the other was to shift into a position where he could join me. So, I patted my maw against the moss, ears perking and twitching at the sigh that escaped his frame. But, with more shifting he cleared his throat and then lowered himself down behind me, back to the wall. He allowed his neck to crane over my barrel just enough to pull me in closer, into a protected type stance before he was lifting his head again.

He seemed tense, and I could feel his side rapidly expand and collapse as a sigh left his maw. There were faint hoofbeats in the distance, ones that went past the room without coming into it. But, still. He was tense, and I couldn't ask why. Was it me? Was I trying to overcompensate for feeling so broken? Was this desire to actually be around someone who might be stable beginning to suffocate him? As he rested his head against my neck I gently allowed my maw to stretch out and brush against his canon. Delicately, I lipped at his muscles, and then down toward his hooves just wanting to find a way to relax him.

And, if the way to relax him was to leave him alone then I supposed I would. I wasn't normally like this. I didn't normally feel so empty. But I could deal with the extra hole of being completely outcasted should I have to - if it made sure that others had the life they deserved. Even if feeling Alleo's heartbeat almost matching up with mine was a comfort, a weight lifted, I would give him the freedom if my comfort was the suffocation...

I couldn't understand the peace that seemed to wash over me when we were finally calm and not worried about the world around us.

This was the first time I hadn't felt... completely alone.

Alleo's head lifted a touch as Rasta stretched her neck out and lipped at his cannon. As she moved down toward his hooves he turned his head enough so that his muzzle was touching her cheek. He breathed in her scent then blew a soft, warm breath against her cheek. He couldn't know for sure, but instinct told him that she was worried about him when there was nothing to be worried about. He was comfortable in her presence, surprisingly so. There had been many horses that he had protected in his journey to find his sisters, but none of them made him feel a sense of peace as Rasta did.

His head moved and he rubbed his muzzle against her neck, nibbling gently at her pale fur, eyes closed and a quiet hum rumbling in his chest. He could dwell for hours on what exactly it was that made him feel the way he did when she was around, but he would be no closer to the answer than if he just left it alone. So he would leave it alone because the temptation of sleep was proving to be hard to fight off. With the soft, gentle sound of Rasta's breathing coupled with the soothing sound of the water (that was far enough away that she couldn't roll him into it) he found himself drifting off to a state of absentminded bliss.

The humming grew louder and he began to hum the melody of a song that he had not sung in years. Not since Lakota had escaped after they had slain the monstrosity that masqueraded as their father. His head settled near Rasta's shoulder and he continued to hum the song, visions of the happier part of his childhood moving through his mind like a slideshow. There weren't many times that he could consider happy, but he cherished the few that he had.

"."

As I rested my maw against his hoof, lipping at the hard creations that had to be somewhat sore I felt his muzzle resting gently against my cheek. A warm breath fell upon it and I closed my eyes, a smile tugging at my lips as I allowed myself to stop lipping at his fetlock joint and merely rest against it.

His head didn't stay breathing warmth against my cheek for long though, as soon he was beginning to massage the crevices of my neck, even nibbling at the fur in a comforting fashion. It was a gentle ease into the nibbling, even into the pressure against my skin. And just the slowness of it was good, for had it been sudden I might have jerked away in a panic. In all honesty, no one had ever touched me like that - no one had ever caressed me unless it was right after giving me a brutal blow. My eyes hadn't opened yet, but I will say that I was intently focusing upon the vibrations around me, trying to see if he was suddenly going to jerk or chomp down upon my flesh. But, after a few minutes of it I let the fear roll away with the gentle roar of the water. Panic hadn't taken over, and I didn't think it would. Not with the gentle rumbling of his chest against my flesh as he allowed a song to fall from closed lips in a quiet hum. Was this what it meant to actually care for something? Could everything I had been taught have been a lie?

I didn't think something like this would have made me cry. But, the salty liquid was falling from closed eyes. I'm not alone. If he's there, I'm not alone... It must have been that warmth in my gut connecting with that thought, but the tears continued to come silently. Delicately, I tucked my head against his chest, breathing against his muscled crevices and simply trying to relax completely again with the rumbling of his chest and the melody growing louder. His head settled against my shoulder and I could feel the vibration of his jaw against the bone of my shoulder. My breathing remained relatively constant, minus a few uncertain ones as my breath choked in my throat with the tears that were trying to fall.

Everything was so tender. Everything was like the stories that I had heard circulating my lands - of that prince that comes in and takes you off into the sunset, pampering his new princess for eternity. Everything was like what others had said real love was. Everything at this moment was the exact opposite of what I had come to accept caring was. After all, I was broken. It only made sense that to be loved my flaws had to be pointed out, and I had to be punished until they were fixed or at a semblance of fixed. One hair out of place. One wrong movement and I would be reprimanded, even if I was supposed to be the ruler above all.

I had to be strong in spirit to withstand that abuse, to still have the same mental abilities as before. But my body was far worse for the wear. And, without my other half there to assure me I wasn't completely gone, I had been feeling myself wither way.

That was, until now. For some reason that strength that I had been losing these past months was coming back. And I didn't feel as weak as before either.

But what was causing these emotions, I didn't know. Hell, I didn't even know what the emotions were to begin with...