He was moving from one end of the room to the other, padding slowly across the glowing moss-covered floor with the mind lost in thought, when suddenly something big and hard rolled into a long, spindly hock. Frowning at this interruption Kari looked up and flicked the slightly too long forelock out of the eyes, peering out from behind the silvery strands only to see a large colt come bounding towards him, likely heading after the ball.

Kari hadn't intended to move. He disliked stepping out of the way of others, frowned upon the rudeness with which some shuffled by, scraping their hooves against the ground or hanging their head like slouches. The young hybrid himself was neat in his ways; wings tucked in tidy folds against the sides, the mane that just had begun to unleash from the tight curls of a newborn was sleek and shiny, and while the stumpy horns on the brow had a tendency to crack and splinter in a painful and annoying way, at least the tail would never be anything but nice looking with its long whip-like shape and creamy ridge of pale silk. In comparison, the boy that charged at him seemed like an ogre. Nothing but big muscles, brute strength and, as far as the hybrid could see, a delight for destruction in the eyes that was downright disturbing. He half opened the mind to say something, but instead of letting loose his complaint the boy instead opted to jump to the side, well out of the way so that he wouldn't risk being run into.

"Watch where you're going" he said coolly and gave the mossy rock a tap with a rear hoof as he turned, carelessly knocking it further away from him, only taking his eyes off the other colt for a second to watch it roll. "You shouldn't run around like that, you will end up annoying someone."

Someone like himself. But he didn't let that thought move past the lips and chose to hide the seething irritation he felt at having been bothered. Kari had more important things to think of than foals and games, he had a rescue mission to plan and the weight of passing time was a heavy burden to bear. Already he had spent too much time loitering about these caves while his mother was somewhere out there in the snow and the cold, sick and starving... or worse. In comparison, this little boy (who for all intents and purposes was both bigger and older than himself, not that Kari hadn't noticed) seemed both pitiable, envious and trivial as he chased after his rock, so absorbed in the makeshift game. It lured a trace of a smile onto the gray lips of the winged one, intended to be amused... though somehow it only turned out stiff and cold, mocking in its briefness as he turned to walk away.


I see your true colors