N o t e

It was strange how close the Heavenly Fields were. When Note resided in the Throat, he had to fly for hours upon hours to get the chance to see the beautiful fields. Now his home was closer to the fields. Still not exactly a hop-skip-and-a-jump away or anything, but much closer than the dry, dusty Throat.
Note hadn't spent a whole lot of time in the Edge lately. Which was a bit unfortunate, but he had other things that desired his attention at the moment. It felt like he was repeating his own past, spending time adventuring and recruiting rather than actually sparring or socializing. Where had Cheveyo gone? She had been one of the few horses he could call his friend, but the painted mare was nowhere to be found. It was sad, really. He had begun to develop feelings of sorts for her. Was she just hurt somewhere?
Panic overwhelmed the stallion, his long tail twitching with worry. She could take care of herself, she had to be fine. The mare struggled through life, it made her tough and distant and capable of handling herself as well as any other trials that came her way. She's okay. She had to be okay.
'She is fine,' Sabel assured her bonded, purring as her sightless eyes rested upon her bonded's features. 'You don't know what you're talking about,' Note snapped, whirling his head around to face the lynx that sat upon his withers. She yawned and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.
'You're worried. About someone. Who would you be worried about? Cheveyo, or Skysong. You hate everyone else,' Sabel spat spitefully, a hiss pouring from her rosy lips. The cat was referring to the lack of attention she had been receiving lately.
'Sour puss,' Note retorted, shuffling his feathers. It shut the lynx up, that was for sure. He was free to think by himself, but such freedom felt more lonely than anything.

--

@[Brisa]

N o t e

The faded bay shifted upon the ground, listening to his silvery hooves crunch the snow and dead ground beneath. The serenity of the land was almost eerie. He was used to the field being alive with horses and animals and sunshine, but there was none of the former liveliness the field held. Nonetheless, it was a decent place to come and think. Stretch his wings, revel in the soft rays of light that managed to shine through the clouds.
Note shifted his weight to his front hooves, letting his large, hawk-like wings relax and fall from his shoulders onto the ground. He tossed his dark gray mane, every horror from his past slipping from his mind for once. The stallion contemplated going home to spar or search for Cheveyo. Possibly spar with Cheveyo. That could be fun.
The faded bay spun around on his hooves, pulling up his wings to tuck them back into place. He took a step forward, freezing in place as he noticed an unusually large mound of snow. Wait. It wasn't snow.
It was a horse. A mare, it seemed, as white and floaty as the snow that fell from the sky. The stallion took cautious steps forward, sharp green eyes fixated upon the figure's bodice. She looked so much like Sohalia...
Was she Sohalia?
As the faded bay neared, he was relieved to see the mare lacked wings and therefor, could not be Sohalia. The soft scent of the Edge wafted from the mare. One from his own herd. He didn't see a problem with saying hello, then. But how does one say such a thing? He wasn't completely sure. He wasn't in a rush, so there was no need to show the more feisty side of himself. This was a herd member, after all. He was still new to the Edge and wanted to make a somewhat decent impression.
"Hello," Note stated simply, going with a greeting one could never go wrong with. "You're from the Edge?" Note's tone was questioning, unsure as he let a lopsided grin fall onto his ashen lips.
Sabel rose from her spot, crawling up her bonded's nape to get a better smell of the mare. Her sightless eyes were friendly, a light smile upon her rosy lips. She was never hostile to horses.

--

@[Brisa]

N o t e

Note was not good at many activities. He could not process his emotions. He was unable to be kind without the help of Sabel. He was fast, but lacked the stamina to hold his speed for long. He couldn't craft nor spy, and wasn't particularly gifted with pondering the meaning of life and communicating with Gods (they terrified him, although he'd never admit it).
What was he good at?
Observing. He could appreciate the little details in a being. The bay could look upon a flower and revel in the sheer beauty of the sun's rays polishing every petal, or notice a contrasting color between a horse's coat and eyes. He looked upon life and earth as what it was: a tragic splendor of existence.
And that was how he looked at her. As a timid, tragic splendor of existence. Note's sharp green eyes refused to remove themselves from the mare, thoughts consisting of nothing more than how lovely her smile looked upon her lips, slightly gray like his own. He always found gray muzzles amusing when they were lit with a smile. Gray was typically a negative color when a smile was the epitome of positive.
"I am yes," she stated, her voice faint in the crisp winter air. Good, his scent was not failing him yet. He was only six years old, which wasn't elderly or anything, but he felt well aged. A great deal of events, both happy and sad, had been crammed into those six years.
'Brisa,' Note repeated to himself, letting the name tumble through his mind to be archived with the rest of the callings he had memorized. "I am as well," Note's words were terse, he wasn't good at chatting, either. "I'm Note, that's Sabel," the faded bay didn't lose his subtle smile as he motioned with his head to the lynx that perched upon his nape.
The cat meowed gently at the mention of her name, smiling as well as she could manage. Being a feline, relating emotion was rather difficult. Brisa moved toward the pair, extending her muzzle to Note's bonded. The stallion hesitated, looking at Brisa as he sent a mental image of what was happening to Sabel. Another difficult task for this particular feline, for the cat was hopelessly blind. Her pale blue eyes were unable to see, sightless for eternity. She managed, though, for Note acted as her eyes.
After a moment of careful deliberation, Sabel began to sniff around for the mare. Her scent was unfamiliar to the cat, which made it tricky to sort out where she was. She smelled similar to Note, making it increasingly laborious to find Brisa. Once she had sorted out the mental image in her mind, Sabel was able to find the mare's muzzle, letting her soft pink nose touch the mare's skin as she leaned towards her. Note shifted closer to the mare to make it easier on Sabel. While doing so, he lifted his muzzle to Brisa's ear.
"She's somewhat visually impaired," Note whispered, his gaze fixated upon the lynx who had managed to lift a paw up to the mare's face, attempting to set her paw upon her cheek. It was how Sabel got a feel for horses, placing her paw upon them so she could smell her paw later and permanently imprint the smell within her mind. The cat relied on every sense but sight, so it helped her quite a bit.
Note pulled his muzzle away from the mare, realizing how close he had been to actually touching her. His sharp green eyes flittered back up to the gray, a lopsided smile upon his lips. "Like companions?" He asked, speech as short, but seemingly gentle as it had been earlier.
Another quirk about Note. He'd never admit to how gentle he actually was.

--

@[Brisa]

N o t e

Note tried not to stare. He really did. But it was almost impossible not to. Brisa's likeness to Sohalia was not particularly remarkable, but it was enough to trigger emotion within the stallion. If there was anything he hated more than cowardice, it was emotion. He couldn't handle it, so he stopped it. He didn't know how to stop this - this feeling. He didn't know what it was, having lacked the experience to have ever felt it before, but it made his broken heart flutter.
So, the faded bay let his sharp green gaze linger on the mare, ultimately comparing her to Soh. Brisa was taller, obviously lacked wings, was quieter, had two blue eyes, and to top it off, was a different breed entirely. Brisa seemed slightly more shy than Sohalia had ever been as well. Two so alike on the outside, yet the reflection of what lay within separated them into opposite beings entirely.
Sabel's paw was removed from the mare's soft skin, leaning back upon her bonded's nape to sniff the appendage. She found subtle differences in the smell of Brisa and Note. With that, the lynx half crawled, half slipped down Note's neck and onto his withers. She circled once, twice upon his back before lying down and making herself comfortable, sightless eyes staring into the distance.
If the mare hadn't been so infatuated with Sabel, Note would've ignored the cat completely. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as Brisa took a step away from himself. Definitely more shy than Sohalia.
A smile crept up his maw as he listened to Brisa speak of Sabel. He didn't share the same admiration for the cat as she did, but nonetheless, his life would be incomplete without her. "She's the greatest companion I could ever not ask for," Note's words were borderline humorous, but entirely true. He hadn't asked for Sabel, yet he loved her all the same.
'Don't stare, don't stare, don't stare,' Note thought to himself sternly, pulling his bottom lip in between his teeth. 'Don't...stare...' his thoughts faltered as she spoke, losing all his restraints. His sharp green eyes raked over her body, stopping upon her face. Why of all things had she chosen to talk about the weather? The thought lasted momentarily before he decided to just go with it.
"I like Frostfall, it has it's moments of beauty," Note remarked, "but it gets old fairly quickly. This time of year is so refreshing compared to the cold. It's as if the world was dead before now." He flicked his dark gray tail, thinking that Brisa immaculately shimmered in the new rays of light while he was a dull smudge upon the forever evolving landscape. It would always be a mystery to him as to why anyone chose to be around him when he was but a faded blur who existed next to them, but was utterly unable to bring himself to live. Perhaps that would be his personal challenge - to truly live.
With that in mind, the bay whipped up a smidgen of courage and let his features ultimately light up. "If we're just going to randomly say things, then I'd like to randomly ask you a question," Note's lopsided grin was mischievous, a new style of relaying emotion that he had come across unexpectedly. "Do you dream often?"
Sohalia did.

--

@[Brisa]

N o t e

Was there something more behind that strangely warm blue gaze? It was a thought. One that plagued his mind briefly, but existed nonetheless. The look she gave him was lusty, or at least, he took it as that. Wait, was this the beginning of birdsong? The damned season made him hormonal. There wasn't a thing there.
She looked away, leaving Note to stare upon her features with a secret longing. He didn't know if it was for intimacy or companionship, which frightened the seemingly heartless bay more than you'd think. He wasn't fond of either, but impulse was a heavy force that brought a difficult battle and a bloody war.
Note smiled slightly as Brisa looked back at him, answering his question with ease. She sounded curious, tilting her head slightly. He looked away then, turning his head to look at a bird in the sky. An eagle, it seemed. Birdsong brought the greatest birds to watch.
She asked why. Why? That was a complicated question to answer without giving away too much of a past he would rather not delve into. At least, not now. Brisa was still just a mere stranger. Or so he was forced to believe.
"There was once a mare who danced through my life, my dreams," Note began, being as vague as possible, "and she looked quite a bit like you."
There. Good enough. He left it at that, turning his head back to Brisa and smiling mischievously.
"Ever chased a bird?" He inquired, not giving the mare any time to answer and taking off after the eagle. Note was all too grateful for his thoroughbred lines, they enabled him to have a fair amount of speed. Just not for long. He didn't use his wings, he stayed on the ground, silver hooves sparkling in the thin rays of light. As the day had grown on, the thin layer of snow had melted leaving sparse grass. Perfect for a run.
Sabel sprang off her bonded's back, claws extended as they reached for the sky, for the eagle. She was left on the ground, running as fast as her legs would allow, but ultimately giving up as they could not compete with Note. Instead, the lynx started her own chase after a little butterfly, leaving Note and Brisa to chase the eagle.
The bay was not wild. He was trying to feel free. He just happened to like chasing after things he could not have.

--

@[Brisa]

N o t e

It was such a shame he didn't look back to see the mare's smile. He would have liked it, seeing a glimmer of happiness within someone cause by his own almost childish actions. But, hey, he liked to chase birds! It was enjoyable to Note. Joy was rarely found in his life, so he took advantage of every moment that may offer such an event.
He bucked and whinnied at the eagle, who in return, only screeched and increased it's flight speed. For a moment, Note was lost in his activity, wings spreading lightly as if eager to open and ascend to the sky. He considered it, but then remembered there was a mare behind him, struggling to keep up with his long stride. So the stallion didn't take flight and his speed decreased not long after he had started the run.
Soon, Note had allowed the mare to gallop by his side, turning his head slightly to watch her shining in the new rays of the sun. She had a very pretty coat compared to his own. His was rough, dull and aged beyond his years. It was covered in scars from his past, and faded from time in the sun.
The beginnings of his lack of endurance began to show. Note hated to slow down, but he had no choice. His endurance wasn't that of his father's or mother's, but a weak in between. He slowed, coming to a stop as the eagle continued on it's way and out of sight. They had been no match for such an agile creature, anyways. It would be a delightful memory nonetheless, chasing the eagle Brisa.
Note took a moment to catch his breath, sides heaving for only a second or two before he turned to Brisa cheerily, faded coat looking lively in the pale sunlight. "I love chasing birds," He partially laughed in an unusually bright manner, smile wide and eyes shining. Everything about the encounter had been unusual for the stallion. He hadn't been as grumpy, or moody, partially because he had wanted to be nice to a fellow Edge member, but now it seemed as if the stallion had taken a liking to the mare.
She wasn't bad company, despite her lack of wings and being no match for his speed, he didn't find her a detriment at all. They were opposites, that was sure, but it wasn't as if Note liked anyone who behaved as he did. He preferred his opposites, they had more life within than he had ever been able to muster.

--

@[Brisa]

N o t e

The bay took a moment to admire Brisa. The way she ever so elegantly smiled back at him as he slowed his pace, her easy canter, her coat shining in the sunlight. She was beautiful to say the least. She reminded him of Sohalia all too much, but he did his best to push the thought out of his mind. Brisa was not Soh. Not at all. They shared a few characteristics, but were different on the inside. Nevertheless, Note had difficulty taking his eyes off of her.
She came close, smiling. She pointed out the fact that he had wings, which amused Note. A light grin flittered onto his ashen lips as ruffled his feathers. "The fun is in the chase, not the catch," Note stated, watching Brisa glance away from him. He had never met an individual so shy. Or maybe she was just innocent.
He stepped closer, sharp green orbs catching her own aqua ones. Note tenderly reached out his muzzle, brushing his lips against her cheek. He enjoyed pushing boundaries of mares, and this was certainly one way to do it. He extended a wing in front of the fem, silky feathers glinting in the sunlight.
"Would you like a feather?" Note asked, obviously bemused. He had given out very few feathers in his lifetime, but Brisa had stared at the appendages in a way that made him want to give her one. Plus, watching a hormonal, shy (innocent?) mare react to him pulling stunts such as these were all too fun.

--

@[Brisa]
sorry for the late, short post, I'm really busy at the moment ;-;

N o t e

Love was an emotion Note knew all too well. On the other hand, solicitude was still a foreign emotion to him. Concern and care he felt, but could not put into words or actions. He mulled upon the possibility of this contributing to his cold demeanor and inability to be nice to others. It was a broken part of the stallion, but with work, he hoped to be able to mend it. Maybe that was why bad people were so bad, because they never put in the effort to be some form of good.
To Note's pleasant surprise, the mare did not shy from his touch. She leaned into it, subtle, but almost eager. At least she was paying attention to him now, and not the clouds. A wandering mind was always nice, but not so good for conversation. She declined a feather in the most sincere tone, as if she actually cared about hurting him. He had lost feathers before and it did not ache as much as other pains he had been so unfortunate in feeling.
For a brief moment, Note snapped out of his hormonal state, ears swiveling as he realized his companion was nowhere in sight. They were completely and utterly alone. 'Sabel?' the bay questioned through the bond, his voice sounding dire and overprotective. What if she fell off a cliff? This was an insane possibility due to the fact that there weren't any life-threatening cliffs around. But still. 'Stop panicking, I'm hunting. You're breaking concentration. Catch you later,' the cat replied moments later, sounding annoyed. The lynx was all right. A wave of relief washed upon the stallion as he turned his attention back to Brisa. He leaned into the touch a bit more, slipping back into his hormone-driven state.
"It really doesn't hurt," came the stallions voice in a whisper, eyes half open. It became apparent to Note then that he was drowning in hormones. It was only partially her fault. The touch he had given her, which was a pretty normal touch he gave out to push boundaries for fun, had set off much more within the stallion this time. If only she had backed away sooner, then perhaps their relationship would have become much less complicated.

--

@[Brisa]

N o t e

A sea of stars cloaked the sky, the only light to showcase the aftermath was the gentle rays of the moon. The world was lively at this hour, nocturnal beasts lurking in the shadows, soft chirps of incests were loud for such tiny creatures. He found it strange that they could so easily be heard, but rarely seen.
'Note?' came Sabel's whimper as she dragged her claws softly down his canon bone. He ignored her. The dull bay's mind was foggy and he couldn't tell if it was because of the fact he had just woken up, or due to disbelief. He reasoned it was a deathly mixture of each.
He didn't know how to feel either. He wasn't angry or happy. The tyranny of guilt reigned his soul instead. He had met sweet Brisa that day and their relationship had quickly taken a nosedive into the ever-so-frightening "it's complicated" stage.
A shaky sigh left Note's lungs at this realization as he looked down upon the gray mare, he had risen himself moments before, when Sabel had finally caught up with the pair. The dull bay let his head drop, muzzle finding it's way to the mare's poll from where he stood behind her. "Oh little dove, what have we done?" He murmured, voice almost inaudible. Even his bright green eyes were darkened and dismayed by his misconduct.
He didn't know where they would go from here, but he knew he couldn't just leave Brisa out here alone. Note moved away from Sabel and the light colored mare, walking to a patch of green looking grass to graze momentarily. Just until Brisa woke, or until his mind stopped thinking so much to allow him sleep as well.
Sabel's confusion probably wouldn't let him do such a thing any time soon. She bounded over to her bonded, hissing slightly. 'Note, please! What happen with you?!' The lanky cat pleaded, standing by her bonded's head as he plucked grassed from the ground. 'Silence is maddening, isn't it, Sabel? I'll explain everything tomorrow,' came the stallion's disheartened reply. A frustrated Sabel stomped away, ruffling up a patch of mostly dead foliage a few feet away from the pair in order to make a nest. She was asleep in seconds, fuming anger slowly slipping away.
'Now it's only me and my thoughts,' Note mused, chewing on the green foliage, thinking of how loud those incests were.

--

@[Brisa]

N o t e

Note flicked an ear backwards as he heard Brisa rustling. His eyes had not yet found her, and his body slipped into battle mode without him even realizing it. Sleepless nights full of unexpected fights had done him no good in the long run. At the end of his wings, flames licked off the feathers, a response to his emotions. The worst thing about his magic was that it responded only to his emotions. Why couldn't it be set off by something else, like an actual command?
Nevertheless, the flames were harmless. They disappeared once he had fully registered that it was just Brisa, neck outstretched to touch his side. His tensed muscles relaxed, and he stopped his munching to cast his bright green gaze at the mare. "Is everything alright?" came her gentle voice. It was almost tentative.
A weak smile graced Note's ashen lips. He moved his muzzle to hers, skin tingling at the touch. "I was just thinking," He stated simply, hesitating as he thought over his next words. This time, his thoughts needed to be voiced. They concerned Brisa after all.
"Where do you want us to go from here? I mean, what am I to you?" He fumbled with the words, shyly flicking his ears back. If horses could blush, he would most certainly be doing so. Surprisingly enough, Note retained a sheepish smile.
Normally, the dull bay would be a lot less nice about asking such questions. He would be worried, anxious, but Brisa had brought out the most wonderful side of him. A shy, youthful side of Note shone through his emotionless, spiteful exterior. It wasn't as if he had ever seen it before, though. It confused the stallion, but made him giddy at the same time. But he wasn't sure if it was something he would be able to get used to.
Sabel was the one most confused by her bonded. She knew a grumpy, snappy Note. This was not her Note. Her ears were pricked towards the conversation, excitement and jealousy pouring off the cat in waves. She was happy he was being less of an asshat, but why couldn't she be the one to bring out this side of him?

--

@[Brisa]