AITHNIEL

I was not exactly sure what I was going to do with the hare once I caught it, but the chase was certainly exciting. Up ahead, I saw a small hole in the ground - possibly its home? I jumped ahead of it, forcing it another direction before bounding off, only stopping when I noticed the approach of a tall, dark stallion who called me "miss". Though I wanted to go after the hare, perhaps this was a good way to stop lest I end up killing it. The thought did not frighten or bother me, but I had no reason to kill it and thus would not.

Maybe it was stupid but when the glass-eyed, goat stallion approached, I stood my ground, looking up at him with an ill-founded confidence and maybe (just a touch) of arrogance. Though I knew I was not better than anyone else, I certainly wasn't going to let on that I acknowledged that - especially not to these adults. These adults seemed to always be worried or think I was lost. Poor Rikyn was probably still stuck somewhere with Illynx for fear of getting lost.

Princess? Pffttt... Princess of Nowhereville. Queen of Abandonment. I was no more a princess than that hare was a toad. "No, I not lost," I said, posturing and puffing up my chest a little. I wasn't, really. Illynx was on the other side of the lake. Did I know where I was? No. But, I knew where I wasn't, and that was good enough for me right now. My impudent gaze faltered when I saw a leggy, quick figure coming our way, punctuating his arrival with a yes.

He stopped so close, but I was actually grateful for his presence since it took some of the attention off of me and the fact that I was not near Illynx. Erebos was his name, which I knew since he said it, and I looked him over. He was tall, taller than Rikyn! Blue eyes were settled into a dark, handsome face, and he had a long, curly tail like mine, except he was a blue gray color. Instead of two horns like mine, which were still little black nubs just starting to push back, he had one in the center of his forehead.

One ear tilted back toward the escaping hare, but this was more interesting now. The boy asked me who I was - at least I thought I did. (He did seem to be looking at me after all). He could have been asking the old one, but I answered anyway. "Aithniel," I said. I had sort of named myself, but I think I knew what my name was - in a weird way. Rikyn had called me thistle something. I couldn't even say that word: thistle. Part of me thought I should answer like Illynx with "Aithniel the blah blah blah, of something blah blah blah", but I wasn't anybody. My long, golden and charcoal tail curled around one of my back legs, and I realize how incredibly short I was in comparison to this group.

Still, I kept my chest puffed and my little, gray chin held high.