Kari had not the patience yet to sit through long meetings- especially ones that held little relevance to him. He had followed as required, a lamb in the flock, but as the herd lingered over the makeshift oasis, the little colt grew bored. The conversation lagged on, a seemingly endless barrage of words, announcements and names that stirred little interest within him. He fiddled distractedly with small smooth stones by his feet, dragging them together as though magnets were hidden inside, click, click... click! A pleased smile pulled thin grey lips to curl a little, but as he ruffled the sleek feathers thatched across each wing, the little tower fell apart and Kari snorted, most displeased.

Soon blue pools began to wander through the strange village surrounding, absorbing with expanding curiosity the commotion; the hum of activity and drone of busy voices. Still gangly legs began to inch their way from the gathering, carrying discretely his tiny frame until he was strolling with widening eyes back along the path beside the great, sand arena. All at once Kari wanted to find the edge over which the clouds had carried him; wanted to peer down across the lowly land that was Helovia. If only Shadow could see me now... he thought smugly, but his gut groaned painfully and he wished more that she would come to feed him at last.

He moved towards the grass instinctively. It was the sustenance the little grey colt had come to rely upon, but at the same time, offered very little in the way of true nourishment for a colt supposedly growing. Perhaps it was his unusual breeding; maybe it was the fact that Shadow had abandoned him. Kari was a slight creature who resembled more the deer in Deep Forest, than any horse of Helovia. It did not matter though; it never deterred his endless want to find the black mare, and he continued relentlessly his search.

The colt made his way to the field’s lush edge, and his tiny face lowered to nibble unenthusiastically at the sweet tips on offer. It was not a taste he was terribly fond of- it was not milk, but he was used to both the taste and texture now, and grazed here and there; and whenever he grew hungry enough.

There was a movement nearby, and blue eyes lifted beneath a horn and a half. A stallion was nearby, a face he thought to be familiar (but there had been so many since the caves), and Kari lifted his cocked skull curiously. "What’s that?" he asked suddenly as the painted horse drew close, stepping to look more closely at the strange item seemingly strapped to the stallion’s jaw. Kari had no qualms with men, they were not so doting or fussy; not willing to make promises they never intended to keep. Unabashedly he gazed at the treasure, intrigued by the little landscape it portrayed.