Indy had left the herd meeting and went straight to the Heavenly Field to search for Gossamer. She had disappeared shortly after her fight with Paladin and he had worried about her. It wasn't like her to just disappear without warning. When he'd gotten to the field he found it empty save for the trees and flowers that were usually there. The stallion sighed and closed his eyes, thinking about where she could have run off to.

Eventually Indy had drifted off to sleep only to wake up to the sound of a soft voice and hoof falls. His ears twitched and he lifted his head, his eyes opening to search the field. He had hoped to see Gossamer, but it was not her. Instead it was a golden and white mare that he had seen in the Foothills a few times. He watched her as she stopped to begin grazing.

The stallion considered just leaving the meadow and the mare in peace, but he was lonely without the constant company of the mare who had claimed him so long ago. Instead he walked toward Saisands. "Mind if I join you?" He asked gently.

Indy smiled when the mare admitted to not recalling his name. It was only proof to him that he did not make himself known as a leader in the Foothills. His leadership position, however, was one that he had not wanted from the beginning. It was something given to him by Gossamer when she had been named leader of the Foothills, just as she had given Smoke her position. He had tried to make himself known, but he had grown tired very quickly of the petty problems that the herd members brought upon themselves. More than once he had wanted to tell them all to grow up and stop acting like children, but he had always prided himself on his patience so he handled whatever issue was thrown his way.

"Indy." He said to the mare. "Until very recently I was Chief of the Foothills." He was glad for his retirement. Now he just wanted to live out the rest of his life in peace and comfort and let someone else deal with the petty fighting and those seeking entrance into the herd.

"I apologize, my dear, but it appears that we have the same problem." He chuckled quietly. "What might your name be?"

"No need to apologize." He said gently to the mare. Honestly, he was happy that she had not recognized him as the former leader. He was done with that chapter of his life and would rather not look back on it. Being a leader was tiring, he didn't know how Mauja could do it and still have time for himself. "Former because my daughter and her mate have taken on the role of leadership." He was still unsure about the herd. There had been no kind acceptance of Paladin or Soleil. The way that one loud mouthed colt had spoken of her had left the former leader wanting to smash his head in. What kind of coward spoke that way of someone who wasn't even there to defend themselves?

As the mare spoke her name Indy smiled. "Your name is lovely, much like yourself, Saisands." And the mare was lovely indeed, with her coat of gold and white. The flowers that adorned her mane only served to accentuate her beauty.

The black stallion smiled and gave a slight nod of his head. He was proud of his daughter. He was proud of all of his children even if he didn't agree with or approve of some of their decisions. "Every parent is proud of their children." Whether or not they showed it was up to that individual, but he couldn't imagine anyone being disappointed in their children. His own had made very foolish decisions, each of them, but he still loved them. He was still proud of them and he would be until the day he finally died.

His gaze fell slightly and he smiled sadly as the mare mentioned who he might be bound to. The stallion didn't know what to think. It was the first time Gossamer had ever run off on her own and left him behind. He could only believe that she was angry that she had lost her leadership. Angry that he had not been there to stop the fight. He had told Paladin if he had wanted to challenge for leadership to do it, but he would not fight for his position. He had not imagined that Gossamer would run away and leave him like she had.

It left him to wonder if Gossamer would be coming back or if she would stay gone. Should he stay there and wait for a mare that might not ever return to him? Or should he move on with his life and find someone else to give his love to? The questions were endless and none of them had answers that he could grasp.

Finally, he spoke. "I no longer have a mate." The sad smile remained as he finally came to his decision. "She left when she lost her position as Chieftess."

Indy smiled to himself. Pride was a very funny thing when he really got to thinking about it. Yes, he was proud of his children and, yes, he loved them. As proud as he was of them as individuals he could be a little disappointed in their decisions from time to time. His two daughters, for example, had both bore children at a very young age to stallions he couldn't really feel held any real love for either of them. He was not proud of their decision then, but it didn't diminish his love for them or make him any less proud of them.

Even good things came from silly decisions, he found. If not for their decisions he wouldn't have his grandchildren to spoil whenever he saw them.

"I am sorry to hear that. It must be incredibly hard for you to lose her..."

Was it really?

Honestly Indy was coping with the fact that his mate had run off and left him rather well. He was not angry, only saddened and disappointed in the way she acted in the aftermath of the fight. He was already becoming accustomed to being alone most of the time, especially in his head. If there was one thing he found solace in it was that she was not there to pry into his thoughts. He had privacy now that he hadn't had since she'd gotten her magic and used it on him for the first time.

"I am not terribly saddened." Indy spoke truthfully. "I feel like we've been growing apart for some time, now." Maybe she would find bigger and better things out there for herself. Maybe she would find a stallion that fit her wants and desires and maybe he would find a mare that was a better fit for himself. One that did not want to run a herd and try to please every single individual, but one that would want to raise a family and grandchildren. Somewhere deep in his heart he wondered if Gossamer had ever really wanted that.

Indy did not have much of a response for Saisands so he merely gave a shrug of his muscled shoulders. It felt wrong not to be incredibly saddened at the disappearance of his mate, but it was what he was feeling. He would not admit to the slight tinge of relief that he felt that his mind would be his own again. That he would no longer have someone probing his every thought and not giving him even an ounce of privacy. Maybe he was overreacting about her magic, though. Maybe she had given him more privacy than he thought. They were maybes that would never be answered.

"Grow apart?" He asked when the mare suggested he do the same. That was part of the problem. He had grown apart but he had never been so sure that she had. Now that she was gone he was fairly certain that she had been feeling the same as she had. "I believe I already have, dear Saisands." He donned a rueful smile and shifted his gaze to the horizon.

"Do you believe in love at first sight, Saisands?" The stallion asked, his gaze remaining on the horizon. "Do you believe that you can have second chances at it or is there only one chance?"

The large stallion nodded as the mare acknowledged her beliefs in love at first sight and second chances at it. He almost asked her if she believed that one could fall out of love but he held his tongue in the end. It was more than likely inappropriate to speak of such things with such a young mare and especially so soon after his mate had left him. But who would he speak to? He didn't want to worry his daughter with his own problems when she had her own children and mate to look after. He did not want to make Paladin feel guilty for driving Gossamer away.

If he was honest with himself this day had been a long time coming.

He looked at the mare that had moved to stand beside him, a smile finding his face. "Curiosity, mostly." Indy answered. "Along with the fact that I don't want to spend the rest of my life alone." He shrugged his massive shoulders again the sighed. "I don't think being a grumpy old man really sounds all that appealing."

A smile spread across his dark face when he was told that there was still a lot of life left in him. Why did he not feel like there was a lot left in him? He felt old even if he was only middle aged. In his life he felt like he had been through so much. Too many wars, the birth of his children, his grandchildren, leadership, visits to the gods. He had spent most of his life in the passenger seat and let everyone else guide him and now he was just tired. Maybe he wanted to be a grumpy old man and live out the rest of his days in some sort of peace.

"You will not be alone for long, dear Saisands." Indy promised. "You are still young, you're whole life is still ahead of you. You're beautiful and you're, really, very sweet. Someone will snatch you up, mark my words." He turned his blue eyes on her and his smile grew. "You just have to be patient."

A moment later she was asking for forgiveness and claiming to have taken up too much of his time. Indy's smile faded slightly and he shook his head. "You are not a bother and I rather enjoyed you taking up some of my time." He allowed himself to bump his muzzle gently against her own. "I do hope to see you again, sometime, dear Saisands."