The voice was deep, rhythmic, as though it were a natural force, like a waterfall or thunder. Though Ele’s eyes met the stranger’s before he parted his lips, it still managed to startle him. His gaze cut through the air—two celestite beads, colder and stronger in tone than the biting winds that wound around them. His mane draped in thick, white tresses across his neck, from his withers to his poll, where a great, gleaming horn protruded. His pelt was adorned with a wonderful splash of black appaloosa markings, though his build was too heavy to match the signature of the breed. He was certainly a rather magnificent sight, and the eerie calmness that hung from his words only provoked the sable stag’s intrigue. Ele took a few steps closer.

“Yeah, I suppose, if you don’t mind having your lungs ripped out on the way up” he said bluntly, followed by a cough, signifying that his body was still recovering from the hike. Still, a smile glimmered from behind his amber optics. Curiosity flooded every corner of his being. Already, the neurons were firing like crazy in his head! Decrypting another’s essence was a rather favorable way to pass the time, Ele found. It satisfied a deep craving in him to pursue exceptional experiences. Picking out the tiniest details in life was probably one of the safest ways to avoid boredom for one such as him. He had no great plans. He didn’t desire acknowledgement or status or a name that resided in the back of every young mare’s mind. On top of it, he was not a fighter.

Besides, this male was just so regal in his immediate demeanor, it would almost force the question upon any newcomer he met, Ele was sure of it: what could possibly be hidden away in the shadows of his soul? The stallion’s eyes settled on the two figures that rode atop the pale transient’s spine. Their blazing eyes and exotic adornment of feathers made for an alarming site. He was sure there was a story there as well, or if nowhere else.

He suddenly realized he’d been staring for a good long while however, and awkwardly looked away. His natural forwardness made him fairly terrible at concealing his fascination with others, and so it demonstrated itself in every fiber of his bulk. This caused a constant influx of negative social interactions, of course.

Sulking in his own embarrassment, the champagne brute flicked an ear, and spoke his next words without eye contact, “My name is Ele . . .”