The embrace was sudden, and it jolted Ashamin back into his senses. He had said so little, and yet she had understood. That had been all he had wanted, from her or from anyone. It was a relief for her, perhaps, to let loose her emotions and let that tear drip down her cheek. He felt it fall in between his withers; he shivered at the sensation. It was a relief for him too, though, to finally not have to speak.

And so he remained in that silent moment, that thankful quiet, for as long as she would have it. And he kept his black eyes open and searching, while hers pressed out tears to fall upon him. He looked at the trees and their slowing, bittersweet sap. He looked at the way the wind caught their branches and pulled them back towards the trunks. This was a moment of peace, and he would do nothing to break it.

So when Zandora did pull away, he felt even more startled than he had when she had come closer. In so brief a time he had grown used to that touch, and wanted more of it. His tail traced lines behind him in the earth, and his hollow eyes caught Zandora's. How odd that the both of them had no central core that could be found. Her words were heavy, and they weighed him down with their import.

But he wasn't prepared to answer them, not yet, and so he only looked away. She continued and his ears caught the faint traces of her words: of her offer for a spar. But this was not a time when he could fight, and he sensed the same might be true of the mare. If she could, well, perhaps she should consider a holiday.

Ashamin lifted his gaze slightly and smiled at Zandora. His dear Zandora, as she was apparently his dear Ashamin. "Take some time, Zandora. The both of us might need some rest, some..." he trailed off, suddenly nervous even when in the company of a newfound friend. Some time to think," he finished with a nod of self-assurance. "We can meet here again, and soon," he offered, starting to walk towards her, his side threatening to brush hers as he passed. Distance pulled between them, and Ashamin's figure surpassed Zandora's darker, less natural coat. It was in part anxiousness that increased the gap between their figures now, but politeness forced him to finish his thought, just as he started to fade into the treeline: "and then we can have that spar."

[[@[Zandora]--Cause of his timeline I'm not going to have it set directly after but we can close it off here or with one more post and I'll make the spar right now.]]

Ashamin