i am a leaf on the wind

She should be the sheepish one, letting him sneak up on her like that. Letting herself be startled in a strange place, in a deep and dark (and if you ask her, lovely) woods. It’s far from safe. Sometimes she forgets that the wind is no longer hers to command. Lyanna never really worried for her safety before. Not when should could start a tornado, or send a gust of wind so powerful it could knock even the strongest of horses off their feet.
 
But she has to remember she can no longer do that. She has to remember to pay attention. No more wandering the woods like a protected princess. She was once, but no longer. No one followed her now to ensure her safety. No one cared if she lived or died anymore. Anyone who cared was dead or gone now. And while she’d made a few acquaintances in Helovia, hardly anyone that would actually notice if she disappeared.
 
Thankfully, the stallion that had found her was kind and gentle, and she could find no reason to be worried with him. Perhaps he was a terribly good actor, luring her to some false sense of security. But she doubted it. What would that gain him? They were alone in a shadowy forest. He didn’t need to lure her to any other place.
 
Besides, she doesn’t know if anyone can really fake a smile like that, can fake such kindness in their eyes, or the hearty laugh that rumbles like the earth. It is a sound that reminds her of her father and brother. A sound that makes her feel safe and at home with the memory of it, and she finds herself relaxing into the conversation even more.
 
He talks of the trees in a loving way, and she nods, understanding his meaning. She’d known the trees in her own forest that way, back in Morham. Perhaps one day the trees here would become home. She doesn’t know yet. Can’t know, really. But she keeps trying. Keeps hoping that the horses and the trees and everything in between will accept her. The mare with little to offer, but enough heart to try.
 
“No need to apologize. I should have been paying more attention.” Her words are easy, and not simply polite. But of course, she’d been lost in her thoughts. Something she’d been falling prey to just a bit too often lately. But of course, it was hard not to dwell on the past when she founds herself with so much free time at the moment. Hopefully that would change now though. Hopefully she could find some purpose in the Edge, and leave the past behind her.
 
Not that she’d ever forget her brother. But she knows that hid ghost can’t haunt her forever, either. He’d never want that for her.
 
Her smiles spreads at the mention of her wings. There’s just a touch of sorrow in her eyes, but mostly she is glad to have the color of them noticed. It is the one real piece of her family that she’s kept. The teal color of her wings and mane, and the small little ear cuff on her left ear. She spreads her wings from her side, stretching them until the tips brush the trees nearby, directing her attention to the cat with that warm smile. “Thank you. My whole family has the teal tips.”
 
It isn’t until after it’s out that she realizes she’s used the present tense. Present tense is only true in Adelene’s case, and her younger sister has disappeared after their arrival in Helovia. Had, Lyanna. she thinks, correcting herself. Though she doesn’t ruin the moment by correcting herself aloud. Instead, she folds her wings back to her side, turning her attention back to Apollo when she says, “Actually, if you wouldn’t mind showing me around the forest? I’d love to see this place the way you do.”

watch how i soar.

lyanna