XOLANI

The mare's coat gleamed in the sunlight that filtered through the bare branches above and reflected off the light layer of snow covering the ground. She picked her way carefully through the woods, her light blue eyes flickering over her surroundings. She had been traveling for over a year now, and she was unaware of having stumbled into any place in particular; rather, she had taken note of the varying scents dulled by the flurries covering the terrain and followed them. Many of them were purely equine, but there were others, too, others that had a faint hint of something else. She was curious to find out just what manner of creatures she had managed to find.

Xolani had wandered with no destination in mind, and it didn't occur to her, even as the smells of horse grew stronger, that perhaps she neared the end of her journey. She had wished, initially, to escape, to get away from all that plagued her young life, to save herself from the pain inflicted by her family - but after the first few lonely months, the mare had begun to enjoy her travels for what they were, rather than where they would lead her. She had grown fond of solitude, to a certain degree; she had been fascinated by each new sight, enamored with every new plant and animal. She had giggled at the antics of flying squirrels in one forest, ran with a herd of gazelle in the grasslands, watched with glee at the hunting habits of an osprey while crossing a river; and now she was here, and here was somewhere new, and that was exciting.

Before long, she came to a gently bubbling creek. It had not yet grown cold enough to freeze to water over, and she was able to quench her growing thirst with the frigid liquid. Satisfied, she moved on. There was little life in the forest, and she assumed that many animals had left or settled for the winter; but still, those scents persisted, and despite her anxiety at the thought of running into her own kind, she could not help but long for companionship. She pressed on, searching for hoof prints in the snow, looking for any signs of movement, listening for the sound of voices. Would she even know what her own kind sounded like anymore? It had been so long since she had come across another equine that she no longer knew.

Perhaps it was time to find out.

OOC ;; @Ilios or Daemyn, whichever you prefer!

XOLANI

Her reflection glimmered on the surface of the water, and for the first time in years, she took a moment to survey it. The mare did not often take note of her appearance, for (in her opinion) there was nothing of note about it; but with the sun's sharp rays glittering on the water, she almost appeared to sparkle. The thought was laughable; how would she, plain and boring, with no magic to speak of and no voice to speak with, be anything more than what she was? She had always been meant to keep to herself, to hide in plain sight, to be seen and not heard. Such a lovely aesthetic would only be a distraction.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder how her life would have been different if there was but one special thing about her.

The mare turned her head slightly to the right, examining her profile. Her eyes were a light blue, almost grey in the winter light, set deeply in her petite, dished face. The skin of her muzzle was tinged pink, matching the exposed flesh around her eyes. She sighed, rolling her eyes. She was as plain as ever; nothing would change that. A beige hoof splashed in the water, sending ripples through the image staring back at her. The sudden chill of the river on her skin made her jump; were she able, she might have squealed. As it were, she merely smiled and shook her head. How silly to waste time here when she could be exploring!

A male voice interrupted her antics and she tensed, raising her head to find the source. A winged stallion picked his way through the trees toward her, a sweet smile on his lips. She eyed him enviously: his lovely wings, his spiraled horn, his intricate markings, his gorgeous teal colorations... he was far above her station. Handsome, but his class was not hers to admire. She lowered her gaze shyly, expecting him to take a drink and be on his way, but he surprised her with his kindness and interest. She peered at him from beneath her lashes, suddenly self-conscious in a way that she had never been before. No one had given her a second look before (except, of course, the disgusted glances of her parents, fleeting in nature, as though she was painful to look upon). Even in the lowest social circles, she had remained an outcast at home, cursed as she was with silence.

Surely it would be no different here. It would be silly to think otherwise.

Still... she couldn't help but hope.

And he was feeding that hope, watching her expectantly, waiting for a response. She wished that she could speak, could introduce herself - she wondered how her own name felt on her lips, how his name would taste on her tongue. But no matter how hard she tried, she knew that no sound would emerge - so she did not try, but merely smiled sheepishly and bobbed her head sweetly in greeting. I'm sorry, she tried to convey with her eyes, with her gestures. She swallowed a lump in her throat, hiding it behind her smile, knowing that he would not remain for long when she could provide nothing for him, not even a returned greeting.

She was less than nothing. That would never change.

OOC ;; @Ilios

Bright eyes watched the mare quietly as she gazed into the cold clear water. The tender skin on her muzzle and around her striking blue eyes were a pale pink. Her face was dished and refined, beautiful. She was slender and plain, but stunning all the same. No horn or wings adorned her sides, there wasn't any crazy markings, much like his teal ivy. When he spoke her dainty head turned to look at him. Her sky blue eyes fell upon his own frame and twitched swiftly to his wings. He smiled warmly he feathery appendages spread wide. His large head dipped warmly showing his respect for her. He watched her eyes shift away and he could almost feel the shyness radiating from her. Her reaction only stroked his fragile male ego. Testosterone flooded his sturdy frame, causing his chest to puff out.

The stallion's warm words caused her to look up at him; eyes glittering behind long pale lashes. His heart fluttered at her innocent face. Then her head bobbed, but she offered no words in response. His horned head tilted brows furrowed slightly. Thoughts raced as he tried to think of a pleasant way to voice his question. "Can... Can you not talk Miss?" His deep drawl and smile were gentle, trying his best not to harm her feelings. "It's okay if you can't, we can find ways so you can communicate." He smiled brightly his long tail swishing around his hocks.

His brows staid furrowed in concentration for a moment before speaking again, "Well, I need to call you something, but I doubt I can guess a name befitting your beautiful smile." He grinned playfully allowing names to pour through his mind. "Would it be okay if I called you... Lana? If not I can think of something else." He smiled sweetly silver eyes searching fro her blue gaze. "While we think of something, I forgot to welcome you! Welcome to Helovia. Would you like to hear a little about this land?" He allowed her to answer, assuming it would be yes he dove right in. "There are a lot of strange and magical things here; magic and companions being two of them. Companions are creatures that hatch from eggs. They can be anything, which only adds to the surprise. They are, from what I've been told, an expansion of your soul. They feel what you feel, see what you see, and much more."

He paused for a moment allowing that to sink in before continuing. "Now, there are four herds here. The Aurora Basin, I wouldn't recommend heading there, they aren't much for equines and they live in the far north. There is the Hidden Falls, their home is open to all species, and they live right to the East of here. Then there is the World's Edge, they also accept everyone. They are as far East as you can go, and live int he mists and evergreens. My personal favorite is my home; the Dragon's Throat. It's a desert island, but there is a stunning and plentiful oasis that keeps us all fed and watered. We accept everyone as well. My leaders are strong and kind." He smiled softly giving her a few minutes to chew on all of that. "I'm sure you would be very welcome to join, or at least visit. If that's not your taste in terrain, I would be more than happy to escort you somewhere else."

He smiled warmly about to pull his wings back in before thinking better of it. Silver eyes looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before his thick neck turned to his right wing. Alabaster teeth gentle grasped a silver lines teal feather before plucking it out. Turning back to her he gestured to her mane hoping he wouldn't frighten her. Slowly he strode closer his muzzle reaching her cream mane. Her scent was intoxicating, but he held himself in check. A year ago that would have been an impossible feet. His tender lips tried, if she would allow, to place the feather in her mane. Stepping back he smiled, "Now if you ever want to come to my home, just show them that and it might help." He smiled softly at her as the place where the feather had rested throbbed dully. 'A small price to pay for friendship.' He smiled brightly allowing the silence to stretch while she thought it all over. "Oh, I almost forgot." He smiled sheepishly, "If you'd like to go to the Falls paw once, Edge twice, and Throat three times, if that is ok of course." He smiled still feeling sheepish.
Talk
Words;; 773
OOC/Tags;; @Xolani

XOLANI

It was an odd feeling that filled her chest at the proximity of the stallion. In her homeland, she had been kept a secret, never allowed to interact with her peers - the only regular contact with others that she had was with her parents (and we all know how that turned out). They did not like to look at her, much less approach her, unless it was absolutely necessary, and yet here was a complete stranger who had not only sought her out after seeing her from afar, but had then stopped to chat. What made the entire situation even more challenging to comprehend was the fact that he was well-built and beautifully marked, both aspects that would place him above her station. Even among the commoners in her homeland, Xolani had never been treated in such a way!

To put it simply, the poor mare was entirely overwhelmed by the kindness and consideration that was being shown to her by the winged steed. A small part of her wondered if it might be some trick, some cruel joke - but he was too earnest, too sincere, even in his simple and straightforward greeting. Living a life of silence had left her adept at conveying her emotions through body language and, consequently, recognizing even hidden feelings in others. There was nothing menacing, nothing even particularly mischievous about the stallion. There was only gentility and warmth. (It also did not escape her notice that he was, in fact, quite handsome.)

She took note of the slight frown that graced his crown from beneath lowered lashes, saw the beginnings of understanding emerging on his features; she stood, embarrassed, waiting for him to awkwardly excuse himself from her presence. After all, why would he stay after realizing that she could not speak? She was not alluring - she wasn't even pretty - and she had nothing noteworthy to offer him. No, it would only be a moment, and then he would be on his way.

But he didn't leave, surprising her enough that her head snapped up, her eyes catching his. Having had to rely on body language for her entire life, she was rather more expressive than those with speech: her brows were raised, her eyes bewildered, her ears pricked, her tail raised. Everything about her shot up, and as she took in his gentle smile, his words offering to find a way to communicate, she began to beam wildly, snorting and prancing in place. She might have squealed or laughed for joy, had she been able, but as it were she merely nodded enthusiastically, her clear blue eyes bright and her body alight with emotion.

No, I cannot talk. Yes, please, I want to communicate with you.

She waited eagerly for his next words, standing in such a way that she was nearly leaning toward him, as though she were a bird perched on a ledge, ready to take flight. He spoke of a name, and her beautiful smile. Beautiful? she thought, staring at him. Me? Surely he was only being kind. He was such a lovely stallion, and he probably wanted to make her feel welcomed, but to call her beautiful was an empty compliment... wasn't it?

But the pseudonym 'Lana' caught and held her attention, distracting her from the confusing notion of her potential beauty. She nodded her agreement, but her nose crinkled with mirth. She could not giggle in the same way that she could with working vocal cords, but the movement of air in and out of her lungs supplied enough noise for him to discern a laugh. Oh, how close he was to her name! Given a choice, she might have supplied him with 'Lani' as a nickname instead, but Lana... she could be Lana. She could be anything he wanted her to be, as long as he wanted to talk to her!

He offered to tell her of Helovia, and she nodded, grinning wildly. She watched him carefully as he spoke, absorbing the information that he provided about this new land. The bit about magic was not particularly surprising to her, though she was very interested by the notion of a 'companion.' She bobbed her head encouragingly when he paused, eager to hear more. She made mental notes about the herds he described. To which did he belong? She wanted to hear about his home, knowing already that if he were to offer, she would follow him there, no matter where it might be. A distant part of her mind thought that she might be placing too much faith in the stallion, attaching herself too suddenly to him; but if his herd was anything like him, then maybe - just maybe - she wouldn't have to be alone anymore.

When Ilios stopped speaking, she ran her tongue along her teeth, pondering the wealth of information that he had provided. He reached around to his wing and she cocked her head to the side, curious as to his intentions; when his head returned to the front, he held a silver-lined teal feather in his teeth. She wondered if it hurt, plucking a feather, or if it was painless, like pulling on a chunk of mane. She glanced down, suddenly shy again, as he approached slowly and carefully placed the feather in her mane. Her gut twisted at the touch of his lips on her mane, her heart fluttering nervously in her chest. Impulsively, she reached out to brush her muzzle against the empty spot on his wing.

When he asked, she pawed three times at the snow-covered ground, smiling brightly at him from beneath her forelock. She would follow him; she only hoped that he wanted her to.

OOC ;; @Ilios - .... I am so sorry this got so long. I just couldn't stop and hnnnngh it went on forever omg ;____;