Quiet isn’t so quiet. Everything is filled with noise; the wind fills the air with audible notions that manifest into invisible bodies, and pull and stretch. With a chill Ru recalled the storm’s monstrous power weeks ago. And how the winds, which at first she had thought as her friend, her companions, drew power and raged, and tossed her like a leaf. Reduced to some fragile object. She snorted at the thought, and pushed it aside as she drew another breath of cool air. It prickled her lungs, made her lips twinkle with frost.
 
The young filly needed to land and defrost. She needed – craved the sun’s heat. Or perhaps a body would be sufficient. It was a hopeful idea, which quickly churned into her head into a quest and action she would ultimately accomplish. Steadily she abandoned the grey skies, heavy and pregnant with snow. She dipped closer to the earth, and grasped it at a canter. Stiff in her stride, she settled with a tired huff. Without wasting a moment longer she shook herself violently, dispatching most of the frost clumps attached to her body. If only she had feathers everywhere, perhaps the snow would not be as eager to call her home. She tossed her head and snorted, satisfied for the time being.
 
She brought her wings close to her body, tucking them in for heat. A squeal erupted from her lungs, tasting smells of other bodies. Renewing her vigor. She pressed forward with a bounce to her step, jumping into the snow-laden ground.
 
Where could they be? Why were they here?
 
Shrugging it off she went ahead.
 
The small field, surrounded by tall trees drew away. It was darker here, and the trees groaned and shuddered. Dreaming perhaps for the sun to return – she smiled briefly, they were one in the same at least. It echoed about, and their evergreen tops blotted the grey and dull sky. Perhaps it was not best to stay much longer, she thought. It made her uneasy to have to squint and imagine the clouds behind those tops.
 
Picking up her pace she drew out into another meadow. She stilled herself, giving the land a critical gaze, the frown on her face – an inevitable consequence of her focus, marred her indifferent features.
 
For a while it had been fun; after the anger and the unbridled fury of her mother’s abandonment. The world was there, and it was here, and over there, but now as she grasped the vacant field it was starting to get boring. For weeks she had been paving her own path, and now she was beginning to wonder why. And if it was worth it. And that mother always knew what to do, even if ‘I disagreed most of the time’.
 
Out there, could there truly be an infinite amount of possibilities?
Which of those would include her, too?
 
She squealed again, and tossed her head with a stomp to the ground. And there, waiting for her a creature appeared. It was white, fluffy, with long ears and- a rabbit!
 
The child smirked, her muscles flexed and before she could realize it – she chased after the funny little creature. So they had rabbits too, eh? A sharp whinny excited her mouth, and jabbed the air with delight. Perhaps she would manage to peck him with a kiss, and he could finally give it a rest?
 
Ru just wanted to say hello, and rabbits almost always insisted on running away.

Ru would have to be cunning to catch the rabbit. Take a chance, predict its movements, and risk the reality that she might fail and dart in the wrong direction. Although, the small distracting task was one she did not practice often. And the youth had chased all manner of creatures, but the rabbit was an obvious challenge she did not commit herself to in the past. More like buzzards and pestering flocks of geese – easy quarry that; at most times appeared graceful but lumbered steadily in their flight... Frustration prickled her young heart. With growing desperation she plowed sideways to the right – missing the rabbit’s trajectory in a quick and easy second. Perhaps less, and it was embarrassing for the child as it slipped away. Her limbs relaxed into a few bouncy trots, until all momentum stopped with a longing gaze.

Why couldn’t they be friends?

Breathing hard as her brows furrowed, a voice inhabited, surrounded the air about her. Surprised, perhaps even taken off guard – she stumbled over to face the large mare.

That frown evaporated instantly. Ru tilted her head as she stared up and into those steely eyes. These eyes were missing something, and the child was finding it very difficult to listen to the mare’s words as she gazed on. Wondering what this ‘thing’ could possibly be. These eyes, they were like rock, impenetrable. And yet, she did not find her words to be any threatening. She shook her head to snap herself out of it, catching the second sentence and nodding her head in response. But it might as well have looked like she said ‘no’, then ‘yes’ right after that. Such contradicting behavior did not spark thought-like embers in her head. Instead, she seemed to have fallen prey to admiring the… the… mare- yes, she was female! She looked so incredibly strong!

The mare stepped forward, and Ru stood her ground. It was not confidence that had kept her limbs silent, or her stupidity that made her steadfast. She did not mind grazing over the well-built mare, for she was curious how two things so dissimilar could inhabit and intertwine into one being. It reminded her… it reminded her of the ‘old one’, and the ‘nasty warrior’ she so disliked in her previous herd. Sharing extreme qualities from calm and soothing like the velvet voice, and sharp and distant in those eyes.

Her eyes alighted briefly, ‘experience’ she thought. The old one and the warrior had experienced so much in their lives. Mother’s words were not always right… but when they were true, and when she spoke of things Ru wasn’t so sure was actually real – perhaps now, she could attest to her wisdom. The child’s dark lips curled into a smile, and her eyes alighted with further spark as the stranger spoke.

She dipped her head briefly, and approached the mare – December, with cautious steps. Hesitant, as she nudged her muzzle to her elbow, and withdrawing timidly. Perhaps experience made the adults act certain ways, for unknown reasons; perhaps it was not her right to judge whether the emotionless eyes meant more than it should. Perhaps this was simply the architecture of a story, the outside layer splashed with hints and clues, and time might only tell whether or not the author had created these hints to mislead us or drive us further into the story itself.

But such was this imagination of Ru’s, that it was not rooted in experience, or teachings. They were as careless as the wind itself, uprooted and going whichever way it pleased. It was at this time she finally noticed the odd creature following the mare. For a while she merely stared at it, flicking her left ear in thought. Uncertain of why it was there, and that... it looked quite cute with all that fur. And perhaps even a little funny looking - she gave a small bubbling giggle.

Another figure appeared, another mare, exotic like this December. Wonder embraced Ru’s thoughts, and saturated her mind instantly. She blinked several times and tossed her head once, before she dipped that muzzle of her’s and bit herself on a foreleg. Was this real, any of it? Those- those were feathers, wings?!

A breath escaped the filly with a rumble as she shifted her weight. December was beautifully strong and muscular, the new one was more slight and seemed to coil and walk like a snake. Or perhaps a doe with legs like that? Nonetheless, Ru fancied the lyrics that possessed the air then, rolling in such a way that made her ears tickle. She curled her maw into a half smile.

Indeed, warmth would be nice - as the new mare had mentioned moments ago. A pleasantry really, but then, perhaps a body would be bareable? Enough to last the winter. A desert was rather luxurious in the dead of winter; this thought was very tempting. The child hummed briefly; oh, but to feel the sun at last!

She watched as the feathers atop the dame’s head moved. Deviating her eyes after a brief pause to regard her. The Lady seemed rather put together, sure of herself. But her eyes seemed just as impenetrable…

The child blinked out of her daze, again – realizing that she too had welcomed her. This was an odd feeling, it almost didn’t seem right compared to how most strangers had treated her. Each, offering homes – to the child of no name. Ah, yes; another thing about adults. They partake in routines and exhibit a desire to control the things around them. Well – most, it seemed… Perhaps it was common courtesy, like mom had mentioned, to greet and give one your name. But the child could not bear such routines into voice or practice. As curious as the world was… she resorted to the mere dip of her head to Maren. And with a building confidence she breached the mare’s bubble in an attempt to nudge her elbow. Her movements becoming less cautionary, direct and bold as she nudged and wistfully leaned away with her head. Drawing her body back and regarded the two mares with a curious whicker. Resounding softly at first until it pinched the air briefly.

A forelimb strutted forward, and pawed the ground briefly. Stopping, and shifting her gaze between them.

--

[Hi! Thanks and nice to meet you two! :3 I don't mind being tagged. ^^ ]

The child did not expect a reaction – from either of the mares. The act itself was like common language to Ru. Like passing kisses on the cheek, a handshake, a ‘welcome’ and ‘adieu’ dissolved into the simplest form she could think of. Well, a step further than that of a head nod or a bow. Yet, neither of them had nipped at her in return. Or outright retaliated with a shove or a kick.

It was progress. Considering…

For a moment she was surprised to see the impenetrable stone melt from December’s eyes. It struck a chord in what she had thought was a very simple heart. One that was impervious to fear and sadness, because all that had ever done was slow progress down, hide the reality of the world with a dim view. When clearly, there was so much in it to learn from and see. Her eyes and yes, perhaps her heart too, pulsed with a desire to tear the fabric of things apart and learn their materials from the bare bones, but… December’s gaze beckoned something she yearned for even more. Far beyond the fabrications of her mind, or understanding, and it prickled the edges of her eyes with an all too familiar sensation. She bit her tongue, and struggled to keep the swell in her chest from rising and springing out into tears.

Ru was strong! And like the mountain she would stand firm. Her best defense under strange and extraordinary situations was to shrug off these odd desires. At least until the emotions settled right?

The filly quickly blinked a few times and wiggled her tail. A distraction technique that worked well in most circumstances – for now it had, just barely. She grinned and bared her heart’s yearning for a mother. Fixating on the mean looking creature instead, and snickered half-heartedly under her breath. It was a good thing it  didn’t have wings. If things did get out of hand, she could high tail it out of there in a second or two. Perhaps more, now that the fatigue of her journey settled into her bones.

An appreciative rumble escaped the filly’s lips as the silver mare returned the gesture with her muzzle. Made those lips quirk, and keep her smile – happiness warming, and battling against the depravity of having to be alone for so long. She nodded in understanding, and snuck another glance at the creature. Cute, fluffy, and deadly – beware of Carl and his eyes of doom. Check!

But as she had given the same ‘hello’ to Maren the reaction was quite opposite. This too intrigued the girl; frowning lightly as the mare seemed to recoil and grow taught and tense; as if touching was a curse not lightly given. How bizarre then it seemed as the child stepped back and watched. Tilting her head as her ears flickered with the tightened vocals, once graceful lyrics taking on a struggle to breach between the air around them. And just like that – as if recovering a distance that mare preferred, these mannerisms a-washed without a trace. The youth grunted – it seemed selfish of her to own that space in the first place. As if anything was inherently personal?

… was there such things as personal space?

Ah- yes, this was something Ru would have to investigate! At least from what she could garner, personal space appeared to be a preference and a… a trait? It didn’t take long for Maren to respond, after all; it was like sneezing or, perhaps as routine as a breathing pattern?

The filly raised her brow at the odd mare, which she was starting to find a little amusing. She curled her lips in a brief, mischievous expression. Of all the things she could do to figure out what the mare really meant… heh.

And then there was the proposal. Ru straightened out her features, hoping that the striped mare did not notice the peculiar expression. A promise? She frowned once more. Mother had always been strict about promises – promises were one of those things like… doing one’s duty. It helped the world spin a little, made sense – at least, that’s how Ru recalled the explanation. And in many stories characters were often congratulated for their trustworthiness. Isn’t that what made a character, ‘someone’? And then, there were those who had made promises and broke them all together – either to trick, or cause harm, to lie. Lying might be beneficial, but in this circumstance?

Why should she promise to do something she wasn’t even sure she could keep?

She sucked in some air as she seriously considered this. Her bright eyes dimmed as she stared at the ground for a moment. This was BIG. Pursing her lips together – she’d made her decision and regarded the mare once more. Letting out her own long puff of air she shook her head outright. Couldn’t help the shy giggle erupting from those lips and stepped away with her head slightly ducked.

The filly’s ears twisted back to December as she began to speak, lifting her head up again. She shuffled in her spot, and shook her body once more as the cold began to press against her flesh. Ru’s bright eyes quickly filled with her own steady gaze, taking in the words and briefly wondering - what the heck was a Tallsun?

Tall-sun, high sun…? Heat and tall sun… ah. That was a pretty way to say summer, she thought. The smile on her lips was soft now, dreamily, wondering what they called the other seasons.

And yet, Maren proposed something elusive as she spoke. Ru squealed shortly, stumped and surprised – a boat?! Who was this woman? And why did she have a boat?!

A roaring challenge saturated the child with a competitive snort. Like hell yah I’m sailing in your boat! Her eyes darted around them, looking for something in particular. She moved about, turning around and walking beyond as her eyes pierced forward. Ru would need roots.

She huffed, jumped on her spot and faced them as she started digging in the snow. It wasn’t incredibly deep, and did not take long for the young one to find the dead grass. She paused then started trying to kick up the earth with her forelimbs. At least, perhaps loosen it a little before she dipped down and ripped a good cold chunk with her mouth.

Feeling rather smart, she trotted back to the pair and placed the clump down before Maren. Ru grinned, and shifted her weight so that she could point her hoof at the other end of the grass. She pawed at the dirt, trying to get rid of it, before stopping and pointing at it again. The foal looked between them, wondering if they could understand her. A nod and a neigh, should the word ‘roots’ partake in their voices.

[[all's good! :3 Thanks! I'm still trying to figure her out... I apologise for any inconsistencies XP ]]

For Ru, the tension growing between the two mares was a familiar occurrence. Not that she, the child, enjoyed participating in them. In fact, she seemed to be far removed from the exchange. As the adults spoke of her, she felt strangely detached from it. Perhaps most of it never really registered in her mind, and after a while it all seemed to blur. The words ‘inappropriate behavior’, ‘dumb’, and ‘speak’ began to dance in the air – haphazardly within the grasp of Ru’s mind. While they were spoken with intention, they brought a sense of unease to the youth; these things she could not control.

The filly however was stubborn in her thinking, these situations did not control who she was. The idea that she might have been broken, or cursed – did not dictate how other people might treat her. And all in the same, perhaps blindly – because she did not know any better – she thought the world was sunny to a point. And so far, as far she could interpret she was not bothered by either of their presence. Perhaps time might make something more critical of the girl, but in the meantime she was far too opptimistic having found people in her journey. Each, offering the possibility of a home.

Maren’s response caught her attention as she spoke to the silver clad mare. Ru wasn’t sure what it really meant; this talk of cruel and the undeserved. If cruelness was truly the issue, Ru would’ve blamed her mother for leaving her (problem solved?). If there was someone that both the mares might disagree on, they could argue about her instead.

Ru would have to footnote the thought, because that would have to wait for another day. This day, however, was still here and everything was very much alive – despite the snow. Alive and asleep, Ru thought happily. And pushed the arguments and the invisible, heated lines to meet the challenge ahead of her.

The challenge of a name.

Preferring that they would play nicely with each other when she returned, she was not deterred by such happenings and remained exuberant about the roots. Bright, pastel blues watched as December dipped her head to take a whiff of the cold dirt. She grinned as December regarded her with kind eyes.  The same warmth that – moments ago – would have caused those eyes to spring into a leaky storm cloud.

She triumphantly stomped her forelimb with a sharp nod. The child neighed briefly, sharp and high pitched. Thinking quite simply, YES! Yet despite December’s correct answer, the part about /roo/ of /roots/ that sounded like her name was going to be a far more complicated matter... Her eyes, as clear and open as they were to the world around her became mixed, and clouded with thought.

Saying Ru in itself was not an option. Even if she wanted to, it just – never happened. Perhaps she could copy the sound; listening carefully for the word roots to spring out from December’s lips. But time rarely offered the chance to bark out these sounds. And rather then fumble in front the pair, she could not show her weakness so blatantly in the wild.

Sunny to a point, right?

'You're not joking around are you?'

Her ears fluttered forward to the sound of Maren’s voice. She shook her head seriously, a very matter of fact: of course not. As if it had been the only adult thing she had achieved in their presence. But by the Creator’s hand, a smile appeared on those frosted lips! She smiled in return, and hummed from the bottom of her throat. Lest she react too much, and that smile would dissolve from this existence entirely.

But there was more for Maren to say, and the girl listened steadily. Her little tail wiggled in delight at the thought of sailing. But there was more to consider other than her reward. Essentially, there was this thing that Ru was ‘supposed to do’.

It was this same thing that ushered her out of the wilderness, forgoing the search for her family and ‘moving on’. For one to be independent, one must make and take choices. Would her family come one day, looking for her?

Perhaps, but very unlikely; and for all her strength, if one could even call it strength, she would give anything to have them find her right then and there. But this was the dream, and a fallacy that did not encourage the sort of life Ru wanted. Such a life was dead. There was no living in the past.

Was there?

She sighed and regarded the dappled mare, December. Her serious face cracked into a small grin. She would remember December – she would learn from her. People were more than their facades. And imagine the stories she could tell? And the places they could go together, being sure that the strong mare could protect her indefinitely.

But life was rarely secure, wasn’t it?

Unsure, and slightly more tentative on the offer she regarded Maren and made a curt nod. Her gaze did not last long on the mare with the winged crown, as it swept back to December. The child’s gaze became steady as she forced a smile she hoped appeared confident and sure. That somehow she would be fine. Perhaps they would see each other one day. Helovia, this land, didn’t seem so big. She would find her, and hopefully she would receive her with the same warmth.

Because it was addictive and painful all at the same time; but surely it was worth more to bear than forget entirely.

The child made to bow her head, her wings stretching horizontally and slightly at an angle to the ground. So that the ends of her feathers at the back splayed out briefly. It was meant to be a ‘thank-you’, more than a simple ‘adieu’. She raised her head, regarded Carl by stretching out her neck to view more of him. And cheekily stuck her tongue out with a giggle. She looked back to find Maren already on her way; but at the time waiting on her. Hopping where she stood she issued out a light-hearted rumble from her mouth. Tossed her head and turned to follow Maren. Making an effort to trot up to her side.