XOLANI

The trip to the Dragon's Throat of which Ilios spoke passed quickly and without incident.  The ivory mare walked easily beside the teal stallion, listening eagerly to anything that he chose to share with her, greeting his words with enthusiastic nods and smiles.  Every now and then, particularly excited by a new animal or plant or landscape, she would prance happily in place, her tail flagging behind her and her neck arching joyfully.  She was a happy creature, despite her rather unfortunate past, and it showed in every line of her body, with every movement that she made.

The forest around them stretched ever-onward, growing even thicker for a time before they emerged into wide fields of thistle and shrubbery.  Her light blue gaze took it all in, down to the tiniest detail, thrilled to be able to explore at her leisure, protected by a stallion who she internally proclaimed to be a knight in shining turquoise armor.  Each time she stepped cautiously away from him, intrigued by this or that, she quickly returned, snorting and shy, to his side, periodically brushing her nose against whichever wing was closest to her, as though to reassure herself that he was still there.

Eventually, the thistle gave way to grass, and then dirt, and then sand, and the mare knew that they were growing close.  Her heart began to beat quickly in her chest - how did Ilios know that his kin would accept her?  What if they were all colorful and intricate and winged, like him?  She would be little and less against the likes of them - why would they want a plain, dull, boring mare to join their beautiful herd?  The more she began to think about it, the more anxious she became, until she began to jog uncomfortably, almost in place, her tail wringing with nerves.

When Ilios informed her that they were nearly there, and that they would have to wait on shore for her to be accepted, she cocked her head quizzically to the side.  What did he mean, on shore?  Why did they have to wait?  She didn't particularly like the idea of having time for her mind to run away with her, dragging her unwillingly to dark thoughts and deep fears.  And then he complimented her again, and she didn't know what to make of it, and before she could really consider her tumultuous emotions, he was playfully asking for a race.  She obliged quickly, grateful for the distraction.  A nod and a grin graced her dished visage, and then she leaped into a canter, following closely as Ilios began to run the shoreline.

They ran, flying along the shore, for once just a pair of horses.  Their color and their race no longer mattered, and the mare felt truly free for the first time.  The wind whipped through her mane, tangled in her tail, stung against her eyes - and she welcomed it all, pushing herself to run faster and faster, never quite catching up to the stallion in front of her, but keeping up all the same.

When he tucked his hindquarters underneath him, she swerved around him to avoid a collision and slowly brought herself back to a canter.  She circled around, tossing her head and bucking playfully, finally slowing to a trot as she approached him again.  A mischievous smile graced her features and her ears were pricked eagerly forward.  He had successfully gotten her to forget her nerves and her fear, and her bright eyes shone with admiration and pleasure.  When she stopped before him, she reached to bump her nose impishly against his shoulder.  She would trust him; if he said that this would be her new home, then it would be her new home.

XOLANI

Lani, do you have any siblings where you come from?

The question brought a jolt of surprise to the mare's heart.  Her face fell suddenly, and she shook her head.  Even if she had been able to speak, that might have been all that she managed, assuaged suddenly by the memories of her parents' disappointment.  They had blamed her, after all, young and naive and innocent though she was, for her mother's inability to bear more children.  They might have replaced her, if they had been able; tried again and hoped for a child that was neither plain nor boring.  But alas, they were stuck with her:  an embarrassing misfit that could not be introduced to polite society.  Better to hide her away and never reveal that they had brought such a humiliating little brat into the --

She shoved the thoughts aside.  Her eyes refocused on his face, and she smiled tentatively as he began to speak of his sister.  The mare wondered what it was like, having someone of whom you could speak fondly, someone you could rely on, no matter what.  It was clear that Ilios adored his sister, and Xolani found herself wondering if she would ever meet the girl.  Where did she live, if not the Dragon's Throat?  Why would they not live together?  And what of their parents?  Was it normal in this land for families to be scattered to the winds?  How often did they see one another?  Were the herd lands that Ilios had mentioned close enough together to visit that often, or did one simply wonder for seasons whether or not their family was all right?

Ah, to be able to ask such burning questions!

But there was much to learn, and she did not linger for long on the burning desire to be able to speak her mind, as any normal creature could.  The Throat, she learned, was an island, and as they drew closer, she noted that there was, in fact, a great piece of land off the coast where they walked.  She pricked her ears forward, her pain momentarily forgotten, and grinned at him, imagining that their journey across the waves would be yet another exciting adventure.  At his mention of the Aurora in, however, she sobered slightly, nodding her agreement that it was indeed a good thing to be separated from the mainland.

And then, they ran.

She needed no warning, no careful waiting for her agreement - she was built for speed and endurance, with a mind that longed for the spontaneous.  It was with great pleasure that she leaped into a run, never overtaking him, but at least holding her own - and it was with a spring in her step and a grin on her face that she returned to him playfully.  The mirror of her gesture was met with a brief fluttering in her chest and a surprised pleasure in her eyes, for she had never been privy to such easy displays of affection before.

The arrival of another sent her scuttling behind Ilios, peering carefully around his wing.  The mare who greeted Ilios was beautiful and winged, black tinged with an electric blue that drew Xolani like a moth to flame.  Again, she wondered how she would possibly fit in here, she who was nothing more than a pale canvas - Ilios and this Ampere were both colorful and lovely, intricate in a way that the equine mare could never hope to match.  She quailed before the magnificence presented to her, worriedly wringing her tail as she shuffled slightly closer to the teal stallion.

Little did she know that her coat had began to shimmer with a pale yellow-green, apprehension stirring in her gut.  The shapes were ill-formed and vague as they danced across her coat, splattering like water and then falling, disappearing and reappearing as though a gentle rain washed along her spine.  The color stayed that same yellow-green, save a smear of teal every now and then, a glimmer of yellow periodically - colors of awe and of submission, dancing in intricate patterns across her pelt.

Ilios introduced her, and she nodded with a tentative smile.  A faint orange joined the greens on her pelt for a moment, indicating her interest and anticipation, but it broke down quickly, overwhelmed by the mare's anxiety.  She wanted to speak out, to ask for her own acceptance, to beg to stay - where would she go, after all, if she were to be turned away at the gates of her future home?  She knew no one and nothing besides Ilios and his Dragon's Throat, and there was no more for her in this land than there had been in her old one.  She swallowed hard, hope and fear warring for attention in her mind and on her pelt, greens and yellows and oranges vying for their place.

Please let me in.

OOC :: Xolani's passive magic is beginning to manifest! :D She is completely unaware of the fact that there are colors on her coat atm, and there are no shapes yet to show her thoughts - those will start to show more clearly in the next few posts or perhaps her next thread ;D

XOLANI

Oblivious still to the colors dancing on her coat, Xolani watched Ampere carefully for any sort of reaction.  The pale mare had accepted that Ilios liked her, for some unfathomable reason, and that he was perfectly content to be around her, as strange as that was.  She did not, however, know Ampere, and the blue-streaked mare had no reason to like or accept her into the desert herd.  Having relied on body language for years as her primary means of communication, the little Arabian mare was particularly attuned to the subtle shifts of facial features that accompanied the thoughts of most individuals.  Ampere seemed pleased to see Ilios, offering him a genuine smile before turning her inquisitive look to the ivory fae.

As Ilios explained Xolani's predicament, Ampere's smile began to falter, turning into a slight frown.  Xolani immediately began to shift uncomfortably, panic beginning to rise in her gut.  She knew that Ilios had been too good to be true, that not everyone in Helovia would be as kind and accepting as he - but she had hoped nonetheless.  Teal humiliation mingled with the green terror on her hide, interspersed with dull purple swirls of rejection.  The colors were growing brighter now, but the mare remained unaware.  A dark red with the slightest hint of pink betrayed her anger at herself - why had she thought things would be any different here than they had been at home?  If it wasn't her plain coloration, it would be a problem that she was mute - there would always be some way in which she was lacking, in which she could not live up to the expectations of --

ELLO!

The voice made her jump, a brilliant green streaking across her pelt with surprise.  A small bird circled overhead, screaming a greeting.  Xolani watched with apprehension evident on her features, never having seen a talking bird before.  Ampere quickly scolded it, claiming it and inviting it gruffly to her withers.  The pale mare watched nervously from behind Ilios, leaning to the side to peer curiously at this strange interaction.  The yellow-orange that accompanied the feeling on her coat was short-lived, giving way to the constant swirl of greens and blues that were particularly strong given her current situation.

The two pegasi began to ask her about colors, and the mare looked from Ilios to Ampere with confusion obvious on her face.  She hadn't the slightest clue what they referred to and, fearing that they were playing a trick on the plain, mute newcomer, she glanced suspiciously to the side, expecting to see nothing of interest on her coat.  Imagine her surprise when she found a myriad of color blossoming where there had been naught but a few stray bits of sand only moments before!  The greens grew in number and intensity, reflecting her bewilderment as she shied away, realizing too late that she was headed directly for Ilios's flank.