With the birth of her children, Xolani's mood had gone back to its usual good cheer. Her pelt, darkened for months with dull teals of fear and anxiety, had lightened considerably. These days, it was more commonly covered in the yellows of joy and the greens of love that the mare associated singlehandedly with her children. Though the twins had been a bit of a surprise, the silent mare had found herself captivated by their childish antics, entranced by their innocent charm. More than anything else, she found herself, for the first time, surrounded by a true family. Regardless of what came next for her, she knew that she would always have ties to her children, and that she would do whatever she had to in order to ensure a good relationship with them.

Despite her adoration for the babies, she had slipped away from the Dragon's Throat on this particular day in search of something pretty to gift them with. Other mares in the Dragon's Throat had recently given birth, and Xolani knew that the children would be safe within the boundaries of the oasis. Besides, she thought, how happy would they be to receive something from a distant land to remind them that there was an entire world beyond the borders of the Throat just waiting for them to grow old enough to explore.

The mare had wandered toward the west once she had arrived at the mainland, hurrying past the Heart Caves and pressed onward until she entered a comfortable wood. The heat of Tallsun was not so bad beneath the leaves that sheltered her, and in the distance she could hear a cheerful brook. Unknowingly, she approached the Ancient Rotunda, following the faint call of the water and the distant sound of hoofbeats. She arrived just in time to watch a stallion prance his way right into a marble pillar. The mare gasped almost inaudibly, scrunching her nose slightly as she imagined the discomfort that the steed must be feeling. She hesitated, not wanting to intrude, particularly as he seemed to shake off his momentary lack of grace and go about his business inspecting the structure.

But if she were to turn back now, she would have nothing to give to Patrick and Kolr. Besides, she noticed that the stranger was dripping blood onto the otherwise clean white stone. What if he needed assistance?

The mare stepped forward silently, carefully making sure that her hoofbeats would announce her presence. As she entered the Rotunda, she was amazed by its beauty: green awe colored her pelt, building a vague image of the building in which they stood. The image changed and morphed, the slightest of greens tinting the shapes upon her coat as the mare was filled with peace. Remembering herself, she turned her blue eyes to the stranger and nodded politely, a small smile on her face.

Thoughts.

If she were more attentive, she would perhaps have noticed the way that the stallion stared at her, ogling her body as though she were a fine piece of art on display. It was not quite the same as being looked at like a piece of meat or perhaps a ripened apple, prime for the taking, as though the one looking wished to devour her; but nor was it entirely polite or acceptable, and given the choice, Xolani would have been quite glad not to have noticed it. As it were, she was quite a bit more interested in her surroundings than the stallion before her, though he would, no doubt, prove to be quite interesting in the minutes to come.

A movement drew the mare's gaze back to him, a smile gracing her lips as she watched the deep bow that the stallion offered her. How very nice of him, she thought to herself, shyly and demurely lowering her gaze to the floor dipping her head politely in greeting. The reverence with which the steed was treating her made the mare quite uncomfortable - she was unused to such a display, having been treated with nothing but disgust in her homeland. Even here, where Ilios had doted on her kindly (at least for a while, she remembered, her mood souring slightly), the overdramatic flair with which this stallion greeted her was abnormal. Particularly for one as plain as her.

He, on the other hand, was a lovely stallion: he was tall, leanly muscled, covered in a beautiful mahogany bay coat. In perfect contrast to the darker colors of his pelt, the man boasted an impressive length of creamy mane and tail that looked to be just as soft, if not softer, than Xolani's. Huge, black horns were set backwards on his head, arcing spectacularly over his long back. A pretty green stone - she didn't know what kind - accented his forehead. His voice, too, was pretty: it was soft and kind, and it brought a smile to her pretty face. He called her lovely, and she shook her head slightly with an amused smile. She was nothing special, as he was no doubt about to find out. After all, she couldn't even talk.

A step or two forward, and she reached out, offering her muzzle with an apologetic smile. On her pelt, a horse's head appeared, appearing to be talking - then a large 'x' appeared over the shape, as though to convey that she could not speak. Perhaps, if he was kind, he would politely excuse himself rather than attacking her - verbally or physically. Or, perhaps... it seemed too much to hope for, but perhaps he would stay.

Thoughts.