He thought he had smelled him upon the wind, and it was with swift motions of his long legs did he sprint with renewed vigor. Heart pounding in his ears his nostrils flared from exertion, his wings tucked tightly against his sides in order to give him the best chance of gaining speed. His mind was racing of how he would respond if he finally came across him. What would he say to the man who had murdered their mother? Would he scream and cry before trying to rip the flesh from his body, or would he try and snap those precious wings he so often tried to preen in hopes of catching a damsel's eye. The anger only continued to bubble, and with a snap of his teeth he did not stop running until he simply couldn't anymore. All at once his body simply stopped, and down he fell into the snow, it causing shivers to run along his spine.

There had not been snow in Bahari, the climate had been much too warm, and he had only rarely seen it in the lands of his home Korofi, only when he traveled to the higher parts of the mountain did he see it, and even then it was only a light dusting. This was different though, the snow thickly layered on the floor and nearly up to his knees, leaving him quite curious as his wings fanned at his sides and rested lightly against the icy shards, letting the cool sensation soak through the sensitive tines of his feathers. Brown eyes of honey studied his surroundings for a moment, before finally rising his his feet and looking ahead in hopes of an answer to where he exactly was.

As the powder began to fall away from his dark body, his face was only looking up into the thick trees, wondering where the sunlight was coming from if he couldn't see it past the thick, entwined branches. He wasn't used to not seeing the sky, and he suddenly felt rather nervous. Swallowing hard, the stallion finally tilted his head to face forward once again, continuing a now relaxed pace in hopes of finding something. Maybe someone would be able to tell him where his supposed brother was.

"Talk."

arende trefe

the spared eagle son

White skull lifted at once at the sound of his native tongue, and upon seeing the blue and white jay he smiled brightly, lifting his legs high above the snow with each step to reach him faster. With a tender offer of his muzzle he snorted, meeting bright blues with the light honey of his own,"Ons ontmoet weer kameraad! Have you been well Sunjata?" He felt comforted by the presence of another, especially from someone he knew, and though the two hadn't necessarily been entire close, they had bonded over the times he had offered his wares to the noble steed. Along with the dark, lonely nights he had faced these past few months in search of his brother, he had come to find that company was something he had grown to quite miss. With his eyes still light, he glanced at their surroundings quietly, studying the way the trees swayed and how closed off they seemed, before finally looking to the brute once again,"Tell me kaameraad, where are we now? Have you been here long, and are there... others?"

He didn't want to sound too hopeful with his words, but if there was one Korofi, there was always more, and he hoped and prayed that meant that Graasvoel had also come this way too. It would make his life that much easier. If Sunjata knew of him, knew where he was, then all Arende would need to do is begin his plan of attack, to figure out how he would approach the one who ruined his life with one simply act of apathy. Letting his eyes wander patiently as he waited for his friend's answer, he suddenly noticed the trees parting to revel and pretty little mare, seemingly unsure of where she was walking before nearly stumbling upon them. There was a glassiness to her eyes, one that Arende found to be intrigued, yet he made no comment, but simply watched her as she seemed to so hesitantly speak.

His eyes suddenly went soft, watching her with kind eyes and offering a warm smile. He took this moment to turn away from the fellow male to address her, stepping only slightly closer so as not to startle her. She seemed skittish, as if this had been an accident, and based on her words he was probably correct in his assumption. She was but a lost damsel stuck in the dark woods, waiting to be rescued by someone, anyone. The winged man was happy to oblige. With his never once leaving hers, he tried to remain friendly, keeping his wings tucked close to appear smaller, and his ears pricked in curious attention,"There's no need to apologize M'Lady, we were just making up for lost time. Are you in search of something? Although I am not familiar with these parts, I'm sure my friend Sunjata would be able to assist both of us. I am Adrende Trefe, but you may call me Arende. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." His smile was so charming, the way in which he stood showing off his muscular physique, and even as he stood there looking quite attractive, he certainly wasn't trying to be. He was concerned about her, and it was evident in the way in which he watched her patiently, worry etching at the corners of his kind eyes, all while he hoped that she would at least say something to them.

"Talk."

arende trefe

the spared eagle son

arende trefe

He couldn't help but feel concerned for Sunjata. Had his stay here not been as welcoming as it should have been? He knew adjusting to a new place and life was very hard, he knew this very well, but it didn't mean he wasn't worried about his old friend. What had happened that made him seem so... bitter? Before he could ask the man was speaking once again, and at once he understood, not because he could relate, but knew the tensions between the Korofi and Dorobians had always been high. Although he was fortunate enough to never experience the backlash of the war, he had heard the news and rumors of it on his travels whilst trading, and all of it sounded like an awful mess. War was never pretty, and although he never knew why it truly began, he also felt that such things happened for a reason, and one mustn't back down from a fight. That was not the Korofi way. They were great warriors that fought until the death, holding pride for their battle scars and broken wings and the blood upon their hooves. They would fight tooth and hoof to bring those who had betrayed them down, and would stop at nothing to bring justice.

That was Arende's goal after all, to bring justice to his beloved mother who had been ambushed, then left to rot because one of her sons has chosen not to care. A bile rose within his throat, his eyes fighting back tears as all the anguish resurfaced, and with all of his strength he kept them back as he listened to Sunjata continue. Although he hadn't personally met the Elephant King, he knew of him, and him ruling here meant hard times were coming should he decide to strike. However, perhaps he had come here for a new start as so many others had, and had decided to set aside the differences the two races had against each other. The white and red could only hope this was the case.

His mind was brought back to reality when the pretty damsel from before began to speak, her eyes filled with uncertainty with every word she said. He hadn't noticed until now how much taller she was than both of them, towering over the two by easily a hand or two, and the sudden realization made Arende feel rather... inadequate? The Korofi women were often smaller in size, lightly built and meant for agile, swift movements, instead of brute force like their male counterpart. It was hard in many ways to take in the tower height of this rather pretty woman. He didn't know where to go from there, other than the fact she was lost, and she needed someone to help her. Arende wanted to, he really did, but being just as new as she, he had no idea where to begin in this Helovia.

"That is quite the predicament Miss Astrid," he rumbled thoughtfully, watching her pleasantly despite his own insecurities, and he would have said more had the blue jay not interjected, suggesting both of them come with him to his home. Curiosity piqued, he listened to what he had to say before turning at the sound of the lady's response, and thus was left to think and possibly make his own decision. Should he follow his friend and settle for awhile? Perhaps he could grab Intel from others in the whereabouts of Gaal; but then again how long had he been waiting to finally face his brother again? Was his mother's vengeance worth waiting for? No, he immediately told himself. This was not something that could be pushed aside for later. His mother deserved better than that. How long had she waited for someone to heal her before she had died of infection? How many nights had she cried, his name falling from her lips telling him to hurry home because she needed him. And he had never come. Clearing his throat in hopes of once again blinking away the tears, he turned to his comrade with a serious expression, determination glimmering in his honey eyes as he finally spoke again,"I apologize Sunjata. As much as I enjoy our reunion, and would like to see your home; there is something I must do. I came here looking for someone, and I must find them with haste. Until we meet again, I wish you the best, and hopefully we can find Astrid a place to stay."

His nose gently bumped into his companion's in a friendly way, as if to show no hard feelings, before he finally addressed the pretty bluebird again. His eyes were filled with a sweet kindness, an apologetic smile across ivory lips as he approached her as well, though much slower, and offering his own muzzle to hers as a sign of friendship,"As much as I would love to speak more with you M'lady, I'm afraid there are other matters I must address at this moment in time. I do hope we can meet again." And he truly meant it, his smile filled with genuine earnest, it charming and alluring all at once in the most unintentional way. Had he been doing anything else, not been so worried about saving his mother's family name, he might have invited the beauty to join him. To walk for awhile and talk with him so they could get to know each other. He certainly wasn't unfamiliar with the ways of courting another, with the shy glances and giddy giggling as they played cat and mouse with their words, but he simply had put these activities on the back burner. His mother would always come first for him. Always. So with a dip of his head to both, he finally went to make his leave, heading in the direction Sunjata had come in hopes of being able to escape this maze.

"Talk."