The noontime sun beat down on Adonis’s dappled back, removing the evidence of his little watery escapade. The wetness remained soggy and irritating on his underbelly and sides but the stallion made no attempt to remove it. He was too distracted by the wildness of these new lands. The grass was tall and unkempt, the trees grew gnarled, and even the birds sounded less sing songy and more… predatory and cruel. It was beautiful in its own way, however. Adonis could appreciate the feral beauty, it kept him rightfully on guard and attentive of the scenery around him. That thought in mind, his blue eyes did a cursory scan of the surrounding area. An uncomfortable prickle tickled the back of Adonis’s brain—he felt as if someone was watching him. Shifting his eyes to view the periphery, his baby blues saw nothing of importance, nothing that would cause that sensation. The only things he could see were trees, grass, and shadows. A snort escaped him, accompanied by a shake of his massive head. Everything about Adonis was massive, from his grey hooves to his powerful hindquarters. Every inch of the stallion radiated the Andalusian conformation and pride that both of his parents had given him. He seemed almost out of place in this mundane land—surely, he belongs to the pages of fairytales, or locked away in some princess’s stables in a land far away. Nevertheless, Adonis was never one for special treatment or being extraordinary, except where he’d earned it, and he sure as hell hadn’t earned it by running away from his problems with his tail between his legs. She still haunted him daily—hell, hourly—he couldn’t get her silky black body out of his head, try as he might. Her scent was still the only surefire way to comfort him. The stallion sighed miserably. He did it, he ran away, he left, he did what his father had asked him to do, so why wasn’t it better? Why couldn’t he just forget like most other stallions? Why couldn’t he be distracted by other mares and go chase skirts like young males his age were supposed to do? He stomped his hind hoof in frustration, causing a cloud of dust to float up from the dry ground. Halfheartedly, he tugged at a few of the taller grasses in the clearing, trying to get all these thoughts out of his mind and just be instinctual. It was the only solution he’d found to the pain thus far. The grass here tasted nothing of home; it was wilder, tougher. Adonis appreciated it, however. At least this way he wouldn’t be as terribly homesick. Adonis soon lost himself in the simple task of grazing. It was indeed a wonderful distraction—trying to find the most tender shoots of grass, the greenest, the freshest; it was all very mechanical and soothing for him. A pleased nicker left his throat unbidden, and he was pleasantly surprised by it. A small smile registered on his face. Maybe there’s hope for me after all, he thought. After all, it can’t be eternal doom and gloom… At least for me, not so much for her or the child… The brute sighed. Again, she was poisoning his thoughts! Disgusted, he turned away from the patch of grass and went back to the pond, his feet plodding along dejectedly. Perhaps some self-reflection will do me good, he mused.

A low humming noise behind him halted his progression to the pond. His soft ears immediately ticked back against his skull, and he turned his head to the sound of the noise. So someone had been watching him after all! Out of the shadows—literally, the mare seemed to materialize out of them—came an inky, slightly stocky femme. Adonis’s ears slowly pricked up in curiosity, and his tail swished. Her expression was unreadable, but her eyes, a pleasing yellow brown, showed some semblance of a warm expression. Relaxing his tense stature, he turned to face the newcomer, being mindful not to splash her with his still soaked coat. She opened her mouth to speak, and out of her mouth came a simple “greetings”. Her accent was strange, foreign to him—but of course, that was to be expected. He was sure his slightly Southern accent would be strange to her as well.

“Hello.”

Simple, succinct, to the point, but not rude. Adonis wasn’t much one for heavily formal speech, it seemed very fake to his ears. He’d rather speak comfortably and make sense than sound impressive and important. Her head bowed in acknowledgement, and Adonis found his mirroring her. He wasn’t familiar with the customs of these parts, so he figured he’d best follow her lead lest he look like an insufferable jerk. He saw her eyes rove over his body, and if horses could blush, he would have. She could clearly see the evidence of his slip into the water as obviously as he could feel it. Thankfully, she made no comment, and instead chose to talk about other things. “What brings you to Helovia?” Hmm. A loaded question. Quickly, Adonis pondered how he should answer. Truthfully? No, it was too much to share with a stranger. Therefore, he’d give the answer every stranger expects instead, that was safe.

“I felt like a change. My home was getting rather crowded, and I know my father felt nervous with a younger, stronger stallion around, even though he knew I’d never take—“

Adonis stopped short in the middle of his sentence. His mouth gaped open unabashedly. A golden thing had flew down from the sky and landed on the inky mare. It was vaguely reptilian, with large wings and frighteningly large claws. Was this a dragon? He’d only heard of them in passing, and in stories. Adonis had no idea these were real, living, breathing creatures! Remembering himself, Adonis shut his mouth with an audible click. Stuttering slightly, though the reptilian animal seemed to be in a peaceable mood, he continued on with his explanation, though it was somewhat lacking in the enthusiasm it had before.

“—his place as lead away from him.”

He couldn’t contain his curiosity beyond this point. So, once again, he spoke to the femme.

“I’m sorry, but… is that a dragon? I’ve only heard of them in stories, never seen one personally.”

Hopefully she didn’t think him to be too much of a fool.