His eyes followed the movements of the glowing insects as they floated about the clearing, stirring water vapor with their lace-like wings. Their flight paths were as erratic as his wanderings, for he had no knowledge of the land he traversed, and no idea where to go. The best solution was to take things in stride; maybe in time his mind would clear and he would find a home to settle in, if he ever wished for one. For now he was content to remain a faceless nomad, meeting wanderers and leaving them with nothing to remember him by, enjoying their company for brief moments and departing before he could allow himself to be tied down.

He rarely missed his homeland, and spared it as little thought as he could manage, chasing memories from his brain before they were allowed to settle there and give him trouble. In ways he was both happy to be rid of it, and wistful that he had soured the relations of both his family and friends, though he’d known no one of blood relation. Both his father and mother had left him long before he could form full words on his tongue and thoughts in his mind. But he didn’t miss them; only the ones he had learnt to trust and depend upon, until he himself had broke the chains of companionship and betrayed their loyalty. He shivered, though not from the cold, sapphire eyes following the movements of the insects that had so entirely captured his interest, banishing all troubles from his mind.

At first the soft sound of footsteps nearing had seemed to simply be a rush of wind through the trees, and Roland merely flicked an ear in dismissal of the noise. When branches began to snap, and the noise grew gradually closer, his muscles tensed and his eyes bore into the shadows, expecting to set eyes upon the blood stained maw of a predator. The dark mare escaped his notice until she spoke. Roland jumped as violently as if it had been a scream that cleaved through the night air, rather than an unthreatening greeting. Though his nostrils flared, he maintained his composure and sought her out in the darkness, smiling bleakly.

Fireflies danced across his vision as he dipped his head to get a better look at her, noticing the purple gleam of her eyes from the yellow light. He paused a moment, looking her up and down slowly as if analyzing her, skeptical at first of her intentions. He noted the wings protruding from her sides, barely visible in the shadows, but they didn’t give him cause to bat an eye. “Hello. Out for a walk? ” He asked, the tremble of suspicion repressed from his tone, a smile on his golden face. The pale haze over her violet eyes went unnoticed, and he regarded the mare as if she were aware of the emotions that played across his face.

walk walk walk
"talk talk talk"