Solitude portended dark things to the stallion who had known the drear emptiness of abandonment, an association so strong that he often found himself revisiting his tenuous and frightening beginnings when it inflicted its unwelcome company upon him. For this reason, Baldur preferred to remain in the company of his family and typically avoided being alone at all costs; Jabberwocky's companionship, in particular, had managed to repress the image of the white mare vanishing into shadow until it was nothing but a vague image buried beneath cobwebs in a distant corner of his mind. As a new crispness in the air heralded the arrival of autumn, however, the spotted teenager began to seek solitude more and more; he would sooner dwell on the darkness of his past, and thus avoid the inevitability of his future.

He was growing up, and the uncertainty of his fate was more frightening to him than the mysteries of his past.

Of the facts he did know, none provided comfort; Balderdash was fast approaching maturity and knew what that portended. Nikola had been a father to him, even when he had not fully understood the meaning of the word, and it pained the colt to know that he would soon be driven away by the grullo man. It was more of necessity than desire, of course - there was not room enough in the ridge for another mature stallion - but nevertheless, the spotted teen experienced a pang of loss as he out across the rolling hills, the rocky beach, and the rugged terrain that had been his home for so long. Already it felt like he was leaving himself behind; as if his identity were crumbling to ash around him, and Baldur would see only a stranger if he were to gaze into the still pool that framed this mountain retreat.

Ensnared in the tangled web of thought and emotion, it is only when the inevitable rumble of thunder reaches his ears that Baldur manages to extricate himself from the clinging strands of memory. Clambering carelessly down from his perch on the ledge, the auburn-spotted colt pauses momentarily as a soft golden figure catches his eye. Aliyana, no doubt, waiting to scold him for his unexplained absence. Burying his ears resentfully in the red-and-white strands of his mane, the young stallion continues on his way with many hesitations and a tentative stride, wondering to himself if it would be possible to sneak around unseen and lose himself in the cover of forest.

As he is creeping past, however, Balderdash comes to notice that the figure standing in the glade is little more than a girl. He pauses, torn between sanctuary from the impending rain and curiosity as to the stranger's identity; even from this distance he could see that there was something amiss with her face, though it wasn't unpleasant - just unusual. Resigning himself to the approaching drizzle's whims, the colt veers back into the meadow, his limbs parting the grass with a soft whispers as he approaches the girl. It does not occur to him that he should warn of his approach; being young and inexperienced as his is, Baldur arrives at her side in complete silence, and only then speaks out, in a casual tone that seeks to disguise how nervous he is.

"Hi there."


stallion .. mixed .. fouteen.three .. two .. spotted chestnut sabino .. reba
bandersnatch x seeker