Common

As the afternoon wound down, Solomon found his feet growing restless far earlier than normal. Usually, his thoughts did not steal his peace until the moon was high in the sky and the world very still. Tonight, however, as his thoughts began to stray away from the foal games and the social ebb and flow of the Cove, it lingered restlessly on his encounter with Chelle.

She had reminded him so strongly of someone from his past that he had begun to grow paranoid that others would come, and bring with them the chaos that had dominated his formative years. Solomon would be lying if he claimed that he did not miss aspects of his young adulthood, but he had grown content with his current life. If Judas crossed the ocean, for example, Solomon was certain that war would return to the islands with him.

The lean tobiano walked restlessly along the edge of the continent, his thoughts far away. Movement always helped him sort through the tangle of thoughts in his mind and the slight burn of his muscles from the swim and subsequent trek across the Peak gave him a feeling of accomplishing something, even if the something was only exercise. Nearly a year had gone by since he had last come to the Commons with the intent of claiming something to bring home, and yet this path was a familiar one. He had visited the Crossing relentlessly during his first few months on the islands under the misguided belief that a large herd would equate to power as it had where he came from.

Solomon had quickly learned that the opposite was true here.

On the isles, mares were not meek property to be bought and sold. Here, they exercised the same freedoms and rights that he had always been led to believe were his by birthright. It had taken him years to even get to this tenuous level of acceptance with these norms, and even now he still balked at certain aspects.

Subtle movement ahead draws his attention and he slows to study the barely discernable figure in the shadows. In a way, she reminds him of Valka, despite the differences in her build and color. Something about the quiet way she seems to be surveying the sprawl of land before her reminds him of those long moments in the winter that he'd spent watching the Bay Queen from afar.

Solomon's path orients abruptly toward her, even as his gaze searches the forest beyond for any other potential suitors. Even though his last encounter had gone well with Cain and Chelle, he was loathed to face down another stallion in a battle for this strange girl's affections. As he draws closer, he nickers softly to alert her and softens his body language as he draws to a halt.

"You know," he offers with a rogue smile, "normally I have some sort of witty chat-up line or compliment to offer." Shaking his head gently, he chuckles. "But something tells me you'd see right through it."

"I'm Solomon, from the Cove." He says after a pause, settling in across from the exotic-looking mare. In a way, she reminded him of Nyimara's dramatic coloration, only with less crazy in her eyes. Up close it was easier to differentiate the feminine lines of her body from the deep shadows that she sheltered under. She looked as though she was born and bred for life on an island such as Tinuvel, and his hopes rose for the future. It may be summer now, but the chilly days of autumn and the frigid temperatures of winter were not far off.

Solomon