Movement from the giant mare drew Aerek's green-gold gaze upwards again. He peered at her tentatively, and when he saw that she had moved a step back and loosened her posture, he let out a breath he had been holding in, silently grateful for the breathing room. Evidently she had decided he was no serious threat to her or her land, and it looked as though he would be able to leave her presence unscathed.
He dared to lift his head a little, so that he was able to look her in the eye more easily. When she declared that she was the only mare here, a part of him - the part he had stifled and hidden for years now - wondered with wry humor if that was so because she had chased them all away. He did not fail to notice that she had not given him her name, either, but that did not matter. He would likely never see her again, after all.
"Thank you," he said finally, with a quick dip of his head. "I will be on my way, then. Aeros guide you." For a moment he watched her warily, as though afraid to make any sudden movements, but at last he began to move. Slowly at first, he turned and strode away from the mare, watching her from his peripheral vision all the while. Once out of striking distance, he walked more briskly, his ears turned back against the cold wind and his eyes trained on the forest in the horizon.
AEREK
8; flaxen liver chestnut sabino; 15.1hh |