fate is a notion that she used to believe in. destiny. osud… the path she had been groomed to walk? she would have been a queen by blood. the matriarch of a people… of a herd so great it would have dwarfed one of the isles here. but that path had crumbled at her feet in one night. so it was hard for her, to believe in fate. how could the gods have meant for all of tragedies of the world? tragedies to those that they happened to at least… it seemed too cruel that a supposedly benevolent force would allow any of the things that had happened to her to befall one of its subjects. what if, instead of fate, all they had were the circumstances of their lives and the decisions they made to face those circumstances? that was something she could believe in. it was an idea that gave new meaning to the teachings of her youth. it was the difference between being worthy of the future before you or truly creating a future worthy of your actions. back when things were simple, and her future was planned out, it wasn’t as important to think she had any control. but now? now that things had been turned upside down and inside out time and time again.. the notion of being in control of your choices and shaping your own future had an undeniable appeal. the massive mare is reminded of just how little she has interacted with stallions other than her bratri and otec, kunzak, and her less-than-pleasurable encounters with the lagoon boss. when it comes to ordinary conversations, she is embarrassingly inexperienced… though something in the intensity of his gaze tells her this isn’t going to be an ordinary conversation… she forces her ink black eyes up to meet his, tempering her nerves with a flash of determination. she would not be cowed by the irritating thump of her heart or the warmth in her cheeks that she suddenly felt as a result of his proximity. quite a bit had changed since that day in the falls but the fundamentals were the same. she was still proud… still had a temper..perhaps more so now.. and she was just as fierce and determined as she had been then. the wounds of her past had healed over some though… the sharpness of her homesickness and loneliness had been dulled into something bearable. his question intrigues her but she answers it without hesitation. i do. or at least, i must always try. she has fought to defend several times on behalf of the peak, not always winning, but always trying. she suspected she would always feel that way. there was honor in helping those who needed it… in helping to provide justice when it was within her reach. she tries not to think then, of the all encompassing rage she had felt in the lagoon…. and the vitriol she let fuel her then… it made her realize just how important it was to defend the small… to do good. it was an anti-toxin to the poison she sometimes felt burning madly in her veins. she shifts toward the large stallion, still the only creature she had ever encountered that was bigger than she.. it is somewhat subconsciously done… curiosity taking over as she wonders what had lead him back after all this time. before she can stop herself she speaks again. you are no longer keeping company with the spotted little pitomec? are you picking better friends these days? she doesn’t remember the other stallion’s name… the one who she considered vile for making such fun of the poor mare who had stumbled in front of them… (she still feels heat rise to her blood just thinking of it. ) but mentions him to show that she remembers. she remembers that day after all this time too. she’s not sure what it means… to him or to her really. but at least after all she has been through, it is sometimes enough to just know when you are not alone. |