Meadow

How drawn he feels towards her even in the dark as he can barely make out the outline of her slender build in the diffused light of the moon. So many questions racing through his mind as to why she was here, what had drawn her from the safety of her Dunes which before she had seem so loathe to even consider leaving. Was there a chance she felt some semblance of the pull that he did? And yet in the same breath he feels a wave of guilt, for if it was on his account that she had come it meant she risked so much for his sake. The two emotions warred within him, his excitement unable to reconcile with his culpability, but the dark stallion was nothing if not a master of suppressing such sentiments when needed. It is only with years of practice honed around his family that his gently greeting to her is made with an even voice, one that belied everything else he felt for fear of overwhelming her. She deserved the best of him.

The question which he could not ignore however fell in a rumble as soft as thunder, that desire to know why she had come more important than anything else he could fathom in that moment. His molten eyes sought hers, a thrill flashing through his stomach as they met even as her chocolate orbs seemed to dance away to the ground once more as she replies. How he wished to reach out and stroke her cheek, to pull those fathomless eyes back to his once more but he abstains, though it took more willpower than he was comfortable admitting. Though a light smile does tug at his dark lips as he watches the flustered way with which she searches for words, unable to deny that it was so pure… so real as she finally saw fit to glance at him once more. Did Maslakhat even know the treasure he held in such a genuine soul? He doubted it, but Aidoneus had been forged in the fires of his egotistical and conniving relations and Kore was like a breath of fresh air.

He hung on every word that she sang like the rarest music as he tried without real success to not read into the answers she gave. It would be easy to allow himself to believe that she had come to look for him, but he would not put his own desires onto her in such a way. In the end he was simply pleased that she had flexed the strength he did not doubt she possessed by leaving the arid shores she called home, even if temporarily. He echoed her soft laughter with his own as she commented on just how different the scenery here was, something that went far beyond the topography and climate he imagined. “Different can be good though?” His broad head tilted slightly in question, hope leaking into those words before he inquired if she had been subject to any further distress after he had unwillingly taken his leave.

Internally something with in him breathed a sigh of relief as she confirmed the ‘Teke stallion had not given her any more grief at least on his account, though her acceptance of all blame had his brows knitting together slightly. “I doubt that, my presence I am sure did not help matters.” He would not allow her sole claim on whatever blame there might be for that night when it was so undeserved. The embarrassment that seemed to blanket her again at that moment caused his urge to comfort the delicate bay to surge once more, but the shudder that ran across her slender body drew other concerns to the forefront of his mind.

Of course, the common lands were much cooler at any given time than the desert to which she was not only accustomed but bred for, yet as winter now gripped the land that change was no doubt exponential. Internally he cursed himself, knowing if his presence had drawn her somewhere that would cause her even slight discomfort he might never forgive himself. Gritting his teeth he asked the obvious in regards to her discomfort as the snow continued to fall with consistency around them as if mocking that very fact. Through his own thick hide he felt the bite of the weather, but he was far more adapted to it than she. As those stuttered words give credence to his assumptions he moves, not towards her to offer the warmth of his own blood despite that being what he so desired, but instead into the wind so that his considerable size might offer at least some relief from the relentless gales. The shift in his position however did bring him at least slightly closer to her, so much so that the near floral notes of her delicate perfume tickled at his whiskered nose.

He was pulled from such allure however at the self-deprecating comment she mumbled, despite it likely not being meant for him he could not… would not ignore it. Extending his thick neck he reaches across the distance between them just enough that the warmth of his breath might reach her angular features before the chill consumed it once more. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think you’ve had more important things on your mind.” He had not forgotten the state in which he had found her on those shores, knowing that whatever it was that had tormented her so had likely not simply vanished in such a short time. “There rock on the far side of the falls provides a bit more relief from the wind if you like?” His inky nose gestured in the general direction before he gazed back at her, willing to go anywhere that might please her though the idea of the pair huddling together for warmth was not one he disliked it would not aid his desire to cause her no further trouble. “Or if there is anywhere else you would like to go?” This deep-seated need he felt to make her happy was as strong as it was surprising, craving the gentle smile he knew lurked just beneath her uncertain exterior. He did not doubt that there was so much more to her than met the eye.