Meadow

When she stiffened, he waited with bated breath, fearing the mare would flea into the fog and he'd never see her again. Yet when he chose to hold his ground, she soon settled and he breathed once more, hoping that meant she would stay to talk. Somehow the fog, seemed less suffocating with the knowledge that she was here also. He watched as she squinted and tried to make him out the best she could, finally calling him strange, which earned her a soft chuckle as he shook out his mane. "Thank you....I think." He murmured as he continued to watch her. Finally, she admitted it wasn't custom to ask such things and he found himself tilting his head in question of the words she used.

"I'm sorry, I don't know such words. Kappi? Does that mean male or something?" He didn't want her to think he was insulting her language. If anything, he found himself intrigued and fascinated by the way the word rolled off her fluent tongue. "If so, we come from very different lands for I was taught to always ask." He added on, just so the conversation didn't have to end. He thought of his own gentle yet strong mother. She had her own share of demons but she was a warrior, through and through. He knew his father was responsible for some of those demons, but he could also see his father working every day to try to make up for it. He could see the way his father cherished his mother in every single way. Looking at the sooty silver mare standing tall before him in the fog, Akello was sure his mother would approve.

As she moved through the fog, he continued to hold his ground, letting her approach at her own pace. When she got closer, he could see the scars on her muzzle and thought of his own only fresh to his skin after a couple years of sparring. He made sure to do it every chance he got, but he knew it was nothing compared to the battles his father had seen. Her question made him thoughtful for a moment. Finally he met her gaze. "I have a feeling you mean something deeper so I'll tell you this: Yes, I don't hesitate to use teeth or hooves to get what I want when the time calls for it. For now, I fight for the experience so that one day I can defend those I care about. I know I don't have to ask the same of you so I'll change my question a little. What do you fight for?"