It was obvious the stallion was relaxed so she remained calm. There was no telling what a stranger might do, but this one seems safe enough. Like her, he was enjoying the joys of nature. This was the very reason she was here. Chasing the sound of the waterfall to remind of her the home she recently ran from. The Ridge would always hold a special place in her heart, but she was grown and alone. The family she grew up with have scattered among the islands (not that she was close to many of them) and those that remained seemed too curious about the new large stallion commanding them. Matoaka had no interest in getting to know the new owners, but she did wish to finally start a life of her own. Maybe even have children someday.
The stranger motions a silent greeting, but it is soon followed by words. His voice was muffled under the sound of the waterfall so her head tilts to the side slightly in confusion. The smile that extends over his mouth suggest he was happy she was here. Should this make her worry? Come to think of it…she has never really talked much to anyone outside of the old Ridge herd. Not many knew of her existence except the friendly creatures she had befriended on Atlantis. Hopefully they understood when she had said goodbye. She watches closely as he creates ripples in the water near his body. He speaks again, but this time she hears him a little more clearly.
A small smile raises on her lips as she nods. ”Yes,” Her voice is soft as her eyes peer down at the water in front of her. The water did look tempting. She takes one slow step towards the liquid until the water was just over the tops of her hooves. This is when she looks back to the stallion to find his gaze on her still. She moves a bit closer as the stallion introduces himself. ”Xanthus…” She plays with the name to try to pronounce it correctly. The closer she became to the stallion the more she realized how tall he was. A whole hander taller than herself. The red mare stares up at him nervously. ”My name is Matoaka de Requiem.” She realized her name was also unique. Not exactly native to these islands though she was born here. Plus, alongside her family’s tradition, it was a bit of a mouthful.
She hasn’t spoken her father’s name in some time so she wasn’t sure why she had mentioned him. Maybe because it has been a while since she met someone new. Nonetheless, just speaking his name brought back the sadness to her eyes. Her parents were the very reason she preferred the creatures over other horses.