Meadow

When the Falls to the north no longer held the promise of peace for Emhyr, he set his sights to the south and its vast meadows. Perhaps here he would finally find the solitude he craved amidst the rolling seas of amber grass and in the whisper of the breeze across the open field. Perhaps here he would finally be able to think. It was a taxing thing, he'd come to find, contemplating one's place in the world.

The black brute settled himself in a quiet corner of the meadow, lowering his head to lip mindlessly at the tips of the grass, skin twitching where it brushed feather-soft against his belly. Lost to the silence and the solitude, Emhyr could not say with certainty how much time passed before he spotted the umbral woman on the horizon. A shadowy streak of movement in the distance drew him from his thoughts, head lifting skyward as his gaze settled upon her figure. He watched with keen interest as she picked her way across the meadow, exhaustion written plainly across her features, and folded herself gracefully beneath the swaying canopy of a tree, lashes fluttering closed over dark eyes.

An inexplicable tug pulled at his breast, a sudden desire to approach, to engage, sparking to life inside him. It took the typically terse stallion by surprise, this swift desire to find himself in her company. He'd come here for quiet, after all - to be alone, free from the trappings of petty small talk and passing glances. Yet he found himself strangely drawn towards the onyx mare and the pretty picture she painted as she lay beneath the autumn-bare tree.

As if possessed by a spirit not his own, Emhyr ambled towards her, an uncharacteristically curious expression painted across the inky planes of his face. He loosed a low whicker as he drew to a half a few body lengths away, the shade of the tree casting a clear boundary between them. He dared not step closer, unsure if his continued approach would be welcome. One silent second stretched into ten, then twenty, then maybe a few dozen more, before finally he grunted out a simple: "Hello."

Immediately the urge to turn and plant his own hoof in his skull overwhelmed him. There must be more he could say than hello. Yes, he knew many more words than that, but his prolonged silence as he stared down at her might make her think otherwise. 'Speak, moron,' a harsh voice hissed in the back of his mind, but the words seemed to become lodged in his throat. At last he managed to eke out, "Care for some company?"