The air was quiet. A gentle light flickered down to the world below as clouds drifted across the sky and spread snow across the lands. The light was somehow peaceful, welcoming, despite the cold that lazily seeped through thin fur and not-quite-winter-ready coats. It was a mild winter's day, perfect for small families or lazy strolls in the white-washed world.
Somewhere between the trees, a touch of bright pink and bold shimmering blue moved towards nowhere in particular. A rack of white topped its head, and upon closer inspection it could be identified as a lone Soquili stallion, moving about as though in a dream.
He moved through the swirling snow with a blissful, absent-minded smile across his face. Careening gently through the woods, he swerved around the familiar forest without much care. He had been born in the woods, was raised in the woods, and spent most of his days there- even though these were not the woods he knew, he was fairly comfortable with the general layout of most fauna of the region and confident in his ability to move around without a trace.
There were always little variances, little things that changed- a larger tree, a bigger bush, some weird ferns or lower-laying plants that were not in the forest past- but, for these more sparse forests, there always seemed to be room to move. And play.
He grinned, thinking of the bold blue mare whom he had taken rather a liking to and how they raced about together round and through the woods, in her favorite catch-me-find-me game. She was good at play, so fun and joyful and with such a good heart. She was beautiful, too, and- well, to be perfectly honest, he'd fallen head over heels for her from the moment he saw her sparkling eyes. He was quite sure he had the silliest doe-eyed wistful smile on his face, but he didn't really mind; he wasn't vain, and didn't much mind if others knew he was in... in love?
He stopped, letting the thought settle in.
He'd so enjoyed their days together, the time had passed by so wonderfully and.. he didn't quite know when that soul-deep confirmation of something more had settled into truth, a deeper emotion whose presence was undeniable. Perhaps after the shared conversation, in the rare moments of peace when she didn't have boundless energy (or when they'd spent it already in play) and wished to settle by the river a while?
He wandered dreamily, coming to the edge of a meadow. A random clearing in the forest, a perfect place to see the sky or smell the flowers come Spring. And then- would he still be with this lovely mare, who was now off with her familiar doing something she called 'making the time together sweeter'? He almost turned to make his way back to the deeper woods to chase after memories of the last few weeks, heart in awed wonder over the way her mind worked which still seemed to baffle and surprise him at times, but a delicate floral scent drifted through the wind to touch his nostrils.
His ears perked- he knew that smell! Winter jasmine? He looked around, the dreamy expression replaced by one of interest. Ah, there... it was close, as it had to be to make it to him while the snow fell, and oh it was a most bountiful bush! He grinned to himself, feeling as though nature had offered such bounty in winter to tempt those who wished to make things... sweeter.
He would have happily stayed by her side, but he was curious to see what she had in mind. Something about absence and fondness?
He'd listened, of course, but she had been rather cryptic in meaning.
He hummed a few notes, wiggling back and forth up an down as he eyed the brush and wondered where best to prune a little off for his lovely Kenna and flicking his tail once or twice.
Ahh, yes. Such a sweet smell for a very sweet mare.
He grinned again, wondering if any in the lands could be as happy as he. He hoped so; joy was contagious, and he would be very happy if that bubbling infection had touched all in the land.
He paused (ew) and then settled back down to his task.
They would be meeting come nightfall, and excitement welled within. She had said he would see, and he trusted her enough not to think over the puzzle that much.
Besides, though he loved the journey, didn't he miss home and enjoy the familiar woodlands just a little more when he came back?
But he always left again, so he.. well, it probably wasn't the same.
Snow drifted through the meadow, gentle breezes blowing scents here and there as the snowpile slowly built upon the ground. The trees were white, everything was white save for the living creatures whose colors were not dulled by winter's touch.
Shilah stood by the edge of the meadow, flicking and almost seeming to dance about the bush as he sought out the older branches that still flowered to bring to the mare that had touched his soul.
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