these wounds, they will not heal (open)

[Dawn]

A fell wind buffeted the land, sending long grasses snapping and startling every creature into raising its head in alarm.

Gideon shivered in response, his russet tail blown between his legs by that harsh blast. He stood with his rump to the wind, one hind leg cocked underneath him, feeling like the loneliest equine in the world. There was a time when the Windswept Plains teemed with all manner of equines, and finding company was no difficult task. Now, grass flourished where it should have been grazed down long ago, and what few equines Gideon encountered had fled from him, their thin bodies racked with terror. He had tried to follow, to explain that he meant no harm, but only had dirt kicked in his face. With no good to come of pursuing them any further, he had subsided each time, knowing that giving chase would only cause them more distress. After all, their welfare was much more important than his own. He could not forget that he was the reason for so much suffering in this world, and if he could, he would rather not create any more.

It had been a rough year for the red dun roan stallion. He'd had some sort of mental breakdown, which left him catatonic for quite a while. No doubt his mind crumbled under the stress he put it through every day, but he'd pulled himself back together well enough. He had to. Too much depended on him to allow him to wallow in his own self-despair. He could not take sick leave, he was not allowed holidays, and there was always work to do. Luckily for him, no opportunistic stallion had seen fit to take his land while he was unable to defend it. Gideon remained the master of Larkspur Valley, a misunderstood territory that was his pride and joy. For him, that meant he could continue to provide for and protect the five equines that called his terrain home: Hatshepsut, Alambil, Amalthea, Callypso, and her daughter Cataleya. There was no guarantee that any of them would still be there, after months of neglect. He did hope, perhaps, that somebody still remained out of loyalty to him. Or maybe because they couldn't be bothered leaving. Whatever. Amalthea alone had answered his call, dragging her ruined frame to his side, and oh, Gideon had hated himself for how sick and weak she was. In his tortured mind, her condition was all his fault, born of his neglect and lack of discipline over himself. His head was full of what-ifs and if-onlys. But the miracle of it all was that she didn't blame him. Not one bit. He was ungrateful and he didn't deserve her kindness, but he accepted it all the same, if only because distressing her in her fragile state would not be conducive to her healing. Slowly, day by day, she got stronger. She was not fully better now, but she was much healthier than she was, and it was the only reason Gideon felt like he could leave her side. If he had his way, he would never part from her again. But there were things to be done, and foremost was to get out of his home and see what kind of shape the land was in.

A branch cracked under his hoof as he shifted his weight, allowing his fluted ears to tip back. The brittleness of the air around him made him uneasy. He wanted to call out, to force someone to acknowledge him, but he felt instinctively that it would be unwise. Gideon was ignorant of the world's affairs at the moment, he knew that there was some great evil upon the land, and until he knew exactly what, he was better off keeping a low profile. He didn't like the feel of this empty, desolate place that should have been the most popular hangout in Imbros. What if he returned home to find his beloved Thea dead? What if she vanished too? She was all he had left. Life without her did not bear meaning. Suddenly convinced that his fragile butterfly was in danger and needed him, he made up his mind to leave, and happened to glance down as he chose where to put his feet.

That was when he realized, with horror, that the branch he'd stepped on and cracked was actually the cannon bone of a horse.

[eclipses]

Isolus was bored and just a bit apprehensive, while generally he enjoyed his own company there was something strange about the stillness, lack of noise and absence of others around lately, he may be absent minded most of the time he could tell that something was wrong.
If he did see anyone they tended to flee which was strange to him, maybe they took his not quite filled out skinniness as illness? He couldn’t be sure, maybe there was something in that…..there was after all something wrong….very wrong. He decided to leave the copse and not go to the beach, though he did love going there to think, play and remember old friends. He thought he could find company in the plains so he had set off and to his surprise met no one on his travels apart from the occasional bad smell which he avoided without investigation, the young stallion may be curious but that was something he had no wish to see.
A sharp wind blew the long grass that would normally have been at least partially mown by thousands of teeth but had been allowed to grow. A few equines were in the distance but Isolus ignored them in favour of a slightly familiar sent on the unpleasant air, he vaguely remembered the smell of this other horse that visited the copse for some reason he didn’t remember, though it may have been something to do with a mare but then lots of problems seemed to have mares involved, Isolus had yet to figure out why this was but quickly pushed the thoughts away, he didn’t need to know, it wasn’t important after all, well to him it wasn’t.
Over the last few months he had mostly spent his time alone wandering as he normally did not really paying attention to the world around him or to himself, leaving him fully grown but not muscled out and slightly skinny but a lot of that was due to him not eating a lot which was unfortunately something that happened when he wasn’t paying attention to himself, his absentmindedness often lead to him being on the skinny side.
He moved steadily though the long grass occasionally skipping sideways and dancing playfully as he approached the red dun stallion who looked scared about something but he couldn’t be sure what, the older horse was looking at the ground. ]“Hello, Gideon wasn’t it? What are you looking at?” he greeted him quietly unsure if the other horse would remember him after all it was a while ago and he had had other things on his mind at the time, on thinking about it the stallion still looked preoccupied,‘mares again most likely’ he thought with interest, he still couldn’t quite understand it.
He reached the other horse and looked at what Gideon was staring in horror at and jumped back in fear….bones …equine bones.“oh, what happened?” he was surprised to see the bones he knew something was wrong but not the severity.


ooc: Its been a while since i posted last so please forgive the rustyness also im away for a couple of weeks from sunday.

[Dawn]

The grey stallion was familiar, but Gideon couldn't seem to place him right at this current moment. He approached with curiosity, asking about what Gideon was observing, and rather than reply, Gideon simply allowed him to come closer and see for himself. He lifted his hoof off the yellowed bone, where it lay cracked and broken, the brittleness of its age explaining why it had splintered so easily. The rest of the skeleton lay nearby, hidden in the tall grass, with weeds entwined around its form, hinting that it had been there for quite some time. It was impossible to see how the equine had died. It had been mostly stripped of its flesh, but lines of yellow hinted at the marrow that remained inside, still rotting. Gideon was no stranger to death, having spent most of his life in the Weaklands, but seeing it once again unsettled him even more and proved his suspicions that something was very, very wrong with this world. His gaze lifted from the skeleton and settled on the ivory male, who was now close enough to behold the corpse. The stallion flinched backwards, visibly recoiling from the sight, and Gideon had to guess that he was of a more sheltered background than himself.

In response to the grey's question, Gideon didn't have an answer straight away. He was quiet for a short while as he observed the remains of the unfortunate equine, searching through his memories as he tried to remember who it was he was speaking with. The stallion seemed to know Gideon, but Gideon knew all the landholders in the South. This wasn't one of them, he was sure of that. For some reason, his thoughts kept coming back to Autolycus, the male who had stolen Amalthea. He took her and Gideon failed to block him, but when Gideon came to Hyacinth Copse to plead for her return, surprisingly he handed her back over. Gideon remembered how hard the decision was for him, but it seemed Autolycus had as little desire for bloodshed as he himself did. That really increased his respect for the buckskin stallion, and he now counted Autolycus as an ally. That is, if Autolycus was even still alive anymore. Thinking back over this experience, Gideon finally remembered the stallion before him now, though he'd paid him little attention at the time. "Isolus," Gideon acknowledged with a dip of his head. "It has been some time." He indicated the bones. "Who knows? We are born, we live, we die. It seems that this one took its secrets to the grave with it."

Gideon watched Isolus, his memory becoming clearer and clearer with every passing moment. He didn't remember a lot about the young stallion, but he did notice that Isolus seemed thinner, more drawn than the uncertain boy he'd met in Hyacinth Copse. At least he had the desire to speak with Gideon, rather than head for the hills the minute they ran into each other. Company and conversation brought a welcome respite from the torturous thoughts of his own head. He hadn't forgotten about Amalthea either, and there was still a desire to go home and check on her, but his panicky urge was calmed by the unexpected accompaniment of Isolus. "How go things in Hyacinth Copse? Is Autolycus still leader there?" he queried, his ears perking forward with interest. He was eager to hear about the state of his neighbouring lands.

[heatherness]

The bright shining orb in the sky was teasing the mountainside in the distance as a dark roan filly lipped mindlessly at a patch of the most delightful clover. An innocent honey bee buzzed around whimsically, enjoying the clover almost as much as she was. Lifting her muzzle from the vegetation, the filly graciously admired the alluring painting of the sunset with shades of pink, yellow, orange, and blue. A smile tugged at the side of the mare's velvet kissers with pure admiration. The wind tickled each black and gray strand of fur on her coat and danced playfully with her ebony mane and tail. This moment was pure bliss. Lowering her muzzle, vegetarian chompers took a grasp of a mouthful of clovers. Ama savored the flavor with each bite. One should consider themself extremely lucky to be in her situation, especially with the horrid disease that ravished the land of Imbros, however this filly was blind to others suffering. Even while her own family had died, the filly's coping method seemed to be to play the ignorance is bliss card; the world was still a boisterous place.

Struggle was slowly creeping into her life however. Turning three this year, Ama was being forced to grow up. No longer with a herd, the vixen was figuring out that she needed to protect herself, feed herself, groom herself. A close call with a cougar was the only incident so far that made her question her solitude. At this time though, there was plenty of food and water, and besides the cougar, no one had bothered her. Ama wasn't even sure how she would react to an admiring stallion let alone a forceful, malicious stud. Not that she didn't think about stallions. The yearning for a herd was instinctual. As a now three year old, Ama's hormones were beginning to blossom.

Something abruptly broke her moment of peace. A deafening snap echoed across the plains. Instantly put on high alert, Ama lifted her skull high as it swiveled around on narrow shoulders. A couple of petite tawny hued birds scattered from their protection in the towering blades of field grass. It didn't take long for Ama to pin point the culprit. A roan stallion, red dun instead of blue as herself, stood off in the distance, seeming to be staring down at the earth's surface. Ama couldn't help but ponder what had caused the alarming sound. Another stallion came into view. Ama wasn't the least bit intimidated. This was the South and in her short time on this earth, Ama had never come across a mean-spirited stud. Well, she really hadn't come into contact with any stallion since being with her family. She had passed by, gave a short hello, but most equines seemed to care less about her existence.

A sudden urge to approach the two beasts overwhelmed her. Curiosity killed the cat. Ama was never taught that phrase. It was quite unfortunately that her herd hadn't taught her of the harsh ways of the world. Even before the disease broke out, evil spirits still roamed the land. She approached methodically without hesitation. Her petite physique glided gracefully across the lush plains. Hooves of a quite small build hardly left any sign of her passing. A smile lined her lips, twin black ears perked toward the stud's, and near black eyes held a joyous expression. "Well hello there," Ama's tone was smooth as honey and warm as Tennessee whiskey. "What is all of the commotion about?" Ama inquired at the two, who seemed deeply disturbed by something. Was it related to that crack? Ama didn't dare stray her gaze away from the roan stallion, meaning she was utterly oblivious to the equine cannon bone that had been snapped clean in half.

[eclipses]

Isolus shifted uneasily in the presence of the skeleton, he was he supposed sheltered because hadn’t seen such things before, the young male hadn’t stuck around when his mother fell to another’s hooves, he had fled with his father and again when he was taken, so yes he was sheltered he had not seen death nor what comes after he had only seen life and even then not hung around other much, choosing to stay isolated, only occasionally finding company. But he had not seen the wasting away that illness brings, he never hung around others for long enough.

He watched the other stallion with interest Gideon didn’t seem to recognise him at first the grey could practically see his thoughts whirring as he tried to place the younger horse, he didn’t blame him their only meeting had been brief and Gideon had had other things on his mind he suspected a mare but he couldn’t be sure which one there had been so many in and out the copse, he didn’t keep track of the leads let alone the mares. Isolus shook his head clear of the thoughts and caught the red duns words “it has been some time, I should have introduced myself again our meeting was short and you had other things to think about at the time, my apologies. Indeed it seems they did, I wonder…” he dipped his head in return and stopped talking silencing his train of thought and noted that the other male seemed curious and maybe just a tad impatient, perhaps he wanted to be elsewhere or needed to be. Isolus hoped he wouldn’t leave too quickly the young grey had been lonely but that had partly been his own fault the same with his skinniness.

“I don’t know I haven’t seen Autolycus in some time, well I haven’t seen anyone in some time. The copse is quiet, apart from the birds and a ghost or two. How does it fair in your lands larkspur valley wasn’t it? How goes things with you?” he was unsure if that was indeed where his current companion resided he knew it was fairly close and on his travels he had remembered the scent of Gideon being near a land with lots of purple flowers but things change. The strange stillness and stale wind was proof of that, not too long ago the plains were filled with equines and the south was busy, the beach rarely empty….now ……well…..something was up.

He grew restless standing still and danced sideways playing with an imaginary friend, he skittered away from the other horse and the remains his strides light and easy, trotting a small circle before returning to his spot, there was once a time that he would be embarrassed by his actions but there was other things to worry about, and very few seemed to mind, though perhaps he needed to keep a better lid on his restless feet and short attention span.

The young horse stepped away from the skeleton to munch a few blades of grass away from it, hooves approaching startled him and he leapt to one side putting the newcomer….a mare and Gideon in sight while he was sort of certain the other stallion wouldn’t strike he couldn’t be quite certain so stayed out of range, he eyed the new comer with curiosity she was young and a blueish hue, she also seemed unaware of the bones at their feet this was confirmed by her words as she greeted them, to be polite he smiled and nodded to her “ hello. You should watch where you put your feet.” His statement was simple but not cold, he did not wish to say there was a dead equine at their feet and the two males were having a conversation over it, and contemplating the secrets they could have taken with them, it was odd, he considered the situation as he watched the newcomer and Gideon with polite interest .


ooc- so sorry for the wait, i'll try not to be as slow in future

[Dawn]

Now that Gideon knew whom he was speaking with, he felt nothing but warmth towards the other stallion. Here was a familiar face from his past, someone whom Autolycus had trusted enough to allow him to remain in his land. Therefore, Gideon felt at no ill will towards the grey. Isolus had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, but he had not got in the way or otherwise interfered with the stallions' business. All had ended well, Gideon managed to retrieve Amalthea without bloodshed, and he gained an ally. An unwilling one, perhaps, but Gideon was grateful that Autolycus had been reasonable about these things, and he supposed that it was only natural for stallions to steal. He himself was rather naive to think that such an event could never happen to him. He didn't blame Autolycus for exploiting that opening, only himself for being complacent and failing to block Thea. No grudge was kept over what happened between them - in fact, Gideon felt somewhat in the buckskin's debt, for allowing him to take back Thea without violence. With that being the case, when Isolus mentioned that Autolycus hadn't been active in Hyacinth Copse for quite a while, Gideon was concerned. Had something happened to Autolycus too? Was he also doomed to be a statistic of the devastating plague that ripped through Imbros? The thought of it brought pain to the red dun's chest, and he blinked away some uncharacteristically strong emotion, again feeling the weight of all the wrongs he should have averted bear down upon him. He should have ... maybe if he had, Autolycus would still be here. Either way, Gideon was determined to search for the other stallion. He owed him that much, at least to find his body and offer him a decent send-off.

Isolus queried after Gideon's affairs in his Valley, and the male was about to answer when it seemed as if the grey could not keep his feet on the ground any longer. Isolus flitted away, and in the half-second it took for the ivory stallion to start moving, Gideon flinched and glanced about for danger, believing Isolus to have found a threat that he hadn't. There did not seem to be any immediate danger, although a blue roan equine was making her way towards them from a short distance away. Gideon swivelled his ears forward and acknowledged the lady as she came closer, hoping to encourage her that he accepted her presence and was ok with her joining their conversation. Turning his gaze back to Isolus, he observed as the grey worked the tickle out of his feet, darting this way and that. There was a childlike innocence about the stallion, and Gideon found himself smiling as he watched, wistful of a time when he could dance and play like that. He could barely remember his foalhood. It was as if his existence began when he joined the fight against the North. So much of his life was defined by this war. "It goes. Amalthea is still there, you may remember her from last time," he said, tilting his head slightly as he watched Isolus for his reaction. One ear lay towards the approaching stranger, and the other was focused on Isolus.

A few more steps led the blue roan to their group, and Isolus seemed to notice her for the first time. He shied heavily away, coming to a stop a little distance away from the two other equines. Gideon glanced after him with concern; there was no need for fear, nothing was going to happen to him unless this mare proved to be violent. But he could understand the Beta's caution. You cannot be too careful in the world these days, and not everybody was what they seemed. Gideon's confidence in his own fighting skills allowed him a sense of security while navigating life, but he was always aware that things can go wrong even when you are fully prepared. The Warlander cross offered the roan filly a dashing smile, unconsciously standing up straighter when she came near. She was still a filly, glowing with the freedom of youth, and utterly lovely. Roan like himself, yet black-based, her coat dark with years of roaning yet to come. Her curiosity was evident as she questioned the two stallions, and Gideon found himself reluctant to answer. He could not meet her eyes as Isolus told her to watch her step. Instead he lowered his gaze to the bones at his hooves, knowing that she would discover them eventually.

"The dead cannot hurt you," he reassured her gently after a few moments, in which time she surely would have noticed what was keeping the two stallions engaged. He sidled closer to Isolus until the two stallions were standing side by side. "I'm Gideon, and this is my friend Isolus. What would your name be, miss?" He hoped Isolus would not mind Gideon introducing him when he was very capable of doing so himself. Gideon hadn't meant to take over, he only wanted to transition smoothly into conversation, and offer Isolus an easy platform in which to interact. He also introduced Isolus as a friend, which he did consider the snowy male to be, and it would serve the double benefit of helping the young filly here to feel more at ease, knowing she would not be amongst competing stallions for her attention. Allowing a warm smile to grace his features, he swished his russet tail against his hocks, displacing the mosquitoes and flies that gathered there. He began to wonder if this conversation was best carried out elsewhere, for it seemed rude to chat about everyday matters over the bones of a fallen comrade. Isolus was distasteful about the skeleton, and this lady probably would be too. Maybe it would be better to move things away? He mulled the thought over while he awaited the filly's reply.

[heatherness]

For some reason the blue filly was slightly mesmerized by the stud. Perhaps it was his brilliantly colored coat. Roan as herself yet an entirely different shade. Ama had never seen an equine with a coat such as his before. Or maybe it was the way that the stallion held himself; proud, sturdy, confident, mature. Just from the short moment that Ama had been observing him, the disposition of the stallion made it seem like he had known this land his whole life, like he knew each critter that walked in his path and where any potential danger may lurk. The grey stallion on the other hand seemed to be a tad more childish, similar to herself. She giggled silently as she saw him in her peripheral vision, dancing around in circles for who knows what reason. Ama's nostrils flared as she finally let her gaze stray from the roan stallion to the earth's surface. What she spotted practically made her jump out of her own skin. Piercing chills sped down her spine and through her slender limbs. Death was something she was familiar with but would rather turn and walk the other way than stand up and face it. Just moments ago the filly held a lovely soft expression upon her face, which was almost enchanting, yet that changed in an instant as the filly locked onto the snapped canon bone.

All around their total of twelve hooves were the remains of a shattered skeleton. A couple of ribs here and there, half of a jaw bone planted sporadically in the dirt. No blood was left, proving that this skeleton had obviously been here for some time. Rainfall washed away any fur or blood that may have been left after the corpse was picked by scavengers. Damn coyotes and vultures. Ama stomped a hoof in frustration at the thought of the pesky predators. It wasn't long before the sight made her sick to her stomach. If equines possessed the ability to throw up, she would have undoubtedly projectile vomited all over these handsome studs. The thought nearly made her laugh aloud, bringing back a hint of innocence to her soft, ebony face. Not a single grey hair dare to come past her cheekbone. While there were grey hairs mingled in with the black her body, no honest white marked her. It was undeniable that Ama radiated beauty and confidence. However, she was not blessed with any fancy markings or unique physical attributes. Her forelock was of average length and her mane, which held the darkest black hue, was a bit on the shorter side for your average wild mustang. It was possible that she had yet to grow into herself. Her physique was quite petite. Muscles did not bulge, chest was narrow and shoulders small, hooves so dainty that she hardly left a print in the sand. Maybe that added to the mystic aurora that she gave off. She was a dainty flower that stallions felt obliged to protect. The romance in that common story is undeniable.

Dark eyes darted from the remains of the fallen to the grey stud and fell frantically upon the roan stallion. Ama let her lips part as she prepped to speak but was left troubled and speechless. Shaking her skull to and fro hastily, locks flipping from one side of her extended neck to the other and forelock creeping just lightly over her sorrowful eyes, Ama let a sigh escape her lungs, vibrating her soft velvet lips with the tease of a nicker. Surveying the plains for a brief moment, Ama flashed back to the peace and serenity that had engulfed her soul at her lovely clover patch. A warm fuzzy feeling, similar to that one gets while sipping on a glass of fine aged bourbon, rolled over her. A smile broke through the fear and Ama stared longingly towards where she had wandered over from. A playful expression lit up her face as she turned her attention back to the stallions, who were most likely curious at her peculiar, mute behavior. "I apologize for my silence," Ama took a stone grey hoof and flicked it out at the bones, scattering them into bits in the tall, lush grass, "I wasn't expecting you two fine gentlemen to be gathered around such a horrific sight," The gloom fell over her once again for an instant but vanished as she made eye contact with the roan who spoke in a calming, rhythmic tone. Ah, her instincts had been correct about him. His reassuring words were exactly what she had expected. For not knowing many equines besides her own family, Ama was proving to be quite wise in her first impressions.

"My father named me Ama," She spoke proudly, puffing out her chest slightly with the mention of her father. "Hey, I have an idea…" a flirtatious grin creased her kissers as she swished her flowing tail from one hindquarter to the other in anticipation. Brows lifted and ears perked forward as she tossed her gaze over to the spot of clover, then back to the stallions again. "Gideon, Isolus, why don't we migrate our little party elsewhere? I know of the perfect spot." Her tone was uplifting and electric, a bit too eccentric for an older, more tranquil equine. Ama spared no time waiting for her two new friends. Yes, in her immaturity, she already considered these two strangers her friends. What reason did she have not to? They had offered only kindness so far. If Ama ever found herself in the Weaklands, boy would she be in trouble. Thank Apollo that was not the case, or one may find this filly's bones scattered in a field. Prancing playfully towards her cherished spot, Ama didn't hesitate to rip up a mouthful of clover and whinny jubilantly back to the studs. In this moment, she once again felt as she did before. Lids closed over her dark orbs as she inhaled the sweet perfume of the meadow flowers, images of vibrant daisies and dandelions flooding her mind.

[eclipses]

Isolus hadn’t noticed Gideon’s reaction to his antics, even if he had noticed it the young male didnt feel like telling, he did however notice that the other horse called him a friend, the grey tried not to frown ‘I ‘ve only met him once, I’m not sure if that short meeting can constitute as friendship’ he didn’t let his confusion show because he appreciated the acknowledgement and revelled in the idea that he had a new friend that would hopefully stay in contact and not vanish, though Gideon was pretty much a neighbour as the valley was near the copse Isolus was unsure if he should stay there, while he did enjoy flitting between the trees and the cover they provided he had been there a while, maybe it was time for a change of scenery, maybe he should ask if he could join the other horse?, There seemed little point in staying at the copse afterall, the horses staying there appeared and dissapeared like waves at the beach and the lead had changed more times than he cared to count. He smiled at Gideon warmly and dipped his head slightly in thanks, he liked the idea of a new friend

His thoughts rambled on and his mind whirred, particularly in trying to remember if he had actually met the mare he was on about…… Amalthea was it?.......hmmm. He decided he hadn’t met her “I’m glad all is well. I don’t think I had the pleasure of meeting her in person, I tend to wander a bit and may not have been in the copse when she was present” he hoped he wouldn’t offend the other horse with his words but it was better in his opinion to just say he hadn’t met her than to try and think up some mare that might have been her. Isolus turned his attention to the blueish hued mare who had joined them, “ it is a pleasure Ama. May i ask what brings you here? there has not been many others around lately” His tone was light and friendly not wanting to scare her off. The mare seemed transfixed on Gideon not that the younger horse minded it allowed him to watch the pairs interaction, and look at the young mare, mare she was dark and if his male friend's colouring was any indicated, she had some greying to do, not that Isolus knew Gideon’s age or anything about roans, but he had greyed out from his foal coat that had been black with little grey rims around his eyes.

She was young much like himself, pretty and small with a mood that seemed to change with the wind, one moment she was happy and carefree the next she was gloomy and then she seemed to revert back to happy again as she skipped off playfully to somewhere, in the direction she had come he noticed.

The grey stallion was caught in his thoughts and barely heard her words and didn’t bother answering her, just noticing the sudden motion of Ama, he jumped and with a cheeky grin he leapt forward with a flick of his heels to where Ama was heading, carefully avoiding the yellowing bones, his strides dancing and easy he gave chase, with just a quick glance back to his larger friend. The young horse was muscling out still and had some skinniness left from his growing stage but his grey coat was unmarked apart from a crescent shaped scar at his withers, he swished his tail at the mosquitos that the fading wind hadn’t blown away. He watched the other mare with interest; she seemed playful and well trusting. He wondered what could make someone like that, what life had she led so far? stopping his thought train he shook of his head as he pulled up near to her, away from the scattered bones of some unknown equine. “a good idea Ama this is a nice spot. Your silence was to be expected after surprising you with that sight; it was not our intention to gather around it, it sort of just happened”

He should really just enjoy having someone else that loved to play; he hadn’t had that in so long. His absentmindedness annoyed most other horse’s stallion and mare alike, on several occasions he had been reprimanded despite the fact he wasn’t exactly a foal anymore and they had no or little claim to him at the time, he didn’t understand why, not that he cared to though. For now he would enjoy the moment.

[Dawn]

The roan's reaction to seeing the skeleton was priceless. If Gideon had been of a less kind nature, he might have laughed to see her expression change, face going rigid with shock and disgust. As it was, he was sad to witness the unravelment of her youthful composure. He did not relish her discomfort, and it embarrassed him to be in a situation such as this, where a lady couldn't even come over for a polite chat without having to see a spectacle that will give her nightmares. It was perverse to realize that her response was what would be considered normal for anybody, and it was him that was strange for having virtually no reaction. It was wrong to be so inured to death and suffering that seeing the skeleton of a fallen equine barely makes you flinch. He reflected on this as the young one processed what she saw, going through a myriad of emotions as she tried to figure out what would be an appropriate response to this grisly sight. He himself could not remember the first time he'd seen a body - he'd grown up with corpses as part of the normal decor of the Weaklands. It was surprising for him to find them here in the Windswept Plains, however, since it was not a normal place for death to occur. Equines in these lands did not die of old age; murder, illness, or injury was the main cause of death no matter where you go, some more than others in different places.

Isolus responded to Gideon's question then, and one ear tugged towards him as Gideon refocused on him. A nod of acknowledgment was sent his way, he understood and didn't mind that the other stallion barely knew who he was talking about. The blue roan filly seemed to have composed herself by this point, and she spoke an apology to the two males for her silence. Gideon shook his head at this with a faint smile on his face, as if to say not to worry. It wasn't a big deal, he certainly didn't mind. No matter what way you put it, a sight like that is never good to see, and it affects some more than others. He spoke a few soothing words to her, wanting to ease her discomfort any way he can. The mood then lightened somewhat as the young lady drew herself up and introduced herself, obviously pleased to have an opportunity to mention her sire. Gideon sent her an encouraging smile, glad to now have a name to put to the face. Ama. It suited her, he thought. Short and sweet, and and it rolled easily off the tongue. It was a graceful name for a sweet thing like herself, who was lovely in all the ways that she wasn't perfect. Her body was slender and feminine, a perfect mix of filly and mare, and there was a wiry look to her that suggested she had traveled far to be here today. She brimmed with youthful eagerness for all that life had in store for her, optimistic that it would all turn out well. Gideon could not help but admire the positivity she radiated, and it was infectious. His fear for Amalthea was still at the back of his mind, but now he was in this conversation, and had little desire to leave.

Ama and Gideon seemed to be on a similar wavelength. Just as the red dun roan began thinking about how to tactfully move the group without being pushy, Ama came up with the perfect solution. A deliciously playful smile toyed at her lips, and her dark tail whipped from flank to flank, like a kitten with the idea of pouncing. Her gaze moved somewhere far in the distance, and Gideon was too mesmerized by her charm to really care about where she was looking. He had eyes only for the charismatic filly, who was taking charge in such an adorable way. She said she knew the perfect spot? He would be only too happy to follow. Gideon waited as Ama and Isolus both danced away, and he took up the rear of the group, trailing behind at a more sedate pace. He was quite happy to observe them both and watch them enjoy themselves. As a landowning stallion, he had to save his energy because he could be called upon to fight any second, for either his home or for everybody's homes - such an occasion would be at Theseus' command. The little band of equines finished their jaunt at an appetizing patch of green clover, and there was plenty for all three to share. Gideon dipped his head and took a mouthful, enjoying the taste of the fresh vegetation that grew wild. His ears pricked as Isolus spoke to Ama, praising her for leading them here. He had to agree; this was somewhere he had overlooked, and it was a much more appropriate place for conversation.

"Yes, good spotting Ama! This place is perfect." He flashed an approving smile at the roan filly, then lowered his head to graze another few bites. Silence descended as the trio filled their bellies, broken only by the hypnotic lullaby of munching and grazing going on. Gideon inched his way closer to Ama, feeling drawn to the equine who shared a genetic variation of his coloring. "It's almost as good as the fare you'd find in my home, Larkspur Valley," he said with some cheek. "Tell me, what brings the both of you out here today? I'm sure it wasn't to stand around and make faces at some bones." Politely he kept his head averted from the grass, giving them both his full attention while he awaited their replies. It had been so long since he last exercised his social skills, and they were rusty, but he was getting back into the swing of things. It felt good to be among others again.