Freebird

The stallion’s teal eyes twinkled in unoffended amusement at the mare’s tart statement. “I gather only the willing, Lady, rest your worries.”

She seemed pleased at the sight of Wangui, which suggested she came from a place where such companions were common, though if her lands matched her breed’s native environment, he hoped those primates dressed warmly. Wangui hated the cold, having been born in Madagascar and been there her entire life before the storm that swept her out to the mercy of the ocean. She gamely endured the cold seasons for the stallion that had taken her in, but she did so with much dour shivering and huddled hiding under pelts.

The mare was accepting of his offer of assistance, and the lemur dropped from his back with the kit in hand, tripoding her way to the mare’s back hooves and setting to work, cleaning the wounds with cloths soaked in a cleansing solution that probably stung—no, actually, Taliesyn knew it stung, having had the same stuff applied to his wounds after the raid.

The lemur finished off with slathering an ointment over the wounds, judging that they’d heal just fine without any bandaging. The stallion lowered his great head, nose brushing the stony ground as Wangui made her way back, letting the lemur haul herself up with the kit and climb her way up his head and crest to his withers to tuck the kit away again.

Taliesyn raised his head and nodded to the mare, both at her introduction and to her assessment of the lands. “These are the Redwater Rocks. The Plains south of here are Vericona Plains, and the Moorland directly east of them is known as the Druid’s Moor. Wolves dominate the continent. I’ve only met three other horses of our kind directly since coming here myself, sadly.”

His lips twitched in a faint smile, both sad and accepting. Since the possibilities with Kamilah had fallen through, and probably been a false hope regardless, he accepted that his last band, lost in the landslide, would be the final band he ever led. At least if it was horses. It wasn’t common for two stallions to lead a very limited number of mares, and he was content in his home with Valhalla.

“What brought you here, if you don’t mind me asking.”

He shifted forward, nudging through the rubble she’d scattered, nosing out stones that looked like they’d make good beads and pendants, though he made it clear he was paying attention to her response, an ear angled toward her as Wangui dropped back to the ground and helped sift through the rocks.

Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think