You close your eyes and the glory fades

---

It was an ocean of grass and it stretched on endlessly in every direction. No matter how he turned, left or right, round and round until the scenery blurred into a haze of blue and green, of earth and sky, of wind and grass and the fragrance of summer fading, the horizon was all he could see. It was an exhilarating sensation, as daunting as it was humbling, and the urge to run came over him with inescapable intensity. With no reason to refuse, Finnian laughed out loud and obliged, digging hard black hooves deep into the dry earth as he heaved himself forth.

There was something extremely pleasant about pushing his body to the limit. The sensation of his own muscles bunching and extending, the burn of hot air rushing through the wind-pipes, the sweet ache as stiff muscles and joints began to loosen up and feel the strain of the run... It was addictive, a constant craving that old age or infirmity would never take away, a hallmark of youth and independence that no one could take away, that was a part of his very essence. Finnian laughed again as he ran, a fierce wild laughter of sheer joy that celebrated life after his near escape from death... but when he finally slowed down, winded and sweaty, with green in the hair and blue in the eyes, the jubilant smile slowly began to fade from his lips.

The past was, alas, rarely far from his thoughts. It was well and good that he had found a nice place to rest and recuperate from his ordeals, good to have found friends already in this foreign land, but it did little to soothe the deep loneliness within him. Folding the legs beneath him to revel in the emerald sea, the young stallion thought of home, his thoughts going out to the ones he had left behind. Good friends, familiar vistas, the graves of his parents... All lay far to the south now, unreachable unless he found some way of walking on water or managed to grow wings. Never would he try to cross that ocean again; drowning had carved a deep fear of the salty desert into his mind, and he would be hard pressed to even wade out into the cold blue again. It should make him feel safe. If he couldn't get to them, then surely no one would be able to get to him either...

But Finnian did not feel safe. Merely angry, and sad, and haunted by the same questions he had chewed over and over since the day his father had been killed.

Who had done it? Why had they attacked? And, most importantly for him, how was he going to find the answers to his questions?


The notion that he might have to live with these questions for the rest of his life had touched him, but Finnian did not find it appealing. He wanted to know who had destroyed his life, and make them pay for every tear he'd ever shed.

Staring up into the sky from where he lay on the ground, he sighed at the drifting clouds and let the blue envelop him, sending his thoughts all a whirl across the universe.

You close your eyes and the glory fades

---

Dark ruminations aside, it was difficult to keep up the brooding attitude when people were watching. Though it took him a while, Finnian eventually became aware of the eyes that regarded him from a distance, and for a while he tried to ignore the onlooker, figuring it for a passerby with time to spare. When the sensation of watchful eyes did not let up or disappear however, the young stallion started to feel a bit uncomfortable. He knew he was a handsome enough fellow, but that someone would grow entranced enough to actually hang around and just watch him was a bit... well it was flattering, but not something he wanted to condone, ya know?

When it finally became too much, the buckskin raised his head and searched the horizon until he found the perpetrator. It was nigh impossible to hide on this plain, where the most noticeable feature was the billowing grass and the occasional low-growing shrub, and he soon spotted the person; a tall, looming figure, bay and black and rather daunting to look at. Faint amusement quickly turned into worry that he had landed himself into trouble somehow - rolled on the fellow's favorite grazing spot perhaps - but as he was loathe to show any outward signs of unease, Finnian opted for the cordial route instead.

"Nice weather today, ey, neighbor" he offered, raising his head just enough that he could be seen acknowledging the bigger stallion's presence. But he did not get up, nor tense or show any other sign of worry - at least not on the outside. Best not make himself noticed as either a brawler or a coward; that was, he had found, the best way to avoid trouble.

You close your eyes and the glory fades

---

Well, that was also a way to put it. Finnian glanced up at the sun as if he expected to see the face of the god peer back down on him, but when he saw nothing more than the blinding orb in the sky he shrugged, politely refraining from commenting on the statement. Some people were more religious than others; personally he had always kept a firm distance from such things, quietly encouraged by his father. 'Don't bother the gods, and they won't bother you' the old man had often said, and Finnian had agreed... though lately it had seemed that perhaps the divine ones weren't adhering to the same rules.

As for whether he had been disturbed or not... well, what would you call it if someone came to stare at you while you were busy wasting the day away?

"No, not at all" Finnian lied without so much as blinking, his smile smooth as silk and the blue eyes very earnest as they lingered upon the towering figure. "It's me pleasure to make yer acquaintance, sir Emrys... I hope ye don't mind me not getting up, I feel none too formal at the present. Finnian is my name, newly come to these lands and this Court."

He suppressed a yawn. It was always tedious, this process of tiptoeing around introductions before you figured out whether the other was someone you could get along with or not. Personally Finnian was able to get cordial with most people, but some were pricklier than others and there was always the odd exception, to whom he took instant dislike - or who couldn't seem to stomach his cheerful nature and laid-back attitude. The young stallion hoped this Emrys person was not one of those types; it was far too hot to fight, and he had no desire to trek all the way to the battle-grounds just for a greeting.