A soft and small smile pulled at his lips, as he leaned down to brush his muzzle against the dark mare’s shoulder. The action was friendly, instinctual; Ipomoea never did have any qualms about personal space or stranger’s etiquette.
”I’m glad you aren’t badly hurt,” he said simply, and sincerely. He was not a healer; and the island was so far from the Courts, he was not sure how he might have gotten her help had she needed it.
He shook his head with a soft snort. ”It is a rather odd place, isn’t it?” he asked, and quietly thanked the trees for sending her into his path, and not some other strange or fearsome creature. He gazed distantly into the darkness surrounding them again, for a brief moment imagining a shadowy cat to come launching itself from the depths of the forest, retribution for his naivety. But only the trees shuddered and sighed in every direction, their branches dipping low to the ground. He turned back to the girl, still tumbled in the dirt.
But the stallion’s comment threw him off guard, and his brows drew together in contemplation. It seemed more a riddle than a retort, who we are inside our hearts and who the world sees. Had he been more temperamental he might have been offended - but as it was, any sarcasm or sourness was lost on him as he pondered his words, and silently accepted them, listening to the rest of their exchange.
”At least there’s one thing normal about this place,” he said quietly; although truth be told, the island did not bother him. It unnerved him, but that was only to be expected, and it did not define the extent of his feelings towards the land. It was thrilling and exciting, full of adventure and sights waiting to be discovered. And, horses from all across Novus had come to explore it. Surely that alone attested to its wonder?
Talk of the relic was also an intrigue, but if Ipomoea happened to stumble across it (unlikely, considering how the last relic hunt so many years ago had gone), he would take in stride as another strange offering of the forest.
Kassandra, and Huehuecoyotl. Their names drifted across his mind, testing them, filing them away for later. A shy smile stretched hesitantly into place, as his cerise gaze examined the wings affixed to his fetlocks. They fluttered against his cannon bones, open and closed, stretching and folding, as if nervous beneath her scrutiny. ”I’ve always had them,” he tells her, ”I’m not sure why or how, just that I was born with them already in place.” He did not know if either of his parents had the same - he had never known his parents - but if they had, he certainly had not heard of nor met another horse who shared the unique placement. He shook his head, waving thoughts of his heritage from his mind.
”I am Po.” Again, a shortened version of his full name, his Delumine name; an informal habit that had become familiar to him in his months spent in Dencote. ”It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”
And then, because curiosity still burned in his mind, and the eagerness to get back to exploring was growing stronger, he asked -
”What brings you to the island?”
yesterday i
was clever,
so i wanted
to change
the world
today i am wise
so i am changing
myself
@kassandra @Huehuecoyotl !
”here am i!“
