All was quiet, spare the gentle rustle of leaves as they danced with a passing breeze. Small fauna of the woodlands which hid in the shadows chittered and trilled their symphonic noises, blessing the woodlands with a calming ambiance. It was one of the few things in life that softened the hard lines of Ruairi’s features. In solitude, she found peace. Her muscles ached from tension, her movements were slow and her amber eyes were dimmed from fatigue. The bay roan mare wandered off the well trodden path, and into the forest’s dense vegetation, losing herself in the undergrowth in the late night hours. Once she had lost sight of the pathway, she slowed to a halt beneath the drooping branches of a coniferous tree. She inhaled deeply, and exhaled slowly. She repeated this a few times, closing her eyes and leaning her weight against the tree. Rauiri focused on her breathing, and listened to the ambient noises of the fauna that chirped and trilled. She opens her eyes again, still weathered from travel and from memories that refused to let her mind rest.
She was a troubled woman, memories often antagonized her and tear at her from the core, yet she would tread on silently as wars waged in her mind. It was tiresome to constantly fight with yourself, and when her thoughts did calm, she felt nothing short of exhausted and lunatic. This time was different though, her body ached and her mind seemed to throb. She let herself completely relax. For once, she felt no threat. This world was a quiet one, but not eerily so. There was life here, but everything felt so refreshing. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, hardly noticeable. Her amber eyes refocus to the trees above her, moonlight dappling her figure and the surrounding area. She was enjoying herself for the first time in a very long time.
A tasmanian devil hisses from the hollow of a fallen log, escalating into guttural growls and snarls. Ruairi is startled, ears flipping backward for a moment, only to realize there were also young devils in that log as well. The mother was only protecting them. She understood this, but a bitterness stirred inside her. She flicks the feeling away with a swish of her tail, and moves onward to ease the mind of the little devil and her family. Rather than stopping again, she moseys around, exploring the surrounding area and all the flora that scatters across the floor.
RUAIRI
