Dappled Shadows on the Leaves [Mie]

[Colt]

Who was he, she asked. What was he doing so far from his homeland? Palar turned and gave Mie a tired, bitter smile that left his eyes cold. “I am looking for hope,” he said, as if it was something that he hated. She took his offered hand and jumped behind him, encircling his stomach with her arms to remain secure. Dala snorted, and Palar murmured sweet nothings to reassure her. He leaned to snatch the reins of the old stallion, tapped the mare’s sides, and they set off at a slow trot. The sun had reached her peak, making the shafts of light scorch while letting the shadows freeze. To Mie it was nothing new, but every now and then she would feel Palar shiver or mutter a curse in a language that she didn’t understand. As she had asked, he made sure to keep at a pace that the stallion had no trouble keeping up with, and whenever the thing gave a snort of discomfort he would slow for a moment and let it catch its breath. For all of his teasing, he seemed to genuinely care about the health of both of the horses, and despite his pride he seemed to have to qualms about showing it. He’d give an odd cluck to Dala or Dazzle whenever either became lazy, and he followed Mie’s directions, but other than that he was silent. If Mie wanted conversation to continue, she would have to start it herself.

[Mie]

Mie looked at him with an empathic face ”Hope is great if hope is all you're hoping for..”

She watched him handle both the horses with care and concern with a mixture of respect and wonder. It had not been a habit to abuse horses when she grew up, but the way he treated them seemed to her to be more fitting of an old friend.

She didn't want to push a subject that seemed to somehow be a hard subject for him so she kept her mouth shut. It was an awkward situation for her to be in, she didn't deal much in strangers, the people she knew she had basically known her entire life, and she knew nothing of him to speak of. So she sat there at the back of the horse, watching the pattern of light on the forest floor and the rustle of birds hopping around on the branches of the tall trees. The feeling of such a big and strong creature was a bit out of her comfort zone and she more than once felt out of control, so it came to no surprise that she was relieved when they finally came to a stop at her kill. No wildlife seemed to have disturbed it, and she felt energized.

She climbed down from the horse awkwardly and got a proper footing before breaking the silence between them. ”Everybody have a dream within themselves that drive them to do what they do.. Nobody can force your hand to do anything you wont do. To hear it you just have to listen real careful”

She swung her backpack in front of her and picked out her skinning tools, getting ready to work on the dead deer..

[Colt]

Mie dismounted, voicing a belated reply that spurred a mirthless chuckle from Palar. Dreams? “My dreams hold no comfort for me, Agava,” he said with a bitter sigh. “It is in the world around me that I seek hope, and even then such hope does not reveal itself readily.” He watched as she dressed the deer, weighing the most advantageous ways it could be transported. “Perhaps on the return trip you would to best riding in front. We can put the corpse in front of you so it is watched, and I ride behind you. If you do not mind. [oocMy sincerest apologies for the lateness of my reply!