The young girl was spirited and lively, which was comforting for Warrick to witness; a soul so hopeful and open to the world around her, without fear and without grief. He clings to her joyfulness, soaking up her youthful exuberance in an unconscious attempt to relive his own. Perhaps that is why he is drawn to others – to immerse himself in their excitement and delight so he might remind himself of those emotions that he could feel no other way.
He follows her easily, allowing her to take the lead for the time being. He felt young again (though he wasn’t that much older than Tang to begin with) as he leaps and crashes through Beqanna. Memories of galloping full speed through fields and streams with Beyah flood his mind – racing until just short of breathlessness, falling over each other in laughter as their mother’s gentle voice chides them for venturing so far from her eyesight. The memories were wholesome and lovely, electric and vibrant in his mind, but unfortunately they were merely memories – lost somewhere in the labyrinth of time, never to be truly relived. Even good memories can become bad ones.
However, his face does not falter at the familiar prick of sadness that twinges in his chest and throat. He is too encumbered with keeping up with Tang, as well as making sure they were headed in the right direction. Without hesitation he splashes into the shallow river after her, kicking out his heels as he leaps from the water and back onto the grass, laughing as the water darkens his skin. His blue eyes look up to find Tang, but she is already gone, galloping towards a fallen tree. He grins, haunches tightening for a moment as he prepares to push forward. He leaps back into his gallop, cobalt legs eagerly eating up the ground beneath him. Too long had it been for a good, solid run – and with the present company, the stallion was feeling fantastic. He follows her, gracefully soaring over the fallen tree and alighting squarely on its other side. He continues to trail her, tossing his head as she glances behind to see if he had taken the jump as she had, a smile crossing his whiskered lips.
She continues to lead for the time being, and when she begins to slow, the bay stallion draws up next to her, smiling breathlessly. “You’re a wonderful travel companion,” he says kindly. He has truly enjoyed her company so far and he is not in the least bit uncertain that she would do well here in Tephra, however short her time here may be. The quiet, tropical world needed her brightness.
“We are almost there. I’m sure you can feel the difference in the temperature.” She may begin to notice the slow climb in heat, as well as the muggy and humid air that comes with living in such a tropical climate. Especially with the volcano being so near the heart of all of Tephra, which adds even more heat to the already stifling air. Warrick is thankful for the plentiful sources of water (and the ocean) that is mostly used to cool off from the intense warmth.
From his long and winded gallop, Warrick can feel his dark tresses clinging tightly to his auburn neck and face (and with the humid air aiding in his feeling of stickiness). He takes a deep breath and sighs, thankful that the coolness of night will soon be upon them. The world around them was basking in a golden glow, dipped in honey. He smiles to himself – the sunsets in Tephra were breathtaking, especially with the orange luminosity of the volcano’s streams of magma.
He looks up, his blue eyes fixating on the horizon as they walk into Tephra. The volcano now looms before them, a silent and shadowy giant billowing plumes of ash and smoke, spitting with flame and fire. Warrick glances at Tang from the corner of his eyes, stealing a peek at her through the thickness of his black forelock, waiting to see her reaction.
w a r r i c k