09-15-2017, 01:50 AM
Even though they weren't really racing to begin with, Zhenga had felt excited by the challenge. Now, with her mane flowing behind her in a black cascade, the powerful strides of herself and the stallion eating up the ground as they galloped along, the two seemed content just to enjoy themselves. Zhenga did start slowing her pace down when she felt exerted, settling into a calm gallop beside her foal hood friend. They continued at this pace for some time before finally coming to a halt to conserve their energy for the rest of their trip, the roan filly laughing in good nature when Ivar bumped her shoulder before smiling at her.
Zhenga admitted to herself that the stallion had quite a nice smile - wait, where in the world did that thought come from? Did she actually just think that? What motivated it? Surely it couldn't be from watching him race ahead of her earlier. Sure, it was a sight to see, but this was her friend she was referring to. Besides, he already had a lady waiting for him back in Loess it seemed. And also, the filly didn't want that mare to experience any sort of pain like her dam, Raxa, had gone through. To this day, never mind the fact she had no idea where Jedi was, she refused to see him or seek him out at all. It wasn't that she didn't care for her friend, Zhenga's father, but the fact remained that he hadn't told Raxa about the palomino mare to begin with.
So, if this mare friend of Ivar's got the wrong idea, Zhenga would set her straight real quick. That, or just make sure there didn't seem to be anything deeper than friendship going on between the two of them. She didn't want to go through the same bullcrap her dam did.
Nonetheless, she returned Ivar's smile and gave him a small nudge, indicating she was fine to continue the rest of the journey despite the exhausting gallop they just did. The two young horses made their way toward the Mountain, such a precipice looming before them that Zhenga still thought of it as the hand of the shadows reaching toward the heavens from it's trapped place on the earth. The sight did not scare her though; Zhenga had been born under its shadow and felt safe there while growing up. Her dam told her that, if she ever needed a place to escape, the Mountain would help protect her in its own way. Zhenga had yet to test that theory.
Ivar led the way toward the Mountain, changing course so they wouldn't have to go over the tallest point. Zhenga followed deftly in his hoof steps throughout the journey, knowing one wrong move could send her tumbling down and lead to injury, which she couldn't afford. It was an easy enough going, and once they reached the far side, Ivar led the way toward the nearby lake. The two young horses easily crossed it, keeping to the shallow banks so they didn't have to waste energy swimming. Though, while they were there, Zhenga couldn't resist splashing Ivar with some water as she innocently trotted past him, flicking some water up as she went.
The rest of the journey the two were guided by the mountains, Zhenga engaging in pleasant conversation with Ivar when she got bored of the silence. She didn't notice how far the sun had descended until Ivar finally stopped, apparently having reached their destination since he didn't seem to want to go any further. Zhenga turned her head to look out over the distance, smiling in content as the stray orange glow of the sunlight streaked the land like a carefully completed paint job. Off in one direction, the sky's shade was darker, a deep blue, signaling that night would be falling soon.
Even from this distance, Zhenga could see some of the evening stars beginning their appearance, her eyes twinkling in delight as she turned her head skyward. Having been raised in Sylva and even with the grazing meadows there allowing for an open view of the sky, she'd never seen an expanse like this before. The filly tilted her muzzle up and took in a deep breath of the evening air, her eyes drifting shut as she just imagined the peace, quiet, and prosperity this place had to offer.
Her thoughts were broken by Ivar's voice, and she looked up at him. He offered to delay the tour until the morning hours of the following day, joking how it wouldn't be a good idea now since Zhenga wouldn't be able to see what he was showing her. Laughing at his joke, the filly gave a nod of consent.
"Sounds like a better plan than a nighttime tour. Although night walks are fun in their own way," she quipped, suddenly realizing something, "Uh... is, there a safe place I can stay the night? My mom's used to sleeping in the open but I prefer having something to alert me of any nighttime crawlers," she half-heartedly joked, leaving out how she'd been frightened by a big cat's young when she was a filly.
Zhenga admitted to herself that the stallion had quite a nice smile - wait, where in the world did that thought come from? Did she actually just think that? What motivated it? Surely it couldn't be from watching him race ahead of her earlier. Sure, it was a sight to see, but this was her friend she was referring to. Besides, he already had a lady waiting for him back in Loess it seemed. And also, the filly didn't want that mare to experience any sort of pain like her dam, Raxa, had gone through. To this day, never mind the fact she had no idea where Jedi was, she refused to see him or seek him out at all. It wasn't that she didn't care for her friend, Zhenga's father, but the fact remained that he hadn't told Raxa about the palomino mare to begin with.
So, if this mare friend of Ivar's got the wrong idea, Zhenga would set her straight real quick. That, or just make sure there didn't seem to be anything deeper than friendship going on between the two of them. She didn't want to go through the same bullcrap her dam did.
Nonetheless, she returned Ivar's smile and gave him a small nudge, indicating she was fine to continue the rest of the journey despite the exhausting gallop they just did. The two young horses made their way toward the Mountain, such a precipice looming before them that Zhenga still thought of it as the hand of the shadows reaching toward the heavens from it's trapped place on the earth. The sight did not scare her though; Zhenga had been born under its shadow and felt safe there while growing up. Her dam told her that, if she ever needed a place to escape, the Mountain would help protect her in its own way. Zhenga had yet to test that theory.
Ivar led the way toward the Mountain, changing course so they wouldn't have to go over the tallest point. Zhenga followed deftly in his hoof steps throughout the journey, knowing one wrong move could send her tumbling down and lead to injury, which she couldn't afford. It was an easy enough going, and once they reached the far side, Ivar led the way toward the nearby lake. The two young horses easily crossed it, keeping to the shallow banks so they didn't have to waste energy swimming. Though, while they were there, Zhenga couldn't resist splashing Ivar with some water as she innocently trotted past him, flicking some water up as she went.
The rest of the journey the two were guided by the mountains, Zhenga engaging in pleasant conversation with Ivar when she got bored of the silence. She didn't notice how far the sun had descended until Ivar finally stopped, apparently having reached their destination since he didn't seem to want to go any further. Zhenga turned her head to look out over the distance, smiling in content as the stray orange glow of the sunlight streaked the land like a carefully completed paint job. Off in one direction, the sky's shade was darker, a deep blue, signaling that night would be falling soon.
Even from this distance, Zhenga could see some of the evening stars beginning their appearance, her eyes twinkling in delight as she turned her head skyward. Having been raised in Sylva and even with the grazing meadows there allowing for an open view of the sky, she'd never seen an expanse like this before. The filly tilted her muzzle up and took in a deep breath of the evening air, her eyes drifting shut as she just imagined the peace, quiet, and prosperity this place had to offer.
Her thoughts were broken by Ivar's voice, and she looked up at him. He offered to delay the tour until the morning hours of the following day, joking how it wouldn't be a good idea now since Zhenga wouldn't be able to see what he was showing her. Laughing at his joke, the filly gave a nod of consent.
"Sounds like a better plan than a nighttime tour. Although night walks are fun in their own way," she quipped, suddenly realizing something, "Uh... is, there a safe place I can stay the night? My mom's used to sleeping in the open but I prefer having something to alert me of any nighttime crawlers," she half-heartedly joked, leaving out how she'd been frightened by a big cat's young when she was a filly.