The Taiga's forest was quiet on that day when the unknown mare and foal decided to pay a visit, letting out a call to see if any nearby horse was within their earshot. Given the quiet state of the kingdom and limited number of horses here, it didn't seem like, at first, any horse had heard the mare's call. However, there was another that heard it, a much smaller, but proud creature, with noble eyes watching the movements of the mare and foal as they wandered through the trees in hopes of finding another soul here.
The black-peppered falcon turned it's head, clicking it's beak a few times as it wondered to itself who these two strangers could be. The falcon had not seen them here before; were they perhaps old residents coming to pay a return visit, much like his good friend before he settled in as the leader? Or was it a possibility they were here for a nefarious purpose, and the foal was just a ruse to make them seem innocent?
After all, who would distrust such an innocent looking creature?
The mare let out a call again, and the falcon let out a noise as close to a laugh as possible when the younger colt tried to copy it's mother. Clearly, they were here seeking someone, but out of fear for his friend's safety, the falcon wondered if he should let him know. Would he take the risk? He couldn't exactly let the mare and colt go wandering around without letting the leader know.
Coming to his decision, the falcon spread his white wings and took to the sky, shaking a few loose leaves off of the tree branch as he took off from his perch. With a few easy flaps he was high above the trees, already knowing where he had to go to find his friend.
The leader seemed to have a few favorite grazing spots peppered throughout the kingdom, but from what Turul noticed, around mid-day, it seemed to be in the upper portion of the kingdom's forest. It did take him a short while to find his friend, since the Taiga was so large, but with his keen eyesight, he located him in quick enough time. The falcon let out a call to alert his friend, and sure enough, the golden stallion down below lifted his head to look up toward the sky.
Turul descended, tucking his wings and shooting toward the ground at rapid speed. He slowed at the last minute, creating a draft to kicked up his friend's mane and tail some before turning around and coming to rest on the stallion's croup as he usually did when there were no other convenient, low-hanging perches.
The golden stallion turned to acknowledge his friend, smiling in greeting. Aten gave his friend a serious look, "Have you spotted something Turul? A visitor?"
To some, seeing a horse converse with the falcon might have seemed strange, given he couldn't physically talk back in full sentences. Something about the chirps and sounds he made, plus the looks he gave, Aten just understood. The stallion, being quite perceptive, was able to put together his friend's one-word speech, which made it somewhat easier to understand it when Turul was trying to warn him.
In this case, the falcon has some interesting news to share. Knowing he should investigate, Aten nodded to his friend, "Take me to where they are, please."
Turul took to the skies again, flapping his wings to gain some height. He trusted Aten to keep an eye on him since he didn't really like flying through the trees, but decided to spare his friend and kept just below them so that the stallion could see his white feathers against the green and brown backdrop of the forest.
The watchful stallion kicked his pace to a gallop to keep pace with the falcon, having little trouble navigating the twists and turns of his home. The practice he's gotten from before Taiga's destruction and the fact that he lived here now was proving to be a valuable asset. Dare he say, Aten felt he could even gallop through the forest with his eyes closed and not run into any trees.
That wasn't to say he wouldn't trip over a rock or a branch, but one step at a time.
Nearing where he spotted the mare and foal, Turul called down to his friend. Aten slowed to a canter so he wouldn't take them by surprise, watching for a sign from the falcon. When Turul circled off to the right and let out another call, Aten knew he was close by. He continued going straight forward and kept his eyes open, his gaze drifting back and forth to make sure he wouldn't miss the strangers among the trees.
Even though her coat wasn't the same golden that Aten's was, he easily spotted her against the greenery. Digging his hind hooves in and giving a small rear to stop his run, the stallion came to rest, looking over at the mare and the foal he saw by her side. Flaring his nostrils to catch his breath, Aten took this time to assess from a distance a minute.
Both mare and foal were shorter than the golden stallion, and appeared to sport matching paint coats. The mare carried herself with a confident stance, but Aten had a feeling that, perhaps under it, there was more to the story. The stallion organized his thoughts and started walking to greet them, a calm pace in his step.
The stallion's own sleek golden coat was accentuated by the sunlight streaming through the trees, creating the illusion that his fur was not made of hair but instead ocean water that had been stained with honey and amber. His dark brown mane and tail were long, his forelock falling neatly on his forehead and down his nose, the stallion having finally discovered a trick to keep it out of his eyes.
Aten spoke in a calm voice when he neared the pair, stopping a few feet away to respect their space, "Greetings to the both of you; welcome to Taiga. May I ask who has come to visit the kingdom on the spring day?"
@[Lepis]
