Paint spattered teardrops on my shirt (Herds or Valley)

[Fennick]

Fennick smiled softly and nodded. Memories did have a way of resurfacing at odd times. Though, the ones that caught up with him were mundane flashes of an average childhood. They were more boring than heartbreaking. He hadn’t been the most popular child, but he was among the largest, so all but the most determined bullies left him well enough alone. He’d fallen down a lot, as he got used to his long, long legs, but that was about the biggest trauma he could claim.

The stallion wasn’t quite sure he believed her, when the mare said she was alright. But, he recognized a change of subject when he heard one, and let it go. Saying the right thing at the right moment required a finesse that Fennick didn’t possess. It was better to say nothing at all.  He nodded in response to her name.

“A pleasure, Tabithi. I’m Fennick.” And so he was. The wind blew fiercely around them, blowing his mane as it blew hers. The stallion pulled his wings forward, breaking some of the wind’s force so he could hear her over the howl. Fennick smiled a little lopsidedly at her question.

“Recruiting, in theory. Trying not to make an ass of myself in practice. Is it working?” Now that was the real trick, not making an ass of himself. It was accomplished once in a blue moon, and by saying that out loud he pretty much ensured this would not be one of those times. Another one of his lopsided smiles. Luckily, she changed the subject, and Fennick ruffled the feathers in question. He was absurdly proud of them, but not because they allowed him to fly. They had been a gift from Demian, and that meant more to Fennick than he would say out loud. It was an effort, to not make his devotion to the Valley king absurdly obvious. It would not do, for a supposedly intimidating Valley lord to fall all over himself in admiration.

“It’s all right. I’ll admit, I prefer to walk. They do, however, have their moments.” Like the time Demian had lit the whole bloody Valley on fire without giving any of the residents a heads up. In that moment, Fennick had flown around frantically, looking for the cause of the assault. In all fairness, that wasn’t exactly how it had happened. Flamevein and Eight had known what Demian was up to, and the king had only lit the border on fire. Still, it was enough to spur a man to action. The wind howled again, and Fennick wondered what anyone was doing out in his weather.

“And why are you out in the cold?”