02-14-2016, 02:04 AM
Iona felt a bit rude that she had asked a number of questions during the time that she was traveling with the stallion, but didn't exactly want silence to be hanging around the entire time, and before she knew it, the two had become enveloped in deep conversation about what the Valley was like.
In truth, the chocolate flaxen mare was a bit excited to see this new place. Since arriving in this land some time ago, she didn't really have a strong desire to see any of it. The reason for this, in the beginning, was simply because she'd wanted to go someplace quiet, and an inner gut feeling told her a majority of the land wouldn't provide that.
So eventually she had settled in the field, where she and Demian had met, and while stallions and other cliques of mares roamed the area, it wasn't enough to deter her from enjoying the peace and quiet that did exist there.
Distantly thinking she'd like to return again one day to see it, the mare once more focused her attention back on Demian, wanting to hear more of what he had to say. They'd been discussing the Valley, as they had quite a lot, but a new detail came up that hadn't before.
There were... wolves here? The thought unnerved Iona to a great deal, but she didn't say anything. Unknown to Demian, the mare had an unpleasant experience with those predators when she was a yearling. It was not too long after she'd left her home herd; she'd been resting in a glenn one rainy night, under protection of some trees whose branches were so tightly packed together that they shielded her from the rain.
The wolves, having caught sight of her, had given chase, the mare running for her live to escape them. She'd ended up slipping and falling, luckily ending up with nothing more than a sprained fetlock.
Problem was, even though she was away from her home herd, she'd still been in territory familiar to her. After the chase, she'd wound up in unfamiliar landscape, unsure of how to get back home. She'd partially blamed wolves for this unfortunate mishap, and while she had since gotten over such an incident, an inner fear still existed.
As it should with all prey animals after all; an animal's sense of danger was its most powerful inbred instinct, especially for an animal like the horse.
The fact that these wolves were 'protectors' seemed to ease her fears a bit, but not completely. As a wall of pine trees approached them, Iona inhaled their scent, and it delighted her. It was something she'd never smelled before, but it was quite nice. She decided that if there was one plus to living her, it was the nice forest landscape.
Hearing Demian address her, Iona glanced over at him, her ears twitching as she took in the stallion's words. He explained of how this was the entrance to their land, and silently walked in before stopping to wait for her.
Deciding she shouldn't keep him for long, Iona began to follow, hesitating a bit as she thought of the wolves. However, she couldn't sense any nearby, and so stepped in after Demian, smiling when she reached his side once again.
As the duo began to walk toward the inner part of the kingdom, Demian once again addressed her. Iona listened intently, glad to hear that the inhabitants of this kingdom seemed nice and caring for one another. That was an important factor for the chocolate flaxen mare.
While she didn't see it happening anytime soon, Iona knew that, should she had foals of her own one day, that she would want a nice place for them to grow in. No place was perfect, she reminded herself, but this kingdom, the Valley, seemed like a nice place to raise the little ones.
Iona's gaze shifted up as Demian spoke of the birds - the Ravens - and of how they belonged to an ally kingdom. The thought of the winged beasts watching her unnerved Iona a bit; she didn't much like the thought of being watched to begin with, but it wasn't like she could say anything against it.
The duo spoke once more, this time of a friend of Demian's named Rhonan, and Iona was now involved in the conversation to a point where she wasn't paying much attention to what was around her. It was only when Demian stopped and verbally welcomed her to the Valley that Iona's eyes paraded over the landscape, a gasp escaping her as she took it all in.
They were a good distance into a clearing of some sort, pine trees surrounding it on all sides. The sun shown down at such an angle that she leaves of the trees appeared to reflect like precious gems, the emerald, if Iona remembered the term correctly from where she'd heard it years ago.
The grass rippled like the ocean waves, and in the distance, Iona thought she spotted a body of water, but from here, couldn't quite tell if it was a lake, which more than likely it could be, with the size of this clearing, of a great pond, essentially a smaller version of a lake.
The only words Iona could put together in a coherent sentence came out as she spoke, moreso just in general rather than to Demian himself, "It's beautiful."
In truth, the chocolate flaxen mare was a bit excited to see this new place. Since arriving in this land some time ago, she didn't really have a strong desire to see any of it. The reason for this, in the beginning, was simply because she'd wanted to go someplace quiet, and an inner gut feeling told her a majority of the land wouldn't provide that.
So eventually she had settled in the field, where she and Demian had met, and while stallions and other cliques of mares roamed the area, it wasn't enough to deter her from enjoying the peace and quiet that did exist there.
Distantly thinking she'd like to return again one day to see it, the mare once more focused her attention back on Demian, wanting to hear more of what he had to say. They'd been discussing the Valley, as they had quite a lot, but a new detail came up that hadn't before.
There were... wolves here? The thought unnerved Iona to a great deal, but she didn't say anything. Unknown to Demian, the mare had an unpleasant experience with those predators when she was a yearling. It was not too long after she'd left her home herd; she'd been resting in a glenn one rainy night, under protection of some trees whose branches were so tightly packed together that they shielded her from the rain.
The wolves, having caught sight of her, had given chase, the mare running for her live to escape them. She'd ended up slipping and falling, luckily ending up with nothing more than a sprained fetlock.
Problem was, even though she was away from her home herd, she'd still been in territory familiar to her. After the chase, she'd wound up in unfamiliar landscape, unsure of how to get back home. She'd partially blamed wolves for this unfortunate mishap, and while she had since gotten over such an incident, an inner fear still existed.
As it should with all prey animals after all; an animal's sense of danger was its most powerful inbred instinct, especially for an animal like the horse.
The fact that these wolves were 'protectors' seemed to ease her fears a bit, but not completely. As a wall of pine trees approached them, Iona inhaled their scent, and it delighted her. It was something she'd never smelled before, but it was quite nice. She decided that if there was one plus to living her, it was the nice forest landscape.
Hearing Demian address her, Iona glanced over at him, her ears twitching as she took in the stallion's words. He explained of how this was the entrance to their land, and silently walked in before stopping to wait for her.
Deciding she shouldn't keep him for long, Iona began to follow, hesitating a bit as she thought of the wolves. However, she couldn't sense any nearby, and so stepped in after Demian, smiling when she reached his side once again.
As the duo began to walk toward the inner part of the kingdom, Demian once again addressed her. Iona listened intently, glad to hear that the inhabitants of this kingdom seemed nice and caring for one another. That was an important factor for the chocolate flaxen mare.
While she didn't see it happening anytime soon, Iona knew that, should she had foals of her own one day, that she would want a nice place for them to grow in. No place was perfect, she reminded herself, but this kingdom, the Valley, seemed like a nice place to raise the little ones.
Iona's gaze shifted up as Demian spoke of the birds - the Ravens - and of how they belonged to an ally kingdom. The thought of the winged beasts watching her unnerved Iona a bit; she didn't much like the thought of being watched to begin with, but it wasn't like she could say anything against it.
The duo spoke once more, this time of a friend of Demian's named Rhonan, and Iona was now involved in the conversation to a point where she wasn't paying much attention to what was around her. It was only when Demian stopped and verbally welcomed her to the Valley that Iona's eyes paraded over the landscape, a gasp escaping her as she took it all in.
They were a good distance into a clearing of some sort, pine trees surrounding it on all sides. The sun shown down at such an angle that she leaves of the trees appeared to reflect like precious gems, the emerald, if Iona remembered the term correctly from where she'd heard it years ago.
The grass rippled like the ocean waves, and in the distance, Iona thought she spotted a body of water, but from here, couldn't quite tell if it was a lake, which more than likely it could be, with the size of this clearing, of a great pond, essentially a smaller version of a lake.
The only words Iona could put together in a coherent sentence came out as she spoke, moreso just in general rather than to Demian himself, "It's beautiful."