The world of the forest is still and quiet as nothing moves but sounds echo in the distance, herds of deer zig-zag past, run, and jump into the foliage of the security of the edges of trees. Bushes rustle with the evertide of flowing energy. Yet nothing follows after. The secrecy of safety is hidden, for now. But a young Fiadh stays behind as her ears swivel back and forth for the signs of danger, she sees nothing in the distance, though she does start to see the edges of a figure appearing in the distance, what kind of distance? The one where there is nothing but a figurative blobby shape taking form but not scattering, it is not birds nor Ankythines. The young doe turns around completely to peer at the shape forming, going small then expanding into size, as if the equine or creature does not know what to do nor think in a perfectly safe meadow like this one. A safe meadow now dismayed with a painted equine scent. The eyes of the young doe focus even closer, as if possible but not so in the slightest, then—without a thought running straight into the process—the young doe runs straight towards the curious shape forming even more. Curiosity took over the doe's flight or fight instinct, just—the shape looks so curious, as if trying to form but not and then again it does once more in a repeating loop of stories mixed into one: Trying to find a home but also rest somewhere peaceful. A mix of webs trying to form... ~-~ Soon the young doe starts to slow down and prance towards the shape; equine. Without a doubt now. The doe tilts her head as she trots closer as she slows down to prancing again, trying to figure out how to greet this mysterious equine of mixed stories, trying to figure out how to appear friendly without being overly curious. The idea that a unique equine not so of the doe's origins that had successfully went through the barrier, that the Elder Fiadh's had put up for centuries and made for the protection of Fiadhs, is unheard of. No equine could, but this one had. "The safety of peace is either broken or protected forever more with this equine, I do hope that they're not evil or close to it... We Fiadhs need this peaceful land to ourselves.." The young doe trotted closer, wary and concerned edging her already-tensed body even more, the careful hoof steps of her cloven hooves making indents of deer tracks. Like her deer features entell that she is more deer than horse. "Whoever it is... I pray that they do not tell the others of this sacred, lush and vibrant meadow..." The doe spoke out to no one once more, the glistening blades of grass telling the whispers: "Do not tell." Over and over again, carrying onwards the sacred divinity of the place. ~-~ Meanwhile, a young black splash mare was walking in the meadow, her tail swishing every so often as the ends of her long hair caught and touched blades of grass at each flick of her black tail. The grass bend and swish from the windy movements of the mare. Soon the ears of the grey-golden-like horned mare perk up, rotate around to face straight, and located the sounds of movement up ahead. So, the meadow wasn't entirely emptied? She must've scared off the inhabitants of the beautiful lands of the meadow; lush grass, trails leading around and out, a crystal clear river and the just the right amount of sun to hide when it's too hot after each sun bath. All of a sudden, the mare stopped her movements, craning her neck up high as her purple eyes look onwards towards the moving figure of a deer-like horse. Clear as day that she can see. The mare's tail paused in swishing, but the gentle breeze flowing by has not halted in its speed of relaxed winding through the meadow. Then the mare starts walking again, curious of the greeter and who the native might be in this gorgeous land of peace and tranquility that has been built up since before she was around... ~-~ As the two mares met each other at the middle of the spacious meadow, the black splash mare looked up at the antlered doe in question, tilting her head at the curious sight of seeing one thing after another on her travels. "Who are you? And why do you have antlers? Aren't you a doe? Aren't bucks supposed to have antlers and not does?" The black splash mare questioned the young doe, stepping a hoof over the invisible center of the line. Breaking the illusion that this is simply just a unique greeting of two curious creatures meeting for the first time. "Well, for starters, I am Zaya! Also known as: "The Mother of Dance" in my breeds' language, as that's my only nickname." Zaya's deer tail perked up straight in the air, stretching her neck as her nose sniffed and snaffed at the black splash mare's face and around the mare's body, walking like a deer and being curious like a deer. But still as fidgety as one. The black splash mare looked skeptical of Zaya's introduction and answer to her first question, though her other questions have remained unanswered thus far from Zaya. "Well, Zaya, Mother of Dance, I am Espresso. A traveler seeking my own place to call home and be somewhere where I can be. But I haven't found it as of yet..." Espresso leaned her head forward in saddened & annoyed dismay at having not found a home to call hers soon, ah so the mysterious traveler has been found then. 'The Traveler With No Destiny' is what everyhorse calls Espresso. Zaya angled her head in curiosity at Espresso's sadness and annoyance, her nostrils flaring and closing together as she approached Espresso again, sniffing at her once more but not at-at her either. "Well, I may be able to help you—if you'll let me—of course you don't have to though!" Zaya's ears and tail perked up straighter, flattening down again as she backed up to make it clear: She wants to help, if Espresso lets her help her in the first place, but she does not need to let Zaya join her traveling around the continent in order to help her. She could just stay in her peaceful home instead. "Uhm—oh, I don't know—are you even allowed to leave this serene forest?" Espresso looked around, her purple eyes darting everywhere but at Zaya, maybe Zaya's hooves but not entirely at the young-looking doe despite her title that says otherwise for a Fiadh. Zaya craned her back up, tilting just slightly to her left, her brows creasing in offense for a minute before letting go and thinking about her answer to Espresso's question. "No, I am not, there's a barrier that only Fiadhs can access. And well—you're the only known horse—I- erm—I mean, Deneb, you're not really common to see around Fiadh locations much. Or what we last knew in the last 100 hundred years we've been here; in this forest of peace." Zaya almost flattened her ears due to her embarrassing moment of calling Espresso a horse, when she is a horned Deneb, but the term has the same old meaning since Espresso doesn't seem to be offended, much less confused as to what Zaya is talking about. Espresso soon looks surprised, flocked, eyes-wide-in-exasperation at Zaya's reveal. "Wait, so—your kind has been in this barrier-concealed forest for the last 100 hundred years? How... Old are you, exactly?" She backs up in flammigranite, her black tail swishing and flicking as she slightly reared up from the shock of seeing a very old Fiadh still standing, despite some contradictions. Zaya became confident now, flicking her deer tail around in excitement. "Oh, just—probably around.... 798 years?" She suddenly shrunk down her voice—being less confident as she's not helping Espresso's shock and calming her down. "798 YEARS?! And you're THIS young still?!" Espresso reared up, letting out a strong neigh, any nearby deer scattered back to the forest lines and foliage due to the sudden noise of Espresso's neigh and now-wary behavior towards Zaya. "How... Much magic does it cost to keep you alive for that long—and this barrier too?" She gestured around with her head. Zaya looked down at the ground, lowering her neck to grab some grass before throwing it into the air, relishing in the peace despite the tense atmosphere surrounding her and Espresso. "We're naturally this old—unlike other Fiadh to be exact: We've managed to breed age progression in our foals." Her brown eyes looked up at the black splash mare, becoming soft and gentle in her words this time—hopefully to calm down the other mare again to let the other old Fiadhs and deer go back to grazing around in the meadow. "Wow... Just wow..." Espresso stood in momentary silence, letting the knowledge of Zaya's age, the differences between her herd and other Fiadh herds, as well as how long Zaya's herd has been in the protected forest for. The wind began to gently blow past Espresso, outlining her long hair and tail out in a funny way, Zaya giggled at how the wind made Espresso look funny—in an adorable way...