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The storm hadn't lasted long, but Aiolos found himself comfortable in the presence of the Nymph mare in a way he hadn't felt since the Mini herds had all been together. He'd been in these lands for a very long time, now. So long, he had forgotten what it was like to be near others like him. Or others in general. Everything here was so strange. Many winged equines stuck their horns into their legs until they bled. He wasn't sure if he still believed that stallion or not, that he was actually doing harm to himself in order to do good. Why had Aiolos never met any of these dangerous Soquili that the brown stallion had spoken of? It all seemed rather suspicious, if you asked him.
No one did. Instead, he had asked Yuurei her opinion on it. Though he hadn't known her very long, he felt like he could trust her with anything. He found himself confiding in her more. In return, she told him about her own history and how the crossing with her herd had gone. She hadn't been born blind, she said. She could remember what the crossing with her herd had looked like. Sometime since being over here, her sight had been slowly going, until it was gone completely, leaving her with the cloudy look she now had. Aiolos had asked if she thought it was anything to do with being over here. She said no. She had a feeling during the journey that her sight would go. Things had started to go a bit blurry in the distance back than. It was a just a matter of life that she was now completely blind. She still got around. Especially with the help of the blue bird named Fionn who was always by her side.
During the rest of the winter, Aiolos helped Fionn take care of Yuurei. She remained inside the cave for most of the season, waiting for one or both of them to return with some food for her. When the snow started to melt, it was Aiolos who came trotting into the cave to tell her.
"My, Aiolos. You sound excited." Yuurei stood near the entrance, enjoying the cool breeze that blew against her face. The winter had been very boring for her. If she could see, she'd have at least enjoyed being near the entrance and watching the snow drifting across the sky. Though she couldn't see it, she had tried to stand here and imagine what it must look like right now. Every so often, a flake had blown inside the cave, landing on her nose or side, so she knew it was snowng softly.
When she had first started to go blind, she had been naturally very upset.
The world was such a beautiful place and she'd miss watching life go by. The birds in the spring making their nests and calling out to each other, forming pairs to raise a next generation. The salmon swimming back from the ocean to spawn in the river where they themselves had been born. All the little foals of her herd, playing under the watchful eyes of the adults. And the flowers. Oh, she dearly missed looking at all the colors of the flowers spread out in the fields back home. She had briefly seen all these things in these new lands, before her sight left her completely. But that had been a very long time ago. She no longer felt as upset about it as she did before. Yuurei had made peace with it.
"Of course I am! The snow's had started melting! It's no longer belly high." The Putti stallion stopped a ways from the Nymph mare, watching her turning her head at the sound of his hooves. She smiled softly at him, clearly pleased by this, too. Everything she did was soft. Gentle. Kind. He felt guilty every day about how he had judged her on her appearance when he first saw her. She had made an impressive entrance, coming out of the shadows as she had done, her muzzle darkened as if she had been gorging on something awful in the darkness. Of course she had not been. She was, appearance aside, a normal mare. Better than most mares, really. Most mares weren't this serene level of kind.
"Where is it?" Yuurei giggled at his excitement. It was nice to see him eager for something. He was always so serious, a little unsure and timid. Odd to think he had been a leader of a giant Putti herd. He must have had leader skills back than, that he had simply lost in his solitude. How sad that was to think about.
Aiolos stopped, the smile faltering on his face. This was embarrassing, how he was carrying on. Like a young colt. Young he still was. Young he was when he took over control of the herd. But he'd never acted his age nor ever wanted to. It was so ridiculous, the way the young stallions carried on. Especially in the attention of a filly.
Like him.
That made him more embarrassed. He tried to cover it by coughing, nudging the mare forward with his nose gently on her shoulder. "Go see. It's not so high we can't walk in it at our size."
"Alright," Yuurei answered, just as sweetly as ever, oblivious of what had passed over Aiolos' face. She moved forward, slowly, taking each step carefully so she didn't step into a hole and break a leg.
From behind them came the sound of wings as Fionn joined them. He landed before his mistress, brushing his feathers against her legs so she would know he was there. With one wing outstretched to always touch her, he moved ahead on foot, checking the ground for anything that could harm her. She'd always been grateful of his company and help, even from the very beginning. She'd never been stubborn about keeping her independence as her eyesight slowly dimmed. Fionn was glad of it. Not just for the fact that he couldn't argue back at her, but he liked to help where he could.
Between the two of them, Yuurei made it outside. She stepped into the snow, only shivering a little at the sudden coldness that hit her. Before, she had been standing at the entrance for a few hours, her body fully adapted to the chill in the wind. She quickly got over the shock of the snow. Her head moved around, as if she were seeing the world for the early spring that it was slowly becoming. She could hear the birds chirping to each other. Soon enough, a large chorus of them would be heard in the trees, as they searched for their mates or made new pairings. It brought warmth to her heart. She loved Spring and all the good that it brought with it.
But she was also thankful for the Winter, for it had brought her Aiolos. Yuurei had bee so lonely for so long. Oh, she could talk to Fionn and he was always nearby. She didn't feel alone. There was something he couldn't provide her, though, no matter how much he wanted to. Conversation. She had missed being able to relax and talk to someone else for hours. She had that in Aiolos. They had spent so much of the Winter in each other's company this way, Fionn always protectively nearby.
She cherished them both. She hoped they knew it.
"It's lovely," she said, smiling at the world around her that she couldn't see, but could feel all the life stirring within it. "Soon we can enjoy the fresh grass of the new season."
Beside her, Aiolos was nodding. Spring was never a big deal to him, being an old stallion in a young stallion's body. At least that was what all his peers told him he was, all the time. He hadn't their enthusiasm or interests in life. He'd never even wanted to settle down with a mare, though he knew eventually, as a leader, he would have to and continue the family line. Now, he no longer had to do that. It had been freeing in the beginning, not having all those responsibilities that a leader had. Than it had become lonely. He couldn't even connect with the Soquili, nor find any his own size. This land seemed dominated by the large equines, whereas his lands had been dominated only by those his size. It was something he was still trying to get used to.
"I'll be very glad to see this snow gone" Aiolos grumbled, more like his usual self. He pawed at the snow, creating a hole in it leading down to the yellow grass beneath. Beside him, he heard Yuurei give another delightful giggle, than the feel of her muzzle touching his shoulder. He gave a start, looking in the opposite direction from her.
"Y-yes...It will also be good to see the world come back to life."
Now that Yuurei had stopped walking, Fionn looked at the two of them, deciding maybe now would be a good time to give them some space. Walking away, he flapped his wings and took off into the air, in search of some food for himself.
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