Living Cold [Ruinmir]

[Lioness]

To put it bluntly, Io was… bored. Se missed her mother and aunties and sisters and brothers, missed chatting and playing and bossing them about. Sure, these misty plains, the official home of lone mares in Hilzaria, were lovely, with their lush, sweet grasses, quaint little copses of trees and the beautiful ethereal mists, but it after a little while it all became… tedious. Monotonous. Dull. It wasn’t even as though she had the petty excitement of waiting to be claimed, which many of the mares here took comfort in; for she didn’t want to be claimed, yet at least, when she scented a stallion on the breeze she was sure to run the other way.

Thus the mare wandered alone, traipsing from field to field, never staying in the same place for longer than took her to graze her belly full. That was another worry; in a place where there was nothing to do but eat, she had to be careful not to get fat.

Oh, how she wished she’d never had to leave her home. Many of the females in her herd would have told her that she didn’t have to, that she could easily have stayed, but Io knew this was not true. She’s had to get out, because if she’d stayed any longer, she’d have ended up challenging that stallion that chased off her father, and she knew what trouble that would have caused. Could she have gotten used to him if she’d stayed? No - simple as that. He was a slimy, stupid, good-for-nothing brute who couldn’t lead a herd successfully if his life depended on it (which it probably did, actually).

But she’d paid the price for her pride. Now she was lonely, now she had no one to talk to. She extended her head and brayed loudly, her strong voice reverberating through the mist. She shivered. She had no idea who she was calling to, or even what she expected the outcome of her cries to be, but it felt good to let out some steam. She whinnied again, this time rearing onto her hind feet, just to feel the strength in her body.

She came down with a thud, feeling foolish for prancing like a foal.

[Lady Lemon Zinger]

(Sorry about the wait, I lost all muse for Rui)

Ruinmir was trotting around, no real goals or worries in her mind. she was totally free in her mind. Free from any rules, responsibilities or cares. She didn't realize danger could stray onto these misty fields and she didn't have the common sense to think about any predators or even other horses. All Ruinmir really cared about was filling her belly and finding water when needed. She just would wander around, enjoying what small excitements her life held (like chasing butterflies most of the afternoon, that had been fun) and not feeling any desire for any more. No fire of love or adventure had ever been awoken in her. Her life was just about as meaningless as it could be, but Ruinmir saw it as ease. Rather than involving herself in some stupid search for some long dead royalty she didn't really believe in, Ruinmir had built up an existence based solely on her needs. And with no stallions to tell her otherwise, she would stick to that plan.

However, she was not against friends, so when she heard a call through the misty air, she perked her ears and trotted over, arriving just as another mare, golden-brown and about the same height reared. She paused, cocking her head in slight bewilderment and a bit of amusement. She wondered if this was done out of anger or excitement, but Ruinmir saw nothing in the mist that could bring on any joy, so she assumed anger, but she had no way to know. However, she was in sight now, and it'd be rude to turn and leave, so she finished closing the gap between them and tossed her head a little. "Good day." She called kindly, hoping she could socialize a bit.