Sitting quietly on the tree's sturdy branch, you are not noticed by the horned equine walking contentedly under you. That is, until you sneeze.
Name: Painted Rose
Gender: Female
Age: Adult
Type: Anditan
Parentage: Wild
Tarsuinn: Harvest Moon / Harvest Moon
She freezes, startled. "Who's there?" she calls warily.
You contemplate trying to keep yourself hidden, but decide not to. "Just me," you answer, "a wanderer." You scramble off your branch and slide down the trunk of your resting place, landing in front of her. You quickly introduce yourself.
"I'm Painted Rose," she says with a note of wonder as she eyes the treetop. Well, you reason, she couldn't climb a tree.
"Nice to meet you. And... Sorry if I startled you," you say with an embarrassed grin.
"No, it's quite all right. I just didn't really expect somebody to come from up there." She doesn't point, but it's obvious what she means.
"It's what I do to pass the time," you reply. Then a new thought crosses your mind. "You aren't in a hurry to get anywhere, are you?" you ask concernedly.
She laughs. "I was just going to visit the other two residents of the meadow. Would you like to come with me?" She eyes you, then in a quieter voice warns, "They can be a bit depressing."
You look at her. "Um... In what way?" you ask warily. Then, before she can answer, you just say, "Never mind--I'll come along."
You both start off through the trees.
Name: Spring's Sorrow
Gender: Female
Age: Adult
Type: Anantine
Parentage: Russet Spring X Blue Sun
Notes: She's Anantine (Obviously ^.^;;). She lost most of her horn when she was captured by hunters in the Shadow Realm and is covered in scars and rope burns from that experience.
In a moment, you see another asrire lying restlessly in the shade. Painted Rose takes one look at her, then turns away. "I'll go find Russet Spring," she says. You have no clue what Russet Spring is, but you just nod. She walks off.
As you walk up to the figure lying under the tree, she doesn't even bother to raise her head at you--just flicks up one ear, one eye, and sighs. "S'ppose you've come to say hello, too?" she asks. She sounds... Well, not very happy with her lot in life.
"Yes," you say, surprised. "Is there something wrong with that?"
"Not really. But it doesn't make me feel any better. Hello to you, too, I guess." She sighs and flops over on her side. As she does, you make out scars all over her coat.
"Thank you." You pause as you see the scars, making way for an uncomfortable silence. You gaze out into the distance.
After a minute, she opens her eye again. "You're still here?" She sounds a bit annoyed.
This was certainly awkward. "Yes." Then, just for the sake of saying something, you continue with, "Um, if you don't mind me asking... Why are you so unhappy?"
"Do you really want to know?"
"I think so..."
"All right." She semi-stands before looking you fiercely in the eye. "I am not a Portal, and I am not an Anditan. I am an Anan--" she breaks the word off.
"I'm a mix," she finally continues. "If you don't know what I'm talking about, journey to my homeland and see. Nobody accepts me! Except... Except Painted Rose. And my mother. They aren't blind to the facts. But even my father is reluctant to acknowledge me!" She sighs. "And I can't have foals of my own, either. Who'd let me in a Tarsuinn? I'm an Anantine!" She spits the word out. "I'm a mix. And that's why I'm unhappy."
"Is there anything that would make you happy?" you ask with a worried tone.
"No," she states stubbornly. Then she takes a deep breath. "Yes. If I could live a free life. If I weren't shunned for what I am. It's who I am that matters! Why can't they see that?" She looks like she's working herself up, and you can see her quivering and tense--you're getting nervous. But then she calms herself down. "I guess if I were in their shoes, though, I'd act the same way." She looks over you speculatively, then turns and walks away, only to sink down to the ground once more and begin to sleep the day away. An awful way to spend your life, you think, but you can do nothing to help it.
You feel that you'd better go now. "Bye," you say softly, and turn around.
But you'd forgotten about Painted Rose. And Russet Spring must be the other asrire standing beside her with a shocked and upset look on her face.
Name: Russet Spring
Gender: Female
Age: Adult
Type: Anditan
Parentage: Silver Wisdom X Dawn Ray
Offspring: Spring's Sorrow
Tarsuinn: Harvest Moon / Harvest Moon
"Spring!" Russet cries to her daughter unhappily. "Don't say that." She walks over to Spring's Sorrow. "Don't say that..."
Painted Rose shoots you a look, and you decide that now might be a good time to go.
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