Healing
Zephyr paced silently by his favorite pool in the forest, aware distantly of the eyes that followed his every movement from the trees. True, the eyes did not belong to his lovely Amalthia, but they were oddly comforting. He stopped pacing, his silver gaze locked on the amber eyes of an owl that sat half-concealed in leaves and branches. The owl blinked slowly and Zephyr continued his pacing, amazed at the sense of peace that one act of service could bring to him.
The hunter who disturbed his moment with his white lady had left long ago, and he still had seen no sign of Amalthia. The forest was not all that large, but she knew it far better than he ever might so there were probably a thousand places she could hide where he would never think to look for her. Besides, if he pressed her to hard then she would turn him away; chase him from her wood. And truly, there was no place else for him to go but here so he would surely die out in the world of man.
A light step brought his attention back to the wayward mare as she drank deeply from the pool beside him, ignoring his presence. He let her drink her fill before warily approaching her. "My lady?"
She reared her head up, looking at him with started fawn eyes as though she had seen a ghost. "Why did you call me that?"
"I… I heard the mouse woman call you that once. If you are so bent on living this half life, then… I was only trying to help."
"Molly." The amethysts softened and shone. "Yes, she called me that, as did the magician and Lear…"
"Can you tell me about him?"
"Oh, the magician is an interesting fellow, if you ever get a chance to meet him personally you should for he is humorous and kind. He's a good deal like you, Zephyr."
Inwardly he recoiled. He did not want her to think him kind and funny, but… well, he wasn't exactly sure what he wanted her to think, but practically anything would be better than that. "No, my lady. Of the prince."
"Why would you want to know?" She regarded him suspiciously.
"Because it may help you to speak of him, even only in memory, and perhaps it will help me to understand you better."
"I don't want you to understand me." Her flat refusal stung, but he still refused to show it.
"Amalthia, please. If we are to share this forest, we shall be immortal neighbors. I don't want my only companion for eternity to be a stranger."
"Then find yourself another mare from another forest."
"No other forest can support me living there, and traveling between them is dangerous. I would never put any mare in the kind of danger that presents and neither can I risk it to see her since I may end up only disappointing her with my death."
She stood silent and trembling. "Curse you for being right. Fine. Lear was… very handsome. He tried everything to woo me, from killing dragons to solving riddles to bumbling over verses in his sleep to win my favor."
"If favor was won over deeds alone, my lady, I would not have this human competition in my wooing of you."
"Zephyr, please stop. We are not going to argue about this silly infatuation right now, especially if you really want to hear about Lear." He began to say something then shut his mouth, snapping angrily. She watched him for a moment, unimpressed, then continued with her story. "Yes, I could not be won by deeds, Zephyr. But there was something about him that just… his eyes, blue as cobalt and deep as oceans, and so very expressive. There was emotions there I'd never dreamed of, much less felt. It was magic I have never known, to learn what he knew and to do what I could never do as a unicorn. Even at the time, part of me knew it was dangerous, and I was risking both of our lives by my actions, but really I didn't care. I wanted those emotions, I wanted that human to try them out on, and I loved it almost as much as I love him. It didn't start that way, but… I'm not even sure how exactly it happened, it just did."
"I can understand that." Zephyr's tone was quiet and reserved, and he slowly nuzzled her neck, offering what comfort he could give. "Then you still wish to retain your human self because you are afraid that losing her will destroy you, since you have learned so much and loved so much that losing that would be losing yourself."
She seemed puzzled that he had seen her emotions so clearly, but since they nearly mirrored his own it was hardly difficult for him to understand. "Yes, you're… you're right." Amalthia did not pull away and Zephyr let his head rest on her shoulder, nearly jumping out of his skin when he felt her do the same. Ah, this was what he had wanted, needed, all these years, just to be together with the mare of his dreams, holding her and offering her his comfort, his self, and being accepted without reservations for the first time that she had met him.
Inevitably, another man entered the forest just then, and Amalthia raised her head so suddenly her horn scratched his back a bit. She did not notice, but galloped towards the man, her eyes lit like lanterns. And Zephyr followed after her, ignoring the silvery blood beginning to flow on his back as he galloped beside her. For that joy could only mean one thing: Lear had come to visit.
