Welcome to Gaia! ::

Sometimes Meissa found it difficult to believe he'd been lucky enough to find such a perfect mate in Tavshed. The stallion had been everything he could've ever dreamed of, and knowing that he was able to wake up every morning curled up next to him almost felt too good to be true. But adjusting to life in the desert had been a trial for his mate - as it had been for Meissa's Dad, who'd come to the desert later in life and fallen in love with his Papa and stayed. Funny how history tended to repeat itself...

But all of that was something to consider later. Right now, his darling mate was clearly in the doldrums. Meissa was quick to trot to Tavshed's side, bumping his nose under his chin and rubbing their faces together.

"It isn't your fault, dearest. Plants have such a difficult time growing in these conditions - it's why so many of the herd's medicinal herbs come from outside trade," he soothed, looking at the browned and dry plant life that his mate had tried so desperately to coax to life with a wince of sympathy. There was simply no helping it. Short of an Ulun'suti with wood elemental powers, there was little hope to keep a little garden alive in such harsh conditions.

The mention of tucking flowers into his man was enough to give Meissa pause, and he considered the confession for a long moment. If that was what his love desired, then surely there must be a way to make his wish come true that didn't involve so much heartbreak. And it only took him a few moments of thinking before he pulled away just enough to give his mate a bright smile.

"You needn't try and make real flowers bloom in the desert for that!" Meissa looked back over his shoulder, in the vague direction of where the herd had settled for now - although they were far from it on the course of their own errands. "Some of the traders make flowers from silk and other delicate fabrics that you could fashion into hair pins. And then you could soak them in floral scented oils so they were just as fragrant as real flowers. All you desire, without having to grow a garden just to pluck the flowers from it anyway."

It felt like the perfect solution, and he gave Tavshed another quick nuzzle before nudging his shoulder gently, encouraging him to follow after him.

"And as for smelling blossoms together... We're pretty near the edge of the desert right now. If I remember right, there's a lovely garden not too far from here. Perhaps you could find some inspiration there for what kinds of fabric flowers you'd like to get?"

"I'm no more marvelous than you!" Which could almost be mistaken for Meissa being humble - except that he thought Tavshed was quite marvelous himself. The true marvel was that they'd found each other when they had. The meeting had been pure chance, and what a wonderful path it had laid out for his future. To be mated this stallion, to have a future with him... Perhaps even children some day if they were so lucky - not that he wasn't giddy about all of his bonus children, but they'd already been grown when he'd met them! He wanted to raise foals of his own!

The question of a favorite flower at least was enough to make him pause, thinking it over seriously before shaking his head. "I can't say that I do. I haven't had much chance to really admire any, but maybe I can pick some favorites from the garden. Or you can decide what you think would look nicest in my mane! I'm not hard to please."

The walk truly wasn't far, and soon enough the desert gave way to grass, which further gave way to trees. They'd still have plenty of time to make it back by sunset, even if they stopped to gather some herbs on their way back. So he nodded his head with a smile, the bells in his mane jingling with the motion. "Not a bad idea! I'm sure we can find something useful on the way back. Just as long as we-" He cut himself off abruptly, trotting ahead of Tavshed and turning in front of him. "Wait, close your eyes. We're almost there and I want to surprise you."

It wasn't often that Meissa's errands took him under the canopy of tree branches within the forests that skirted the desert's edges. Having been raised out under endless skies, he often found the forest a bit claustrophobic, preferring open spaces where he could see the horizon. But he could manage for quick visits like this - especially if it was for his mate.

"Good. Now stick close and mind your steps." His voice was soft, and he waited until he could feel Tavshed touching him before he began moving again, careful to pick a path where the other stallion wouldn't meet any obstacles. His hoofsteps were soft on the grass, muffled by the lush bed of the forest in the midst of its most vibrant season. And eventually he stopped, shifting his weight between his hooves in his eagerness for his mate to see just what he'd led him to.

"Alright. Open your eyes."

Meissa knew the sight that would greet him - the trees parted just enough to create a perfectly clear glade that someone had taken the effort to maintain. It was edges with flowering bushes that came nearly up to his back, and had bursts of every color under the sun in neat little clusters of flowers, with winding dirt paths that led to every patch. This time of year it was bursting with life - butterflies and other pollinators moving between flowers, birdsong in the treetops, and even a small family of rabbits making a snack of some flowering clover that served as filler between the neatly kept patches of flowers.

Seeing Tavshed's reaction made the trip more than worth it. Meissa had no clue who it was who actually maintained this garden - he'd stumbled on it himself some time ago, and had never visited while the gardener in question happened to be there. Maybe someday he'd be lucky enough to meet them. Maybe not. It hardly mattered in the grand scheme of things; what did matter was the wonder on his mate's face, and the butterfly that landed on his nose.

"All my secrets are yours, for as long as we both live," Meissa said, coming over to nuzzle his face against Tavshed's. And it didn't even take a nudge from him to convince the other stallion to explore, while Meissa himself trailed behind, occasionally leaning down to sniff a particularly vibrant bunch of flowers. And if his mate was paying attention, he might have noticed Meissa lingering just a tad bit longer near a large patch of lilies.

It was all going exactly as he'd hoped, really - right up until Tavshed popped a question that had been lingering in the back of his mind for some time. Meissa reared in surprise, wobbling in the air for a second before landing with a thud on the dirt path. He rushed to Tavshed's side, bumping their heads together, his tail flagging with joy. "Of course we can! I'd love nothing more! I'll put out an offering for the spirits as soon as we get back to the herd. With any luck, they'll bless us with children of our own soon."

Truly, he couldn't have asked for a better afternoon out with his beloved.