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 Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2026 10:21 am
 Fannar was thinking about his life and the stories that were part of his life. He wasn't sure where his story would take him next, but he was eager to find out. The ground had warmed, and the sun was now making more of an appearance. He wasn't too worried, except for thinking about trying to deal with the summer heat, he didn't think he would be able to deal with that well. He was a cold-weather stallion. He was thinking about Zahra and her animal friends. He thought it might actually be nice to find an animal friend of his own. He wasn't really sure how to go about that, but perhaps he would find another soquili that could give him guidance. He normally didn't seek out others, but he had been trying to branch out a little more since he had met Zahra. He found a spot under a shady tree to take a break. The spot of cool, and he found it comforting.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2026 6:17 pm
With the cold weather finally starting to give way to the first buds of spring, it was time at last for Maleficarum to begin her garden work for the season. It sounded an easy enough task, but there were quite a few steps to be managed to keep both her herb garden and her foraging spots healthy. Sorting through the seeds she'd meticulously collected before the greenery went dormant for the year, checking the health of the soil and determining if any of her planting locations needed rotated, checking her foraging spots to see if she needed to reintroduce anything that had been over-picked the previous year... It was a lot of work, but the payoff was a healthy forest and home garden. And it was her need to check her foraging spots that had drawn her away from her home on this day, further out of the woods first to check the more open areas that the rest of the Kawani lands tended to favor first. This time last year, there had been a shortage of dandelions and she'd needed to help spread the seeds to make sure enough grew over the rest of the season. She understood why, of course - newly bloomed dandelions were a delicious treat for many. But if they were overeaten, then the patches of growth would thin, meaning there were less around both for a treat and for medicinal and spell purposes. She hadn't expected to encounter anyone, so it was with some surprise that she spotted someone who looked more like a snowdrift than anything taken refuge from the sun under a particularly large tree. "I don't suppose you've come all this way in search of dandelions?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2026 5:50 am
Fannar looked at the mare who asked him about flowers. He tilted his head to the side and said, "No, I imagine you are if you don't mind me asking, why are you looking for those flowers?" He had no reason to think of them as weeds since that was a human concept, but he didn't think of them as a very pretty flower or a very special flower. "What use is this flower to you?" He asked out of pure curiosity. He really did want to know why she wanted that yellow flower. He was still resting on the ground, not having gotten up yet.
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Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2026 2:40 pm
"Dandelions are quite useful for plenty of things. The flowers make a wonderful tea, and the leaves can help food move through the stomach more readily. And it's roots are quite beneficial to divination magic," Maleficarum explained, delicately picking her way around the tree with a low hum and a flick of her tail. "The patches in this area were looking rather thin last year, so I had helped to spread their seeds. I was hoping to assess how they were doing. And hoping no one had picked the flowers clean before they had a chance to recover."
At a cursory glance, it certainly looked like there were plenty of stems in the patch she'd been most concerned for. And it didn't look like anyone had been snacking on them yet, which boded well for there to be plenty of blooms in the coming months. Which meant her task was finished for now, leaving her with only her curiosity regarding the stallion under the tree.
"If you aren't here for the dandelions, might I ask what brought you out this way? You look like you'd be far more comfortable near the mountains, where it tends to stay cooler." The mountain air was a great boon in that aspect. The peaks often had caps of frost and even snow well into the summer, and the wind that blew down the mountainside carried the cold with them more often than not. She knew of many that called the foothills home specifically because it tended to be cooler there.
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Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2026 5:44 pm
Fannar listened to the female explain why she wanted the dandelions. He got up and looked at her, and said, "Just thinking about things, I am Fannar," he said, introducing himself. He smiled, "Yes, I was just thinking about that and how I am not looking forward to the summer months. Even the mountains grow warmer in those months." He looked around. "If you would like help, I wouldn't mind looking for the dandelions with you." He offered. She had explained well why the flowers were important to her and how they were useful. He thought that the females he had met lately were rather smart, which was nice to know that he had the good fortune to meet them.
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2026 4:40 pm
"Oh, no. I'm not looking to harvest any just yet. Just making sure they were growing well." Maleficarum paused just long enough to toss her head towards the area she'd been inspecting, and a closer look showed plenty of stems growing in the fresh spring grass. "It looks like they're recovering well, so as long as no one gets too greedy, there should be plenty this year."
But with her task complete, she couldn't help but regard the stallion curiously. It was a strange choice to wander this far from the mountains if he wasn't anticipating the warm weather. While she was oftentimes described as something of an enigma by those who knew her by reputation alone, she didn't often meet anyone she personally found to be puzzling. But this stallion who almost appeared to be a snowdrift come to life had certainly managed to attract her curiosity.
"A strange choice, then. To wander so far into lands that are warmer still. Perhaps there's a tale behind that decision?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2026 4:53 pm
Fannar nodded his head. "I am glad for you that you will have what you need." He didn't understand everything about it; there was no way for him to, since he knew nothing about her craft. Fannar thought on it and said, "I suppose it is a tale, but I don't know if it is an interesting tale or one that has been heard many times over." He thought about the things that had happened and if he wanted to tell a total stranger. He hadn't even told Zahra yet; then again, he might never see this mare again, so telling her wouldn't be any harm to anyone. He shrugged and said, "My family lives in the deep mountains; our coloring blends in well with the snow and stone." He paused and then said. "My father was a very harsh stallion, and he did not take well to me growing stronger so I was forced out of my family herd.. I'm not sure there is much more to tell than that." Or he didn't want to tell any more. The days he had to survive on his own had been hard. He had only recently gained a skill that made him better in the cold, so things had been do-or-die.
Still, he had survived and made it to safety, where he was able to meet others and start a life of his own. "What about you? There has to be a story behind you." He said cheekily, smirking at her. He was eager to hear some of what made her the mare she was. It was strange sharing these stories, but in a way, it was also a good feeling. Telling another and letting the pain of the tale go. He looked out at where the flowers she had been looking for grew. She said she spread the seeds. Stories were like seeds spread from place to place, sometimes growing in the telling each time the story is told. If she did tell his story, perhaps someday the story would change to him fighting his father rather than him just being banished from his home. He worried for his mother and sisters and perhaps he would return to fight his father now that he had grown.
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2026 5:22 pm
How often had she heard of such things? Parents who controlled far too much and resented their children for daring to become more. It was more common than it had any real right to be, but there was little to be done about it. There would always be terrible parents just as there would always be amazing ones. Balance was part of the natural order of things.
And when asked of her own tale, she flashed the stallion a smile, her lashing lowering over her solid white, faintly glowing eyes. She could think of only one way to begin.
"I'm a witch." She paused a moment to lift one clawed foot, motioning with it in the vague direction of the woods she'd traveled from. "My mother was a witch too. She raised me deep within the woods and taught me everything I know of spellwork. As far as I know, I was an only foal - my father wasn't particularly interested in sticking around. Many found my mother's appearance to be frightful, so we lived a mostly solitary life as I grew. But it was well enough. And now that I'm grown, I have my own small territory - although I use that word rather loosely. It's more just where I live, where I tend to my gardens and look over the natural order of things to maintain balance."
There was another pause, and her smile turned slightly wicked.
"And where others come to seek me for spells. For a price, of course."
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2026 5:28 pm
Fannar nodded and smiled, "I am not surprised by your tale, and I am glad to have met you. Perhaps we will meet again." He said simply.
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2026 5:33 pm
"Perhaps." It was difficult to say. Encounters like this often resulted in nothing, after all. But it was always possible that fate would conspire to ensure their paths crossed again someday. "And if you ever need a spell, for any reason, just look to the woods. If you ask the ravens nicely, most of them are willing to guide others to me if they're in need."
Although one's definition of in need varied greatly. Who was to say what Fannar would need from her, if he ever did?
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