Running a little wild -- ( Caspian )

[severn]

Somehow, the world was always beautiful. Even after so much pain, the world could become so very bright. Severn lay there in the grass, close to the base of a tree, and took a very deep breath. How had she gotten here? Where exactly was here? So very many questions came to her mind as she lay there in the dappled sun. But she pushed them away, pulling her mind back to just looking at the sky above her.

The last things that she could remember was being very, very cold. So numb and breathless, just lying there in the thick grass. At that moments, she had been in her wolf form, a lean, sleek grey animal. But... she had been hurt, that much she could remember. How had that come to pass?

So many things that needed answers. But, at the same time, they didn't. All that Sev knew was that she was still alive, and that was good. What had brought her to be here was irrelevant. With a pleasant, content sigh, she rolled over and drew her legs up underneath herself so that she could kneel in the lush grass.

Looking down, she found that she was still graced by her normal attire. A loose grey shirt with a black leather corset. Well tailored pants and high, over-the-knee boots, along with a studded belt that held her longsword. Perfect.

With a happy little laugh, Severn sprang upward, jumping straight into an easy lope. Just the freedom of running was so exhilarating. For a heartbeat, she closed her eyes and pulled her mind into focus, thinking about a thing she had done hundreds of times. Then, she was really running.

Now, a tall, powerful horse galloped across the open fields. Her hoof beats echoed around her as she churned up the soft earth, elated by the sheer joy of existence. With a loud neigh, she reared up and pawed at the air, shaking her head before spinning to run again.

She came around in a large circle, not breaking stride until she heard something off behind her. Skidding to a stop, Severn wheeled around to look at the new arrival, her sides heaving slightly from the exertion of her run.

[caspian]

Caspian had been riding near Aslan's How for the most of the day, and revisiting some of the places he had once been in the other Narnia, before he had come to Aslan's Country. He was on his way back to Cair Paravel, where he had been visiting when he had seen a beautiful horse racing across the flatland near his location. The sight awed him, and he had turned his horse in the direction of the other and followed the horse. Once the other animal had slowed, Caspian did the same and dismounted quietly. He had hoped to get a look at the horse without being spotted, but it appeared the mare had seen him already and was now looking at him curiously. She stood there breathing heavily from her run, and watched him. For some reason Caspian had a feeling this was no ordinary horse. She was beautiful, and yet, something was different about her eyes. It was almost like he was looking into the eyes of a human, but that couldn't be. Maybe this was a talking horse? It was possible, as in Narnia, talking beasts and creatures were very prominent, even moreso than humans. A long time ago, back when Narnia had been created, Aslan had given certain creatures the ability to speak, and to think for themselves.

Going with his intuition, that this horse was a talking creature, Caspian held up his hands to show the animal that he was unarmed, and walked slowly closer to the horse. “Hello ….” he said hesitantly. “I'm sorry if I startled you, I was just riding through the area on my way to Cair Paravel, and noticed you as you were running, and I couldn't help but try and get a closer look...” he continued. For a moment he felt silly talking to the animal, and hoped that he wouldn't find out that the horse did not have the ability to talk. That would make him question his instinct and wonder if he was still able to do the things he had once been able to do as a young boy. His body was young, as he been restored to a younger age upon entering Aslan's Country, but his mind held the memories of an old man. He looked at the horse, wondering if it would speak soon, as the awkwardness was building as each moment passed.

[severn]

For a very long moment, Severn just stood there and looked at the man. She had not really been expecting anybody to be out here, so she felt slightly awkward that she had been caught running around like this. Admittedly she wasn't human and just running around, because that would just look far to stupid. But it was still rather awkward.

Flicking her ears forward, Sev listened carefully as he spoke to her. Well, he did seem nice enough, and he didn't appear to have any bad intentions. None that she could pick up on anyway. Idly flicking her tail back and forth a bit, she considered her options.

She could always just pretend that she was just a normal horse. Or she could respond to him. The idea of admitting herself as a shape shifter was out of her mind right now. For some reason, people tended to not be so trustful of magic users. Of course, given the history of some of them, that was understandable.

Taking to hesitant steps forward, Severn lowered her proud head a bit, bowing it to him in a greeting. "Hello. Do not trouble yourself, you didn't bother me," she said in a soft, careful voice. Letting out a long sigh through her nose, she lifted head head again. "I was just a little startled, that's all. I didn't think anybody else would be out here..."

With that, she took one small step back, gently shaking out her mane as she waited for a reply.

The Horse

[caspian]

Caspian refrained from jumping a little when the horse finally did speak. It wasn't that he was scared, or all that surprised. It's just that he was still in awe that some animals could indeed, talk. Of course he had grown accustomed to the idea of it after spending time with some of the Narnians when he wasn't in Aslan's Country, however, he still felt that talking creatures and beasts should be shown a little more respect than he would normally give an animal that couldn't talk.

The horse didn't seem too upset that he was there, just surprised. He considered it a good thing that he had come across her, because he had actually been hoping he would run into someone. Otherwise it would have been a very boring ride back to Cair Paravel. His sole purpose for leaving the castle was to get out and explore some of the old places he had once spent a great deal of his time.

“Oh, well, I'm glad I didn't scare you too much then. If you don't mind me asking, what is your name? I am King Caspian X, and I am visiting Cair Paravel for a while,” he said casually. Back when he was younger, before he had met any Narnians, he would have felt a little strange talking to a horse. But now that he had more experiences he wasn't so hesitant. It felt normal to him, even though the thought of talking creatures still amazed him. His uncle had always told him that Narnians didn't exist any longer, and that the older stories of talking beasts living in the woods were untrue. However, his professor and nursemaid had said otherwise, and later he had found out that they did exist.

Thinking about those moments in his life made him feel old, because they happened so long ago. Now that he was in Aslan's Country, he was a young again. A thought occurred to him, that maybe this horse had seen Aslan, since he assumed the animal had been there for quite some time. Perhaps she knew of Aslan's whereabouts, because even though they were in Aslan's Country, they rarely saw Aslan, because well, he wasn't a tame lion, and he was always on the move. Caspian had hoped by going on this exploration of his country that he would in some way come upon Aslan and be able to ask the questions he wanted to ask.

“I do have a question for you ...have you by chance, seen Aslan recently? Or perhaps you know where I can find him?” The King looked at the horse with curiosity, and hoped the question wasn't too forward. Everyone in Aslan's Country knew about Aslan, so he was sure he would get some kind of answer from the animal.