// somebody to love

[lady shady]

BONAPARTE

“Oh Bon,” she said quietly, "how can you think that you’ve done anything? I was the one who got in your way when you made that spectacular leap. Don’t worry about my health either, because I’m fine.”

He let out a quiet sigh of relief; if she had been hurt, he wouldn’t have known how to help her. Ashamedly, he remembered how he’d bolted after that tree had fallen on Rasta. You didn’t leave Moon, though, a small voice whispered in his mind, and he straightened a bit. At least he had that, yes, he had grown up a little.

Amuna smiled down at him, and even though he knew it was impossible for horses to blush, if they could have, his face would have grown warm. Tentatively, he smiled back at her. ”I’m glad,” he murmured sleepily. ”I’d never want to hurt you, Moon.” Realizing how that sounded, he scrambled to cover it up, hastily adding, ”Or anyone else good for that matter, of course!” Laying his head along the ground, he internally kicked himself. What, could he not handle speaking in coherent sentences now?

As he lay there scolding himself, he felt his eyelids beginning to droop, getting heavier and heavier…

And as the moon rose, the little bay stallion lay asleep in the melting snow.

--behind the post—
“Goodnight, Moon!”
haha, sorry, I couldn’t resist XD

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[twi]

“I’m glad. I’d never want to hurt you, Moon. Or anyone else good for that matter, of course!”Amuna cocked an ear at his words, slightly perplexed. Never want to hurt her? She hoped not! His following words sounded rushed and almost like…a cover up? Amuna shook her head. She was confused, as always.
She looked down at him again, waiting for him to say more. To her surprise, she realized that he had fallen asleep. She stood staring at him for a moment, wondering what to do.
The stars were out now and so was the moon, after which she was named. It was a lovely sight, shining in the heavens, surrounded by so many stars. Her mother had said that it was a lot like her. Only creeping up to be seen by all during night, when it was sure the sun had gone. Always slipping back down to that mysterious place it went as soon as the first tendrils of sunlight began to appear in the morning. On the rare times it could be seen in the sky during the day, it was a pale comparison to the sun which seemed to dominate the sky. Just like her. She was just little Amuna, quiet and dreamy and always a bit scatterbrained. She would always be overshadowed by those destined to be great, whether by their extraordinary achievements or their magnetic personality.
She looked sadly down at Bon, still sleeping soundly. What was she supposed to do? She knew that their conversation had come to a close and that Bon might be annoyed if he found her here when he woke up. For all she knew, he might have important business here, unlike her. She was just a lonely roamer, getting by with her own company. Maybe he had a herd that he was returning to, or even a mate.
She paced restlessly as the moon continued to rise. She knew that she should be leaving but was loathe to just walk away without evening saying goodbye. She lipped at some grass, still pale and yellow from winter. She watched as Bon sighed and his sleep and she mirrored his sigh, finally turning away reluctantly. The grass barely rustled as she passed through it, leaving Bon behind. She did not know where she was going but let her hooves take her where they willed, for she had no impulse of her own.

[lady shady]

BONAPARTE

The little bay stag slept deeply, barely dreaming at all that night. There were flashes of the familiar form of the dream mare, of course, but they remained only moments that tiptoed in and out of his slumber. Sleep was bliss to him.

Yet in the middle of the night, something stirred. Something began to move, and subconsciously, Bon began to rouse himself. Something was out there…

Bon jerked awake for a reason that he could not fathom upon waking. Something was wrong though, he could feel it. He looked around, head moving dazedly from side to side. And then it hit him, the familiar sinking feeling, the sensation that he hadn’t felt in a long time but that was still rooted deep within him. He half expected to see one of his old friends vanishing into the trees with a mare, leaving him. The days of the bachelor herd may have been over, but the days of leaving apparently were not. Amuna was gone.

He couldn’t understand why he was so crestfallen; he’d only known her for half a day. But she had seemed like such a nice mare, one who hadn’t minded his awkwardness or his clumsiness. A sudden thought struck him, and he shrank back in shame. Had he driven her away? She hadn’t seemed to have been uncomfortable, but he wouldn’t put it past a polite one like her to hide her feelings.

It didn’t matter anyway, he told himself, he was off to find Rasta. Now that he was awake, he might as well be on his way again. Halfheartedly, he started off along in the direction that he had been traveling. But the thought of Amuna kept eating at his mind. The more he thought about it, the less he was convinced that she would have just wandered off. What if…what if something had attacked her? That wouldn’t do! He turned and marched off back the way he had come.

Perhaps he knew he was grasping at threads, just hoping that she hadn’t gone off for good, perhaps he had genuinely managed to convince himself that she was hurt. Either way, he found himself with his muzzle to the ground, squinting in the moonlight for her tracks. She couldn’t have gone too far, could she?

--behind the post—
I feel like I’m making Bon such a stalker, but I can’t bear to see the last of Amuna so quickly D:

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[twi]

The sun was just making its way over the horizon, illuminating the sky with its radiance. Its rays touched the ivory back of a sleeping mare, casting a warm yellow glow over her whole body. Oblivious to the waking world, the mare slept on amongst the twittering of birds and the rushing water a little distance off. It was only when a more adventurous of the birds chose to land upon her shoulder did Amuna awake, blinking sleepily. She lazily flicked an ear at the bird, a pretty little meadowlark, which cheerfully ignored her movement and began to sink its trilling tune. In some annoyance, Amuna cracked an eye and looked at the bird, contemplating whether to shake it off. She chose not to, but instead lay in the sun, which now bathed the whole clearing in which she had taken residence. To her right, the river gurgled and sang, making a cheerful duet with the bird on Amuna’s shoulder.
Normally, Amuna would have been content to lie in her grassy bed all day long, just listening to the sounds of the wildlife about her, but something was bothering her. She did not want to think too hard about what it could be, for she hated the thought of her beautiful day being disturbed. Oh, yes. She sighed inwardly as it all came back. Bon. A twinge of guilt touched her and she sighed for real this time.
With a suspicious cheep, the bird fluffed its tiny feathers and flew off to an adjacent tree, startled by her involuntary movement. Amuna looked miserably down at her hooves, unable to enjoy the day any longer. Last night she had thought she was doing right by leaving Bon, but now, in the light of day, she was no longer so sure. She missed him more than she had thought. And if she had stayed? She could hardly have just nestled down beside Bon to inflict her presence on him when he woke up. What could she have done instead?
She was comforted by the thought that she had not gone far, deliberately only moving a little way off, as to let him seek her out if he wished to.

[lady shady]

BONAPARTE

The sun began to climb over the horizon and he squinted in the early morning light. He had been looking for Amuna for about an hour now, realizing that he had complicated his search by following the wrong set of tracks in the darkness. After scolding himself in frustration for his blunder, he had returned to where they had been sleeping, hoping to find some other clue.

The rosy light revealed a slight path through the mud, and he followed it cautiously. Had Amuna actually come this way, or were his senses just playing tricks on him again? But no, he had only gone a short way when he saw a form lying in the grass. His heart caught in his throat: it was Amuna.

A thousand thoughts jostled for position in his mind, swirling, each trying to crowd to the front. Was she hurt? How long had she been there? Why had she left? Did she not want to see him again? Had anyone done this to her? With difficulty, he tried to push them away. What would a warrior do? He took a deep breath, steeling himself to face the body in front of him. Perhaps she was just sleeping, that’s it, she was just sleeping, just sleeping, just sleeping…He chanted the phrase over and over again to himself as he timidly approached. It was all right, she was just…sleeping?

He shook his head and snorted in disgust at himself as he looked down at the light-colored mare and realized that yes, that was exactly what she was doing. Overreact much? What was his problem? She obviously wasn’t hurt. Suddenly, he sucked in his breath sharply and rapidly. So it was true: she had wanted to leave.

Slowly, quietly, he turned. If she did not want him here and she was not hurt, he had no reason to follow her, much less to bother her. Casting one last glance at the seemingly sleeping mare, he took a step
away.

--behind the post--
poor Bon Bon.

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[twi]

The little Meadowlark that had alighted on Amuna earlier in the morning was what finally alerted her to Bon’s presence. It cheeped in protest, peering with bright eyes at a point somewhere behind Amuna. Then, with a final, unforgiving squeak, it flew off into the distance, ruffling its feathers as it went.
Amuna flicked an ear in the direction the bird had been watching so intently. Hearing nothing, she glanced behind her just in time to see a bay form disappear into the trees. Her eyes widened and she scrambled up, but it was too late. She trotted a couple steps forward, then stopped. Where had he gone? She cast her gaze about, trying to spot his bright bay coat, but in vain.
She was contemplating searching him out and had almost started off into the trees, when a sudden thought stuck her. Bon had seen her for sure, but had deliberately chosen not to call out or approach her. Instead he left without saying a word. Indignation and hurt bit at her, though the similarity between their decisions was not lost on her. She hung her head sadly, wondering why she had thought it a good idea to just leave him. Now he obviously did not desire her company anymore, probably feeling angry that she had left him without saying good bye.
A little tear made its way down her white face to pause upon a pink muzzle before slipping off, onto the dirt below her. More followed it as the little mare stood uncertainly at the edge of the clearing, unsure of what to do.
“Bon?” she whispered, with a quavering sniff. “Bon, are you still there?”
Of course he wasn’t. And even if he had been standing right next to her, he would not have been able to hear her, she had spoken the words so quietly. She just could not force herself to call out to him, to try to summon him back. What if he really was glad to be rid of her? She would only embarrass herself by trying to get his attention.
Miserably, she left the clearing in an aimless walk, her head held low.

[lady shady]

BONAPARTE

Bon stepped away slowly, beginning to leave the clearing. Where to now, Rasta? Of course. He felt guilty though, just leaving her like this. Even if she didn’t want to see him, it felt like they had unfinished business. It reminded him too painfully of the way his herdmates had slipped off without goodbyes. Suddenly, he planted his hooves in the mud. No. He would not leave like his herdmates had. Awkward or not, he was going to say goodbye. If he wasn’t going to see her again, what did it matter if it was embarrassing? Besides, hadn’t things already been awkward between them anyway?

He turned, marching back the way he had come, determined to do one thing right in this whole encounter. He, Bonaparte, would not let it end this way. ”Amuna,” he called, making his way back into the clearing, ”Amuna…?” She wasn’t there. Looking around confusedly, he managed to catch a glimpse of cream-colored figure up ahead, moving away. He hurried towards her, calling louder this time, ”Amuna! Wait!”

--behind the post—
mreh, short, sorry D:

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[twi]

Amuna’s whole body was racked with shivers, her frame shaking silently. Why was it that every time she felt upset, she began to shake?
She stiffened her muscles, trying to make herself stop. She was more than upset; she felt devastated. Maybe Bon really did not like her anymore and was angry at her for leaving him.
She inwardly cursed herself, for making yet another bad decision. Sometimes she felt like she could not function alone, always doing the wrong thing, always choosing the wrong path. Could she never get it right? A little voice told her that she could still fix things if only she sought out Bon and tried to apologize, but she ignored it. She just was not strong enough, not brave enough, to do such a thing. What if he told her he had never liked her in the first place? What if he ignored her? The ‘ifs’ piled up in her mind, overwhelming the already distraught mare.
When his voice first drifted to her ears, Amuna thought she was imagining things.
“Amuna! Amuna, wait!”
She hesitated, then turned to stare. At first she saw nothing, but then a familiar figure trotted out of the trees.
“Bon?” she whispered. “Bon is that you?”
Hardly knowing what she was doing, Amuna began to cry silently at first, then breaking down into quiet sobs, standing rigidly where she was.

[lady shady]

BONAPARTE

”Bon?” he heard her whisper, ”Bon, is that you?” To his horror, she began to sob, not moving from where she stood. ”Amuna? Amuna?!? What’s wrong?!” He rushed forward, stomach sinking. Was she really hurt after all? Had something happened? Bon’s gut twisted at the thought.

He reached her side, eyes scanning their surroundings for any hint, any clue as to what could be wrong. Moon was still sobbing, and tentatively, he put out his muzzle to touch her shoulder. Slowly, still looking around, he began to rub his muzzle back and forth on her shoulder, an instinctive gesture of comfort that he had often remembered his mother using to calm him. ”Shh, Moon, it’ll be all right…are you hurt? Moon, look at me.” He waited for her to do so, meeting her frightened eyes with his own large brown ones. ”It’s okay. You’re safe. It’ll be okay, Moon.”

Bon inhaled slowly, exhaled softly, no longer speaking, but simply standing there face to face with Amuna. The seconds ticked by, silence reigning in the clearing. All he could see was her face, and slowly, as if in a dream, he searched his mind in an attempt to remember why he had come. Bon opened his mouth, but nothing came out…

--behind the post--
so yeah, he forgot what he was gonna say ^^
silly boy!

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[twi]

It took Amuna a moment to gain control of herself. She swallowed hard, blinking back the tears. Bon was right, everything was okay. She raised sorrowful eyes to his, saying, “I’m…I’m sorry, I’m not hurt, everything’s okay. It’s just…I left you and then you saw me and then turned around and, and…oh I don’t know.”
Feeling horrible, Amuna hung her head in shame. She did not deserve to have had Bon return to her.
“I don’t know why I just walked away like that. I guess I thought you’d be mad if I just decided to stay, and I couldn’t decide so I just...” She found that she could not finish her sentence, so simply looked at him with pleading eyes, begging for forgiveness.
It occured to Amuna to wonder why he was so important to her. Why did she care if he made the decision to leave or not? Why did it matter? She was used to losing her heart to many of the dashing stallions that she came across, but when the time came for their path's to part, she was never overly distressed to lose them. Why did she care so much about a stallion that she had only known for little more than a day?