Little Bit of Happy

Outlaw's head was clouded with a million questions demanding his attention, but one reigned supreme and carried the weight of the worry he seldom felt. Where would the Exiles go now? They couldn't trust the Bachelors, and the Olde weren't interested in helping them. The Southern Isle was recuperating, and couldn't support the entire herd yet. His hooves dragged through the dirt with every step, leaving small ruts in the ground. Outlaw had no idea where he was going, but he'd turn back if he felt he wandered too far. Only when the pale, strangely marked stallion reached a medium sized stream did he realize that his once black hooves and fetlocks were now a dusty brown. His somewhat muscular shoulders rose and fell as a sigh blew quietly through his nostrils. Great, thought Outlaw, I totally needed this to make the day even better. With that, he decided to just lower his head and let the water from the stream quench his thirst. After all, it was fairly warm that day and he had been walking for awhile. The sun was beating down on his coat, warming it and leaving him with a pleasurable feeling radiating through his body.

When he lifted his dripping muzzle from the stream, a scent on the breeze caught his attention. Scanning the area a bit upstream with warm brown eyes, he was able to spot the unfamiliar shape of a horse. It wasn't an Exile, that was for sure. They were too far away from the rest of the herd for that. Was this a Bachelor, coming to mock or chase him off? Outlaw's black tipped ears flicked backwards and he lowered his slightly romanized face closer to the water to stare at his reflection. Maybe the horse would miss him if he stood still and inconspicuous. The breeze pulled his forelock out of his face, revealing his other eye and scar to his own reflection. Outlaw tossed his head to move them back over once more before starting to walk upstream as quietly as he could manage.

((It's perfectly alright haha <3 I usually reply really quickly so you can check when you want and it'll likely be there))

As the pale stallion moved upstream, he lifted his curved head a bit and tried to pick up his hooves higher as to not get them as dirty. Well at least I'm still protecting them...as long as I'm protecting them, nothing bad will happen, Outlaw thought to himself. It was as much comfort to him as it was affirmation of his loyalty to the Exiles. The poor soul had always believed that deep down, there was something inside him that was deeply depraved. Protecting, being a reliable friend, and loving others was a repose for his weariness. After all, how corrupt could someone be if their main goal was making sure others are safe and happy?

Suddenly he heard the very audible splash of someone jumping headlong into the stream. Outlaw's black tipped ears flicked forward as he whipped around to see what all the commotion was about. His one visible soft brown eye was bright with curiosity at the shape approaching him in the water which he determined to be a beautiful little mare. The language she spoke when she approached was known to him, but he wasn't fluent. Not in the least. The stallion fumbled for the right words of greeting to use for at least a second or two before the mare spoke again, but this time in his natural language. Stepping closer to the edge of the water, he lowered his head so the two were closer to eye level.

"I was just exploring, seeing what there was to see...and thinking." Then he once again raised his head for a moment to quickly survey the desolate area around them before returning it to where it was moments before. "It seems I got a bit far away." After he finished speaking, he gazed at her for a few moments. Even when she was wet from the stream, her dark gray mane framed her face perfectly, and her swirling white markings on her neck intrigued him. They were different, but in a good way. "What might your name be, ma'am?" He asked innocently, giving her a sweet smile though the thoughts in his mind were still a bit heavy. The stallion hadn't noticed this until just now, but he was so mesmerized by the stranger that he had stepped into the rubbing water too and it was now tugging at the end of his thick coal colored tail.

((It would seem that he is ehehehehe ))

The strangely marked stallion's black tipped ears remained perked forward, almost hanging on her every word. Her accent was something new to him, and he liked hearing it. Why? He didn't exactly know. Outlaw chuckled and swished his tail as he replied in a joking manner, "Oh? Have some faith in me and my speech capabilities, Esterellita." His short period of fumbling for words left behind, he pronounced her name perfectly. Well, as perfectly as one could manage without a Spanish accent. "Why would I want to shorten such a ravishing name?" The stallion wanted to make sure she liked him at least a little. She wasn't only beautiful, but she was interesting and seemed like fun. Kind of like taking a deep breath of fresh air in a place that you've never been to before. As he gazed down at her, she spoke and made him chuckle. "I wouldn't mind if you bit me, honestly. But my name is Outlaw. If you prefer to call me anything else, feel free." He finished with a sweet smile, only to be splashed in the face. This made the sweetness drain from his face and replace it with the same smugness that Esterellita wore. "You asked for this!" he whinnied, eyes flashing with mischievous playfulness before leaping into the water from a standstill, causing a giant wave of water to crash over the mare.

With the stallion being as tall as he was, his hooves were able to sink into the pebbles and sand a bit to keep him grounded when he landed in the water. Outlaw's dismal thoughts were receding further into the back if his mind as Esterellita shrieked then popped up sputtering from the foam of the wave he sent over her. A breathy, light chuckle left his still rather tense chest as her eyes caught his own soft brown one. That look in her eye made a rush of something rush through him, intensified by the splash in the face. Sure he didn't understand one hundred percent of what she said, but just the way she said it as she looked at him made him understand the meaning of every word.

"Oh I have, haven't I?"Outlaw nickered as he flipped his damp forelock and mane out of the areas of his face where it wasn't supposed to be. Shining, clear droplets ran down his sleek face and caught the light a bit, making it look like he was glittering.The strangely marked stallion was about to take a breath in to continue speaking to her, trying to flirt even, but he was greeted with an equally large wave washing over his good self. It didn't wash him off his hooves and set him swimming, as his had done to her since his hooves were firmly set in with pebbles and sand. However he did loose his balance and stumble a bit, now completely drenched and dripping. The glittering effect of the water on his face was now making his entire body shimmer in the sun, defining each supple muscle and bit of hair. This time he didn't bother to try to shake out the water from his coat, since it was a rather warm day for that time of year and the cool feeling was rather refreshing. His black tipped ears flicked to the side in a relaxed manner as he replied with a genuine look, "I would never mess with any Loner." The gentle playfulness in his only exposed eye held a light of understanding, for after all he had been a Loner himself for a couple years of his life previous to the Exiles. Then he tilted his head and extended his neck towards the mare, replying jokingly "Well, maybe except the ones I like." Thinking about the past made him remember why he had wandered off, why his head was so clouded. His ears flicked backwards and drooped a bit.

Outlaw quickly lifted his head and ears when Esterellita asked him what he was thinking about. He hadn't realized that his ears drooped, normally he hid these things unconsciously and didn't show his thoughts or feelings unless he did so knowingly. I must be really off...Gotta get it together he thought to himself. Then something came to him, sending a warm feeling through his chest. She sounded concerned...like she actually cared a bit. That in itself made him feel a bit better. And the nudge too was quite comforting. Outlaw smiled in return with a small sigh as he replied, "Well...yeah. Just everything that's going on between the herds right now. It gets a little hard to take in all at once," he chuckled "even for someone as chill as I am." The normally reticent stallion wouldn't be telling this to just anyone, he'd brush it off. But seeing as Esterellita was showing genuine concern and had no reason to tell anyone else, he trusted her. As he spoke to her, his eyes couldn't help but wander a bit. Discreetly of course. That rumor that everyone looked more attractive doused and dripping in water? Totally true, especially for Outlaw. Esterellita was shining like an angel stepping out of heaven, especially since the sun was more behind her imitating the gates of paradise. And her mane nearly all natural since the ribbon, although still intact, had come a bit loose. He didn't understand why she tied it back at all, she looked beautiful the way she was. But he did notice that a bit of her forelock was in her face. Well I guess that's one reason she ties it back he thought as he stepped closer to her until he was able to gently move the mane out of her face. Before he pulled away he was able to catch a glimpse at her blue-grey eyes, making him pause for a moment before blinking quickly a few times to refocus his train of thought. "Sorry...Your forelock was in your face." Well, Outlaw, that was about the dumbest thing you could've said right now.. he groaned internally. But it was clear to him that Esterellita definitely traveled many places frequently and was active. She was smoothly built, happy and healthy looking. Not so big and muscular that he felt threatened, but not tiny and petite do that he felt like he would break her if he played a bit roughly. And her markings entranced him, not just initially but every time he glanced at them. But so he wasn't caught staring he shook his mane in order to scratch a pretend itch as the water ran around his legs like a cool massage. This little shake caused his forelock over his right eye to be slightly dislodged.

((Eeeee everyone gets busy! |D))

Outlaw's fairly muscular shoulders rose and fell with a sigh that caused his dark nostrils to fan out. She did have a point. Loners very rarely had to deal with herd rivalry, and when they did it was almost always their choosing. He knew that, for he too had felt that allegiance to only himself once. At her equally awkward poke at him, the strangely marked stallion found himself giggling as well. "Good one."

When the mare blushed, he didn't seem to react much other than his ears drooping to the side in a position of relaxation. Rather than pointing it out and acting all cocky, he just enjoyed it while it lasted without a word about it. A gentle smile graced his features until he noticed the patterned buckskin mare narrow her eyes at him as if there was something strange on his face. He was about to ask her if everything was alright but she spoke first, questioning his herd alias. She must've caught a bit of my scar... Outlaw thought to himself. But he wouldn't lose his composure. Bowing his head slightly in a somewhat polite gesture, the thick forelock fell back over the small bit of exposed X. "I'm one of the Guards in the Exile herd, here on the Eastern Isle until our home regrows." Then his nostrils fluttered as he snorted in disbelief and he swished his tail, causing droplets of water to spray all over his back and even on Esterellita. Of course he didn't mean to do that, the fact that the two were currently standing in a river just happened to escape him. His mind was clearly on something or rather someone other than his surroundings.

"You'd be surprised then, because there are no 'señoritas' coming after me." His brown eyes glinted with a quick flash of sadness, remembering how he had been a fool with his heart not too much earlier. But that was his own fault, he had been careless. With another shake of his mane he dismissed the thought, the smooth hair brushing up against Esterellita's neck since she had moved closer. This time it was his turn to blush, even if it was very slight.