Kelly:

She blushed. "Thanks," she said softly. She looked at him, and smiled.

Kelly turned and walked back to the box, pulling out a different painting and setting down the other one.

She laughed softly at the painting, and showed it to Merrick.

It was a headshot of Kelly, making a duck face. Behind her, the sun was setting.

Merrick:

He nodded, his brows creasing in concern and guilt, but he didn't let the gaze linger. As Kelly dug through a box, Merrick walked in a slow circle as he looked around the room. He craned his neck upward to see the ceiling, which he probably could touch if he reached high enough, then let his gaze settle back down to Kelly as he patiently waited to see her artwork.

Kelly:

"I guess so. I didn't build it though. It was my mother's and father's. My mother designed homes, and she was an explorer. I never really got to know her because she died of sickness when I was 4. My father didn't like to talk about it, and you know what happened to him..." she trailed off.

"Anyway, this is my home now, now that my parents are gone." She walked over to the large box, and looked through it, looking for 2 certain paintings.

Merrick:

He peered over the top of her head to see the inside as she opened the door. He took in the space, his eyes scanning the corners of the room. He suddenly felt embarrassed about his home, which was connected to the blacksmith shop since he was an apprentice.

It was basically a wooden garage that was connected to the bigger wooden blacksmith building. It used to be used for storage, but it was cleaned out when Merrick started his apprenticeship.

Bringing his thoughts back to Kelly and her home, he smiled down to her. "Do you own all of this? How'd you build it?"

Kelly:

She blushed. "Great!" She bit her lip to keep from smiling to much.

"My house is this way," she said, pointing North. She trotted forward, making sure he was following her. She smiled softly, flicking her tail back and forth nervously. Kelly hoped that her house was clean, she barely remembered what it looked like inside after all that's happened today.

Up ahead though, she could see the house. She smiled, her cheeks as pink as the roses that climbed up the side of the house.

(What do the centaur houses look like? Wooden, stone, clay?)

Merrick:

He lowered his eyes to Kelly, then raised his brows gently. Totally unprepared for her intimate offer, he tensed and scrambled to form a response. "Oh-uh...yeah! I mean, yeah, that's cool." He shrugged, trying to look nonchalant, but his bright eyes and grin betrayed him and revealed his excitement.

"I doubt my master will have anything for me to do-he's probably off helping others recover from the battle. I bet I could spare a couple minutes."

Kelly:

She glanced at Merrick and cleared her throat. "Um... do you want to... come over to my house? We can make sandwiches and chat or something... and I can show you some of my paintings..." She shifted nervously, wondering how he'll respond.

Valentina:

She looked at him suspiciously.

Kelly:

She quickly glanced at Merrick.

Curious:

He flicked his long tail.

(GTG FOR REALS)

Ashtohn:

The stallions grunted, holding both of them tightly.

Kilroy: He stood as a statue of rock while his mind churned relentlessly. He was failing, and his failure would mean a... Hecatomb of Innocents. So he could not remain in a state of inaction, even though it would be a relief to die before the war started.

“Your leader has spoken!” Kilroy called to the assembled Pegasi. “It is time for you decide where you stand! Will you remain in angry isolation, hiding from the changing world around you? Will you fight to prevent a reaction that started years ago? Or will you seize this opportunity to make a infallible ally? Will you create a peace to form the basis of a new and greater society? Centaur presence is no passing phase, it is inevitable. How you handle it will define your herd in the generations to come!“

Fawn root:

She gasped as she watched Coalwing disappear into the clouds. Was...Coalwing crying? Fawnroot shook off the thought, not caring if he was crying or not.

But, even after Coalwing was gone, she didn’t let go of Callum and sent a sharp glare at the steeds around her. She clenched her eyes shut, pulling him closer to her, and exhaled a breath of relief into his shirt. “They won’t kill you...I won‘t let them take you. I promise, Callum. I won’t let you die again.”

(AAAAAA THIS SONG FOR THEM)

(AAAAHHHHH COALWING DONT U DARE)

Fawnroot:

Fear overtook her. Her heart slammed into a halt and her pupils dilated. “N-No...NO! Callum!” She screeched and reared. Callum was right. As long as they were together, everything would be fine.

Fawnroot whirled towards Callum and slammed her hooves into the cheek of the nearest stallion that was holding him hostage. The stallion grunted and released Callum, giving Fawnroot enough time to wrap her wings around him, then burying her head into his chest.

She returned his love-filled gaze then said in a loud, proud voice to make sure everyone heard her. “I love him!”

Fawnroot snapped her head towards Coalwing, “And there’s nothing you or anyone can do to change that. Your not taking him away from me.” She gripped Callum tighter, making it very clear she was not going anywhere.

(GARGH I GTG)

Callum:

"Leave her be! She helped me, even to my- my last breath! She's loyal and true, a thousand more than you, maybe even better!" He shouted. "She's beautiful and full of lenity." He gazed at Fawnroot with a love-filled sadness. "I- I love her," he said softly, smiling even through the burly bodies of the pegasi surrounding him.

(UGHH COALWING 😡) Fawnroot:

She shrank away from Coalwing as her head lowered, her wings snapped tightly against her sides. “...I-I didn‘t abandon my herd. I was going to come back... but he had nothing to do with my absence. It-It was my decision. Just don’t hurt him. Don’t hurt them. They did nothing wrong.“ She stammered quietly, her voice quivering gently.

Fawnroot:

Her eyes dashed around and she whirled around, her wings open. ”No, wait!“

She pinned her ears and tried to keep the warrior-guards away from Callum and Kilroy, but her attempts were futile. She was much smaller compared to the stallions, so they just used their bigger size and rippling muscles to push her aside.

Fawnroot spun back to Coalwing. “I did no such thing! I fail to see how trying to form a peaceful agreement with the centaurs as we’re on the verge of war is treason! I did not mean any disrespect by brining him here. I only meant to prove that the centaurs are not the beasts we think they are! The Pegasi are acting more like savages, not them!” She exclaimed, her voice rising in frustration and breaking with panic.

Coalwing:

He shook his mane again and whirled on the guards. "Get rid of them!" He commanded and the warriors stepped forward, seizing Callum and Kilroy. "They. Don't. Belong here," he hissed in Fawnroot's face. "You have committed treason against your herd by bringing these- these beasts into our home!"

Callum:

He stepped back as the stallions approached with teeth bared and feathers rattling. Pegasi whinnied and dashed into the sky but the over-stallion brayed for them to land.

Callum wrenched free of the stallions' grasps. "Leave me alone, I'm with Fawnroot!" He cried, kicking.

Fawnroot:

She whinnied and flared her wings open to try and block the centaurs from the over-stallion's blazing hooves. "Coalwing, no! Please don't hurt them. Do you want to start a war? Because a war is what we're going to get. We need peace, Coalwing, not violence." Fawnroot whinnied as harshly as she dared, her eyes wide but also pleading and calm.

Callum:

He tensed, all his muscles in his freezing.

Coalwing:

He reared slightly off the ground, his nostrils flaring and eyes wild with rage. "YOU! How could you?" He reared again in striking position, aimed at Callum and Kilroy.

Kilroy: He met Fawnroot’s eyes, thinking of the right words to say. “The main obstacle in negotiation has been the lack of understanding of the other side’s culture. That’s the reason I’d like to host a summit, so we can overcome that in our continuing dialogues. But if you have an idea of how we can secure Ashtohn’s freedom without a summit, by all means tell me.”

Callum:

He moved his hand on the side of Thornhill's head and ruffled his scraggly mane, chuckling as the colt squealed.

Fawnroot:

"I agree. While a peace summit is a good idea, shouldn't we try to free Ashtohn first? With your help Kilroy, I'm sure we'll be able to come to some sort of terms with Coalwing." She said, then glanced out at the herd. She took a step closer to her friends and family, yearning for the companionship of her fellow pegasi that she'd been missing for so long.

The crowd eased and cautiously stepped forwards, enveloping Fawnroot with happy whinnies and nuzzles. Some even approached Callum and Kilroy, staring at them with weary eyes. Thornhill giggled and suddenly pressed his small nose into Callum's hand, searching for food or attention, or most likely both.

Fawnroot nickered happily as her herd welcomed her back and, slowly but surely warmed up to the centaurs and the possibility for peace.

Kilroy: He felt several pairs of eyes swivel on to him. Keep cool. He drew himself up, and forced his lips into a smile. ”Yes.” Because if not him, who else?

“I’ve been meeting with Coalwing for negotiation. And while those must remain private, I can say that a relationship is forming that never existed.” he said, keeping his voice steady.

Callum:

He paused. "Oh... uh, hi," he replied, uncertain of what to make of this centaur. The moment he mentioned a peace summit, Callum turned toward him, over a head taller the the young stallion. "A diplomat?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. He didn't know why, but he felt rather suspicious of this Kilroy. He knew him from somewhere, but couldn't place his finger on it. In fact, he scolded himself for having such negative feelings.

(IF YOU WANT TO ADOPT A FOAL CLICK DIS LINK: https://www.theguardianherd.com/messageboard/herd-chat/adopt-a-foal-2 )

Rowan: She glanced at Kilroy, and narrowed her eyes. Since when was it a good idea to bring the Pegasi into the Centaur territory?

Fawnroot:

Her ears pricked as she gathered the news. A peace summit?

Thornhill landed in front of Fawnroot and looked at the other centaur. "Ooh! There's 2 of them!" He gaped at Kilroy with wide eyes. Fawnroot nickered amusedly. "There's many more than just 2, Thornhill." Thornhill whinnied, "Cooool!" and flapped his wings, lifting off in front of Kilroy and flew in circles around him.

Fawnroot smiled, but at the same time, casted a slightly suspicious glare at Kilroy. It wasn't obvious to the crowd, but it was obvious enough to Kilroy.

She knew Callum and she'd brought Callum to her herd because she trusted him. She didn't know Kilroy-heck, she just met him 5 minutes ago- and she didn't know how he'd respond to a curious pegasus colt fleeting around his head.

Fawnroot:

She nodded, then flicked her ears back to Kilroy. She smiled warmly to the other centaur. A collective ruffle of wings carried across the herd as they spotted Kilroy as well.

They glanced from Fawnroot to the stranger, wondering if he was friendly, too. Fawnroot caught their cautious gazes and chuckled. "Don't be afraid. This is also a friend of mine. He has offered me many things that will benefit us-another reason to trust them." She stepped aside so Kilroy could come up further. "I didn't catch your name. Mind introducing yourself?" Fawnroot mumbled to him.

Merrick:

He swallowed and risked a quick glance at Kelly, but once he saw that she wouldn't look at him, he raised his eyes back up. His gaze landed on Curious and he tilted his head to the side. "What's the name of your...horse friend?" He asked, eager to get the focus on the topic off of them and onto something else.

Kelly:

She stiffened. She felt herself blush and looked down, not looking at Merrick.

Kelly flicked her tail nervously, and rested her hind hoof to calm herself.

Valentina:

She raised an almost invisible eyebrow, smirking slightly. She looked at Merrick, and at Kelly, and back at Merrick.

Curious:

He nickered in delight as Espen pet him.

(DANG ITTTT SORRY EARTHQUAKE HERE!!)

Avery:

She sighed and grabbed a lock of her red hair and started twirling it around in her fingertips. She winced and blurted, "He asked me to sing! ...Well, correction, he asked me to sing in front of the nearby pegasi herd during a peace summit. Kilroy is trying to establish a trade-ship and treaty with the pegasi...but I couldn't do it. I-I didn't know if I could sing in front of pegasi, especially not after everything that's happened to us in the past day."

She explained, and gripped her injured shoulder in the opposite hand.

Merrick:

Blush flamed across his face at their compliments and he ducked his head. He cleared his throat, awkwardly shifting from hoof to hoof. "Oh...ah...Th-Thank you." He mumbled sheepishly to both Valentina and Ulrani, trying to ignore the fact that Valentina had completely exposed them.

"I wouldn't say we're lovebirds..." He grumbled beneath his breath, not even daring to look at Kelly. He cleared his throat again and nodded to Ulrani. "Yes, we're friends of Sultaan and Reba, even though we met this very morning. Turns out the fastest way to make friends is to buy them lunch." He chuckled forcefully, his face still red.

(I love how flustered he gets when he's complimented XDD It's like "i'm a muscular, tough, blacksmith man who fears nothing" but as soon as he gets complimented he turns into a "aww your so sweet" sensitive, flustered, soft boi XDDD)

Reba: “Do you think she will mind if I move it out of view of all these centaurs?” she signed.

(gtg go bai!)

Ulrani:

She nodded toward Merrick. "Yes, I remember you as well, dear. You always stood out with your handsome form," she said, risking a quick glance at Kelly. She had not said it in a flirty way but almost as a fact.

Sultaan:

He stayed in the corner of the room, watching them each in silence. So quiet was he that it almost appeared as if he wasn't there.

Ulrani:

She smiled at all of them. "Hello, are you friends of Sultaan's and Reba's?" She asked, her voice soft and calm.

Espen:

He trotted up to Curious, reaching out with his hand to stroke his neck.

Kilroy: His breath caught in his throat a moment. He had been looking so hard for alternate power structures, and this Pegasi might be his the one he was looking for. Maybe if Coalwing remained inexorable, he could support Ragedrift’s ascension to power...

“What I’m trying impart is that Pegasi are better off with centaurs in their land. But none of these tchotchkes are working because there is no sense of common equinity. I’m hoping art will change that.”

Kelly:

She straightened and glanced up at Merrick.

Valentina:

"If you were those lovebirds who were hugging and holding hands, yes." She shifted. "Merrick is a great name though. If I were a male, I'd want to be named Merrick... it's got this romantic ring to it!" She cocked her head. "Oh, and please don't scare my friend. He gets nervous, like I do, if others stare."

She reached out her hands toward Curious and he trotted to her, and nuzzled her cheek. Valentina kissed his nose.

(I love her already XD)

Merrick:

His eyes scanned around the little den, then landed on Valentina and his ears pricked when he noticed Curious. His brow furrowed deeply in confusion and his ears flattened cautiously. He had seen horses before, but just never in this land and he wondered what it was doing here.

His eyes flicked to Ulrani, before settling back onto Valentina. “Hey, I remember you. We passed you going into the healer’s hut. I’m Merrick.” He forced himself to smile, but kept his gaze trained on the strange horse, his hand defensively lowered in front of Kelly.

Fawnroot:

She smiled deeply, her heart swelling and her mind replaying the moments he spoke of-the moments she fought for him and would’ve gladly died for him.

And now he was here, in her homeland, fighting for them-for the future. When he had finished speaking, she stepped closer to Callum and stood shoulder to shoulder with him. ”Everything he says is true. I know it’s hard to believe. But friends, fellow steeds, just imagine it-a treaty with the centaurs. You must realize peace starts today-it starts with us. No more fighting. If you don’t trust us-if you don’t trust me- then fine. But at least help us build an alliance with the centaurs. No good will come from hating them. They have done nothing wrong, while we are the ones who took an innocent centaur captive.“ She said, her voice also carrying across the herd. She smiled up at Callum and nodded proudly.

Valentina: She smiled and pulled back. She tugged on her torn blue shirt. "Did... did you know my father?"

Ulrani:

She stroked the filly's hair gently, smiling all the while.

Sultaan:

He smiled broadly, happy to seem them... and definitely happy to see them alive. He then ushered Kelly and Merrick into the Healer's room and once they were inside, he went next to Reba, feeling as though he needed to be there all the time.

Reba: She grinned weakly, and scanned the warriors from head to toe, noting that both seemed to be in sufficient health. That made four. Now how was she going to get them all to take care of themselves?

Avery:

She cocked an eyebrow to Cole and frowned gently. "Cole...? What's gotten into you? You're suddenly all angsty. I've meet Kilroy before. He was just asking me if I could..." She trailed off and looked away. Maybe mentioning to Cole that Kilroy had asked her to sing in front of the pegasi herd was not the best idea.

After all, Cole got attacked by a pegasus-finding out that she'd been requested to perform at a peace summit might not go over well with him. Granted, Kilroy didn't know of these event when he'd asked her, but still-they were traumatizing nonetheless.

Avery glanced back up at Cole and quickly changed the subject. "N-Nevermind. It-It wasn't important. How are you? Is your arm feeling better?"

Merrick:

A voice called to him and his head snapped in it's direction. He saw Reba poking her head out of a cave-like structure on the side of a hill.

"Kelly! Over here! There's Reba." He called to the mare.

Merrick trotted forward towards the den, looking over his shoulder to make sure Kelly was following. As he got closer, he noticed Sultaan standing next to Reba, waving to them. The sight of his new friends that were unharmed made him trot taster. Once he reached the hill, a massive grin spread over his face. "Sultaan! Reba! You're alright." He said excitedly and exhaled a breath of relief.

(ANYONE HERE??!!! IM SORY IM HERE)

Fawnroot:

"Only the troublemaker's are the fun ones." She replied, then sent a stern look to Thornhill, who instantly dropped Callum's shirt. But he continued to flitter around his head, his tiny blue wings a blur as he hovered above the ground.

"Are all centaurs like...this? Do they all want peace?"

" ....I still don't trust him-no one would hurt a foal."

"Well, the medicine mare said he's safe."

"What if Coalwing finds him?"

"Are they here to take our lands?" The older pegasi's murmurs rumbled together, all their voices and questions rolling into one sound.

Reba: She trailed behind Sultaan, wondering what he had been about to say. But she would let him keep his secrets, so he would let her keep hers.

Seeing how he was trying to get Merrick and Kelly’s attention, she called out to them, “Welcome!!”. She really wished she knew the word for “hello” or “here”.

Callum:

He laughed. "Hey! My shirt is food!" But his mismatched eyes were twinkling with joy. "I never imagined pegasus foals being so fun!"

Other pegasi murmured and edged nearer, curiosity buzzing in the air like electricity.

(COMMENTING)

(I IS HERE)

Sultaan:

His sharp hearing suddenly picked up the familiar voice of... Merrick. He left Reba's side and stepped out slightly into the hall, turning his head this way and that to spot the buckskin somewhere. And he did. He waved his arms wildly, once again wishing for his voice to return to his throat. He prayed that they would see him.