Sooner or Later it's Over

A P O L L O When everything’s meant to be broken I just want you to know who I am It did not take long for another to cross his path, but it was a form that he had least expected. The bleating cries of a child were his first warning that a youth was in the vicinity, followed by the said petite form crashing through the darkness around him. Perhaps once upon a time, Apollo would have started with terror at the sudden arrival, but nothing but terrified compassion for a filly so obviously young and distraught was the only emotion he felt. All of his own personal doubts and worries, all of his own fears about this new land were suddenly forgotten with the arrival of the child. She burst from the foliage like demons were on her heels, and without any form of hesitance she threw herself at his side and pressed against him as though his warmth, his presence could assuage every fear she felt. “Shh,” Apollo cooed, finding himself paternally shifting closer to her, head lowering and nuzzling at her face and her little forehead with a gentleness that came almost naturally, “Shh, now, little one. Shh, it’s quite alright. You’re quite safe here with me.” Or so he hoped. Honey-brown eyes focused on the filly’s form, taking in her appearance, and something about it tugged at the folders of his mind, dredging through memories long past. She looked so familiar, this filly, but he just couldn’t place it… Nuzzling her cherubic face, Apollo lipped gently at the tufts of her forelock. Within her pouch, Zola perked her head out from the corner of the flap, peering at the filly through sightless sockets in curiosity. “There now. I’ve got you, you’re safe. Breathe now, slowly… Can you tell me your name, little one?” Here, the Merciful lifted his head and regarded the spotted filly with as warm a smile as he could muster. “My name is Apollo, and this little cat in my bag is Zola.” But it seemed that others weren’t quite done with arriving. No sooner had he introduced himself and Zola to this little filly did another traipse upon their sudden meeting, and while not a fighter, never a fighter, Apollo’s ears tipped back at the arrival of another, as though daring them to bring harm to this child that he suddenly found himself with. The look upon the stallion’s face, however, was quick to falter when it became obvious that the second newcomer held no malice for them. One of the first things that Apollo truly noticed about this newcomer were her ears. Large, floppy things that looked somewhat comical, and her coloring was remarkably bizarre but no less beautiful, but she didn’t appear to be threatening. Lipping once more at the filly’s forelock in hopes of soothing her worries, Apollo spoke softly, tucking his head protectively around the youth at his breast. Diplomacy had served him far better than violence in the past, and he wasn’t about to change his ways simply because he found himself in a new world. “… It seems that this little lady has lost her mother. I-I’m sorry that we appear to be intruding, but… I don’t believe either of us are from this place.” In a way to put it truly, horrifically bluntly. “My name is Apollo, this cat is Zola. Could you please tell us where we are, exactly, ma’am?” @Requiem @Anuya