Melancholy Leaves

[Xx EcHo xX]

The sky was a beautiful shade of lapiz blue. Ilyana's eyes became blinded as she turned them away from the very anxious Rey to the reappearing sun. The air wasn't humid today.. It was actually quite crisp as it sharpened her senses and filled her lungs with the smell of fallen leaves. She stared at the fur-lined gloves that were wrapped around her fingers longingly. Ily had bought them this morning along with the matching scarf she wore around her neck, and wasn't much for taking them off so soon. She sighed softly and pulled them away from her slender fingers stuffing them in her back pocket. Today was Ily and Rey day, and not even a stupid cold would ruin that.

Relampago stood still as Ilyana rubbed her fingers along his multicolored coat, and finally grasped his mane between her chilly fingers. Her hair flew away from her face and neck and she swung her body clumsily over his barrell. Adjusting herself, she took several deep breaths to calm her heart in it's cage. Her nose was stuffed and throat was sore, but she was determined. Rey felt so soft.. so.. warm. She jerked her head back up and sat alert as she felt the stirring of the muscles in Rey's back. She smiled softly as he took off down the trail at an easy pace. She trusted him, and she knew with all of her heart that she would be okay even IF she happened to fall asleep on his bare spine. Ilyana felt the cool air sting her cheeks and breath what felt like ice on her nails.Leaning forward, she wrapped her arms halfway around his lean neck and closed her heavy lids to the candence of hoofbeats.

The trails were someting familiar to Rey, as he let his instinct kick in. His loved rider had become dormant like mother earth delcared all creatures would, for he felt her small body relax against the flow of his frame and her respiration grew heavy as it breathed life. He f0llowed the wild twist and turn of the trees and human made trails before him with a quiet pant of his breath. The leaves were changing a dull color and he could feel them crunch under his hooves as he kept a slow tred. His blue and green eyes wandered along the sides of the path, examining brother fox and sister squirrell. Green. It caught his eye and he slowed to a small halt. He knew he should keep to this thing he was supposed to follow, but his stomach had a new hunger. It wasn't a physical need.. it was a want. His velvet nimbly touched the soft blades of grass and he followed it all the way down to the stem, munching happily. Ilyana stirred in her slumber and Rey twisted his head back to make sure she wasn't going to drop clumsily like a typical human. Snorting at the postion she took, he continued his slow and quiet trek.

Ilyana knew she was asleep. She knew that this was just a dream with her sitting in a chair at Cafe de Leche. Her fingers felt solid and cold to the bone even though they were wrapped tightly around a paper cup of a smooth caramel mocha.. breathe... warmth filled her lungs.. breathe..
She sat up straight and almost smacked her wind stung nose against Rey's. Somehow she had ended up on the ground. Not on her horse. She giggled to herself as she realized that she had fell and Relampago had lain beside her breathing on her face in an attempt to keep it warm. She loved him. Stuffing her fingers in back into her gloves. she clambered sickly back onto his profile and continued on their way down the trail.

[Desert]

Silence covered the leaf littered earth as she moved her black along. A white scarf wound around her neck. Almost blending in perfectly with her snow white skin and hair. Long ivory fingers weaved through the black stallion's mane. Her beau heaved a content blow as he carried his rider, Yuiki Kai, al0ng the trodden path that led into the multi coloured forests of Kentucky.

The young albino moved with the shifting of her horse. Today her eyes were a light blue, a small amount of violet deep in the iris. She patted the animal's neck and he nickered in return. This was her first day in the beautiful state of Kentucky. So far, she was accepted. And, for the first time in her life. People talked to her like she was a human being. Not a freak! With that, she had a white smile. Noticable because her lips were a soft red. She decided to put on a little make up. But, kept her natural white skin.

Her mount, Midnight moved himself into a smooth canter. Distracted by something ahead of them. Something Yuiki could not see due to her many blind spots. She was unaware that her horse was heading straight for another horse and rider. She couldn't see! That didn't bother her.

Then, BAM! They were there, and Yuiki spooked like a horse. She yelped and fell of her horse sideways, hitting the sandy ground with a thump. Her heart beat fast at the sudden surprise. Midnight lowered his head and touched her cheek in understanding.

Still on the ground, she looked up at the other rider. Unlike her, this woman had black hair and dark skin. She had the common brown eyes. This was like yin and yang! The albino got to her feet and looked down, guessing how much of a fool she had just made herself. She shivered, but not from the cold. This wonderfully cold air was soothing to her heat sensitive skin. Midnight stepped up next to his rider and nickered.

Finally, Yuiki decided to show this woman her eyes. Her purple gaze lifted to stare into the eye (she could only see half of this woman) that rested happily on the woman's darkand beautiful face. She felt left out, backwards. Everyone here had dark hair and dark skin. She stood out like a sore thumb. Even the lightest of the blondes here couldn't match her white hair. Even they had wonderful tans.

Jealousy sparked through Yuiki's veins. Her skin could never tan! Only burn. She blinked and tilted her head. There, now she could see this woman.

[Xx EcHo xX]

Simple thoughts traveled around in her sickly mind as the fever began to take over. Her clammy hands clutched Relampago's mane tightly. Stupid cold. It played childishly around her brain, echoing in so many different ways. Her amber pools looked around her consciousness in a somber silence. There. There was a figure. Who? Her pools landed on poreclain skin. Only something that the upcoming winter could form. This womanly figure was so.. Eye hurting.. Ily shook her head and closed her eyes. Her mind was planting obscene thoughts again. She looked into the face of this snowflake creature and smiled as she accepted the hallucinations that came to her. Her eyes were.. were morado . She reminded her something of a doll only a treasured little girl would ever own.

Ily reached out slowly with her shaking fingers toward this thing of delrium. So.. beautiful.. Her breath was slightly ragged and heavy with this small movement. She was enchanted by her to get off of Rey, but only because of her sickness. Ilyana was afraid of the snowflake to go away and leave her here with Relampago, so she pulled her hand back with a jerky motion, and hurriedly stumbled back to Rey looking over her shoulder at the woman. She wispered pretty things in the ears of her idle horse and watched his orbs fill with knowing.. Or was that another trick? Dried leaves crumpled beneath her feet and she looked confused like a child. Was she hurting them? The leaves they were dying because of this weather... It's not fair! They look so beautiful in their minty and emerald greens.. But.. in death they look equally beautiful, so why mourn them in the first place?

The world around her seemed to calm and her steps so.. hectic. She found a tree that wasn't withering in the Autumn weather and sat down to clear her mind. She stared at the Snowflake and looked in misery. She felt horrible. She wanted to scream for help on the inside; tell everyone that she needed to go home and she was so sorry for staying out when she knew she was in the early stages of sickness. She was sorry. Sorry.. It echoed around her in the frontal obe of her brain. She stared at the snowflake with the Amethyst eyes and smiled stupidly. Her eyes became wet and all she could do was stare. She was so sick, and all she could do is stare at something that wasn't possibly there. Ilyana's hand were warm and comfy in her gloves, but her face felt like ice. She needed to get home and the rational part of her knew that. Ily swallowed dryly and parted her lips for help. But all that fell from her was,

"Pretty leaves.."

[Desert]

Confusion swept over the girl's features. Did she not know of albino humans? Yuiki took a step back, trying to keep her in sight. Her head was tilted to the side, keeping the darker woman in full view. She watched her expression, it just wasn't normal. What cold be wong with this dark woman? Yuiki never interacted with people much, only with animals and the occasional doctor. She did not know the signs of human sickness. For she never had fallen so ill.

Her stallion nickered to the dark woman softly while Yuiki tried to figure things out. Then this dark woman reached out to her. Once her hand dissapeared from sight then reapeared back at her side. Yuiki hesitated, wanting to speak but she could not. She wanted to ask her if she was all right. She seemed, pale?

Yuiki knew pale meant sick. But then she looked at her own skin. So white, one could see her veins running beneath. Translucent. She could see the other woman's cheeks flush with warmth. Or was it cold?

Yuiki remained as still as a statue. Then it did come to her. This woman was very ill. And she needed to go home! Get warm. Hearing the soft words that slipped through her lips, Yiki glided to her and knelt down, not daring to touch her. Gloves did not cover her white hands. The cold did not bother her, but she knew her skin did not radiate heat the same way other people's did.

With a small frown, long feminine white fingers touched her gloved hand. Her soft violet eyes filled with tender concern.

"You must go home." she whispered her voice like a soft breeze. "Do you want help?"

[Xx EcHo xX]

Ilyana's tired features gazed in amazement at the Snowflake. She was real! She her the words that she was sure was spoken with complete clarity, yet to her ears they sounded completely jumbed and far off. She held her breath and then let it out slowly to see her respiration float away like a mini cloud in front of her. A mini cloud filled with sickness and something so evil.

She made sure not to stumble as she placed her long shivering fingers on the ground beside her in a pile of leaves that had recently fell. They were still kissed with a breath of green; however the edges were becoming a deep auburn. Her heart beat wildly and her head felt as though soeone had been swirling her around for a solid five minutes.
She found her unwilling voice deep within her hardened chest and smiled and she felt her heavily accented words flow out as smooth as sand paper.

"Estoy harta ... Tengo que llegar a casa, copo de nieve. Mi caballo es muy frío, y yo he sido tan tonto que no tiene comparación."

Or did it? Her senses were not so blocked now that she was fully awake. Albino! The english word came to her in almost what felt like a wave crashing on her. Snowflake she was not, but an Albino! She wasn't sure that what she had uttered had been English at all.. So, she tried once more.

"I'm sick... I need to get home, snowflake. My horse is too cold, and I have been foolish beyond compare."

Her head hurt her so much to the point she had to lean against Rey. She tried to smile in the direction of the Purple Eyed One.

"My name is Ilyana Amor. I need you lead Relampago back to the stables. I can't tie him to your horse because I've been riding bare back. I swear, it'll be the death of me.."

Her breath was out and she was tired from saying that much. She chuckled a little more and continued with her words softly, so she would not hurt her throat anymore.

" You.. oh.. can you give me a hand up? I gotta get on him.."

She tilted her head back towards Rey and then completely regretted it. She was so dizzy.. Horse.. Needed it..