ASHA
Behind the mare and curled up into a tight little ball, the spotted filly dreams of rabbits. There were a few of the twitchy little creatures at home occasionally, and the first time she had seen one, they had instantly become a facet of her imagination. In her dream, however, they are all gone, and in their absence, her ears have grown a meter in length until they are grossly ernormous. She is a rabbit now: the only one left! Her new ears flap to and fro atop her head as if they have minds of their own, making her panic: it is only when she opens her eyes and realizes her sister is tugging at them, making them move, that she understands she had been dreaming, and that her ears have probably always been a normal length.
She stands up on her strong young legs: they are no longer trembling, having been thoroughly rested. Half-heartedly she lifts a foreleg and paws dismissively at her sister as if to say 'not now'; then she eyes her mother, who is standing in front of them and yet again hiding the strange black male from their view, as she had done the night before. They are not fighting, at least, so she quickly loses interest in their quiet conversation and instead turns her attention to the tree beside them. In the new light of day, she can see all the grooves and ruts of the textured bark, and it fascinates her. There were trees in the arch, of course, but they were near the southern border, and her dam had never taken them to visit them.
After a moment's hesitation, she sticks out her pick tongue and licks the bark, then regrets it instantly.
WEANLING; DRAFT MIX; GREYING BLACK BLANKET; 17'2HH WFG; SHIVA |