The last of my cities have burned

Mercury stopped abruptly next to Soljor, sending Caliber’s nose roughly into the bony corner of her right hock as he came flying after her. He made a noise of pain and shook his head, and Mercury glanced behind her to make sure he was otherwise unhurt before turning back to Soljor. She was hot and light with energy, her head high and her ears restlessly flicking about as she fidgeted.

“Morning,” she said breathlessly. Her skin tingled in the cool air. “It’s odd not to be sweating by this hour. What about you? Is it still too quiet around here for your taste?” She lashed out and grabbed at his thick mane with her teeth, tugging it with gusto before leaping away. “Do you still have a wolf problem? I’d like to chase some wolves today. If not, in a pinch, mountain lions will do.” She was giddy with energy; in the Lagoon, the heat had made her slow and groggy and unwilling to move around very much. Back in the Tinuvel chill, Mercury felt she could run for hours.

Caliber, on the other hand, was not very much into running around aimlessly. He hung warily around his hyperactive mother for a few moments, watching Soljor with careful eyes. He approached the stallion cautiously, one ear forward and the other back, and took a whiff of the big painted horse. Upon deciding the stallion was fit to protect Mercury in his absence, Caliber departed with a whinny to find the other foals.

Mercury didn’t take much notice. Caliber was big enough to take care of himself and had gone off on his own without incident several times before now. She huffed a breath after him and returned to pestering Soljor, planting a few nips on his painted coat, rearing excitedly, and being an overall nuisance.

mare, 3, iron grey, 15.3hh