Falls

White and pink petals spun from the trees, floating downwards to collect on the water’s surface. Those closest to where the falls crashed down from above were swallowed by choppy waves, but otherwise it was a picture as pretty as anything he’d seen before. Konrad had been standing on the banks of the pool for some time now, watching the water tumble and the flower petals form patterns as they floated downstream, and he was happy to continue watching for some time more.

Blossoms covered his back and hindquarters too – like a floral cape – and they tickled him as they landed and disturbed others, causing them to slip off his sleek white sides. Konrad had undergone a transformation since the last time he’d visited this place; aside from filling out into the body of a stallion, his black baby fur had shed and lightened rapidly into a shade even paler than his own mother’s. He had never considered himself special, but – as he gazed down into the water at his pale, flower-adorned reflection – he felt, at the very least, content in his own skin.

He missed his mother, but the pangs of loneliness had grown more tolerable as the months crept by. Some time ago on a cold, moonlit night, he had spotted her standing with two small foals at her feet. Evidently she had a new family – a new life – and he would respect that. She did not need a simpleton like trailing after her any more. Besides, he had a friend now: a friend who had gone adventuring without him, but a friend nonetheless. Likely Zakhar would find him again soon, and then he would not be alone any more.

Konrad blinked his languid brown eyes and continued to watch the petals spinning into the water.