Taytim

Valkyrie, desert thief, star god. All these words and all these things excited the filly’s mind and imagination. Almost as much as it thrilled her young soul when Geirdriful shook her mane to cover her face with those beautiful shining locks. Taika giggled joyfully and tossed her head in the mane, lipping at the hair gently and blowing them around with her breath. It was not long, however, that her legs got tired and she jumped away from the warrior mare.

“Geirdriful, the shining valkyrie god, fights with Ysabellanazeka, the desert thief! Sun and stars against speed.” Taika picked up their names with the repetition and with the surprising perception of youth started to innocently interpret their tones. Blind to the underlying threats the women were giving to each other, the filly simply thought it was a game and started role playing out to the best of her understanding. “Rodrigo, soldier, steps in the fight and makes them stop, defending his friends.” The filly pranced around and nudged each of those she named, as she named them, playing games as she spoke. She was learning and interpreting who they were to each other, and to her in her games, trying to make sense to the world the best she could.

Taytim laughed at her daughter, and hopped towards her. “Then your evil mother captures you to sacrifice you to her own gods! Because you did not behave!” The filly skittered away from Taytim, dashing to hide behind Rodrigo, trying to hide under his mane, not realizing he was too tall.

“Rodrigo fights you away!” She declared. “And Ysabellanazeka steals me to safety! Gleirdriful helps me be a shining Valkyrie and I come back to defeat the evil Mom!” Taika lunged forward and pawed at the air just in front of Taytim before dashing away to kick, buck, and run around the collection of adults.

Letting her daughter chase the star gods and join forces with soldiers and valkyries in her mind, Taytim returned her attention to her friends. It seemed to her that with every experience she had here, she began to notice more and more that her life at home had been closed from the world and sheltered from its diversity and beauty. When they had stepped foot in the Peak, the little mare had no notion of the rules of vulcan herds.

“When we arrived I did not know what would happen if a stallion stepped foot in the Peak. As she said, Ysabel claimed him, then she showed up.” She said affectionately about Taika, who came out of nowhere, play nipped Ysabel’s shoulder, and dashed off again. It brought her comfort that Rodrigo had no hard feeling towards her and his captor. For a moment she smiled to herself. They had been right, of all the places for her to have a foal, a herd of women was one of the best.

At Ysabel’s question, the small mare’s ears trained themselves onto Geirdriful. If the mare had been around the islands, she could tell them about them. The adventures that could await them, or possibly a place for Rodrigo to start his searches. It seemed to her, no matter what the other mare had to say, it interested Taytim intensely.

~:Mare

~:Morgan Mutt

~:14.2hh

~:Black Chestnut

~:4 Years