Common

The bitter smell of brine still filled Cerosi’s nostrils from her swim to Islands. She had not yet figured out what to do here, nor had she spoken to any of the other horses or knew of the additional isles that surrounded the Crossing. As uncertain as she was, the silver mare was not daunted. Her victorious escape from her tribe on the mainlands had given her an edge of pride, and she did not care what happened next. She had survived despite her sentence to execution. She was almost fond of the brine scent that followed her around despite constantly grooming herself, because it reminded her that she was alive, and she was better than those who had tried to stomp her out.

For two days now she had explored the Crossing isle, untouched by the cold beneath her thick gunmetal fur that was too fluffy to shine. She was cocky, and it had almost gotten her into trouble a few times when she wandered too close to the Common and nearly got scooped up by a greedy herd leader or Lagoon stallion. She had avoided it for the most part, until today, when she watched another new mare pull herself from the sea far too close to the claiming lands of the Common. Cerosi had been playing on the shore, racing up and down in the frigid waves when a jet black spot emerged from the low tide. The silver mare halted, observing, as the mare was approached by a handsome painted stallion who did not butt into the mare’s space as she had seen many times before in her home, but stopped, seeming to greet her in a friendly and non-threatening manner.

Hmm. This was new to Cerosi. Had she been missing out by avoiding the people of this isle?

Curious, the young mare started forward, her pace energetic and her head held high but with no signs of aggression in her body language. She, too, nickered a greeting as she approached, and stopped about the same distance away from the newcomer as the stallion had, but on her other side. She caught Cain’s introduction, and thought it was very strange indeed to see a stallion being so calm and unassuming toward a mare on her own. Cerosi suddenly felt quite guilty for watching the new mare come ashore alone and not offering her help, knowing what she knew about the only stallions she had ever experienced and their nature of aggression and entitlement. She had been too busy thinking of her own victory to help another, and was lucky that no help turned out to be needed.

But she approached anyway, because she wanted to, though she couldn’t quite think of a solid reason why.

”Hello,” she said to both horses, then addressed the black mare specifically. ”I saw you swim up,” she said. ”I’m new here as well. Are you alright? My name is Cerosi.” After a brief pause, almost long enough to become awkward, the silver mare extended her nose to each horse to exchange scents.

• CEROSI •