❀
The sooty buckskin stood still, observing, for a few long moments before she was approached by a pale stallion. He seemed friendly enough, but when his whiskered muzzle brushed against her dirty gold hide, she flinched away. She didn’t think she was ready to be touched yet, and she was wary of stallions, though nothing about the fjord’s body language was aggressive. Still, she had a gut feeling that the tough had meant something, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Definitely a bit uneasy.
Still, she politely exchanged breaths with him and accepted his greeting. "My name is Hazel," she said quietly. She dipped her head respectfully toward him, and as she did so she caught sight of a mare approaching them. Anxiety twisted her stomach again, but she was more comfortable with the idea of speaking to a mare, despite her sour expression. Had Hazel done something wrong? Was she coming to punish her?
It seemed Liland was the one being punished, though Hazel wasn’t sure what he had done wrong. Maybe it was the shoulder touch.
The buckskin backed nervously away from the two adults. She was intimidated by the mare, though she admired her confidence and the strength that radiated from her shorter frame. Her green eyes widened as she realized the mare was defending her, calling out the stallion for his unsolicited touch of Hazel’s shoulder. She had not thought it was too big of a deal, but even so, she would not have stood up for herself and it was nice to have someone stand up on one’s behalf.
As the mare turned her dark gaze to Hazel, her voice lost its harshness and her words both touched the young mare and caused her to feel the twist of anxiety again. "I’m sorry, I don’t understand," she said. "Thank you for your help, but was I not free to explore them before?" Her voice was concerned, nervous, and held no accusatory tone. "My name is Hazel, by the way," she added as an afterthought.
Hazel
of nowhere
