where others have a voice to sing with, a voice to speak with, a voice to cry with, and laugh with, herza has only her body, her breath, and her eyes. the tall dark mare is open and free because it is her nature, as surely as it is the nature of the sun to shine, but it is also out of necessity. where another equine might raise their voice or shout, herza can only strike out with a feathered foreleg, bearing a black hoof down on earth or rock to gain similar attention. where another equine might laugh, feuerherza can only shake her head smiling, blowing out a snort of amusement. she does not feel robbed, however, by such a lack of ability… she only rejoices in herself and the great ability of her body to convey all the things she has ever needed to.

adelheid’s laughter tinkles in her ears like a magical instrument and herza nods jovially. her dark eyes stay focused on the features of her friend as the mare considers something. with a tip of her elegantly formed ebony head, herza eyes the splashed white mare questioningly, nudging the air as if to prod the words from her lips. her ears perk as adelheid poises to speak, and she feels a wide smile blossoming on her lips as the words fall between them.

it felt so special, so personal, and herza’s head raises subtly in surprise as adelheid asks permission to bestow the sweet nickname.feuerherza is touched by moment of softness, quickly lowering her head back and bobbing her head gently in acceptance. she lets her inky black muzzle briefly reach toward the shoulder of the mare beside her, touching it tenderly for just a moment. her maw is swiftly retracted as adelheid jokes, mentioning she would have kicked someone else in the nose. herza plays along, stretching her head up high into the air and putting her nose well out of reach with a haughty snort.

that playfulness passes and herza listens carefully to the rest of adelheid’s explanation. her eyes follow the other mare’s as she looks out over the cliffside, eager to see all that she spoke of. when her friend’s voice cuts off, herza almost steps toward her with concern, but she holds herself back, not wanting to push things. instead she only watches carefully, her soft brown eyes drawn with worry. adelheid then suggests that they head down the path before the dark and herza lifts her head to the darkening sky, nodding in agreement before turning to follow the white and black friesian cross down the winding trail to safety.