It was the quiet, pre-dawn hours that Melisma began to stir. The midnight colored mare ventured from the safe clutches of the oasis they all gathered too, stepping out into the vast desert as her green eyes scanned the land. As Lead Mare, she felt she needed to check for danger before the herd ventured out during the day. To double check no threats had snuck in under the cover of darkness. Though typically Cain’s job, and even Harlequin’s, Melisma knew they could not be everywhere at once.
Passing one last glanced to the herd, Melisma’s green eyes then focused on her task at hand. Moving out into the desert, she followed the tracks of her stallion where he had no doubt made this route before. The slight rounding of her belly that swayed with each step was a bit distracting, but it caused a smile to curve her lips. Never before would she have thought herself so happy, even if she was on trial for something she felt she had already lost.
Berit’s claim to the position Melisma had offered herself for had been disheartening. The support of the herd even more so. But what could she expect, when the heavy built mare had been here longer and proven to the herd. Melisma had been nothing but a ghost, a presence only by scent except for the one time she had stepped forward. Thoughts spiraling, her smile faded, and she stopped when she realized she had reached the sea. The soft lapping sound of the waves on the beach was peaceful and it helped to ease her troubled mind.
Melisma stood there for a little while longer, but the feeling of selfishness began to clutch at her heart. This was only helping her, not the herd, and the sun was beginning to peek over the horizon now. Turning away from the beach, she headed back towards the herd to hopefully start a good day.
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