❀

Rain fell gently on the canopy above Visurix, but almost none of it reached the earth, or the black mare. Occasionally, a series of fat droplets, or a brief rivulet of water would splatter over Visurix’s sleek back, but she did not mind. She was not used to the abundance of rain here, but after a life in the desert where such weather was rare, each time the sky darkened and rumbled with thunder was a blessing.

As the rain became heavier, Visurix moved from the shelter of the trees out into the open stretch of the shore. The beach remained her favorite place in the otherwise suffocating territory. She was grateful for the wealth of the jungle, and the safety it provided, but she simply couldn’t get used to the deep shadows and clinging vegetation that choked the land. The beach reminded her of home, and there, she was most comfortable.

As the jungle released her onto the sand, the strength of the storm grew. Before her, she could see the wind whipping the ocean into towering waves, and she remained close to the tree line to avoid being grabbed and swept away by the swells. Despite the instinctive fear of the hungry tide in front of her, and the grasping forest behind, she relished in the sheets of rain that slicked her dark mane to her neck and ran down her body in rippling dark sheets, and she relished the sand beneath her hooves, hardened by the moisture and carved into clean little disks by her feet as she walked. Calmly, happily, Visurix turned her face up toward the storm and let out a friendly little cry, as though the rolling dark clouds and curtains of rain were her favorite of companions.

Visurix