róisín

Adjusting to living on her own wasn't easy. Even with Iscariot as a constant companion, Róisín often found herself lonely amongst her sisters. Their faces were new to her, their personalities mere mysteries. She'd heard so much about the Peak in the legends she'd listened to as a filly that she couldn't help but hope there was more to it than this.

Most of her sisters were new arrivals like herself. Some, like Oswin, were recent returnees, but few were long-time residents. Only Kolfinna and Kunžak seemed to hold any seniority in the mountains, and Kunžak, like Iscariot, was only a stallion. This land of newcomers was not the thriving center of warrior mares that she'd always pictured in her mind. They did not surge out into the herds to root out injustice or to punish the crimes of villains. They were anemic. The war with Cullen had cost them too much blood, it seemed. And rather than rising from the ashes like true warriors, they had shrunk into themselves, disappearing into nothingness.

So when new faces arrived, the young sabino girl was quick to catalog them. To study them in the hopes that their hearts might impart the greater wisdom she was seeking, or at the very least, the strength she wished the Peak to wield again. When the coppery-colored mare approached the mountain, Roi's multicolored gaze tracked her progress, curious to see if she was a past resident or a newcomer. It was easy to see here, on the slopes of the Peak. Only those familiar with the mountains had any ease in climbing them. The rest, like Róisín, were still learning which paths were safest, and which ones threatened a tumble back down to the sea.

The young girl tracked the newcomer's progress until she halted, and then waited to see if she would call for anyone. The longer she remained silent, the more the young mare's curiosity built until she was carefully picking her way up the mountainside by tracing the stranger's scent. Once she reached the top, she let out a small huff of relief and then turned toward the newcomer with a smile that was equal parts welcoming and inquisitive.

"Hello," she called out as she picked a path closer. "I'm Róisín." The dun girl extended her muzzle to the other in a friendly sort of way before pressing on in the conversation, her dark ears pricked forward. "That didn't look like your first time on this Peak… I was watching from down below" she admitted with a smile, "Have you lived here before?"

mare . 3 . mutt . dun sabino . 14.3 hh . björn x siobhan . love

Image from Pixabay & HTML by loveinspired