Since the day Regret had left his mother’s side, nestling himself into a quiet corner of some territory he didn’t even know the name of, he had been at peace. The weight of disappointment did not rest upon his shoulders in the company of only himself, and it was a freedom he had held dear to his heart. Whatever leader claimed the land didn’t seem to notice him; his scent muted by being alone. His color nothing more than a smudge of brown and dust covered white, blended into the background.
It was the change of rulers that finally flushed Regret from his prefect hiding place. Bringing in others, dividing the land; it drove the young stallion away from his sanctuary in an attempt to stay hidden. To drift from one patch of grass to the next, hoping that if he stayed just far enough away from scents, that he would remain undiscovered.
The need for water, and better grazing than what he had been living on, caused Regret to cave into a larger risk this day. He ventured nearer to the main herd, doing his best to remain vigilant that he didn’t get too close to anyone to be noticed. Sneaking into the oasis when no one was there, the lanky lean stallion got a long filling drink of water before he began feasting on the lusher grasses at the water’s edge. It had been so long since he had eaten anything but the sparse, brittle stems further out in the territory, that he forgot to keep an eye on his surroundings.
Though the filly was innocent to her approach, and didn’t seem to even notice him yet, Regret couldn’t help the instant panic when he saw her. For if a child was here, the mother could not be far. Flight mode instantly kicked in, and the young stallion gave a harsh blow from his nostrils before bolting. He crashed through the grasses and shrubs without care before he ran without looking back for the safety of the dunes. Surely a fleeing stranger would not be worth the chase.
|