owl
The small, dark mare watched the strangely-spotted bay carefully, trying to gauge the reaction that her sudden appearance and outburst would bring. Unlike Serenity, the brown mare hadn’t lived the life that many of the horses on the islands had. Her homeland, so far away and what seemed to be so long ago, was very... instinctual and feral. They relied heavily on body language and what they referred to as ‘the old ways’ of life, particularly those who were descended of the Elders. There had been a time, the brown mare had been told, where none in the herds could actually speak, or think beyond the bare necessities of life. While it intrigued her, the dark-skinned mare had almost been frightened of such a bland, blatant existence. Perhaps it was that reason, as well as her natural wanderlust, that had lead her so far away and onto the islands...
A small sigh of relief pushed from the mare’s tawny nostrils as the leopard-bay mare turned and smiled, without any trace of hostility or defensiveness in her posture. As the spotted mare stepped forward, so too did the thin, brown mare, and she extended her neck as she did so, hoping to exchange the ritual breath of greeting that had been second nature in her homeland... instead, a rush of words greeted the finely shaped ears of the brown mare and with slight confusion, she pulled her head back to its usual position, ears flickering atop her poll once again. She smiled nonetheless and listened carefully, blinking long, dark lashes as she absorbed the tumult of information.
“Oh no, there’s no need to apologize, I’m equally as new to meeting strangers. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Serenity, I am called Owl.” Here, the soft, bird-like tones of the brown mare paused as she faltered for the right words that should come next. After a moment’s hesitation, she began to speak again, her voice slightly less shy and a little friendlier.
“Where are we, exactly? Never before have I seen so many trees, or any so mighty.” Here, she smiled widely and glanced toward the edges of the clearing, admiring the many strong, thick trunks that were just visible in the faint light that filtered through the split in the canopy.
i. owl
ii. mare
iii. connemara mix
iv. five
v. seal brown (Ata EE)
vi. 13.3hh
vii. played by Lissar
iix. html by Russell for Lissar