“Where do you think she went?” Asked Dickere, voice worried, her eyes searching the forest of deep greens and rich browns.
“Probably off to explore,” said Hickere in response. She was looking through the forest too, but for reasons that did not include trying to spot where a particular cremello filly could be wandering. “Stop fretting about her, Dickere. You’re worse than a mother.”
“I fret so much over her because her mother never did! No-one ever did!” Snapped Dickere, ears flipping back and pinning against her skull as she jerked her gaze to Hickere. Hickere blinked, surprised to have been spoken to by Dickere in such a way, and swallowed. Immediately she became more sensitive to the situation, stepping forward and gently bumping her muzzle against her sister’s shoulder.
“Hey,” she said, “don’t worry. Dock’s fine. You know how she gets… Sometimes she just likes to be alone. She’ll be back before nightfall, you know she can’t sleep without being near you.” Her voice was soft, trying to calm Dickere down from her worries. “If you’re really worried that she might be lost we can always tell Braylen or Lyden…”
Dickere took a breath and shook her head. “No. Neither of them understand Dock nor know her yet; they’d be unfair to her like papa was. I can’t let her get in trouble so soon, not when we’ve just gotten here. If she doesn’t come back by tomorrow you and I will search the boundaries of the Forest in the morning.” She took a breath and nodded, assured of her plan. Forcing a more pleasant look rather than the mask of worry she’d had before, Dickere turned her eyes back to Hickere. “Go on,” she encouraged, “go find Braylen. I know that’s who you were looking for.”
“You’ll be okay?” Asked Hickere, caught between what she wanted to go do and a fear that she was abandoning her sister by doing it.
“Of course. You’re right. Dock’s fine. I’m just going to graze for a bit, nothing exciting.” Yet the moment Hickere nodded and turned to wander off in search of Braylen, Dickere knew she’d lied. She could not shake Dock from her mind. They’d seen her just that morning before they’d run off, playing tag, and while Dickere had noticed she was a little…off, she hadn’t thought anything of it. Dock was difficult and even while Dickere felt she could read her best she still imagined there were times she had no idea what was going through her half-sisters mind.
Sighing, Dickere picked her pale hooves and white feet through soft ferns, tail lying still at her haunches and ears swiveling as she moved. The sun barely dappled her coat as it tried to reach through the canopy of leaves the trees provided. Her warm brown eyes searched everywhere she walked, looking for the familiar cream coat of her darling sister. Yet the forest was quiet.
Just when she’d been ready to give up she heard a noise, the sound of the forest ground giving way to weight of another. “Dock?” She called out, voice high and hopeful, turning her head toward the direction in hopes it would be her sister at last…
of the forest
black sabino [aa Ee n/Sb1], fourteen.three hands, half-arabian filly, two years old, played by pirate |