Dock’s ears were turned toward Valentine as he started to speak. Even though logically she assumed Valentine would know best about the behavior of mares and what made one better than the other, Dock still felt an argument bubble up in her throat. Weariness paired with the sincerity in his gaze made her swallow it back down. To her every mare she met was better, more of a conversationalist and herd creature than she was; more optimistic about the world and less bitter.
Yet his next words surprised her, even if they shouldn’t have. Dock’s pink lids widened for a moment before lowering again, frowning as she watched him. To hear it stated so plainly as an absolute truth – Valentine liked her and considered her a friend – had Dock simply dumbfounded. She’d never had a friend before. Well, she’d had Dickere and Hickere of course, but that was different. That was family. No one had ever voluntarily liked Dock enough to befriend her or desired her company.
“Understand?” She held her eyes to his and watched him, the silence stretching out for a few seconds as she dealt with the mental war in her mind. “Okay,” she finally said with her voice soft, dipping her pink muzzle down and momentarily dropping her gaze to where his hooves were cushioned into the wet forest floor. “We’re friends.” Momentarily she frowned as she brought her eyes back up to his and a small, somewhat nervous smile managed to turn the edges of her mouth.
Maybe it didn’t change what had happened to her just weeks ago. Maybe it didn’t change that she still wasn’t certain about how she felt here in the Forest. Maybe it didn’t actually change anything about her situation. But… but somehow, it made it better. Her heart lifted in her chest and her smile became a bit more natural on her mouth.
Becoming aware that she was standing there and smiling at him like a dummy, Dock cleared her throat and blinked rapidly a few times in succession, her cheeks burning hot. “Uhm, yeah, well,” she stammered, eyes swinging away from him as she drew back a small step, “I should… I should probably go find my sisters and you, uh, you’re probably looking for Lyden anyways.” An awkward laugh trailed her words before she cringed inwardly.
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