Abigail smelled him often enough to know he was still here. It was not a stale scent, but fresh, ever a clue that Braylen lingered nearby. Why he had yet to appear before her or the herd, she wasn’t sure, but in spite her headstrong nature the nearly all-white mare could show great patience. Their sons, too, filled up most of her day. As they grew older she aimed to teach them to forage, teach them which foliage was safe to eat and which was not, and that when the winter months made food scarce, they could strip bark from trees and nibble at it. They didn’t need to know that just yet, autumn had barely come around, but it would do well, she thought, for them to be prepared.
Who was she kidding? Those two were more prepared than she could have ever been! They’d been born here into this chilling dryness and she had faith even when the wind turned a bright white and was layered thick in ice and snow they would flourish just as well as they were now.
Speaking of such, Abigail watched her two boys, black tail laying idly at her hinds, blue eyes warm. A faint smile charmed her pink lips, her heart full of love for her children. Then, she caught the sound of hooves pressing over the tundra ground. She flicked an ear back. A call drifted out and her heart jumped into her throat, eyes going wide and muscles seizing with excitement. She swung her head to look over her shoulder, gasping in surprised relief at the sight of Braylen not too far away.
He’d come back to her. She’d never doubted that he would.
A loud whinny, bubbling and cheerful, came from her own mouth as she pushed forward and turned her body in a circle, moving toward him. Walking was too slow and her hooves soon picked up into a bouncy trot, shaggy hair flopping against her neck and forehead. She drew close to him and tossed her head, reaching forward to bump her muzzle against his. “Braylen,” she said, “I’ve missed you.” It wasn’t said angrily, it wasn’t said with blame. Abigail felt if Braylen wished to tell her why he’d been here but not truly here, the confession could come without her being cruel.
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