Falls

Distant hoofsteps brought Septimus back from his doze. His ears flicked up and his silvery head followed, eyes not yet seeing the sisters through the trees. He heard their faint voices before they came into view, and watched as one marched aggressively toward him in the mist of the falls, the other struggling to keep up before shouting desperately, which appeared to have an effect on the first. Septimus suspected they might have passed right by him if the lagging mare hadn’t put her foot down. He watched them quietly, aware of their tension, not wanting to interrupt. He wondered if he should sneak away before they noticed him, but movement would probably catch their attention immediately, and he didn’t really want two strange mares to have such a good view of his cowardly rear end as he retreated.

So instead he stepped forward.

Septimus stepped out of the pool, water falling from his silvery belly and striped legs, the sound lost among the crashing of the falls. It appeared they had already noticed him; the stallion caught Maraiel’s sharp eyes on him as he moved toward the pair. He halted several feet away and shook himself off. Aside from the falls, the silence held for a long instant while Septimus examined the sisters, one a creamy paint and one a pale golden roan. It felt as though the silent stretched, though likely it was only a few seconds before Septimus worked up the nerve to speak.

”Do you live here?” he asked quietly. His voice was deep, smooth, and carried well and with no effort. He didn’t know anything about this island. He didn’t know anything about the mares in front of him. If they knew anything about this island, it was more than he did; and if they didn’t, they certainly had more life experience than Septimus did. He could taste it in the tension between them; a tension that was feeble and weak compared to the bond that kept them together. They had been through life together, something Septimus had yet to experience, because as far as he was concerned, there was nothing across the sea. No old life, no family, no children, no lover. No memories. He wasn’t eager to trust anyone, but he wasn’t ready to just let go of such a well of knowledge, either.

”I don’t know anything about his place,” he admitted.