The soft whicker coming from my left twists my ear and my head follows suit, the birds above forgotten as I scan the surrounding area. Then a voice comes from deeper between the trees. I see a path and take it, marveling at the differences between this canopy and the one back home before I come across a mare heading my way. She’s a bit taller than I am and looks like she was one solid color until a light rainstorm dotted her entire body with tiny dark spots. I’ve never seen anyone like her in my two years of life, but that’s hardly a surprise.
I flick residual water off my tail and smile brightly. "Hello! What kind of trees are these? And do you know what kind of birds are up there? They must be really small; I can’t see any of them until they fly. The ones back home are so big and brightly colored they’re much easier to pick out." I look up as I say this, still looking for the elusive whistlers, but drop my gaze again quickly to study the mare. I am far more interested in this new horse than a new bird: I’ve never met anyone besides my golden dancer and I am so eager to make more friends.
"What’s this place called, also? I’m from Paradise. I just learned to swim," I announce, and lift my head a bit higher. I’m proud of myself but not like the red mare would be. She’d look down her nose at anybody, for any reason. I just want to share my success. |