m e n k h e t

the love she felt for her home had slowly healed the deep and gaping wounds in her soul. the sorrow and loss cauterized and rendered to hardened scarred tissue that she would carry always. in the shadows of trees and rocks she found solace and in the trickling of springs and the beams of light, falling in straight golden rays from the canopy down to the springy pine needle littered floor, she found sanctuary. it was not her dream to have it over run, full of those who could never appreciate it, but she did find it lonely at times. she had grown grateful for the company of nuru, the only other inhabitant thus far, of the forest. she hoped someday to meet others who needed a place like this in which to heal and grow whole again….but she was loathe to leave it, having grown so accustomed to the quiet and stillness. the winter had been mild there and it would have been safe enough to venture to the crossing but she could not bring herself to do so. perhaps come spring she would go out to offer her home to others who might need it.

she lurks mostly on the higher ground, weaving through the shadows of the pines, letting the frost laced boughs brush along her back. from these small rises she can keep a eye on her home and companion. she often ventures down to graze with him, now on dried patches of short grass and peeled bark of various trees, but this day she remained up top. she must have been dozing, the sunlight peaking through a hole in the pines to rest on her back too warm to resist the impending drowsiness…now that she is confident nuru isn’t trying to escape she has relaxed from her state of constant vigilance. she wakes with a start, the strange scent of a newcomer invading her nose. like a ghost she stalks the scent, staying out of the sun, her darker than usual winter coat blending into the shadows. the first emotion to strike her is anger and the second uncertainty. she is unprepared for the situation and enraged that once again someone would enter her home unannounced.

it doesn’t take her long to spot the offender, slinking amongst the trees uninvited. she watches him for a moment, taking in the fact that he is larger than she. for a moment she hopes he will just pass through but it soon becomes clear that it is not his intention to leave. as he begins rubbing against the trees, her trees, to leave the trace of his scent, she has had enough. he will not defile her sanctuary, her home.

her glare is sinister and menacing as she slides down a bank toward him, each step heavy on the frosty bed of pine needles that make up the forest floor. her blood runs hot in her veins and she has to remind herself that she may be at a disadvantage if he chooses violence. she approaches him directly, sooty black ears flat against her mane and tail swishing in agitation. her voice is hard as iron and cold as ice as she speaks to him.

you forget yourself stranger. is it not courtesy to announce your arrival in a territory which you do not rule? unless you plan on staying here as a member of my herd you are not welcome and i suggest you leave.

she does not draw close to him, standing several feet away with her head raised threateningly. her eyes, dark and hard stare unflinchingly at him. her life has been so full of hardship. she wonders in the back of her mind, why she cannot just live peacefully in the place she worked so hard to find.

mare : 5 : sooty buckskin : arabian mutt : 15.2 : kafkaesque
s t o c k ~ q u i e t - b l i s s @ d e v i a n t a r t