Was I left behind?
Tell me, tell me I survived.
My dull hooves strike the earth in low, soft thuds, even at a slow though lumbering walk. My legs move slowly in an attempt to harness my long stride to remain in pace with Al-Hattaal. A humid, summer breeze whips over the rolling hills and greets us in its weakest form, but manages to comb through my unruly red locks as it passes. We amble over one hill and then another until the smell of saltwater is no longer heavy in the air. Eventually the bodies of the few members of my herd appear in the distance, their bodies small, but alert, as they graze in the distance. I feel a tightening in my throat as watch over them. I can't help but feel like we're no longer whole without Paradiso, Evaline and Petal here with us. But with a strict flick of my thick brown tail, I let the emotions come and go.
When Al-Hattaal confirms he is up for the challenge of being my second in command, I merely bob my head. My gaze hovers on his own. It's been so long since I've had a friend of my own gender in this terrain. It made me realize how sorely I missed Samhain, but I hoped the brute had finally found what he was looking for. I offer Al-Hattaal a short-lived smirk before turning to press on across the land.
A single chestnut ear lobe flicks forward and back when the dark stallion confirms he doesn't know Gabbar or Valve. Perhaps it was against my better judgement to assume he would know them. Luckily he changes the subject quickly and mentions adding another mare to the herd. I bob my head again, tossing a few pesky strands of my long forelock from my view. "Of course. I look forward to meeting her."
I continued to snake our path across the Prairie, giving Al-Hattaal a very indirect and impromptu tour of the land. As we were nearing the terrain's only water source, a winding river that stretched through the Prairie and into the Forest, Bri's slender form came into view. I was startled by her direct approach, enough so that I stopped dead in the my tracks, my heavy cranium raising high over my withers as I watched her amble forward. My eyes widened as I searched her expression, hoping something wasn't wrong. It wasn't like her to approach others, especially strangers. But I noticed nothing out of place, at least not yet.
I nickered to her warmly as she reached us, that usual tightness in my gut that rouses when she's near making me feel light headed, if only for a moment. When she reaches my side, I return the gentle touch with one of my own, allowing my muzzle to softly graze down the side of her neck, a smile now plastered across my features, before I turn back to Al-Hattaal. "Al-Hattaal, this is Bri." I say nonchalantly as an introduction. "Bri, Al-Hattaal has decided to join us in the Prairie."
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