 Dawn broke in peaches and lavenders over the prairie. The gentle light on Brienne's eyelids stirred her into wakefulness, and - as she did every morning - the first thing she did was gaze down at her son, who was asleep at her feet. The little red and white bundle had grown exponentially over the few months they had spent away from the prairie, but her awe of his existence had not depleted. Brienne loved being a mother; Jabari was the best thing that had ever happened to her, next to the day she had met Shamwari. She would never get tired of waking up next to a being she had created, and had all but forgotten that the birth had nearly killed her.
She did not reach down to wake him, however. A growing colt needed his rest, and besides, Brienne enjoyed the quiet stillness before the rest of her family had awoken. The mare lowered her crooked nose to the grass, which was still recovering from the brutal floods that had gripped the prairie through spring, and snatched a few mouthfuls of breakfast. When she lifted her head to chew and gaze off into the distance, she spotted Shamwari nearby, already awake. Likely he had risen early to patrol the borders. He was an attentive stallion, she could not fault him for that. But what was this? Something moving in the distance, and Shamwari had not noticed yet.
Brienne froze mid-chew and squinted her tired blue eyes to peer through the half-light at the figure. As it came closer, she recognized the red and white markings - so similar to her own son's - of Melusine, Dreadbite's daughter. While Brienne had never grown close to either of them, their disappearance around the time they had all sought refuge in the forest had been distressing, if only because it left their straggling herd even smaller. Brienne's heart lifted to see the grown filly returning, and she trotted to stand at Shamwari's side while Melusine made her way to them.
Brienne smiled and blew out of her nostrils in greeting when the young mare arrived, and reached forward to snuffle at her shoulder. When Melusine enquired about Dreadbite, however, the palomino mare's expression faltered, and she glanced briefly at Shamwari before meeting Melusine's eyes with sorrow. She shook her head ever so subtly, and her heart went out to the girl. Part of her hoped that Dreadbite had simply moved on - the mare had always been aloof, after all, and Brienne had never had the impression that she held any particular attachment to Shamwari as she herself did.
It was certainly better than the alternative.
|