It’s frigid, yes, but still refreshing. Kikka decides she likes it. She drinks sparingly, lifting her nose often to give it some reprieve from the icy brook before dipping it again to drink another mouthful or two. There is pleasure in this slow satiation and for a time she forgets about the pain thudding through her chest as she revels in the physical sensation.
The ground alerts her to what her ears missed: something hooved approaches. Kikka’s head comes right up, flinging water off her chin as she scans and quickly locates the other horse. He’s not afraid at all, grinning at her with eyes comparable to the water she just drank, save that the expression lying in them is warm. She is wary but unafraid. His demeanor is far too genuine to pose a real threat at this time, even though Trell would likely posture and spit and attempt to drive this horse away from her.
He’s got a mish-mash of colors on his coat, and his pale tail stands like a flag behind him as he dips his head at her and speaks. Her ears turn out again at my lady, but it isn’t until he emphasizes you that she starts feeling uncertain. Her eyes shift around, checking the trees to either side behind the stallion. Kikka doesn’t understand his demeanor at all. There’s something potentially predatory in the way he speaks, the smiles that hide his teeth.
She decides she doesn’t like it.
Feeling much more grounded by having made a decision, Kikka’s eyes abruptly come back to his pale face and she presses her hooves more firmly against the ground, drawing strength from the solidity beneath her. "Not ‘my lady,’" she rebukes him, her mouth drawn in a thin line. "Only Kikka."
Satisfied she’s set clear boundaries with few words, Kikka moves on to a more interesting topic. "How big is the Bay?" she asks. "Could one horse cross it in a day, or will it take me longer? And, is there anything worth noting about this place or is it all just sand and grass and trees and this brook?" She tips her black muzzle back to indicate the babbling water behind her, then snorts the last spray of moisture out of her nose. |