aurora -----
by covet out of raya
She waits patiently for the gold and cream pair to awaken fully, shifting as Bob checks for himself that there’s enough light to go (because what else would he be looking at?). The light that peeks through the leaves is already brighter than when she’d looked and she can already feel her eyes threatening to burn.
Her heart hammers in her chest as she gathers her courage to tell them of the liability they’ll have with her around. She opens her mouth but then Talya is suddenly exclaiming and rushing over to her. Even if the filly hadn’t said anything, her excitement is obvious in every move she makes.
She chuckles and turns her head to bump the girl’s shoulder. ”Yes, I’m excited too. It’ll be a brand new adventure.”
Her eyes flicker to the stallion, glad that she can finally look at him properly. The gold of his pelt is a couple shades lighter than her own and he is quite handsome. ”There’s something I need to tell you both before we leave,” she says, pausing to make sure she has their attention. ”I have a condition in my eyes that causes me a lot of pain in the sunlight and if it gets too bright they’ll tear up and my vision will be blurry. I can’t see at all in the dark – you may have noticed last night that I had my eyes closed…that’s for protection.”
She nods, releasing a deep breath, glad that it’s finally out there. ”So if I suddenly slow down, you’ll know why.”
She tries to act as though it isn’t a big deal and keeps her expression as neutral as possible so as not to show her fear at being abandoned for her revelation. She turns herself around and pushes through the branches, bracing herself for the throbbing that will surely start soon. It doesn’t take long to reach the shoreline and she’s slightly surprised that the other two have let her lead.
Now, though, she knows it will be better to have the stallion in front. She glances back one more time at the island that has been her home since she’d separated from her family and wonders if she’ll ever see it again. ”Here we go,” she murmurs to herself, inaudible over the crashing of the waves, before throwing herself into the water after Bob and Talya.
She grunts as she swims but she can’t tell if it’s from exertion or the pain building. The trip seems to take an eternity, even with the knowledge that Luthien is the farthest from where they’d started. They finally do come ashore and Aurora squeezes her eyes shut, panting. She doesn’t remember the last time, if ever, she’s spent that much energy at once. The salty water dripping off her roan body actually feels delightful.
Throb, throb, throb. She opens her eyes again, hoping that she’ll be able to see, and to her relief, her vision is clear. The sun is pretty high in the sky but at least her back is to it. She looks around carefully, trying not to get a face full of light.
”Where should we start? The Forest?” she suggests, trying to not feel guilty about wanting to take cover and rest. She wishes for more mental fortitude, that way she could better deal with the pain and wouldn’t have to drag anyone else down with her.
three - palomino roan - mixed - 15.2hh |