Kikka wakes to a morning that would have been cold, had Trell not been curled against her back, neck slung over hers, cheek pressed to cheek. He hasn’t slept this close to her in a long time, but ever since they arrived on these islands he’s made a point of lying beside her when they finally settle for the night. Kikka keeps her eyes closed and revels in the simple pleasure of being held so close.
They’d argued, briefly, before meeting Jusket and Jola in the Meadow, but by the time the twins set out for the next island things were good as new. Trell joked with her all the way to the beach and swam near her as they crossed the ocean gone cold with winter. It wasn’t too bad, truly, but she remembered Merete’s words as she kicked her way through the water and was grateful they weren’t aiming for Tinuvel’s frigid shores this time. She still hasn’t asked Trell if they might spend a year there. Later, when the seasons begin to turn again, she might. But she knows her brother wants to see all the islands, and this is only the third one they’ve been to since crossing over from the mainland. It may be another full year before she can coax him to settle with her.
She vows to return before then to visit Zevu, however. Kikka opens her eyes but doesn’t move as she surveys the land sprawling before them, wondering what her pale friend would think of this place. It’s a little similar to the bay in that trees meet the beach, but these are different both in type and density. Birches spread for quite some distance away from the beach, tall and skinny little gray and white trees letting all kinds of sunlight pass between their sparse canopies. Behind that, though, are more trees, many much taller and thicker and much closer together. A wall of trees awaits them.
Trell stirs behind her. He lifts his head, then shifts his weight away from her. The sudden absence of his body heat against her back leaves her chilled, and when he climbs to his feet she follows suit. The twins shake the last of sleep off themselves before moving through the birch grove and toward the denser forest. The plan is to find a herd on this island and ask to join it for the winter, where they’ll wait out the snows and get to know the locals while establishing themselves a little more firmly as residents on these islands. Then, when spring comes, they will move on again to explore the rest of the islands.
Kikka is still not a fan of the trees. Every forest she’s been in has incited immense anxiety within her, especially when the sun goes down. She does not care for the absolute dark that falls under the canopy. But she follows Trell now without word of complaint, glancing upward as they move further under the trees and the half-lit world of the forest. She’ll have to find a grove to see the sky from if the herd here does accept them. Privately she hopes they’ll be turned away and have to seek company in a less claustrophobic atmosphere.
"I wonder what kind of horses choose to live among trees," Kikka says to break the oppressive stillness between the trunks. There’s life here, in snowbirds and squirrels preparing for the winter, but the world seems strangely quiet and reduced between the trees. Trell flicks one ear back at her: they’ve fallen into their usual way of traveling together, with Trell at the front and Kikka following his gold haunches.
When he speaks, it’s some time later and not to reply to her mostly rhetorical comment. "There," he says, pausing for a moment to scent the air. "Can you tell? There’s a herd here, for sure. Not a big one by any means, though. They should have room for us," he says, tossing a confident grin back at her before moving on. He adjusts their trail through the trees to follow the scent of others, and the closer they get the more evident it becomes to Kikka that there are residents here. She’s eager to meet them. Much as she loves Trell, she does often crave the company of others. It’s always exciting to meet new horses and trade stories. He’s usually too antisocial to join her for conversations with others but maybe, in a herd as small as he claims this one is, he’ll be more involved. Kikka would like him to be. He’s got a big heart, for all that he hides behind surliness. |