aurora -----
by covet out of raya
Winter has definitely been an interesting experience for Aurora. Quite apart from being in love with the snow, she’s found that the weaker sunlight, already filtered by the treetops, has given her more time out in the open during the day than she’s used to. Habits are hard to break, though, so she hasn’t been around any of her herd mates any more recently than she had while growing up.
That’s not to say she hasn’t had her troubles. Sometimes, no matter the circumstances, her eyes just don’t want to work. One drawback of winter is how many more nighttime hours there are; she figures that even with the extra time she gets in daylight, it all balances out so that she isn’t actually getting any more use out of her eyes.
It would be today of all days that someone would find her, she thinks wryly. Her sight had taken longer than normal to return this morning, and even now – what she judges as around midday – everything is a little blurry. She can hear the snow crunching underfoot to herald the unknown figure’s arrival, but without a voice, all she can be sure of is that the steps are too heavy for it to be Talya.
The words are closer than she expects by the time the deep voice greets her and she can’t help the slight flinch of surprise even as she adjusts her body toward Bob. She smiles warmly as her cloudy eyes rove over him, able to take in the gold edges of his familiar frame. ”Hello, Bob.”
Aurora appreciates his concern, glad that he’s still interested in her wellbeing now that his goal of getting his daughter to a safe place has been fulfilled. She’d been worried at first that once Bob and Talya had settled into a territory, she would be cast aside with her knowledge of the islands no longer needed.
”I love it here,” she tells him, the joy in her voice obvious. ”It’s definitely easier to manage, though of course the pain isn’t any less and I still can’t see at night.”
She shrugs a pale roan shoulder, trying for a carefree expression so that Bob won’t worry. There had been a part of her that hoped that her condition would improve in a place where she’d have less exposure to the light, despite the fact that her mother had warned her that since she’d been born this way, it likely wouldn’t get any better and could possibly get worse as time goes on.
The disappointment she’d felt at the lack of improvement would have been worse if she hadn’t known that Bob and Talya would stick by her no matter what. They’d already told her that her disability wouldn't be an issue for them but the glow in her chest as she observes Bob is unexpected. She must have missed him more than she’d realized.
four - palomino roan - mixed - 15.2hh - the forest |