aurora -----
by covet out of raya
His words invoke a foreign feeling in her, and she suddenly feels bashful. Unable to continue meeting his gaze, she looks to the ground. This time when her forelock falls into her eyes, she lets it stay there. Nobody had ever verbally given her such a vote of confidence; her parents had been mostly focused on ensuring that she would be able to survive on her own, at least until she found a new family.
She’s never really considered that her personality may have been different if she’d been born clear-sighted. She’s just always thought of herself as hardy and resilient, able to deal with whatever circumstances she may be thrust into. In her earlier days, she had worried that she would be an easier target for nefarious things to find, but she feels so safe now that those worries have retreated to a dusty corner of her brain.
His question has her raising her eyes back to his level and opening her mouth before she can think about it. She pauses for a moment, wondering why it seems she has a response ready for him when the topic is kind of out of the blue. She smiles shyly, resisting the urge to duck her head again.
”I’d like to think so. I mean, this seems like the best kind of place for me, doesn’t it? It’s not so open that I’d get into trouble on my bad days and has the added benefit of filtering the sunlight to give me more good days.”
While they’ve been talking, everything has been coming back into focus, and Aurora’s finally able to make out the details of Bob’s form – his relaxed posture, his pelt a shade or two darker than her own, and most of all his kind eyes. Her smile warms.
”Part of me thinks I would like to have a life like yours…how fascinating would it be to be able to say one day that I’d seen and done it all?” She shakes her head ruefully. ”But I’d never be able to sustain a life like that. Besides, what more could a girl need than good friends and a safe home?”
She’s never thought of actively seeking out the scenario that Bob has offered. Despite the constant reassurances from her parents, she’d never been totally convinced that a stallion wouldn’t judge her because of her disability. She will never admit it to him, but being able to stay here with a stallion who accepts her flaws is enough. She doesn’t need to think about anything else right now.
four - palomino roan - mixed - 15.2hh - the forest |