The world seemed so old
Careless and cold
“Hhh!” The snap of the twig startled the young mare, and she jumped, her focus snapping in that direction, eyes wide and expression sheepish. Tigerlily startled easily, that was the plain truth, but she wasn’t about to admit that readily. Eyes glued to the large stallion before her, she lifted her head slowly, gracefully, in a not-so-subtle attempt to save face. She could be calm and composed when she wanted, too. A golden-brown ear twitched, and she tried to hide the disappointment she felt – there were no other sounds to be heard. Her brothers hadn’t come for her yet. Shifting her weight in an attempt to expel anxious energy, she listened to the question the stallion rumbled. “There’s no problem – I didn’t come to cause trouble,” Tigerlily was quick to explain, perhaps misunderstanding the stallion’s meaning. She was uneasy, and something stopped her from continuing on to say that she was lost and looking for her brothers; a small and timid voice inside her.
Lily stood, with shoulders tensed, and never let her gaze stray from the male. He had yet to introduce himself, and Tigerlily had been told time and time again to be careful. Her mother wouldn’t be pleased that she’d found herself in this situation. Her mother… Hot tears pricked at Lily’s eyes, as she was reminded again of how much she missed her mother. If only Sai was here, then Tigerlily wouldn’t feel so frustrated and anxious. The mare’s throat had begun to burn with emotion, so she found herself blurting out words in response to the stallion’s statement. “It’s not though, not really, the water pulled me away from the Bay, and that’s how I ended up here and my brothers, my brothers are looking for me, they’ll come and find me and then I’ll be safe.” The words tumbled out and left her lungs empty, so she drew a deep breath, not sure what she should say next. Her instincts decided for her.
Without hesitating a moment longer, she turned and fled, muscles protesting, heart racing in her chest. She had no idea where she was going, but she ran anyway, even though a small part of her knew that it was a futile endeavour.
T I G E R L I L Y
We did what we were told.
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