while she had only been there a very short time the peak seemed to be an ideal solution to her many problems. she had company, kind and welcoming thus far, sustenance, shelter, and a new reason to live. her old life was placed in a small dusty box, locked and tucked away in the furthest corner of her mind. her rodina, her matka and otec, were nothing. they did not exist, could not exist.
she did very well ignoring any stray thoughts of her past. her mind could be an iron wall when she deemed it necessary. it was those quiet occasions, sometimes very late or very early, when the stars twinkled above her or the sun began creeping from its nest to spread its wings, that sometimes these thoughts snuck past her weary guard. when her eyes first opened after sleep, her breathing quick and troubled, her heart racing with remembrance. she hated those mornings.
this particular morning she had woken from her perch, a small patch of ground quite close to the rest of the herd but closer yet to the steep path up and down the mountain, with her eyes bleary and her ears thrumming with the sound of her heart racing. memories of her bratři, her brothers, stormed through her mind. lojza and radek…the sound came out so bitter and broken when she tested their names on her tongue. she let the memories play in her head for a moment, watching the figures of her family dance across her vision before slamming the wall back down. clearing her eyes she made her way down the rocky path, clattering rocks down the steep sides in her haste. it had only been a few days since her trip away from the shoreline but if anything she could use the walk to clear her mind.
the stars still hung in the sky, twinkling dimly in the cold dawn. her body moved with its own unforgiving grace, strong and imperial as she maneuvered through the terrain, yearning to be back to the same patch of dark water she had emerged from when she had first arrived at the lost islands. she neared the meadow, intending to cut across the hollow expanse to reach the commons. it appeared empty for once, a small relief, as she moved briskly out into the open. each hoof traced prints into the short frosty grass, cropped close by hungry mouths in anticipation of winter. she noticed, as she reached the treeline on the other side of the grassy expanse that someone else had walked this path not too long ago. outlines in the frost showed hoof prints quite similar in size to her own making their way around the entirety of the meadow. she halted, lifting her head warily as she inhaled deeply and let her gaze delve into the shadows. she did not like being surprised. she considered turning back, her state of mind now much improved by the exercise but she was too proud for that. she would not be a coward and turn away from what she set out to do, not in this or in any other endeavor.
she stopped when she noticed the hoof prints veering off abruptly into the trees and brush at the edge of the meadow, curiosity getting the better of her. she had felt, for a moment, a silent companionship with the creature who had made those tracks. alone in the brisk dark air of dawn nothing but time had stood between them. her dark eyes searched the thicket and widened when they saw the ambiguous large dark shape lying down. with a quick breath she drew her head up and quickly turned the other way, embarrassed even if she wasn’t sure she had been caught peeking. all the rules of etiquette and propriety that her mother had taught her were racing through her mind. perhaps she should apologize? but then she’d be bothering the poor exhausted creature even more…or she should just hurry off and pretend it had never happened..which would be rude if she had been noticed. she doesn’t end up having a choice after all.
with a sudden yelp of surprise she exclaims in her native tongue Ježkovy voči! as a thick twig snaps loudly beneath her heavy hoof. so much for pretending she hadn’t seen anything…
