THERE IS NO D A R K N E S S
This place, once swarming with stallions in the shadows, was now largely emptied of life. As she had ever since she’d arrived, the sturdy little brown mare clung to the edges of the swampy territory, drifting alone and lonely. Collision had been kind to her, had stayed close as she’d asked, but in time, he’d been called away, and Shenzi once again embraced solitude, for there was no other course for her to take.
There were other mares here. The pensive barb mare had watched them from a distance. Once upon a time, instinct would have driven her to join them, but she held herself apart instead. She had not completely come to terms with all that was lost and gone, not quite yet. Shenzi still dreamed of the plucky band of bachelors she had run with, but dawn always found her choking on her grief. The memory of finding Baako, and watching helplessly as the life in him had slipped away, this haunted Shenzi still.
At least she’d been spared this trauma more recently. Even before the pains of childbirth had afflicted her, Shenzi had known. The foal growing inside her had fallen still and had not stirred. It was a peaceful death, the mare had thought, if death could be such a thing. At least he hadn’t suffered. This comforted Shenzi a little, dulled the raw edge of her grief. But still, she did not desire to be reminded of what she had lost. And so, whenever she came across one of the other mares wandering through the Lagoon with a foal (or two) at their heels, quietly and softly, she’d turn and walk away.
Her wanderings this night bring her to the beach. Shenzi had come here many times before, to walk the stretch of sand, or stand in the surf staring out to sea. Nothing held her here, except the kindness of a stranger, and she doubted very much that she would be missed if she did disappear, but nothing really waited for her anywhere out there either. And so, even though she’d often thought of slipping into the water and letting it carry her away, she’d not yet found herself motivated into action.
As fate would have it, she was not alone now. With mild curiosity, Shenzi stood at the tideline, watching the large male as he swam in lazy circles, blowing bubbles. The moonlight illuminated him magnificently, and the turbulence Shenzi felt within settled into tranquillity. The Lagoon was not the most hospitable of places, but it was not completely without its own kind of silver lining. This night, this beach, proved to be something like a diamond in the rough for Shenzi, and for the first time in far too long, she felt a small smile, a genuine one, spread across her muzzle.
Quietly, so as not to disturb the stallion overly much, Shenzi stepped into the shallows, and imitated the perlino draft, lowering her muzzle into the water. Her attempt at blowing bubbles was short lived, however. She’d not stopped to consider that more than water washed up on shore, and ended up jerking her head upwards, snorting salt and sand from her nostrils. That had not been a good idea. In spite of everything, Shenzi could not help but laugh at herself as she glanced back to the stallion further off shore, and the sound of it carried away some of the weight that had been laying heavily on her for quite some time.
“…”
S H E N Z I
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