as I wandered the forest, the green leaves among, i heard a wild flower singing a song

there is no thicket of tall grass for the small perlino mare to shelter in here at the dunes. every day she stands exposed to the hot sun, though tolerably so with the arrival of fall. there are wisps of palms and desert bushes to be sure, but none of the usual cover she desired. petal makes due, never a highly social creature, somewhat avoiding the other mares of the herd. vita nova was still the only other mare she’d ever grown close to and really she thought it was likely only due to their mutual connection to shamwari. as old habits are hard to break she doesn’t think to seek out a friend here either.

the one thing she enjoys most is walking the dunes in the evening. they are lit with a brilliant light, mostly orange, but sometimes reflect the sunset in shades of pink and purple. her pale pink hooves sink and shift as her body crests each sandy hill like a wave, and then she is free to traipse down the slope and rise again. it is physically stimulating, tiring her body enough to sleep well, and also mentally so. the shifting sand and balance it requires to maneuver through distract her from her doldrums.

the dark ivory hued mare had just finished one such walk , albeit earlier in the day than usual, and was making her way back toward the herd for the afternoon. warm rays of sun illuminated her already pearlescent hide and she was glowing with its efforts. a soft breeze, still warm from the midday heat, tousled her mane gently, ruffling the rusted cream colored locks toward her face. petal tosses her head gently, moving the offending pieces of hair from her view. she sees bahadir ahead, moving tenderly toward the rest of the herd. she wishes to catch him before he is surrounded, hoping to avoid being caught in the fray, and so she breaks into a steady trot.

she floats over the sand, skirting the edge of the pool to where he stops to drink. when she is a few feet away her gentle movement slows, and finally stops. she can see the fresh marks of battle upon him and her eyes widen nervously. hopefully the scuffle was nothing serious. her blue eyes don’t shift from his body, considering him carefully. she had a question to pose. two now actually. ”you’re okay i hope, bahadir?”, she asks in a soft voice and delicately. she could only hope he had fought this battle in a defensive manner and not sought it out. there was enough trouble underfoot without seeking more.

she clears her throat, timidly, hoping she has gained enough of his trust to ask her second question. ”i’d like.. well if i had your, permission, i’d like to journey to the crossing and search for my daughter. she is ashamed, having to ask permission like a child. it causes a wave of angry heat to rise in her toward shamwari, who had put her in this position. she was used to having her freedom and now she felt like a bird whose wings had been clipped.