The season is slowly but surely turning. Kendry has returned to the Crossing from Atlantis at just the right time: the leaves on the trees here seem to glow under the light of the late afternoon sun and the air is refreshingly brisk, a hint of frost sharpening all of his sense as he strolls through the Meadow. It’s much more pleasant to walk toward Luthien than to battle the cold currents at sea, and he takes his time with this journey, pausing frequently to graze.
He reflects on his conversations with Gnome in Paradise and Björn at the Ridge, pleased to have met up with an old friend and to have made a new acquaintance so early on his return to the Islands. It is almost enough to keep his heart light as he passes a too-familiar stretch of field, this time bathed in sunlight rather than the soft glow of the moon. His eyes betray him and he searches the horses in the surrounding area, hoping (and dreading, for he is no better off now than he was before) to see that familiar frame—but she is not here.
Kendry moves further through the Meadow, grazing and observing and thinking and adamantly doing his best to avoid feeling, until his attention is hooked by a spotted horse off to his right. It’s the pattern that catches his eye, familiar in a way Kendry can’t quite place, and on the tail end of that recognition is a surge of vague apprehension. He pauses, one hoof raised mid-step, and flicks his ears to either side with uncertainty as the sensation fades. He’s tempted to move on without another thought, but then decides it might not be a bad idea to take this opportunity for a brief detour.
He turns from his path and walks through the knee-high grasses, alerting the other of his approach with a low whicker. “Excuse me,” he says as he draws near the other, his gaze lingering on the stallion’s spotted haunches. He blinks and brings his blue eyes to the other’s face, unable to shake the feeling of familiarity. He’s quite certain he’s never met this horse before in his life, and yet... there’s still that something niggling at the back of his mind. “You don’t happen to know a fellow named Gnome, do you?” He doesn’t recall his friend ever having admitted to having children, but he did admit to having a lady-love, and Kendry has the vague recollection of another foal in the Prairie when he was growing up. It’s possible this stallion is related. |