Kalina, her mother, had always been an advocate for learning all that one could about the world around them. Thinking of her mother's lessons had been what kept Vesna from seeking out the fabled land, the Peaks, immediately on her arrival. For months, it had been her single goal, but now that she had arrived at the Islands, it seemed folly to remain so singleminded. The entire time, Vesna had imagined nothing else but the Peaks but the Islands had more than just that: she had seen several miles of the shoreline, waterfalls, crystalline brooks and streams and yet, she knew there was still more to see, more to learn about. The idea of settling felt stifling and claustrophobic, anyway.
After a short stint in the woodlands, Vesna had finally convinced herself to venture out into the more open territories. The snow had finally settled enough that it was comfortable to walk through, and she'd become accustomed to the change in weather. Her coat had thickened, and she no longer felt the fatigue of her journey. Instead, she felt almost reinvigorated once she had gotten a move on; she jogged onward, ploughing through the shallow snow as the meadow welcomed her into its expanse. The breeze was gentle and the sky a deep shade of grey, yet Vesna cared not. If she closed her eyes, it was almost as if she were running beside her mother again.
So, she did. She closed her eyes, and imagined that Kalina was there beside her. Vesna imagined herself smaller, younger, more open to the world as she kicked at the snow. She rose onto her back legs, kicking her hooves through the air and plunging them into snowpiles. She threw her head about, she rolled, she embraced whatever foal still lived inside of her. Kalina, she thought, would have loved the Islands. From the meadows, the world seemed endless even when she knew it ended at the sea but there, standing covered in snow and gazing up at the dark clouds above, it didn't feel like it.
vesna.