when ego walks with avarice
She glows from the exertion, winded but not so much that she cannot laugh lightly at his remarks about her childhood. “Yes, those were skills I’m glad I mastered quickly.” She shakes her head at the memory of her mother in Paradise. She had been difficult then, but beyond insufferable once they returned to Iftikhar’s home. Shararat is glad to be free of the red mare’s controlling gaze. Her eyes flick to her sleek companion, then, curious to see in what ways Ak Burun’s demeanor might change. She is as possessive as her dam, in some ways, but ultimately different. There is a desire within the Akhal-Teke to elevate Shararat to her best self, evident in all she has done for the Arabian. The same cannot be said for the self-serving ways of Iftikhar.
The Akhal-Teke returns Shararat’s gaze for a moment before her dark eyes slip beyond, to the ocean rolling behind her, leaving the energetic Arabian to explain their language to the male. Shararat does so with gusto, unable to speak slowly in her excitement to enable him a better understanding of the syllables that spill from her: “‘Baba gibi, ama değil.’ It means ‘like father, but not.’ Iftikhar never kept a stallion around before I was born, did she?” Shararat asks, taken aback by her own intense curiosity. It isn’t often that she thinks about her unknown sire. But then, it isn’t often she is near anyone who might be willing to talk about it. She frowns, her gaze turned inward and pensive, ears back as she considers this missing piece of her identity.
Ak Burun swivels her attention back to the gold stallion and carries the conversation on effortlessly for her suddenly introspective companion, one ear tipped toward Shararat as she responds to Ailill. “You know her dam? She comes from a ravaged land. I took Shararat away from there before it could infect her, too. She told me of these Isles, a land that clearly made her happy, and a bit of her life as a child. So here is where we have returned.” Her eyes flash. “Though she did not mention you.”
Shararat exhales, stepping sideways to bring herself nearer Ak Burun, leaning against her friend’s shoulder. “Perhaps because we did not linger on the past as we traveled toward our future,” Shararat says, quiet reprimand in her voice. She flicks her tail, and smiles once more at her golden kin. “Where did your journeying take you?”
------------------------------------------------------------------
shararat & ak burun
------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|