Falls

Like sparks to dry kindling, Ember took off, and in a flash Kore was following hot on her heels, kicking up the soft green earth as her strong hindquarters pushed her forward. Her high laugh of surprise echoed behind her, and a wide grin spread across her face as they wove between the trees together. The bright, cool light of the morning sun grew fainter and fainter as they raced deeper and deeper under the canopy, though at times it reached them, illuminating the deep fire of her companion’s coat and the bright white striping through her own high-carried tail. Kore had never been the fastest of them, but she knew how to endure, and the newness of spring gave her an advantage in that the budding growth was not so difficult for her to weave her small form around. Not once did she lose sight of the mare.

When they reached the clearing, Kore rounded her in a high-stepping trot, laughing again as Ember tossed her head and kicked. The sun shone warm on their backs, and as they raced from its heat back into the shadows of the leaves, she felt herself basking in the glow of their shared joy. After last night - the first night of Spring, her fourth birthday - she needed this. The weight of the past few weeks, heavy upon her withers, lifted more with every step they took. Before long, it felt like she was flying.

Sooner than she wanted, the trees started to thin. The dirt and leaves of the forest floor transitioned into sand, and for a second, Kore’s heart rose in her throat. Had they reached the end of the oasis? As they broke from the trees, the ocean breeze tangled its cool fingers through her dark mane, pushing it back. More disappointment. The sea, again? Though they’d reached the end of the river, pushing farther south, the air wasn’t much warmer. Kore had expected a wasteland at the end of the forest, sure, but one not nearly as wet.

There had to be an end to this somewhere. She followed Ember’s eyes as they looked over the horizon. Southward, just along the line of the beach, a glimmer of gold caught her, and she paused in her sweep, locking onto it. There! Like a puppet on a string, Kore felt pulled to it, and though her muscles sang with exertion, she felt herself taking one step down the beach towards it, then another.

Ember’s voice cut through to her, and Kore met the mare’s eyes with her own, seeing the conflict there. Pangs of sadness coursed through her at their shared realization. “No,” she agreed, her voice soft. Her ears twitched back, towards that faraway stretch of gold.

“I believe I am called elsewhere.”

The Arabian curled her head close to her chest, staring down at the sand. She didn’t want to leave the red mare, and yet, a small part of her knew she had no choice. The possibility of knowing, of understanding exactly where she’d ended up and why, rolled over her like the waves that had washed her from the beaches of Nysa onto these distant shores. Ember had her own questions, different ones with different answers. Breaking etiquette, Kore stepped forward.

Ember was stronger of build than she, but they were right around the same height, and she had no problem draping her head over the mare’s withers in a quick embrace. “Ember,” Kore whispered against her sweat-damp skin, pulling back. “My friend.”

She extended her nose, exchanging salt-tinged breaths. “We will find each other again. And when we do,” she promised, “I will share all that I’ve learned with you.”

Kore turned, then, finding her way back to the edge of the forest. The mare looked back - at the beach, the sea, her friend, her first and only true tie to this place - and bowed her head. A nicker of soft goodbye, and she moved Southward into the shadows of the trees and was gone.