Meadow

Sure enough, the sound of approaching hoofbeats and the movement of grass filled Çiçek’s ears. She finished chewing whatever strands of greenery she still had, turning her narrow head away from the rabbits now running into the safety of the underbrush, and laid kind eyes upon a mare black as shadow and nearly as quiet. As she stretched out her pink nose to exchange breaths, she noted the stranger’s long, sinewy limbs, so reminiscent of her baba’s, and felt the soft, warm stirrings of homesickness. Funny that the first horse she met outside of home would so remind her of her origins. In a way, it served as a reminder, a hint from the universe that all things tend to circle back in time.

Çiçek had just barely gotten time to nicker out a returning greeting when another voice cut through the stillness of the afternoon heat, and as her eyes flicked towards the source, her smile grew even wider. Luck, it seemed, was on her side this afternoon - to decide, on a whim, to widen her circle, and find not one, but two others to share space with! She kept mostly quiet as the other approached, listening attentively, and at his question, Çiçek chuckled a bit.

“Not that I’m aware of,” she answered, looking to the black mare for confirmation. At his compliment, the blanketed mare’s smile softened. Stallions, she found, seemed to have a knack for butting into mares’ private conversations, but theirs had not yet started, and he seemed nice enough for the moment. She would wait for him to show his entitlement, if he had any, before deciding what to do with it. It was only fair to give him that chance.

He introduced himself, and the mention of his homeland sparked a flicker of recognition within her. “The Cove? On… Tinuvel, yes? I’ve heard of it,” she replied. Her dam had had no shortage of stories about the island, its cold and snow and long winter nights. “I’m sure all the flowers here are a welcome sight to you.” Her brown eyes sparkled with mirth.

“I’m Çiçek, of… this meadow.” Her voice took on the same playful tone, and as her head swung to look at the other mare, her expression followed it.

“Your turn, küçük gölge.”