mare; mérens horse; 14hh; black
3 years
no home

This swim was somehow even more exciting than her first of the day. Something about their destination seemed like a fairytail to Nadine, who was only slightly more tired when they reached the white sands of Salem. She shook the water from her dark fur, her mane falling heavy against her gleaming neck, and took a moment to soak up the sun. It was not as hot as she thought it would be, or perhaps the breeze pulling the moisture from her skin was keeping her cool. Either way, it was lovely, and after taking in the view of the vast golden earth before her, Nadine let out an excited squeal and took off after Berit.

Following suit of the dark bay, Nadine slaked her thirst and nibbled a bit at the desert grasses, but it was difficult to stand still. She felt like a filly, too full of energy for an appetite as she circled the pool at which they’d stopped. Sure, she had heard what deserts were supposed to be like; barren, void of life, dry enough for your bones to start rattling beneath your skin after a day or so. But this did not seem like the stories she’d heard, and the way Berit had spoken of the Desert back on the Crossing, she had expected nothing less. It was full of life if you looked at it properly. Nadine’s small black ears swiveled back and forth from beneath the mess of her mane, bright eyes taking in her surroundings with hunger. It was wonderful.

When Berit whistled, Nadine raced back to her from the other side of the watering hole. The other mare had an expression of reassurance, but Nadine hardly needed it. She would have been excited to meet Cain even if the stallion was more of a bad boy than a gentleman, for Nadine had a talent for getting onto the good sides of even the most unpleasant of individuals. Still, she appreciated the reassurance, because in truth Nadine was a bit nervous.

She hid it well, and was thankfully distracted by the sounds of Berit’s sons. She laughed at the sooty mare’s comment of giving them a kick. ”I would not dream of it,” she said, feigning offense, though she was not being sarcastic in regards to not wanting to kick the colts. ”I’m sure I was worse. I got into trouble all the time. I’m sure my parents wanted to clip me over the ears,” she giggled. Nadine enjoyed the company of children, though perhaps that was because she often felt like a child herself. Children seemed to latch onto her jokes and her cheery demeanor, though sometimes adults found it annoying. That was alright. It helped her figure out which adults were too boring to hang around, anyway.

Nadine