Þoka trundles through the tall grasses of a meadow with her ears flush against her dark mane. No more meddling stallions— if she goes anywhere, with anyone, it’ll be her decision. Alone. And she’s not about to go flailing about in that thrice-cursed ocean again anytime soon, that much is certain. If it wouldn’t kill her Þoka would reject water for the rest of her life just out of spite. She hops into a trot and veers toward the shore. Lately she has made a point of returning to the beach just to kick the water a few times. It’s not as good as laying into Rán personally would be, but there is some satisfaction in striking the frothing tide as it swirls up around her hocks, always beating a quick retreat from her punishment.
She understands the water is ambivalent to her, but it makes her feel better to pretend she has some affect on it. That meager comfort is all she has and she clings to it. Just hearing the rush of the ocean against the shore sets her heart pounding. Adrenaline surges through her compact body. The blue roan charges up a gentle hill and emerges on a level stretch of field to a horrible sight. Þoka halts, stiff-legged, and stares at the small form laid out in the grass. There is no mistaking that creamy fall of hair or the unique blotch of white laid out across her withers. Her breath hitches, her throat grown tight, and then the world is a blur as she races across the field.
“Fjö∂ur! FJÖ∂UR!”
Þoka throws herself down on her knees beside her fallen friend and buries her nose in her mane, grabbing a blind mouthful and tugging harshly as she tries to haul the silver black pony up onto her feet. Don’t be dead, don’t be dead, don’t be dead. “Get up!” she cries around the hair crowding her mouth, her nose tingling as tears prick at her eyes. She spits out Fjö∂ur’s mane and looks around frantically. Someone is standing off to the side —has been this whole time, probably— and Þoka whips her head around to glare up at the dark, slender mare nearby. The motion spills grief down her face. “Don’t just stand there! Help me!” she shrieks. |