♥️
Freedom is sweet and terrifying at first. Arkana finds herself caught up in the thrill of its embrace as she looks upon the ocean - that vast, unpredictable thing whose depths she cannot even begin to imagine - heaves a deep breath, and swims in the direction in which she has seen adult herd members travel many times.
This is a covert mission: one that will land her in the deepest of trouble if her mother finds out about it. She half-expects to hear Evren’s shout from behind her as she disappears into the waves, but there’s nothing but the crash of the water and the cry of seagulls to see her off. She smiles that wide, innocent grin that only a foolish child can properly emulate, until the waves begin to slap against her face more aggressively and all her focus is funneled into staying afloat.
Her arrival is underwhelming. She had anticipated a mystical land unlike anything she’s ever seen before, but instead, all she sees is more grass and trees, the latter’s gold-and-auburn foliage all but shed for the season. It’s a bleak and all-too-familiar reminder of home. There’s a snow-capped peak in the distance that catches her eye, but it’s far away: too far away for her trembling, exhausted legs to lead her to.
No matter the superficial resemblances to Luthien, however, it’s clear this place is not home. It’s too quiet, for starters, lending an eerie atmosphere that sends a chill down Arkana’s spine as she travels inland, still dripping from her swim. Her mismatched eyes catch sight of the odd pair or two of horses, but otherwise she is overwhelmingly alone. The child in her rails against every step, screaming at her to turn around and go home, but Arkana pushes the voice away. She has wondered what’s beyond Luthien almost since the day she was born. She’s determined to make the most of this opportunity.
The muscles in her growing legs, unused to the extreme exertion of such a long swim, soon force her to stop and rest. Along the edge of the meadow, she picks a tree to shelter beneath and all but falls into the grass, where she grazes idly and watches her surroundings with heavy eyelids.
She awakes to the golden light of a setting sun with no recollection of having fallen asleep. Once she remembers where she is, she realizes it’s too late for her to make the journey back home before dark. For a few moments she’s frozen where she had fallen asleep in the grass, groggy and panicked over the idea of spending the night on a foreign island, while her mother and the rest of the herd fret over her disappearance.
She calms herself with long, deep breaths. There’s nothing she can do about it now, and there’s always the chance her family will assume she’s gone to spend the night with her sire in his territory.
Thirst eventually pulls her to her feet. Before she can take three steps across the meadow, she lets out a girlish little scream. Directly in her path is an enormous shadow of a horse: a stranger, a stallion, the evening sun casting a warm halo around his dark body that thrusts his features into darkness. He’s a giant, the tallest horse she’s ever seen, his great height and the dim lighting giving him the aura of an ancient and wise being. Arkana is transfixed with fear and awe, her mismatched eyes wide, her mouth gaping open.
When finally she unfreezes, her mouth quirks in a nervous smile. “Ah, sorry, I - you surprised me. I didn’t mean to scream at you, uh, sir.”
love-child of evren & shamwari
yearling; mutt; bay tobiano; 15.3hh wfg |