Falls

This feels more like early Spring. Çiçek steps through the short yellow grass of the Falls, her breath fogging around her pale nose in soft white clouds. Her thin coat isn’t much protection against the lingering bite of winter, having spent the season in the fair-weathered tropics, but she likes the snap of it against her skin, and the sun’s rays upon her back are enough to warm her, as long as she stays beneath them. Little piles of snow still linger hither and yon, mostly in shaded areas, and the birdsong here is much more quiet, drowned out further by the distant roar of the Falls.

The coming of Spring has made her restless. After telling her beloved Guardians of her coming departure, life in the Ridge felt almost obscured by its dark shadows. Siobhan’s absence was felt keenly by the others in the herd, and Çiçek noticed her young daughters’ lack of joyful play. It felt inappropriate, almost, to try and soak up the last scraps of happiness while she could, and she’d spent a lot of the last few weeks in quiet company with the jungle, exploring every nook and cranny. She knew the seasons were beginning to turn when all of the birds who’d come to roost upon their shores started to migrate back, scattered feathers trailing along the forest floor the only remaining evidence of their presence. After a time, she knew she couldn’t put it off any longer, lest the child grow too large within her and hamper her ability to swim. In all honesty, as much as she wanted to stay in the Ridge, to remain in the warm embrace of the mares who’d shown her so much care… she also yearned for the future, her mind racing with everything yet to come. She wanted to know the Cove as well as she knew the Ridge, to find new friends among Solomon’s large herd, and to feel the smoldering heat of his striking emerald eyes on her once again.

Çiçek almost made her Guardians come with her, escorting her like sentinels to her destination, but at the last moment she’d changed her mind. The loss of Siobhan had torn the thin veil of safety surrounding their island home, and she was wary of both protectors leaving the Ridge unguarded just for her own sake. The day prior, she’d insisted on coming by herself; she felt secure, safe with the knowledge that many souls would come calling if anything happened to her, and Çiçek had spent years on her own before coming to stay on the Islands. This was nothing - and anyway, she wasn’t truly alone. She would carry Faolain and Rivaini in her heart just as she’d carried Solomon with her all of those long winter months.

As a last show of affection, she’d been bedecked in all of the flowers and feathers she loved so much. Her platinum locks shimmered with a rainbow of sparkling adornments, little petals dancing on the waves as she swam carefully out to sea. Çiçek couldn’t help but look over her shoulder, at the two mares she’d grown to care about so deeply, before turning quickly back, pretending the salt stinging the corners of her eyes was merely seawater.

Not long after, she reached the Meadow. Çiçek had found a place along the tree line to rest, then continued North, watching as the rolling hills of the Crossing grew flat and the river grew wide and wild. That night, she bedded down under the stars, alone but for the child stirring within her. Come tomorrow - or the next day, maybe, depending on how fast she went - she would once again be in the warm presence of a loved one.

She plods along now, following the water North. A rock comes just into view, and as she meanders closer, she makes out the form of a horse against it. Tall, she observes, creamy gold skin and dark auburn hair mixed with white, much like -

“Solomon?” Disbelief colors her whispered tones, and for a moment she stares at him, breaking soon into merry giggles. The wind shifts, bringing his scent to her, musky and scented with pine, and her heart leaps into her throat at the memory of it, her pace quickening. The sun shines warm upon her back, matching the heat creeping slowly from her chest and down into her slender legs. Sleek coat shimmering, steps joyfully high, and newly round with foal, Çiçek glows. As she gets closer, she nickers softly in his direction, the low vibration helping to mask the frantic thrum of her heart in her chest.

“Sevgili,”“Beloved,” she calls, trying to stem the emotions rushing over her like floodwaters and failing miserably. “Aren’t I supposed to come to you?” She pauses, close enough to touch but suddenly unsure, her ears perked eagerly forward. “Or are you here to meet me halfway?”

Just as before - just as in the Meadow, then in the Ridge - they found each other. In his presence, her indecision falls away, leaving only certainty. Çiçek knows - for the moment, at least - that the choice she has made, difficult as it is, is the right one.