dredge has been a resident of the crossing for years now. it is unsurprising…. she wants no-one and no-one wants her. He certainly hadn’t. that’s why she is still here rather than back where she came from. she would never go back. he is why she would never be anything other than what she is now. misery embodied.

there is only one place on the crossing she hasn’t been yet and though she has little desire or ambition to actually do anything or go anywhere, it offers a challenge at least. eviscera is bid farewell. though the child is not yet two, she is capable and smart. while dredge does not care overly for her own well-being, she isn’t interested in gambling her daughter’s safety. it is a clear eyed event, neither of the mares being overly-emotional, but still there is a heaviness to the moment. part of the allure of the place she is about to set out to is that some mares never make it back out. perhaps that is why she wanted to go.it is with an air of defiance, or perhaps stupidity that dredge marches into the lagoon.

as soon as she crosses the border into the southernmost region of the crossing the painted grullo knows. the air is different. the heat strengthens as midday turns to a sweltering afternoon and soon thirst rankles her throat. she takes a certain pleasure in denying her needs. her legs are decorated with mud and sand by the time she stops, deep into the bachelor territory, and her mind is eerily quiet. without a thought of food or drink the mare sinks to her knees in a small clearing, bordered by thick foliage, and takes to resting. let the wolves come.