I’ll keep the door open
in case you come home
The grulla mare ran from Fell at first, which didn’t utterly surprise him. He pursued her steadily until she eventually halted and spun to face him, at which point she seemed surprised to see him. Had she thought he was a predator? She seemed relieved to see him, but she remained tense, and he could see the fight go out of her. Part of him felt triumphant, and a smaller part felt guilty.
“I’m Kanti,” she said, to which he could not respond in kind. He could only nod, and offer another quiet huff of air.
From there, the mare was obedient. She allowed Fell to herd her back into the water, despite her fear of him. He listened as she continued to speak to him, concluding that she had not yet realized that he was mute. He could not respond, but as they waded back into the chilly surf, he placed his shoulder against hers, propping her out of the water as best he could to make her swim a little easier.
FELL
