ori
Spring was coming to the Crossing. Most of the snow had melted away, and green could be seen through the grey-brown branches of the trees. Ori had done a good amount of exploration on the big central isle, but he hadn’t yet ventured off it. His wanderlust was quenched for now, but he knew that eventually he would be driven to seek out the other islands.
This particular day was warm enough for Ori to feel as though he had already left the Crossing and found an entirely new place. The last time he had been to the Meadow, it had been white and glittering with snow and ice. The trees had been bare and blanketed snugly with snow, and he had left a deep trench in the snow on the ground as he had walked through it. Today, Ori had to wonder if he was even in the same place. The snow had melted away, revealing green baby shoots of grass. Flowers sprouted from the damp earth, contrasting the melting white drifts that remained at the edges of the Meadow. The sun reflected off these last few scraps of winter, brightening the little clearing.
Ori wandered through the little patch of early spring for a few moments before ducking his head down to pluck at the tender young grass. His hooves left deep prints in the ground, which was likely still frozen beneath the first few inches of soil which had been saturated with snowmelt. The air smelled sweet and fresh, and Ori sighed contentedly as he grazed.
Soft hoofbeats roused him from his daydreaming, and Ori turned his pale blue gaze to the edge of the clearing as the near-white stranger approached. It was another stallion, but Ori did not feel threatened. This was neutral territory, and although the caramel-colored stallion could make an intimidating appearance, the truth was that he had little to no interest in fighting or competing with other males.
He turned to face the pale stallion as he stopped and apologized, and shook his head. “No worries,” he said easily. “I can’t be the only one allowed to enjoy the nice weather in this lovely spot.” He offered an easy-going smile, cocking one back leg and shifting his weight to a more relaxed stance. The other stallion introduced himself as Zevulun, and Ori gave a polite bob of his head. “I’m Ori. I’ve never been to Luthien,” he said, his tone curious and somewhat wistful. “Heard a little bit about it, though.” He ducked his painted head down once again to snag another bite of grass, shifting to the side as though to invite Zevulun to enjoy that particularly good patch of grass with him.
stallion. 17.2hh. sooty black pearl overo.
