Give me darkness when I'm dreaming; Posted on September 18, 2022 at 07:14:31 AM by Arroyo
Arroyo does not know what it is to fear. Not really. Sure, when his father had sent him away, the anticipation had been scary. But being kicked from his childhood herd is a fate that many colts face. When he had stepped into the sea and she had enveloped him, any fear he had faded into something like eagerness and hope for this new life. A surety that there would be something for him on the other side of the vast ocean.
It is cold this morning. A late spring frost glitters the grasses as sunrise pinks the sky. He has come to the Crossing in hopes of company. The Savanna is dreadfully empty, and no amount of patrolling borders will change that. Yet, he does not venture to the Commons this morning, choosing to explore the Crossing Isle further.
The Falls are magnificent in the morning light, rays catching a rainbow of fine droplets as Arroyo comes near. The sound of the roaring water deafens him to all else, but something in the light catches the corner of his eye, and he jolts, head snapping towards the figure.
"I'm sorry," he says, muscles twitching out the dregs of his surprise. "I thought I was alone." Perhaps she did too. He dips his head awkwardly. He hates how his voice sounds - practically yelling over the sounds of the Falls.
He has not conversed with many women other than his sisters, and they hardly count. He's coming to realize that the opposite sex maks him nervous, and the awareness of it only makes it worse. His ears flick nervously.
"It's pretty isn't it?" He says, looking back into the glittering mist. Of course it is, and so is she. He tries not to fidget, biting the inside of his lip.