Something had happened in the Bay.
Of course, there were always things happening in the Bay, but this felt different.
It took Maziel only a day to take note of Kohelet’s absence shortly after her return, which was oddly brief. Relief had come to her when she’d first caught the mare’s scent on the cool winds, and Maziel had looked forward to reuniting with her and making certain she was alright after being taken away to Salem. It would be good, she thought, to have her home again. The chance had never come. Before any happy reuniting could occur it seemed Kohelet had all but disappeared. This time, though, it was not preceded by a dramatic fight; there was no clashing of bodies and one-sided angry squeals from whatever intruder had engaged Fell into altercation. There were no smells of strangers either, that Maziel could find.
Even stranger was Fell’s withdrawal from the herd very shortly following Kohelet’s disappearance. Maziel caught his scent briefly here and there; he was close enough to protect, but far enough to avoid their company. Why? What could it be that had happened? Maziel tried to mentally put together the puzzle without asking anyone else, but quickly realized she was missing too many pieces to do so.
Her sister’s words, spoken when she had visited in late winter, came back to her. He has a reputation on these islands, he stirs trouble. Things are good now, Maziel, but what if- She swallowed back a knot of dread and pushed them from her mind.
Finally, one early morning, Maziel decided she was through with wondering. Worry squeezed her heart as she pressed a loving kiss to Parisa’s cheek, then told the girls to mind the other mares and stay with the herd. Charmeine was practically a mare grown and likely didn’t need to be lectured, but Parisa was barely past a year and the older she got, the bolder she grew. The warning was applied more to her than it was to her older sister. Maziel knew the girl would see her mother’s distraction as a window for opportunity, but she didn’t have time to fret over that now. She turned away instead, dropping her snip-covered nose to the ground and taking deep breaths along the packed earth and thickly grown summer vegetation, doing all she could to catch and follow Fell’s scent.
When she could tell she was drawing close, Maziel slowed considerably, lifting her head and flicking her ears to try and hear which direction he was. A soft nicker barely rumbled out of her lips, beckoning and curious, as she picked up her slender legs and stepped slowly forward. Maziel moved much like a cautious doe, not because she feared the stallion she was approaching, but because she feared upsetting him with her presence. He was clearly avoiding the herd, which meant he wanted to be alone, right?
Sometimes, even when someone claimed they wanted to be alone, and maybe even fought indignantly against company, there was something inside them begging for companionship. Maziel knew if you could withstand the initial barrage, the loneliness would eventually win out, and in case there was some sorrow Fell was holding back, she wanted to stand with him in it so he would know he was not alone.
He has a reputation on these islands.
She blew a low breath and pushed past a low-hanging branch on a pine tree, which raked along her back and burst the fresh scent of pine into the air and along her coat.
He stirs trouble.
Maziel didn’t say anything, she only walked until she could hear his soft breathing and use that to understand how close she was standing to him. Her ears pushed forward and her sightless, milky eyes looked somewhere along his face and a little past him.
“I’ve been worried about you.” She explained softly into the space after a beat of silence.
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