Meadow

Is there a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul?

Her days were dark and turned to ash. What once belonged to her was now gone forever. Torn from her, it left a grim hole in her chest一how could she ever fill it again? Tali tried to tell herself it would all be okay but the mantra had yet to stick. Really, all she felt was numb from tip to toe. Her life had no meaning anymore. Her mother was gone, dead or alive. Better off if she were dead, or so Tali thought to make the pain a little more bearable. She had no idea who her father was and in that mystery alone was a chasm the young mare wasn’t willing to try and cross. There was a half-sister but what was the point?

Tali knew she could only depend on herself. She’d spent the last while on her own. She wandered the islands in search of home. Nowhere felt right.

In her spirit she felt a soft yearning for something一she desperately pushed down her fear and doubt and tried to be brave. If she couldn’t take care of herself, survive on her own, she knew there would be no one to swoop in and save her. Tali drew strength from her pain, she soaked it up into her bones and she made herself into a fortress. It didn’t matter to her what everyone else thought of her or if they cared to even think. She was no more than a gnat to most, she thought, and somehow it made things much easier.

A fresh two year old, she had turned lovely. Her neck had started to gain muscle, her legs were thick and sturdy. She was not the delicate sort and she took it as a blessing. Tali wandered through the meadow with her head held high. Her eyes searched the other horses who grazed nearby, she kept watch in case, though she was aware none could claim her here by force. Off and on through summer she had come here to get her footing and clear her mind. Tali’s broad chest parted the tall grass like water, she snatched a few mouthfuls here and there to chew mindlessly. She was half determined to make her exit from the meadow when she saw another horse standing close by to her. Tali lifted her head, she smelled the air. A young stallion by scent, she gave a faint little grunt in his direction. He looked unhappy.

"You don't look too happy," she mumbled, coming a bit closer. Tali stretched her muzzle out towards him a in gesture of neutrality. He was the first horse she had truly spoken with in quite a while and she wasn't sure if she even remembered how to hold a conversation exactly.