i dream in phosphorescence Posted on March 1, 2024 at 11:40:12 AM by Helios
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The chestnut male stood atop a wayward dune, his gaze cast over the far stretches of his territory. His breath is steady. Locks of his mane and tail keep getting caught in the breeze and flutter in shifting coils about his face, neck, and canons. He did his best to ignore the particles of sand that stung at the more tender areas of his skin. The thoughts that milled through the stallion's mind were perhaps not the most uplifting, despite the pleasantness of the summer day.
His thoughts turned to his mares. This wasn't odd in and of itself; he thought of them as often as any stallion did. However, some of the stallion's confidence in his own abilities had been taken along with Starlight and the child he had never had a chance to see. How could he possibly reassure them that they wouldn't also be taken? How could they trust him now? If he had just stayed. . .
Morosely, his train of thought brought him to Niyat. Beautiful, strong Niyat. She had been the first to choose him, to first to love him. Chestnut ears twist only a little, a frown deepening on his darker lips. The exotically-marked mare had chosen her love for him over the love she shared their family when they had mostly made their departure from the islands. Antares had been so sure that this suitor for his daughter was capable of protecting her. Had he been wrong after all?
The focus of his brown gaze was drawn down with a flutter of pale movement. Below him a short way was the very mare. With the same breath that allowed his heart to pound achingly at the sight of her, the organ writhed with the guilt that shortly followed. Did she regret it now? His eyes trailed her along the valley floor. Initially, Helios had thought he would let her go on without a word and untroubled his problems. An urge to hold Niyat close allowed the stallion to loosen his lips and send a warm nicker down to her.