Falls

Esmeray's thoughts wandered as she walked, drifting across her past and present only to land fitfully on her future, still not certain she was confident enough to believe in the potential Vadim had offered. Spring brought with it a flush of new life, and not for the first time, Esmeray found her heart a little achy at the thought that she would not be hastening any tiny souls to meet their fathers for the first time.

She was not upset at what had transpired on the Crossing that day, but there had been a part of her that had been ready to embrace a more domestic, traditional life when she'd met Vadim. That wanted to go home to a herd and raise a child in a family that was not broken. She didn't mind waiting, but a part of her did mourn another spring spent alone. Another missed opportunity.

Eventually she stopped wandering and dropped her head to graze, being picky about which stems she tore off. It was a silly thing, but she had decided that if she was going to go back to Salem soon, she might as well only eat the sweetest of the sweet things and had opted to begin only plucking the sweetest flowers and the softest, most tender leaves. It made grazing slower, but it filled her time and kept her mildly preoccupied.

The rumble of a greeting brought her head up quickly from the grass, her freckled muzzle faintly stained with the golden pollen of dandelion and clover flowers, her bright eyes wide with surprise. He said nothing, but he didn't really need to: she knew exactly who it was, and why he was here.

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd forgotten me," she murmured, fighting to steady her voice as she closed the gap between them, ears tilted forward. She settled a short distance away, close enough they could both reach out and bridge the gap between them if they wanted, but did not move to touch him, not when so much hung between them unsaid. She opened her mouth as if to say more, to ask questions or tease or say anything at all but nothing came out for an awkwardly long pause until she smiled, chuckled, and then murmured a single word. "Hi."