Common

With a casual flick of his tail against his sleek white side and a cocked hind hoof, the sabino stallion leaned against the trunk of an ancient willow. He observed the horses milling around the Commons with only a slight hint of interest. To him, the entire scene felt monotonous—courting mares, sweet-talking them back to his home with empty promises of devotion. They would settle into a drab routine, raising foals and vigilantly guarding the uninspired lives they had crafted. Eventually, as their energy waned and their spirits dimmed, a younger stallion would arrive to take over what had taken them a lifetime to build.

He would laugh at the irony, if it weren’t so pitifully sad.

Shifting his gaze from one couple to the next, he mockingly played along. "You’re so beautiful, be my queen..." he scoffed at a stallion desperately trying to charm a mare. Then his eyes moved to another pair. I swear, you’re the only one I see," he jeered. He continued this mockery from one couple to another until, finally bored with his own game, he pushed away from the rough bark and made his way toward the ocean’s surf.

His glacial eyes scanned the foaming waves until they landed on the familiar face of Svetka, collapsed on the sand. He paused, surprised that she had made her way from Tinuvel to this very shore. A frown creased his brow, but a smirk tugged at his lips—such an odd place to take a nap, if you asked him. She always seemed to find an excuse to sleep near him whenever they met. Just as he was about to step closer, a large onyx stallion approached her, closing the gap. Floki flicked one tattered ear in the stallion's direction, and his smirk widened—ah, a knight in shining armor, how perfect.

Suddenly, Svetka stirred, her eyes widening as she looked up at the stallion looming over her. Panic flashed in her gaze as she attempted to send him away. N'goway! she stammered, her words tumbling into a jumbled mess. Floki ambled across the hardened sands toward the pair, his glacial eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Svetka," he uttered softly, using her familiar name to reassure her that she wasn’t alone. His moment of concern faded, replaced by a smirk and a jest. "Been working on a new language since we last met?" he quipped, referencing her new words—N’goway! His gaze met her startled green eyes, and yet he couldn't overlook the worry swelling in his gut. Was she so exhausted that she had collapsed here, vulnerable to the sea and anyone passing by? Or was there something deeper at play?