Meadow

With each failed attempt the anxiety began consume her soul quicker than the puddle was filling with water. Her heart was racing, her nostrils flared and her eyes were wide with fear. Her strong legs and wide chest was starting to ache now. After one last try to get up she decided to stop. Amaryllis was not intending to give up completely but it was utter madness doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. She would simply have to wait until the conditions changed. That was easier said than done. Closing her eyes for a few moments she inhaled deeply before exhaling slowly. She repeated this technique several times until she felt her heart return to normal pace.

Hazel eyes open and then drift towards the sky where she hoped to see some blue, even a slither would be reassuring. But all she could see was dark grey clouds spreading from one horizon to the other. How much more rain could there be up there? Suddenly she heard a voice above the din of the rain.

There was something familiar about that voice. In disbelief Amaryllis slowly turned her head and stared in bewilderment at the painted mare standing at the edge of the giant mud pit. It was Sabah, a mare that had accepted her last two sparring requests. She was here now offering assistance but there really wasn’t anything that could be done in this situation. There was one thing she could do, if the worst should happen, Sabah could take news of her passing to her father. At least then he would have closure and not worry why his daughter never came back as she had promised.

Amaryllis opened her mouth in preparation to answer Sabah’s call until she spotted another figure approaching. It was a stallion, and it was evident by his words that his actions were motivated by the season. There was something off about him to the point where Amaryllis was almost relieved to be stuck in the pit away from him. Her ears pinned back against her head in a mixture of anger and disgust for a few seconds. This was not the time nor the place. But she decided to ignore this asshole and save her strength for fighting against the elements. She wouldn’t blame Sabah if she decided to remove herself from this situation.