by .Arrow. » Mon Jan 20, 2014 7:07 am
Owner: .Arrow.
Name: Soledad (Sol); Spanish name meaning "Solitude"
Gender: Mare
Height: 13.2 hh
Age: 8 years
Story:
The sky was beginning to darken with sunset, and Soledad was preparing to sleep for the night. She had selected a secluded snow-covered meadow hidden partway up the mountain, recognizing it as a secure place where she would be safe for the time being. She remained standing, knowing that if a threat approached she would have to escape fast.
Her ears had begun to droop and she was nearly asleep when she heard the crashing sound nearby. Instantly, her head was up and she was alert. Alarm caused her muscles to tense, ready to carry her out of the small meadow. The noise was coming from the same side she'd entered, branches were snapping and the undergrowth was swaying and scraping against the trees as whatever was coming stormed through.
Soledad lost control of her fear and raced out of the meadow away from whatever monster was coming for her. Teeth snapped at her heels as she ran, she could smell the blood on their breath. Branches scraped against her coat and some hit her face and sensitive nose as she ran. Behind her, one of the creatures howled, and - the memory stopped the instant she heard the whinny. She shook her head, the fear of her memories still lingering even though she knew now that it had only been another equid. She began to slow her pace, focusing on the details of the undergrowth around her. It was a coping method she'd learned. If she focused hard enough on simple, basic things, she could clear her mind.
She was so focused on the knots in the trees that she didn't see the mare until it was too late. Soledad crashed into the other equid's side, jolting her back to her surroundings. She stepped back, embarrassed and startled. The other equid, a rose grey mare that seemed a bit younger than Soledad, looked at her, clearly surprised.
"Very sorry about that," Soledad said, staring at the ground. "I'll just be on my way," she added quietly, moving to step around the other equid. It had been several years since she'd really conversed with another of her species, just the odd greeting to the odd one she passed.
As Soledad was walking away the other equid called out, "Hey, stop, I think I know you!"
Soledad froze, confused as to how she could possibly know this mare. A moment passed, and an old memory started to surface. She remembered a young filly, face dark with quip against her reddish coat as she reared and raced around the valley. The filly never went too far from her mother, though, too timid to really venture off. Then darkness descended on the memory, grey pelts, soulless eyes, and the snapping jaws...
Soledad shut the memory down instantly and turned back to the mare, hoping it would distract her. "What's your name?" Soledad asked rather bluntly, looking the mare over intently.
"Hava. And I definitely know who you are. You're Soledad. Except, we thought you were dead... after the wolves...," the mare, Hava, trailed off hesitantly, eyes wide.
A sort of realization hit Soledad in that moment. "I wasn't the only one that survived...," she said quietly. How many others had survived, then? She couldn't believe it.
"The herd is just back a ways, it's grown a lot. You should come back," Hava said, the kindness in her voice clear.
"I'll think about it," Soledad replied. She couldn't imagine returning to a herd after four years on her own thinking her friends and family were dead. But as Hava turned away, clearly disappointed, Soledad felt a wave of loneliness. She ran after the mare, the thought of remaining alone too overwhelming. Despite her nerves, she said, "I'll come."
--
~620 words
Sorry for the length, I may have gotten a little excited... :)
I own Hava, I also own the nameless equid that scared her (Gypsy)
Last edited by
.Arrow. on Sun Jan 26, 2014 5:52 pm, edited 4 times in total.