The world is a silent place, but it is not a dull one.
Rucker is learning to read lips but mostly he amuses himself with exploration. He clings to his mother's side and she indulges him in his antics. Everything fascinates him. It is all devoid of a soundtrack but as he has known nothing else, it doesn't bother him. Sometimes he can feel the shifting vibrations in his feet. He knows they mean something but he doesn't always know what. At least, not yet.
He is unremarkable, a black colt with white stockings and a white blaze. The only thing that stands out about him is the blue of his eyes and the gold strands in his mane. His grandmother gave them to him at his birth. He thinks of her fondly, tossing his little head and making a nickering sound he will not hear.
He was born in the Desert and he had thought he would always live there, but today his mother has gathered him and Tioga up and led them to this new place. He wished he knew the name. It was beautiful, all flowers and sunshine and softness where the deserts were itchy and dry. He collapsed to the ground and rolled with a grin.
After awhile he looked 'round for his mother and noticed that she was in a small group of horses. Two yellow brown ones, which is a color he hasn't seen yet. But it is the mare with the sad face who captures his attention. Perking his ears he trots forward clumsily and nuzzles her chest. He is a tiny thing, still small despite the half a year of life he has lived. He looks up at the Queen with bright blue eyes in a childishly sympathetic face, and wonders if he could make her smile.