09-05-2015, 04:23 PM
 I can feel a flush coming on, the uncertainty of my own appearance coupled with the piercing eyes of the gold and white mare. Is there something wrong with me? Something worse than I’d thought? I glance down, momentarily concerned, but I seem the same as I had a moment ago. By the time I look up again, her focus has shifted to the red-eyed stallion. She stares him down just as seriously, and as I follow the direction of her blue eyes I see that she is watching his mouth. I glance up and see that her ears are not flicking like I am so used to, and I realize that she must be deaf. I don’t have time to think about how a deaf mare might fit in the Jungle, because I’m distracted by the pale stallion. Something about him seems off, and makes the hair on my spine shift. I do not like him, I’ve decided. “It’s okay,” I say when he calls her rude, not wanting her to think that I feel the same way. As soon as the words fall from my tongue I wince – she can’t hear me anyway. Then she speaks – or I assume she speaks, her mouth is moving even though there is no sound. I have no skill with lip reading whatsoever, but I’m astute enough to pick up that the first word she’d said was probably her name. I try to recreate the motion of her lips with my own, but the only sound I am sure she has made was a “Vee”. Something Vee, I presume. When Vee mouths something at the cremello stallion, it’s easy enough to tell from her body language that she’s equally put off by him, even if I have no idea what she’s saying. I’m not entirely sure how to proceed when I can’t hear her and she can’t hear me. I suppose she did seem to understand my asking her name, so perhaps yes-or-no questions are a safe bet. Even I can tell a nod from a head-shake. “Are you here looking for a home?” then take this pleasure and take it with the pain |