tangerine
face to the sun
Tangerine is lost in thought, pulling at the tender grass. Fresh as the young greenery of the field she quietly drifts form one side of the pasture to the other as she grazes. A cool breeze gently lifts her thick mane, so different from the air of Tephra. Warrick, her only friend in Tephra, has been on her mind too. When she thinks of him her thoughts are clouded with confusion - the night they had spent together before her departure was a mystery she couldn’t leave alone. His confession haunted her, and his touch could still be felt when she closed her eyes. There was need in his body language yet his voice had halted what could have been shared between them. Yet she couldn’t find it in herself to be hurt, or insulted.
She knew what a tangle his mind must be after losing his family without warning, a wound like that could take a lifetime to heal. Several times she had questioned her decision to leave him, nearly turning back to stay his companion in the lonely tropical land. But she hadn't. Maybe she would regret it someday. Subconsciously, she sends a prayer to The Mare, goddess of her homeland, for his wellbeing.
The earth shivers below hear muzzle with the pulse of approaching hooves, putting an end to her thoughts of Warrick. Automatically her head rises into the air atop her slender golden neck as she tries to catch a glimpse of the approaching horse. A familiar form glides through the threes and out into the sunlight of her clearing; her heart skips a beat. Like the dragon scales of the stallion’s armor her eyes sparkle as she sees him.
"Amet!" She echoes his call with his own name as she lightly bounds towards him, her serenity now converted into electricity. “Took you long enough,” he calls out playfully and she responds with a saucy glare, which she is unable to hold, and is soon replaced by a wide smile. When Tang reaches him she doesn’t bother to stop, instead, their bodies meet in a collision. The wind comes out of her lungs in a laugh and she grabs for a piece of his mane as she tumbles to the ground. She just feels good.
The grass is clean and new and she lays there for a moment, catching her breath. Her eyes watching him with curiosity and hunger.
“I will tell you all about my winter... but first, I want you to tell me about our summer."
The shyness she felt under his gaze during their first day together has vanished. She had been ready this time, not surprised buy a handsome stranger in a strange land. During the winter she had blossomed and was enjoying the vigor and strength she could feel in her limbs and heart. This was the high she was chasing, the fruit of her restlessness.