06-25-2020, 09:27 PM
The sun warms his green-striped back and the growing sunset curls of his mane, but now leaves or tendrils peek out from between the strands and the only smell of vegetation is the one that rises from the grass the yearling passes by, releasing a vibrant perfume as it brushes against his sides. Florian smells of warm horse, dusty and musky, and he relishes the freedom hinted by that smell.
Never again.
The fear and anxiety of his childhood fall away and a small smile lifts the corners of his lips. Freedom. His life stretches ahead of him, and anything can happen, now. He does not worry about the dangers of the world, knows he will be equipped to escape them, or fight them. Maroon eyes sparkle brightly in the afternoon light, skipping across the meadow light as a grasshopper. His ears strain forward and catch a murmuring voice not far away, barely heard over the slow sound of a languid stream.
Water's a little slow for you here, isn't it?
No, I only meant--
There is a grunt then a splash, the sounds of a struggle. That familiar panic rises in his chest, but nothing comes with it. Seconds tick by, his vision doesn't darken and his breathing soon slows.
I hope somebody eats you!
Those same ears, still full of soft baby-down, turn back at the tone and Florian, full of this false feeling of invincibility, charges down to the water's edge with narrowed eyes and his bright tail flagged high. He slips a little on the wet grass but is relieved to see that no-one noticed. There is only one horse here, flailing about half in the shallows.
"Um, excuse me, do you need help?"
His voice is soft and if it shakes a little, he hopes it will go unnoticed, too, over the clamor of water and squelching mud sucking at the stallion's heavy hooves.
"I... I'm not gonna eat you, it's okay. Who said that to you, did they push you in the water, too?"
Never again.
The fear and anxiety of his childhood fall away and a small smile lifts the corners of his lips. Freedom. His life stretches ahead of him, and anything can happen, now. He does not worry about the dangers of the world, knows he will be equipped to escape them, or fight them. Maroon eyes sparkle brightly in the afternoon light, skipping across the meadow light as a grasshopper. His ears strain forward and catch a murmuring voice not far away, barely heard over the slow sound of a languid stream.
Water's a little slow for you here, isn't it?
No, I only meant--
There is a grunt then a splash, the sounds of a struggle. That familiar panic rises in his chest, but nothing comes with it. Seconds tick by, his vision doesn't darken and his breathing soon slows.
I hope somebody eats you!
Those same ears, still full of soft baby-down, turn back at the tone and Florian, full of this false feeling of invincibility, charges down to the water's edge with narrowed eyes and his bright tail flagged high. He slips a little on the wet grass but is relieved to see that no-one noticed. There is only one horse here, flailing about half in the shallows.
"Um, excuse me, do you need help?"
His voice is soft and if it shakes a little, he hopes it will go unnoticed, too, over the clamor of water and squelching mud sucking at the stallion's heavy hooves.
"I... I'm not gonna eat you, it's okay. Who said that to you, did they push you in the water, too?"
Florian