"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
Neither of my mothers ever used a mothering tone on me - the few occasions when they did speak to me - so the tone in this near-stranger throws me for a loop. My smile falters a little bit, but I am quick to recover it. Most adults don’t mention my appearance - I guess it’s rude (which it is a little bit) - but I had just gotten a similar comment from my young twins lately. Foals always ask, always want to know why I’m different. I don’t tell them the truth, not all of it, just as I won’t now. I’m not going to make any friends by being all ‘well you see I was born to be a monster!’
My expression is warm and soft now, though, as I attempt to assure this finned mare that there are no hard feelings. “Unfortunately I can’t seem to keep on weight - no matter how many juicy fruits I eat - but don’t worry - it looks worse than it feels.” There’s never been much discomfort when it comes to my oddly bony body, except when sleeping. Nothing but soft sand or the lushest grass will let me be comfortable if I want to lie down (and I always do!). And the aches and pains I feel during winter have blessedly been eased by the tropical temperatures of Ischia, further cementing my desire for this beautiful place to be my home.
Now my grin brightens and turns a little boyish. “I’m Velkan, and it’s so nice to finally meet you! We have a mutual friend - well maybe a couple, but Lilliana told me I should say hi to you the next time we crossed paths.” The shining smile in my dark eyes makes it clear, I hope, that I’m delighted that we’ve finally got the chance to do just that.
