Open Upon the Four Winds [Any]

Nestled beneath an ancient oak she had often drifted off to the dream world. It was in this world that she had her greatest adventures, fore her world was quite plain.

Scattered about the wide-open spaces were herds upon herds of every hoofed mammal imaginable. Bison, elk, pronghorn, deer and of course horses. Her natal herd wasn’t small, but it was also not the largest. The lead stallion, Nvgi, who was also her father, was a powerful appaloosa. Her mother, the lead mare Agowatiha, was an escaped ranch horse. She was as fast as the summer breeze and as beautiful as the western sunset. Together they lead a formidable family herd on the western mountain range.

When she was born her mother knew right away, she was special. Birthed in the fresh green of spring, alongside the fawns of the local deer herd, she was given the name Awi. She was a lithe thing; all leg and hide. The speckles down her back were nothing like they had ever seen, and her face, well that set her apart from the rest.

Months turned to years as she grew up wild and free on the hilltop plains. Often, she would take to the forests, following the deer paths that zigzagged through the underbrush. It was in the forests she found serenity. The dappled sunlight, filtered by the canopies above, danced along the moss-covered ground. Creatures of all shapes and sizes grew accustomed to her presence and often came out of hiding to watch her pass thru. Some even engaged with her, like the family of red fox whose kits loved to race her down the trails.

It is here that the ancient oaks towered overhead, and it is here that she often curled up for a nap, dreaming dreams of magical worlds far beyond the normalcy of her homeland.

—

The sunlight tickles her nose, probing her to wake from her slumber. Her sienna eyes open, blinking away the dryness. With a lift of her head from the forest floor, she yawns before looking around. The first thing she notices in a large blue butterfly fluttering through the beams of daylight. She had never seen such vibrant blue before and the iridescent sheen that shimmered when the light hit it was quite magical.

It begins to swirl about her head, tugging at her ivory ear. She looks up, trying to understand what it is the creature was trying to do. It is in this shift of view she notices the forest she knew so well had changed. Tiny flowers dotted along the mossy tree trunks; great vines hung overhead with brilliant blooms. Birds and butterflies of all colors leapt from one to the next, sipping the sweet nectars inside.

Decidedly she stands, her dished face turning to view the entirety of the new scenery. Convinced she is just within a world apart from her own brought on by internal fantasies, she revels in the magic of this place. A deep yearning for it to be real washes over her like the tides of the ocean.

But she knows this is only temporary. A childish fantasy deep within the recesses of her mind, and that eventually she will need to wake up to her mundane reality.

Except it is not a dream.

Little does she know that within the forests of her mountain home a fae had come upon her as she slept and granted her that of which she most desired.

Wide eyed she begins to walk down a beaten trail, examining the unique flora as she moves along. Her large ears twitch at every sound and her nostrils drink in every scent, it felt so real that she could taste the musty earth. A warmness fills her heart as she takes it all in, noting the blue butterfly was still dancing before her in an inviting way. "What is it friend?"

Oh how she wished she could speak to the woodland creatures.

~ Awi ~

Cast All Your Worries Upon The Winds