I'm bigger than these bones
She'd seen it from a distance - the sand and the hills catching her attention quickly, and bringing a sudden flash of memory to her; memories of gliding through sandy dunes with her mother, the sun glistening on her gold tipped wings. Perhaps she was there, already waiting for her, perhaps her mother had already found a familiar place within this foreign land.
Since then, she'd began a frantic journey in the direction of the sandstone, pushing her way through the few obstacles left in the barren vicinity. She had been searching for her mother for days with little sleep, and she did not know how long she had already walked today, it couldn't have been too far, but she knew if she just kept going, she could make it there soon - she had to. The yellow sand had given her a final burst of energy, and she ran as fast as she could towards the dusty vista. Small lungs ached and flared nostrils burned from the sharp intakes of air as she pushed herself to keep a fast pace, only allowing herself a few stops. Every other feeling besides the longing for her mother was secondary to her right now, she ached to be by her mother's side again more than her legs ached with each step.
And ache they did; as she made her way through the last of the brush, her pace became desperate, legs buckling from exhaustion, and eyes heavy from the lack of sleep. Tamashi had not had much proper rest during her search the past few days, she could not sleep one more night without the warmth of her mother, the soothing voice that had echoed in her head louder than any of the disembodied voices that begged her ears for attention. She was nearly there though, she could see the yellow sand beyond the dry bushes of the border, and could faintly make out a large white outline. Her heart nearly skipped a beat; it was her, it had to be. There was no other explanation, and tears of relief stung the corners of her eyes as she took one more sharp intake of breath, and picked up speed one final time - one more push to the finish line.
"Mama! Mama!" The small mare's voice was hoarse, her throat itched with dryness, yet she yelled at the top of her burning lungs anyways, desperate to earn the attention of the one she'd searched everywhere for.
As she crossed the border though, she watched as her mother blew away with the sand in the wind, disappearing as quickly as she'd came, and her young heart fell to her stomach as the realization dawned on her; it had just been a hallucination, her mother wasn't there. Tears flowed freely down her delicate cheeks now, her eyes filled with pain and loneliness, and her lips curled in anger. Small legs trembled and gave out beneath her, no longer able to carry her, and she fell to the dusty earth below. Choked sobs escaped her pink velvet lips, and the young mare lay there and cried.
"Mommy.." She choked out, her voice shaky and full of heartache, and her eyes stinging with tears and sand.
TAMASHI