With the advent of spring causing her winter coat to have shed in patches and the ever-changing hue of her greying hair, the still mostly-black filly looks mangy and unkempt. However, she seems blissfully unaware of this as she canters gracefully into the meadow, a halo of bright sunlight glowing softly around her head. Her deep blue eyes carry a wisdom that seems beyond her youth, a maturity derived from spending time with only an adult, rather than others near her own age.
She does not know where her mother is at the moment, but the girl is fearless when it comes to doing things on her own. Whether by some stroke of luck or by virtue of her pedigree, a fierce streak of independence runs rampant through her blood and is echoed in every confident thud of her sapphire hooves. She glances around, wondering if there are any other children hiding among the tall grasses that stretch longingly toward the sun.
Seeing none, she decides to head for one of the small creeks that cut across the land. Though she is predisposed to an affinity for darkness, she prefers to keep her flesh intact most of the time, so she is careful to avoid any shadows laying in wait. Thankfully there are not many trees in her path, so she does not have much to evade. Instead, she delicately picks her way through a dense, luxurious patch of clover, briefly intrigued by the green and gold pinpricks of light that disperse into the air as she disturbs the shamrock bed with her dainty steps.
A faint, almost imperceptible warmth spreads through her skin, but she merely chalks it up to the increasing temperature as the day wears on.
She finds a spot where the water crashes against a collection of large rocks in the creek bed and wades in, not quite in the swirling vortex, but close enough to enjoy the cooling mist that rises into the air. She drops her head to drink from the surprisingly clear water and with just the right angle, her sunny halo shatters through the water droplets to envelop her in a rainbow of colors.
Sated, she returns to scanning for signs of some other soul to bond with. It’s already been a somewhat lonely young life.
Vallebeth
