the dead are gone
She’s surprised when the painted mare indicates she’s chosen the Amazons, but she smiles graciously and turns in the direction of the distant kingdom to lead Eila away.
The journey to the Amazons is long, being that it is the kingdom farthest from the field, and much of the trip is spent in silent concentration. Lexa personally enjoys the walk, though she has little indication of how Eila feels towards it. She hasn’t spent much time out of the Jungle lately, and she’s appreciating the chance to enjoy the scenery outside of the muggy kingdom.
But eventually, they do draw close to the Jungle itself. The vegetation grows thicker, and the air draws closer, becoming dense and warm. She glances back at her companion as the approach the border, but Eila doesn’t seem too disconcerted by the heat. Not yet anyway.
Then they reach the very edge of the trees, and the paint mare finally speaks up. Lexa turns back to her, letting out a quiet chuckle. “Sorry about that. It takes some getting used to.” Despite her larger size, Lexa is perfectly acclimatized to the warmer temperature, but she has a rather big advantage - she was born here. “There are some nice spots deeper in the Jungle where you can cool off - caves and pools and such.”
She watches as the mare’s eyes scan through the foliage ahead, likely watching the colourful birds that flit through the greenery. They certainly seem to be a popular feature amongst newcomers, though Lexa tends to find them more annoying than anything. The beastly little things have the ‘wonderful’ habit of getting up with the sun.
Eila speaks up again, asking if they can enter, and Lexa smiles. “Of course!” She turns to face the thick underbrush and utters a quick, “follow me,” before diving in. She splits the Jungle before her with blades of carbon that she pulls from the ground, trying to spare Eila from the worst of it. She doesn’t want the mare to become frustrated with the place this early!
Before too long, they reach the great clearing that makes up the centre of the kingdom, and Lexa stops to let her have a look around. “This is the central part of the kingdom, where we tend to have meetings and the like.” There aren’t any other horses about which surprises her, but the kingdom has been growing quieter as of late. “The river,” she indicates to the east with a flick of her nose, “is in that direction. And the caves that I mentioned are in that direction.” She points to the south-west. “Is there anything in particular you would like to see? Or are there any questions that you might have?”
and the living are hungry.
lexa.