all that glitters is gold - Naira

[Kreios]

kreios don't you tame your demons, but always keep them on a leash The pressure of Naira’s shoulder and the gentle feeling of her muzzle on by neck does a great deal to relieve the stress I was feeling, and I glance down at her with a grateful smile. Rather than say anything – though the gratitude is clear in my expression – I tug gently at her blonde mane in a playful manner before bumping her shoulder with my own. She is looking more tired by the second and I am glad that I had made my suggestion when I had. “I won’t let anything hurt you,” I say, knowing all too well the thoughts that often linger behind sentences that never quite finish. I mean it, too. There is little danger in the Orange Country – the jackals of the Desert do not descend the canyon walls – but I intend to stay alert through the night to ensure that whatever Naira seems to fear might be chasing her does not catch up. “You’ll be safe there.” We’ll both feel better in the morning, I reason. A good night’s sleep and a full meal always goes a long way to soothing any troubles. The trip is a short one, and I lead the way. The sand of the dunes gives way to red dust and stone, and then the ground falls away in front of us. I lead Naira along the edge of the canyon until we come upon the trail. It is wide but not well-worn, a consequence of the decline in herd popularity in Beqanna in the last few centuries. Nevertheless, I am confident as I make my way down, picking the smoothest path for Naira. There is no river at the bottom of the canyon, but it is clear that there had been one at some point. I follow the trail of water-smoothed stones until we round the last bend in the canyon. This close to nightfall it is hard to see anything, but the smell of flowing water and lush greenery is clear despite the low light. The small waterfall is a reassuring sound, and I can just pick out the white of it at the top of the canyon as I lead Naira toward the orange grove. “Here we are,” I say, turning back to the palomino mare with a tired smile of my own. “Feel free to settle in and sleep, I’m just going to see how the other mares are.” I’m sure they are fine – Nymeria and Illusen are both more than capable of taking care of themselves – but I still feel that it is my responsibility. “I’ll see you in the morning.” I reach for her out of habit, wrapping my neck around hers so that my cheek rests on the opposite side of her neck. Only after doing so do I realize that such a gesture might make her uncomfortable, and I pull away quickly. “Goodnight,” I say after a moment, and then turn to tend to the other members of the herd.

So if you wanted to just jump ahead to the next morning with your next post that’s totes fine with me. I just figured that’d make the most sense xD