all that glitters is gold - Naira

[Kreios]

kreios don't you tame your demons, but always keep them on a leash Most nights I only doze – restful sleep is for those that have not committed themselves to the protection of a herd and a kingdom. Usually toward morning when I know that the mares are starting to rise and are watchful themselves, I tend to fall deeper asleep, instinctively relaxed when other eyes and ears are alert. I do not get that chance this morning. The startled whinny has me immediately and entirely awake, my body tense and stone-still as I attempt to determine the direction from whence the danger comes. I smell nothing – no predator or smoke – and hear no raised voices or frightened cries. The other mares that I can see look startled but otherwise unharmed, and I know that they’ll take their cues from me and I do my best to remain calm. The only horse that I cannot see is Naira, who I had left to rest in the orange grove late last night. I move toward her quickly, the echo of my heavy hooves ringing off the canyon walls whenever I cross bare stone. She’s not where I left her, but I suppose that she might have oved to find a more sheltered place to sleep. I move more carefully now, peering through the grove of trees until I see a flash of gold between the brown trunks. “Naira!” I call out, letting her know that it’s me coming through the trees. When I’m closer I can see the sweat on her coat, too fresh to have been from our exertions last night. “Are you alright? I thought I heard someone yell – was that you?” I see no sign of snakes (sometimes they nest in the overhanging branches) and she appears unharmed, if a little nervous. “Did something happen?”