I Wish To Speak To...

[Merida]

Merida

from the ashes, a fire shall be awoken

She is here, because she is always here and she wouldn’t expect to find herself in any other place. Loess is quaint yet solemn, especially with the frigidity of winter on the cusp of the wind. The icy air twirls throughout the hilly land, groaning as it cascades through the large rocks and sparsely growing trees, which now almost appear completely skeletal with the incoming of winter’s harsh bite. The once blue and bold sky is now scrubbed with a soft grey and white, seamless and broad as it stretches across the yawning expanse, hinting at the inevitable snowfall that will coat all of Loess in more amounts of white, powdery flakes. 

Her black skin shivers at the thought, her red-freckled hide shimmering like smoldering embers along the slope of her haunches and muscular shoulders. Her coat is thickening each day with the decreasing temperatures, readying herself for winter’s wrath. The ponds have already begun to freeze and her willow has dropped its leaves – she could already feel the cold, wet snow against her legs, knowing that soon she will have to trudge through it in order to get where she needs to go. She’s heard of lands that are further south, with tropical temperatures that last nearly year-round. She snorts softly, her exhale a plume of vapor as it leaves her nostrils, pluming around her face as it rises. Merida is thankful that at this current time, the sky is clear and that there would be no more snowfall – at least for the time being. 

She hears a soft call, brought to her by the frigid winds that swallow into Loess. The black mare’s head rises slowly, her red tendrils of mane and forelock twisting around her face like flames licking against her. Blazing red eyes search questioningly for the source of the unfamiliar voice, a call to request entry into Loess. Merida snorts once again, her lips falling into a thin, dark line. Perhaps she should start thinking of herself as the escort of her home.

Merida moves quickly and purposely, though the banks of freshly fallen snow made what should have been a quick trip a bit more difficult. The snow is not at all packed hard against the ground yet, causing her muscular legs to fall easily through the soft white powder, in turn causing her to use more effort in her steady walk that what was normal. By the time she reaches the black mare, she is breathless, which causes her to take a moment to compose herself before saying anything to the stranger. 

It is an awkward few seconds. 

The black mare raises her head, deeply breathing as her fierce gaze falls on the one who has requested their presence, her black ears tipping backwards flippantly. She’s sure that Heda is on the horizon and would find the duo quick enough, though she cannot help but think that the golden and navy mare is fretting as to what Merida will do before her arrival. 

The thin line that is her lips then breaks into a simple smile. 

“Hello,” she says with a flick of her tail against her haunch, “Can I help you?”