The ground was soft. Autumn rains had saturated the forest floor, thickening the mud around his hooves and filling the forest with the smell of wet earth and pine. The sickly-sweet air was almost thick enough to strangle him as he traveled down a thin deer path.
All around him the forest buzzed with the sound of life. Bugs buzzed, and birds chirped. His hide bristled. There were too many eyes – too many watchers. Even the ones he couldn’t see, he could sense their eyes peering out from their high up nests. He was a stranger here and he could almost hear their contemptuous chatter. Luckily for them, he was only passing through.
Taiga was one of the only remaining lands that sat unclaimed in Beqanna. It was easy to imagine why. No person in their right mind would want to stay in a climate so cold and damp. The trees did offer ample amounts of shade, but it was too loud.
He pinned his ears back and shook his mane. The path before his disappeared as the ground sloped downward towards the bank of a babbling brook. Engorged with rain water, the current rushed past carrying with it fallen twigs and leaves. It was fuller than usual but not impossible to cross.
Thirsty, he slid down the bank until he stood hocks deep in the rushing water. The liquid was cool against his legs and shivers of delight shot through him. He’d been traveling for several nights and it felt good to stand there and let the water rush past his hot legs.
The Nerine was still a distance away and he was more determined than every to reach his goal. The farther he traveled the more he’d heard whispers of a mare named Hestia and her group of bitches. He had to see if the rumors were true for himself. It was almost disgusting, a mare who put herself in such a prestigious position of power. And to call yourself Amazon. Bah, it was almost laughable.
Perhaps he could got there and have a little bit of fun with this Hestia. He smirked callously and he quickly finished his drink. The water ran down his throat, sweet and fresh. When he lifted his head dribbles of water lingered on his chin. He snorted it away and crossed to the opposite bank. Climbing out of the water he stood and examined the paths before him.
That was the thing about forests. It was too easy to get lost in the labyrinth. All around him trees as wide a he himself stretched tall into the sky. Their canopies were thick and only the strongest rays of light managed to break through the thick foliage. A wild rabbit jumped into his path. For a long way the gray vermin sat to nibble on a tree nut it had gathered before it looked up to study the stallion. With big frightened eyes it bounded away into the underbrush.
Bored, and fatigued from his travels, he ambled lazily into the shade of one of the giant trees. Nestled within the cool space between it’s giant root system he cocked back his hind leg and rested.
