[open] The Awkward Stage of Life

[Trandafir]

Trandafir

   The chestnut filly stepped carefully over the maze of tree roots running across the ground. She didn't have the best footing. Her strangely large hooves and still too long legs often had a mind of their own and had caused her many falls and scratches. In general she was quite a clumsy young horse. And her awkward, mid grown, conformation did not help. The filly's hind end reached above her withers and her legs were just barely starting to fill out, meanwhile her hooves had already outgrown the rest of her and were far to large for her to handle gracefully. Her mane and tail were still growing out and her thick and wavy tail barely reached her hocks. Her mane was growing crookedly since she had a bad habit of itching her neck against trees and the was a short chunk halfway up her neck.  Her red coat had fluffed up for the winter, and was thick and shaggy, the white markings barely peeping through her muddied hair. But her challenged appearance did not keep the young mare from thoroughly enjoying her days.

   Trandafir's sweet blueish eyes gleamed in excitement as she picked her way through the forest. Her nostrils flared widely as she took a deep breath of chilly air, inhaling the fresh smell of a winter forest. It wasn't her first time in a forest, but it was her first time alone. She had left her family a few short weeks ago and had just started out her adventure in life. A wide smile graced her happy face and she paused to sniff some shriveled moss clinging to a tree. The smallest things interested her, and her mind was always filled with the wonder of her surroundings. Though she was alone and she would have been happier with a friend, the excitement of exploring the world without parents overcame her happy heart.  As she continued to move forward, even with her careful steps, one of her hooves miss stepped and she slipped against a tree. "Ow!" a soft exclamation flew from her mouth as she pushed away from the tree and shook the small branches from her back. She scowled at the tree and twisted her neck to rub the now sore spot on her shoulder. A small sigh escaped her lips and she gave her tail a swish before carefully stepping through the forest, heading for a small opening she could see ahead.