EZITAL
This place stank of stale horse sweat and salt.
He delicately wove a path between the shadows, hugging the walls and leaving a dark, moist smear on the stone in his wake. The slivers of shade offered little relief from the heat, but at least his black hide had some protection from the powerful desert sun. The past few days had proven to be punishingly hot, dry, and bright.
Truly, he wasn’t cut out for this climate. He longed for the damp forests, with soft moss underfoot and beautiful birdsong. Food was green, plentiful, and wonderfully sweet. The forests he’d spent his days in as a leggy yearling were far away now. He hadn’t appreciated them then. They were little more than passing scenery as he’d wandered through.
Perhaps he was different now, different than the colt that had pranced around strange lands without a care. Now he was a bit more cautious where he roamed, and his loneliness had grown into a separate, living thing. It lurked, always. Poking, prodding, threatening to leave him shivering with anxious nightmares.
So he would linger here, amongst these strangers, to sate the need for companionship. For attention, his less forgiving thoughts provided. He pushed that away though.
Amongst the bustling activity, a tall figure with splashy markings caught his attention. She seemed distracted, halted right in the middle of traffic, heedless of her surroundings. Others were left to weave around her massive frame like a huge boulder tossed into a stream.
He sighed from his hiding place, where the sun failed to reach a patch of ground that almost covered his entire body. Half an asscheek was still getting roasted. His tail fanned the ground in an annoyed sweep. Perhaps the heat was getting to him, and that’s why his temper suddenly boiled over and he found himself marching over the strange mare. He lowered his head as he approached, intending to poke her with the rounded tips of his antlers, but chickened out at the last second.
”Hey,” he said, settling for stomping a hoof to get her attention. “Get out of the way!”
From this distance, he got a better look at her, and realized how young she must be. She’d yet to fully grow into her huge frame, even though she already towered over him. He struggled to muster the irritation he’d felt a few moments ago.
”And don’t stare at the sun like that. You’ll damage your eyes.”
He huffed at her, stretching his neck to appear just a little taller.
Youths.
@Maret
