S O L S T I C E
and at last i see the light, and it's like the fog has lifted
The boy is beautiful – though she quickly corrects the thought, for men were not beautiful… they were handsome. But oh, how he shines with the vibrance of the sun, all gold and dark in the best ways. There is a certain hesitancy to his approach which she finds endearing, even as her smile grows warmer, grateful that the stranger who approached her was a kindly sort.
Her eyes dance with excitement as they scan the others, still in wonder that she’d managed the courage to leave her home and find her way here. It was a huge step forward for the mare, and though nerves battled with her wish for free will, she was happy to have arrived. There was just too much to see – brightly colored flowers, dancers with brilliantly hued scarves, musicians who played jovial tunes. Not far from her, a Eurasian Curlew sat upon her nest, weaving little bits of flower into the branches to create a festive and colorful appearance… and as Solstice watches the bird, she smiles, nodding from a distance at the mother who rested upon her eggs, before turning back to the colt with an excited whisper.
“Would you believe it if I told you this was the first time I left my home?” Home. It had a nice ring to it, she thought, warmth filling her breast as she thought of all which had come to pass since arriving in Novus. Then, she had been a scared girl, brave in her conviction toward building a better life, but afraid of the consequences. Time had healed some of that, though there were moments that panic still took over her senses. But she was learning to heal, learning to count and to measure her breath until it steadied again.
As she addressed Leonidas, a small black kitten mewed beside her, and Solstice reached to lift it to her back in one smooth motion. The dark kitten kneads Solstice for a moment before nestling into the feathers at her withers, wrapping herself into a tight ball and purring as she watched the stallion with an unusual purple gaze. “This is Luna,” the mare explains, “And I am Solstice.” The name comes easier now, almost naturally – a sense of identity instead of a curse. And she smiles brightly beneath the springtime sun, her heart blossoming with joy as she stands with the boy.
Her eyes dance with excitement as they scan the others, still in wonder that she’d managed the courage to leave her home and find her way here. It was a huge step forward for the mare, and though nerves battled with her wish for free will, she was happy to have arrived. There was just too much to see – brightly colored flowers, dancers with brilliantly hued scarves, musicians who played jovial tunes. Not far from her, a Eurasian Curlew sat upon her nest, weaving little bits of flower into the branches to create a festive and colorful appearance… and as Solstice watches the bird, she smiles, nodding from a distance at the mother who rested upon her eggs, before turning back to the colt with an excited whisper.
“Would you believe it if I told you this was the first time I left my home?” Home. It had a nice ring to it, she thought, warmth filling her breast as she thought of all which had come to pass since arriving in Novus. Then, she had been a scared girl, brave in her conviction toward building a better life, but afraid of the consequences. Time had healed some of that, though there were moments that panic still took over her senses. But she was learning to heal, learning to count and to measure her breath until it steadied again.
As she addressed Leonidas, a small black kitten mewed beside her, and Solstice reached to lift it to her back in one smooth motion. The dark kitten kneads Solstice for a moment before nestling into the feathers at her withers, wrapping herself into a tight ball and purring as she watched the stallion with an unusual purple gaze. “This is Luna,” the mare explains, “And I am Solstice.” The name comes easier now, almost naturally – a sense of identity instead of a curse. And she smiles brightly beneath the springtime sun, her heart blossoming with joy as she stands with the boy.
― @Leonidas
