I stop walking, instead standing in the creek. The clear water rushed around my fetlocks, soaking my feathers. I stare down at the ripples, a soft smile creeping across my face as I watch small fish swim with the current. My thoughts are more or less .. a random, swirling, mess of fragments. Another bit of breeze lifts my forelock, and the top, thin strands of my mane. Birds chirp around me, critters chattering - the sounds of new spring life. My heart beats hard a couple of times and I breathe in deeply, then let out a long, slow exhale. Immediately I feel lighter, and a small measure of grief leaves me, the pain lessening.
I don't notice him. At least, not until he speaks to me. My head snaps up at his stuttered greeting, ears swiveling before my gaze finds him. I stare at him for a moment of silence with discerning eyes. His bay coat seems damp, but remarkably clean - cleaner than I've been since the day my mama licked me clean. His mane is more like a giant fluff, drier than the rest of him. He looks away as quickly as he's spoken, pawing the ground.
I tilt my head, somewhat confused by is behavior. "You don't need to apologize for it." He nibbles on his lip as well, something I've never seen before. I glance around, as if looking for someone to explain this to me. But there's no one but us. "I'm Rostislav. It's a free land, I'm sure you'd find many others." I chuckle lightly, and my inquisitive stance softens a little.
Rosti thoughts | "Rosti speech" | Damaris mindspeak
Rostislav
more than a drunken fool
