Dearest Tesande

My melody took a pause as the sweet sound of neighborly greetings reached my ears and I stopped from my skipping to strike a pose like a valiant stag in the grass, and my thick neck turned my head around to look in the direction of the greeting with ears perked side by side and an eager smile on my face. Just through the openings of the trees in the forest the sun cast a spotlight on a dappled mare who’d called my attention, and our similar gowns sent a tickling giggle in my gut. I rotated myself to face the mare, curious to see who it is.

“Few who traverse this forest sing like you. It’s a nice change you know, so many wear doom and gloom as an impassable cloak upon their backs... Have you come to pick flowers too?”

Doom and gloom? I thought to myself, now who could possibly feel sadness in such a beautiful land I wondered? Never the less, the company more than excited me, with a squeak of joy I pranced in the direction of the stranger my tail and chin held high, my hooves moving as if I were walking on hot coal. From a distance she appeared relatively small in proportion to the trees, but as I drew closer she grew bigger and bigger. It’s not necessarily that she was tall more than it is I’m just short. Still this girl had a friendly aura about her and a voice that put the taste of peaches in your mouth. Soft, sweet, and tender, a welcome invitation. Aaawe, thank ya lass! In the same case being that this mare hasn’t heard a cheery tune in such a long while, I equally haven’t heard a compliment to my singing since my sweet mother. Stopping before the mare I suddenly dropped to one knee in front of her, dipping my body before her in a gracious bow, my wings opening to add to the gesture, ”The name’s Tesande!” I spoke, ending my words with a grin of excitement before kicking myself up again.
The mare’s words did confuse me and I took a look about, not that I’ve been here long but the biting chill in the wind and death of the leaves in the forest. I hadn’t seen any flowers. Well if it were the season fer flowers I’d probably be pickin’ em! If ya know where any flowers are?” I answered my lips curled into a smile, giving the mare my every acceptance to the offer of this ‘flower picking’ event with a friendly acquaintance. ”An’ what brings you out hea? Miss…” I offered the opening chance to let her give a name. The girl looked in fine condition, surely she wasn’t a traveler. My guesses wagered she lived here or not far from here.