leliel.

Its hard to tell how long we've been walking since we left the caves but I think its been a week. I'm only guessing its been a week because seven times we settled down to sleep for the night. For whatever reason whenever we sleep Muriel has been pressed against my side. Sometimes I'm forced to drape a set of wings across her back so they don't get too cramped. Sometimes I pretend to be annoyed by it and scowl when the sun rises, but I suspect that she can see through me and see that I actually enjoy her company. On the rare occasion when I wake up and she's already gone off to do something I look for her but I try not to show it. I try to act like I'm grazing instead of sniffing the grass for her scent.

We both woke at nearly the same time this morning but we dawdled instead of setting off while the sun was still low. Its not like we have any particular place that we're looking to go, we're just wandering aimlessly. As the day wore on it became more and more sweltering. I could feel my sweat lathering on my legs, sides, chest, neck and I wanted nothing more than to plunge into a lake to cool myself. Or take to the skies where the wind would cool me, but flying is something I'll never do again. Still, I look up toward the sky and try to hide the longing for flight.

The brush of Muriel's feathers against my side and her soft voice changes my direction and I fall into step beside her as we walk into nothingness. Nothingness, however, turned out to be something. "Forest?" I asked quietly. I could feel the shade as it blocked the sun from searing across my back. The forest is both a blessing and a curse. It may have offered protection from the sun, but it also offered hiding spots for things that could hurt us. I can't protect her from something I can't see and that makes me frown.

What good am I?

I can smell other horses, their scents thick and pungent in the trees and my frown only grows. "Where are we?" I don't like not knowing and I don't like being led blindly along somewhere, but I can trust Muriel because she hasn't done anything to hurt me yet. The most she does is annoy me by fussing over me whenever I trip or scrape my shoulder against a tree. I keep walking, unknowingly crossing a border into a herd's territory.

"."