The ground here was strange. Strange and cold. I thought I had finally mastered my legs, and now it seemed like the ground beneath my hooves gave way with each and every step. Was this another test that I had to master? Mother made it seem so easy! How I envied her! How I wanted to be more like her! But it wasn’t all bad. There was so much to see. It seemed around every corner there was something new and fascinating to be explored. Too much, it seemed, to pack into one lifetime. How would it be possible to see everything?
But every time I found myself starting to worry, Virga would brush my side and it evaporated as soon as it had come. Virga and Mother could make anything better. My silver eyes were fixed on the mountains before us. Maybe to an older equine it would have been daunting. To me the mountains just spoke of adventures yet to be had. I knew mother would never take us anywhere unsafe. Not ever.
I was amazed how it seemed that the whole world had turned white as we followed mother further. However, it did make walking difficult. Even though mother had created a path, I had become fascinated in how tracks appeared in the snow behind us with each and every step. I wanted to see my own footprints! It was physical proof that I had become the master of my own, spindly legs. Quite a feat, considering how wobbly they had been not so long ago. It didn’t matter how quickly I moved – the prints still followed. The snow grew deeper, the game more difficult, but that didn’t stop me. Not until I found myself buried up to my belly. I let out a soft grunt in a mixture of surprise, fear, and embarrassment and quickly scrambled backwards – using my downy wings to help gain purchase on the soft snow. The result was the most amazing snow print I could have imagined and a giggle left my lips. Before we moved on I nudged Virga so he could see, before shaking the snow off my wings and bounding along after mother.
Virga is quieter than I am, but it doesn’t bother me at all. I understand, even though I don’t know what he thinks or what he knows. He’s half of me, after all. We’re the same even though we’re different. And the longer we walk the closer I walk to brother, bumping my nose against his hip or his shoulder as we follow mother into the unknown.
It seems like we’ve walked all the way to heaven because here earth seems closer to the sky than before. Do the stars touch the earth here? Has anyone caught one before? Would mother teach me how to catch one of my own?
Mother was speaking again in her beautiful sing-song voice, words I wasn’t sure I understood now, but would come to in time. "’ome!” I mimicked, happily, returning to mothers side and bumping along next to Virga. I don’t know what it means, but I’m pleased with myself all the same.
|
.svg/2000px-Google_Chrome_icon_(2011).svg.png){kind=icon}
