Fascination.

From the shelter of the Heart’s tall grasses the young mare watches, wide eyed and captivated, the sight that unfolds before her. Ree has taken to wandering amidst the heat of Helovia’s Heart in her spare time, not brave enough to wander any farther from the conjured protection of the Throat’s boundaries, but curious enough that the herd lands could not assuage her inquisitive – if manic – inclinations. The flock of birds, black specks flitting frenzied against the backdrop of a smoky blue sky, catches the bay’s attention immediately. Childlike allure shines in the depths of her golden eyes, previously unaware that what she sees is anything more, until suddenly the sparrows disappear as they melt simultaneously into a whirl of inky black within the air. Ree shifts, jumps, petite head held high upon her slender neck as she careens over the tops of the tall grass to watch the badger fall to the earth in a heap of inky dampness- obsidian droplets cast in every direction upon impact.

Was it magic? Or witchcraft? Enthralled and terrified all at once, she dares to draw a little closer, hooves stopping at the last edges of the grass the kept her slender frame hidden from view. Eyes, wide as saucers, cannot believe what they see, for soon the badger has disappeared as well. In its place stands a stallion, ebony coat as dark as a moonless night sky, persistently digging at the sandy soil of the Heart, seemingly unaware that he is being watched. She teeters dangerously on the edge of revelation, the temptation of stepping from the tall, wild grass all but driving the bay mare forward. Ree hovers between indecisiveness and uncertainty, heart pounding, thoughts racing, weighing the odds of whether or not this odd horse was a potential friend or deadly foe.

She is distracted by the arrival of the Pegasus, and for a moment she is encouraged, thinking that perhaps this unfamiliar wind walker might be one of the throat, an unknown brethren. The warm breeze that rolls over the living land of the Heart’s desert tells her otherwise, nostrils flaring, gears shifting and turning in her head as she realizes that their scent is foreign and alien to her. Almost immediately her aforementioned bravery is lost, taken just as easily as the particles of sand swept up by the wind. Anxiety overcomes her, and she intends to spin away and dive back into the safety of the endless maze of the Heart’s tall grass. As she plans to do so, she chides herself for thinking that a second foray into the wilderness had ever been a good idea. However, Ree’s escape is foiled rather quickly. Instead of cleverly dashing away unseen, her hooves become a tangled mess of uncoordinated movements, and with a rather ungraceful squeal she falls backwards and right out of the tall grass she had been hiding in.

She lands, unceremoniously and clumsily, at their feet.

Off I go.
Where I fall, is where I land.