it has come to pass...

The Secret Grove… So this is what it looked like. Better in person than described. The blank portrait of a pristine unicorn mare entered into the willows. The flimsy branches brushed against her flanks and tickled her spine. A few blooming flowers caught hold of her silky mess and clung to the knotted strands. The river that divided the grove was calm that day, and the mare took to quenching her thirst. The tranquility of the atmosphere was enough to almost attempt resting. She couldn’t remember the last time she had slept. Insomnia had taken hold of her and had not released its death grip on her. Funny how she didn’t feel tired, and her wandering bones did not protest. Strange.

Soon, she would have to at least seek some peace and rest. It would seriously be the death of her if she did not at least close her sapphires even just a wink. Lifting her maw from the surface of the creek, NADIRA let her gaze settle over her options of the landscape. She caught hold of a shady spot, under a huge willow, that even had the privacy of curtains made from its draping branches. Perfect. Ambling her way over to the mossy bedding, she circled a few times, in place, and then elegantly lowered her petite frame to the cushy floor.

Inhaling deeply and exhaling, the unicorn placed her pretty head on her front limbs and in no time, her world went dark. Slumber had come quickly for her, and with no price of nightmares to speak of. It was the shrill of laughing and splashing that startled the mare from her sleep. Lifting her façade with ease, she let her glaciers peer through the branches to see a mare and her companion enjoying the day, seeming to have no worries for the moment and enjoying letting loose.

It was times like these NADIRA wished she too could have a companion to always keep her from being lonely. But the life of a gypsy had not been easy, and she had grown accustomed to not keeping friends. Always on the move, watching her back with every step she took. But now, it was different. Now she didn’t have to worry about the Hunters finding her. Now, all she had to worry about was the events that were taking place within the Foothills. She wasn’t quite sure if it was karma that had followed her here, or if she had just arrived during at time of revolt.

The mare who pranced about and rolled easily over the green finery, looked awefully familiar. Even if it had only been but a moment, they had crossed paths, but where, and when? As she dug deeper into the bottomless pit of her memory, the light switch came on, and the milky mare’s ears flashed forward. It couldn’t be, could it? That mare could not possibly be the same mare who had threatened that stallion in the marsh. She wondered what had ever happened to that stallion. Whatever the outcome, she felt he deserved every ounce, except death.

NADIRA wondered if she should let the mare know she was there. But decided against it, at least for the time being. She didn’t wish to interrupt the free time she and her companion seemed to need. Instead, she enjoyed the entertainment they produced and caught herself having to hold in her own giggles. Was such a mare capable of such harsh words she had spoken to the stallion? The snowy unicorn wondered silently.