Maren

Her gaze kept still on the boat; silent and crippled, as the happiness and the loving of a smile filled the curves of her lips. The help, mercy - the fulfilling of a wish... It warmed up her insides, fluttered like seeds dancing in the wind through her organs. She had never asked for anything, simply worshiped what was. But perhaps unknowingly in the stillness; the silence of her mind, she had asked, requested - begged. Perhaps in the lands of outcasts and homeless, she had dreamed of ways and methods that would be able to get her back to where she belonged - Even though at that time the realization of truth had not been invited in yet. For behind closed doors the confusion and disbelief had continued on to softly and sweetly attempt to slide a rope around her neck while she lay wrapped in nightmares of vagabonds.

But days of grays and blues had faded into days of vibrant colors with detailed petals of hope that came falling down like the blossoms of trees. Shame and unknowing had faded back into prayers of promise and words of knowledge.

And just like that, she would be able to pretend like those dark days had never even happened. She would tie them together in a package with the rope they had spun for her in darkness and let them float away on the rivers to the faraway, to be never found by her again. Or so she would pray.

With one hoof in the boat and one hoof in the muddy water around it, she had continued in thought while inspecting the foundation of the boat, when suddenly a faint calling reached her eardrums. Maren’s wings wrapped themselves around her ears, making the sounds echoing louder into her brain. She was after all not sure what she was hearing. Laughter? That was strange. Slightly confused she returned her attention back to the boat - her newborn but crippled child. Like dead skin flakes the rust on the metal fell apart from their womb when the mare’s hoof scrapped over it. It made worrisome ripples growing deeper now that she fully shared the agony of the boat which she had already started to - perhaps - over-adore. But despite the simply cruel state it was in, she could not lose it again - could not lose her home again. But she would, if this boat proved to be useless, after all.

She felt her throat growing tight as she swallowed the tasteless air. She felt as if she had already lost her heart to the scrawny metal which was too old and too fought to keep the wooden planks together any longer. There was no helping it. It felt like all her hope was slowly starting to fall apart, once again. And she felt the shadowed bruises of the days past thumping in her ears.

Then, for some reason - somehow from the muddy earth and water, droplets of a glimmering substance started to flow up, wrapped themselves in that liquid state around the foundation of grumpy red rust and wood. Maren watched it, focused but confused. How? Was she doing that? Was she supposed to be able to do that? Maren blinked, but the image remained unchanged. Without realizing it she had kept her breath while keeping her eyes wide open, tangled up in the magic that appeared right before her eyes as she looked at the confusing result. “What…” she murmured with surprise. Did I do that? Gleaming in the hazy light, bright new materials had formed a solidified base, filling holes and breaking the weak links by replacing them with the new.

Then, once again, a voice carried over the water as it mixed in with the mist.

With a sharp gaze illuminated with the remnants of surprise still lingering between her cheeks, her alabaster head found its way up to see what angel God had sent down to her this time: What kind of magic would shockingly appear out of the Light now? It’s to much, You have already given me all I could ever ask for. ...But what was prancing in her way was nothing she could really translate into something like a God’s-sent immediately, and nevertheless still being in that kind of trance, she had to blink a couple of times again to comprehend the images and things and stuff that was happening and appearing and making noise.

In the state she was in (with still one hoof in- and one hoof out of the boat) her gaze got somehow glued and stuck to the small figure that had appeared from the mists after the sounds of its voice had disappeared.

“Watcha’ doin’?” It asked.

But then her brain finally managed to get up to its feet again and found its way to translate it all so that everything at least meant something now. The tigermare’s eyes had for instance finally deciphered the silhouette of a alien-like blob into that of a foal.

She glanced at the boat and then back to him. What am I doing, really? “Uh…” She watched the one-winged colt as he came nearer with a wing stretched out. It distracted her from her original chain of thoughts and her eyebrows rose a little. Although she couldn't directly place it, the young pegasus reminded her of someone she may or may not knew. But then she couldn't remember him, she was sure. Then, shockingly, she watched the little thing trip over a rock and fall on his knees in the mud. He let out a cry of pain, and as if it triggered some kind of instinctive pull, Maren rapidly got that one hoof out of the boat and pulled an attempt to swiftly get to the fallen soldier. She wasn't sure why, as he had already fallen, anyway. “Are you…-”

But apparently he was OK.

In combination with a deep sigh, the mare let out a chuckle and relaxed her shoulders. “You shouldn't fall so carelessly right in front of others. If you want to fall down, you should try doing it someplace where you are alone.” Like I did. Nevertheless, a smile took in the place of the stark lips that had been there before. Maren nodded to the vessel in the mud. “That’s my new boat”, she bragged childishly, but nevertheless with a kind tune to it. “If you tell me who you are and where you mom is, I might even let you sail it.”

@[Zèklè], sorry it took so long ; ^ ; forgive me...