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Nasreen knew it was wishful thinking that drew her to the secluded grove of willows, but still she went. It was silly to imagine that Bucephalus would be here, for whenever he returned from the herd business that had kept him away for nearly a season, he would have to report straight to the Throat. There was no reason to assume that his return journey would even pass through the grove, but the girl had determined to go anyway. Some romantic part of her liked to pretend that he would be in the place where they had last spent time together. They had fought bitterly, yes, but then he had comforted her, she remembered. How gentle he had been, and how kind! With a dreamy sigh, Nasreen watched the scene play out in her mind for what must have been the hundredth time today. They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and it was certainly true for the maiden who meandered through the wood today. Though she and Bucephalus had parted on friendly terms (and they had been just that—friendly), as his time away stretched ever on, Nasreen had begun to think of him as more. Perhaps it was because of the springtime or perhaps it was because the girl was in heat, but his golden eyes and crooked grin frequented her dreams, and even the memory of his voice now brought a shy smile to her face. It was a foolish fantasy to imagine him as her own, but the bloom of first love was surprisingly resilient. Drunk on happiness and hormones, Nasreen had readily nurtured it, overseeing its growth from a tiny seed of attraction to full-blown infatuation. Now, if only the object of her affection would come home! Imagining their reunion, the copper-stained mare nearly waltzed into the Secret Grove...and promptly tripped over her own hooves in the process. Graceful as she was in the air, Nasreen could be rather clumsy on land. As the earth rushed up to meet her, she scrambled to catch herself, letting out a sharp gasp before she steadied. Hooves splayed out for balance and sides heaving, the maiden cast a look around, praying that the willows had been the only witnesses. The bad news was that she’d had no such luck; the good news was: “Bucephalus?!” the girl called out, dizzy all over again at the sight of the dark stallion standing on the opposite bank of the pond. “I’ve missed y—” But Nasreen was only midway through her sentence and halfway around the shoreline when she came to the embarrassing realization: this was not Bucephalus at all. This stud stood a full hand taller, and instead of a hawk circling above, a silver pup gamboled at his hooves. Where Bucephalus was slenderly-built, adapted for the speed and acrobatic flying she so adored, this stallion was well-muscled and sturdy, designed for combat. Perhaps most distinctively, a curved horn rose from his forehead, making him unmistakably, well…not Bucephalus. “Oh.” The utterance was abrupt and perhaps a bit rude, but it was her instinctual reaction. Flustered, Nasreen was unsure of how to correct her mistake, and for a moment, she could only stare at the stranger stupidly. Finally after several awkward seconds, she remembered her manners. Quashing the disappointment rising in her chest, Nasreen giggled good-naturedly, then dipped her head in self-deprecation. “I’m sorry,” she called across the water to the stranger. “I thought you were someone else!” OOC: ~wink wink nudge nudge~ horse:Colourize-Stock.deviantart.com || bg: Dark-Wolfs-Stock.deviantart.com || wings: Chocomix-Stock.deviantart.com & Chunga-Stock.deviantart.com || image: impassioned-dreams.deviantart.com || table by wanda |
@Caleb
Please do not tag Nasreen except for in opening posts and in spars!
