Alone

By Alcyone

Alone, she was alone, very alone in a huge world. She didn’t really know where she was. Not that she cared. She didn’t like to be alone, at least not like this. The grasslands were silent, waiting. Not even the wind wanted to keep her company. There was no rustling in the grass, no sound of insects, no small noises of mice grubbing in the grass, no moles, frogs or creatures that make their tiny lives known by tiny noises. By now it was almost dark.

The sky, painted in hues of deep blue, orange and yellow, made the contrast strong between heaven and earth, seeming to hang above a brilliant curtain of light that cuts the land and air eternally from one another. Never had the birds and fish seemed so apart, she snorts at her own strange sentiment, returning to watching the sunset. At the horizon the final rays from the sunstallion was seen in a strong yellow glow, spilling in golden waves over the soon to sleep earth. The filly had never feared the dark, but now… it was different somehow. Then a course roar broke the silence, splitting it like lightning, sending an imagined shock through the ground. She shied to the side despite the fact that the big cat that made it must be far from her. Her ears flicked back and forth, searching for sounds that might warn her about danger. But there was none. She exhaled in a deep sigh, closing her eyes briefly as she breathes out her worries, and strain.

It had been a hot day and it was finally now, when the night had claimed its right, the temperature felt cooler. Despite the heat, burning hot on the darker striping of her body, she had run as fast as she could, her sides were even now still damp with sweat. Throughout the day it had helped to keep her cool, what with the wind rushing along as she ran, but now with the sun gone, she became cold, the feeling creeping over her body like a frost on a pond, gradually making her shiver. The harsh, angry words from her dam still rang in her ears. Why did she say such things? What had she done to make her so angry? The filly sobbed, the noise abruptly cut off as she began to think it over, to consider, remembering. She wasn’t the least surprised about her dam biting her though. That was normal to be her, usually she’d just managed to duck away from her, avoiding those pinching teeth that sought to rip her skin and tear her hair.

The filly tried to think of what she had done up til the moment when her dam lost her patience. Thinking of reasons why her dam had acted in the way she had done, she just…couldn’t really gain a solid reason, the thoughts flickering through her brain, trying to pinpoint one specific moment of anger enough to drive her away and coming up empty minded. The young unicorn bent down to her foreleg to rub her nose slightly against it. As the day said it goodbyes to the world, the mosquito’s emerged from their hiding places. One had bitten her on the nose and it now itched unbearably. That was one sound she didn’t want to hear. She shook her head. She snorted loudly to get rid of the ones landing on her nose, her skin twitching at the thought of little bug feet on her skin.

The bite stinged a little and she bent backwards, stretching to see. The filly’s colorful back hid most of the scars, some had healed so nicely that you could barely tell that they where there. The new bite hadn’t bled but it still was big enough to be seen. What would happen now? The fear clutched her heart. Her dam had never showed any feelings, except hate and disgust, towards her. Still her dam had been there. Just that presence had made the filly to feel safe. One feeling that made her feel, if not loved, but at least something that she desperately interpreted as such. Others might not see it that way but the filly desperately clanged to that faint hope. Regardless of her dam’s actions, she loved her. It was all she got, all she ever had.

Darkness had now swallowed the light, the faintest remains of the day only shadows of themselves against the heavy rolling grasses of the plains, seemingly so empty and deserted that the world existed for she, and she alone. Eventually, only the faint cold light from the moon lit up the plains. The celestial body was full tonight and its light was strong. Not as strong as the sun, but it gave the lone filly some chance to see where she was going. Not that she had a goal. The filly spooked every time at the few sounds that broke the silence. She reacted to sounds that she normally wouldn’t even register. Surely her dam had left her alone at night, especially when she had a stallion with her, but knowing that someone was close by if something happened, had felt reassuring. Now she knew she was alone, in an unknown area. If it had been light she might have been able to guess her location and where she could go. Looking up at the stars, twinkling, sparkling, there was one that held a stronger light than the others. After a short moment of hesitation she decided to follow that star. She felt safer to have something to follow, to hold on to. It gave her a goal.

For each careful step the filly took through the night, a brick was laid around her heart, soon forming a wall. Sadness transformed to anger, anger to the first inkling of disgust, at her own weakness, or hatred at the one who makes her feel so. She snorted, sending mosquitoes flying from the powerful snort, her ears still filled with their high buzzing. Never again would she allow herself to love someone. Not if love would hurt like this.

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