Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father
The quiet had only just begun to settle into her bones when motion broke it. A blur of mottled gray and black skidded to a halt directly in front of her, eyes bright with the uncomplicated certainty that strangers existed solely to become friends. Wren blinked down at the blue merle dog as he pressed into her without invitation, tail wagging so forcefully it seemed to move the air around him. She laughed in a soft huff, taking this as good of a sign as any. “Well, hello,” she murmured, scratching the dog's head.
She could have stayed in that moment forever. Stayed in the warmth of the dog's presence and embrace, looking down into its soft eyes with as much honesty as she'd ever seen in a creature. But then the voice called out. Wren lifted her head, drawn by the noise, and the sight that followed held her still in a different way entirely. A horse moved toward her with quiet power, each step deliberate, carrying its rider as if the two were one creature rather than separate beings. Her breath caught, eyes widening with a childlike wonder she didn’t bother hiding. How had her day turned into this?
She had read about horses and heard passing mentions, but seeing one up close with its height and strength, the effortless partnership Wren immediately noticed, felt almost unreal. Her hand stilled against the dog’s fur as awe replaced uncertainty. King’s End, it seemed, was already showing her things she had never imagined. For a moment, she forgot the man with her eyes. "Uh, it's okay. I, uh, I like dogs." She admitted freely, no caution behind her voice, as she looked down from the wrangler to the dog again.
She could have stayed in that moment forever. Stayed in the warmth of the dog's presence and embrace, looking down into its soft eyes with as much honesty as she'd ever seen in a creature. But then the voice called out. Wren lifted her head, drawn by the noise, and the sight that followed held her still in a different way entirely. A horse moved toward her with quiet power, each step deliberate, carrying its rider as if the two were one creature rather than separate beings. Her breath caught, eyes widening with a childlike wonder she didn’t bother hiding. How had her day turned into this?
She had read about horses and heard passing mentions, but seeing one up close with its height and strength, the effortless partnership Wren immediately noticed, felt almost unreal. Her hand stilled against the dog’s fur as awe replaced uncertainty. King’s End, it seemed, was already showing her things she had never imagined. For a moment, she forgot the man with her eyes. "Uh, it's okay. I, uh, I like dogs." She admitted freely, no caution behind her voice, as she looked down from the wrangler to the dog again.
Wren
Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers
