In This Broken Kingdom

RIXEN i have late night conversations with the moon; The mist coated my lungs, in the soothing way that tangy ocean air could. A gentle breeze whipped my mane in a tangled flurry of white strands, intertwined with the slightest accent of black near my withers. There I stood, on the cliffside, overlooking the deep blue water that stretched endlessly on, disappearing into the horizon. What was it that lay at the end of the thin line where the pale blue sky gently kissed the darker hues of the ocean? Perhaps it was a new, undiscovered land. Perhaps it was one that I was familiar with. Or perhaps - perhaps there was nothing at all. I’d never know whether there was a point at which the world fell away or if the sea stretched on into eternity. And of course, each time I ventured to the Mangrove Tidepools, these same thoughts wound up circulating through the complex vortex that was my mind. But like yin pairs with yang, with said similarities there was also something that wasn’t quite the same - someone. I spotted him, or at least a shape that appeared to be a stallion, not too far from where I stood. The shape was close enough that I could see he was a horse, but not so close that I could call out to him. Although I wasn’t sure I would have, even if our relative positions on the rocks allowed for it. It was difficult to be heard above the crashing waves and the gusty breeze, even if one shouted at the top of their lungs. There was enough distance between us that I was unsure whether he could see me. He was not a stallion (presumably) that I had seen before. That, and he looked to be busy enough examining the twisted old Mangroves and the natural bowl-like shapes in the rocks that, when filled with water from the high tides, could house tiny fluorescent fish that I liked to come to study on occasion. If anything, the ocean's presence could cure all bad moods. The waves could wipe away all worries. In a way, being here grounded my soul. When I encountered a stranger, particularly one I’d never seen before, my natural inclination was to coax that unfamiliarity to change its ways - to transform an unknown face into a familiar one. The process required no magic. A smile and a warm ‘hello’ was all that was needed to pierce that invisible barrier between strangers that, if left undisturbed, would only serve as a reminder of what might have been. This day was no different. And so, summoning up my usual cheerfulness, I descended the rocks where I stood above the tidepools, my hooves maintaining their pleasant spring while still being mindful when placing each step. Reflected in my movements was a gladness to see that it wasn't just me and the tranquilizing waves crashing vigorously against the jagged shore. Whoever the stranger was, he wasn't alone now. Neither was I.   "Talk." he tells me about the sun — and I tell him about you.

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