The sun had only just begun to rise, but Taylor was already making her way back across the golden fields, her boots still damp with morning dew and her breath catching in little clouds of fog. The grass whispered beneath her steps, bending gently under her weight and the air was still, holding that early hush before the world woke up properly, that sacred kind of silence, broken only by birdsong and the distant rush of wind from the mountains. Today, the blonde carried a few carrots in her pocket, fresh ones this time... just in case she'd run into a very specific mare from the day before. The mountains, tall and ancient stood in the distance, their snowy peaks kissed by the first light of the day, and slowly, as the woman came close to the hollow - the same one where she'd met the mare the day before; her heart began to beat faster. The memory of that moment still clung to her like a dream, the flash of white and liver red, the delicate bell swinging in the mare's mane, and the impossible gentleness of her gaze. Taylor knew she wanted that mare to come with her.

And so, the blonde crested the ridge and scanned the valley below, her breath catching as her gaze landed on the herd. They were there which meant.. AH! Over there!!  The liver red dun tobiano dplash mare stood out even from a distance, painted like a story against the backdrop of swaying grass as the sunlight lit up her coat like fire, and as she turned her head, the tiny bell braided into her mane glinted in the light. Taylor raised her hand in greeting, and the mare instantly looked up. Then, without hesitating even a moment, she trotted forward. The woman froze, completely awestruck at the mare's quick behavior. That mare didn't pause, showed no skittishness nor indecision. The cob moved with the same effortless grace, her thick legs flashing white, her mane streaming, and her head held high with unmistakable recognition. "Hey there, gorgeous.", Taylor whispered as the mare closed the distance.

She stopped just a few steps away and gave Taylor a familiar look; extremely curious, and very focused on her pockets. Taylor laughed, "Oh, so it was about the carrots yesterday, huh?" The mare bumped her gently with her nose, warm breath ghosting against the blonde's jacket. THe woman reached into her pocket and held out the first carrot and the mare took it without hesitation, crunching loudly, her blue eyes fluttering half-closed in bliss. "You're shameless.", Taylor teased, feeding her another, "You know that, right? You're like a food-motivated little goddess." The mare nudged her again, less gently this time, and the blonde just smiled and pulled out a third carrot, letting the mare nibble it down to the base. She rubbed her hand along the mare's neck, brushing bits of dried grass from her coat. The bell still hung from the braid, chiming faintly whenever the breeze picked up. Taylor exhaled a long, tired breath and sat down in the grass beside her.

"You wouldn't believe the day I had.",  she muttered, resting her elbows on her knees, and the cob stepped closer, then sank down beside her, folding her legs beneath her with a grace that made Taylor blink. "Oh. Okay. We're sitting together now. That's a thing we do?", she mumbled, both surprised and strangely comforted. The mare just turned her head and bumped her again. Taylor chuckled, "Alright, alright. You earned it. So, get this: I rode ten horses today. Ten. That's way too many; and not like, casual rides either, but full workouts. Two greenies who don't know their leads from their left hooves. One gelding who spooked at a bucket. A bucket, I swear." The mare blinked slowly, ears tilted as if listening. "Delicate was the only one who behaved, and that's saying something. Lover was moody, but sweet as ever. I swear, I almost fell asleep in the saddle by horse six. By horse eight, I was hallucinating. Pretty sure I tried to leg yield a tree." The mare snorted, almost like a laugh, and Taylor laughed too, "Don't judge me. You ever ridden ten cobs in a row? No? Didn't think so."

They sat in the quiet for a while, watching the light change, and at one point the sun had finally crested the edge of the valley, and golden warmth spilled over the grass like honey. The woman looked at the cob, really looked, and admired the strong slope of her shoulder, and the way her coat caught the light, and watched the bell swinging softly from her mane. She gulped nervously, sighing. "Listen, I don't know where you came from or how you got here... but I feel like I've known you forever." The mare turned her head again, nuzzling Taylor's arm. "You wanna come home with me?", the blonde then asked, the words slipping out before she could stop them. The mare didn't answer, of course, but she didn't move away, either. That had to have meant something, right? Taylor leaned back on her hands, gazing up at the sky, "You'd like it. Lots of space, soft stalls... grooming every day. No fences if you don't want them. I wouldn't make you wear a halter. Not unless you asked for one." She turned her head and looked at the mare, "And I'd never make you stay, if you didn't want to. But... But I'd really want to. So... please. Please will you come with me?"