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The sun was shining bright high in the sky; a soft breeze kept the approaching summer heat at a bearable temperature. Bird song echoed happily through the trees, the creatures relishing in life and the beautiful day. It was disgusting yet perfect. One in particular hated the flawlessness of the day; it brought back bitter memories of when he was once pristine and free of scars. However, he did not let his hatred cloud his judgment; days like these were the best to hunt.
Nereus walked slowly through the day, his white coat blindingly white against the sun’s rays. His sins etched into his flesh by his father constantly bled and demanded retribution on those whose beauty mocked him. He enjoyed using his talons to carve into their flesh, giving them scars physically and emotionally. Their blood became a work of art and their body was his tapestry.
Laughter joined in with the bird song; it set Nereus’ teeth on edge with how carefree and annoying it sounded. No one that happy should be allowed to live. Silently he cut through the woods, heading toward the grating laughter. The terrible racket belonged to a light brown mare with golden markings and jet-black hair. Not a scar in sight. It was his job as an artist to fix rectify the situation.
Moments passed as he watched his prey frolic with the woodland creatures, her irritating laugh getting louder with each heartbeat. No longer able to bear the raucous sound, Nereus staggered into the clearing, causing the woodland creatures to flee and leaving the mare in a confused state. “Please help me, my dear, I was attacked and came here to warn you that you were next.” Panic set in the mare’s eyes, it sent a shiver of excitement down the stallions spine. She looked as if she wanted to bolt, “Please my pet, don’t leave me here alone. I am not sure what I would do if I encountered him again.” The mare’s brown eyes flicked to the forest behind him and she gave a nod, “I will stay with you.”
Nereus gave her a large smile, “Thank you my dear, you are so kind. May I inquire the name of my new friend?”
The mare was overly trusting and it disgusted the stallion. She would soon learn not to believe everyone she meets is good, however it will be the last thing she ever learns.
“My name is Nini,” her voice was just as grating as her laugh was; it was not sweet like tinkling bells or whatever poets used to describe voices of mares. “I am new to these parts, it is nice to meet someone new. What is your name? And what happened to you? How did you get those scars? You said someone attacked you, did they do that to you and why?” Question after question bombarded the stallion; soon only whimpers would come out of that mouth.
“Ah, Nini. What a lovely name. My name is Nereus,” the stallion’s voice came out smooth and he approached the mare slowly. “I am blessed to come across one so trusting. But didn’t your mother ever tell you not to talk to strangers?”
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