I didn't get a lot in class
But I know it don't come in a shot glass

My heartbeat was a steady war drum thrumming in the deep; rhythmic with every deep breath I took. My blood pounded furiously in my head, blotting my vision with splotchy colours, briefly making me lose sight of the meadow below me. My legs screamed run, to run down the hill and into the meadow, every part of me longing to go, to just keep going until I dropped from exhaustion or worse. But I wanted to wait, loving the thrill of my building anticipation, allowing the confusing colours to fade from my eyesight until all I could see was the deep gloaming of twilight once more. I was testing myself, seeing how long my will could obey my mind and body. It was a routine, a ritual I practiced in the gloom of pre-dawn every morning upon rising from sleep. I disciplined myself by practising the rote movements by heart, every day, every week since I had first sworn myself to the battle long years ago.

As the first streak of dawn shattered the fading grey of the sky, one single blooming rose among a garden of wilted flowers, I cut the imaginary rope that held me. I released myself, allowing my limbs to leap down the knoll, as fast and as straight as an arrow released from its bowstring. The dawn marched in on the sky like a parade, announcing the arrival of the sun as an envoy announced a queen, purple and roseate lights driving away the darkness to hide in the deepest caves, in the longest shadows and holes. The stars, too, made way for the coming of the day. They faded into dim, half-hearted lights before disappearing entirely, replaced by colour as random as paint thrown by a child onto a canvas. The colours roiled in a heavenly euphoria, marking the sky and the clouds, forming a dreamscape that lit the ground with unearthly lights. This was all familiar to me. I watched it every morning, watched the sun’s rebirth while I practiced.

I thundered down the slope as it evened out, becoming flat and dense with dew-gilded grass, scraping my pale hooves with moisture as I plunged headlong into the seemingly empty meadow, breath coming in ragged gasps as I ran, heading towards the largest clear space in the meadow. I focussed on it and nothing else, marking the distance, counting each step, locking onto the point where I would begin my practice. As I neared my chosen spot, I sped even faster, feeling my hooves barely touching the ground. It thundered beneath me blindly, a heaving monster, cold and wet to the touch, and harsh and unfeeling. The ground rose briefly in a small arc, and I lashed out violently with my hind legs, spinning madly on my two front limbs, kicking at an imagined foe. I landed with a thundering crash, already prepared to counter-strike. I feigned dodges, allowed my legs to buckle to duck a kick, springing up again to attack in split seconds before rolling to avoid a hit once more. I practiced every defensive and offensive move I knew, pursued by a supposedly undaunted enemy. I was obsessed with my goal of becoming the very best warrior in Amanecer, and I did not stop even when I began to tire, determined to push myself to the limits.

I was so taken up in my practicing, so enamoured with every move I made, that I didn’t notice the lone figure on a crest of the meadow, and was completely oblivious to their very presence for several heated, violent minutes. It was only when I grew too excited and slipped on the wet grass, missing a vital step and falling as a result of it; that I noticed the equine. I only did so when my head was turned forcefully to the side by the impact of my fall, crashing onto my side onto the ground. My hoof aching from where I’d almost twisted it, I pulled myself to my feet, my curiosity overpowering my fury at having stumbled on a step I knew so well. Harks pricked cautiously, I shook my tiny scarlet frame off to appear more dignified, moving carefully towards the figure. The meadow had been empty of anyone else since the day I’d met Suthera, the mornings only inhabited by the wind and the sky. I was curious as to what denizen would be out this early.