Post by leira on Sept 27, 2010 20:32:46 GMT -6
a t u a l l a h
Here I am Lord, and I'm drowning,
In your sea of forgetfulness.
The chains of yesterday surround me,
I yearn for peace and rest.
I don't want to end up where you found me,
And it echoes in my mind,
Keeps me awake tonight...
Out of all the lands, he had been drawn to this one. Perhaps it was the quiet, soothing rustle of clean water that urged him to drink the crystal waters, or maybe the grasses that were always fresh and sweet to the taste. Ataullah didn't know, but he felt safe here, a place where he'd live forever, and fight to stay here. A smile showed on his face, a weary, kind smile. He was tired of facing the grief of his father's recent death, and he and his sister, Latifah, were homeless. Only temporarily. Now they'd have a home.
Finally.
Ataullah had been planning his entrance with his sister, who giggled quietly, a sound he hadn't heard since his father had rested upon the ground. Latifah had told him, "Planning out a claim for a land is quite nerdy, Atau. No one but me will be there." A smile had flickered across her muzzle, and a light had glimmered in her dark eyes. But Ataullah had insisted that he make it beautiful and dramatic, and so here he was.
He stood at the top of the land, right beside the waterfall. His sister followed behind him, ambling along quietly, trying to prevent a laugh from escaping her mouth. She didn't want to offend Ataullah. Staring at him, Ataullah seemed very lovely built, and he stood like an angel waiting to capture heaven. Rearing with a sudden urge, the stallion screamed out in a loud, deep voice, "This is my home!" He pawed at the air, and then his body pitched back to the ground, and he lunged back into the air, screaming again, "I claim Waterfall Valley!" And then he darted off.
Ataullah felt in control. He galloped through the land, checking everything out, scenting for any presence of a horse, and watching the land streak out around him, turning into a world of watercolor. He galloped steadily; he had the Arabian endurance, and felt like he could run forever. Ah, how wondrous this was, he loved it! He reared near the top of the waterfall, grinning. His orbs peered out over the land, and he saw Latifah smirking as she drank from the cobalt water. Trotting back down the small hill, he joined her back into the valley.
The brother stared at his sister for a long while, and then smiled lightly, lowering his head to drink. He sipped at the water, and felt himself relax. The water was fresh, and tasted pure. He loved it, honestly. Ataullah stretched his body out and lowered his head as he trotted to a small incline, where he could supervise the valley, just in case someone threatened to take his new home from him.
Latifah had followed him, and he turned to her, his mane billowing out behind him, and a mysterious, glorious, happy light in his eyes. "How do you like the land?" he murmured to his sister, and Latifah gazed at him. "It's very fine, there's food, and water." She was too young yet to find herself a mate, so for now she would live with Ataullah. "Atau, I do wish someone else was here." The noble stallion glanced down at his rather short sister.
"Ah, Lati, don't worry. I will find a mare for myself, and then you won't be alone." He shot his sister a reassuring glance, and then glanced over the vast land, before urging his sister to go graze and Ataullah settled himself into his new home.