Spirit of the Sea

Chapter 5: Neck to Neck to Name

It was incredible, to be on the sloped structure of the mare. I could feel every muscle, every breath, every heartbeat as we rolled in from the high tide. The blanket Carolle had tossed me was draped over her head, and she shifted uneasily beneath me. I leaned down to whisper what she needed to hear in her ear; "It's just you and me, on the beach. Nobody else." And though the wind stole my voice, her heartbeat slowed to match mine.
Carolle acknowledges my quick thinking, still looking shell-shocked. Phil is no longer on the beach. "Thanks." I say shortly, not advancing any further on the subject. "Where's Phil?"
"I cried out for help and some tourists were walking by, so they took him to Community."
I nod and grimace at the thought of the hospital bill, which I assume I would have to pay. Carolle's eyes skim over the rope around my neck, then down as it loops and ties to the mare's. Not giving him room to comment, I swing my leg over to dismount the mare. Once my boots hit the sand, she grows restless. She tossed her mane and backs up a little, as if she were to rear. But my fingers are still braided into her mane, and I pull her neck gently down and whisper was she needs to hear; "I won't hurt you, and I won't let him hurt you." I tell her.
   Carolle eyes her warily as the mare's sharp hoof draws groves in the salty ocean sand, her tail lashing. I keep the bracket over her head as I speak to him. "I appreciate your help, and I do apologize for Phil's injury, but I believe you look a little sick. I could escort you home, if you'd like." I say. My elder glanced at me, then at the mare, before nodded slightly. "That's a good idea." He says before turning away.
   I turn to the mare, slowly pulling the blanket off her head. She shakes her mane, which jostles the rope around our necks as to remind me of its presence. I untie the knot, and fold both the blanket and the rope over my left arm. I start to trail after Carolle, but look back at the large blue-black horse over my shoulder before climbing the hill.
Farr'ka... the ocean whispers. Farr'ka...
I blink, and the mare blinks back. She shakes her head back and forth, rustling the jacket and shirt that remain tied around her wound.
Farr'ka...
   Carolle and I walk back through the village to his stable, our heads down against the afternoon breeze. The people in the town square are starting to slow, the buzzing hustle of the buyers and sellers coming to a halt as the sky faded orange. We look somewhat out of place, with our salt-speckled hair and sand dusted clothing. Each step causes us pain, our legs sore from climbing the hill and back and running to and from the wild mare. Farr'ka... her newfound name rolls into my mind like a tidal wave.
   Finally Carolle and I are at his stubble door, and I'm shaking his hand. "Thank you for your help, and keep me updated on Phil, ok?" I say, my voice solemn out of respect for the wounded stable hand. Carolle simply nods and turns away from me, shutting the door softly behind him.
   As I walk back down to the beach, my mind is straying to thoughts of Farr'ka. Had the whispers of the sea just been my imagination, or was the great horizon of water speaking to me? Was it calling me, just as it had called to my father? And just like him, was the ocean a Siren, singing to me songs of peril and sorrow? Confusion swirls around me as I mount the crest of the hill for the fourth time this day.
   When I return, Farr'ka is laying down by the sheer cliff face that disappears into a hill farther along the beach. Her long legs are folded up under neath her, the mare's neck arched in slight exhaustion. I walk carefully over, one foot in front of the other, I move closer to her spot by the dark rock. I gently, and as slowly as I can, lay the blanket on her back and sit a respectful distance away from her in the sand. She flinches at my touch, then shifts her weight when I sit on the beach beside her. The mare's amber eyed flick to my every movement, but she's calm. I can feel she won't attack.
"Farr'ka..." I say quietly to her, the word sounding smooth and liquid on my tongue. "Is that your name?"
She looks me in the eye, and that's enough for me to understand.