Gem the vixen....Gem the enchantress...

 

Golden eyes looked towards the sun, the light catching the brilliance within them. She lounged, knowing that she would be found, knowing that she would be kept, be protected. She didn't need to search for that... it found her well enough on its own. Instinctively, she knew that she could rely on merely her looks alone. They had always helped her, always aided her when she needed it most.

 

When she had been labeled the enchantress, it hadn't been a lie. Unwillingly, and almost subconsciously, she had led people into trusting her with her outward innocence, and fooled them into believing that she was something she was not. She was scared, and she specialized in making herself noticeable so that she didn't have to face the world alone. She took pride in her ability to lure people into protecting her. She knew how to gain the trust of others with merely a word. It was a betrayal as bitter as a nasty draught to those that genuinely cared about her wellbeing.

 

Gem had practiced the art of deception since childhood. When she finally joined the Serians bonded to Talia, she let her guard down a bit, knowing that she would no longer have to search for a home and companions. She had a place that she belonged... but old habits died hard. Although none of her other Serian companions seemed to have a problem with her, she continually sought out the fields, looking for those that she could easily ensnare.

 

SilverRain was her newest companion, her self appointed protector and adoptive brother. Paired off to the beautiful Tinsel, they made a good pair, but Gem couldn't help but be jealous that his attention was elsewhere, no matter the situation. Bridle tended to avoid her. Being the oldest, he saw through her ruse, and decided that friendly but cautious was the way to go. Tatter wouldn't even look at her... something in his eyes sparked some hidden reserve of emotion. So she clung to Silver like a shield from the world, but occasionally, the past would come rushing back to meet her...

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Quiet and meek, she trudged along, merely doing as she was told, those once brilliant eyes dimmed to a mere dull yellow, flattened by weariness, and shaded by memories.

 

She looked up, only to feel the sharp lick of pain, that acid tongue lashing against her flank like a sliver of a burning brand. She didn't even wince now.  She had come to expect it, come to almost welcome the pain, for the pain was the only thing that kept her sane, kept her attached to reality. It reminded her that she was still living, that she hadn't joined the ranks of the living dead. The others were long dead...

 

Sweat dripped down her muddied coat, the sunshine yellow marred by splashes of brown and red, the blood and dirt of her labour. She knew that to stop was to die, so she continued, merely clinging to the thought of life.... one day, someday. If she pleased them enough, maybe they would stop.. if she did as she was told, they would let her be. And then she wouldn't have to pretend. Unconsciously, she gnawed at her halter, her teeth tearing at the worn material. For all she knew, it was made of metal.... no matter how much she tore it, it never broke.

 

She collapsed, feeling the cold muck slap noisily against her face, her tangled and tattered tail and mane a discernable shade of muted blue, her red markings blending in with her scarred hide...

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

She snapped to, and whinnied in alarm, barreling headlong into the fields of Sionayra... the comfort of freedom and the wind, devoid of humans, devoid of physical contact. There she could lose herself, forget. Forget everything that she once knew and live merely on instinct and the barest emotions. There, she could do what she wished.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Through the years, she developed an inner strength to battle her own tumultuous past. She discovered her own maternal instinct, a need to protect and nurture the young and give them the life that she had unfortunately missed as a filly. She discovered, through the inclusion of more brothers and sisters into her adoptive "herd" that manipulation would get her nowhere, and that she would cease to have meaningful relationships if she continued along this path of self-destruction. Through these realizations, she learned to love, found a mate, and joined a circle. And she has been flourishing ever since, under the watchful eyes of her bonded.