♖ river

A horse's whiny immediately followed by a scream and a a wet thud echoed throughout the forest, disturbing the early morning silence and sending a small flock birds flying away from the source. A few beats later, a pained groan sounded as the young lady, thrown from her horse sat up. From her unwilling seat in the mud, she glared at her "trusty steed" that seemed to have been spooked by passing buck. Before standing, she took a moment to check herself for any serious injuries as she'd heard of hunters from her family's estate being thrown from their horses and being seriously injured. From what she could tell, she managed to get away with just some sore places that she was positive would be bruises by nightfall. During her self-assessment, she came to the delayed realization that she was almost completely covered in mud, a product of the chilling rain from the night before. They were lucky to have found an abandoned cave to squat in for the night.

"Juniper! Now look at what you've done, you foolish old horse!" she scolded, standing up and approaching the Arabian so that they could find some body of water for her to wash off in. She faintly heard the sound of a nearby river and decided to follow the trail until they reached it. As she scrubed and rinsed her dress, the young duchess was glad that her undergarments were unscathed in the fall. She may have been without her husband's guards or servants, but she was still a lady and would rather die that be caught completely outside of the bathing chambers. She laid the dress out across a rather large, flat rock to dry and unconsciously fiddled with the deep purple pendant around her neck, a gift from her late best friend. Noticing that it felt rather slippery, she looked down to find that it was also covered in a layer of mud. She sent her horse another glare, though he sat completely unaware as he munched on a nearby patch of grass.

"Bothersome equine..." she murmured and quickly took the necklace off and dunked it in the water, rubbing away at the muck with her fingers. Taking it out of the water to examine it, she furrowed her brows and went to resume cleaning when it slipped right out of her hand. She could only watch as it sunk into the depths of the river, her fumbling hands not quick enough to catch it. After a few moments, it completely disappeared from her sight and she sat with agape, uncharacteristically so. After about a minute or so of staring, the previous events finally set in. "Scite!" she swore in exasperation, forgetting her manners momentarily, before burying her head in her knees and belatedly feeling the sting of a few scrapes on her arms and cheek. Sensing her distress, but not reading the mood, Juniper trotted over to her to give her a comforting nudge. Not raising her head, she reluctantly pet his much larger nose. "Stupid horse.."

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