"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
Like every day, I wake after baking in the sun for my nap and then decide to wander about looking for company. Whether I find no horses and only trees won’t deter me too much - though there was the growing desire to get to know more of the other inhabitants of these islands. To become a part of the herd or community or whatever they called themselves. It was hard, when all I wanted to do was spend time with my family (especially with Eva being pregnant and so soon to popping).
Luckily for me, my wandering puts me right within eyesight of someone I have been meaning to meet. I don’t know for sure that this is Aquaria, but I’m pretty sure. Except for a recent absence - noticed only because it happened to be right after Lilliana had suggested I say hi to her - I had seen the fin-decorated mare around Ischia since I arrived a few years ago. Most of the inhabitants were technically strangers still, but it was easy enough to pick up their names here and there. The isles were only so big, after all.
I didn’t hesitate in going over - already forgetting about the fact that she’s been gone and maybe hoping to see one of her friends instead of a stranger. Though I still felt like I stood out among them, these shores felt more and more like my home with each beautiful sunrise. “Hello!” My antlers and mane were tangled with seaweed - the result of my most recent attempt at swimming before my nap - but I felt like it added to the island look so I didn’t try to scrape them off just yet.
Besides, my mind was elsewhere!
Like not thinking about whether my first question was rude or not. “Are you Aquaria by any chance?” I cut myself off there, figuring if this wasn't Aquaria I could still salvage the conversation without launching into admiration for our mutual friends.
