02-09-2022, 03:36 PM
Never had Reyla thought a storm could be so violent to bring her harm; she'd been born on a night of roaring thunder and lightning that lit up the sky, with winds so strong it threatened to take her home away. Yet her home remained untouched, as well as her herd, something the newborn filly wouldn't become aware of until she was older.
The storm that came upon the filly and those traveling with her shook her to her core; the sound of thunder reverberated through the trees she stood upon to carry her over the water, and the lightning that flashed was so bright one could think it was daytime at first glance. The winds chilled her straight to the bone, blowing her mane into her eyes, and the rain and sleet soaked her coat. It had been a miserable time, but Reyla would have gladly put up with wet hair and shaking bones if it meant the situation turned out better.
The waves stretched as tall as the trees she now stood upon, as if they were reaching for the stars that hid behind the clouds. At first, they avoided the filly and her companions, but good fortune didn't last forever, for one turned straight toward them and slammed down, the crash creating a noise that rivaled the thunder above.
Before she knew what was happening, Reel's head was swallowed by the ocean water, and the waves tossed and turned her like a rock in a tornado. Every time she believed her lungs would give out, the ocean would show her mercy and lift her to have a gulp of fresh air, only to drag her back under soon after. Reyla's powerful legs kicked and thrashed to get her above the water's surface, but it did little good; the ocean would not release its grip unless under its own terms.
The sound of the thunder above was muffled while she was in the water, but the flashes of lightning allowed her to see where she needed to go. As long as she knew which way was up, she had a fighting chance... assuming the ocean wouldn't try to drown her. She was so very tired after fighting against the current, she wished nothing more than to return to her dam's side and rest as she did when she was a foal. To feel her dam's warmth on the cold winter nights... her calming voice, telling Reyla that her color wasn't what made her special...
But no, her dam was gone... Reyla had to fight on her own now. But the ocean was strong, merciless, and she was growing tired...
Everything went dark as her head went beneath the waves one final time...
And then, daylight. A chilling air that blew over her coat, causing the ocean water to crust and make her skin itchy. Soft noises from the animals that lived nearby. The gentle echo of waves lapping against the shore.
The filly slowly came back to the world, her eyes fluttering open while her body was regaining its senses. For a time, she just laid there, regaining her strength, but knew she would need to find food. Her stomach growled with hunger, and her throat burned from the saltwater she'd swallowed. With great effort, she lifted her head and looked around, seeing she was lying on a beach. The side of her body facing the ground was coated with sand, and there was a small dried red puddle underneath her left leg.
Reyla blew air out of her nose to get rid of the sand and smell of saltwater, before gathering her legs under her body and hoisting herself up. She stumbled a moment, still out of sorts from being tossed in the ocean, and briefly fell back to her knees. She stayed there a moment, to catch her breath. Taking her time, she supported her weight on her right leg, testing her injured one. She could step on it, good. It was definitely sore, however. She would take her time, even with hunger gnawing at her belly like a hungry predator.
She looked at the ground, to see if she could spot a trail frequently used; her dam had once told her this was how to find food, by following a path used by creatures that ate grass and wild oats like herself. However, the sand made spotting anything a bit difficult. Perhaps she'd have better luck farther from shore.
Limping up the shore, the filly was relieved to see the sand started turning into grass and dirt some yards away. At first, still no signs of frequent trails, which disheartened her. She continued her search for a while, until her luck turned, and she spotted a trail that led further inland. Or, what she assumed was further inland. She sincerely hoped it didn't lead on a path back to the ocean. She needed drinkable water, and the further upstream she could go, the better the water.
With her slow pace, the sun was well on its journey into the sky when Reyla finally had better signs of food. The grass beneath her hooves seemed better suited to fill her belly, instead of what she saw closer to the shores. However, her desire for water was stronger, so she continued following the trail, noting that the hoof prints had increased in number. Whatever area she was headed to, other horses frequented it. She wasn't sure this was a good sign yet though, not if she met any hostility while she was there.
At a few points on her journey, her path was crossed by a few creatures with brown fur, but that had black and white stripes on their tails. Their body shapes reminded Reyla of the foxes she had seen during one of her trips away from her dam, but the coloring was wrong. The ones she'd see had been red. Well, perhaps just as horses came in different colors, foxes did too. She also saw various birds flying over her head, sporting colorful feathers, with chirps that echoed over the fields stretching before her, almost like a soothing melody.
It helped to ease the filly's nerves, but her ears were pricked, and eyes watchful. She sensed something strange about this land...
Or it could be the sound of the waterfall up ahe- wait a minute. Waterfall? Reyla's heart soared as she limped closer to the noise that grew like thunder, and as she crested a small hill that just blocked her eyesight enough, the sight before her was magnificent.
A large waterfall cascaded down a small cliff and into a pond at its base, a small covering of mist being thrown up by the water's impact. Reyla could see other grass paths like the one she'd been following going toward the pond, but there were no other horses there at the moment. She made her way down, would have trotted if her leg had the strength. Soon as she reached the bank, she lowered her head and drank from the pond, the burning in her throat now relieved thanks to the cool chill. She stayed like that for some time, until it felt like her belly was full off the water alone. Only when her throat felt normal again did she lift her head, staring down at her reflection.
She wasn't dirty with mud, but the sand and ocean water crusting under her coat was now giving her a big of a scraggly appearance. On top of that, it itched horribly. Briefly, she considered rinsing it away in the pond water. The lake was large enough, easily four times the size of the area she'd been kept in by those trees in her homeland. Did she dare risk such an act, when she was in unfamiliar territory?
But she honestly couldn't stand it any longer. Finding a shallow area, the filly wandered into the pond and lowered her body down into the water, letting out a relieved sigh as the coolness of the water washed away the aches in her body. Her injured leg stung at first, but it was a small price to pay. When her body felt good and rinsed, she lowered her head and neck to do the same. She felt she'd been thoroughly rinsed off by now, and got out of the pond, giving her body a good shake to start drying herself. The warm sun above would help with that.
Now, to do something about her hunger. The wild oats at her hooves looked appetizing enough. She lowered her head and took a bite, finding they were indeed edible. She settled into a peaceful grazing, for a moment anyway, her senses alerting her to another nearby. Looking around, she spotted something by the bushes and stunted trees that lined a part of the bank not far away.
A cat made its way out of the bush. A cat? No, that couldn't be. Even if they could have different colors too, she'd never seen one that looked like that. Yellow fur not far in color from a former herd member's, and dark spots the color of tree bark all over. The cats she'd all seen before, even ones with spots, had been much smaller. This cat creature seemed very out of place here. What was this place anyway? Was there a name for this land? No matter, it seemed the cat wasn't too concerned with her. It was watching the water; hunting, like she'd seen the cats at home do for mice that lived nearby.
She settled back into her grazing, her weight balanced on her three good legs, while the injured left one touched the ground only by the toe of her hoof. Slowly, she felt her hunger being sated, and was careful not to rush. She already had an injury; she didn't want to risk a stomach ache slowing her down too.
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OOC: Reyla would love to have some company and make a new friend.
The storm that came upon the filly and those traveling with her shook her to her core; the sound of thunder reverberated through the trees she stood upon to carry her over the water, and the lightning that flashed was so bright one could think it was daytime at first glance. The winds chilled her straight to the bone, blowing her mane into her eyes, and the rain and sleet soaked her coat. It had been a miserable time, but Reyla would have gladly put up with wet hair and shaking bones if it meant the situation turned out better.
The waves stretched as tall as the trees she now stood upon, as if they were reaching for the stars that hid behind the clouds. At first, they avoided the filly and her companions, but good fortune didn't last forever, for one turned straight toward them and slammed down, the crash creating a noise that rivaled the thunder above.
Before she knew what was happening, Reel's head was swallowed by the ocean water, and the waves tossed and turned her like a rock in a tornado. Every time she believed her lungs would give out, the ocean would show her mercy and lift her to have a gulp of fresh air, only to drag her back under soon after. Reyla's powerful legs kicked and thrashed to get her above the water's surface, but it did little good; the ocean would not release its grip unless under its own terms.
The sound of the thunder above was muffled while she was in the water, but the flashes of lightning allowed her to see where she needed to go. As long as she knew which way was up, she had a fighting chance... assuming the ocean wouldn't try to drown her. She was so very tired after fighting against the current, she wished nothing more than to return to her dam's side and rest as she did when she was a foal. To feel her dam's warmth on the cold winter nights... her calming voice, telling Reyla that her color wasn't what made her special...
But no, her dam was gone... Reyla had to fight on her own now. But the ocean was strong, merciless, and she was growing tired...
Everything went dark as her head went beneath the waves one final time...
And then, daylight. A chilling air that blew over her coat, causing the ocean water to crust and make her skin itchy. Soft noises from the animals that lived nearby. The gentle echo of waves lapping against the shore.
The filly slowly came back to the world, her eyes fluttering open while her body was regaining its senses. For a time, she just laid there, regaining her strength, but knew she would need to find food. Her stomach growled with hunger, and her throat burned from the saltwater she'd swallowed. With great effort, she lifted her head and looked around, seeing she was lying on a beach. The side of her body facing the ground was coated with sand, and there was a small dried red puddle underneath her left leg.
Reyla blew air out of her nose to get rid of the sand and smell of saltwater, before gathering her legs under her body and hoisting herself up. She stumbled a moment, still out of sorts from being tossed in the ocean, and briefly fell back to her knees. She stayed there a moment, to catch her breath. Taking her time, she supported her weight on her right leg, testing her injured one. She could step on it, good. It was definitely sore, however. She would take her time, even with hunger gnawing at her belly like a hungry predator.
She looked at the ground, to see if she could spot a trail frequently used; her dam had once told her this was how to find food, by following a path used by creatures that ate grass and wild oats like herself. However, the sand made spotting anything a bit difficult. Perhaps she'd have better luck farther from shore.
Limping up the shore, the filly was relieved to see the sand started turning into grass and dirt some yards away. At first, still no signs of frequent trails, which disheartened her. She continued her search for a while, until her luck turned, and she spotted a trail that led further inland. Or, what she assumed was further inland. She sincerely hoped it didn't lead on a path back to the ocean. She needed drinkable water, and the further upstream she could go, the better the water.
With her slow pace, the sun was well on its journey into the sky when Reyla finally had better signs of food. The grass beneath her hooves seemed better suited to fill her belly, instead of what she saw closer to the shores. However, her desire for water was stronger, so she continued following the trail, noting that the hoof prints had increased in number. Whatever area she was headed to, other horses frequented it. She wasn't sure this was a good sign yet though, not if she met any hostility while she was there.
At a few points on her journey, her path was crossed by a few creatures with brown fur, but that had black and white stripes on their tails. Their body shapes reminded Reyla of the foxes she had seen during one of her trips away from her dam, but the coloring was wrong. The ones she'd see had been red. Well, perhaps just as horses came in different colors, foxes did too. She also saw various birds flying over her head, sporting colorful feathers, with chirps that echoed over the fields stretching before her, almost like a soothing melody.
It helped to ease the filly's nerves, but her ears were pricked, and eyes watchful. She sensed something strange about this land...
Or it could be the sound of the waterfall up ahe- wait a minute. Waterfall? Reyla's heart soared as she limped closer to the noise that grew like thunder, and as she crested a small hill that just blocked her eyesight enough, the sight before her was magnificent.
A large waterfall cascaded down a small cliff and into a pond at its base, a small covering of mist being thrown up by the water's impact. Reyla could see other grass paths like the one she'd been following going toward the pond, but there were no other horses there at the moment. She made her way down, would have trotted if her leg had the strength. Soon as she reached the bank, she lowered her head and drank from the pond, the burning in her throat now relieved thanks to the cool chill. She stayed like that for some time, until it felt like her belly was full off the water alone. Only when her throat felt normal again did she lift her head, staring down at her reflection.
She wasn't dirty with mud, but the sand and ocean water crusting under her coat was now giving her a big of a scraggly appearance. On top of that, it itched horribly. Briefly, she considered rinsing it away in the pond water. The lake was large enough, easily four times the size of the area she'd been kept in by those trees in her homeland. Did she dare risk such an act, when she was in unfamiliar territory?
But she honestly couldn't stand it any longer. Finding a shallow area, the filly wandered into the pond and lowered her body down into the water, letting out a relieved sigh as the coolness of the water washed away the aches in her body. Her injured leg stung at first, but it was a small price to pay. When her body felt good and rinsed, she lowered her head and neck to do the same. She felt she'd been thoroughly rinsed off by now, and got out of the pond, giving her body a good shake to start drying herself. The warm sun above would help with that.
Now, to do something about her hunger. The wild oats at her hooves looked appetizing enough. She lowered her head and took a bite, finding they were indeed edible. She settled into a peaceful grazing, for a moment anyway, her senses alerting her to another nearby. Looking around, she spotted something by the bushes and stunted trees that lined a part of the bank not far away.
A cat made its way out of the bush. A cat? No, that couldn't be. Even if they could have different colors too, she'd never seen one that looked like that. Yellow fur not far in color from a former herd member's, and dark spots the color of tree bark all over. The cats she'd all seen before, even ones with spots, had been much smaller. This cat creature seemed very out of place here. What was this place anyway? Was there a name for this land? No matter, it seemed the cat wasn't too concerned with her. It was watching the water; hunting, like she'd seen the cats at home do for mice that lived nearby.
She settled back into her grazing, her weight balanced on her three good legs, while the injured left one touched the ground only by the toe of her hoof. Slowly, she felt her hunger being sated, and was careful not to rush. She already had an injury; she didn't want to risk a stomach ache slowing her down too.
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OOC: Reyla would love to have some company and make a new friend.