The frigid chills of the winter air did little to comfort the filly as she shivered beneath the cave ceilings she'd been sheltered in for the however many number of days she had been here, now traumatized as she was after being swept up by the storm and carried far from her home. Never before had she wished so much to once again be a foal, to nuzzle up to her dam's side and suckle the warm milk to fill her belly before tucking on for sleep, knowing there was such a strong presence to watch over her.
A presence... no longer of this world...
The sound of the crashing waves brought Zylah back from the memories of the past, the filly looking around, alert, her nostrils flared to try and pick out what didn't smell right. Things seemed to be okay here, for now, and despite the small measure of security hiding in a cave that hopefully not many knew existed, Zylah couldn't, didn't want to, stay here forever.
But she was tired... so, so tired, from fighting the thrashing waves and the rain pouring down over her. Even after having been on land, she was chilled to the bone, grateful for the winter coat that had grown in prior to this fiasco. All she wanted was rest, but hunger stabbed at her belly like a hungry feline predator, and Zylah's more basic need outweighed her wish to rest.
She still took her time to leave the cave, worried the waves would eat her alive again. However, they did nothing more that lick at her hooves like a hungry foal, leading the filly to realize that the ocean must have receded as she sometimes saw it do in her time here based on where the sun was in the sky. Deciding to not risk getting trapped, the filly hurried off of the beach and up onto the land where the sand turned to dirt, or, in this case, snow.
When the white powder surrounded her hooves, a shiver ran through her again, reminding Zylah that she would need to find shelter after she ate. Still, the naive one couldn't help the spark that lit up her eye when she glimpsed the vast landscape stretching out before her, hardly disturbed except for where a stray horse might have wandered in search of adventure. Upon closer inspection, smaller holes in the snow were there too, most likely the smaller animals that made burrows in the ground and tree roots so they could endure the winter's sleep.
When her eye caught the horizon as far as she could see it in the winter's stretch, a flame of excitement burned in her veins until the filly could no longer take it. She burst forth in a powerful gallop, her ebony form speckled with frost and snow kicked up by her display.
She pushed forward as hard as she could, wanting to really run, but finding it a bit difficult in this area since the snow layer was quite tall. But the further inland she moved, the shallower it became, and soon, she was racing over the land, her eyes locked on the big stretch of meadow she could see not far away.
Zylah crested a small hill that would lead down into the meadow, and when she reached the top, she stared down at the wonder before her. Her nostrils were flared as she stood proud, her eye scanning the terrain. Small cliques of horses, not quite herds, were scattered throughout the landscape, trying to pick through the snow for the grass underneath. Some of them looked to have bigger bellies than others, a sight that brought fonder memories to the somber filly.
No, she couldn't think about that now. There was far too much to see!
With a happy whinny, the filly loped down the small hillside and through the meadow to take it what it had to offer. Though greatly masked by the snow, she could pick out sections between the trees on the far side that seemed to go off into the woods, well worn paths marking the way. A large lake stretched out to the side of her, along with a mountain lining the other side so that the lake was flanked by both hills and the meadow. Though not completely frozen over, the water wasn't falling at a rapid pace either. It must be partially frozen either further upstream where the water came down the mountain, or was starting to freeze as it fell over the cliff thanks to the frigid temperatures.
The filly was careful to watch the ground so that she wouldn't accidentally go hindquarters over hooves into the lake by stepping through any ice, so she slowed down the closer she got to the waterfall. The snow was chipped away by her hooves until she was on the bank, and she lowered her fine head, sniffing the ground to check for anything her instincts deemed suspicious.
When she figured there was no trouble, she moved her muzzle closer to the water, lowering it slowly in case her muzzle came in contact with ice. Not feeling it, the filly dipped her muzzle in to take a long drink, doing her best to ignore the frigid cold running down her throat.
Hunger stabbed at her belly again, and Zylah turned away from the lake, knowing she had to find something to eat. Copying some of the other horses, along with how her dam taught her, the filly scraped at the ground with her hoof, leaning down to nibble on the grass once she'd found some. The snow on her back had melted away by now, leaving her coat it's usual silky black, the color bright against the wintry backdrop
OOC: Zylah is free to be claimed by a herd stallion or recruited by a kingdom.
A presence... no longer of this world...
The sound of the crashing waves brought Zylah back from the memories of the past, the filly looking around, alert, her nostrils flared to try and pick out what didn't smell right. Things seemed to be okay here, for now, and despite the small measure of security hiding in a cave that hopefully not many knew existed, Zylah couldn't, didn't want to, stay here forever.
But she was tired... so, so tired, from fighting the thrashing waves and the rain pouring down over her. Even after having been on land, she was chilled to the bone, grateful for the winter coat that had grown in prior to this fiasco. All she wanted was rest, but hunger stabbed at her belly like a hungry feline predator, and Zylah's more basic need outweighed her wish to rest.
She still took her time to leave the cave, worried the waves would eat her alive again. However, they did nothing more that lick at her hooves like a hungry foal, leading the filly to realize that the ocean must have receded as she sometimes saw it do in her time here based on where the sun was in the sky. Deciding to not risk getting trapped, the filly hurried off of the beach and up onto the land where the sand turned to dirt, or, in this case, snow.
When the white powder surrounded her hooves, a shiver ran through her again, reminding Zylah that she would need to find shelter after she ate. Still, the naive one couldn't help the spark that lit up her eye when she glimpsed the vast landscape stretching out before her, hardly disturbed except for where a stray horse might have wandered in search of adventure. Upon closer inspection, smaller holes in the snow were there too, most likely the smaller animals that made burrows in the ground and tree roots so they could endure the winter's sleep.
When her eye caught the horizon as far as she could see it in the winter's stretch, a flame of excitement burned in her veins until the filly could no longer take it. She burst forth in a powerful gallop, her ebony form speckled with frost and snow kicked up by her display.
She pushed forward as hard as she could, wanting to really run, but finding it a bit difficult in this area since the snow layer was quite tall. But the further inland she moved, the shallower it became, and soon, she was racing over the land, her eyes locked on the big stretch of meadow she could see not far away.
Zylah crested a small hill that would lead down into the meadow, and when she reached the top, she stared down at the wonder before her. Her nostrils were flared as she stood proud, her eye scanning the terrain. Small cliques of horses, not quite herds, were scattered throughout the landscape, trying to pick through the snow for the grass underneath. Some of them looked to have bigger bellies than others, a sight that brought fonder memories to the somber filly.
No, she couldn't think about that now. There was far too much to see!
With a happy whinny, the filly loped down the small hillside and through the meadow to take it what it had to offer. Though greatly masked by the snow, she could pick out sections between the trees on the far side that seemed to go off into the woods, well worn paths marking the way. A large lake stretched out to the side of her, along with a mountain lining the other side so that the lake was flanked by both hills and the meadow. Though not completely frozen over, the water wasn't falling at a rapid pace either. It must be partially frozen either further upstream where the water came down the mountain, or was starting to freeze as it fell over the cliff thanks to the frigid temperatures.
The filly was careful to watch the ground so that she wouldn't accidentally go hindquarters over hooves into the lake by stepping through any ice, so she slowed down the closer she got to the waterfall. The snow was chipped away by her hooves until she was on the bank, and she lowered her fine head, sniffing the ground to check for anything her instincts deemed suspicious.
When she figured there was no trouble, she moved her muzzle closer to the water, lowering it slowly in case her muzzle came in contact with ice. Not feeling it, the filly dipped her muzzle in to take a long drink, doing her best to ignore the frigid cold running down her throat.
Hunger stabbed at her belly again, and Zylah turned away from the lake, knowing she had to find something to eat. Copying some of the other horses, along with how her dam taught her, the filly scraped at the ground with her hoof, leaning down to nibble on the grass once she'd found some. The snow on her back had melted away by now, leaving her coat it's usual silky black, the color bright against the wintry backdrop
OOC: Zylah is free to be claimed by a herd stallion or recruited by a kingdom.