debonaire

Weakness and exhaustion weigh heavily on the buckskin's withers, countered only by the buoyancy the sea lends his body, and the last reserves of his waning strength. Three of the stallion's limbs strike out in an ungainly stroke; the fourth, consumed by the wildfire agony coursing through it, has ceased to respond to his commands. Focusing on thoughts of his family, Debonaire pushes on through the pain - and slowly, steadily, the shoreline of Atlantis draws near.

With a last herculean effort, the tawny stallion wrenches himself free of the waves' grasp, his hooves digging deep into the bone-white sands of the beach. Fatigue finally overcomes him there; Debonaire's entire body seems to sag as if the grey, cloud-covered sky presses down on his shoulders, and he pauses to give his weary limbs a brief respite after the grueling swim. Turning his attention to his surroundings, the stallion quickly concludes that the strip of beach on which he stands does not belong to the Shore; the terrain is too rugged. Ridges of rock rise steadily upward to meet the mountains that form Atlantis's spine.

The climb that stands between Debonaire and his destination is a daunting obstacle - the one that may inevitably defeat him.

As he gathers himself to begin the impossible task of advancing up the mountain, the stallion becomes aware of the strange silence that pervades the air. The birds are not singing, and there are no calls of his own kind to question the appearance of a stranger; he can hear nothing but the thunder of his heart's beat, and the gasp of each labored breath drawn through his lips. What had happened here? Atlantis had been a vibrant and vivacious place during the time his family had made their home here. The apparent emptiness of this territory is both a contradiction of Debonaire's memories - and an ominous sign.

Had the shore suffered the same fate? Would he return his home to find it empty - his family swallowed, perhaps, by the sea? Too anxious to stand still for another moment, the buckskin stallion shuffles down the beach, heading for the gentlest of the slopes to begin his ascent.