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mhysa

The Inlet felt so empty now. It was worst on the shore, where wind and sea sang a mournful lament, a final eulogy to those who had been lost. But he couldn't bring himself to leave, to give up hope that those who were lost would return. Sigrun, Macabre, Shiraz - and Silver, his mother, the old woman who had been his entire world.The other day, the young stallion had watched helplessly from the cliff as Grai had gone, had witnessed the chestnut's small family following him into the waves with a sense of foreboding. Like the others who had strode into the sea, they did not return. Of the family that Bastian had grown up beside, only Freya and Dogun remained.

Like the shells that littered the Inlet's beach, a promise was frail. Fragile. And with a single step, Bastian left one broken behind him.

Though he told himself he was seeking those who had been lost, it was escape the draft colt truly sought. Bastian did not expect to find his quarry on Tinuvel, else they would have already returned to the Inlet. Like as not, they were on one of the other isles, beyond his reach unless he could find the courage to chase them through the tides. I can't, the boy thought, pausing to gaze at the grey sea below him. Despite the shaggy russet coat that sheltered him from the cold, a shiver crept down his spine as he watched the waves throw themselves at the cliff with violent force. Stone stands firm, but flesh has been known to fail, and bones to break. Tearing his eyes - and thoughts - away from the ocean, Bastian continued his course.

An hour later he had crossed into the no man's land that formed the barrier between Bay and Inlet. It was a treacherous slope, with jagged rocks jutting from the ground like rows of teeth. Picking his way down was a slow procession; the mountainside was not as stable as it appeared. Stones shifted beneath him with every step he took, and near the end he slid downward for a terrifying thirty yards before his hooves finally found blessed, solid, flat earth. Trembling from a combination of fear and fatigue, Bastian took his first look at Tinuvel's Bay.

Only the contours of the land were different from the Inlet; the trees and creatures that lived here were much the same as the ones on the other side of the island. But to Bastian, who had never known any place other than home, the Bay looked utterly alien. It was much more open than the Inlet, and the young stallion felt exposed as he started on his way again. He was just wondering whose home he had intruded upon when a soft call sounded in the distance, and a grey shadow stirred amongst the grasses. Responding in turn, he forced his weary legs into a loping gait. "Bjorn?" Bastian said in disbelief as he drew close, his brown eyes wide and wondering. "What are you doing out here?"

mare | six years | bloodmarked grey | akhal-teke | 16hh