Common

Mikhail's wiry frame had grown thinner since his departure from the Lagoon. He didn't know what compelled him to leave the only home he had ever known. It was a dangerous task for someone like him, but he just couldn't stay put any longer. It was becoming torture - day in and day out, doing nothing but rotting away in the murk and the mire, being eaten alive by the bugs. The constant buzz of mosquitoes in his ear had been a constant companion since his birth, and the silence had been jarring at first.

The decision to leave had not come easy - but he had long outstayed his welcome in that filthy place, and there was nothing to hold him back. His mother and father had disappeared some time ago. He often wondered what became of Felony, the murky bay stallion that had inhabited the Lagoon for so long. He had made a name for himself around the Islands as a notorious marauder, and Zhenya... well, Zhenya had just been a pretty thing for him to occupy the time with. After all, the Lagoon was a treacherously boring place; it was no wonder those stallions needed their trinkets to keep them entertained.

But the thought of it all disgusted Mikhail. Now that his parents were gone, there was nothing keeping him in the Lagoon any longer. He was free to do and go as he pleased. Part of him felt guilty for leaving Ruger behind, but the tobiano stallion had never been particularly close to his younger brother. Occasionally, he wondered if he had failed his only sibling. He had done such a poor job of maintaining their relationship throughout the years. But the more Mikhail watched his brother grow, the more he reminded him of their father.

Perhaps it had been fear of this change that had truly driven Mikhail from the Lagoon. Alas, he would never admit such a thing to himself, even if it were true. Whatever the reason was, he hadn't the time to consider it. As he stood in the commons, his slim figure hidden among the trees, the only thing on his mind was how quiet it was. Although the common was speckled with bodies, not a single one had approached him. The rustle of leaves had been his only companion today.