Common

Fall had not made for the easiest crossing, but he hadn't been willing to wait another several months just to jump into the water either. He'd already said his goodbyes, made his promises, all those little formalities one had to perform before they took a big leap of faith...It would have been a disservice to everybody if he had just stood around waiting after that kind of performance. Besides, a few days of rest once he'd arrived had set him straight. The cold, and the fatigue, hadn't lingered. If anything, he felt a real zest in his stride as he sashayed towards his next adventure.

Naturally, he'd been following the faded hoofprints of strangers. Well-worn paths weaved through the tall grass, gold and swaying in the wind, and Fledge followed them eagerly. The young stallion's excitement was all too obvious, and he made no effort to conceal any part of it whatsoever. As far as he was concerned, he hadn't traveled so far just to hold himself back! Fledge had always been unashamedly transparent, and just as unashamedly direct. Some, in the past, had complained to him, saying he talked too much, asked too many questions...Nonsense! The memory of such complaints made him snort and flick his tail as he trotted up the hillside, excited to find a better vantage point.

Once at the top, he stopped and breathed out a long, drawn out sigh of relief and awe. Below the hill, a shallow valley spread out, slowly became another hill and a patchwork of shrubs that seemed to eventually become a forest of some kind, the slim silhouette of trees hovering on the horizon. Fledge considered it likely that the area he'd come to was some kind of middleground, a sort of passageway, but what did it lead to? The forest ahead to the north, with even fainter ghosts of mountains behind it, tempted him, but so too did the flatter land to the east of him. What lay to the south, he could not say, for he'd only gotten close enough to acknowledge a rather foreboding scent: stallions, and a lot of them. That had sent him north quickly! And as for the west? Well, he'd arrived there, and he hadn't much fancied sticking around in the sand and seaspray for too long.

So, he had come to an impasse. With a sort of giddy excitement, he began to pivot on the spot. With a surprising elegance, he danced his way through several circles with his eyes closed. Then, he stopped suddenly, just dizzy enough to sway ever so slightly. Eyes shot open, and a broad grin spread across his face - he faced north-east. Fledge laughed to himself - even chance hadn't been able to make a final decision either! So, let it be. He'd drift that way, but for the time being (or at least until his dizziness subsided), he'd take a break to graze and watch...Just in case an exciting story started to unfold nearby...Just in case.