Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Ocalea feels hazy, hypnotized by the movement of the ship as it rocks in time with the waves. The past few days have melted together into one long blur of chaos and commotion, leaving the opaline mare quieter and more withdrawn than usual. The only bright spot amidst the confusion is her sister, who the humans had the smarts to leave in close proximity to her twin. Without her sister, Ocalea was sure she would have gone mad by now.
The storm that rages outside does little to calm her already frayed nerves. The vessel groans under the rolling pressure of the waves as the tempest tosses it this way and that. The ominous creaking of wood doesn't sit well with the ivory mare, a sense of unease settling deep in her gut. She hears her sister say her name and flicks her ears forward, grunting out a reply that becomes lost in the sudden and thunderous sound of roaring water and splitting wood. Snapped from her trance-like state by the frantic screams of her sister, Ocalea watches with panicked eyes as her other half makes quick work of the rope and door that confine her. But Ocalea is less lucky in her endeavor to break free, the rope not giving away nearly as easily. Indra manages to get out but Ocalea remains stuck in her stall, desperately trying to fight her way from this death trap.
"Indra!" Her sister's name is ripped from her in a scream that's drowned out by the roaring of the waves as they continue to flood the cabin, the snapping and cracking of weather-worn wood as it finally bows to the pressure of the sea and its unstoppable tides. Frantically, she tugs and pulls and bites at the cord of rope that binds her to the ship, the whites of her eyes flashing as panic and desperation begin to take hold. But at last, with one final and mighty tug, she manages to break free from her fetters, and after a final kick the latch on the door gives way with a metallic clink and it swings open, freeing her from her cage just in time to see her sister slip into the tumult.
"Indra!" She screams again, throat raw from the harsh cries that escape her. There is no thought in Ocalea's mind beyond get to her now!, no sense of self preservation as she throws herself into the currents. It barely occurs to her that her sister may already be lost or dead, and that going after her is suicide, but if they are to die then they'll do that together, too. As the black sea envelops her and pulls her down to what she's certain will be her death, she thinks of her sister one last time, of the family they had lost, and of her deepening hatred for the two-legged creatures that brought this on them.
When consciousness finally comes back to her, slowly at first, it's the first thing she wonders; 'am I dead?' The air is cold against her sea-slick skin and she can feel herself quivering against it. But awareness slowly settles in and she feels the warm press of skin against her neck and the murmur of a familiar voice, and all at once reality comes rushing back. Glacial blue eyes snap open and the dun mare sits up abruptly, shifting onto her side. Her gaze falls on the familiar face of her twin ― her mirror image, her better half. And though crying has never been in Ocalea's nature, she cannot stop herself from welling up, tears stinging at her eyes as she pulls herself to her hooves, oblivious of the rope that still hangs from her neck as she presses her shoulder to Indra's and throws her head over the other's withers in a relief-filled embrace.
"Oh, I thought I'd lost you!" She confides, hot tears slipping down her cheeks. "I'm so glad you're safe, sister. I was so worried that ― if you were gone, I..." she trails off, not wanting to think about the mere possibility of living in a world without her beloved twin. For several moments she says nothing more, lapsing into a heavy silence. At last she pulls herself away, shaking away the last of her grief and panic and sparing a glance to their surroundings.
The beach they're on is unfamiliar and appears abandoned, not another soul in sight. But when she lifts her nose to the wind, the ivory mare can smell others. It's the first hint that they're not alone, and it sparks a feeling of hope inside her chest where once there had been only the fleeting, soul-wrenching belief that her sister was gone. But now the pair is faced with a new reality: they are alone, in an unfamiliar place, with no inkling of how its inhabitants might welcome them. But surely, she thinks, this is better than the alternative. Better than being dead, lost to the sea and forgotten by the world.
Turning her attention back to her sister, Ocalea poses the question that she knows is on both their minds: "What do we do now?"
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