The water was frightfully cold and yet Yusuf pressed on from the shore—pushing himself to march forward until his hooves left the wet sand, paddling feebly as he tried his best to stay afloat with Sylvia’s tail in his teeth for guidance. As he bobbed over the waves, his small head barely managed to keep above the surface of the ocean. The salt stung in his nostrils as he exhaled a small amount of seawater every now and then, when a wave would break over his face. Still, Yusuf was doing it. He was swimming in the ocean—finally! After years of never having left the Crossing, today he changed that at last. He was proud of himself, despite the nervousness that tightened his chest.

It was not until the surf grew increasingly rough that he truly began to panic. More often that not his head fell below the surface, and as the waves crashed over him, he swallowed more and more seawater. He coughed through his teeth’s firm grip on Sylvia’s tail and continued to snort water out of his nose until it became too much. He felt the water suddenly rise, yanking him away from his guide with a singular, powerful pull. He cried out in fear as he lost Sylvia, his hooves flailing in an effort to keep his head afloat. Yusuf’s heart pounded in his chest as the current took him, sweeping his legs out from under him and suddenly he was completely submerged, tumbling and tumbling until consciousness left him.

…

Shushhh. Shusshhh. Yusuf heard the waves whispering as he returned to the world, his head heavy in the wet sand. He coughed suddenly, pushing the salty water out of his mouth as he lifted his head from the beach. Every limb and appendage ached and again, the stallion could not find the energy to rise. Tired and alone, he touched his muzzle to the sand, wondering where he was and just how it was possible that he survived.


-yusuf