Falls

Removing himself from his new home had proven difficult, as Septimus had finally recovered and was now just resting lazily in the shade of the woods. He tried to put it off for several days, and it was nearly a week before he actually pried himself from the introversion of the Forest and, at dawn, gave himself up to the waves for the third time in less than a month (which was three times too many in his opinion; he was not fond of the sea). The salty brine swallowed him up and wrapped him in that all-too-familiar playful grip, tossing him gleefully about as soon as his hooves left the pebbly sand of the shallows. He had figured out during his last journey that you should not fight the tides, but let them have their way and offer only assistance to their whims.

This time was… not so bad.

As Septimus worked only to keep himself pointed in the correct direction, he realized that these journeys did not have to be so exhausting. The weightlessness was almost pleasant, so long as the crests were not too high, nor the troughs too low. If the sea was going to be kind, Septimus decided he could learn to like it.

After some navigational confusions, Septimus was gently deposited on the shores of the main island. The place reeked of horse, but the ashen stallion was pleasantly tired from his swim and did not mind too much. He could retreat to his lonely, pine-scented home when the sun set this evening and sleep with his nostrils free of anyone else’s scent. For now, he ignored the mild annoyance and stepped into the shade of the main island. Today was warm, and Septimus followed the sound of running water in search of a fresh drink and hopefully company. He wasn’t exactly jumping at the chance to meet anyone new, but the stallion had pushed his old life and self far into the corners of his memory and found that what was left could scarcely pass for a personality. Septimus was boring, and the cure for one’s affliction of boring was experience. In this new land (or lands, plural, he supposed) he was going to have to experience by exploring and interacting with others. He was going to have to find himself through conversation, however turned off he was to the idea of companionship.

The sound of running water lead the silvery stallion to a grassy bank surrounding an impressive little waterfall. Septimus basked in the mist, letting it soften the salty dried locks of brittle mane and tail that had been the result of his dip in the ocean. He waded gratefully into the chilly pool and drank, before relaxing with his ears turned back and his lower lip jutting out as he began to doze. This whole socializing thing could wait a few minutes. He had the whole day to make a friend, and wasn’t in any hurry to do so.