Falls

He broke free of the trees and slowed down to a relaxed walk again, his neck outstretched towards the sky. The falls were loud, yes, but the way they glimmered in the sun awed him. After living in that desert for years, he hadn't seen this much drinkable water in one place. He stopped in a sunny spot to continue admiring them. He breathed in deep, loving how fresh and cool the mist felt in his lungs. It had been a while since he'd had time to enjoy something for this long.

One ear flicked back at the sound of another horse approaching. He turned his head, eyes scanning the small woods behind him as he tried to spot the newcomer. She entered the clearing with an obvious mission in mind, so he stepped to the side to make more room for her as she barreled passed him and into the lake. Water splattered the ground around him. Some ended up on his muzzle, but he just shook it off as she noticed him. "It's quite alright," Qadir smiled, swiveling both ears forward as he regarded her. "You've done nothing to upset me."

She was closer to his size than most horses. When he was younger, he might have challenged her to a friendly spar, but now in old age he was content to cock his back hoof and give his bones a rest. Hopefully he'd stay a worthy opponent, even if he didn't get much practice anymore.

"Ah, yes. I arrived just a bit ago." He grinned loosely and moved to join her in the water. He shivered at the chill of it, but once he settled closer to her the sun was quick to warm up his back. "Were you born from the ocean?" he asked, motioning his muzzle at the white markings that covered her grey body in large splashes and sprays of mist. He vaguely remembered similar coloring on a mare in his old herd, but back then he didn't worry about backstories.