Falls

How much time had passed since he had left the Lagoon behind? It had been late autumn when Mikhail had abandoned his brothers - both his blood kin and those who had been close to him - to pursue a different life. Now autumn had departed, and winter followed closely on its heels, bringing with it a blanket of snow that settled gently over the forest. Everything was still, and Mikhail found solitude in the quiet of the winter.

Now, the tobiano found himself lingering by the Falls, confined by his poor eyesight to the small clearing around its banks. The forest was far too treacherous to navigate when the weather was poor; the rain froze to everything it touched, and soon it was sure that the rain would turn to more snow. And so he waited, tucked between the trees that lined the Falls, for it to pass.

The roar of the water drowned out the crisp sound of snow and ice beneath an approaching body. He was unaware of another's presence until tired eyes drifted open, a hint of movement in the distance catching his attention. Turning his head, he focused his attention across the waters. He could only discern the dark outline of a large body, nothing more than an obscure blob on the far side of the tiny pond. It lingered there like an ominous, disembodied shadow. The woods were dark and deep and cold, and Mikhail was utterly alone - if a predator happened upon him... well, it didn't take any significant amount of intelligence to know what would happen then.

Suddenly, leaving the Lagoon seemed like a bad idea. In retrospect, he should have known better; but alas, hindsight was always twenty-twenty. It was by his own decisions that he had come here, and if this was some unfortunate downfall, it came only by his doing. All he could do now was hope this was not his end. Adrenaline sang through his veins as he watched the figure lurk by the water's edge, unmoving. Finally, he found the courage in himself to speak.

"Is someone there?" He demanded into the murky light, voice strong and clear despite his rising panic. Unseeing eyes rolled in their sockets, whites flashing a warning to any who might be near. Sharp hooves dug harshly into the snow as he stepped forward, head raised and body rigid, unsure of whether to fight or run.