give a little, get a lot
The sky was still overcast when the light began to fade, and Nadja moved from her hiding place in the Common to explore the island a bit. It was still her first day here, and so far she had not run into any problems. Her biggest complaint was the cold. The mainland had been warmer when she left, though she had weathered a few bitter winters in her old home. She found herself thinking she might like to stay and see this place in the spring.
Her grief was quieter after her rest. She had slept through most of the daylight, waking up now and then to shift or survey her surroundings, but she hadn’t really moved until now. Her footsteps were quiet as she slipped through the trees towards the sound of running water. She was small, her arabian blood to thank for her slender frame and tiny hooves. Her body blended into the shadows as the sun set, the blueish hue of her fur and the black of her mane and tail hard to distinguish against the bark of the trees. The sound of the falls was growing louder, and the forest opened up to a small clearing surrounding a lazy cascade of water.
Nadja approached the pool of water until her front hooves were submerged. She bowed her head and drank for a long time, filling her empty stomach with fresh, cold water. She was still dehydrated from her ocean swim and from almost immediately falling asleep once on dry land.
She pulled her head out of the water before she drank herself to sickness and looked around at the little clearing. The grass here was long and spilled over the edges of the pool until the ends trailed in the cool, stirring water. Nadja backed out into the grass, then turned and lowered her head a second time to graze.
