Jay allowed a smile to play across his face. The mare's impulsivity and flow reminded him of the water they stood in. Both predictable and not, both changing and consistent. That being said, he didn't think he shared the mare's enthusiasm for the ocean. The salt stuck to his skin and reached places he couldn't itch, and the pull of the water made him feel that each step would cause him to fall.
Maybe it was something that he would learn with time. Learn to lean into the discomfort in pursuit of the beauty within. Unlike the mare, his gaze skimmed over the pattern of the water and ignored the fish darting beneath the surface. Instead of being relaxed, he was tense and braced himself each time a wave caught his eye. As the sky started to darken though, Jay found himself breathless with the sunset that now colored the ocean.
His ear swiveled again as the mare spoke. Did he need a purpose? Theoretically, he didn't really need a purpose. He could follow his heart and the wind and engage with whatever he happened to fall upon. But he desperately wanted one. He wanted something that drove him. Something that pushed him to the edges of the islands and through the danger and difficulty of life. He wanted a reason to wake up and a concrete concept in his mind to defend. But he didn't know how to say this - out loud - to this mare he had just met. So instead of thinking, he kicked up his heels and headed for the sand.
The sand pipers were patient enough but knew to move to not get trampled. Not that he ever would but it was getting harder to see them against the darkening sand. It felt good to stretch his legs again, especially now that he could finally relax out of the ocean's grip. The wind blew against his damp coat, sending a wonderful chill down his spine. Where did the beach lead? How far would they run?
The unknown beckons, and Jay was almost ready to answer its call.