The sun had been high overhead when Zaria finally managed to ditch her brothers for a chance to explore beyond Tinuvel. She did not dare tell them of her intentions, lest they run back to mother and tattle as they were known to do. It wasn't that she minded spending her days racing through the conifer forests with her brothers hot on her heels; hell, she didn’t even mind that Mother restricted her to Tinuvel. It was safe and she did know it and its dangers well. However, there was just a point in one’s young life where they have managed to explore every potentially exciting thing there is to explore on an island filled with relatives around every corner. It was time to spread her wings and fly.
And fly she would. Far from the safe, frigid waters of Tinuvel and straight onto the large island, she used to merely stare longingly at from across the horizon. Today, her wet hooves fall upon the soft malleable sands of the common island as breathlessly she draws herself away from the grasp of salty waves and onto the prestine beach. Bright, silver blue eyes blink rapidly to clear her vision of the salt water sting. Paper-thin nostrils flare as the russet mare gives herself a quick shake, her chocolate colored mane slapping audibly against her damp neck. She made it.The mare of ice exhales a sharp breath, giving her finely dished head a resounding nod as if confirming that she had managed the swim to herself as well as the islands. For a short time, she lingers on the shoreline, relishing in the warm rays of the sun and drying out her coat with the help of the brisk ocean breeze. Sea oats were pleantiful here and though she grazes on them slowly, it is not the beach that she has come to see. A distinct path in the dunes marks her trail and cautiously she follows with ears forward and wolf-keen eyes watchful for danger. Pink nostrils flutter as the slender mare takes in the familiar and strange scents of the new world spread before her hooves. It was marvelous and her heart fluttered anew with excitement and satisfaction. She could do this.It does not take long for the twisting, winding path that she found herself on, to open ahead of her. Past the yellow-orange rays of sunlight, a large meadow of thick grass spreads before her. Here and there, unfamiliar horses dot the open space, lost deep in conversations or merely enjoying the close proximity of one another. Warmth spreads through her veins at the sight but shyness overtakes her and refuses to allow her to butt in. Instead, she settles her sights on a nearby tree, its leaves already turning the various shades that warn of the coming winter. Acorns and dry leaf litter decorate the base, her hooves crunching the delicate cast-offs beneath her hooves.Pale lips widen into a self-satisfied smile as she shifts her weight into a more relaxed position, cocking a hind hoof against the ground to send her curious gaze over the gathered masses ignorant of her presence.