You're talking to a goddamn... God.
The sun-bleached sand shifted underhoof as a bronze-hued stallion made his way towards... somewhere. He'd been through so much lately. Gabrielle's death had hit him hard and he was... not taking it well. He knew it was his fault, but he rejected the blame with every fiber of his being. To accept that, meant accepting defeat. It was hard to reconcile how lost he felt without her. She had always been his light in the darkness, and now he was drowning in shadow. Ironic, considering how bright the sun was in this desert. Tio suspected the sight of her body decaying into the earth would haunt him for years to come. The pain threatened to choke him again and his sure-footed, running gait came to a halt as he crested a dune and he looked out at a wasteland as desolate as his soul felt. Fitting, he thought with a toxic, mutinous lash of his tail. The chocolate tresses slapped hind legs sculpted by war and travel. There wasn't an ounce of fat on the stallion's body- steel muscles rippled under a velvet hide.
His gaze caught on the sight of an outcropping of rock and he turned to look, seeing the green of a canopy growing among the rocks. There must be water over there. he surmised. The stallion changed his course and started at a trot, down the back of the dune and towards the promise of shade. Sweat glistened off his neck as he reached the place and slipped in under the trees. He'd been right. A pool of crystal blue water fed many a plant and supported the growth of grasses and shrubs. With a snort, he trotted right down to the edge of the water and further until he was chest-deep. He took a long drink and then turned around to head back to the shallows. Once there, he sank onto his side and rolled onto his back to scrape some dirt and dust off his back and soak the burns. When he stood, he shook himself, a cascade of excess water flinging off his body.
The stallion then took the opportunity to feed as well and stretched his neck out to the ground to sniff at the tough grasses that grew here. It wasn't the best in the world, but it would do. He kept his ears trained to listen for danger. It was a good thing, too. Because of course a place like this would be guarded or claimed by another herd. He lifted his head when he heard hoofsteps and opened his mouth to taste as well as smell the approaching equine. It was a stallion, he knew that much. "There's no need to attack me. My name is Catillato and I'm merely passing through. I'll move on in a moment." He called out, his sides vibrating with the strength and volume of his whinny.
483 || @Orestes
