[AW] gone in the blink of my eye

[Mikhael]

Mikhael's wiry frame seemed more withered than usual after his departure from the Islands. He wasn't sure how long it had been since he'd left - almost a full season, if he had to guess. Autumn had nearly been at an end when he'd taken his leave, winter following quickly on its heels. Now he stood on the shore of a faraway beach, gazing emptily into a foreign horizon.

It had been so long since he'd seen the coast. The smell of salt and sand scoured Mikhael's nostrils, the familiar sound of rolling waves against the shore roaring inside his ears. He could practically feel the tumble of the sea through his hooves, the familiar rumble echoing through his bones. It reminded him of a home he had left behind, a deep yearning flooding his soul and making his heart ache. How he missed his friends and family. But there was no going back - after all, what was the point, if there was nothing there waiting for him?

Briefly, his mind wandered to Evren. A warm and familiar affection replaced the cold nostalgia in his chest as he pictured her face, the warmth of her eyes and the gentle curve of her smile. She was everything he was not, and it had been the polarity of their souls that drew them together and repelled them apart. If there had been a reason to stay, she would have been it.

But she hadn't.

Mikhael felt his throat tighten at the thought, a quivering sigh escaping his lips, disappearing into a delicate cloud. The winter air bit at the sensitive flesh of his face and nose, a shiver creeping along his spine. He knew he shouldn't be thinking of the past. There was no point, nothing to gain from it. Still, he couldn't help but miss it - her. She had been the first to welcome him after he left home, the first to show him that the world wasn't always the harsh and cruel place he had grown up believing it to be. She had given him the companionship he had never been able to receive from his family and brothers - biological or otherwise.

Breathing in the briny aroma, Mikhael turned away from the horizon, away from the din in his mind, setting an unhurried pace down the shore.

@Bucephalus or any!

[Bucephalus]

The smell of salt and sand filled Bucephalus's nostrils and nose as he trotted along the coast. Not that it was a bad thing - while the smell certainly wasn't what he usually smelled in the forests, it wasn't unpleasant. It was quite nice actually.

The water rushed up to meet his hooves as they dug into sand, wet and sloppy, coarse and rough and dry in other parts. His mind quickly diverted from the beauty around him. To his parents. To the plague that had killed so many of his friends. To the same plague that ripped his parents from his life and left them lifeless, cold and grey.

What would they have thought of this? Of the marsh and salt?

Over there. Off in the distance! Another stallion! He cautiously approached the man, his steps quick and shallow. He hoped the man wouldn't attack, but who knew what would happen?

[Mikhael]

Mikhael smells the other male before he sees him, his heady musk filling his nose. The thunderous sound of waves seems to disappear as the stallion comes into sight, nothing more than an obscure brown blob filling his vision. He pauses mid-step, hooves digging into the moist sand which gives way freely beneath his weight. He lets out a low nicker in greeting. Closer and closer he comes, until finally Mikhael can see him clearly, head tilted and blue eyes seeking the gaze of the other. He was much taller, his body more full of bulk than Mikhael's ever had or likely ever would be. He found himself slightly intimidated by this man's sudden presence, realizing just how easy it would be for him to become overpowered. Despite the nervous twist in his gut, Mikhael forced himself to speak in a genial tone.

"Hello," he greeted simply, head bowed. "Did I interrupt you? I haven't trespassed, have I?" He worried aloud, his gaze shifting to scan the landscape around them. Had he inadvertently traveled through someone else's lands? In the Islands, he had always been careful not to trespass. Stallions there were fierce in protecting their lands and their mares, often driving off any who dared to set hoof in their territory without permission. It was a brutish way of life, really, and so Mikhael had always avoided the other islands, not wanting to create trouble for himself or anyone else.

@Bucephalus

[Bucephalus]

Bucephalus took a long sniff of the air around him. Sweat and salt and sand, but also the SC of another stallion - musky and strong. The waves seemed to become quieter as the other man came into vision, tall and dark with grey splotches, yet slender. He stopped for a moment, letting the rough and coarse sand run over his damp hooves as they dug into the ground. He watched as the other stallion turned his head to face him and listened to him speak.

"Hello. No, you did not interrupt me. I was just going for a walk down the beach. And as far as I am aware you aren't trespassing. I'm Bucephalus. A pleasure to meet you."