and this time I'm not leaving without you; Ashley

[Marlyn]

i suddenly feel like a different person
from the roots of my soul comes a gentle coercion

As the edge of the meadow turns to sand and dives beneath the chilly waves of water. Marlyn is drawn to it's calming embrace. It had seemed like achingly long ages since she was able to slip between the small waves and become weightless and free from the restraints of the land. Only in the water was she able to shed the responsibilities that lay on her shoulders and truly be able to think clearly.

On this first day of spring, the spotted mare opens her eyes to the ocean that lay before her in it's blue and green glory. The sun warms her hide like a gently lover's kiss but it is the water that laps against the striped hooves so lovingly that she is beckoned. At first she is slightly doubtful of the fairies words when they gave back her powers. For a fleeting moment, as her head slips beneath the surface, she believes it was all a trick and she will be drowned. A moment passes and then another before the small voice reminds her quietly to relax and just breathe. If the mare were to die today, there is no sweeter way than to slip into the inky darkness of the water's caress.

One breath.
Two breathes.

Marlyn opens her eyes (throbbing slightly with the intensity that she squeezed them) and can feel the way the heaviness of the water circulated within her chest. Her head swims momentarily, drunkenly but she is alive and breathing. A smile curls upon her lips as the slender limbs move her deeper into the water. She floats weightlessly with streaming mane and tail like a radiant mermaid or siren. It felt good to be surrounded by the water, to look up and watch how the sun glints and dances on the surface just above.

With a little effort, Marlyn pushes herself to the bedrock below. The light still reaches the bottom here and very few creatures bigger than the fish ever really came close. Amber pools watch as the sea life crowd away to make room for her as she soon finds a patch of sand and rock that would accommodate her size. With a little more effort, Marlyn settles on the sandy floor with curled limbs as she rests with a smile on her face, the small touch of her white and brown hair tickling against her. In the next moment, once she has made herself comfortable for much needed rest, she shifts her colors to match the sand and shell world. Her skin responds with a hue of pale yellow sand dotted with white and gray patches at various sizes to mimic broken bits of rock and shell. Some yellow and black accentuate other areas to simulate the shadows, her mane becoming a brownish green as though kelp sprung from her neck. Once she is satisfied with her coat, Marlyn closes her eyes to mediate quietly away from the dry world.

marlyn