Disregarding a few special exceptions, there were not many things that the golden stallion feared for a long time. However, trauma could be a powerful motivator, and it was this that had caused Aten to stay away from the ocean ever since his travel across to the islands west of Tephra to try and help find a cure for the now-extinct Plague. He encountered a creature there, the likes of which he had never seen before. The appearance of the animals had been seared in his mind, and the scars that littered his belly and legs would make for permanent reminders of what force he had faced that day.
They, for their small size, had been so strong... Aten could still remember how his blood ran cold when he felt the creatures wind their arms... the long, flexible limbs much like the vines that hung in some of the tropical trees in Beqanna's lands... and dragged him under with the force of a tsunami wave...
He tried to fight... but his head had gone under... the cold frigid waters of the ocean completely surrounding him... he was trapped... helpless... he could only watch as the surface grew dim in his frantic eyes, his lungs burning as he fought with his own instincts to survive, knowing to take a breath would mean his death...
This train of thought had turned into a recurring nightmare, and was often a source of why Aten would sometimes wake up screaming or in a panic in the middle of the night when his small group of friends were asleep. He continued to feel thankful that, so far, his nightmares hadn't disturbed Owin or Popinjay yet.
If they had disturbed Lethia, she had yet to comment on them. But Aten fought that by sleeping a few yards away from the group, masking his true actions by saying he wished to keep a wider ring to protect them while they rested.
But fear was a demon, one that searched to consume the mind, to kill, even without spilling blood. Aten had come to the realization that he could not afford to let this ghost haunt him until his skin was pale and his limbs brittle from old age. He had to face it, if not conquer it, before it drove him into the dark recess of his mind to a point beyond return.
He would not complete his personal task so close to home though... not yet. If those creatures were still living down there... He couldn't face them, not in this state of mind...
For if he encountered them, before conquering his fear... he would most certainly panic.
So Aten headed south, traveling for six suns to reach the much calmer ocean that lined the Field. He passed the herds of horses on his way, nodding to those who exchanged a friendly greeting but not stopping to chat for anything more then a few minutes of time. He was on a mission... he had to get to his destination, before losing his nerve.
When the golden stallion reached the ocean, he took half a sun to contemplate his choice. Was he truly ready for this? The stallion's body quivered as he turned to face the low tide, steeling himself with a breath before striding toward the joining of beach and water.
A full sun passed before Aten had decided he had sufficiently dealt with a good portion of his fear. He had not gone out much farther than how deep the ocean went below the surface at twice his height, but it was close enough to the beach that he knew he could get out in a hurry should this take a dark turn.
Aten had decided that, for now, this would be enough. He hadn't felt as conflicted as he suspected, though that was probably due to being on the opposite end of the land and not near where his trauma had occurred. Perhaps he could wade in to his pasterns the next time? He would make that decision later. He had been away from home for long enough, and he wished to get back to Lethia. They had not only verbally but recently expressed their love for one another, and until things were certain, probably after too, Aten wished to remain near her side to give himself peace of mind.
The golden stallion was on his way back to Taiga through the Field when he heard a voice calling out into the vast space of meadow grass stretching out in front of him. His ears swiveled to pick up the words the owner of the voice called out, finding them a bit intriguing. This stranger to Aten... she had a question? It didn't seem that she was requesting a specific audience to answer her. Perhaps he could be of some assistance? He did not know that she was indeed calling to him though, for it had been his long tail that she had glimpsed disappearing over the meadow grass when a small ridge obscured him from her view.
The stallion altered his trail and began trotting in the direction of the mare. He saw her after a short while, and slowed to a walk to avoid startling her. However, by her stature, he could tell that something was troubling her about all this. If there was something he could do to put her mind at ease, well, first, he hoped he could anyway.
The pretty blue filly, for Aten deduced upon approach that she was no more than four summers old, stood proudly against the bright autumn sun against the green autumn meadow, her navy white-splashed coat in clear contrast. Her smooth mane and tail were splattered in the same colors where they corresponded with the colors of her coat, and her fine, tapered muzzle and proud face were full of confidence. She did look quite a bit darker than what might be her natural color though, and it was on closer inspection that Aten realized she must've recently swum in the ocean as he had.
"Hello," he greeted the filly. "Well, perhaps I can help answer your question then?"
@[Sibyl]
They, for their small size, had been so strong... Aten could still remember how his blood ran cold when he felt the creatures wind their arms... the long, flexible limbs much like the vines that hung in some of the tropical trees in Beqanna's lands... and dragged him under with the force of a tsunami wave...
He tried to fight... but his head had gone under... the cold frigid waters of the ocean completely surrounding him... he was trapped... helpless... he could only watch as the surface grew dim in his frantic eyes, his lungs burning as he fought with his own instincts to survive, knowing to take a breath would mean his death...
This train of thought had turned into a recurring nightmare, and was often a source of why Aten would sometimes wake up screaming or in a panic in the middle of the night when his small group of friends were asleep. He continued to feel thankful that, so far, his nightmares hadn't disturbed Owin or Popinjay yet.
If they had disturbed Lethia, she had yet to comment on them. But Aten fought that by sleeping a few yards away from the group, masking his true actions by saying he wished to keep a wider ring to protect them while they rested.
But fear was a demon, one that searched to consume the mind, to kill, even without spilling blood. Aten had come to the realization that he could not afford to let this ghost haunt him until his skin was pale and his limbs brittle from old age. He had to face it, if not conquer it, before it drove him into the dark recess of his mind to a point beyond return.
He would not complete his personal task so close to home though... not yet. If those creatures were still living down there... He couldn't face them, not in this state of mind...
For if he encountered them, before conquering his fear... he would most certainly panic.
So Aten headed south, traveling for six suns to reach the much calmer ocean that lined the Field. He passed the herds of horses on his way, nodding to those who exchanged a friendly greeting but not stopping to chat for anything more then a few minutes of time. He was on a mission... he had to get to his destination, before losing his nerve.
When the golden stallion reached the ocean, he took half a sun to contemplate his choice. Was he truly ready for this? The stallion's body quivered as he turned to face the low tide, steeling himself with a breath before striding toward the joining of beach and water.
A full sun passed before Aten had decided he had sufficiently dealt with a good portion of his fear. He had not gone out much farther than how deep the ocean went below the surface at twice his height, but it was close enough to the beach that he knew he could get out in a hurry should this take a dark turn.
Aten had decided that, for now, this would be enough. He hadn't felt as conflicted as he suspected, though that was probably due to being on the opposite end of the land and not near where his trauma had occurred. Perhaps he could wade in to his pasterns the next time? He would make that decision later. He had been away from home for long enough, and he wished to get back to Lethia. They had not only verbally but recently expressed their love for one another, and until things were certain, probably after too, Aten wished to remain near her side to give himself peace of mind.
The golden stallion was on his way back to Taiga through the Field when he heard a voice calling out into the vast space of meadow grass stretching out in front of him. His ears swiveled to pick up the words the owner of the voice called out, finding them a bit intriguing. This stranger to Aten... she had a question? It didn't seem that she was requesting a specific audience to answer her. Perhaps he could be of some assistance? He did not know that she was indeed calling to him though, for it had been his long tail that she had glimpsed disappearing over the meadow grass when a small ridge obscured him from her view.
The stallion altered his trail and began trotting in the direction of the mare. He saw her after a short while, and slowed to a walk to avoid startling her. However, by her stature, he could tell that something was troubling her about all this. If there was something he could do to put her mind at ease, well, first, he hoped he could anyway.
The pretty blue filly, for Aten deduced upon approach that she was no more than four summers old, stood proudly against the bright autumn sun against the green autumn meadow, her navy white-splashed coat in clear contrast. Her smooth mane and tail were splattered in the same colors where they corresponded with the colors of her coat, and her fine, tapered muzzle and proud face were full of confidence. She did look quite a bit darker than what might be her natural color though, and it was on closer inspection that Aten realized she must've recently swum in the ocean as he had.
"Hello," he greeted the filly. "Well, perhaps I can help answer your question then?"
@[Sibyl]