The golden rays of morning had already come and were shifting into the light of midday. Hunadi snorted softly as she trotted her way along the damp river bank, ears alert and tail raised in mild excitement. She had risen early before the break of dawn to get an early start on her journey and was making great time despite her legs beginning to tire. Where she was going remained a mystery but she was pleased with where she had ended up so far, following the fast flowing river over decaying logs and under low hanging branches that tickled her ears. The water dipped and swirled as if taunting her to keep up, occasionally colliding with the bank and throwing cold droplets at Hunadi who bucked and leaped in response.
She could still feel the cool tingle of morning in each breath that seemed to ignite a sense of urgency from within and with a toss of her head the mare broke into a canter, kicking up soft dirt behind her as she pushed forward into the unknown. The sense of adventure had always excited the young mare, calling for her at all hours of the day. Who would want to stay in one place for their life? The idea of staying in one place for more than day or two sounded almost repulsive when there was a whole world waiting to be explored.
Spotting a small clearing along the riverbank, Hunadi came to a bouncing stop. With her head and tail raised, she pranced in a circle and exhaled several lout snorts before finally settling. Now would be a good time to rest.. She mused, stepping up to the water's edge for a drink. Taking several large gulps, the mare raised her head, surveying her surroundings once more before leaping into the water, briefly disrupting the current.This was such a lovely place, birds singing in the canopy above her as she splashed about by herself. " Maybe I'll stay for the day." she spoke aloud, taking another drink of the cold liquid. Besides, she doubted she would ever return to this place and it would be a shame to not enjoy such a beautiful landscape.
The sound of cantering hooves startles Celina from her intense focus on the water. She turns her pale head to see a pinto mare cantering by, but it is a stranger, and so the yearling returns to her concentration. Standing hock deep in the water, Celina's seagreen eyes seek out the silverly glimmer of the minnows she had been so carefully observing. But it seems that her sharp turn to look at the other horse had been enough to startle them and there is nothing at her hooves but water and smooth pebbles.
With a quiet huff, the navy-haired young horse glances back to the other horse. The sound of hooves had stopped some distance upstream, and she sees that the mare has stopped for a drink. The piebald patches on the stranger's hide remind Celina of her family (most of her siblings share mother's tobiano markings), and subconsciously she reasons that this stranger is safer to approach than others might be.
"Hi!" says the filly, who despite the crooked teeth that protrude from her wide mouth is still smiling brightly. "I saw you running. You're really fast." Celina is not especially fast, though she can outrace her weanling brother, and she wonders if perhaps this stranger might be willing to share her secrets to speed. "I'm Celina!"
@[Hunadi]
10-04-2019, 11:19 AM
(This post was last modified: 10-04-2019, 11:19 AM by Hunadi.)
Being caught up in her own daydreams, Hunadi was caught off guard when she first heard the filly speak from the river bank. "Hi!" the young horse had spoken, grinning brightly at Hunadi who still had a mouth full of water. The mare's ears perked up, her tongue protruding between her lips slightly as she swallowed the cool water. "I saw you running. You're really fast." the filly spoke again, revealing that her name was Celina.
"Hello there," Hunadi answered, taking a final moment to enjoy the water lapping at her legs and belly before making her way towards the bank. "I thought I'd get some fresh air today and do some exploring." she explained, watching a song bird flutter from one tree to another while chirping a lively melody. Seeing the filly before her, she wondered if she was close to a herd- she wouldn't have been surprised if the filly's mother or guardian appeared. She kept a decent amount of space between herself and the filly, knowing some herds were more defensive than others when it came to their young. Hunadi had no intentions of harming her surprise guest, but decided it was best to keep some space just in case.
"Celina;That's a lovely name. I'm Hunadi." she offered a kind smile to the young horse, remembering what it was like to be that age. She admired Celina's dark mane, comparing the contrasting colors to her own with mild curiosity. "What brings you all the way out here?" The mare asked, shaking the excess water away with a satisfied huff.
@[Celina]
Though she does her best to wait patiently, the yearling does still fidget where she stands on the riverbank. Her hooves make little divots in the soft soil, but when she notices she does her best to be still, so that only her flicking navy tail and bright expression indicate her excitement.
"I like to explore!" Celina announces, pleased that she's found someone who does the same. "Except, I haven't really explored much yet. This is my first trip away from home alone. Well, almost." There was a brief battle between being truthful and remembering that her parents do not know of her nighttime visit to Hyaline, but she decides at the last moment that this stranger is probably unlikely to tattle on her to her parents.
The pale filly is further pulled from these thoughts by the other mare's introduction - Hunadi - and Celina repeats it once or twice to herself before nodding firmly, determining that yes: she'll remember. Sometimes Daddy says that she is as flighty as her fireflies and twice as forgetful, but Celina is quite sure she won't forget the bay mare's name.
"I'm exploring too!" She tells Hunadi, unaware of the concerns the older horse might have. Her mother had been concerned too, but Daddy had said that she was old enough to go on an adventure by herself, as long as she remembered the safety rule. And she does remember it, having repeated it to herself quite often.
When in doubt, jump off a cliff
There aren't cliffs here, of course, but she also doesn't think that Hunadi looks especially dangerous. And she's an explorer too, just like Celina imagines herself to be. ""Do you wanna go exploring with me? She offers. "Where you gonna go somewhere really cool? I like cool stuff!"
@[Hunadi]
10-08-2019, 01:47 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-08-2019, 01:47 PM by Hunadi.)
"I like to explore!" the filly had announced eagerly,"This is my first trip away from home alone. Well, almost." . The similarity between Celina and herself were nearly identical and the mental comparison caused Hunadi to smile fondly. If she hadn't known any better, she would have sworn she was looking at a younger version of herself. "I'm exploring too!" the filly exclaimed, offering Hunadi to explore together.Something about the fervid gleam in Celina's eyes caused a spark with in Hunadi. Perhaps it was because she way herself in the filly, or sensed Celina's yearning for adventure just as she felt within herself. Either way, it was highly contagious to the bay. An addiction she had no intentions of curing.
" That sounds lovely,"Hunadi agreed with a small nod, surveying their surroundings briefly before turning her eyes back to the filly. "I'm not familiar with this area,"she admitted, hoping her truthfulness wouldn't deter her new friend. She tried to recall if she had passed any interesting places on her way through the trees and brambles, but she had been so focused on racing the river's current, she couldn't recall anything worth looking into.
"I'm sure we'll find a cool place to explore. Adventure is never far away!"
@[Celina]
When the skewbald mare consents to Celina's offer, the filly kicks up her heels delightedly. Despite already having surpassed her mother in height, the pale filly is still very much a child, and has no qualms about showing her excitement. Hunadi's ignorance about the area around them is met with an exagerrated shrug. Celina does not know this place either; she'd just followed the redwoods until they started to shift to deciduous forest. Mother had been very clear with the directions.
"I've never been here before either," She tells Hunadi unconcernedly. But as she loooks out at the flat feilds that stretch to either side of the river, her brow creases. Where are all the trees? She can see a few, but never in clusters more than a dozen. The blue haired filly shivers for a moment, instinctive concern about standing in the open, and looks out at the horizon with so few trees.
' "Is everywhere like this, do you know? All empty and...bare? Her frown is for the scenery only, and when she looks back at her new companion, Celina's seafoam eyes brighten just as her smile up turns up. Hunadi seems to have no strong preference for direction, and Celina glances behind her, to where she knows Taiga lies.
"I came from that way." She says, gesturing toward the distant redwood forest. "So let's not go that way. What way did you come from?" She waits, head tilted a little in a way that catches sunlight on her bone white teeth and opalescent scales. When the bay mare has answered, Celina then gestures in another direction, one that neither of them have been to.
Wordlessly, she shrugs her shoulder as though to indicate that the choice is up to Hunadi, and trots forward, asking as she does. "Where'd you come from? Tephra? Ischia?"
@[Hunadi]
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