a drop in the ocean | avalanche

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M O N D

Mond had been sure he'd trekked inland through the south, not towards the great oceans. Though he could have been wrong, he thought rather bitterly with every choked breath. Lavender, oceans of the stuff, accentuated by the heat of the mid-day sun; not a sea of water but a sea of tall purple flowers that tickled his knees. The spring breeze had his olfactory senses aflame with the scent, burning his nose. Nares quivering as if his lungs didn't want to suck in any more air, he was positively beside himself. The ears atop his crown flicked one way, the other, then back, followed swiftly by the rest of his bay form like a wheel that had skidded in the wrong direction, some unfortunate of the offending plants flattened or chopped by sharp hooves.

No. The stallion stopped just as abruptly as he'd gone and turned around once more. Just once. He had not plodded all this way to flee in fear of flowers or suffocation. His mother had once said that the scent or taste of lavender was therapeutic, calming, but even years down the road he was baffled by such an outrageous claim. It didn't ease him nor did it sooth the thundering of his mind or heart. It was in his way, expanding left and right and before him. He supposed he could have wasted an hour or more skirting its borders but what sort of stallion would that have made him? No better than a weanling avoiding unfamiliar shadows.

His auds pinned into the tangled strands of his mane with the thought, flicking it away. He braved one step, then another, and another, until his limbs carried him haphazardly into this strange field saturated in a rather offensive shade of purple. And at last when he'd regathered the jumbled depths that had become his mind he had enough sense about himself to halt a ways atop the crest of a gentle hill, lest he be lost like a voyager out in a real sea.

From the vantage point he could spot a small group of equines dotted near the speckled tree line to the north. So tantalizingly close to their own freedom, unlike him. He snorted. Mond ignored them in preference for scanning the eastern horizon, gaze swiftly locking on a lone figure wrapped in a bright coat a short distance off. They were in his path, something he mused absently over even as it coaxed him gradually down the hill, purposefully trampling the overgrown weeds in his wake.

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@avalanche
NOTES: Gods I need to get back into the flow or writing -.- But what can I say? Mond just really doesn't like lavender.

[Deleted]

K A T E R I N A

the flea-bitten mare had never been to this part of the land before. then again, she had always been more a fan of the north or the islands that were way off in the distance. yet, somehow, her long legs had carried him to this place. so far, she had seen no other equine in the area, and for a moment she stood, stiff legged and head tilted curiously to the side. out in the distance she could just make out what looked like a swarm of purple-colored bugs that were heading in her direction. startled, the mustang stamped her front hooves and leaned back onto her haunches, ready to turn and flee if they were like those nasty yellow and black things she had encountered just earlier this season. however, it took her mind a moment to realize this wasn't a swarm of bugs, but more so, a field of plants. a meadow of sorts, maybe? yes! just like the ones she used to see and frolic through when she was just a foal glued to her mothers side.

curiosity was what drew the grey-white horse forward, her head held at full height, ears twisted sharply forward, and her dance-like step moving at a prancing gait. her nostrils flared with each adrenaline filled breath as she finally came to a halt at the edge of the large field. for as far as her hazel eyes could see, there was nothing but these tall, purple plants that she had never seen before. something about the way they smelled made the mare want to fall over and sleep. but, of course, she resisted this urge, as she was on unfamiliar land. she could be reckless and lazy or whatever she wanted to be for that matter, but today was not one of those days. with a swish of her white fading tail, she lowered her nose and took a big sniff of the alien plant. big mistake. the small buds on the plant flew up her nose and the mare jolted back, tossing her head up and down and standing on her back legs, snorting a little more than dramatically.

finally, whatever had lodged itself in her nose seemed to release and flew out covered in a rather unpleasant coverage of mucus. the mare shook her head, stomping her hooves as though she had no idea what had just happened and prancing off the incident in the same manner. another small snort and he lifted her head to see a large bay horse moving in her direction. from this distance, she could only make out the deep coat and the white splash on their face, but the scent on the air - that she could just pick up through the piercing scent still in her nose - told her it was a stallion. twitching her ears, they perked high on her head and she let out a shrill whinny of greeting, standing tall.

it had been a long time since she had seen another horse.
@snidget <3

[Deleted]

M O N D

If he were but a colt he might have marveled at how his luck had altered so drastically in such a short span of time. As it were, he managed to sway the excitement, pounding it into the earth with every enthralled step. Penetrating the noxious scent of lavender was the distinct zest of mare on the air, no doubt from the figure he was nearing by the second. She was sneezing out a whif of the plants with a little prance that drew him in. There was an extra spring in his stride as he mowed through the wretched field, urged on by the sharp whinny that greeted his approach. Mond's ears locked onto the little mare as he was quick to to bellow out his own return greeting, sides trembling with the effort.

Even from his initial assessment she seemed a proud little thing, her stance not marred by a dash of nerves from his sudden appearance. He stopped short of running her right over. In fact, his hooves planted him a good distance away even as his limbs threatened to coil and spring him forward to give this give mare a proper introduction. Instead, Mond observed from the other side of the space he'd left.

Immediately he was taken by her bright grey coat speckled in a fleabitten pattern with the faintest dapples. It was a sight for eyes that had swiftly become sore from so much lavender. She stood as tall as her stature would allow, something he mirrored in kind in the span of silence. He was keen to break it.

It was not long after he'd halted that Mond caved on the urge to edge nearer, stretching his neck out in a curious manner to brush nares near one of her shoulders. It took only a brief instance and a deep huff to commit her delicate scent to memory. He withdrew in the next instant though, having no desire to receive a nip straight to the face for the bold move.

In the next second he was turning and halting side-face several feet away. It might have even seemed somewhat of a pose, something that seemed only base instinct in the moment. However, his gaze was busy sweeping about them with his muzzle tugged in a semblance of a grimace. "Do you like all this purple stuff, little mare?" His eyes snapped right back to her then, doing another once-over. "What's your name?"

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@avalanche
NOTES: This is very hard for him. Can't he just give her a big ol' hug? hahaha She is so cute.

[Deleted]

K A T E R I N A

the dappled mare stood patiently, her head held high and hooves squared on the ground. she was still, aside from the few sways of her tail to keep away the lurking bugs. he was quick to approach, but cautious all the same. his tall bay frame was handsome, to say the least and she found herself rather gawking at his approach. she instantly caught herself, snapping her semi-open jaw with a loud clank of her teeth. she was a woman at this stage, not a filly, she didn't need to get caught up in these colt-like games. still, she found herself staring at the interesting splash of white on his face and how well built, his tall stance was. the mare was only pulled from this when he came to stand before her, stretching out his muzzle to sniff at her shoulder for. for a moment, her shoulder skin quivered at the sudden touch, but after not even a seconds pause, she returned the gesture, stretching out her slender gray, speckled neck to brush her muzzle against his smooth furred shoulder.

as quickly as the moment occurred, it was over, and the mare let out a brief snort as he pranced a bit away from her, showing off his tall stature and handsome coat with a model like position. The gray horse huffed slightly, as though amused by his sudden motions, before allowing her head to give a humorous shake. the stallion studied their surroundings, long neck sweeping around, before his regal voice swept over her like a breath of fresh air. she was taken aback by his tone, and for a moment forgot to respond. snap out of it, kat. her inner voice chimed at her sternly, before she shook her head and tried to recall what he had said to her. it had been something about the weird, purple field. "my lungs don't seem to appreciate it." she murmured thoughtfully, giving her nose a twitch and light snort to try and get rid of the lingering itch that was still at the back of her mind. she needed to learn that sniffing everything wasn't the best of ideas. but, at seven years old, she was a bit too old to be changing her ways.

introductions. oh, how rude of her to forget! "oh..." she mused, scolding herself with a light chuckle before responding. "i'm katerina, but most just call me kat." she told the stallion with a friendly twitch of her ears. "what about you, prince charming?" another light laugh and she drew her front hoof over the ground thoughtfully, like a filly amused by the first sight of a young colt, as she waited for him to reply.
@snidget