So many. I had not been around so many other horses since my birth herd, and it was downright...well terrifying. So many were my own size or larger, stronger, faster. Helovia was filled with new terrors, and i constantly felt as if something would jump out at me from the shadows. So, i wandered away from my new herd, seeking air that held no scent of other horses. The mist wound herself around my legs, and i greeted her embrace with a gentle nicker. She, at least, could pose no threat; too thin to conceal any predators or such dangers, and i quite enjoyed the ticklish feel of the wisps tracing my ankles. It made me want to toss up my heels and buck and frolic, but the thought of doing such was just so... strange. So i didn't, settling for just enjoying the feeling.

A sudden impact on my withers tears a squeal from my throat, and i spring forward, terror lodging in my throat like stone. I was doomed. Whatever hit me was going to kill me and finally end this confusing life i held. My hooves tore at the ground, hurtling me through the trees, fearless for once of the hazards that could be. Every thought, every muscle was focused on getting away from my attacker, although i did not realize that my 'assailant' was merely a broken twig. The treeline suddenly broke, and the ground left my hooves. My hind hooves dug into the ground, trying vainly to stop my momentum, but my speed had been too great, and i tumbled over the cliff with a scream. Mercifully the fall was short, and broken by sand. Quickly i scrambled to all fours, sides heaving, my entire body trembling so violently i feared i would fall once more.

It took many a heart-thudding minute before i calmed enough to raise my head, gazing at my surroundings. Where was i? The rushing sound was louder, pulsing against my ears, a rhythmic noise. Legs still feeling like jelly, i took a few quivering steps from my landing site, wincing at a bone-deep ache in my hind leg. I tested it; it was merely bruised from my landing, rather than broken as i had feared. Salt filled the air and the rushing sound grew as i walked onwards, and then, a sight so grand my mind could not encompass it laid before me. A giant lake, stretching from skytip to skytip, with no end in sight beyond the horizion. I had only seen the sea from afar, never up close. Was it dangerous? Was this yet another hazard i would have to concern myself with? My previous experiences with lakes in winter were not pleasant; they involved me falling through the ice and spending a long night freezing. But, against almost my entire nature, i approached the strange ripples that kissed the sand and turned it dark. My hooves sank into the damp sand, and i lowered my head to sniff at the stuff as a wave came rushing down the beach.

Water, choking me. Rushing up my nose and mouth, sucking at the earth from my hooves. I tried to scream, springing up into the air and turning heel, fleeing from the water as i gasped and choked for air. Salt coated my mouth, stung my nostrils, and bile rose in my throat. Coughing, retching i managed to clear my airways, and there i stood gasping, shuddering violently. I wanted to hurl; i couldn't get the foul flavor of salt out of my mouth, and with a tremble i tried to retch, but nothing came up. My first encounter with the sea, and i was left with no desire to ever touch the trecherous water again.

(ooc: yay first 1stperson post :D)