On My Way

R I X E N How curious the tidepools were. Each one was like a whole world in itself. I resumed my exploration of them, lowering my antlered head to the water and sniffing it curiously. A tiny tree-like plant waved its branches directly below my whiskered muzzle. The fluorescent tendrils curled up toward me and I stretched my snout closer to touch them. Suddenly, the sticky arms shot forward from the water, tiny suction cups grabbing the tip of my nose. I leapt back in surprise, shaking my head until I was free of the strange plant.  Amidst the crashing of the waves against the rocks, I heard a voice. I swung my antlered head around in the direction of the sound but saw nothing. Scanning the rocks more closely, I spotted a figure a short distance away. Whoever it was hadn’t come too close, but did not stand too far away either. Close enough that she had to shout a little so that the sound of her voice was not drowned out by the crashing of the sea. This made sense. I could be someone dangerous after all. But lucky for the unicorn standing a short distance away from me, I wasn’t. My emerald eyes scanned the figure. She appeared medium-built, a buckskin appaloosa with a dark face and many white markings that were recognizably different in nature from anything else I had seen before. Protruding from her forehead was a spiraled horn that curved back slightly toward her ears. Her icy blue eyes shone back at me. A large white bird circled in the sky above her. The Rift sure was full of surprises, and I welcomed them with intense and eager interest. Her odd patterns and colors made me wonder if the mare was a Riftian native. "Hello." I called back to her, raising my voice a little so that it could be heard above the wind and the waves. "Are you from around here?" She might be able to teach me more about this place. I knew so little. Slowly, I was learning more, but anything or anyone who could help me to speed up the process would be greatly appreciated.    "Talk." they heard me singing and they told me to stop quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock

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