It was midday. The sun stood proud in the sky above, showering the swamp with amber light that sifted its way through the thick canopy above bringing with it the fresh scent of flora. Bright colors popped against the many shades of green. Despite having grown up here in the swamp, Desert Diamond looked at the new day like it were something fresh and new. She breathed in the heady scent of the swamp and lifted her shaggy, sandy blonde head to the sun. The swamp was beautiful.
So taken was the Acha with her surroundings that looking where she was going was the last thing on her mind. Surely she was lost, but when was she not? She chose to ignore it, to flit around the groves like a petal in the breeze. Her small, almost dainty cyan hooves blindly moved forward, every few steps barely finding purchase. A few inches to the left and she'd be in a sink hole, and back there, she had accidentally used the head of a sleeping caiman as a step. Des noticed none of this, humming to herself as she wandered on.
For a moment, she wondered just where she was going. Just where were her hooves taking her this beautiful, sunny day? Maybe a babbling river, or a sunny clearing? Her hooves had a different plan.
Almost instantly, her humming stopped and her smile was replaced by a look of shock. Time seemed to slow down immensely as, suddenly, there was no longer earth beneath her, only empty air. With a sharp cry, she plummeted down the embankment to the packed, muddy earth below. It wasn't a far fall, only 12 feet or so, but unprepared as she was, she made the worst of it. She felt her ankle roll as it struck a upturned root and tears flooded her eyes.
Once again, she found herself dirty and injured, lost and alone. She sighed heavily and tried to stand, but her hoof could not bear her and soon she lay back in the mud. Head bowed, she fought back tears, wondering why couldn't she just enjoy her day?
Nymphiea
There you go!