It had been Ocala's first night alone in the forest, and even though the morning sun was shining brightly, Ocala made no effort to get up from the place she had curled up in to wait out the darkness. She was nestled at the foot of a large rock, her head tucked between her hooves, her ears twitching occasionally at some foreign sound. The night had been absolutely awful. Horrible sounds flooded in from everywhere, and several times there had been footsteps crunching through the undergrowth. Consequentially, Ocala hadn't slept a wink. Instead, she had spent the night shivering in constant fear. Even now that the noises were somewhat familiar, and the sun shined down like a beacon from the heavens, Ocala couldn't master her fear enough to rise and greet the day.
She felt like a failure. What was she doing out here anyway? Wasn't this last night proof that she didn't belong? She closed her eyes, pressing her eyelids together furiously in an attempt to stop the tears trying to stream down her face. She knew was was going to happen as soon as she rose. She would turn around, go back home in disgrace, to her mother's disapproving, scornful glances. And so, since Ocala neither wanted to move forward, or go home, she simply stayed where she was. She knew it was foolish, that not moving would accomplish nothing, but...she just didn't have the will to go on.
